My 10 favourite media nooks
The great debate about whether technology has simplified our life goes on but in terms of decorating, whether we like it or not, we now need to consider a dedicated area in our homes to handle all of our media. Hence many kitchens, studies or living areas are being designed to include media nooks. This is a convenient place where the family can charge their mobile devices and work on a laptop without being away in a different part of the home. Most families will have 3-4 mobile phones, Ipads and other technology devices that may need to share power cords and…
The great debate about whether technology has simplified our life goes on but in terms of decorating, whether we like it or not, we now need to consider a dedicated area in our homes to handle all of our media. Hence many kitchens, studies or living areas are being designed to include media nooks. This is a convenient place where the family can charge their mobile devices and work on a laptop without being away in a different part of the home. Most families will have 3-4 mobile phones, Ipads and other technology devices that may need to share power cords and…
My Guide to Moroccan Style
Beautifully evocative, Moroccan style is simply stunning. The richness of the colours, the classic lines of the architecture and the exotic furniture designs make this one of the most interesting of all the global decorating styles. Difficult to replicate in its entirety, there are nonetheless many features from this look that we can introduce into our own homes, wherever we may be in the world. The global appeal of Moroccan style The appeal of Moroccan style to designers around the globe probably stems from the influence that France had on the country, particularly in the early part of the twentieth…
Beautifully evocative, Moroccan style is simply stunning. The richness of the colours, the classic lines of the architecture and the exotic furniture designs make this one of the most interesting of all the global decorating styles. Difficult to replicate in its entirety, there are nonetheless many features from this look that we can introduce into our own homes, wherever we may be in the world. The global appeal of Moroccan style The appeal of Moroccan style to designers around the globe probably stems from the influence that France had on the country, particularly in the early part of the twentieth…
Monochromatic colour schemes – Black and White
What is a monochromatic colour palette Take any colour and add varying degrees of black, white or grey to it and you will have a fabulous range of different tones to select from for a very simple, yet effective decorating palette. Designers refer to this as a monochromatic scheme as you are starting with just one colour and tinting with white and shading with black. Black and white is the best example of a monochromatic scheme Most popular and obvious of all these possibilities is the most simple of all – the classic and much loved black and white decorating palette. …
What is a monochromatic colour palette Take any colour and add varying degrees of black, white or grey to it and you will have a fabulous range of different tones to select from for a very simple, yet effective decorating palette. Designers refer to this as a monochromatic scheme as you are starting with just one colour and tinting with white and shading with black. Black and white is the best example of a monochromatic scheme Most popular and obvious of all these possibilities is the most simple of all – the classic and much loved black and white decorating palette. …
10 things you must include when planning a Mud Room
Who wouldn't like to see the back of school bags, shoes, hats and coats cluttering up the entrance hall? I would hazard a guess that this is pretty much everyone which is why when you are planning a new house or renovating an existing one you should consider including a Mud Room. Once considered the domain of wealthy landowners, the humble Mud Room is one of the most practical rooms in the house and one that by virtue of its existence, makes all the others so much tidier! A mud room can be…
Who wouldn't like to see the back of school bags, shoes, hats and coats cluttering up the entrance hall? I would hazard a guess that this is pretty much everyone which is why when you are planning a new house or renovating an existing one you should consider including a Mud Room. Once considered the domain of wealthy landowners, the humble Mud Room is one of the most practical rooms in the house and one that by virtue of its existence, makes all the others so much tidier! A mud room can be…
How to link your outdoor room to the inside – 5 Easy Steps
Garden designers know all about borrowing the outlook from your neighbour and making use of their trees and hedging in your own scheme and the same principles apply when looking at an outdoor room of your very own. Your indoor space absolutely must benefit from your outdoor area or you are wasting valuable real estate space. I have to say that my favourite part about living in Australia is the amount of time we spend outdoors. Living near the ocean north of Sydney, I can often have lunch outside throughout the year and dinner outside for over half of the year, which is…
Garden designers know all about borrowing the outlook from your neighbour and making use of their trees and hedging in your own scheme and the same principles apply when looking at an outdoor room of your very own. Your indoor space absolutely must benefit from your outdoor area or you are wasting valuable real estate space. I have to say that my favourite part about living in Australia is the amount of time we spend outdoors. Living near the ocean north of Sydney, I can often have lunch outside throughout the year and dinner outside for over half of the year, which is…
How to complete a room with elegant sheers
Window dressings, in addition to looking great and finishing a room, are also extremely practical. One of my favourite choices to dress a window are sheers - curtains that are simple and unlined that you can just see through when the light shines on them. Sheers can look contemporary or more classic depending on the fabric and heading that you select. I have lots of ideas and advice to give you here. The amount of natural daylight that a space receives has a huge impact on an interior decorating scheme. Real estate…
Window dressings, in addition to looking great and finishing a room, are also extremely practical. One of my favourite choices to dress a window are sheers - curtains that are simple and unlined that you can just see through when the light shines on them. Sheers can look contemporary or more classic depending on the fabric and heading that you select. I have lots of ideas and advice to give you here. The amount of natural daylight that a space receives has a huge impact on an interior decorating scheme. Real estate…
Seating options – finding the perfect place to sit
Gone are the days when you bought a 3 piece living room suite and your job was finished. There are so many seating options available now and lots of mixing and matching to be done that the job is a lot more interesting and of course potentially quite a bit more involved. Now this may sound very strange as we spend a lot of time sitting all day, either at our desks or in our cars but when life is so hectic, what I really love and am inspired by, is finding the perfect place to just sit and just…
Gone are the days when you bought a 3 piece living room suite and your job was finished. There are so many seating options available now and lots of mixing and matching to be done that the job is a lot more interesting and of course potentially quite a bit more involved. Now this may sound very strange as we spend a lot of time sitting all day, either at our desks or in our cars but when life is so hectic, what I really love and am inspired by, is finding the perfect place to just sit and just…
My Guide to Country Style
Country Style covers a wide range of looks and will vary greatly depending upon which country you are in so this guide is to show you how to get the general look and feel. Later I will be writing in more detail about the different types of country style as it is definitely one of my favourite looks. From American farmhouse to English cottage style and the beautiful homesteads in the Australian countryside, the look is soft and welcoming and there are a number of elements in common for each look. Country Style should be relaxed and lived in The…
Country Style covers a wide range of looks and will vary greatly depending upon which country you are in so this guide is to show you how to get the general look and feel. Later I will be writing in more detail about the different types of country style as it is definitely one of my favourite looks. From American farmhouse to English cottage style and the beautiful homesteads in the Australian countryside, the look is soft and welcoming and there are a number of elements in common for each look. Country Style should be relaxed and lived in The…
