Accessory Heaven...

Since I am surrounded by many gorgeous accessories - from bags, to belts, to scarves, to jewellery, to hats & shoes ; day to day in my parallel fashion / product development life - I thought I would share a few images that inspire me with colour, design & detail.

Hope you like them, covet as much as I do!

Enjoy,

images via  1) proenza schouler necklace & wallpaper city guides via crush culdesac 2) a reason to breathe 3) crush culdesac the satin lining by Janet Hill Studio via smit10 4) earring plate ring plate   5)this is being glamorous a lovely being -journal - scarves. via pretty stuff tumblr paterson maker.

Ways to Making the Most of Small Rooms...

I recently found a great article in American interiors mag House Beautiful that I wanted to share with you... I thought it had some great tips & tricks for making the most of small or smaller spaces that often perplex us with 'what to do?' . These are probably the most asked questions & dilemmas that my clients come across in styling their homes & office spaces - that's where I come in to help them!

Organize Furniture into Mini-Rooms > In this New York City studio apartment — just under 400 square feet furniture is arranged by function. The distinct zones help make the space feel much larger.

Choose Furniture that Does Double Duty > To maximize space in the studio,  a large farm table is used as a desk, and transforms it into a dining table when entertaining. Large black wire bins stylishly store files — and make it easy to move them elsewhere.

Float Furniture in the Center of the Room > In this small guesthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah, designers Marshall Watson and Jeffrey Kilmer arranged the furniture in the small living room away from the walls. "If you create space beyond the furniture, it adds volume to a room," says Kilmer

Create Hidden Storage > Interior designer David Kaihoi lives large in his small New York City one-bedroom apartment with multi-functional furniture. The elegant banquette serves as seating for both the dining table and the living room, plus it stores linens and towels underneath.

Use All Available Space > To use all available wall space and height, Kaihoi built this floor-to-ceiling bookcase. There are storage cabinets on the bottom, a spot for the television, and plenty of room for books.

Select Multi-Purpose Children's Furniture > Choosing furniture that works throughout a child's life is a smart investment. This antique gentleman's chest has served multiple purposes for Kaihoi: desk, bar, child's bureau, and — when the child was in diapers — changing table.

Match Furniture to the Wall Color > Kristen Ewart designed this beach house on Balboa Island, California. She painted these dining chairs semigloss white to match the walls. The chairs disappear into the walls, opening up the room.

Try Nesting Tables > Since the master bedroom is small, Ewart chose nesting tables. One can be pulled out at night, and pushed out of the way when not needed.

Add Closet Space with an Armoire> In a 1,400 square-foot Alabama cottage, designer Melanie Pounds designed an Ultrasuede armoire to compensate for small closets in the master bedroom.

 

Create an Additional Entertaining Area> If you have a small kitchen and entertain frequently, set up a small table away from the kitchen. In her home's entryway, Pounds chose a skirted console table to display books and flowers for everyday use. When she entertains, she uses it as a bar or serving table. "There's less congestion in the galley kitchen and dining room. It saved us!"

Choose an Open Console> Pounds designed a leggy console to hold her bathroom sink instead of a traditional closed cabinet. The open space helps to make the bathroom feel larger.

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Hopefully these 'small' ideas will help you with any 'small space' styling dilemmas you might have in you home!

Enjoy,

images & subtext via house beautiful

Colour Can Change Everything...

Did you know that colour can change everything? It really can - your mood & atmosphere, the light, the design, the balance and your world! Have you been thinking about furthering your colour & design knowledge, or maybe even changing careers into the world of colour & design in industry, or start up your own small business - in a part time lifestyle paced study mode?

If these types of ideas & questions have been lingering around you for a while - now IS the time to take it with both hands! You haven't missed the boat - at ISCD [the International School of Colour & Design] located in North Sydney now have enrollments for a May 2011 intake  [for Sydney-siders] for the Certificate IV in Design [a nationally recognised certificate- Foundation course] for a 26 week course on Saturdays from 10am -1.30pm, that I am to be teaching! You could have your Certificate IV in Design completed by December this year, from there the sky is the limit ... so get moving and make the change! Click HERE for more details on the Certificate IV in Design with ISCD or contact the school directly HERE to further enquire.

