Lovely Olinda

Somerton. We had a fab lunch for our art Collective on Sunday, so finally I have a few pix of the Olinda house...which is tucked away somewhere between Sasafras and Cloudhill.
The table and chairs arrived the day before the lunch (phew)
and the sweet little bird, with the vase satchel is from
Morris & Brown ...my new favourite country decor haunt.

If only the weather on the day was as inviting as the spring flowers, the deluge ceased just moments before our guests arrived. The sun did eventually make a cameo appearance and it was great having everyone make the trip..some lucky travellers even saw a deer making it's way up the mountain!
Perhaps it's a sign that I will have to wait for christmas to decorate a beautiful long table on our veranda.

For a bit of modern country charm & decadence try Morris Brown online or visit the Heathmont + Healesville stores

www.morrisbrown.com.au

 

 

Country minimalist

Kyneton has a raw, modern decorating style that mirrors the north western plains of Victoria. The harsh, breathtaking beauty of Kyneton's interiors are unique in colour, texture and use of space. Rough, white washed walls provide the perfect backdrop for strong graphics and the bluestone is always majestic. Turn off the GPS and you really could be on a Spainish plain as opposed to an hour north of Melbourne.
The collection of images are of both interiors and a commercial business..hard to tell the difference between the two? 
Look closely and you will see a florist, the home of a prominent Australian sculptor, and a local resident...or click on the links below for more info.

www.thestockrooms.com.au/categories.php?category=Artists/Peter-D-Cole

www.prunella.com.au

PS...Don't forget to enter the CUSHION CLUSTER CHALLENGE for your chance to win beautiful Brown Trading Co. cushions for xmas

Cushion Traders

Divine cushions to WIN,

just in time for Christmas!

Enter the CUSHION CLUSTER CHALLENGE today!

The Brown Trading Co. have an amazing range of cushions and tablelinen. After using their Bungalow range for a recent House & Garden shoot, a dreamy mothers day lunch setting in the gorgeous George's Heatherly garden, I became a big fan and placed an online order before I packed away the table!

Can't wait for Christmas and the Bungalow tablecloth & napkins ..should go very nicely with the turkey! 

The Brown Trading Co. collections are stocked in beautiful stores across Australia-visit their website to find out about locations or simply place an order online!

or enter to win 5 TBC cushions, details on my blog!

The lovely Kate at Montobello Emporium, Balwyn provided the product for my H&G shoot and have a great collection of TBC.

Also have a squiz at the Gorgeous George's
Heatherly Designs...you'll love the Fenwick Bedhead in Belgium linen...I do every night!

www.montebelloemporium.com.au/contact/

 http://www.thebrowntradingco.com.au/stockists/

http://www.heatherlydesign.com.au/

CUSHION CLUSTER CHALLENGERS 1

CCC entries

1. Holly's Lollies
2. Lemons + limes

We love Holly's Lollies clever double sided cushion collection for a different look everyday of the week! The Lemon + Limes cluster are all hand made and perfect for an outdoor setting.

Can't wait to see more clusters & collections.

enjoy the challenge!

WIN DESIGNER CUSHIONS FOR CHRISTMAS!

The Brown Trading Co & Beautiful South

invite all cushionistas to take the

CUSHION CLUSTER CHALLENGE

If you love a cushion you will love the challenge!

 
The Brown Trading Co & Beautiful South
are giving away 5 gorgeous cushions to
the most creatively styled Cushion Cluster.

The Cushion Cluster Brief:

Simply style up your favourite cushions, photograph and give your collection a title... once that's done send us the digital image (as a tiff or jpg) and we will post the most creative entries on the Beautiful South blog

Think outside the box… your cluster of cushions could be resting comfortably on either a sand dune or a sofa, the location is part of the fun and should complement your collection.
It can be a little cluster of 3 or 33 it depends on how many favourite cushions you have!

Don’t be concerned if you are 'photographically challenged' the competition is about style, creativity and fun.

How to enter:  

Email your image(tiff or jpg) + cluster title to:

info@beautifulsouth.com.au

Don't forget to include your name + contact details! 

Bloggers - Put your entry/pic on your blog with the title 
plus a comment and then please send Beautiful South a message with a link back to your blog.

