La Dolce Vita

© Italian Country Interiors

La Dolce Vita, the sweet life indeed! This would have to be filed under one of my 'All Time Favourite Shots'. I love the colour palette (of course), though beyond that I love the large bold chandelier balancing the decorative over head balustrade. I'm not usually a chandelier kinda girl, though I am loving this particular one. It fills the space perfectly, giving the room a good sense of proportion and depth. Even if you were to remove all the furniture and just leave the chandelier the space would still feel luxurious!

vR x

Glassybaby!

©Glassybaby

I may be telling you something you already know... Glassybaby.... Have you heard of them? I hadn't until recently and have been blown away by the power and positive message of these little glass vessels known as Glassybabies!

These lovely little glass blown cups have been designed to illuminate candle light through a multitude of different unique colours. They were first created by Lee Rhodes, a three time cancer survivor who began selling them out of her Seattle garage in 1998.

It is huge business today making almost US$2.5 million in profit with 10% of all proceeds going to cancer charities. View this great video to understand the full story.

In the words of Glassybaby

"Glassybaby are useful in many ways, however their real use is to lift bad moods and loneliness. Their warm and coloured light flickers like we do everyday. Glassybaby serves as a metaphor to symbolise hope, they are humble in spirit but not in beauty. What ever your mood, a Glassybaby can keep your home inviting and full of spirit."

They give warmth to a cold day, a calm token of peace in the busy world.

vR x

Happy Saturday

By the time you read this I would of been up since 5.00am Saturday morning, showered and ever so slightly groomed, dragged sleepy Timothy O out of bed and shoved him in our car, driven and made a pit stop in at The Brewbakers for fresh bread (refer last weeks post ((they open supa early!)) arrived at our Farmers Market, bumped into my parents amongst the foggy looking 5.30am crowd and shared a coffee and pastry, then went on to complete the weekly produce shop - all in the space of an hour. Goodness. Even though I am shattered I am so happy. Appreciating the small things nourishes the soul!

vR x

Plaster of Paris

via The Sage City

Happy Friday All!

Have a great weekend!

Thought I would leave you with this feminine burst of pink and burnt orange!

Don't you just love the unexpected addition of the plaster roses on the wall!

vR x

Framed

© Domino Magazine, others from The City Sage

I absolutely love a collection of art and photographs clustered together on the wall. Either measured and fine tuned or chaotic and unorthodox; framed work brings depth to your space and walls.

However, no matter what your style there is always a delicate balance when bringing lots of different mediums together. Banging your varied art and photography collection into a small space on the wall can be visually overwhelming, as you run the risk of the space looking cluttered and messy.

By editing your imagery and framing mouldings you will achieve a far better aesthetic. My golden rule when clients are after a visual wall cluster is using one style of moulding in different widths giving a controlled variety.

Happy Framing!

If you are after a fantastic framing studio with good old fashion service yet contemporary style visit Redcliffe Framing! Tell them I sent you!

vR x

At My Table....

© Greig, Aerin Lauder Home Beautiful, Christopher Baker, Snippet and Ink

"Right down to the very last napkin, a dinner party reveals so much about its host" says Vogue Living contributor and caterer John Wilson.

A late Sunday lunch is his idea of the perfect meal and mine too!

John suggested a minimum of twelve people, yup thats right, twelve people (yikes) for the perfect balance of conversation.

You will win more votes by throwing a fun relaxed gathering than by cooking complicated Michelin Star recipes. I would recommend any recipes from Riverford, a Devon based organic farm in the South of England.

A sensitively furnished table with a comfortable chair, a napkin as big as a bed sheet, cutlery that feels as though it belongs in your hand and a plate that doesn't work like a vortex when the cutlery is left unsupervised are all just as important as the food.

John also suggested hiring someone to do the cleaning and washing up for you - well, with a minimum of twelve guests you might have to!

vR x

Happy Monday

© Domino Magazine

Happy Monday!

