What's the big idea?

 Home Beautiful shoot with Derek, the likable

 It may be challenged in the square metre department...
but 280sqm goes a long way with clever design and decor,
just ask Little Miss Perfect + stylist, Tiffany Zanetta

a sneek peak into the formal living space,

a muddy palette with orange + silver accents

lounging by the lap pool 

and you don't even have to get wet.. leather + linen, always nice 

 

 get smart with design and use a remote

 "the old television behind the artwork trick"

 

 the lap pool for cooling off 
and extra theatre for those in the family room

the bedroom or the Italian paintings...

love them both 

 layering, layering, layering 
the decorating agents mantra..and it works very comfortably

ttfn Jo

Life Instyle | Cushion Nirvana..who do you love?

   

Loving the small things at Life Instyle, Sydney over the weekend.

Chock-a-bock full with a collection of home | lifestyle | kids stuff 

here's a sneak peek of what's in store soon 

'cushion in a basket' plus more on the side from NZ's Bianca Lorenne
 

I'll have what she is having- one in every colour, thank you Ferm Living
 

 

The funky + textured Walter G...note pink lamp in opening image

The amazing patchwork wall of handmade designs from Sally Campbell 

 

Floor stacks going straight to my living room delivered by Pony Rider

Pony Rider's long + lean bolsters on a long and winding road

Love your work Brown Trading Co..that was my unmarried name..nice to be in the Co. 

 

Dwell Studio is fun and serious too...lots of European inspired designs 

What's not to love about bonnie and neil  beautiful colour palette and unforgetable design

Feather the nest with a cushion comment... 

which one is your very new, best, favouritest cushion designer?

ttfn Jo

Fairytale gates

Over the Top-airy...a Canterbury tale

Oh Cupids give me Hopetoun, lead me through the Myrtle of pines to my one true gate!

 

Through Athols of topaired curley Kew'd squares and Groves of Stanley

past the glorious golden mile of ficus lollipops and box hedge Bryson

to wtf?

onward, ever onward through the gates of Monomeath and the path of Rueben 

  

Hark! Fix bayonets and storm the Torringtons could this be M' ladys gate?

 Tis but a folly, for behold, my one true gate...I shall call her Daphne!

the end

Which, if any is your favourite gate?

Leave a comment on my blog or Beautiful South facebook page 
or shoot me an email jomccomiskey@bigpond.com
 

ttfn Jox

 

Decor Advice...needed!

 

Thoroughly Modern Minimalist...as if

Somerton, the weatherboard majestic is slowly but surely getting totally layered!
No minimal decorating for me, no sir..I want layers and lots of em.

Three new pieces this weekend... 

something old, nothing borrowed & somethings new!

1. The new Coffee table:

A sofa without a coffee table is like sitting on the edge of a very steep precipice,
that icky feeling you're going to fall into the abyss, or in our case the fireplace.
Our new CT has just the right amount of rustic charm without the gingham overload.

2. The new floor rug:

Oh sooo happy with this cool grey, patchwork pony, it was love at first
sight and I was so sure it would work that I didnt even enquire about their 
return policy!  Coffee table and rug doing very nicely and husband is well pleased

3. The ebay round table

This arrived on Saturday morning and was a steal at $80, shame I didnt steal
a van to get it here. It's perfect and certainly nicer than its ebay portrait
HOWEVER, I need advice- the original plan was to buy a fancy white table for
MUCH more cha-ching but finding the 'right white' was too hard...so hello ebay
and 1/4 strength Hogs bristle. The table is purely decorative so will not
get a lot of wear from diners and there is an out of shot, different type of timber
fireplace in the room..a little voice keeps saying "never mix your metals or timbers"

help!

YES or No to painting the round table, pic 3?

Leave a comment on my blog or Beautiful South facebook page 
or shoot me an email jomccomiskey@bigpond.com

desperate,

Olinda

Sofa from Sofas Direct www.sofasdirect.com.au 
Floor rug & coffee table from www.bayleatherrepublic.com.au

Cushion Storage Challenge WINNER

Rack and stack

Congratulations to Leah Viney of Little Bohemian for a beautiful image and a
simple solution to stacking those pillows and cushions after lights out.

