18 April, 2012

All About Blue..Applied Pattern & Print, and Glossy Paint

From a recent e-newsletter I subscribed to I was struck by - what else - one of my fave hues - Blue and all the beautiful patterns & prints that American Interior designer Anne Wolf used in one of her client's homes in Houston Texas. Here you can see these gorgeous sumptuous rooms decorating with pattern, strong colors, imaginative paint application and glossy paint, that is both practical and divine - giving the home a young and fresh feel at the same time!
I really love the effect this combination of hues and patterns gives - who says blue & green should never be seen - when you match them to the right tonal value you've got a winner!
Enjoy,


Formal Dining Room - Bright green walls in a custom color by Fine Paints of Europe give a formal Houston dining room a fresh, young feeling with major impact. Designer Ann Wolf covered chairs in a rich blue, Malabar's Pasha, because "green and blue is my favorite color combination — one complements the other." A mahogany table inherited from the owner's grandmother was stripped and bleached for a new look. A Tibetan jute rug from Creative Flooring echoes the cool feel of the natural ash ceiling. Light Drizzle chandelier from Ochre. Painting by Claudia Zemborain.

Formal Living Room - Wolf pulled her blue-and-cream living room color palette from the rug by Beauvais Carpets. The velvet on the love seats, Nancy Corzine's Corsica, "is great because it feels already worn-in," she says. Slipper chairs are covered in Hinson's Connelly Chenille. Curtains are Holland & Sherry's Shetland. Room & Board stool.

 

Patterned Blues - Dark blues in the family room are "sippy-cup-proof," Wolf says. The print is Schumacher's Samarkand Ikat.

Breakfast Space - The house's main staircase isn't off the entry — it's off the breakfast area. "It leads to the private rooms, so why should it make a public statement?" Wolf says.

Painted Ceiling - The home-owners wanted a cozy place to read in every room," she says. "It's the ultimate luxury to have a sofa and chairs in the kitchen!" The blue ceiling adds even more coziness. Wolf chose a Saarinen table for the French bistro chairs: "It's a modern classic that's great for a traditional house."


Wolf quieted down colors in the master bedroom, painting the walls Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl. "It's a soft gray, with a little blue in it," she says. "We wanted a warm gray because of the ceiling height. So many colors stand out against it. Just look at how pretty the yellow daffodils look, and even the green in the L.L.Bean bag." The skirted table, in Claremont's Grouse Eau de Nil, has a flap on the bed side that flips up to reveal a hidden bookshelf. A custom-made bench sits on a Stark Hallmark carpet



images & sub text via house beautiful

Outdoor room - A huge fieldstone fireplace makes the screened porch an inviting outdoor room even on the coldest days. Cushions on the Janus et Cie Marrakesh chairs are in durable Sunbrella; throw pillows in Flores II by China Seas. 
 
 

02 April, 2012

Gorgeous Easter Desktop ScreenSavers...

 
Eggs in a Row
To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,
below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.
'Use This Desktop'
--------------------------
 
Need some desktop Easter inspiration? I found these sweet images on the American BHG [Better Homes & Gardens] site that you might want to use for each day leading up to Easter Sunday! Click on the the text below the image that says 'USE THIS DESKTOP' and you will be directed to the screen saver web page where you can download it and save it to your desktop images.
Maybe there's just one you like or maybe a couple or maybe you can't choose and will use all of them each day!
Have fun & Enjoy,

 Egg Carton 
To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,
below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.

 Blossom & Hand Painted Eggs
To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,
below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.


Silver Basket Eggs
To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,
below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.
 

 Egg Decor for the Door
To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,
below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.



Easter Blooms 

To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,
below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.

Egg Shell Potted Succulents
To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,
below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.


Egg Plant
To set this image as your desktop wallpaper, click Use This Desktop,
below, then right-click the large image and select Set as Background.



images & links via BHG

Palatial Easter Projects...





