Before and After

I have a number of projects on the go at the moment. Recently I found this chaise and ottoman for $50, so they are at the upholsterer waiting to be transformed into something beautiful. Or at least I hope so:

This is part of a $2 white table light which I (really my husband - he's better at it) am painting with aluminium paint:

At $2 each, these retro bar stools are not my usual thing but, hey, I'm branching out and becoming less 'safe'. We'll see how they turn out with some new fabric seating:

This wing chair for $20 is a bit hard to visualise as something beautiful, but I love a challenge:

This is a $2 table which my gorgeous hubby has transformed with some black paint and two new boards:

Into this:

I'll post my other ugly ducklings after their transformations.

Also, the lovely Georgina from Little Dream Girl has awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award.  I've written seven things about myself in my previous post, and I'm sure the blogosphere has heard enough about me for now. Thanks Georgina - it's always exciting to receive awards from fellow bloggers.

Finally, thank you to everyone for the encouraging comments for my previous post. They mean a lot. xx

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by Camille for the Versatile Blogger award. According to Camille,

"If you receive this award you list seven random things about yourself that people might find interesting and then give the award to ten to fifteen blogs that you've recently discovered. "

  So here are seven random things about me:

1. I started blogging over three years ago when I read an article about the wonderful Anna Spiro and looked at her blog. Not only does she have a great eye, she's a lovely person as well. I was hooked on blogs immediately.

2. Two years ago I graduated with a PhD in English Literature but I've recently come to the realisation that I don't want to pursue an academic career.

3. Instead I'm going to start a Visual Arts course next semester.

4. Last August when I was holidaying in London I found a lump in my groin which turned out to be malignant. It was a very rare sarcoma. Two operations and an 8 inch scar later, I think (and hope) that the cancer is completely gone. I feel in a way that I have received a gift - I'm going to pursue the important things and not waste time on what is not right for me. Hence numbers 2 and 3.

5. The world of design blogs has increased my knowledge amazingly. Through them I have found out about my favourite design people such as John Derian, Emily Chalmers, Anne Shore, Lyn Gardener, Shannon Fricke and many others. I've also found out about amazing stores such as Anthropologie, and have become an avid reader of design magazines and books.

6. My PhD wasn't wasted because I've had a book and some articles published, and learnt a whole lot about A. S. Byatt whose books were the topic of my thesis.

7. Blogging has taught me that you're not crazy if you have a love for rooms, houses, furniture, colours, shapes and textures, as well as images of these, no matter how blurry. It's opened my eyes to a whole lot of great people out there who are similarly hooked. Most of all it's taught me the importance of following your bliss.

Now I'm going to pass the Versatile Blogger award on to these lovely bloggers, who have been keeping me company on my difficult journey over the past few months, without realising it:

• The Inside Story
• Naturally Carol
• Comeca Jones
• Claudia Lane
• Love in a B and B
• Beachcomber
• Andrea
• Simmone

Autumn Boatshed Revamp

As the days are getting shorter and the nights colder, it's time to make the boatshed cosy. So I've been shopping for a few items to combine with vintage stuff I already had. I made some cushions from the offcuts left over from the stool reupholstering:

I bought two beautiful vintage deckchairs for $3 each:

A new pendant light shade from Ikea:

Cushions from Freedom and rug from Ikea:

A little vintage chair for $8 from a local second hand store:

An Ikea bedside table lamp:

Now that the inside is taken care of, it's time to paint some exteriors. This laundry looks so much better in dark charcoal than it ever did in white:

Here it is as a work-in-progress:

I'll keep you updated on the progress of this beach cottage as it undergoes a coat of charcoal paint. Can't wait to see it:

 

Favourite Sydney Restaurant - Via NYC and Paris

Yesterday I visited Felix, a new Sydney restaurant. It's reminiscent of a Parisian bistro, and also felt just like I was in Balthazar in New York. The marbled entryway is similar to the one at Balthazar:

Sorry about the poor quality of this image - you can just see the lovely timber ceiling:

The decor is classic, with white subway tiles, Thonet chairs, white tablecloths:

A mural:

And white chicken wire tiles on the floor:

I had the chicken soup with barley, lemon and peas, which was delicious:

And the best Reuben sandwich this side of a New York deli:

The service was just as impressive as the decor and food, even though the restaurant was really busy. I would thoroughly recommend a visit, especially if you need a Manhattan fix.

Work In Progress

Remember this post about my proposed kitchen renovation? Well, it's been coming along slowly. This was how it looked at the time:

I finally visited Freedom and bought this kitchen island:

Along with a couple of these:

And here is how it looks at the moment:

I had originally planned to paint the entire wall behind the sink in chalkboard paint, but instead I just made a blackboard with one of these frames:

I had also planned on painting the cupboard doors white, but I'm leaving them at the moment because I'm not sure. The next step is to paint the tiles white. I've also had one of these ugly stools re-covered and ...

Voila! I'm pretty happy with the result: