Shutter Bug

This is a place I photographed on Ill de Re in France. The whole island has strict heritage rules about shutters.

These are shutters in my beach houses at Currarong - above with ticking fabric inside and below in traditional "greek" style with white boarding.

I have a thing for shutters. Our heritage-listed farmhouse here at Sky Meadow used to have shutters before the farmers added vinyl siding (I can hear your gasps...) sometime in the 80s. God love them, they thought they were "modernising".

One of the first things we did when we bought the house was strip off the vinyl siding, which had in effect protected the old cedar weatherboards, so it wasn't all that bad.

We have tried to find these old shutters, which graced all the french windows - floor to ceiling in height - but they don't appear to be anywhere unfortunately. We have searched high and low - under the house, in the shed, even tracked down the old farmer. According to him they could still be in one old shed a few paddocks away, which is now not on our land. It looks very rustic and could well be snake infested, so I am not sure exactly how keen I am to venture in there....

Now we are working on the church hall I think we need some shutters made for it as well. The problem is they are very fiddly to make which makes them quite pricey. However, they are worth it, don't you think?

High-rise Makeover

Many people live in modern high-rise apartment blocks these days and it can be a real challenge to create a welcoming interior in what is basically a space that is more "office" than "home".

New York designers have been tackling this problem for years and this dining nook makeover by Celerie Kemble (from House Beautiful) is a great example of how they use fabric and texture to soften the hard lines and completely ignore the "office" room structure.

The banquette makes the corner particularly cosy and the circular rug defines the dining space.

Palm Encore

India Hicks adds Caribbean style to her rooms with palm fronds

Not since I was a teen have indoor plants been cool. Martha Stewart invited hem back in a few years ago (or did they ever go?) but maybe that's because she lives in a colder climate.

Anyway, I have been contemplating the benefits of indoor gardening myself lately. It's not just the benefits of cleaner air, I'm even warming to the idea of a potted palm in the beach house living rooms. At its best the palm is a little bit India Hicks in the Caribbean. At its worst it reminds me of unimaginative office foyers.

So this weekend I might venture into that most stylish of nurseries, the plant section of Kmart, which may be the only place where the fishbone fern, african violet and potted palm still thrive. Think outside the style square...

California Dreaming

I am getting nervous as the day Simon Kenny comes down to photograph my beach cottages is drawing near...

I submit other people to the terror of having their houses photographed for magazines regularly. And to the torture of being grilled on their decorating decisions... but hate having the cameras turned on me. I'll admit it.

In the meantime I am loving these photos from House Beautiful of a 1938 beach cottage in California. The all white backdrop with hits of green and pink is a nice change. The odd piece of vintage furniture is always fun at the beach.

Gazebos

My outdoor gazebo finally fell down in a strong wind recently. It is the middle of winter here but I figure now is the time to start planning for its replacement. Here are some lovely examples of what is possible. Should I go all white and light or rustic and floral?