Live Breathe Decor

Apr 11

A client’s home in Australian Country Mag

Posted in french style, Hamptons style, projects/ my work

Hello! Well I can’t believe it’s April and this is my first post of the year! It’s amazing how quickly these past few months have gone by, and though I haven’t been on the blog I’ve appreciated keeping in touch with several of you, my lovely and patient readers, via email while I’ve been busy doing other things. Life and work have been full and busy, and there are lots of exciting projects in the pipeline, which I’ll post about here in the coming weeks. We are also seriously house-hunting (yes, still), so I hope that my own renovation project will be on the cards pretty soon.

The magazine came out a couple of days ago, but it wasn’t until today that I managed a trip to the newsagent to pick up a few copies of the current issue (May/June) of Australian Country, which features the home of some clients for whom I had the pleasure of working last year. This is as good a reason as any I think to get back onto this blog! It’s very exciting to see this lovely home in print. Below are a few of the pics from the magazine, but pick up a copy to see the whole spread. I’ll also be adding some extra photos not seen in the magazine to my Portfolio page.

Because of my hiatus I have a whole lot of thoughts and photos I’ve been saving up and will need to share to stay sane! So I promise I won’t disappear for another three months…

Naomi xx

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comments: 9 » tags: antiques, Australian Country Magazine, french provincial, Hamptons style, my work

May 10

Time-worn and beautiful

Posted in country style, french style, rustic style, using antiques

This is how the country home of my dreams would be: dark walls, loads of books, squishy, comfy sofas, walls covered in paintings, and rooms filled with antiques, pieces of nature and junk-shop finds.

Love this wall of simple botanicals - or are they pressed flowers? It reminds me of the wall of botanical prints at Sally Wheat’s house:

What could be better than this: an old stone wall, a battered leather chair, some books and a Louis Vuitton trunk?

Annie Brahler at euro trash

This is the stuff dreams are made of!

Have a great day,

Naomi xx

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comments: 1 » tags: annie brahler, antiques, botanical prints, french antiques, french style, leather books, louis vuitton luggage, sally wheat, stone cottage

May 8

A little shopping and florals

Posted in bedheads, ebay, fabrics, french style, my home, projects/ my work, Shopping

Today we have a pupil-free day at our school, so I took Mum and the kids to the local shopping centre for a rare treat (it’s actually a treat for me as I rarely brave the malls on weekends and never have all three children with me during the week). It was really nice to not be on a rushed shopping mission, and to be able to have a good look through the shops. At Target (our Target, unlike the one in the U.S., is usually bereft of great homewares) I was pleasantly surprised to see these side tables:

They had a great shape and a hexagonal top. These could actually look fantastic in the right room- I could picture the larger one as a bedside table for a kids room.

I’ve also had a chance to do some ebay shopping, and also a chance to get myself organised enough to list some of my ‘extra’ pieces of furniture, fabric and lamps.

I keep holding on to so many things for ‘the next house’, but sometimes I have to do a bit of a cull to make room for new pieces. Ebay is also a great source for pieces for clients- old chairs for recovering and the occasional antique in particular.

A couple of weeks ago I was showing fabrics to some clients for one of their rooms, one of which was this colourful floral:

We ended up going with another fabric, also in bright gorgeous colours, but I do like the green geometric against the floral upholstery here. This is a great example of what you can do with an old armchair bought on ebay!

And speaking of greens and florals, here are a few others that have caught my eye this week:

Again, we can see how great a subtle geometric pattern (here, the wallpaper) can look with a floral (the green toile pattern on the chairs). I like the freshness of this office area.

This is such a gorgeous feminine, French-style bedroom! I love the shape of the floral bedhead.

I like the simplicity of this scheme, with the use of just the one tropical leaf-patterned fabric. That banquette seating for the dining area is fantastic!

Naomi x

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comments: 1 » tags: ebay, floral fabric, french bedroom, french style, geometrics, Target tables, wallpaper

Oct 4

I’m back! and with blues for Spring

Posted in bathrooms, beautiful blue, bedrooms, french style

Hello! After what has been a lovely break from sitting at my computer (I can’t remember when I last blogged!) I’ve decided I should probably start doing some work again, and also start getting some of all the thoughts in my head down ‘onto paper’. We have had a lovely week at the beach, and as usual (I mean I feel like this every school holiday) I am reminded that there really is nothing better than just being with family, enjoying meals together, walks on the beach and little miracles like lost teeth and bedtime stories without the pressure of early starts the next morning. Holidays are Heaven! Of course being on holidays means that I’ve had some extra time to develop my plans for a house in the country, though that’s for another day…The sun in shining and it’s hard to escape the fact that Spring has arrived, and in that frame of mind I’m thinking of pale blues with lots of fresh white..

I’m obsessed with barn-like rooms at the moment! I don’t think I ever want to live under a flat ceiling ever again! Well, at least not a low one..And I love the big blue doors that look like they slide open to reveal another room (above).

This is the classic style that I can never get sick of (above). Soft white wall panelling, wide, raw-looking bare floorboards, big windows and shutters. Love the blue buttoned chair too!