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!!

 

 

Vignettes….?

This word (Vignettes)gets tossed about regularly in blog land and I happened to use it last week while discussing a room with a client  She had not heard the term before and it occurred to me that perhaps there were other people who also had not heard of this term.

image via Lonny magazine

Essentially, vignette is a decorating term used to describe a grouping of items which appear on a table top, a coffe table, an ottoman or even shelves. Vignette comes from the French word “vigne”which means : the use of vine tendrils in decorative design. It also loosely means an unbordered  picture or a short scene…all of which apply in decoration really.

image via athomearkansas.com

For most decorators, it basically means : to create a little display or image by grouping interesting items together on a surface of some kind. As more and more people are becoming exposed to all styles of decoration via blogs and images on the internet, homes are becoming more “decorated”and by that I mean finished in a more professional way. I think people are inspired by what they see on the internet and they are prepared to try new things in their own homes. While a lot of times this works well , I do believe that one either has an eye for balance and proportion or one does not. Perhaps it can be learned, but I think it is mostly instinctual…knowing what works and what doesn’t and how to fix it, if it appears to be wrong. I also firmly believe that a home is never “done”and that it should grow and change organically as the person who lives there changes and matures.

image via John Jacob Interiors

 

I find a home which never changes  to be very boring and uninspiring….I used to put together window displays for a beautiful interior store in Dubai (sadly the recession put the owner out of business) and I regularly used to be just putting the finishing touches on a window ,when a customer would come into the store and buy the entire window…from the vases of flowers right down to the linen or cushions on a bed! One customer even took a photo of the window as it was ,and insisted that our delivery staff from the store install it in her home exactly as I had done it in the window! I was always amazed that these customers were unable to play around and experiment with their furniture and decor at home, but it made me realise that not all people have the “eye”.

image via House and Leisure magazine

 

With visual merchandising, one has to tell a story with a vignette which will draw the customer in, and at the same time show them how to use the items on sale. At the time, I knew what I was doing by grouping objects to create a pleasing display…I just didn’t know that it was called a vignette!In your own home, the idea of a vignette is to do the same thing….draw the visitor in to a focal point in a room.

image via House and Leisure magazine

The best vignettes are personal and tell a story about the person (or people) who live in the house…they have a good balance of high and low pieces and of course colour and texture.

image via House and Leisure magazine

This image above is a great example…it is very symmetrical and balanced in terms of the colour. It also tells the viewer that the occupants of this home are clearly well traveled, or at the very least interested in different cultures.

image via House and Leisure Magazine

This image has a slightly ethereal quality to it, particularly the butterflies..I find myself wanting to look closer at all the objects under the glass cloches.

image via adesigndairy

A good rule of thumb is also to use groups of three and five…and vary the heights of objects. Then stand back and look…if you feel something is too low, use a stack of books to lift the object up and create interest.

image via adesigndiary

While this vignette above looks quite chaotic and busy, it has been carefully curated with antique perfume bottles, silver cigarette cases, antique silver frames and some beautifully coloured ceramics.

The most important thing to remember is to make a vignette yours…with personal items that work well together but mean something to you . The beauty of a vignette is that everyone is unique and different depending on who is putting it together, so there is really no right or wrong as long as the scale and balance is right.

 

 

Swedish Simplicity…..

My love of Swedish interior design is well known (and well documented) and I was filled with delight to find another source here: 

Check out these amazing images from an exceptionally well curated blog…

image via http://blogg.addsimplicity.se

This kitchen is so stylish…half the size of my own and yet looks a thousand times more efficient.

image via http://blogg.addsimplicity.se

The glamour of these mirrored doors…..and the antique chair….

image via http://blogg.addsimplicity.se

image via http://blogg.addsimplicity.se

Is this an Ikea night stand? Who would guess….

image via http://blogg.addsimplicity.se

It must be the limited colour palette….the grey, white and black are just so sophisticated .

image via http://blogg.addsimplicity.se

Need I add anything more?

Time for Toile…….

For those few people who have never heard of Toile, it is a French name for a fabric meaning linen or canvas cloth, dating back to the 16th Century. Nowadays it predominantly refers to the design printed onto the linen or cotton fabric, usually a pastoral scene in a single colour, mostly black, blue or red. It is also available in wallpapers, of course…..

image via manuel canovas

It is a fabulous way to add a traditional touch to a room yet without overpowering the room with colour and pattern, because although the design of the pattern is usually quite complex, because of the monochromatic colour scheme, it looks deceptively simple and chic.

image via manuel canovas

This one in coral and grey is just beautiful….although not strictly traditional in that it is two or possibly three  colours, it still has a lovely feel.

image via manuel canovas

Very different-Toile medallions…an unusual take on the concept.

image via manuel canovas

A very traditional red with just a highlight of white.

image via manuel canovas

Again, a very unusual take on a traditional theme…this time pink and grey with white highlights.

Whenever I browse blogs or fabric sites, the Toiles definitely catch my eye every time…I would love to do an entire room in a toile in my country cottage (the fantasy one of course!) one day…perhaps the guest room?Oh a girl can dream…….

 

Moroccan Influences…..

image via Cote de Texas

While browsing the fabulous blog Cote de Texas, I saw these wonderful images of stenciled columns in one of Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s client’s houses-these images are from his new book…a definite must on my to buy list, that is for sure!!

image via Cote de Texas

image via Cote de Texas

This look fits in with Middle Eastern architecture exceptionally well and one of my first projects I did in the UAE involved emulating hand painted Moroccan tiles, because my client was unable to get the exact colour she wanted in real ceramic tiles…so we laser cut stencils and hand stenciled and painted each column….it took me months…but the result was incredible!

Unfortunately, as is so often the case, I never got to see the  finished result as my work was completed before the upholstery and curtains were installed. The same client also had her bedroom painted by another decorative artist to look like an Egyptian themed room….it was magnificent , with 24 karat gold leaf applied to the walls and ceilings and Egyptian hieroglyphs on every surface . Neither of us saw that room completed either but I did manage to take a few images of my work just prior to leaving the site….

work in progress

the finished column

 We added gold leaf to the very ornate cornice and around the top of the column.

Can you believe that this work was all done on a room which was a family room and breakfast area off the kitchen-the kitchen was fitted by a German company who flew their technicians out from Germany to personally take care of the installation…it was a spectacular kitchen, I have to say! My client was a wonderful Emirati lady whom I recently bumped into while doing some grocery shopping!

These images of my work  below, are niches which I painted and gold leafed in the One and Only Royal Mirage Arabian Court Hotel…..the intricacy and precision of the designs are extremely difficult to maintain but somehow my assistant at the time, and I were able to accomplish what I believe was an accurate depiction of classic Moroccan style tiles.

Gold leaf and acrylic paint Moroccan tile design

Looking at what Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s decorative painter did for him has made me think that I actually like the aged look of his designs better!!