Subscribe

Powered By

Powered by Blogger

Rabu, 30 September 2009

There Goes The Neighborhood...

A few weeks ago I looked out from the window to see this staring back at me:One of the most basic tenets in microeconomics is de gustibus non est disputandum (there's no accounting for taste). And yet, I still can't help but shake my head in wonder. Who on earth thought that red brick, yellow stucco and white stone would work well together? I believe this is one of those examples of more being

Selasa, 29 September 2009

Quiet Indulgences

My favorite form of shopping therapy has always been purchasing perfumes and candles. There's just something about a gorgeous scent that's pure escapism. And just as relaxing, while there are certainly some pricey fragrances available on the market, these small indulgences don't have to be a big hit to my budget.Right now, I'm enjoying designer Barbara Barry's home fragrance collection, which

Maximising The Potential Of Small Spaces


If your living space is small and restrictive you will need to adopt the tricks of the interior design world to give the illusion of more space!

White is a classical example of maximising space by tricking the eye into thinking the space is larger than reality. Brushed steel and reflective surfaces are another trick used as the light is bounced around the room which again provides the illusion of more space.

Many people place a mirror on a chimney breast as older houses typically have the window directly opposite the fireplace! Maximising the light by placing a mirror to catch as much natural light as possible has been adopted for many years!

White is also an ideal choice for kitchens and bathrooms as bright white has a clean, crisp look, especially when new! Be careful though otherwise your home could become an uninviting steely icy place which makes you feel cold! The easiest route and key is to add subtle touches of a vibrant warm colour such as red or orange.

Just select a few carefully placed objects of interest and add the finishing touches such as either a white or coloured roller blind to the window which will allow the maximum amount of light to enter the room when pulled or rolled up to the top of the window. Roller blinds are also ideal for lowering to a height which prevent glare from sunlight when working in the sink area, because just like older styled houses have windows opposite the fireplaces, they also have kitchen windows above the sink!

Image: AtticMag

Senin, 28 September 2009

Baby Steps

Over the weekend a few more small projects got done around the new house I thought I'd share with you.Dave assembled and hung the Murano glass chandelier knockoff I purchased months ago up in my study. Given the height of the ceiling in that room, this was no mean feat and took much of the afternoon. The chandelier replaces the builder basic flush mount fixture and adds a ton of sparkle to the

Jumat, 25 September 2009

Guest Post on Guest Room Redesign

Want to read about my plans for transforming this orange and tan study into a fun and modern guest room? Head on over to A 'Lil Welsh Rarebit, to read all about my proposed design plans for Christy's guest bedroom and vote for your favorite plan. This is my first stab at decorating for someone else and it was definitely a lot harder than I expected. But, while incorporating someone else's tastes,

Rabu, 23 September 2009

Kitchen Feng shui tips

Feng shui tips for the kitchen


Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration
Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration

Kitchen sometimes speak as the soul of the house. It is a place where food for the residents to wash, prepare, store and prepare. The kitchen is also a place that is influenced by maternal energy home. This is a place that combines all residents and nurtures love, understanding, patience and assistance between them.

Feng Shui Elegant Kitchen Design and decoration
Feng Shui Elegant Kitchen Design and decoration

Place your kitchen at the far end of the house
The best place to house the kitchen is in the inner part of the house. Avoid placement near the front door as good Qi, entering the house will immediately be "cooked". Instead, choose a remote enough room in the rear of the house, where it located.

Luxury Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration
Luxury Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration

 Never Turn the kitchen in the northwest sector of the house
This position is known as "fire at the gates of heaven." Effects can be disastrous, and especially for negative family patriarchy. The reason for this is that the northwest sector of the house represents the father. Moreover, symbolizes the place where the divine energy flows out of the house.

http://kitchen-cabinets-interior.blogspot.com/

Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration

The siting of the kitchen in the northwest direction leads to a daily "dissolution" of good luck from the fire (stove). However, if your kitchen is already located in this position, you can at least move the stove from the northwestern area of space itself. In other words, move it, causing the creation of fire power as possible away from this sector. Otherwise, the man feeding the family may lose their jobs, to deteriorate his wealth or even worse - to affect his health.