Entries close Dec 16

Winner announced Dec 19

Entries will be judged by an Industry approved Cushion Panel

Jo McComiskey

Beautiful South
Cushion Wikipedian

Mel Turner
Recipes for Design

Interior Decorator & Cushion fancier  

Keren Brown
The Brown Trading Co 

Fabric Designer

Unfortunately the Challenge is open to Australian residents only

The Brown Trading Co.  
The Brown Trading Co. creates gorgeous, sophisticated home collections. Their products have been featured in lifestyle magazines such as Vogue Living, House & Garden, Home Beautiful and Marie Claire.

To find out more about their beautiful products go online and have a peak, you’ll love every story!

http://www.thebrowntradingco.com.au/home/

No Chintz, fabric confectionery

No Chintz makes me giddy.....

Giddy with the excitement of being surrounded by beautiful bolts, bobbles and buttons..and yes, you will lose all sense of space
and time, so beware!

Many years ago I was on a baby gingham mission and
a friend recommended No Chintz, a tiny store in Surry Hills, Sydney. I found the ginham and lasered No Chintz onto my internal hardrive.

Surry Hills may have faded however Balmain, Willoughby and Woollhara hold their colour beautifully.
Their fabric stories range from the Bohemian to Classical and are sourced locally and internationally. My personal favouite is their range of coated outdoor fabrics(see pic)..... summer tablecloths!

I love the Balmain store as it's nestled in a mini high st of homewares & antique shops. If you have the energy once you have fallen out the door you can continue browsing & salivating further down Darling Street...Adriano Zumbo awaits!

Non Sydneysiders can visit No Chintz online and order swatches. I have their catologue, complete with a Swatch Poster resting comfortably on my bedside table..if I were 14 it would be blu-tacked to the bedroom wall.

Enjoy


http://www.nochintz.com/index.php

Obessive Cushion Disorder...take this Quick Quiz

 

Just a bag of feathers ...yes or no?

1. Are your living spaces excessively comfortable?
   
   
2. Do you spend a lot of time arranging cushions, in
   order to make them perfect or symmetrical?
   
   
3. Can you control the urge to straighten cushions on
   a diamond angle?
   
   
4. Are you a repetitive cushion karate chopper?
   
   
5. Can people actually sit comfortably on your sofa?
   
   
6. Do fabric houses, decor & homeware stores make you lose track of place and time?
   
   
7. Have you ever purchased an entire stack of display cushions that were not on sale?
   
   
8. Do you look at the price tag of a cushion, shake your head but buy it anyway?
   
   
9. Can you limit yourself to 2 cushions per chair or do you keep stacking until it's unrecognisable?
   
   
10. Look at the image above...can you name the Australian designer?
    
    
    If you answered yes to any of the following and
    Megan Park for Q 10 then stay posted
    for the curious "Cushion Cluster Challenge"
    a must for all obsessive cushion collectors.
     
    
    Meanwhile have a peak at the glorious Megan Park
    Home Collection, available all over Oz
    
    www.meganpark.co.uk/collection.php?dir=ss11&is=home&pic=0
    
    
    
    

Cushion addiction

The Road to Re-Covery

What is it with women and cushions...it's obesessive, compulsive and totally addictive. I love the power of the cushion, it's the promise of a new beginning...the decor equivalent to Spring in all its potency. Cushions may feather the nest but no longer are they just a soft place to fall, they create the accent and flavour in a room and they do so economically, maybe that's why we love them. They create change without financial chaos. 

I fell in lust with these Atticus & Milo handmade chair pads the first time I walked into their studio, 2 years ago. Despite the designer fabric tag, they are a simply a patchwork of remnants with a strong graphic colour scheme, lots of texure and a few giddy up elements to get the heart racing.

Mines racing...racing for my remnants stash.

Atticus & Milo create pefect living spaces 
and really nice cushions too!

www.atticusmilo.com.au

Christmas Wreaths, the front door & beyond

 

 

 

Wreath Fancy

I just love finding new places to put a wreath...the front door may be mandatory but what about the mantlepiece, a sash window or even the bedhead?
This gorgeous home in Berwick, which we shot for H&G provided so many options for wreath tinkering.
My personal favourite is the sash window however  an honourable mention goes to the mantlepiece for blu-tack dexterity and the Spotlight bias binding ribbon.
I love the bias binding at Spotlight..stripes, spots and plains in sweet retro colours. Extend and iron out the binding to the full width, as seen here with the b/w stripe. A more traditional wreath looks great with a black & white stripe and it worked well with the warm coloured room.

