Just Paint It!

Grey on grey from the gorgeous Bed Of Flowers in Holland

A simple blue chair makes this entry hall.

It's hard to go past white painted furniture on white floors and walls.

Love this modern update on shabby chic at Bed Of Flowers in Holland

Even Ralph Lauren is getting into it....

I have to admit I still feel a twinge of guilt when applying a first coat of paint on a perfectly nice piece of wooden furniture. On my recent travels shooting house stories for the glossies, I saw some particularly good examples which I can't show yet as they have not been published!

In the meantime, here are some favourites from my files.

I am making a long list of pieces I need to do myself, both for home and the beach cottages...

First up, I have to paint some old cane furniture for my verandah and I am wondering if I should paint them all white or add some colour?

Beach Vintage in the Weekly

Simone looked beautiful on the day in her Lazybones dress.

Here is the opening page of the article.

Its a shame Simone's sewing room didn't make it - its interesting to see where she works!

The whole house is so light and open - perfect for such a warm climate.

Love the rustic, shabby chic look at the beach.

Just out today is the Christmas issue of the Australian Womens Weekly with a story we did on Simone at Beach Vintage. What a dynamo and terrific girl is that Simone!

Simone's beautiful waterfront home is in a part of Queensland I had never been before called the Redland Shire between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Like many of you I have been a follower of Beach Vintage since I discovered blogging and walking around her house, everything seemed so familiar. Meeting the people who own these inspiring places is always such a pleasure.

As usual, as there is never enough room to publish all the photos we like, so here are some more.

The Weekly have done a lovely job with the story and its a thrill for me too to be contributing to such an Australian icon.

Laid Back Chic at the Beach

I have been on the road doing stories, meetings and attending the state Tourism Awards. We have photographed some very inspiring people and some glorious houses, full of love and creative ideas. Can't wait to see them myself on the printed page...

Being at the Tourism Awards reminded me that I have written many times about how important I feel it is to have an inspiring surroundings when you are on holiday. It might be a simple bush shack, a modest beach house or a 6-star hotel room - a thoughtful interior adds another dimension to the experience.

The tourism awards threw up some new names (for me, anyway) but there were not many hotels and resorts that had outstanding interiors.

A friend of mine has a small BandB in Jervis Bay. She and her husband have created the perfect beachy escape without spending a fortune and this is what I am talking about. They have restored their old HMAS Creswell cottage themselves and decorated each room with an eclectic mix of antiques and inexpensive vintage finds mixed with new. The colour palette and overall vibe is restful but chic.

http://www.huskissonbnb.com.au/

Inspiration and Perspiration

My work is a mix of inspiration and perspiration. In the past weeks, perspiration has won out and I have not had much time to be inspired to blog. As a bit of a treat I bought the fall (halloween) issue of Martha Stewart Living ( we get it a month later here in Australia) and I just thought it was great.

There was a fab industrial style house reno in Texas, a spooky but beautiful story on Victoriana style plus a spread on how to decorate with dark colours. It was the best issue of Martha I have seen yet.

I love it when inspiration breaks a week of heavy workload and here are some of my breakthrough images. I hope they speak to you too.

P.S. I couldn't believe the orange industrial shelving. I have had the same thing supporting my bathroom vanity basin for the past 4 years and many visitors, parents especially, have wondered why we haven't got around to replacing it yet. "When are you going to get a 'proper' vanity?" is the usual question. Thanks Martha, if its good enough for you....

Brendan Moar's Garden

Call me nosey, but I have always found it intriguing to see the homes of the stylists and editors in the media. In fact I have noticed that Martha Stewart now has a special section devoted to editors' houses.

Brendan Moar is an Aussie landscape designer who has been a contributor to Inside Out magazine and the Lifestyle channel.

I really like his unusual, quite eclectic garden decor in a tight urban space. I especially like the retro elements like the butterfly chair, umbrella and 50s iron patio pieces. It is also packed full of ideas, like the striped decking boards and grouped white retro-style pots.

I also wonder where they get the time to do all of this....