Positive Friday: Let it slide

Oh, I love to be perfect.

To have a toilet that smells of freshly squeezed limes, fresh baking stored in a cookie jar, a stocked fridge and permanently vacuumed floor. To spend every day dressed, with lovely hair and makeup, because you never know who could knock on the door. (UPS? I'm ready.)

But I'm not perfect. Although I do tend to expect myself to be.

So, I'm learning this:

{tho I'm probably not going to do it very well, let's be honest.}

Sometimes you can leave the dishes til tomorrow, and give yourself permission to not beat yourself up about it. Sometimes.

Here's to the weekend, imperfection, and answering the door in your PJs,

Happy Positive Friday!

Kitchen Design - dream house

Hey, thanks for your comments on yesterday's post about making your home work for you. I have a few more organizing/practical tips up my sleeve and I'll space them out over the days ahead. :)

My secret favourite pastime is designing architectural plans and building them into a virtual 3D model using the software, AND decorating the interior down to every last detail.

You've seen the design for Dream Office and now here's a little peak into Dream Kitchen.

I like to design with a client in mind, and in this case I tried to make the kitchen suited to a farmhouse / entertaining family. They like a warm homely feel, with modern conveniences and a feeling of spaciousness.

This is the view of the back wall. To the left of the fridge there is a doorway that leads into the scullery, which houses all the bulky appliances, a second freezer, coffee machine, and recycling bins.

 I love keeping things organized by having a purpose built spice rack over the stove (for seasonings and oils that you use while cooking).

The other view looks out the other way, over the kitchen island, and is open to the family room.

The french doors lead to the outdoor eating area, as well as herb garden. 

(There is also a separate formal lounge room that can be closed off, back behind and right of the 'camera' in this virtual shot.)

One day I might be able to show you this building in the flesh :)

What are your must-haves in a kitchen???

Making your house work for you - Bedside Tables pt 1

I've said it a zillion times (or at least once here) - I believe in making your home WORK for you.

Obviously, making things look pretty is every designer's crack. But you know what's hard?

Living somewhere allll the time, and keeping it pretty.

Don't know about you but we tend to 'un-style' our spaces on a daily basis... because.... we use our things.

I know, it's terrible.

Pinterest would be mortified.

Here's the first part in the 'Making your house work for you' series: Bedside tables. 

Do you have absolutely zero crap on your bedside table? Do you have space there for fresh bouquets of flowers, glass domes, and small ceramic and brass animals?

If you answered no to any of the above then EXCELLENT. Because who does..

I recently found myself getting so frustrated with design/styling of our bedside tables. This was purely because we NEED things there. This is the husband's side, and I was dealing with clutter from:
- Lotion
- Tissues
- Books
- Notepads
- Pens
- Lamps
- Random items like torches, batteries, keys... whatever.

The solution? A vessel for the little bitsies, that can ALSO hold the big bits. In this case, a loose vintage drawer.. (We have 2 and the other was used for a similar purpose on our coffee table). I've found normal trays aren't deep enough to hide anything, whereas this successfully conceals the tissue box, and pens etc floating around inside. It also keeps all the books upright, accessible, and neatly in one place instead of piled up.

That's part 1 of bedside table solutions - I'll be back next time with 2 more tricks, including for the pesky phone charger chord that's always lurking around these areas!

What are your bedside table tricks and tips? Share in the comments!

Fabric review - how they function in real life

Have you ever bought fabric online only to find it's not quite the way you imagined it?

Living in New Zealand, I purchase a lot of my fabrics from overseas. Today I'd love to take you through some of these popular fabrics and let you know how they really are in real life, as well as showing ways you could use them / what colours to pair them with.

1. Dwell Studio Vintage Blossom, in Dove.

I adore the Vintage Blossom line - the designs are so classic yet fresh and just perfect for my aesthetic. We have the yellow version in our lounge, and I've never got bored of it.