Alternatively if you live away from Sydney and cannot attend the campus classes your best colour & design learning option is to get hooked up with ISCD's fabulous iDE [International Distance Education] program for the Certificate IV in Design. I currently have over 30 correspondent students who are located throughout Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore who have taken the next step with their love for love & design and joined the iDE program... CLICK Here for more details on the iDE Program to study at home in Certificate IV Design, alternatively contact the school for more details.

Remember - Colour Can Change Everything!

Can't wait to see you!

Note - this post are views expressed solely by Sarah Verity. This post is not an advertisement, and by no way or means has this post been supported or paid for by ISCD.  ISCD contracts Sarah Verity through Verandah Home & Garden Living Solutions for educator/ teaching services only.  

images ys voice, house beautiful, crush culdesac, tumblr, patterson maker



Happy Friday...Whoa Whooo Weekend!

Wow, I can't believe Friday is finally here!

How has your week been? I have missed you all...

This week although in hindsight has gone quite quickly I can tell you it has felt like one of my longest... I was seriously fatigued come late Wednesday night, not sure how I got home really.

Late last week I received an email letting me know that I had 'made it' further into a design competition I had entered. So with that excitement also came an impromptu design brief and me being me wanted to try and pull out as many stops as I could so I came away feeling simply proud of the work I had created and accomplished. How did I do?? Well apparently there were a couple thousand entries for my state [New South Wales] alone and from that I was one of 55 who made it to the 2nd round [group interviews, then proceeded to an individual interview and present your design concept. And with that I am super happy...

Let me say that just in my group alone there were some phenomenal designers, concepts, and personalities! All of whom, by the time I left in the evening, I was lucky enough to have spoken with each one and find out a little more about...so very interesting! And some who might even be reading this post now! [Lovely to have met you!]. 
It was certainly an awesome [life] experience to be a part of... I think the final verdict is  out in several weeks time, by no means am I holding my breath, but certainly grateful for the super 'bucket list' opportunity!

I love this... not a bad little poster to keep you going.

Now to get my home, the washing, the family including poochies, and myself into some normalcy this week - before another onslaught of work begins next week!

Hope you have great weekend - sorry for the very minimal postings this week but will be back with you more often next week!

Hope you have Fun & a Palatial Weekend! Enjoy,

images via tumblr, a little of that

This Week...

This week I start my post on Palatial Living with an apology to you upfront. Why? Well I am a tad distracted and my focus is shifted elsewhere at least till Wednesday evening... a deign project opportunity has presented itself late Thursday afternoon last week, that I simply cannot pass up and just have to immerse myself in so that I can give it my all & my very best shot. Oh and it's due this Wednesday afternoon!
So from now til then I will be a little incommunicado on the posting side of Palatial Living...for that I am truly sorry but hope to be back on it by Thursday, at worst by Friday! It's a huge week on a family front too - as today was the first day our little girl, Isabelle, ventured into 'Day Care'-land! Thankfully there weren't any tears on leaving... funnily enough only on picking up this evening!

With this design project I cannot believe how much terrain I covered today sourcing all over Sydney city suburbs I easily covered a hundred or so kilometres in driving - from inner west Lidcombe to Glebe, inner city - Redfern, south Sydney - Rosebery, western - Prospect, lower north shore - Crows Nest, and home. All the suppliers were so helpful & generous with their time & sampling. All in all a successful day...for all!

Thank You for your understanding - I promise to update you later in the week on what's been happening around my 'neck of the woods'! Happy Monday - Hope you have great Palatial Week ahead!

Enjoy,



 

image via design sponge

Design by Correspondence...iDE*

Have you ever wanted to learn more about colour and design, but didn't want the hassle's of classes, or couldn't make it to classes because of your hectic work/ family schedule, or simply lived too far from a reputable design school?

Well do I have the answer for you...

Have you looked into The International School of Colour & Design [ISCD], at North Sydney? ISCD are a private design college with nationally recognised courses, and are one of the top colour, design & interior schools in Australia. They offer several fabulous courses that will help you get your 'feet wet' into the wonderful world of colour - taking you through extensive practical & theoretical assignments that you can  fit into your schedule. Be it a change in direction, a career change, formalising experience or qualifications or something creative you want to do... then this is it for you! 

