Archive for September 2013

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Homes to Inspire | Converted Lolly Factory

This incredible home belongs to Merrick Watts, an Australian comedian, radio host and television presenter, along with his wife Georgie and their two children Wolfe, four, and Kinga, 20 months. Formerly a lolly factory, they have converted it into an über-cool family home.

Starting with the outdoor areas, you can see how much of the original building has been retained by way of the exposed brickwork. This has been married with large sliding glass doors and ironbark frames that open the length of the deck, where an "above-ground" pool has been installed and encased in steel. Big hanging planters add to the rustic feel.

Inside the home, a mix of timber and brickwork continues, starting with the generous kitchen area. The large island bench made from reclaimed ironbark provides a warm contrast to the bricks, and also the perfect place for friends and family to gather. The open shelving works beautifully with the overall industrial vibe of the home, as do the stools and pendant lights.

A striking feature of the home is the two-and-a-half tonne black steel staircase which acts as the spine of the building. I also love the mix of flooring, which includes beautiful recycled hardwood flooring upstairs and contrasting polished concrete flooring downstairs. The living room's wall-to-wall bookcase takes centre stage...

A stunning fine art photograph, Matilda, Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo by Leila Jeffreys, sits proudly in the master bedroom. Wolfe's room features cute bunk beds, striped bedding and a cosy Icelandic sheepskin.

Subway tiles and reclaimed wood in the bathroom go hand in hand...

It's no wonder Georgie and daughter Kinga look so happy in their fabulous home!

All images via the Real Living online gallery. The full shoot can seen in the October issue of Real Living magazine.

As I mentioned last week, it's school holidays, so I'll be posting Monday, Wednesday and Friday only for the next two weeks. You will continue to see me everyday either on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. See you back here on Wednesday!

Christina Liljenberg Halstrøm

During the recent Design Trade Fair in Copenhagen, bloggers who were lucky enough to attend unanimously sang the praises of designer Christina Liljenberg Halstrøm. Showcasing her new Georg Collection for Danish design company Trip Trap, it's easy to see why. Working mainly with wood, leather and wool, the timeless furniture series demonstrates Christina's immense talent and beautiful design aesthetic.

Created for the entryway, the pieces can however be used in many different areas of the home. With functionality being key, Christina has designed the furniture in such a way that will help eliminate unnecessary extras. Having finally shifted towards a more uncluttered, minimalist style in our new home, this concept really resonates with me, as does Christina's elegantly simple, clean design.

With a Swedish mother and Danish father, Christina's Nordic roots show clearly in her minimalistic approach and choice of natural materials. I love the combination of untreated oak, raw leather and dark grey wool, shown above with the Georg Skammel stool.

Having still not sorted out a full-length mirror in our new home, the George Spejl would be a welcome addition. In fact now that I've discovered this stunning piece, I'm not sure any other mirror will measure up!

Here are a couple of earlier designs by Christina. The award-winning Beddo (Japanese for bed) above was created in 2010 as "the ultimate piece of resting furniture." A cozy woollen duvet is designed to be both a sculptural and changeable upholstery element for the minimal sofa.

Christina sitting on the Cover Up chair which was initially created in 2010 for an exhibition. Innovative yet timeless it is now being produced by the Danish outdoor furniture company With A View.

Find out more about Christina over on her website and check out the full Georg range here.

Black & White Basics from Ikea

I recently purchased a couple of Ikea basics that had been on my wishlist for ages, the Stockholm Cushion and the Eivor Throw. Fun, versatile pieces that are suited to both living spaces and bedrooms, the simple yet bold black and white graphics work beautifully with our monochrome palette.

Shown here on our sofa, these items will no doubt find their way to other areas of the home in due course. The bedrooms are definitely calling out to them!

As with many of my interior choices, inspiration was gained from the Scandi-style blogs that I follow. Here are some examples. I'm sure you'll be able to spot the two Ikea products. The cushion is very popular!

Images: 1-2 | 3 | 4-5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

As we wait and wonder if Ikea will ever make its way to NZ, there are more and more local companies taking matters in to their own hands, shipping products across for resale. I've done my research, and there's one company that I've started using who are fantastic. Living Concepts have a Ponsonby showroom and bring in a shipment every three to four weeks, based on customer orders (taken from the Australian website). The best part is there are no huge mark-ups, and their customer service is fantastic. Tell Teresa I sent you!

