with love

(Regents Park, London 23.05.10)

a blissful soundtrack in thanks to yet another gorgeous day outside.

bathrooms & bedrooms to dream of

this one's for Diane...

                               Twig Hutchinson via Fabric of my Life

Well now, this whole blogging business just gets better and better. I am quietly pleased with myself for finding some of the best blogs out there (my gang is cool!) and none more so than Jenn's Department of the Interior. I love the sheer diversity of interests she covers - she introduced me to Emerson Made and I still sometimes think about this post when I'm out and about cycling around the city.

Another blog I frequent is that of British stylist Kate Baxtor's Fabric of My Life. Way back in January, she wrote about interior stylist Twig Hutchinson's work and it still blows me away. She's the stylist behind all of Toast's catalogues - what a talent she is. 

Ochre

look at these gorgeous wall lights! 

I love Ochre's style - they produce the most gorgeous things. Aside from their beautiful sofas (would you look at those lines!), they have single handedly managed to introduce a whole lot of sexy to the world of wall lights and believe me, that is no mean feat. I am such a fan of their work.

For the American followers of this blog, you'll be delighted to know that they have a showroom in New York.

(click on images to enlarge)

picture this

from the right bank

The beauty of hanging frames is that there really is no right or wrong way to do it. Of course, there are certain guidelines, but I find the most exciting displays are those arranged either by circumstance or by incident. Although I will discuss the basic guidelines with my clients, I tend to get far better results when I work intuitively. In fact, the more I try to intellectualize frame layouts, the less they seem to work - do you find this, too?

Now we all have our magic days but I'm not privy to when mine are due or how to book one in - although there's nothing quite like a deadline to focus my mind; a cup of tea, shared pencils and really good banter get me going. How about you, how do you get yourself in the mood for success? 

These images are great, aren't they? This blog from the right bank  is fast becoming a daily habit...

the dream team

                                       from the right bank

Sitting here, looking at these images; thinking about what angle to start with, it occurred to me that a number of the images I've taken from photographer Andy Liffner's seriously cool website, relate to a project that I'm working on. (Although I know a little bit about why this happens, it still surprises me to see how dedicated the brain is at connecting dots and repeating patterns.)

I had a meeting yesterday with the architect and our project manager and the house we're working on has a number of interesting (read: awkward) spaces. During a two hour meeting with a pot of tea, shared pencils and three specialists addressing spatial layout, lighting and colour; we pulled this project together and the result is going to knock the client's socks off. I really cannot wait to present next week. Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration!

accessories to die for

                                         Damian Russell
Super quick post today: isn't photographer Damian Russell just crazy talented? I'd love to know who the stylist is on these shoots - clearly they're a match  made in heaven... I've seen his work both online and in top interior magazines, and a recent post by my very first 'blog love' Desire To Inspire refreshed my memory.

Is there no end to the talent out there? I keep thinking that I've seen the best of the best and then a new load of pretty pops into my inbox. I'm convinced that we're living in the best possible time in human history - wouldn't you agree?

antipodean perspective

A Paddington Perspective

Quilter St, E2

So I was flicking through some of the blogs that Jules from The Diversion Project follows (she has great taste) and I found a very intriguing blog called A Paddington Perspective (I like that name) and found these lovely images. Blogger Bree Oliver took a walk through her neighbourhood in Paddington, Sydney and photographed some of the houses. Aren't they gorgeous? Man alive, there are some powerful combinations going on there. I love it - as if I need yet another reason to get over to Sydney...

I popped in some images of the rather quaint British Front Door, as seen in various parts of London and the striking difference makes me want to laugh for some reason - I don't know why...

Now, which ones do you prefer?

Simon Sinek: Start With Why

This talk by Simon Sinek is one of the best things I've seen on TED. I love it because it intellectualises why I do what I do. The speaker celebrates what I recognise as my inner dialogue and it is doubly inspiring to hear it  articulated so well.

Although I'm an avid fan of TED, I first saw this talk posted on Maria Killam's outstanding blog Colour Me Happy. You really ought to have a look; the lady knows her business.

Stiff + Trevillion Architects

(click on images to enlarge)

                                        Stiff + Trevillion Architects

Would you look at that?! The detail is just incredible. From raised doorways to dropped pavilions to concrete and tiled surfaces this house is a work of art. And they have an unbelievable catalogue of work...

image 3 is from a different project, but I think it works...

interior designers, retailers and autonomy

layering colours to create a warm and sophisticated environment  - great colour palette. 

love their use of clean lines and symmetry

                                                                
I'm researching tiles for an apartment in a wonderful Art Deco building in Hackney. We're going to be putting the soul back into a 'modernised' bathroom which has had all it's original features ripped out by some heartless individual - too harsh? No, not when you see what they've replaced it with. Dear me...

Having previously resourced tiles from Tiles Etc. (they're super efficient), I noticed that they, like many other stores are now endorsing an interior design company. In their case Kianfar Revell. Tiles Etc. have chosen wisely as interior designers Amanda Kianfar and Marina Revell do great work.

Affiliation is popular in this industry; you may have noticed that the big brands (Heals, Laura Ashley etc.) have been advertising their interior design services for quite some time. Clearly, it's a good tool for generating revenue - especially at a time when the retail market is suffering.

At the moment I prefer not to be affiliated with a particular brand or product. I believe that my projects are as unique as the clients I work with and it's important to my reputation to remain autonomous. Then again, although slowly blooming, my business is relatively small and it runs purely on word of mouth. To some extent I'd like it to stay this way but who's to say what the future may bring?

petal posey palettes

   sara + h  

"plant a garden in which plants grow and mysteries bloom" Ken Kesey

I love ranunculus, orange ones particularly. When I see them bunched up in buckets at the local florists; these bright heads of colour remind me of excited school children - I love how expressive they are in their little dance of life. Whoever picked the colour palette of this particular species of plant did an outstanding job. 

What flowers are your favourite? 

p.s. I found these photos on Flickr - have a look at sara + h's work, she's taken some lovely photographs.