Hanging Easter Egg Decoration
A bunch of pastel Easter eggs works as a festive decoration for your front door. Wrap plastic foam egg shapes (available at crafts supply stores) with crepe paper, and attach the ends with glue or a small straight pin. Add yellow ribbon, secured with small straight pins, and leave a long end for tying. Gather the eggs at various heights and tie the ribbons together. Hang the decoration from a removable adhesive hook or wreath hanger, and finish it off with a pretty bow.
-------------------
This weekend I put up my 'Easter Tree' - really several large gum tree sticks [over sized] from our yard, and hanging from them are several different coloured eggs in gold, blue, white & pink, and some little sparrow-like white & yellow with grey wooden birds. All hanging from colourful satin ribbon! Our little 'Is' was in awe this morning when she saw these eggs hanging from the 'sky' - usually they go straight into the pan for scrambled eggs for her breakfast!

So if you're thinking of getting some Easter decorations up this week... here's a few 'quick' ones that will see your home beautifully decorated, looking fun, and colourful for this wonderful celebration [on the Christian calendar]. Have Fun with them & Enjoy,


Colored Easter Egg Wreath
This easy-to-make Easter wreath adds a pop of pretty pastel color to your front door. Using an awl, poke a small hole in each end of 12 plastic eggs. Cut 1/2x3-inch strips of patterned paper, cutting small slits along the edges to reduce wrinkling.
Brush Mod Podge onto the back of one paper strip and apply to an egg, pressing out the excess glue or air bubbles; repeat until egg is covered. After all the eggs are covered, brush two thin coats of Mod Podge over the eggs, letting them dry in between coats; let dry. String the eggs onto a 16-gauge wire, allowing an extra inch at each end; clip the wire. Wrap one end around the other to form a wreath shape; cover wire ends with a pretty pastel ribbon and hang.


 
 Rustic Watering Can with Blooms & Eggs
Filling a rustic watering can with pink tulips, greenery, and pastel blue eggshells is the perfect decoration for spring. Stuff the watering can with floral foam to secure the stems. Add picks to blown-out eggshells to secure them as well. When you're finished creating the arrangement, wire it to your front door and cover the wire with ribbon. Tip: To keep flowers fresh, put the stems in water vials or heavy plastic bags filled with floral foam powder, available at floral supply stores.

 
Simple Natural Wreath
Japanese maple and sedum wired to a wreath form produce a pretty wreath that adds natural beauty to your door. Work with your local floral retailer for the supplies or substitute your own dried spring blooms or faux flowers and leaves. Hang it to your front door with a wide ribbon in a contrasting color, such as the green pictured here.


Beautiful Easter Door Decoration
A bouquet of pink tulips, along with greenery and dyed eggshells filled with daffodils, tuck neatly into an umbrella for a unique Easter door decoration. To make, tie a pretty pink ribbon halfway up a closed umbrella to create a makeshift vase for your arrangement. Create pockets between front ribs and tuck in tissue paper to support a crafts-store bird's nest, blown-out dyed Easter eggs, fresh flowers, and greenery, such as ferns and moss. When you're finished, wire the arrangement to a front-door hook to hang.
Tip: To keep flowers fresh, put the stems in water vials or heavy plastic bags filled with floral foam powder, available at floral supply stores



Jelly Bean - Easter Egg Front Door Monogram
Instead of a wreath, hang a fun monogram on your front door for spring. Paint a papier-mache letter (available at crafts) using acrylic paint in a pretty spring color, such as the soft purple shown here. For a single-color decoration, match the paint color to the jelly beans [or small easter eggs]; if you want a multi-color decoration mix pastel jelly beans and a single color of paint for the letter. Once the paint is dry, hot-glue the jelly beans to the front of the letter and let dry. Hot-glue a ribbon to the back to create a hanging loop and attach to your front door.

