Hello May!

 Ummm Hello May!

Where did my April go?? Did part of your year already feel like this?

April was such an amazing month...  

Amongst a family wedding [Mr Palatial's - sister Kylie & now officially brother in law - Jim, more late]; Birthdays - Mr Palatial's Nana, and Two of my Grandmothers - 92years old and 85years old respectively, a God Daughter's 3rd birthday and our Little 'Is' who turned a feisty 'independent 2!'.

Then we were in the midst for a celebration of life as we farewelled Mr Palatial's Great Grandmother Caroline - whom at 109 years old & 7 months packed out her memorial service with family and many friends over her gorgeously lived life.

A few snaps I have posted from our recent little sojourn to our Nation's capital - Canberra over an extended weekend. These gorgeous park shots were taken at Commonwealth Park - a well known place for stunning deciduous trees of all varieties, sitting on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin - and home to many stunning Black Swans. This park is also home to an annual colour display that was in panning whilst we there 'Floriade'. Our little Is loved playing in the park, running along the crushed granite pathways, into the stone hill tunnel and castle play area, over the bridges and chasing and chased by the water birds!

If you get a chance to pop to Canberra for a little bit it would have to be one of the prettiest times to see it...  

Thank for stopping by Palatial Living... See you soon.

Enjoy,

images - via Sarah Verity - verandah home & graden living solutions, and tumblr .

Friday Flowers... With Thanks!

Happy Friday! Thank you to all of you who have been checking in, following, and sending me lovely emails & comments at Palatial Living.... My image today is courtesy of my fabulous sister, who sent me a link for this lovely Garden & Interiors store 'Dee Puddy - Garden & Interiors' based in the UK. I love these hand made porcelain gift tags... there are also similar ones I found on Esty as well - make sure you take a look!

This weekend I have made into a looong weekend - with our national holiday on Tuesday 26th Jan aptly called 'Australia Day' , I am taking the Monday off too! So after a quite a busy week with 'Verandah' and helping a couple of my lovely clients, this weekend I am looking forward to relaxing, swimming at the beach & catching up with family & friends, and maybe popping down to Canberra for the National Gallery's exhibit 'Masterpieces of Paris' from the Musee' d'Orsay - this exhibition was travelling to Australia when I was in Paris - so I missed it there!

So if you're in Australia or your an Aussie abroad, away from home, I hope you have a wonderful 'Australia Day' inspired weekend...otherwise I know you will have a lovely weekend anyway! Take Care & Enjoy! S x

Image from Dee Puddy

Friday Fruit...

With warm weather upon us this weekend [in Sydney up to 30 degrees Celsius] I was feeling a little conscious of bearing arms - literally ! I am a little partial the pear is one of my favourite fruits - to eat, for it's silhouette and variations of colour, and also to use for styling props.

In one of my final year exhibitions at Uni I explored the pear, it's shape and symbolisms, the works were titled ' Belonging'. My inspiration was from years as a little girl visiting the Australian National Gallery, Canberra [A.C.T] where at the entrance to it there is a magnificent sculptural work of bronzed pears that I covet to this day, titled “The Final Pear Version” by George Baldessin[b.1939 -d.1978]. Several years ago I was over-the-moon as I finally was able to get my hands on an official NGA photo release of it - where it lives framed in my upstairs gallery frame montage. The pear [speckled brown Bartlett's] was even present at our wedding reception[some 5 years ago now] as a sculptural piece placed next to clear slumped glass candle votives & offsetting the urns filled with vine, berries, and magnolias & roses posed a fabulous natural mix [I'll post an image of it shortly].

So here's a colourful, textural, healthy option to the weekend... For a safe dose of Vitamin D in the onset of Spring Summer weather, and a crunchy few pears!! Enjoy x

Image from House Beautiful

Realm Thoughts... An Inspired Suggestion Card

We recently stayed at hotel realm in Canberra (the Nation's capital) but before we left this little suggestion card caught my eye... In the organic sleek - yet still cosy - style that is the hotel realm's nuance, I almost mistook this suggestion card [for feedback on your stay] as a stationary card because it was that nice. So nice that I would buy it as a design to use for notes and 'thank you's' to friends alike. I adore leaves and veined leaf images for their simplicity, organic origins, natural balance & symmetry, and am partial to them at the best of times, almost all colours, shapes and sizes, so maybe my eye caught it on a familiarity level as well, but what a simple yet effective way to give a suggestion card a positive presence. I am now on the look out for inspired [design] in the suggestion card arena - this area that could be and most usually does get taken for granted could be on of the lovelier last inspirations of your stay that you have!
What have you seen in your travels? Have you come across any great hotel feedback or suggestion card designs?

Images from hotel realm suggestion card - imported by Verandah Home & Garden Living Solutions.

Weekend at Hotel Realm...

Hotel Realm - front entrance

Above- Looking up > The open atrium of the main [entrance] foyer is gently filtered by all sides lined rows of ruby red anodised aluminium.

Above - Looking down - to the main entrance foyer in the evening soft shadows play on the wall

Above - A snapshot of the Realm King Room that we enjoyed on our weekend away... with Degas.

Above - A Realm Level 1 Terrace Suite on the West side of the hotel shows the beautiful dusky horizon & outline of Australia's Parliament House.

Above - snapshot of the Lane Suite, the Lane Suite's living area is an extended version of the Realm King Room sharing the same interior palette and furnishing style.

Above- snapshot of the bathroom we had in our Realm King Room

Above - Entrance to restaurant, Kanoba

As part of our weekend away in Canberra we had the opportunity to stay at Hotel Realm, in Barton [the hotel and suburb sit below - around Parliament house - with views to it from the west side of the hotel. Now although this will sound like a small hotel/ restaurant review - I generally only share stories of wonderful experience in the chance that should you be able to visit this establishment - that you too will have a wonderful time and small insight of what's ahead.

Hotel Realm is one of Canberra's newest 5 star boutique hotels, and needless to say we enjoyed our stay immensely - we stayed over a Saturday evening and savoured the cocktails in the bar, Bacchus, and then went onto a delicious dinner in Konoba restaurant where I devoured the tiger prawn, chorizo and asparagus risotto - something of a personal benchmark test for each new restaurant I try, get the risotto right and I'll be back! Konoba is also where breakfast for hotel guests is also served in the morning and to my delight mini eggs Benedict were served amongst other hot breakfast treats with fresh fruit, small pastries and cereals.

Naturally we couldn't have enjoyed this as much had our room and sleep not been exceptional - and it was, in the Realm King Room... with contemporary & elegant interior design & styling from the linen covered full wall size bedheads, to the soft king bed and high count sateen pillow slips & sheets, to the Anibous inspired black and cream woollen bed runner, and the teal & caramel hounds tooth carpet, to the window treatments & occasional furniture in shades of white, clay and cream with accents of grey white carerra marble and polished stainless steel - all in perfect harmony with a fashionable edge.

Images from Hotel Realm

It's Friday & A Weekend Away!

Well Friday is upon us again, and I hope you have a had a wonderful week - absorbing shades of green through your daily life... and so I thought that in finishing the 'Colour Week' of Green for March I found this great image of a vintage American pick up truck - complete with mattress, and a couple of cosy quilted throws [one avocado green - of course], and even better driving off into the sunset as this is what I am doing this weekend - going away!

On a spur decision my husband booked a weekend away on Thursday evening! Where you may ask are heading? We're off to Canberra [Australia's national capital] to visit the National Gallery [N.G.A] and to catch the 'Degas - Master of French Art' exhibit, as well as visiting local markets and enjoying some delicious food & wine...

Wherever you are this weekend I hope you have a great one! Enjoy x