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12 Days of Christmas | Good Regards Giveaway!

We're on the countdown now, but there's no slowing down! Day nine's giveaway is brought to you by our friends at Good Regards. The little sister of well known store The Good Room, this recent addition to the family became a necessity due to demand! Initially the one store was dedicated to providing both homewares and skateboards, but the decision to give them each their own 'rooms' has worked out well, with each store having their own space to flourish!

Good Regards came across my radar earlier this year, and since then it's been a handy online go-to for homewares and inspiration. The retail store is based in Mt Maunganui and is open seven days, so if you are in the area, make sure you stop by. You'll find the address, opening hours and directions here. Offering a fun and eclectic range of products, there are plenty of Christmas gift ideas.

Good Regards stock an amazing selection of Wall Stickers. I recently placed some in my son's room, and they look fantastic! Easy to use, and also great for renters, I highly recommend them as a way of brightening up your home. Perfect for kids spaces, there are lots of designs and colours to choose from.

Now for the best part! Good Regards are kindly giving away three packs of Wall Stickers, and each of the three winners get to choose from the full range.

To enter, email me at steve3star@gmail.com with GOOD REGARDS in the subject line and let me know your full name. Entries close on Friday, 13th of December and the three winners will be selected via random.org, and contacted via email to arrange their selection and shipping. All winners will be announced on the blog at the end of the series.

Please note that this competition is open to NZ residents only, and that we will do our best to ensure the prizes arrive prior to Christmas.

Update: This competition has now closed, and the winners have been notified. Thanks to all who entered, and huge thanks to Good Regards for their generosity.

Empire Lane | New Kids Décor Range

I recently received an email from Melbourne interior designer Nicole Chapman with news of her new venture, a collection of uber-cool kids décor pieces. As soon as I took a look at her online store which is now up and running alongside her interior design business Empire Lane, I was smitten with the gorgeous wall decals, graphic cushions and quirky wall art.

The cushions in particular have won me over with their mix of muted colours and punchy brights. I love the Alpine and Cross designs, which have a gorgeous Scandi vibe, while the animal prints are unique and fun. Especially the Llama Cushion - too cute!

At only AU$39.95 each, these cushions are also great value.

What little princess wouldn't love Gold Polka Dot Wall Decals?! Easy to install and remove, these are a great option for renters and style savvy little girls who like to change their decor as often as their outfits! At AU$69.95 per set, this will be money well spent.

My heart melts over this sweet little boys room. Featuring the Alpine Wall Decals in black, the Alpine, Cross and Chevron cushions in seafoam and Empire Lane Print, the styling is just beautiful.

Speaking of prints, here a couple of my faves, Amazeballs (love it!) and Triangles. See the full range here.

Perfect for design savvy Mums and kiddies, and with really affordable prices (the prints are only AU$19.95) I predict these products will be selling like hotcakes! Even better, there's free shipping within Australia! To get going, pop over here.

Interior Trends | Two-Toned Walls

Driven by my love of minimal Scandinavian style we've gone for all-white walls in our new house, but that's not to say that I don't like seeing walls with colour. In fact right now I'm really loving walls painted pale pink or grey.

When I came across this home via Design*Sponge recently, it was the two-toned walls that immediately grabbed my attention. Designed by JHID, whose work I greatly admire (I've featured another one of their homes here) lead designer Chelsie Lee used a modern combination of white and grey, but as you'll see below, it's the way the paint has been applied that creates visual impact.

Notice above how the grey paint lines up with the headboard and is taken up and over the ceiling, continuing down the opposite wall (see below). By adding depth and contrasting with the white paint, this cleverly accentuates the window area. When I first saw the image below my eyes were drawn to the beautiful curtains and light coming through the window. The grey wall adds another layer visual interest, highlighted by the gorgeous cut glass and hanging terrariums. Beautifully elegant furniture, a colourful rug, bench seat and cushions add the finishing touches, making this bedroom an absolute winner!

The white and grey colour blocks continue in the living room above and also in the light-filled stairwell below. Bold yet still soft, I love how the grey looks against the fresh white paint and blonde wood in this light-filled area. Such a simple yet clever idea, I predict that after seeing this home, people will be rushing to grab their paint brushes in order to replicate the look. I may even do the same if I ever tire of our white walls!