Native Floral Wreath
This pretty wreath made from dried flowers and leaves is a gorgeous decoration for your front door or wooden garden gate. This wreath is made with a base of dried sage and accented with celosia, globethistle, static, Liatris, and Eryngium. We stuck the dried elements into floral foam, working clockwise from the top.


Easy Flower Bouquet in Glass Bottles
Perfect for a garden trellis or front door, a small bouquet of annuals / flowers tucked into clear glass bottles makes a natural statement. Fill recycled glass bottles with your favorite flowers, mixing up the colors for a pretty spring decoration. To make this arrangement work on your front door, wrap wire around the bottle necks to secure to a door knocker or nail. Attach a strip of removable interlocking adhesive to the door and the bottle so the glass won't knock against the door every time it's opened.



images & subtext via bhg, house beautiful, country living, coastal living

30 March, 2012

Happy Weekend!


Yay it's the weekend....
For those of you in Australian Daylight Savings states - make sure you put your clock back 1hr - on Sunday morning 2am [or do it before you go to sleep on Saturday evening!] - even thought we lose our evening light, we get an extra hour sleep in and the mornings won't be so tragically dark when I get up at 6am!

What are you up to this weekend?
We have a few things on... we're picking up a pre-loved wooden cubby house from an Ebay auction I won for our little Isabelle - more pics on that project later - very excited. And I am so happy - I am having my gorgeous near 92yr old Grandma Sarah stay with us -  she hasn't seen our 'new-old' home yet and I am dying to show her what we have done so far inside and in the garden. And importantly - where I am going to spoil her rotten with her fave home cooked meals, pink champagne and cosy lie-ins!
Hope you have a great weekend!
Thanks for joining me this week at Palatial Living...
Enjoy,



image via tumblr, sororitysugar

Pattern & Colour Friendship...






A few images I recently came across that I often find myself drawn to pattern & print in shades of blue  - the regency geo design carpet/ rug & watercolour ikat interpretation and accents of orange - again in the post modern regency look upholstered chaise Louis, and in the fabulously fun & gorgeous illustrations by Alanna Cavanagh. I find tints & shades of Orange to be such a great joiner / accent colour - much like Pink and Green.
Plus I couldn't resist the prints by Alana Cavanagh and the 'Cavoodle' Cavalier x Poodle looking puppy - reminded me of our dear U.S based friend Jen and her dog 'Toby'! Don't you think Jen?!
What colour & print friendship combinations have you found yourself drawn to - no you're noticing what do you think they could be?
Drop me a line on a comment and let me know!
Enjoy,


images via tumblr scotchandstone, alannacavanagh, crushculdesac, prettystuff

28 March, 2012

Fave Blue Hues...


Just a few of my fave blue hue images I have added to my image library lately...
Not sure where I start but each them I adore - such as this sunrise making an Parisian apartment block glow, the premise of sewing with love and being in love - making things with our hands and giving them to those we love; displays and what treasures we may frame or wear on our dressers or self; an iconic stylish & whimsical Harper's Bazzaar cover with SJP over the NY Brooklyn Bridge; a beautiful collection of blue and white plates make for a 'domestic & historial' installation, and of course - one of my Grandma Sarah's favourite flowers - a little forget-me-not....
See far to many to edit so I had to have them all in the mix today!
Enjoy,



images via idanceinmythoughts, fre-ya, code play, tumblr, gingham and watercolours, carolinaconnecticuit, atmosphere, icameisawiconquer, seedeerperfeellouder, crushculdesac

21 March, 2012

Cosy Decor for Equinox & Autumn...