For beautiful wreaths in Melbourne try:
www.maplehomewares.com.au
www.mychristmas.com.au
www.candlewickinteriors.com
www.celebratingchristmas.com.au

Decor Clusters

 

 

Sweet Clusters

The Stylesmith file is a little bower that I fill with shiny ideas after 

every house shoot. Its a virtual pinboard of decorating gems collected, like 

the proverbial bowerbird courtesy of stylish home owners.

This pretty home in Surrey Hills, owned & designed by Candlewick Interiors 

mastered the art of The Cluster, the rocky road collection of bite-sized, sweet pieces.

Every room had a unique cluster:

• the translucent candlesticks on the mantle
• the table of porcelain vases
• a cottage garden in whitewashed pots 
• the dachshund litter quietly holding the handbags

  

Even the formal living room beautifully combined signature Candlewick 

pieces, such as the ottoman with iconic IKEA design...everyone loves a little IKEA

Create your own clusters, chocolate or decor just mix it up using colour, 

tone and size variation.

Have fun and keep it uneven!

If you like the house you will love the shop and service at Candlewick. candlewickinteriors.com

DIY vintage napkins

A cute napkin + pretty ribbon 

I have to admit, I have OCD, obessive craft disorder..... 
creating something out of a scrap of fabric and a ball of string is my secret obsession. I made these sweet napkins, for a House & Garden Christmas shoot. In a former life they were Spotlight
t towels, who'd have thought?  I cut them down to napkin size, featuring the beautiful vintage cutlery ink drawings and tied them up in some pretty red & white strip ribbon.
Too cute and too easy

FYI Spotlight has a new fabric collection..I have made some fab chair pad sweeties + tablecloths..will post soon

www.spotlight.com.au

Drop + walk away, the art of towel styling

The tall, tanned and talented (T to the power of 3) Mel Turner has finally started up her design business...and not before time.
Mel creates beautiful living spaces for families- we shot her home in Malvern last April for H&G. Cant wait for the Jan issue 
to see it in all its lush lightness.

Mel had a laugh at a well worn styling trick...

STYLING 101

 23# The Drop and walk Away

To give the bathroom that "who left the room" feel,
the casually draped towel over the bath is a winner, 
just ask Sibella
The step by step slowly I turned...
1. Drop towel over bath hob-then walk away IMMEDIATELY.
2. DO NOT fuss, fluff or try and foof the towel.
3. REPEAT step 1 if result undesirable

Too easy
Enjoy Mel's site and the H&G Jan issue

www.recipesfordesign.com.au

Sassafras Style

 

Timeless Style

Shooting the very likeable Justin Bishop's home soon for House & Garden where American colonial meets 

Rule Britannia and don't skimp on the G'nT

Justin decorates like slow cooking, patiently waiting for 

the right pieces to work. 

His lovely cottage in Sassafras is a warm mix of antique whites, aged leather, vintage fabrics and then there is the Queen's bust..

did I mention the leather?

Not only is he a Ralph Lauren style maestro he also makes the most amazing decorative architectural birdhouses and model period houses AND holds workshops in his home!

Can't wait to to get a few styling tips from 

Mr Timeless & Traditional

Check out his site

www.justinbishop.com.au

Coastal Christmas

Jingle Shells
Im not a shell collecting type of gal however I had a change of heart when we shot this hilltop house in Sorrento...the lovely Pam, owner and creative behind Saltwater trading is a deft hand at combining organic materials and textures. 
Her son, obviously didn't fall far from the driftwood 
xmas tree either..having created his own design with 
a sweet starfish topper!

Trawling through the net I hauled in a little catch of cute coastal decor...the driftwood garland + pink newspaper wreath are from Seaside Inspired...lots more to get inspired about online.

I'm inspired...but where can I get a pink newspaper?

seasideinspired.com
saltwatertrading.com.au

Heavenly Heatherly Gardens

Beautiful beds inside & out
This stunning property in Acheron is home to the industrious Leckey family. According to Georgie, owner, mum and creator of Heatherly Designs (the best online bedheads ever) the gardens are dreamy around mid November. Fortunately that is precisely when we will be shooting for House & Garden.

Cant wait to finally meet Georgie & Co...having purchased the exquisite Fenwick design in Luxemborg Linen in July, I feel intimate already!

The Gardens are open from Nov 12-13 for the Australian Open Garden Scheme..admire the garden, the green tea plantation or Georgies Heatherly bedhead designs.

If you cant go to the open day- have a peek at the website
ww.heatherlydesign.com.au