Home Build | Bathroom Details

A couple of weeks ago I gave you a Home Build Bathroom Inspiration and Update post and promised I'd return with my wishlist of bathroom accessories. Staying with our neutral palette, I've curated products that will add warmth and texture. Aesthetically beautiful as well as functional, I've also included a few skincare products that I've had my eye on!

01 Country Road Home Pepe Bathmat
02 Hay Strap Mirror from Corporate Culture
03 Stop The Water While Using Me Hand Balm from The Minimalist
04 Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm
05 Saha Fouta Towel from Izzy and Jean Co
06 Ottoloom Ipanema Towel in Butter Stone from Superette
07 Bathroom Inspiration via Elisabeth Heier
08 Bathroom Accessories from The Minimalist
09 Natural Basket from Bodie and Fou
10 Diptyque Roses Candle from Mecca Cosmetica
11 Bloomingville Antique Elm Wooden Stool from Bodie and Fou
12 Aesop Coriander Seed Body Cleanser
13 Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Eye Cream
14 Diamond Vase from Artilleriet
15 Grey Rubber Bowl from The Minimalist
16 Norm Bath Series for Menu

Musings & Moodboards

Is it just me, or does everyone feel a bit jaded, and in need of a holiday at this time of year? Schools break up on Friday here in NZ, and I'm looking forward to a rest from all the rushing around. Like the rest of the country, I'm hoping by then we'll have won the America's Cup race! Currently being sailed in San Francisco, Emirates Team New Zealand are racing Oracle Team USA, and with one race left to win, we are so close. Fingers crossed our boys bring the cup home!

I'm actually thinking about taking a bit of time off over the school holidays, so that I can spend more time with my boys. You'll still see me online everyday, on either Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest (that's a given) but the blog posts may cut down to three a week. I'll let you know what I decide by the end of this week, so you know what to expect!

Once back from the holidays, I'll be coming at you with lots of exciting new content that I'm working on, including giveaways and interviews. I'm also doing some public relations work for a beautiful new store, and in the early stages of setting up a little interior-related side venture. Lastly, I'm thrilled to have locked in a magazine shoot early next year to have our new home featured.

Because of all this busy-ness, I just have a couple of moodboards to share with you today. The first features that exquisite combo of black, white and neutrals together with a few things I'm loving right now such as DIY bookshelves and black interior walls. It also includes some of my fashion must-haves like hats, sunnies and leopard print!

This next one was inspired by the arrival of spring and features blush tones, bright airy interiors and beautiful flowers. Enjoy!

All images via my Pinterest Boards.

Inky Greys & Dip Dyes

Growing up, my father owned a home textiles business, importing fabrics from all around the world. He was immensely passionate about his work and I have fond memories of him bringing home new samples to show my sisters and I, and the fun we had visiting the warehouse, where there were rolls and rolls of textiles. I caught the bug early, and have always loved the textural element that fabric brings to interiors.

Right now I'm working on the bedrooms in our new home, and the most exciting aspect is the bedding. Choosing colours and patterns for the kidsrooms is so much fun, and for our room, I feel like trying something a little bit different. In the past I've favoured crisp cotton bed linen in whites, soft greys and neutral tones but lately I've been drawn to darker greys and charcoals, and natural linens. While I always love white as a base, these moodier pallets really appeal.

One of my favourite bed linen companies CULTIVER, who I featured here, do a beautiful selection of linen bedding in a range of colours including white and grey.

Images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

More recently I've started noticing inky textiles - tie dyed, dip dyed, ombre, water colours - however they have been created, the effect is the same, and I can't get enough!

Talented New Zealand designer Emma Hayes produces an incredible range of water-inspired home textiles and objects that I'm currently lusting after. The Ink Collection features blankets and pillowcases (above) as well as cushions (see further down) and even a beautiful series of art prints. and The Undertow Collection has an amazing wallpaper and will follow soon with signature bedding pieces (seen below) designed to mix perfectly with black and neutrals.

Cushions play a big part when it comes to bedroom furnishings, but are also easily transferable to your living spaces. Even just one new cushion can give your bed or sofa a lift. Choose something striking, and it will inject some wow into your room. I'm thinking of test driving one of these cushions before I go all out with the bedding.

Not strictly a cushion, number 5 is actually a kids pouf, but it's so gorgeous I had to include it!

