Bedroom sneak peak {the Nest Project}



After I coveted this Robert Allen fabric, and shipped it over from the States, my Mum kindly sewed 2 big European pillows out of it! This is a little peak of the pillows in our bedroom before any other changes have taken place.. I like it with the fuchsia throw (but different bedding etc):

Watch this space as the rest gets finished off!
Now if only some big colourful artworks and a nice mirror would miraculously appear...

Our aim is to make this house nice without being able to invest a whole lot of time or money into it. That really is what 'the Nest Project' is all about. But I'll be honest: I struggle. I struggle with not being able to make everything instantly perfect... I struggle with patience...and with the reality of a thing called a budget!

Anybody else feel this way?

At the same time, designing (whether interiors, houses, weddings, events...anything!) is what makes me happy. I can't wait to see each of these rooms and projects slowly completed and feel the satisfaction that comes from a good before-and-after. Booyah!

How to use Pastels

interior design, how to use pastel colours, pastel interior
interior design, how to use pastel colours, pastel interior



interior design, how to use pastel colours, pastel interior


interior design, how to use pastel colours, pastel interior





interior design, how to use pastel colours, pastel interior

We all know that pastels are in right now - but learning how to use them without making everything look like a bubblegum wrapper is another story. I hope these tips help!


In other news, I've been M.I.A the last few weeks with school work - thank goodness for a 2 week break now! I can't wait to get into all the projects that have been sitting around waiting for me to have time to work on them... keep you posted! 


Images: 1/2/3/4/5



How to create a homely, artistic space: A Room Study


I love me an interesting interior - and lately they just seem to keep getting better....I want to break down THIS room above (from the latest Lonny mag) to show you how to get that artistic, welcoming vibe.

Let's start from the floor up:

1. A patterned rug -  you can choose one with a geometric pattern and only 1 or 2 colours to keep it from getting too busy. (e.g. light grey + dark grey).

2. Try something natural - in this case the wooden table and floor bring all the warmth in - it would be a completely different vibe without it.

3. Add one other pattern to either the curtains or the walls. The trick with this is to use a different scale pattern than the rug. In the picture above, the curtains are patterned but have large white blocks on a slightly larger scale than the rug pattern, so it's not overwhelming. Notice how these patterns don't match, even remotely?

4. Keep something clean and empty - such as creamy white walls and joinery.

5. Add contrast - if most of your pieces are light coloured, add a black accent like the wrought iron + picture frame in the chairs above. Likewise, add white if you have a lot of deep colours.

6. Mix it up. One of my favourite things is seeing how different objects go together. In this case we have a collection of objects on the table made of: glass, ceramic, brass, and silver. They are all so different, but they don't look wrong together!

 7. Add pink! Kidding - add flowers. Although pink flowers never seem to go wrong. Corals and oranges also pop perfectly. If you ever feel your room misses something... it's probably flowers! Seriously.


Speaking of pink...

Who's feeling the 80's oozing out of this picture? Or is it just me? Pink and white are always kinda awesome...(more of the best here).

These pictures all come from the latest issue of Lonny - I recommend a peak!





Bathroom and Bedroom update - the Nest Project


A while ago I was determined to sew a ruffle shower curtain.
But reality caught up with me... (since when does an architecture student have time for that?!)
So, I cheated.

Here's a BEFORE of our bathroom:


 The original curtain wasn't bad (I quite like the pattern and colour) but this old 1940's original bathroom needed something more.

Like this: Ta-da!

This is how it looks straight out of the packet all the way from the United States...or the UK... or wherever Urban Outfitters send their stuff from.

To be perfectly honest it looks pretty sad and wrinkly at the moment, but we're so happy with the difference it's going to make!
I also have a few more ideas up my sleeve to complete this room. At some point we would love to install a new vanity unit and bath (since the original ones are pretty grotty and there is no storage) but for now I'm learning to work with what we've got.
....plus some kind of contrasting colour hand-towel to break up the cream-on-cream-on-white thing that's going on. Just have to choose a colour!

So there you have it, our bathroom progress. Of course I'll be back with the "After" pictures when it's all done. :)

The other project we've been working on is our bedroom... you may remember what it looks like here and my plans for it here. We finally bought the Yellow Robert Allen vintage blosson fabric online... and shipped it over from the States, again. {I get so frustrated having to do that but that's a rant for another day}.

I want to make large pillows out of it and have been playing with colour-ways... I quite like the yellow + navy below, but we'll see.


It's has to go with the existing wall colour which is a greenish-grey... a bit blah but actually kinda nice and peaceful in person. As well as with our light blue bedding (just visible below) and the wood in our room:
I can't wait to have it all done and pretty with good photos for you :)

And incase you were wondering about the rest of the house, here's our living room on a normal day.

...the lived-in look.
It's quite nice getting some sun in here on these freezing days we've been having.

That's the Nest Project update for now!

Do you have any projects you're working on?




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How to decorate a Traditional Style living room - with a pop of lavender

Lately I've been very interested in the concept of creating something beautiful and creative, out of a traditional base.

This colour scheme will work in almost any traditional setting. It's warm, welcoming, with just the right amount of interest. The lavender is an unexpected pop and you will see soon how wonderful it can look!

The Colours:
(Rimu is a beautiful deep honey-coloured New Zealand native timber, but any type of wood will do - including a mixture of darks and lights)

The Patterns:

When viewed like this, the florals can seems a little too feminine, but the stripes add masculinity and you only need a little of each. You need to be careful to mix Large Scale and Small Scale patterns. The colours can tie together but do not need to actually match.

The Moodboard:

Quilt and pouff: Wallace Cotton/ All furniture: Early Settler/ Large floral pillow: Etsy
For this scheme I've chosen a Resene paint called Thordon Cream - it has a greyish base rather than a yellow one, which looks amazing with reddish brown tones. 
The lavender tufted armchair has changed my mind about purple forever! One of these in the corner of the room would be bliss.
A mixture of picture frames grouped together on the wall adds interest and the simple country patterns make it sweet and homely.

The Virtual Mockup:

For fun, I've modelled this in Photoshop onto my parent's living room... it's rough of course, but you get the idea. (The walls are actually currently a deep crimson!). I love their old 'Birds of New Zealand' print on the wall (the others were photoshopped in).
It's very hard to make the paint look the correct colour on an image like this - picture it a little deeper and I think that's more accurate. :)

I for one never thought I would be a fan of lavender in this setting, but I really like it. In fact I have a traditional dining room coming up in the next post, with a little more.

How do you feel about 'Traditional' style decorating?




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