Jan 24

Feeling Beachy

Posted in bathrooms, beach style, green and blue, Hamptons style, Kitchens

You know those weatherboard houses I mentioned in my last post? I’ve been pondering them and am becoming a little obsessed with the idea of finding a little place with lots of timber-lined tongue and groove walls and also- and this would be critical - pitched ceilings! It wouldn’t have to be a ‘beach shack’; there are lots of houses with ‘cathedral ceilings’ (real estate agent speak) built in the 70′s that are heavy on the orange timber - I’d break out the white paint big time!

I just love this airy outdoor dining area with the big iron lantern.

Maybe it’s the hot weather we’re having at the moment here in Melbourne, but I’m really craving those pale sea and sand colours, lots of white-painted timber, open airy spaces and lots of greenery.

There’s a house around the corner from me that’s doing an upstairs extension and they’ve just installed a window upstairs very similar to this oval one - it looks great and makes me very curious to see inside..

There’s another oval window! (above)

This to me is the perfect relaxed kitchen, with stools around a table instead of an island with storage underneath, and the long open shelving.

I remember reading about this room in house beautiful mag (above), where they had used a rough raw silk to upholster the chesterfield sofas but then a leather on the seats - great idea! I also love the collection of inexpensive framed pictures lined up above the square doorways.

My dream butler’s pantry (above)!

caitlin creer

In this hot weather all I want to do is hibernate at home, but with school starting next week and my being away all next week, there’s a lot of last minute school shopping, labelling of a million books and items of school apparel and cleaning to do (whenever I have to go away I expect to return to the world’s messiest house under husband’s watch - but as long as everyone survives it’s ok. It’s nice to feel needed right?).

Have a great Tuesday,

Naomi xx

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Jan 20

Around the house

Posted in green and blue, Latest Find, libraries and books, my home, Uncategorized, yellow and grey

I am really, really loving having my kids at home these holidays. We’ve had our share of arguments and wrestling matches (during which yesterday a front tooth was lost - a wobbly one though), but it’s lovely not having to rush off to school every morning. I’m still getting some work done during the toddler’s nap times too. Over the past few days I’ve really enjoyed going through some of my design books and magazines that pile up everywhere.

This week I bought the 2011 makeover issue of Coastal Living (please excuse dodgy iphone pics above and to follow)- it’s fantastic though made me feel woefully out of date as I’ve seen several of the pictures before online (and the prices for these ‘special edition’ US mags is outrageous- $19 for a magazine!). It features several makeovers/renovations that I love, though I like especially the ones where they’ve modified the original house a little but basically just used a ton of white paint and then decorated. These seem so much more attainable and therefore more inspiring, and have me thinking about where I want to live next.

(I didn’t realise this pic was so blurry sorry! But had to include it as the house is so amazing)

Just about all the houses in the magazine (remember it’s coastal living, so this explains it a bit) are weatherboard and two -story with decking along the front. Wouldn’t it be great to find something like this overlooking water? So much cheaper to add on to or modify than brick houses, and there’s something so satisfying about painting timber white- ceilings, walls and floor!

We are off on more weekender house-hunting this Saturday. I drove by the last house I mentioned, but was very disappointed to find that the ‘front’ of the house actually faces the side of the block. Does this matter? It made the place so much less attractive to me, that the living room doesn’t face the street, and that the main bedroom does. What do you think? I know it sounds silly but one of the things I imagined was how nice a Christmas tree would look from the street placed in the living room’s bay window. But actually, the bay window faces the fence..

On the topic of having magazines and design books on every available surface, I found a gorgeous antique Flemish chest of drawers the other day when I was out looking for pieces for clients (this happens not irregularly)

On my travels I also saw some lovely geometric black and white decorative boxes at Early Settler. I forgot to take a pic of them but when I saw them I thought of this room:

(the ones in the shop are small for coffee tables etc). I just love the green of the wall, the blues in the painting against it and the simple black and white furniture pieces. It goes to show how a little black and white geometric pattern can bring a pop to a classic room - and I think I’ve just talked myself into picking up a couple of those boxes!

