Earth Hour - Saturday 29 March 8-9pm

Earth Hour - This Saturday 29th March between 8pm-9pm
It’s about more than one night.

It’s about changing the world.Thousands of organisations across the country and plunge into darkness to make a power statement about change as participants of Earth Hour 2008. Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.
On March 31 2007, for one hour, Sydney made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming – coal-fired electricity – by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.
In 2008, 24 global cities will participate in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.

Do your bit and turn off your lights and any unused power for 1 hour and help contribute to cutting our emissions and helping to conserve!

Visit www.earthhour.org to find out more.

[Current] Favourite Book

50/60/70:Iconic Australian Houses - author Karen McCartney / photographer Michael Wee

Illustrated throughout with evocative images by internationally renowned photographer Michael Wee - author Karen McCartney has gathered together 15 significant and influential houses from the 1950s through to the 1970s, most of which have never before been comprehensively documented. Each is by a different architect and combines outstanding architectural principles with an interior that remains in keeping with the integrity of the house.

At the best of times I fall head over heels in love with books, but even more so when it comes to any book that covers the following key areas - design, architecture, trends and within an historical context! And Wow - does this book - 50/60/70:Iconic Australian Houses - have it! Plus if it can get any better than that, it is authored by the ever stylish and in-the-know, Karen McCartney (I do think she is amazing), who by day, is also the editor of interior/ exterior bible - 'Inside Out' magazine.
Take a 'Palatial' hint and get yourself this book is it a lavish feast for your senses and an Australian history lesson in iconic design style to boot!

50/60/70:Iconic Australian Houses ($69.95, Murdoch Books) available at all good booksellers.
Image from Murdoch Books

Happy Easter!

I found these beautiful hand painted porcelain floral eggs from Royal Copenhagen, and had to share them with you. My favourite would have to be the 'delf' blue & white - I am always drawn to this simple colour scheme.

I love the idea of hanging decorative Easter eggs from a simple branch - what lovely way to celebrate 'new life' holiday. Wishing you a very Happy Easter!

Sweet Easter Bouquets

I can't believe how quickly Easter has come up this year, the end of March, marking Easter (21-24 March) and shortly after (6 April ) the Autumn equinox - where most southern states of Australia will turn their clock backward and say a fond farewell to daylight savings!

I found these yummy Easter bouquets from Sweet Stems an edible bouquet company based in Victoria that just might help make Easter and the goodbye to Daylight savings that much sweeter!

Children's ART - KinderGallery Pt. 2

Artist Spotlight >
Isabelle Norman
When Swedish graphic designer Isabelle Norman became a mother, she discovered how difficult it could be to find personal, fun decorative items for children. So she created and released a series of artworks.under the name 'Isa Form - A Little Me'. Characterised by a genuine flair for retro colour combinations, Isa's works beautifully combine nostalgic motifs with contemporary Scandinavian design elements.
The range has enjoyed great success in Sweden and Isa now spends most of her time sitting in her studio in Piteå is the cold north of Sweden drawing figures for mischievous little monsters. The fashionable design makes them a favourite of their parents' too.

ISAK (Sandra Isaksson)
Memories of beautiful, happy things are Sandra Isaksson's artistic motivation. Her range of works, created under the moniker ISAK, represent her desire to evoke a flavour of the past; to preserve and pass on the memories that inspire her. Sandra hopes that children everywhere will respond to her works with joy.
Sandra was born in Sweden, educated in Denmark, and now works as an illustrator and graphic artist in London. Her modern style, fresh colours, and innocent, fun subject matter make the room smile.

