Home Work

Over the last couple of weeks I have been doing a few little finishing touches at home. Last week I collected together some paintings I have and had them hung in a cluster on a wall in our kitchen. There are a couple of drawings Harry has done for me, a painting which I picked up down in Bangalow last weekend and a few other special things I have collected over the years. The trick with cluster walls is laying the paintings down on the floor in a layout you like first and then hanging them. I always have a professional picture hanger hang them for me, after I have laid out the design, as my husband is {unfortunately} hopeless with a hammer.

Sunday Lunch

I love the idea of a Sunday lunch like this with family and friends around a beautiful old table with lots of flowers, wine and great food. Now that Winter is almost here I think I need to plan a lunch like this out on the grass in our garden under our big old tree around our old French dining table.

Image - via Interior Divine Blog

A Bed for Ned

Ideally it would have been great to have had a bed built for Ned just like this one above when we were renovating last year however, we weren't considering a new puppy at that time. So, after all my thoughts of where or what Ned will sleep in it seems he has opted for the easiest option of all. He loves to sleep on a towel, albeit an Ralph Lauren towel, on the floor right next to my side of our bed....yes I know I am a softie letting him sleep inside but that's just the way I am. I couldn't sleep knowing he was outside all on his own. He has found his resting spot and I'm thrilled.

Image 1 - via Brabourne Farm Blog

Personality Hotels in San Francisco - Chic Hotel Design

If you're ever thinking of taking a jaunt to my
neighborhood of San Francisco, there's a wonderful
string of boutique hotels called Personality Hotels.
They offer a great range of rates ($79-$750 which is
quite a range) and all of their hotels are very near
Union Square which is a highly desirable and convenient
location for many visitors who come to San Francisco.

The beautiful facade above is the Hotel Steinhart.

I love this huge green chandelier that
hangs in Hotel Vertigo.

Hotel Frank has very lovely decor
with lots of turquoise accents.

The turquoise carries through all of their rooms. I love
how this space has an open plan with a lovely tub in the
background. Aren't the hanging pendant lights fabulous?

Here's another layout with the but in front of the window.
What a place to take a bath!


Here's a room with a more traditional layout although the
television is in a fabulous place for those who love to lounge
in bed to watch tv (which I love to do on trips at the end of
a day to unwind.)

Here we are at the fabulous Hotel Vertigo with a decidedly
sophisticated modern design of their rooms.

Love the pops of Orange in this hotel's theme.

Their bathrooms are very new and up to date.

Love their sinks.

What a cool tall bench with contrasting orange
fabric on the backing of the bench.

And last but not least, I'm totally in love with this sitting
area. The orange couch and especially the organic wood
side table and coffee table are fabulous. It's a great blend
to make an eclectic yet sophisticated look.


Photos from Personality Hotels

Friday Flowers & Ned

It's been kind of a crazy week in our household. Yesterday I went to the airport to pick up our new little family member, Ned an 8 week old Golden Retriever puppy. He is divine. I thought I would take a photo of him with my Friday Flowers. He really didn't want to sit on the chair, hence the not-so-great photo. I hope you have a great weekend wherever you are, whatever you do. See you next week!

More Pretty Vintage Style

Another great example of pretty vintage style above. So many lovely things in this photo. I adore the red and white stripe armchair with the floral cushions and the white cane table displaying lots of gorgeous things is divine.


Image - Country Homes & Interiors via Brambourne Farm

Pretty Vintage Style

I love this pretty vintage style room. It's amazing how inexpensive it is creating a room using vintage pieces. My friend Simone recently started a great blog called Beach Vintage where she shares her passion for vintage finds and how to create a great vintage look on a budget. I can't believe some of the gorgeous things she has collected and created and she always does it so inexpensively!!

Image 1 & 2 via House of Bliss

Real Estate Stalking - Gorgeous Midcentury Modern Eichler

There are so many gorgeous rooms in this house I couldn't

decide which one to showcase first. I decided to settle for
the kitchen. I don't know if many of you know, but I am a
huge fan of Midcentury modern Eichler homes. This one
just came onto the market north of San Francisco and it is
absolutely gorgeous. It's a gallery Eichler styled home that
was very tastefully renovated and the home was extended
to 2,400 square feet. I'm not even a huge fan of gallery
kitchens but I like this one.

Now to pull back from the grandeur
to a more humble entrance.

Eichler homes are always designed with atriums in the
middle of the home - it's sort of a signature of the unique
architectural style.

This atrium or courtyard is absolutely fabulous -
complete with the perfectly balanced landscaping.

Always tons of windows that let a lot of light in.

With prominent ceiling beams. It's neat that
the flooring to this room is sealed cement.

A cozy little dining area.

