Cupcakes & Potting Sheds

Have had a hectic week, being school holidays here. Found this gorgeous pic via Mr Craig Markham.

FIRMDALE HOTELS has won a silver medal at this years CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW for its POTTING SHED DREAM stand. Kit Kemp (Firmdale Design Director) worked with Bloomsbury Flowers to create a display which had to based around afternoon tea.

What is it about potting sheds that keeps us posting pictures of them? Bring on spring!

The Orange Orchard

My orange, mandarin, lime and tangerine trees are full of fruit but are about half the size of these ones. The grapefruit and lemons even smaller, but I am inspired to set up a table like this amongst them. Just gorgeous - I can almost smell the citrus in the air.

Goodbye, Wanda The Whale

I have just come in from a very sad event. A baby sperm whale we named Wanda stranded herself on the beach right in front of our cottages this afternoon. My sister, who works for National Parks, was there and my brother-in-law Mark, spent the afternoon wetting her down. Unfortunately nothing could be done to save her - she had cut herself on the rocks and was clearly in distress so the vet decided to euthenise her.

It was a wonderful thing to see the whole village out there willing her on but it seemed nature had other ideas.

Photographs to Inspire

I am doing some advertising mock ups for a travel-related thing and I was thinking, 'of all the photographers I could use for this, Hugh Stewart would be perfect'. So I went over to his website to look at his latest work and there it all is. J.Crew, British Vogue, Aussie Vogue, interiors, portraits... love it all.

I loved working with Hugh for his easy going nature and his New Zealand accent, which he still has despite living abroad for a very long time.

Most of all, I love the quirky personalities that he captures, even when he's shooting high fashion. It's very Australasian.

Shutter Bug

These shutters in "Sirena", above and below, have fabric inserts which let in filtered light and fold back on themselves.

These shutters in the new Seafarers Cottages are painted paneled pine and are designed to block out the street light at night.

My favourite window treatment would have to be the shutter. In our two small beach houses we chose to have shutters made for the windows instead of curtains because they create such a wonderfully coastal vibe.

Shutters in France

When I think of shutters I think of France. These traditional style shutters I photographed on the Ile de Re, which is just off the west coast. I love the pale colours, a palette that is prescribed by the local government.

The Original Vintage Girl

The second in the series of women who have influenced my views on interior design is Rachel Ashwell of Shabby Chic.

In 1989, when most of us were thinking modern, she was recycling and upcycling old and discarded decorative items, showing us that there was a certain laid back glamour we could all attain, with a bit of elbow grease. This English woman, transplanted in California, took up where Laura Ashley had left off, mixing that shabby, very british aesthetic with a touch of faded French je ne sais quoi.

Ever since then, I have been painting furniture white, moving on more recently to bolder colours. I have mixed unmatched chairs, planted old fashioned roses and re-invented old chandeliers. Well worn Louis chairs in faded colours are still in the top ten and vintage linen is still doing the rounds.... I think even Martha Stewart owes a lot to this stylish girl.

I had wondered what had become of her until recently when I saw her (now not so) new book at the gift fair. All I can say is the last copy I had left in the shop - that I had hoped to take home - was stolen. By a very style-conscious thief!

California Dreaming

I am getting nervous as the day Simon Kenny comes down to photograph my beach cottages is drawing near...

I submit other people to the terror of having their houses photographed for magazines regularly. And to the torture of being grilled on their decorating decisions... but hate having the cameras turned on me. I'll admit it.

In the meantime I am loving these photos from House Beautiful of a 1938 beach cottage in California. The all white backdrop with hits of green and pink is a nice change. The odd piece of vintage furniture is always fun at the beach.

Blogs Vs Magazines

Am I really that old? I remember as a young designer in the art department at Vogue LIVING, we were shown this new American magazine that we all supposed copied OUR name. It was called Martha Stewart LIVING. We scoffed politely. These were the early days of the light and bright lifestyle magazines and the Aussies, perhaps because we live like that, nailed the look first. That was 20 years ago!