I love this website for Children's Art, do yourself a favour and take a look at their webiste www.kindergallery.com

[Current] Additions to the Palatial Library

Furniture: A Concise History (World of Art) / Edward Lucie-Smith

‘Rich in information . . . sharp in perception’

– The Times Educational Supplement

In this illuminating history, text and illustrations combine to offer a view of furniture not as a succession of collectors’ pieces, but as a statement about the society that created it. Edward Lucie-Smith offers insights into almost every period, from the prehistoric to the postmodern – from Neolithic tables to 1960s conversation pits, and from the ceremonial chairs of Egypt in the thirteenth century BC to the designs of John Makepeace.

http://www.thameshudson.com/en/1/9780500201725.mxs?d2322ebbd2b7131596701df1bb090354&0&0&0

Interior Design of the 20th Century (World of Art) Thames & Hudson / Anne Massey

'Notes a range of important issues for the history of interior design in the 20th century'
- Journal of Design History

Every style of interior design is charted in this concise, wide-ranging and indispensable critical survey, from the nineteenth-century Arts and Crafts movement to the present day – including discussions about Art Nouveau, Bauhaus, the Modern Movement and Art Deco through to Hi-Tech and green design. Interior design in the twentieth century saw many changes in direction, all documented and discussed here, with the emergence of professional ‘interior decoration’ and its evolution into interior design. Interiors, domestic and other, are explored and placed within their social, political, economic and cultural context. This revised, expanded and updated edition illustrates recent examples and is brought right up to date with discussions about green design, the unprecedented boom in DIY and the effect of new technology both on the home and the work place.

http://www.thameshudson.com/en/1/9780500203460.mxs?d2322ebbd2b7131596701df1bb090354&0&0&0

[Current] Favourite Books

With a fetish for not only shoes and accessories and almost anything that goes with the words 'interior', 'fabric', 'furniture' and the garden - it would be my affair with books! I often find myself purchasing books online frequently adding to my collection of art, interior, garden and reference books. So without adieu it is with much thanks to Anna, of Black + Spiro fame, and her truly lovely blog site, Absolutely Beautiful Things, (which further inspired me to create my blog - more on that later) for her recent blog on Charlotte Moss, and her new book A Flair for Living.
Thank you Anna for getting me onto this book - I have arranged to order it with my U.S friends, I just adore Charlotte's eclectic lux style, her dedication to her namesake brand, and her attention to detail is remarkable.

In Love with Modern Vintage - Cath Kidston Designs

A wonderful take on Modern Vintage - I just love Cath's [Kidston] use of line, pattern, and colour in a contemporary application to homewares, clothing, stationary, accessories, and fabric design....gee she's got it covered. I particularly love her signature blue/ red/ pink combination of over sized painterly florals combined with a solid ground spot print! Enjoy x

Images from Cath Kidston

Children's ART: Kinder Gallery Pt 1.

Artist Spotlight >

Lorena Siminovich started to draw when she was very young and couldn't seem to stop. She would sit in her room and fill sheet after sheet of paper with her nascent artistic visions. And the intoxicating potential of the blank page has never left her since. Born in Buenos Aires and having worked in San Francisco as a creative director, Lorena has amassed a wealth of experience in graphic design, illustration and art.
For Kindergallery, Lorena has exchanged the blank page for a maple plywood board. This creates a natural, tactile canvas on which she creates unique handmade collages assembled from found, recycled, painted and vintage papers. These are sourced from a variety of different different places and times, and include origami, maps and architectural drawings. The designs are simple and modern, but the patterns, textures and languages revealed in the used papers create a sophisticated and intricate dimension, offering the mystery and excitement of other worlds.

Kelly Boulton is an Australian illustrator who has worked in a variety of creative media. She has served as guest art director of a street press magazine, designed for international fashion labels and created products for toy companies. Her illustration work has featured in Curvy 2005 and 2007 (a collection of works from the world's finest female illustrators and artists) and will appear in Dolce & Gabbana's new book on contemporary culture.Kelly's latest work is a funky range of wall art for children. Featuring magic trees, delicious apples and cheeky characters, her contemporary colours and minimalist designs burst with fun and animation.

Each work is printed on artist quality canvas using archival inks and is coated with UV varnish.

I found this great website KinderGallery http://www.kindergallery.com/about.html which features art works for children by various artists, a couple that I have mentioned above, and a few more to follow... but I think they would be just as wonderful, fun and quirky when found around the home.

The Kindergallery collection offers original paintings, limited edition works, prints, stretched canvases, box art and wall decals. Based in Sydney and with a second home in Berlin - I think that the simple graphic quality they hold finds a fantastical whimsy in each of us.