what it must feel like to live inside a Vermeer painting...

                                           via http://www.lucatrovato.com/

Oh, the colour palettes in these images are beautiful, they remind me the paintings of Vermeer. I wonder if he was in fact the inspiration behind this work.

eclectic dreams

Eclectic style, once characterised by not being a particular style, but rather borrowing from a variety of styles and combining them, has migrated piece by piece from every historical era into the home inspired by interior design magazines, boutique hotels, gastropubs etc. With this infusion, eclecticism is now largely a recognised style in it's own right. Although having previously been associated with the well traveled and the very wealthy, can just anyone eclect successfully?

Well, yes. Tom Dixon (once Creative Director for Habitat - 'design for the masses') said that if you were to use the very best designs from each decade that they would always work well in the same room. It's not an easy look to get right, but there are certain rules to follow:

Pick your focal point

As the images above illustrate; it's important to pick a focal point. When mixing items - from your Grandmother's Formica kitchen table to the Parker Knoll chair you found in a skip last week along with Ikea 'pass-ables', you are in effect creating layers. By doing so, you're likely to be putting together obviously disparate elements and there is a danger of creating an unsettling environment - chaos is the thing to avoid.

Remember:

• Keep it simple.
• Start with one or two key pieces that you love - you're going to spend a considerable amount of time looking at them.
• Take time to develop the look gradually.

In the spirit of eclectisicm, don't be afraid to move things around - you may just surprise yourself.

a little something to whet the appetite

After what has been an embarressingly long break from writing, I was visiting one of my favourite blogs, yesterday (Desire to Inspire), and as is often the case, I felt a burst of inspiration when seeing these images. I'm not kidding, these rooms represent something that I care deeply about: creating environments that people want to live well in. A beautifully designed space with thoughtful lighting, clean lines and an unassuming colour palette, will always get my heart racing.