Feng shui
Warm Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration

If you are unable to do anything to fix this flaw in the kitchen, it is advisable to place the urn (or any similar vessel) filled with Jan-water (immobile water) in the northwestern corner. The effect will be to reduce the impact of the energy of fire. Those of you who live in countries with temperate climates must also respect this rule.

Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration
Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration

Always keep the kitchen clean and well ventilated
It is vital for your kitchen to be sufficiently well lit, ventilated and spacious. Get used every day to open windows and ventilate the room. If you cook a lot, putting a hood will help by preventing the accumulation of smoke and odors. Stale smells in the kitchen lead to the accumulation of negative chi and influence of luck in the household.
Modern Feng Shui  Mobile Kitchen Design and decoration
Modern Feng Shui  Mobile Kitchen Design and decoration

Beware of the toilets located near the kitchen
If your kitchen near toilet is located, always keep its door closed. Moreover, the toilet door and the stove should be located opposite one another, as this will negatively impact on food preparation, and the result will be bad luck for the family. Prepestete stove away from a similar position.

Modern Feng Shui  Mobile Kitchen Design and decoration
Modern Feng Shui  Mobile Kitchen Design and decoration
Hide trash cans

Bins contain rotting garbage and useless things and junk emitting stagnant Qi energy. Hide them away from the kitchen where he cooked for his family. Get them outside, if you have a patio or yard or to get one of those bins that are mounted on inner door of kitchen cabinets. Thus, shutting the door to hide away.


Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration
Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration
Avoid incompatible (conflicting) elements
In each kitchen there is fire and water. Mifkata and refrigerator are representatives of the element of water, a stove, grill, oven elements are representatives of the fire. In combination they are incompatible elements, which can cause unpleasant quarrels between family members. To avoid this set the fire and water heating as much as possible in apart. In addition, make sure that they are not placed directly against each other, because it is even worse than their consistent alignment to one side.

http://kitchen-cabinets-interior.blogspot.com/
Feng Shui Kitchen Design
 Positioning the fiery mouth of well-being
Modern Kitchen
Welfare of family members are influenced most by the location of the stove, oven or stove for cooking rice. This location is determined by the "Ba-Gua compass" and is associated with the individual good and bad directions of family members. This individual is a very powerful method and classical Feng Shui School, apply it proved its efficiency and performance in the transformation of personal luck.



Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design
Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design
Small kitchen cabinets
According to Ba-Gua, supply of electricity (or other alternative source such as a gas bottle) the stove / oven in which food is prepared on the individual must be located in any of its positive direction. For example, if in the Ba-Gua one of your positive direction is North, then the contact, which is on the stove should be located on the north side.

http://kitchen-cabinets-interior.blogspot.com/
Fulfilling this important rule in Feng Shui in your Kitchen design is often very difficult, since individual family members have different numbers Gua, respectively, various good and bad directions. If your case is such a positive follow directions of the head of the family. The direction of the man is always more important and higher priority to that of the woman.
 Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design

Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design

Modern Kitchen Design & Decorating
For those of you who have kept many of Gender Equality, Lillian Tu offers a solution that is applied in their own home. Since her husband both have good and bad opposite directions, as her best is the worst for her husband and vice versa, it is place two stoves for cooking rice - one for each of them.

http://kitchen-cabinets-interior.blogspot.com/
Modern and luxury Feng Shui Kitchen Design
 Energetizirane other items in the kitchen

Great kitchen
If you want to do more fine tuning of energy in the kitchen to check their best ways to improve the welfare, health, successful relationships and increase your luck. Once they can put down the stove so that the outlet for it to be located in one of them, decide what you want to achieve. If you want to improve their health condition, contact should be located facing the area of the Heavenly Doctor, if you want to improve your love life - look for the area of relationships. The important thing is to determine what you want to accomplish with the positioning of the stove. You'll be surprised at how powerful are the nine areas in your kitchen.

http://kitchen-cabinets-interior.blogspot.com/
Feng Shui Kitchen Design
Kitchen Feng shui tips
Avoid disposable cutlery use
Do not use utensils and containers for single use in their daily lives. No problem if you organized a garden party in the moonlight and do not want the "silver" set you disappear, but regular feeding program thus tends to decrease welfare in the future. A negative energy, implying insufficient funds to purchase a decent posuda.Desette excess minutes, which will lose about washing their work deserves.



Kitchen Feng shui tips

Feng shui tips for the kitchen


Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration
Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration

Kitchen sometimes speak as the soul of the house. It is a place where food for the residents to wash, prepare, store and prepare. The kitchen is also a place that is influenced by maternal energy home. This is a place that combines all residents and nurtures love, understanding, patience and assistance between them.

Feng Shui Elegant Kitchen Design and decoration
Feng Shui Elegant Kitchen Design and decoration

Place your kitchen at the far end of the house
The best place to house the kitchen is in the inner part of the house. Avoid placement near the front door as good Qi, entering the house will immediately be "cooked". Instead, choose a remote enough room in the rear of the house, where it located.

Luxury Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration
Luxury Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration

 Never Turn the kitchen in the northwest sector of the house
This position is known as "fire at the gates of heaven." Effects can be disastrous, and especially for negative family patriarchy. The reason for this is that the northwest sector of the house represents the father. Moreover, symbolizes the place where the divine energy flows out of the house.

http://kitchen-cabinets-interior.blogspot.com/

Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration

The siting of the kitchen in the northwest direction leads to a daily "dissolution" of good luck from the fire (stove). However, if your kitchen is already located in this position, you can at least move the stove from the northwestern area of space itself. In other words, move it, causing the creation of fire power as possible away from this sector. Otherwise, the man feeding the family may lose their jobs, to deteriorate his wealth or even worse - to affect his health.

Feng shui
Warm Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration

If you are unable to do anything to fix this flaw in the kitchen, it is advisable to place the urn (or any similar vessel) filled with Jan-water (immobile water) in the northwestern corner. The effect will be to reduce the impact of the energy of fire. Those of you who live in countries with temperate climates must also respect this rule.

Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration
Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration

Always keep the kitchen clean and well ventilated
It is vital for your kitchen to be sufficiently well lit, ventilated and spacious. Get used every day to open windows and ventilate the room. If you cook a lot, putting a hood will help by preventing the accumulation of smoke and odors. Stale smells in the kitchen lead to the accumulation of negative chi and influence of luck in the household.
Modern Feng Shui  Mobile Kitchen Design and decoration
Modern Feng Shui  Mobile Kitchen Design and decoration

Beware of the toilets located near the kitchen
If your kitchen near toilet is located, always keep its door closed. Moreover, the toilet door and the stove should be located opposite one another, as this will negatively impact on food preparation, and the result will be bad luck for the family. Prepestete stove away from a similar position.

Modern Feng Shui  Mobile Kitchen Design and decoration
Modern Feng Shui  Mobile Kitchen Design and decoration
Hide trash cans

Bins contain rotting garbage and useless things and junk emitting stagnant Qi energy. Hide them away from the kitchen where he cooked for his family. Get them outside, if you have a patio or yard or to get one of those bins that are mounted on inner door of kitchen cabinets. Thus, shutting the door to hide away.


Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration
Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design and decoration
Avoid incompatible (conflicting) elements
In each kitchen there is fire and water. Mifkata and refrigerator are representatives of the element of water, a stove, grill, oven elements are representatives of the fire. In combination they are incompatible elements, which can cause unpleasant quarrels between family members. To avoid this set the fire and water heating as much as possible in apart. In addition, make sure that they are not placed directly against each other, because it is even worse than their consistent alignment to one side.

http://kitchen-cabinets-interior.blogspot.com/
Feng Shui Kitchen Design
 Positioning the fiery mouth of well-being
Modern Kitchen
Welfare of family members are influenced most by the location of the stove, oven or stove for cooking rice. This location is determined by the "Ba-Gua compass" and is associated with the individual good and bad directions of family members. This individual is a very powerful method and classical Feng Shui School, apply it proved its efficiency and performance in the transformation of personal luck.



Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design
Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design
Small kitchen cabinets
According to Ba-Gua, supply of electricity (or other alternative source such as a gas bottle) the stove / oven in which food is prepared on the individual must be located in any of its positive direction. For example, if in the Ba-Gua one of your positive direction is North, then the contact, which is on the stove should be located on the north side.

http://kitchen-cabinets-interior.blogspot.com/
Fulfilling this important rule in Feng Shui in your Kitchen design is often very difficult, since individual family members have different numbers Gua, respectively, various good and bad directions. If your case is such a positive follow directions of the head of the family. The direction of the man is always more important and higher priority to that of the woman.
 Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design

Modern Feng Shui Kitchen Design

Modern Kitchen Design & Decorating
For those of you who have kept many of Gender Equality, Lillian Tu offers a solution that is applied in their own home. Since her husband both have good and bad opposite directions, as her best is the worst for her husband and vice versa, it is place two stoves for cooking rice - one for each of them.

http://kitchen-cabinets-interior.blogspot.com/
Modern and luxury Feng Shui Kitchen Design
 Energetizirane other items in the kitchen

Great kitchen
If you want to do more fine tuning of energy in the kitchen to check their best ways to improve the welfare, health, successful relationships and increase your luck. Once they can put down the stove so that the outlet for it to be located in one of them, decide what you want to achieve. If you want to improve their health condition, contact should be located facing the area of the Heavenly Doctor, if you want to improve your love life - look for the area of relationships. The important thing is to determine what you want to accomplish with the positioning of the stove. You'll be surprised at how powerful are the nine areas in your kitchen.

http://kitchen-cabinets-interior.blogspot.com/
Feng Shui Kitchen Design
Kitchen Feng shui tips
Avoid disposable cutlery use
Do not use utensils and containers for single use in their daily lives. No problem if you organized a garden party in the moonlight and do not want the "silver" set you disappear, but regular feeding program thus tends to decrease welfare in the future. A negative energy, implying insufficient funds to purchase a decent posuda.Desette excess minutes, which will lose about washing their work deserves.



An Ode to Zig Zags

Mary McDonaldIt's no secret that I have a strong affinity for bold colors and bold prints -- and maybe it's just because that, like a toddler, I require a lot of visual stimulation (though I'd like to think that it's more attributable to an appreciation for bold, cutting edge design). Lately though, I'm increasingly drawn to zigzag patterns and I suddenly feel like I'm seeing it everywhere, be it

Everything Is Going To Be All White!


Among the latest interior design styles is to have rooms which are completely white from ceiling to floor and everything in between! Whilst this design style may provide sleek clean lines is it a style which really suits most people's lifestyles?

Don't misunderstand, I adore white and yet I realistically know that even one scuff mark or grubby fingerprint can make the whole scheme look marred! This in itself does not lend to family ways of living and yet having white does have its own distinct and unique advantages.

Firstly if kept well maintained it does always provide you with a crisp, clean look every time you enter the room. It is also one of the most cost effective ways to decorate and dress a room. White emulsion paint is the least expensive on the market along with white Venetian PVC blinds which are available in a wide range of different widths and lengths to suit windows of all sizes. These are also easy to keep clean as the latest designs have an anti-dust coating which reduces the amount of dust build up!

Using large mirrors has always been an effective way to brighten a room and give the illusion of more space. Whilst painting floor boards is the in-trend thing to do rather than just having stripped pine.

Bedding is always available in white, with many people preferring to use white sheets irrespective of the colour of their duvets, and like blinds are among the low cost bedding options.

So rather than viewing an all white room with trepidations think of the stunning looks which can be achieved on the smallest of budgets and you may just change your mind!

Image: AtticMag

Selasa, 22 September 2009

Spotting the Fake

[OetA Update: Contrary to the poll results, the authentic, licensed chair is actually Chair #1! I suspect most folks were confused by the exposed screws on the rockers of Chair #1.] Time for a little quiz. What's the difference between these two chairs?One, is an authentic reproduction of the Eames molded plastic rocking chair and retails for $479 at DesignWithinReach. The other is an inexpensive

Senin, 21 September 2009

Jetsetting

This week I'm traveling to and from Princeton, New Jersey, for work so I'll be a bit out of touch until Friday. In the meantime, should my posting and/or commenting be sporadic, feel free to blame my day job, which has recently been encroaching on my blogging time. That said though, I'm working on some killer content that I hope to have up by midweek and I'll be guest blogging over at A 'Lil

Modern Nursery Style Alternatives


Decorating a nursery has become much easier now that people have the opportunity to know which sex there baby has before its born! No more yellow or middle ground colours, if people so choose they can paint a nursery the traditional blue for a boy and pink for girl. However, many modern parents don't like these stereotypical approaches and still prefer to opt for middle ground colours which suit either gender.

Of course there are many parents who make the decision not to be told the sex of their child as they still like the surprise element after the birth! Which ever you chose is of course up to each individual. Those who prefer to use the middle ground have a whole host of wonderful colours which they can decorate a nursery to choose from.

Teal blue and biscuit beige are great colour combinations for a nursery. Blinds are a great alternative to curtains, however be sure to use the child friendly operating version to reduce the risk of accidents.

Adding touches of white provides a clean and 'new' look as well as a clean feel without making a room feel or look to clinical! You should be looking for options which are easy to achieve and simple to keep clean. Polished wooden floors are perfect for nurseries as there is no risk of spoiling carpets when little accidents occur!

If you feel the need for something warm under your feet a fluffy shag pile rug is the ideal solution as these can be cleaned or changed for a different colour or style as the baby starts crawling and walking.

Image: AtticMag

Jumat, 18 September 2009

A Loft Fit for a King

While unarguably little more than a brilliant marketing tool, Metropolitan Home's Showtime House is nevertheless a whole lot of fun -- and not just for those who are fans of Showtime's many original TV series. The two Tribeca penthouses totaling approximately 14,000 are a wonderful opportunity to see top designer's like Kara Mann, Michael Berman and Susannah Drake at their most irreverent. Sure,

Kamis, 17 September 2009

Vintage Revivals In Kitchens


Fitted kitchens are in many ways becoming a thing of the past as interior designers or those who stamp their own unique identity on their home as realising that to be unique you have to inject your own personality into your rooms!

Country cottage inspired kitchens are in-trend with the return of large white enamel sinks and units and wall cupboards which are not all identical, each brings it's own touch of flair to the design. Shelving to display treasures and 'finds' are also back in-vogue, along with shelving and storage spaces having fabric curtain style coverings rather than doors.

Bring a room together by using identical fabric for the window dressing is a great way to keep individualism and yet bring a room's style together quite effortlessly. The colour and pattern of the fabric use use is a matter of personal taste and that's why this style of interior will create a completely unique look irrespective if every house in a street had the same layout.

Opting for vertical stripes is a great way to give the illusion of more height as it naturally draws the eye upwards. The latest roll up blinds give a window an ideal window treatment for kitchens as they fir snugly inside the window recess and don't interfere with worktop or sink areas, as well as being ideal for adjusting to different levels depending on how much strong sunlight is entering the room along with be easy to drop down at night or if you need some privacy from neighbours or passers by!

Image: Absolutely Beatutiful Things

Rabu, 16 September 2009

Deal of the Week: Hadley Headboard

While scouring the Internet for fun bedding ensembles for guest room makeover I'm working on for Christy over at A 'Lil Welsh Rarebit (stay tuned next week for more details!), I came across DwellStudio's new line of bedroom furniture for Target. The entire line is cute, modern and functional -- everything you'd expect from DwellStudio -- but the Hadley headboard is downright stunning.The Hadley

Selasa, 15 September 2009

Match Blinds And Curtains To Create Stunning Contemporary Interiors


Today's interior design focus on maximising space by having only the barest of furniture without any nik-naks on display, everything neat, tidy and in it's place. Do most people's homes look like that in reality or is it just a pipe dream for most?

If most people were honest it's how they would like to live and it may be possible for singles and couples, however once a family starts to grow homes take on a a new lease of life in many different ways! If you really adore the sleek, clean lines of contemporary design styles keeping them completely clutter free is virtually impossible once babies and children arrive!

The master bedroom may be one place where you can keep true to your favoured design style, which just help you struggle your way through sleepless nights and crack of dawn awakenings! However, the chances of it remaining entirely child free is somewhat remote as you won't be able to resist the temptation to have a least one photograph either on the dressing table or wall!

Dream homes are brilliant ways to be inspired and re-focus. It is even most to imitate the styles you see without having to have the designer price tag attached. Look for blinds and curtains made from the same fabrics and in the same colour. Have subtle hints of the same colour on your pillow slips and your room can be simply and affordably transformed.

The one saving grace for these contemporary interiors is they actually take far less time to clean and tidy, which in itself is an inspirational reason for creating them!

Image: Freshome

Minggu, 13 September 2009

Harvard {Yard} Sucks: A rant

I'm not entirely sure why, but I find the idea of an internationally-renowned university signing on to "design" its own fashion line to be fundamentally distasteful -- and a little bit sad. Rather like seeing a formerly A-list celebrity sign on for his or her own reality show, Harvard's new mens' clothing venture, the uncreatively named Harvard Yard, is tantamount to a public admission that

Jumat, 11 September 2009

Peacock Stationery

Rust and Teal Peacock Enclosure Cards ($5/set of 5)Ever since I blogged about my newfound love of all things peafowl, I've continued to see peacocks (and peacock feathers) pop up just about everywhere -- from the hottest fall fashions to upholstery fabric and now to stationery -- so I know I can't be alone in my obsession. Fortunately for peacock-freaks like me, Michelle Brusegaard's Etsy shop

Kamis, 10 September 2009

The Wedding Diaries: The Dress

As most of you already know by now, my second major extracurricular activity (after decorating the new house) is preparing for my younger sister's wedding next May wherein I am the matron (ugh) of honor. After Jane set the date, booked the church and reception location and hired the photographer, the next task on our "to do" list was to find the dress -- and we managed to make quick work of it

Don't Restrict The Use Of Blinds Just For Windows!


The humble blind has more uses than purely window treatments. With a little ingenuity and the necessity to either keep the sun light out along with prying eyes, blinds of all types can be used throughout your home.

Roller or Roman blinds are ideal to use on back doors which are half glass. Wonderful country cottage looks can be achieved using either a plain neutral colour or a beautiful floral fabric, whilst modern homes look equally stunning with bold stripes or patterned blinds.

Blinds are also a great way to cover shelving in alcoves in older styles of home as they are easy to operate along with giving full exposure to the space when it needs to be utilised. Venetian blinds can work equally as well to give a contemporary look when the latest mirrored or perforated designs are used.

Swag and tail curtains typically are used in conjunction with a roller or vertical blinds as this enables privacy at night without having to disrupt the glorious chic look of the curtains. Homes which have pristine window dressing, such as swags and tails, which always look immaculate are created by always leaving the curtains exactly in place! This 'trick of the trade' can also be used to have stunning window dressings without having to have the usual amounts of curtain fabric, however once you have made the choice just to have swags and tails for show only, you will not be able to close them completely even if you wanted to, so give careful consideration as to the disadvantages this may have particularly during the winter months when you need to reduce heat loss through your windows by closing the curtains at night.

Image: My Notting Hill

Selasa, 08 September 2009

The Family Room

I've been mulling over what to do with the family room for weeks now and it's been driving me crazy. For some reason, I've been having a complete decorator's block on how I want this space to turn out. The majority of my creative endeavors are ignited with a great spark of inspiration -- a certain "Eureka!" moment, if you will -- and I'm off like a shot, generally completing the project, blog

Inexpensive Bathroom Makeovers To Beat The Winter Blues!



One of the latest design trends is 'colour clashing' or choosing colours which are not usually recognised as being compatible. An excellent example of this is lime green coordinated with plum or aubergine or burnt orange teamed with ochre. Therefore if you have an old style bathroom suite colour of sage green coordinating with white tiles along with stripped floorboards, also painted white, and replacing your current window dressing with a white blind will provide a striking style which will not appear so out of fashion!

Likewise if you have a powder blue bath opt for a contemporary look by decorating the room with a vibrant contrasting colours such as post box red for a trendy and fun look. Of course you can always opt for a vintage look by coordinating powder blue with candy floss pink, along with a floral theme which provides a country cottage style with touches of pale green or cream.

Change the blinds for styles with spotty fabric in sherbet shades and add a chair with the seat recovered in a candy coloured stripes. Include vintage pieces such as large jugs and bowls to add focal points to the room, along with subtle touches of cohesion by having towels edged with the same fabric as the chair seat or blinds.

Above all have fun mixing colours and rather than be depressed by your old bathroom suite turn it to your advantage by simply adding new aspects which will lift your morale and beat the winter blues!

Image: Belle Maison

Kamis, 03 September 2009

Flipping Out for Brown Design

I've been a huge fan of the Bravo reality series Flipping Out since it first aired three years ago. And, like most people, it's not so much the design/flipping aspect that entertains me, but the characters, especially Jeff Lewis, who is so eerily like a dear friend of mine from college that it's occasionally creepy. Yes, Jeff is OCD, anxious and sometimes just downright mean, but I suspect he's a

The 4 C's ! Create Colour Coordinated Chic!


You have probably heard of the three R's in the UK, but have you ever heard of the 4 C's?
* Create
* Colour
* Coordinated
* Chic

Interior design styles which are easy to achieve and inexpensive can easily be put together if you think of the 4 C's!

Create: How you create your interior design style reflects your personality and shows people more than you may expect about yourself and your preferred lifestyle! Therefore think wisely about your choices, don't merely opt for the latest fashion fad in interior design, create styles which you enjoy and love being in!

Colour: The colours you choose says a lot about you! And whilst you may not be one for old wives tales and past folklore, colour therapists will beg to differ as the colour used in your home has hidden meanings whether you are aware of them or not!

Coordinated: Coordinating does not necessarily mean everything has to match. What it does mean it that to create a coordinated look to your home you should choose colours which compliment each other, along with a strong accent colour. The term 'strong' does not have to be taken literally, meaning you have to have at least one controlling shade or tone! Soft pastels such as soft candy pink or duck egg blue can be excellent accent colours for white or ivory rooms. Use accent colours for blinds, curtains, cushions and rugs and you will pull the room together to give a sense of balance and cohesion.

Chic: This term may be open to debate and misinterpretation as one person's perception of chic may be miles apart from someone else's! The basic principle here is to keep rooms purposeful and meaning full. You can mix colours and designs to create a chic interiors which ooze stunning style, as long as they work well for you and you are comfortable living with them!

Images: Habitually Chic

Rabu, 02 September 2009

September 2, 2006...

Three years ago today Dave and I got married. In celebration of our third anniversary, I thought I'd share with y'all some memories of The Big Day. To be frank, I have never been one of those women who had been planning her wedding since she was a little girl. In fact, I'd given it little thought up until Dave and I got engaged in January of 2006 and even once we got engaged, I didn't really