A big thank you to all who entered the Store, Stack or floor them challenge,
love your ideas and images. Also a very big thank you to The Bedspread Shop,
in Malvern for donating the deluxe Danish goosedown pillows and to Fiona Peel,
former winner of the Cushion Cluster Competition who had these very clever ideas:

The Cushion shelf

Behind the "window furnishing" or, in 

laymans terms the bedroom curtain  

Fiona has attached a hinged shelf. 

During the day it's folded 

up neatly along the wall, hiding behind 

the curtain. Then at night it's folded 

down and the extra pillows off the bed 

are placed on the shelf....

voila, no more floordrobe!

The Pillow Rack 

Finally the pants hanger moonlights as 

a pillow rack and, yes we think it 

definitely has some "Martha" appeal! 

If you would like to see the mechanics of the 

cushion shelf concept have a look at the 

'Secret Shelf" video, below- I discovered 

this American classic sometime ago. 

Spoiler alert...art collectors be warned

                                     

                             ttfn Jo

Country Gates 4

 

 

Sunday morning gate post

The beauty of walking in the ranges is peeking over the gate.

Enjoy the crunchy walk and the leafy inspiration.

If you are not too puffed, take walk past another Sassafras gate post
you'll be so glad you did.

ttfn Jo

Library bookcases

A yen for Yen

Dewey Decimals and Allen Keys make for a good read

The Lovely ladies at Yen Concept insisted I mention that I assembled their 
former flat- packed bookcase, all by my 162m x 55kilos self. I started off slowly 
unpacking & sorting then allen keyed myself into a frenzy -still have the blisters
and the bump on the head but there she is in all her Dewey glory!

Yen concept stock French inspired furniture which is not only gorgeous but 

reasonably economic..quell suprese! 

Regarde le website www.yenconcept.com

Enjoy

ttfn Jo

FYI The winner of the Danish Goosedown Pillows announced Monday!

City Gardens

Hedge fun + statement gardens

As a walking, sourcing stylist I trample past alot of beautiful gardens. 

Living in the Ranges and having the Metro bolthole means 

I get the best of both leafy worlds.

Here are some seriously shapely city gardens that make a big impact 

by keeping it simple...in that Melbourne opulent kinda way.

Enjoy the stroll..and if you have the energy keep walking to city gates

ttfn Jo

City gates

City Sisters

Strolling the leafy suburbs of Melbourne in the reasonably

early AM, it was neat...too neat.

Like the gates though- so different from their country cousins

ttfn Jo

 

Home Beautiful

Beautiful homes in Home Beautiful

TiffanyZanatta's house is not only gorgeous but a space maximiser of the highest 

order. We shot her home for HB just recently and they were thrilled with the results

and quite frankly I'm not surprised! Will post images from the shoot soon

If you don't have the issue yet it's well worth the price to see serial renovator, 

Jo McIntyres new Surrey Hills home. We shot her former home for HB a few 

years ago and business has been booming ever since. Jo designs comfortable,  

classic family homes and doesn't skimp on the storage so you will never trip 

over another school backpack again...ever!

Beautiful home is her business, so no surprises why she loves Home Beautiful.

ttfn Jo

Wallpaper

 

A little Birdie told me

We shot the lovely Pru Trundle's house for H&G when Little Bird Photography was

just a soho fledgling, now she has flown the nest and has a gorgeous studio space 

in Surrey Hills. Little Bird, as the name suggests specialises in baby, child and family photography plus she occassionally shoots stylists and has the sweetest website, 

its worth a visit just for the song.

We loved the beautiful wallpaper in the formal living and the guest bedroom, 
which is hardly surprising as both were sourced from my favourite design house-
Designers Guild if you are over neutrals and love colour you should stop by
their site and have a look at the latest range.

If you need anymore wallpaper inspiration, including places to browse books 
in Melbourne skip over to my post on Paper Places, there are a few local stockists
that are worth a visit.

fyi The house in Paper Places, with the stunning bedroom wallpaper 
and breathtaking tiled bathroom is a house we shot recently and can 
be seen, in it's entirety in the latest Home Beautiful...go on have a look

ttfn Jo

subliminal message...take the goosedown deluxe giveaway challenge today