Well, this week is shaping up to be a busy one, if only I could do all my work in such a beautiful space like the one above and have time to smell the beautiful blooms on the desk (who am I kidding, I always make time to smell the blooms!). I adore this image and the layers of furnishings that have been added to form such a thoughtful and well edited work space. I am adding this image as a reference for the new creative space here that I mentioned a few posts ago. I look forward to sharing it with you once it is completed!

vR x

Follow the Pitter Patter up the Stairs to Rue Magazine...

Finally a competitor to Lonny; ultimately the most loved current online interiors magazine ... we now welcome the much anticipated brand spanking new Rue Magazine, premiering in September; however I thought you all deserved a sneak preview, so I found this for us to devour.

Bon Week-end All!

vR x

Baker's Delight

Off to the local bakery for breakfast and bread on this rainy morning with Timothy O. All the baked goods here are so ridiculously delicious you will walk out with your basket overflowing with fresh baguette and croissant, just as though you were walking out of a Parisian Market, about to rendezvous with Serge Gainsbourg Birkin Style. The bread is the best in town, so if you are in my town, why not try Brewbakers on Sandgate Road at Albion.

Here is a review via our very good friends over at Eat Me Brisbane:

http://eatmebrisbane.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-brewbakers.html

vR x

Kitchen Recipe

© Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle Magazine

Here is another of my Favourite All Time Shots. I love this kitchen; a touch of distress, a pinch of industrial and a dash of European Style, now thats a kitchen recipe!

vR x

The Perfect Pantry...

Jamie Oliver's 'jme kitchen range'

The Perfect Pantry, bet you want one? Ha, if only it was that easy! A girlfriend of mine recently gave her pantry a mini makeover to much delight! One of the easiest and simplest ways to give a lift to this hard working kitchen nook is to remove unsightly packaged branding from the shelves. Decant your dry goods, spices, rices and co into timeless flip/snap lidded glass storage jars in various sizes. Inexpensive, practical and aesthetically pleasing, these jars will make rummaging through the pantry an organised delight, plus they keep your consumable uber fresh!

vR x

Repetition Repetition Repetition

© Mikkel Vang; © Corrie Bond; © Khai-Liew

One of the most powerful ways to display a menagerie of objects is by grouping them together on a wall. Simple everyday objects 'en mass' are transformed into well considered collections with repetition. Vintage mirrors, rustic garden tools, wooden chopping boards etc, if you have numerous of them think about placing them on a wall as part of a display.

Really, lets be honest, when is one ever enough!

vR x

Sunny Side Up

© Ditte Isager

It was a rather eventful Sunday afternoon here yesterday. Bettina, one of our little Pekin Bantams laid her very first egg. I think she was just as shocked as we were!

vR x

I had to share...

I just came across this rather lovely image bursting with floral prettiness, that I just had to share. I can feel spring in my finger tips; I am getting so excited about my new front garden! Having your very own piece of earth to garden is such a privilege. After renting in London for so long to now having my very own garden is almost overwhelming! Expect more garden posts.

vR x

Tree Love

© Patrick Cline

Happy Weekend all.

Im looking forward to a weekend of gardening and hedging!

vR gets crafty in the garden - watch out!

vR x

Special Chairs

Today is my partners first day as a freelancer - Welcome Timothy O! He has moved into my little creative space here and it is a good feeling having someone to chat to and share pots of tea with. When things in life change like this I always find myself decorating in view of the change. I have some big new ideas for this space which will help with workflow and overall efficiency. One thing that remains a constant rule for me when it comes to work spaces are chairs! Donate the bulky office wheelie chair for a YOU chair; expensive or not, old or new, it should be a chair that you will only ever own one of. A special chair makes the room look and feel more inviting and less office-y!

vR x

Beautiful Bogan...

Bougainvilleas. Love them or hate them? Would you believe I have actually crossed over to the other side. I am crazy in love with them at the moment. The relationship hasn't always been this way. The Bogan and I have never been friends; I always thought she was far too common for me and way too loud when it came to her flowers - raging magenta, electric fushia; not in my garden thanks! However, recently I have had a change of heart or rather Bougainvillea's vibrancy has ignited my heart! All these years of being misunderstood, sorry Bougainvillea, I love your flowering flamboyance!

vR x