Martha was very clever. She took that look and made it her own in a market that was, and still is, about 15 times bigger. It's ironic to think that the girl at the helm of MSL magazine nowadays is an Aussie girl who was the creative force behind Donna Hay magazine.

What I am getting at however is what does the future hold for printed magazines in a world where blogging is catching on in a big way? The mags feed the blogs, but the blogs also feed the mags.

Do you still like the feel of paper and having a magazine on your coffee table to pick up and flick through ? Do you blog and read magazines as well?
What do design blogs do for you that magazines don't?

I'd love to know your thoughts.

Ideas Between The Covers

Thanks everyone for such thought provoking comments on blogs vs magazines.To me, this interaction is the most rewarding aspect of blogging. I often wonder about what people think of the stories I do for magazines. You send it off to the editor, it gets published and that's that. It's as if it goes right out into space...

Yesterday Simon and shot a great place down here on the South Coast which I might talk about next week when he processes the photos. We have a really nice story coming out in the next issue of House & Garden magazine, which I will write about shortly. House & Garden is looking really good these days and their website is a handy source for ideas - one of the better magazine sites, I think. The images above are some of my picks from H&G for inspiration for the farmhouse.

These top two rooms are going into my file for how I am going to deal with the huge space of the church hall which will be our kitchen, living and ding combined. Having photographed endless houses with huge open plan living areas, I have to admit I feel more inclined to make the space more cosy. How great is this day bed "box" inside a large space? This will go straight into my scrapbook!

This bedroom and bathroom combo is something I have been thinking about for our attic bedroom. I can see this will probably become my daughter's room when she approaches teen age. It has tented, boarded ceilings which would be a shame to break up with a bathroom wall. Should be the ultimate teen pad.

That Zebra Chair

‘Iam only good for two things in this world,” Valentino once told me, “designing dresses and the decoration of houses. I am not capable to do anything else.” Valentino in August Vanity Fair.

Just had to show you this photo from Vanity Fair of Valentino's New York apartment. That Zebra chair is fabulous is it not?

Apparently Jacques Grange was called in to spruce up Valentino's fifth Avenue pied-a-terre, transforming it from '1980s ode to czarist-Russian opulence' to an all-white, lacquered wall gallery for his enviable collection of modern art.

God love him.... at 78!

On Trend: The Colour Purple

I'm noticing various shades of violet popping up here and there. It's a tricky colour to decorate with but always looks fresh when mixed with green or metal.

These examples are from the new Bloomingville range and a purple paneled room via Plush Palate.

Berry In House & Garden

Check out the September issue of House and Garden which kicks off with my story on Freya and Jelle Hilkemeijer's country barn conversion just outside Berry.

For those who have never been to the South Coast of New South Wales, their Berry Woodfired Sourdough Bakery is a local institution and a mecca for good food and coffee lovers.

This barn, at the foot of a rainforest-covered mountain, was originally full of farm machinery and junk when Freya and Jelle decided to turn it into their house. Freya's sister Natasha worked with them on the plans and builder Jamie Strong worked wonders, keeping to a tight budget and re-using things like the existing concrete slab and making screens out of old tomato stakes from Jelle's parents strawberry farm.

I have included some shots which the story couldn't fit in.

Palm Encore

India Hicks adds Caribbean style to her rooms with palm fronds

Not since I was a teen have indoor plants been cool. Martha Stewart invited hem back in a few years ago (or did they ever go?) but maybe that's because she lives in a colder climate.

Anyway, I have been contemplating the benefits of indoor gardening myself lately. It's not just the benefits of cleaner air, I'm even warming to the idea of a potted palm in the beach house living rooms. At its best the palm is a little bit India Hicks in the Caribbean. At its worst it reminds me of unimaginative office foyers.

So this weekend I might venture into that most stylish of nurseries, the plant section of Kmart, which may be the only place where the fishbone fern, african violet and potted palm still thrive. Think outside the style square...