 Welcome to Autumn!
Autmunal Equinox for us Southern Hemisphere dwellers was officially yesterday 20 March - where the day & the night matched in equal time. Today is the first day where the day[light] will be officially shorter than the night. Following week after this on Sunday 1st April [April Fool's conincedently] will be the end of daylight savings for us in New South Wales [Sydney and surrounds].
So in light of the longer nights, and cooler weather upon 'us' I thhought I would share with you some fabulous ideas that I had found on how to 'Cosy' up some of your interior spaces - in the bedroom, with a charming 'cottage' like feeling! Which one is your favourite? Can you choose just one? I'm sure there's a cosy decor style that will suit you or you might make a fusion between 2 or 3 of the rooms.
Enjoy,

 Textural Tapestry
Add depth to a classic white-and-cream cottage palette by playing with texture. Here, an old rug remnant repurposed as artwork provides a rich backdrop for a caned white-painted bed frame, while crisp white sheets perk up when topped with a mix of toile and damask pillows. The simple matte finish on a painted side table takes on an elegant patina when topped with an ornate iron candelabra crowned with petite silk shades.

Pattern Play
Set a contemporary cottage mood with a tapestry of patterns. The key to this bedroom's fresh vibe is an eclectic mix of traditional and modern prints that don't take themselves too seriously. Upholstered in a seafoam-and-cream toile fabric, the headboard provides a timeless base for geometric sheets and an overscale leaf-motif coverlet. Graphic silhouette-style accent pillows deliver a whimsical exclamation point.

   Wall Perks
Wrap a bedroom in quintessential cottage character with a painted paneled wood treatment. Instead of the expected beaded board, run a strip of 1-inch-thick molding from floor to ceiling between a room's crown molding and baseboard, leaving a foot between each piece of trim. Paint the walls and trim the same color to achieve an-always-been-there look.

Flea Market Treasures
Well-worn, comfortable pieces serve as the backbone of cottage decor. With that in mind, distressed doors form the base of this flea market chic platform bed, while an antique mantel, worn and weathered, serves as a headboard. Oversize letters form an impromptu monogram above the makeshift headboard

Neutral Oasis
Soft taupe and cream toile fabric adorns the windows and headboard in this bedroom. An iron chandelier painted the same mocha color as the walls and a carved wooden mirror finished with off-white paint match the romance of the fabric.

Vintage Flair
Salvaged finds, such as a dressmaker form and a cake stand-turned-jewelry display, come to life against the backdrop of crisp white walls and bedding in this bedroom. A distressed blue chest delivers attractive storage and display space. An old wire shoe rack accessorized with a metal star and dried bouquets of flowers works in conjunction with shutters to turn the windows in character-rich focal points.


Sweet Folk PaletteTo achieve an country living folk look, this painted iron bed is piled high with red, white, and blue linens. A floral dust ruffle lays the foundation for the color scheme, while sheets in cornflower blue and white, a red gingham comforter, a vintage quilt, and plaid and striped pillowcases continue the theme. An embroidered "Home Sweet Home" pillow completes the sentiment.

Seaside Fresh
Evoke oceanside serenity with crisp turquoise accents layered on a sea of white. Shades of gray found on painted side tables, a striped floor rug, and a cotton throw keep this bedroom's bright palette from floating away.

Casual Elegance
A checkered quilt, used as a ceiling-high headboard, introduces instant vintage appeal to this master bedroom. The soft blue of the pattern in the quilt is echoed by chalky milk paint on a primitive armoire and a distressed finish on a curvaceous antique Swedish bench at the foot of the bed.


Mix Master
Cottage style is all about the mix -- not the match -- as illustrated in this bedroom, where damask-style curtains frame a bed dressed in a pink geometric-pattern duvet that's topped with an assortment of vibrant accent pillows. Vintage side tables and a curvy French bench keep the modern mix of patterns feeling comfortable and cozy.


Blue Boudoir

Layers of sky blue and white bedding lend this guest room a warm and welcoming air. A lightly ruffled bed skirt and the scalloped edges of a blanket introduce a simple sweetness that's echoed by silk lampshades and a dreamy sheep rendered in oil paints above the bed


images via bhg.com, betterhomes&gardens, tumblr, miiswallflower via daydreamer0207

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