ISCD's distance program is called 'iDE' International Distance Education. I am fortunate enough to be one of the ISCD iDE Certificate IV Design -Educators - so I know first hand how it all works and what you can gain from it. Having studied other courses via correspondence I can appreciate the lengths &efforts that ISCD put into their iDE program, and know that I would only ever associate myself with the best of the best. We have students from all walks of life, and who are located through out Australia and parts of Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia!

So why not make a New Year learning goal and enrol into an iDE course at ISCD today! Click HERE for info on iDE program details, and Cick HERE for ISCD Courses.

Maybe I will receiving your next assignment!

Think about it - Enjoy,

images via ISCD

My Desk...

Here's a moment on my desk this afternoon... I had successfully completed a day of admin and an 18 page application for an exciting [potential] project.

So can you tell that I have been working? Even the coffee cup is a sad story! I am most surprised that one or both of my dogs,  Lucy & Zach, aren't also tucked under the desk - they love to lie at my feet as I work no matter how hot it is! They're definitely great company mascots!

Tomorrow is a celebration for our national holiday - Australia Day and it's going to be a hot one at an expected 36C, and excitingly it also my parents-in-law's 37th Wedding anniversary! Coincidentally it was my parent's 39th Wedding anniversary last Saturday... gee even the family calendar is a little manic! So needless to say I am looking forward to some fresh prawns, salads, a bbq and wine, wine and champagne tomorrow! And maybe a little tidy of this desk and 'mood /message boards' of mine!

Hope you had a productive day too!

Enjoy,



images by Sarah Verity - Verandah Home & Garden Living Solutions via Palatial Living.

Personal Style - A Design Question For You...

I recently received an email asking me to submit 3 images that represent my style...It got me thinking to the types of colours, surfaces, treatments, fabrics, themes, and moods I like and what influence my work as an colour-design stylist... in some ways I suspect most of my style is rather eclectic much like my music collection and the i-tunes downloads [gosh you wouldn't believe what I have!].

Although I think the overriding factor is my sense of aesthetic - it is grounded in my visual arts, fine arts  & design background - artist's work & art theory can often sway me. I always ground a client's project, and my own choice with a foundational layer - of clean, contemporary, stylish, somewhat elegant - with an individual touch from the owner [or me it's my space!].

What do you think represents your individual style?

If I had to try and call my design style a name - maybe - 'Urban Contemporary Colourful Elegance' might sum it up.... What do you think? Any other suggestions?

Since I trust you - oh so very much - my fabulous wonderful Palatial Living fans - what do you think those 4 images could be?

From all the Palatial Living images - which TOP 3 images do you think represents me & this blog?

I would love to hear from you please send your thoughts or the link of your favourite Palatial blog to me at palatailliving@gmail.com or leave a comment below! Your help could determine so much more! For the top suggestion I will organise a special gift to send to you - and publish it on Friday this week! So get emailing me please!

Thank you, Enjoy ...

images via pretty stuff, tumblr, elle decor, traditional home, absolutely beautiful things blog, coastal living, kelly wearstler via Canadian house & home

Pop-Up Colour!

Colour does not add a pleasant quality to

design – it reinforces it.

- Pierre Bonnard -

I love this Pop-Up Colour in a Pop-Up Store in London by Kate Spade... I love the idea of 'wrap around' paint [in the top image] that then provides the colour anchor for the rest of the room. And wouldn't it be lovely to have a wall dedicated to being able to hang all your 'lovely' handbags as a collection - not the run of the mill ones - the special ones...a 3D artwork of their own. Last but not least - I always love a wall frame cluster the size of the images are quite large but are in balance with the size & height of the wall, and although this cluster looks effortless with the colour placement - it would have taken many configurations to get it 'just right'. It's all in the preparation!

For more of fabulous pop-up colour visit the Kate Spade website

The Kate Spade London Pop-Up London Store was open from 12 Oct to 12 Nov 2010

Images via Racked & Liberty London Girl