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I would hazard a guess that the majority of us have introduced a little bit of Bohemian style into our homes without even realising it.  Remember there are no new ideas, just reinvented ones - I am happy to say though that these are usually improved upon versions.  The hippy days of the late 60s and early 70s are back with a vengeance.  Combi vans are much sought after and are being lovingly restored and the idea of taking life at a slower and happier rate is all the rage.  You only need to put Boho style into a search…

The Pantone colour for 2017 was Greenery - since updated in 2018 to Ultra Violet, which is a change to say the least.  However although the colour of last year, it appears that Greenery seems to be here to stay.  Perhaps it is our desire to be closer to nature but have you noticed lately that indoor plants have become fashionable again?  The trend has been building for a while now and I am so pleased that this is the case as I love to bring the outdoors into an interior scheme and this has to be the easiest, yet…

Growing up in England, weatherboard houses were few and far between but I always admired the clapboard houses of East Coast America and longed to live in one of those.  Moving to Australia, I thought I would achieve my dream of owning a weatherboard house, as they are referred to here.  They are one of the mainstays of Australian architecture, but sadly, I haven’t managed to buy one yet!  With a husband who loves brick houses and can’t see the appeal of the weatherboard, it is a constant struggle but I hope to get there in the end!  I may…

Investing in a sofa or occasional chair for your home can be a costly exercise so it pays to understand a little about upholstery fabric before you hit the shops.   A sofa, in particular, is a piece of furniture that you need to last for a long time and you also want it to keep looking good and performing well for you.  Usually when people look to source a new sofa or chair they will be focussed on style, size and colour, which of course are all extremely important.  But before you even consider these aspects you need to understand…

Bathrooms and kitchens sell houses but unfortunately they are also the most expensive areas to remodel.  Sometimes though a bathroom can be fundamentally OK.  The tiles may not be exactly as you would choose if you were starting from scratch but everything works and is still pretty modern or at least suits the look and style of your house.  If this is the case, you should look carefully at the bathroom to see whether you can simply update it rather than strip it out and start again.  It’s well worth considering as a little TLC can really change the look…

Let me explain to you why I love a crisp white trim.  The ubiquitous neutrals are a perennial favourite for exterior and interior decorating schemes.  In fact, I really don't get asked about much else when it comes to selecting paint colours.  So, what exactly is a neutral?  In theory it should be just that - a grey or stone colour that doesn't have any underlying colour.  In reality however, when it comes to decorating, the word is bandied around to encompass anything that is not a definite colour, so includes warm taupes, subtle beige and biscuit tones, green based stone colours and…

I expect that most of you right now are thinking about entertaining at some point over the Christmas holidays and I suspect there is just a little bit of panicking going on too!  So you really want to be able to sit back and enjoy the time that you have with family and friends but getting up and down to go to the fridge can be a pain and leave you an exhausted wreck!  Luckily the bar cart, much loved in the 50s and 60s is back in fashion.  Think of Mad Men, elegant men and women with perfect hair,…

So, Ultra Violet has been chosen by Pantone as its colour of the year for 2018.  Quite a provocative choice, by their own admission, particularly after the well regarded and universally liked Greenery of 2017.  What do you think of it?  What do you know about it?  A little background - Pantone is recognised around the globe as the foremost source of colour information.  Manufacturers, designers and forecasters rely on its information and work from a standardised colour system that is universal.  Each year, various trend forecasters will gather from nations around the world to determine the colour of the…