image via http://www.marthastewart.com
To all my American friends and readers, wishing you all a very Happy Independence Day!
image via http://www.marthastewart.com
Enjoy time spent with family and friends.
Tag: decoration
A Stylish Find…
image via http://thedesignfiles.net/2015/09/lynda-gardener-and-mark-smith/
Through a very convoluted series of searches and ending up on this site, I discovered this unique Australian home in Melbourne,belonging to stylist Lynda Gardener, which she shares with her partner Mark Smith.
This is the kind of home I absolutely love! Its decorated without being decorated , if you know what I mean. Its a home curated rather than bought and put together, with pieces which are carefully chosen by the owner and which have layers, age, patina and meaning.
image via http://thedesignfiles.net/2015/09/lynda-gardener-and-mark-smith/
It is my dream to have a home like this…one which really tells a story about the people who live in it. This home clearly is inhabited by interesting people with depth and history …the actual building adds to the overall look of course…it’s an old factory which they renovated.
image via http://thedesignfiles.net/2015/09/lynda-gardener-and-mark-smith/
I particularly love how Lynda has used a limited colour palette of whites, greys and wood tones but the home is full of unique , earthy pieces she has collected and is clearly her “showroom” for her beautifully selected antique pieces. Her gallery walls of old portraits is sublime…I am seriously in love!
image via http://thedesignfiles.net/2015/09/lynda-gardener-and-mark-smith/
Aside from the gorgeous furniture and accessories, the whole home is light, bright and airy with that wonderful industrial feel which looks so incredibly chic…while I am not a fan of taxidermy, even her deer heads somehow look exactly right in this setting!
image via http://thedesignfiles.net/2015/09/lynda-gardener-and-mark-smith/
For the full house tour, click here for the link.
Now all I have to do is get online and start the hunt for an old factory!!
Creative Christmas Ideas…
For a number of reasons, mostly work commitments, I find it very difficult to get into a Festive frame of mind with the lead up to Christmas. Living in a Muslim country (entirely my choice) Christmas as we know it is obviously not observed in a spiritual sense. The decorations are all up in the malls (yes, its true..they are more festive in Dubai than London!) and the Christmas fairs have started.
Its a much more subtle feeling which to me seems to be lacking…no crisp and cold weather…no natural slowing down of work (I usually work right up to Christmas Eve and then again on the day after Christmas through to New Year) and very little sense of family unless we fly our mum to Dubai to see us. Most often we join friends for a get together and shared meal which is lovely but it’s just not the same!
image via http://indulgy.com/post/PgjQqdXG72/holiday-decor
I have been scouring Pinterest to try and get some inspiration and infuse some of the Season’s excitement into the next few weeks and my goodness, there are some beautiful ideas around…there are some incredibly clever and inspiring people in the world!!
Look at these beautiful decorative baubles…
image via http://www.hisugarplumsblog.com/
Oh to have some spare time to make these!! I LOVE them!!
image via http://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/hemtrender
For a natural Christmas, these ideas above are spot on…I particularly love the moss-wrapped shades in the image on the top left.
images via http://www.tabithaemma.com/christmas-inspiration-candles/
These ideas for displays of candles are just wonderful and so easy to do…even for us in a greenery challenged desert!! I’m seeing a bit of a natural them going on here so what about a bit of sparkle…this wonderful collage below is from this blog
images via http://www.lizmarieblog.com/
These gorgeous images are from this blog...a lovely combination of natural and a bit of glitter.
I must say, just writing this post has literally lifted my spirits..with less than a month to go to Christmas, believe me I need it. The problem is that I have had a few Christmases in England with gorgeous cold weather, a proper Church service in a 300 year old church, real floral wreaths and trees , sparkly lights in cosy cottages…I feel like I am in a movie each time I experience it and a desert Christmas is just so different that it always seems to be a bit of a let down to me! I am fully aware that I sound like a Grinch!!
An ongoing project..
I thought I would post a few images of an ongoing project I am working on…I just noticed how wrinkled everything looks! When the job is finished I will be arranging a more professional shoot …wrinkle free! For now, Instagram photos will have to suffice…
The next room is the master bedroom which we are doing in shades of duck-egg blue so I am very excited to see how it all turns out.
Over decorated…..
Is there such a thing?
I have been thinking recently about a lot of the images posted on blogs and in magazines…so many of the images are of rooms which are beautifully decorated, immaculately coordinated and primped and styled to within an inch of their lives….yet they are soulless.
By this I merely mean that they do not look lived in at all..one has no indication of who lives in the space , what their interests may be or what they like or dislike. I find this a bit disturbing to say the least…it is all well and good to live in a neat and tidy space, but to have no indication of one’s personality injected into the room might deliver a beautiful space in a technical sense, but in my humble opinion, it leaves the viewer wanting more .
One of my all time favourite apartments ever is that of Kate and Andy Spade.Their space is filled with character in the form of well-chosen furniture, art and accessories, yet none of it looks “designed” but rather a collection amassed over time and with each piece chosen with thought and consideration.
Imagine my delight at finding these vibrant images of their Hamptons home…which, in essence, appears to be the same as their New York apartment.
Just look at the exterior shots of this gorgeous home…..
All images via http://stevensclaroff.com/portfolio/residential/southampton-converted-art-school/
I would love to visit for a weekend…it looks like a great house for a fabulous getaway with interesting people!
A Decorator's Notebook 