Using this Dove colour, though? Oh, it's trickier than you'd expect!! It's a pale blue with a greyish tone that can easily make your average cream or beige appear really gross and dirty. Our sofa is WHITE but this fabric even made that appear dirty (I guess it's not as clean as I thought). I'd recommend this on PURE white, or even better, against a dark charcoal background., so it pops and appears clear and contrasting.

2. Amy Butler - Soul Blossoms Joy Twilight Peony Amaranth

Amy Butler is reknowned for her quirky, bold colour usage and this one is no exception. My problem with it? It is totally COOL in tone so if you want to pair it with warm neutrals or golds, you better think again.
This one would be best in a white or aqua room, alongside some natural wood and accented with pinks or teals.

3. Robert Allen Kiki Pinata
I bought this after seeing it on people's blogs, looking all fresh and poppy, paired with aquas and lemons.
You know what? Photos lie!

This one is most definitely AUTUMNAL in colour tone and the browns are far more prominent than they appear in photos or online in the fabric shop. Don't be fooled - you must be prepared to have a strong brownish presence in your space if you're going to use this.

4. Unknown name, sorry
Aqua, tangerine and gold. I originally purchased this to make a dress from, but here I am years later, still hoarding it as a piece of fabric. It's a crinkly weave that looks exceptionally nice in a rugged homely setting - like here with sheep's wool, a rustic brown chair and gold accents. I'm saving this one for just the right occasion.

5. Rosie Raspberry - P Kaufmann.
This is my most recent purchase and I lurve it. My only problem is that I need a space for it! It goes excellently with neutrals and would be a great way to spice up a neutral tan sofa.

Who are your favourite fabric brands / designers / suppliers??

Art corner and unexpected beauty {an ode to ignoring trends}

I've noticed something among us bloggers. 

We are trend followers... at times religiously. You only have to be on Pinterest to see that one person has an idea, and then it gets repeated oh, say, 9000 times as a 'creative' design elsewhere on the internet.

I have nothing against Pinterest or trends or bloggers... ohhh no. But sometimes I have to remind myself that beauty isn't always in the form of a trend. It's really hard to be truly creative these days without shutting off all that 'inspiration' and coming across some happy accidents.

On that note, here is my art corner.

Nope, it's no studio. And you won't spot a white parson's desk or chevron patterned accessories anywhere (tho I wouldn't mind...)

It has it's own character that is utterly off-trend. A crate from the parent's garage (25 years old, crawling with spiders at the time of discovery), bits of card and paper that I've tested paint on, tobacco tins from my Opa (with ancient tubes of oil paint inside) and various other bits and pieces that just happened.

{You can see the rest of the office and before-and-after here if you haven't already.}

Some would call it junk...

 .... and I would have to agree ;) (partly). But it's functional junk. Kinda. I'm not saying I wouldn't change it if I could (I dream of an actual studio space), but it's good to find satisfaction with the quaint everyday bits and pieces - even when literally stuffed into a small corner - I believe.

You know what else I found?

A piece of cardboard I use as a palette when I'm painting.
I don't really pay attention to it when I'm painting, but I love it. I'm tempted to frame it. Those are my colours, yo. And the way they are loosely mixed and layered tells a bit of a story. Hmm, I wonder if it would be easy to recreate something like this on a GIANT scale???! Would be an amazing canvas, don't you think?

Simple Systems for organisation : Live Simply

Hey friends!

There are a few little things around our house that are TOTAL GAME CHANGERS for keeping the place neat and organised.

And you know who is an organization buff?

Annie.

If you have organizational ocd of any kind, you are going to be salivating over her blog. She does that bi'nizz professionally! (organzing, not having ocd ;)

Or even if you don't, trust me, you are going to be feeling all smug and satisfied seeing the before-and-after's of formerly chaotic spaces. You may just get an amazing tip or 2 as well.

ON THAT NOTE

(drawn out much?)

I'm sharing over on her blog today, 3 tips that have been game-changers in our house. Here's one of 'em:

Click the link below to see the rest,