Wall Panelling... Eventually

I have to confess to having had a mostly renovated hallway for well over a year now. It is a lovely wide hall with an archway half way and boarding from the dado rail to the ceiling. There are new hardwood floorboards which are so smooth and chocolately we haven't had them sealed as yet - I kid you not.

All we are waiting for is some pressed tin to line the ceiling which has a nasty patch where the builder's son stuck his boot through from upstairs. Its not a big job but it's not on the "To Do" list as yet. I am hoping that writing about this will help make it happen. Meanwhile here are some other nicely detailed, finished paneled rooms which I am inspired by. It really is a good look.

A Step Up

Have seen some great stair treatments lately and had to post these two quirky stand-outs.

30 Days Of Home

A big decorating event run by the ACP Lifetstyle Magazines, has been on in Sydney for most of this month. Called "30 Days of Home and Entertaining" it is a showcase of all the new trends and how to get it happening at your place!

This the brainchild of my good buddy Carolyn Innis, the creative director of ACP advertising. Love the mix of fashion and interiors.

Timeless

Once in a blue moon I wander over to the Ralph Lauren site to see what they are up to and to admire the faultless merchandising. The La Plage collection is so unbelieveably classic it could be at home in any decade, in any era.

I like to pull the look apart and define what makes it relevant to this season. Would it be the Louis-inspired chair mixed with nautical stripes? Louis at the beach is new. The retro Balinese floral print makes it modern.

This look also reminds me of my old friend Nell, an extraordinary fashion stylist who is now in charge of image at our biggest television network. Nell is a beach girl at heart and has always been a fan of the navy and white stripe T with classic white shorts. That could almost be her in the picture...

Anna in Canada

The story I did on Anna Spiro has just been published in Canadian House and Home. They have done a great job with the layout, showing all the creative ideas Anna has throughout the house, including her son Harry's bedroom and some of the lovely details which haven't been seen before. This is the first time I've been published by a magazine in Canada, so I am quite chuffed.

Congratulations Anna!

A House on the Dunes

Just came across this lovely place in Southampton with "Dune House" guesthouse and a pool house (in House Beautiful). I must say I found the main house's interiors rather too polite for a beach house, but the more casual areas are just quirky and stylishly cool.

Love the map mural on the wall and the blue and white mixed with the textures of wood and pebbles.

Coffee Heaven

I was looking around for inspiration for my new kitchen and came across Martha Stewart's "Cappucino Counter" in her newest kitchen. What a great idea - I think I will try to include a dedicated coffee and tea servery in my plans.

She also has a small office built into another spot in the kitchen so she can watch TV or surf the net for recipes and answer emails. I don't think this mix of tasks would suit everyone, but I have to admit it appeals to me.

The Schoolhouse, Woodbyne, Berry

Now it seems that once you start looking for them, old re-worked schoolhouses are everywhere. I thought it would be remiss of me not to post one of the more lovely conversions, the Woodbyne Guesthouse in my own neighbourhood at Jaspers Brush near Berry.

Twenty years ago, Woodbyne was just a couple of old abandoned weatherboard school buildings in a fairly bare paddock by the highway when the very talented designers John Pegrum and Dayne Van Bree bought them. This, I might add, was the first in a number of stylish properties they have renovated or built in the area, some of which I have been lucky enough to photograph for the glossies. More on that later...

From what I have heard, the boys toiled in the garden for many years to build it up from a bare paddock to the established series of avenues and garden rooms it has today. They painted the old buildings white and made guest rooms around a courtyard. They sold it a while back and moved onto their next project.

One lesson I have learned from them is that nothing exceptional is created without dedication, determination and a large dose of inspiration.

Fresh Lime

My last post made me realise how much I like lime in interiors, whether its just a dash or four walls painted in lime. Here are a couple more of my favourites plus the dining room in my old beach cottage on the South Coast.
I had the shutters made by the kitchen cabinet maker and the upholsterer put in the fabric inserts which are just a charcoal and white ticking stripe. The furniture I bought from the estate of a local artist which was donated to the Vinnies Op Shop. I spent many hours (it was pre-parenthood) scrubbing back the wood and painting it in milk paint (from Porters Paints).

Big Vintage Weekend

Today is the start of the Easter holiday weekend and a busy time for me with guests at all the beach houses and a frantic time at the shop in Berry.

I have been sourcing lots of great vintage stuff for the shop in time for this weekend, so if you happen to be passing Berry, drop in and say hello.

People always ask me where I come across these vintage "finds" but really they are everywhere, you just need to know how to re-invent them. When I pick up old things at op shops and garage sales, sometimes they just sit in my shed for a while why I think of how they can be re-worked. Sometimes its just a coat of paint, sometimes its new fabric on a lampshade or upholstery on a footstool.

The photo here from Bed Of Flowers B&B in Holland is something I look to for inspiration. I love the use of old things and traditional floral prints mixed with bright colours.