This next image was the inspiration for this moodboard I created last year, and it has stuck in my mind ever since. Designed by Incorporated, a multi-disciplinary architectural studio in New York, I love the way the wall has been painted a charcoal colour, creating bold lines and a striking contrast against the the white painted stair.

The super talented RiikKa of Weekday Carnival designed this geometric wall, and with the help of her husband painted it in pastel hues. The result is breathtaking!

Whereas painting one feature wall was once a popular trend, nowadays we're seeing more of a sectional approach to applying paint colour. The living room below is a great example. While the pink adds a lovely soft touch, the doors, fretwork-detailed ceiling and windows have been left white, allowing the classic, character features of the room to shine through.

Paint colour can also help define areas of the home, especially in open-plan and compact spaces. This gorgeous turquoise wall, along with the bookshelf, accentuates the small dining area.

A fun idea especially for a kidsroom, as demonstrated with the green paint in this Inspiring Home Post last week, is to paint a door in a contrasting colour.

The kidsroom above has a cute checkered door and a section of chalkboard paint on one wall, while the playroom wall below has been personalised with pastel blue and grey paint.

Images: 1-4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9-10 | 11

Interior Styling | Picture Walls

One of the things on my to-do list for when we move into our new home is to frame some family portraits we had taken when our youngest was around six months old. He's now almost three. I know, shockingly slow. It has however given me time to gather plenty of ideas for how to display them. I love seeing photos in the home, it adds such a personal touch. In addition to displaying pictures of loved ones, I also love photographic art especially portraits in black and white. I've pinned loads of inspiring images on to my Photography Board, and often think how cool it would be to have a collection like this to frame.

I've also pinned and bookmarked numerous images of stunning interiors featuring picture walls in the home for inspiration, and I thought I'd show you some today. Which style do you like?

These two images demonstrate my favourite way of grouping photographs. I love that the photos vary in size with matching frames (in this case black) and that the arrangements aren't too perfect. I like the idea of creating something interesting and unique. A good tip is to lay them out on the floor first and play around with them until you've found an arrangement you like, then mark on the wall where you want to place them. You could also go one step further and trace around the pictures on to paper, cut them out and stick them on the wall first.

If you prefer to hang your pictures in a more orderly fashion then this is a lovely example.

I'm always drawn to homes with long, wide hallways. They provide the perfect place to create a gallery wall. I'm not sure if this is actually an entrance way but I like to think it is. Imagine being greeted with this stunning series of photos as you walk in the door!

A great alternative to hanging photos, and a much easier option so long as you have the shelves for it, is to lean pictures against the wall. I love this look, especially the way they overlap. We've been lucky to have fireplace mantels in our last two homes which have provided a great place to display a mix of our wedding and kids photos.

For more of a structured look, this is gorgeous.

These are simply leaned up against the wall on the floor. Perhaps not the best option with little hands wanting to grab at them, but I would definitely consider this once the kids are older.

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

Whether it's a portrait of one of your favourite style icons, fashion photography or an artistic image, an oversized photograph on its own can really pack a punch. This would also work beautifully with a family pic or one from your travels.

These make a huge impact and notice that you can do this in any room of the home, even the bathroom. I love the one above of Kate Moss - very cool indeed.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Interior Brick | Raw & Authentic

A statement piece in its own right, bare brick provides character and visual interest to interior spaces. Warm and textural, aged and weathered bricks in particular have a lovely patina and I get really excited when I see original brickwork retained in the restoration of historical buildings. There are a few inspiring homes that instantly spring to mind, having featured them here on the blog. There was this factory conversion in Amsterdam, this restored heritage building in Vancouver and my absolute favourite, this railway house transformation in the Netherlands.

I do believe less is more when it comes to exposed brick walls. These small areas of brick combined with white look amazing.

If you are building new or renovating and want to create that cool 'warehouse' look, you could get hold of some reclaimed bricks from a salvage yard or demolition company.

The best bricks are slightly uneven in shape and colour. If they're too uniform, too orange or in poor condition, a great solution is to paint them. I especially love brick painted white. Accentuating the irregularities and shadows cast by the bricks it gives a fresh new look to interiors, while still retaining the rawness, texture and sense of history.

Although bare brick walls are traditionally found in living, dining and sleeping spaces, these images show how well they work in all rooms, including the kitchen and bathroom. Some of these walls are an artwork in themselves.

Beautiful alongside high ceilings, beams and wood floors, it's the raw, authentic feel of brick that is so appealing.

Images: source