And a very spacious master bedroom - again with
the floor to ceiling windows and sliding doors.

This looks like a small bathroom - but it's not.

It's a gorgeous bathroom complete with a full tub and
glass enclosed shower. Whoever designed and chose
the fixtures and the furniture in the home did a fantastic
job.

Here's another look at the lovely bathroom.

This photo really says it all - quintessential midcentury
modern design. It's absolutely wonderful.

What's great is that this home has a view as well.

You don't find many midcentury modern homes in such
fantastic condition and with such views. Now if I only had
$1,550,000 USD laying around...

Hope you enjoyed the tour.

Eichler Homes: Design for Living

In the meantime, if you're interested
in seeing or reading more about Eichler
homes, here are a couple of great books.

Eichler: Modernism Rebuilds
the American Dream

This book is in black and white. The Eichler
home is named after Joseph Eichler who initially
designed these homes en masse. Can you imagine
owning a track home that looked like the above
home? He designed huge tracts of track homes in
the 1950's and 1960's. To this day, his homes are
highly in demand and they are still as hip as ever.
His firm designed and built over 11,000 homes in
Northern and Southern California and they've come
to be known as simply "Eichlers."

Today I Love...

Today I love this gorgeous clipping of a Tiffany & Co. advertisement which Emily posted last week. Some lovely reminders don't you think?! Click on image to supersize.

Painting Treasured Things

My mum's friend who has been painting some paintings for me at Black & Spiro has a very talented son. He is actually studying to be an Architect but thought he would pick up a brush and paint one of my vignettes. I love it so much I can't bear to sell it. Isn't he talented?! He obviously takes after his mother!! The crystal vase is one which my grandmother gave me and the colourful box is one I picked up a few years ago which continues to be one of my most favourite things. If anyone would like a painting done of their treasured things just let me know as Tom or Diana could certainly create something wonderful for you...

From The Files

I have had this house on file for quite sometime. I re-discovered it the other day when I was hunting for something to show a client in one of my many magazine tear out files. It belongs to Danish jewellery designer Marlene Juhl-Jorgensen. I adore her collections which she has featured against an all-white background. In my opinion this house seems so glamorous yet so simple and family friendly at the same time.

All images via - Interiors Magazine

Luxurious Bathrooms

To me, the bathroom should be a sanctuary in the home.
It should be a place where you can relax, soak all of the
aches, pains and worries away. It's also a place where you
can have privacy and a moment to yourself. They can be
cozy and comforting, glamorous to dream in or just zen and
spa like to relax in.

I'm dedicating this post to some fantastic bathrooms. The
above is a simple yet glamorous bathtub, chandelier and a
mirror to match.

JS Eckert Photography

Here's a traditional beauty with lots of space, a
gorgeous tub and beautiful rugs, textures and linens.

Eva Lindh

This bathroom is super romantic simply
by the way it is decorated.

As you can see, the bathroom itself is very
simple. Yet with all the right touches and
embellishments - it is a very feminine and
romantic space. This proves you can do
wonders with just rugs, fabrics and
accessories.

This bathroom is by Mary McDonald. I love the tufted
bench as well as the painted floors in this cozy yet beautiful
bathroom.

Whites, grays and marble - you can never
really go wrong with this combination.

This bathroom is just the right size to fit two sinks, a full
size tub and a shower area in - as well as a toilet. It's
interesting how the sinks are split. But this really works
out so you can have a view out the window while bathing.
Wonderful fixtures and marble tops.

This bathroom from Elle Decor is very romantic. I love the
unique sinks and the marble counter tops. The crystal pendant
lights and mirror really give the touches that make this space
glamorous and feminine.

An all white bathroom is always soothing - especially when
paired with so much space and light. It's always such a luxury
when a bathroom can have large windows to let light in.

I love the periwinkle blue of this bathroom. The color is
so soothing. The tub has a unique surround that is oval
and circular in shape instead of the traditional rectangular
surrounds that are normal for a tub.

If I lived in a penthouse, boy would this be one heck of a
bathroom to shower or to take a bath in. I think it's really
cool and super luxurious with marble covering the floors
and extending all the way to the ceiling. The glass walls
make it so you can see straight through and the fire looks
like it's floating!

Stone: Designing Kitchens, Baths
and Interiors with Natural Stone

If you are looking for inspiration to use
natural stone in your bath or kitchen
design, I Highly recommend this book.

The Luxury Bathroom:
Extraordinary Spaces from the
Simple to the Extravagant

Here's a fantastic book on different bathroom
designs - from simple to more formal. Great
ideas, photos and more.

Grand Master Baths
by Creative

This is a great book if you're looking
for more traditional ides on your bathroom.
It breaks everything down from lighting to
finishes and etc.