I’m also loving this grey and yellow mixed with warm timber (and great windows). And this library with an antique rug in blues and bookshelves painted black on the insides..

thomas o'brien

Sorry for the slightly random and meandering post! Have a great weekend.

Naomi xx

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Dec 10

Summer blues and my favourite garden

Posted in blue and white, Gardens, green and blue, Hamptons style

Well I guess summer has officially arrived- the past two days have been rather warmer than I would like! I am certain I will have mentioned in previous posts that I am not a hot weather sort of person- give me a grey stormy beach walk or cocoa by the fire over a hot summer’s day every time! This weather is reminding me why dark reds don’t really go hand-in-hand with Christmas in Australia, not in the same way that the colour lends warmth and richness to a Christmas in a colder climate- sometimes it’s just too hot to crave warm colours! So my thoughts are straying away from traditional Christmas colours today and towards soothing blues and greens..

I love this room (above) because of the blues and greens, the mix of patterns and because it has a bit of an English country manor vibe to it.

One of my all-time favourite libraries! Not long after I started this blog I remember doing a post on blue libraries (read it here)- and I am still obsessed with them! This one has it all for me: the grey-blue colour, the flowing silk curtains (for me loose, flowing curtains correspond to an active and wandering imagination, so they are the perfect complement to a library!), the symmetry, the bookshelves and ladder. All beautiful.

I love these very subtle blues and greens mixed with neutrals (above). Those barn doors seem to be popping up all over the place, and I like these ones because they are full-height. The herringbone brick floors (which I covet big-time) with steps leading up to the kitchen makes the room infinitely more interesting.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned (probably more than once) that I wanted to get some brass lamps (here and also here- the ones I ended up buying). Well I picked them up today which gave me the chance to stop with the kids to visit my parents-in-law, whose home and garden is one my favourite places, particularly on a hot day. It’s just so beautiful and inspires me every time to apply greater activity towards my own green-thumb aspirations..

As I have been writing this post it has started to rain here which means the arrival of a cool change - lovely!! Hope you’re having a great weekend.

Naomi x

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May 24

A new colour fave: blue and green

Posted in green and blue, Uncategorized

my home ideas

I’m not sure who this lady is but I am in love with the colour combination she has going on! Love that blue and green painting. Her peep of blue shoes match the walls! Even the birdcage - which looks like it might be metal rather than made of timber - is gorgeously stylish. This is my new favourite colour combination: blue and green with white thrown in and some timber and/or gold to accent. I’ve been pondering this combo for awhile now ever since I saw this gorgeous room:

And I’m in love with the faux-bamboo pagoda chandelier!

southern living

I know there’s not a lot of blue in this picture (above), but the leaves in the wallpaper hint at pale blue. I’m very into chinoiserie at the moment and I just love this shade of green against the white and the gold mirror.
hgtv
Don’t the hydreangeas perfectly match the blues and greens of the cushions and curtains? (above)

dwellers without decorators

This room (above) has long appealed to my blue-and-green-loving self. Lime green and aqua blue work so well with navy. I love the twin white bookshelves, the pale blue walls and all the geometrics in the room.

steven gambrel

Steven Gambrel is a decorating genius, I looove his work! Something as simple as a green chair added to this room (above) brings everything to life. And I love the way he’s used a darker blue paint to make sense of the unusually-shaped walls.
Now, where to incorporate green and blue at home? I have neutral and grey walls but I’ve been toying for ages with the of wallpapering the front entry hall, painting the lounge room grey/purple, green, blue pink..you can tell I want some more colour on the walls! I have this paint (with matching gogo toy, thanks boys):

that I bought from the Bunnings ‘mistints’ table in the paint section - I just couldn’t not get it! Now, where to use it…

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