for my friend. x

For my friend Carolyn, a very old friend - we've known each other since Grade 5 at school!  She's a little under the weather at the moment and with less than 8 weeks till her [second] baby arrives the home stretch is nigh!

Hope you're feeling on the mend really soon Caz. Thinking of you. S xxx

Image via vi.sualize.us

Nursery Sneak Peak...

I covet my [our] Eames [Replica] RAR Rocker from Matt Blatt - it is so comfortable and terribly stylish, teamed with UK brand 'Nature's Purest' - 'Bird' applique Pillow... ready for nursing.

A collection of sweet friends - left to right - 'D-lux' knitted Bunny from my Aunt & cousin, Harrods' 'My First Puppy' I picked this adorable plush puppy up when I was in London last year visiting my sister - just before I arrived we found out I was pregnant with Baby Verity - as a little girl I had a 'puppy' that I adored & I wanted to carry on the tradition.

Next to 'Puppy' is the knitted soft rattle 'Safari Elephant' from Nature's Purest - an adorable gift from a good friend & work colleague who loved the recent birth of the baby elephant at Sydney's Taronga Zoo and thought to commemorate it for our baby! Lastly - 'Noukies' Teddy Bear rattle plush slippers I saw these in a baby wear store in Lucerne Switzerland on my travels late last year and thought they were perfect!

I love this Cath Kidston 'Knitted Bunny' that I picked up in the Cath Kidston signature store in Covent Garden London when visiting my sister last year - I really love that store, coupled with another 'rabbit' with the wonderful story book 'Guess How Much I Love You' sweetheart edition by Sam McBrateny & Illustrated by Anita Jeram.

A fun display - Eric Carle's 'Very Special Baby Book' , Dr Suess' Miniature Library, Cath Kidson's 'Knitted Rabbit', & 'Guess How Much I Love You' story book.

[Above] A very special friend has been waiting for a few years now... we named 'Sinclair', who is Harrods' Signature Teddy Bear that my husband surprised with me when in London, heading though Europe for Christmas & New Year's, a couple months after we were married in 2004, he bought it for our first baby that he knew we'd have some time down the track!

[Above]'Peter Rabbit & Wedgewood Dinner Plate' & Mug; a gift from Verity Grandparents-to-be, my mother-in-law gave us this sweet set, which I have displayed with perspex plate holder, when we announced we were pregnant - I love that she told me she had bought it, as in -waiting gift, shortly after we were married and kept it for this announcement! A lovely friend & work colleague gave us Baby Verity's first couture - a 'Baby Dior' by Christian Dior bottle, complete with silver mesh carrier!

Starting the library... you know my fondness of books, and it's never to early to start. Since taking this photo the collection has grown again, as has the Amazon wish list in Baby Verity's name!

I got restless & did some 'nesting' end of last week and through the weekend in the nursery... and also picked up our Eames [Replica] RAR Rocker - Yay! Here are a few images of the Neutral Canvas I have created for our much anticipated 'Baby Verity'... due in approx. 2/2.5 wks time! My husband thinks it's hilarious that I love to 'merchandise' the books & toys in the bookcase & room... maybe some of me is rubbing off on him - as he found the white baskets, and is quite proud of his 'design' mark made!

Hope you like them... accented colours & more decor pieces to follow - stay tuned! S xxx

Images by Sarah Verity - Verandah Home & Garden Living Solutions

Fabulous Shades of Pink!

Lately I have had several people tell me [by looking at the shape of my pregnant belly] that we're having a boy... although not adverse to either a baby boy or girl, as we don't know ourselves yet, it would seem that gender is being played by colour [and vice versa] through out decor, design, styling and clothing decision making. It got me thinking more about how important colour is to us, and how we associate colour with social conditioning or it's expectations, whether subliminally or not. At such a new start in life, as a baby, it would seem that we're already determined by masculine and feminine types of colour...

Maybe subconsciously that is why I am exploring the poles of 'gender' colour here, with these fabulous shades of pink, and yesterday more of the blue spectrum... What does it mean? Not sure but it's fun to explore and to not be tagged with a 'gender-ised colour'!
Regardless - although I don't use a lot of pink shades in my work it is slowly creeping through in accents and decor items, I find it an amazing joining colour and soloist hue too. Here are some wonderful examples of how stunning, clean and contemporary pink can really be I thought I would share with you. Enjoy x

Images from House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Amazon.com, & Traditional Living

Nursery Styling & Decor Ideas...

Since Baby Verity is due anywhere between the next 2 weeks & 4.5 weeks, I have been asked frequently by all who know me - '...how's the nursery decorating going...'! After being in hospital for false labour on Wednesday evening last week [a great test run for darling husband and family!]. I was at least calm in the knowledge that I have already created a fabulous neutral canvas that will be a solid design foundation on which to build more gender specific decor themes around & upon...

Above - Neutral Canvas, a solid colour & design foundation to build upon.

Above - Colour & Design accent ideas for a little man... White, Sand with Navy, Pale Blue, Cherry Red, teamed with Stripes & Nautical influences.

As we decided not to find out what we're having - a little boy or girl, here's a few mood boards I have popped together for our potential baby boy or baby girl! Hope you like them too! I have painted the room walls in Dulux 'Scallywag' Full tint, the trim & door is 'White Canvas' and the furniture is all 'White' - we repainted a timber bookcase that I have had for a number of years in Dulux 'Vivid White' aqua enamel [I don't know why I didn't do it sooner] it looks fabulous! And the rest of the decor is accented with similar hues, with dotted applique, mirco stripes & plains to create a solid colour & design foundation on which to build upon for our impending delivery - a little man or for a little lady!

Above: Colour & Design accents for a little lady...hues of Raspberry, Floss Pink, Pistachio Green with forest friends of stylised owls & squirrels in blossom branches to ticking stripe & gingham bunting.

So when we have settled back home with our Baby, in several weeks time, and we accent the room to his or her decor style, I will post pics of the room to share with you! Hope you like the ideas so far!

Images by Verandah Home & Garden Living Solutions.

Included in collage - Fabric from No Chintz, Boori Furniture, Nature's Purest UK - bedlinen & decor, Eames RAR Rocker, Ikea - Lamp & Basket, My Sweet Prints via Etsy.com - 'World Map',' Room t Grow' & 'Nautical' Bedroom Collage from Shop4Kids magazine, WallArt - decals, Bosco Bear - Decals.

Fresh Friday Flowers...

Yay it's Frrrriiiiday, so so so happy for the end of the [working] week drawing to a close ... at the moment I feel like a real kicking machine with Baby Verity, at nearly 6 months pregnant!

This weekend looks like it will be a creative one - I am revisiting my lovely client [from last year] tomorrow morning, to discuss her lounge room styling & some ideas for her little girls bed & room. And also hitting the baby stores [with darling husband] to narrow down some furniture pieces, plus work out what we need for all the paraphernalia that goes with setting up a nursery... Fortunately, I have been hard at work [loving it] creating both a girl's & boy's mood board - since we decided on a 'surprise' when 'baby' is born, I have had to consider both genders & 2 looks - all based on a neutral canvas! Although there are about 6 paint swatches on the walls that I had to narrow down from seeing the Morning- Afternoon- Night light!! I will post some images of the boards for you when I have finalised them, I think you will like them..

So whatever you might be up to this weekend - I hope it's a lovely relaxing one...

Thank You for visiting me at Palatial Living this week. See you Monday! S xxx

Image from Rachel Thurston Photography