Interior Design

A renovated cottage to delight you... Renovating a traditional style home for today's living is all about balance, it may mean adding more character to the exterior and opening up the interior for today's lifestyle. If you want to keep the character and charm of a cottage then keep traditional with your interior style but mix it up with more modern pieces. New kitchens are usually opened up and become a focal point where family and friends can gather. Bathrooms may be a mix of classic and modern. Overall a mix of both modern and classic style is what you should be trying to achieve. Gone is the look of dark floors and heavy furniture. Light toned or mid toned wooden floors make rooms feel spacious and help to keep it light. It is all about balance and both the architects,  Heydt Design   and the interior designer,  Benjamin Dhong Interiors , have achieved this balance perfectly. 2. Above - Previously this home was a mix of old and new styles which didn't blend seamlessly ...

Today I want to introduce you to a stunning new indoor/outdoor fabric range from Thibaut Design called, Calypso... If you are from my part of the hemisphere, you are probably familiar with the name 'Sunbrella', an outdoor fabric that withstands the wear and tear of our harsh sun. I have a very large outdoor umbrella made from this fabric, in fact it is so large I have nowhere to store it, so it is left out year round. Sunbrella fabric is fantastic, it has never gone mouldy or marked and at two years old, in all weathers it still looks like new. What has my umbrella got to do with the fabulous new designs from Thibaut  you may be thinking, well the new Calypso range is indoor/outdoor fabric made from Sunbrella fabric.  Thibaut's designs are always unique and their colour palettes beautiful so I was excited to see their new  range which comes in various designs of circles, spots and geometrics, and includes my favourite colour, navy. The new range of fabrics can be mixed a...

 Lisa Gabrielson Design Sorry for my absence the last couple of weeks, my hand is now healing and I am back in full force. I wanted to start the week with two gorgeous interiors. Neutral, sandy tones are restful and beachy, however, if you want more contrast, or to add some 'punch', navy and white is the way to go. Two different looks from the same great designer... In the first project (above and below), Lisa Gabrielson Design has taken a neutral palette and added lots of interest with texture and pattern. I love the Hamptons style kitchen and the black counter top really pops. I am a person that is not very brave when it comes to using dark tones, and have chosen white for the  Papamoa Beach house , however, Sarah has convinced me a black stone tile she found would work wonderfully in the bathrooms   alongside the cararra marble in the shower base and nook (more to come on that next week). Meanwhile I will leave you to peruse these two lovely homes...

There is no denying I love Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan, it is my favourite because there is no need to prep or sand your piece first, it is simple to use and you can achieve some amazing effects. Annie's paint and wax goes a long way but if you want to tackle a smaller project without having to buy the larger tins of paint and wax, then Annie's new, Mini Project Pack could be the perfect solution. The new packs contain everything you need for a smaller project such as a chair, table, or picture frame or maybe you want to re-paint a lamp stand. The Mini Project Pack includes two small project pots of Chalk Paint™ (100ml) in colours of your own choice, 1 tin of Clear Soft Wax (125ml), 1 tin of Dark Soft Wax  (125ml) and a small pure bristle Annie Sloan brush. If you are new to  Chalk Paint™ it makes the perfect introductory pack or a great gift. The pack retails at  RRP$149 which includes all of the above mentioned and you can pick your two colours. Everyone can paint a pie...

Still one handed hence no chance to post last week as the swelling wasn't going down, but loving this gorgeous Brisbane interior enough to struggle again with one finger. My stitches are due out this afternoon and hopefully with physio I can get back to blogging and finishing my latest piece of art . I visited Brisbane a couple of years ago and fell in love with the grand, old Queenslander homes,  and although this house would not be described as a Queenslander, it still has the charm of an Australian colonial home.   Verandah house  have created a beautifully relaxing environment for its lucky owners. The interior has been  decorated in a timeless style that suits the sub tropical climate of Brisbane. Gentle unassuming shades of grey, beige and pastel blue keep it cool and calm. The wide wooden floorboards give timeless appeal to this beautiful home and everything about it speaks, relaxed elegance.   If you would like to view more images or contact Verandah hou...