1 Tie Dye Black Ink Cushion by Aura
2 Drip Pillow in Black by Linum
3 Dip Dye Charcoal Cushion by Aura
4 Tidal Cushion in Grey by Emma Hayes
5 Kebnekaise Knitted Pouf by Little Red Stuga Designstudio
6 Ink Cushion by Emma Hayes
7 Linen Tie Dye Cushion Cover in Denim by Ceannis
8 Black Splash Pillow by Linum
9 Tie Dye Linen Cushion Cover in Grey by Ceannis

Of course, if you're a keen DIY'er, there are plenty of DIY ideas on the web. Inspiring blogger and instagram queen Deborah Gordon shows us how it's done.
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For the full low-down, including what you'll need and step-by-step instructions, pop over and see Deborah's guest post on A Merry Mishap.

Jamie Kay

If you've been following my Home Build posts you will have heard me mention Jamie Kay, the NZ-based online store, on more than one occasion. You may have also noticed their gorgeous banner on the side of the blog. As a friend and sponsor of The Design Chaser, I thought it was about time you were properly introduced!

Owner (and the store's namesake) Jamie has always had an eye for beautiful things. Passionate about design, she studied and worked in the fashion industry before moving into the area of homewares. Naturally creative, the store allows Jamie to fuel her passion, not only by sourcing beautiful products from around the globe, but through designing her own line of jewellery, that she lovingly makes by hand in her Canterbury studio.

With two little boys ages one and three, you'd be right in guessing that Jamie is a busy lady. Add to that a farm, which she and her husband run along with six staff, (we're talking 950 cows) and I'm sure like me, you'll take your hat off to her!

Somehow Jamie finds time to constantly source new designers, including two recent Scandinavian ones that I love. Both Fine Little Day and Luckyboysunday produce gorgeous textile ranges. Perfect for kidsrooms, their products also work well in adult spaces. I've currently got the Gran Cushion (above) in my living room and I'm not sure I want to let it go just yet!

Jamie Kay also stocks a great range of felt products like this Black Felt Ball Garland (on my Muuto Dots) and the Felt Ball Ottoman above. The Fine Little Day Apple and Pear prints (seen in many Scandi-style kids interiors) and the Luckyboysunday Favourite Place Pillows are super cute!

More delightful Fine Little Day designs above, with the Gran Blanket and Grey Gran Cushion Cover. The Knitted Cushions by UK-based designer Sally Nencini feature sweet animal graphics and are made from soft lambswool.

Jamie loves vintage, so you will find many classic and retro-style products in her range, such as the Crown Lynn inspired swans from Studio Ceramics.

There's free shipping within NZ, so pop over to Jamie Kay and see all that's on offer, including Jamie's gorgeous collection of Jewellery. Make sure you also like the Jamie Kay Facebook page to keep up to date with new arrivals.

Guest Post for Superette

If you've been following the blog for a while you would've noticed my total devotion to local fashion and lifestyle boutique Superette. When they got in touch recently to see if I'd like to guest post over on their blog, I jumped at the chance!

Pop over here to read my post, where you can find out more about my 'must haves' above, from their Home collection, and some of my most inspiring pins of late.

I'll also be sharing my interview with the founders of Superette on the blog soon, so stay tuned for that!

Nynne Rosenvinge

Nynne Rosenvinge is a Copenhagen-based artist whose work really strikes a chord with me. She produces a range of contemporary paintings and illustrations that are sold in design stores in Denmark and abroad. Having been featured in both print and online interior publications, it's easy to see why. Nynne has kindly sent me some images of her work, and while picking out some to share with you, I've fallen further in love!

Nynne describes her work as being quite minimalistic, however it's the fine details that I'm drawn to. A mix of graphic geometric shapes and patterns create a textural quality, and while the prints are immediately eye-catching, when you look closely, there are lots of small layers. Beautiful colour palettes further enhance the appeal of these artworks, and I can't help but visualise how wonderful they'd look in our new home!

Clean and bold, the abstract designs are perfect for those who are after a punchier look.

Nynne's unique illustrations would sit beautifully in any interior, in both kids and adult spaces. Available to purchase on Etsy at very affordable prices, they can be shipped worldwide. Closer to home, MintSix will soon be New Zealand's first stockist of Nynne's prints, selling a selection in both their brand new Dunedin store that's opening next week, and online by Friday!

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