Imagine These

A couple of weeks ago, I went browsing in a shop in Woollahra, Sydney, called Imagine This. These are some images of the beautiful pieces to be found there. It's way above my price range, but I'm a bit like Holly Golightly and Tiffany's - it cheers me up to know that such beautiful things exist, and that it costs nothing to look.

My 100th Post

Well, I never thought I'd have enough to fill 100 posts, but it seems I've managed to do it, one way or another. My trips to the Op Shop have certainly been more frequent since I've become a blogger. Over the last two weeks, this is what a total of $20 has bought:

A pink Italian bedspread still in its wrapper and a previously unused afghan blanket:

A patchwork quilt and a green check travel rug:

A white marble vase and picture frame:

It's been fun collecting all these and other items since last October. Now, however, I'll be having a rest from Op Shops because on the 9th May, my husband and I are house-swapping in Europe for three months. We'll be swapping for a week in each location: Paris, the Costa del Sol, Barcelona, Provence, Umbria, Berlin, Copenhagen, Stockholm and London. I was originally planning to give my blog a rest while I'm gone, but I've decided to attempt to post from the cities I'll be in. Not too sure how easy this will be, but I'll give it a go. So, from May 9th till August 2nd, my posts may become a little infrequent.But hopefully, I'll be able to offer some insights into the world of house-swapping. Thanks to everyone who's been kind enough to read my blog so far. Some of you have been really regular with your lovely comments. Hopefully I'll find something interesting to say from May 9.

Light Relief

I've been to a local Film Festival. Saw 6 films in about 28 hours. Am now emotionally drained from too much death, torture, suicide and violence (when I mention Into the Wild, Home Song Stories, La Vie En Rose and Black Book, those of you who've seen them will understand completely). I really enjoyed them, but now have a need for a little light relief. Luckily I've been saving some images of gorgeous rooms from Desire to Inspire during the recent past. So I'll post these and cheer myself up.

Boathouse vs. Hither Hills Studio

I've just returned from a few days in Sydney, during which I indulged in one of my favourite pastimes - a trip to the bedlinen floor of David Jones. Imagine my surprise when I encountered a rather expensive throw cushion which appeared to be made from paint-spattered overalls and another apparently fashioned from patched denim. Further inspection revealed that these were from the Hither Hills Studio collection of Ralph Lauren Home from 2007. Sorry if this collection is 'so last year' to most people, but I've been living in a bit of a bubble up till now when it comes to design. Anyway, when I later looked at the collection on the website, I kind of liked the way it combines the rough bespattered and patched fabrics with a faded tea-stained floral, blue and white stripes, and natural materials such as wicker and leather. The video on the website is pretty cool too. The image below gives a limited impression of the look, and is from Apartment Therapy, which a few months ago asked for responses to the Hither Hills Studio collection, with mixed (generally unfavourable) reactions.

Another aspect of this collection I liked was the fact that it captured the kind of beachy atmosphere that I would like here in my boatshed (albeit on a massive budget which I don't have). The collection's blurb reads as follows: 'A weathered oceanfront retreat with an inviting, free-spirited vibe echoes its seaside surroundings with shades of indigo and a natural material palette'. What's not to like about the tufted sofa, leather chairs and wicker basket below?




Also, I was initially delighted to find a 'Boathouse' linen collection on the website as well, which I naturally thought would fit my boatshed aesthetic. However, I was quite dismayed to find that it combines a baby pink, a green gingham, a madras check, a chino and a beige floral in ways which I never want to see in my boatshed. And the cushion with the boathouse drawing? Yuk! For all its supposed staginess and preppy pretension, give me Hither Hills any day, Ralph.

Glorious Colour

Most of the images I post from other blogs have a rather neutral palette, but occasionally I find myself drawn to inspiring rooms that are laden with colour. An example of this would be the photos of Sam Robinson's house that I posted a couple of weeks ago. I discovered a new blog today called Enhance the Everyday by Pia Jane Bijerk, in which she posts photos of the home of photographer, Debi Treloar. The top two photos are care of Debi's website, www.debitreloar.com, and display the more neutral palette I'm used to. They are just as beautiful.

Desire to Inspire Round-Up

Desire to Inspire never ceases to amaze me! These are just some of the beautiful images I've been collecting over the past couple of weeks from that fantastic blog! They are all rooms which inspire me.

Happy New Year 2

These images are from a great blog I've just discovered - Decorno. I love her term - sloppy chic - it's an aesthetic I can identify with.