Category: Inspiration


daydream believer…

Lately my husband and I have been discussing (read fantasizing) about buying a house in Tasmania…the apple isle, the southern most tip of Australia. A million miles from anywhere and everywhere. 

Of course the minute we started talking about it I had already mentally decorated this hypothetical space in my head. I instantly started thinking I wanted to use green. Its my favorite colour, and we don’t get a lot of it in Hong Kong, so I would love to be able to surround myself with it.

“Frond” from Murobond Paints
It was only after lunch at Aberdeen Street Social on Friday that I realised how great that colour looks with smoked oak wide plank flooring.
 

As it would be a holiday house, I’m after something unpretentious, comfortable and relaxed. These are a few pics that are taking my breath away at the moment…

Two images above are a private residence by Faye Toogood
Three images above are Ett Hem in Stockholm, Sweden by Ilse Crawford
Two images above, Drift House, in Port Fairy, Australia
Who knows, but the time we actually get around to buying and decorating I’ll have completely changed my mind. Several times.

Long weekend…

Happy mid Autumn festival to my Hong Kong readers! I’m quite looking forward to 3 days of chilling out at home and doing a bit of baking.

I thought I’d leave you with these images as I’m finding them very inspiring at the moment, and they feel a bit autumnal. Sorry for the bad scan quality, they were torn out from a magazine ages ago…

Loft living

So I’ve moved into a loft. We’ve been there about a year now, but I’ve kept it all a bit under the radar because its not finished…I didn’t want to make any announcements until I was ready to show you the finished pics.  I’ve had such a busy year that I’ve been my own worst client. I’ve been delaying having friends over and throwing a house-warming because its not done how I want…and I’m tired of getting those looks that say…“still?”…so I have set myself a goal to get it completed…and when I do I will be happy to share the before and after pics with you (if they don’t get published first). 
In the meantime, I am still looking for inspiration for certain areas, and while googling I came across the NYC loft of Harriet Maxwell and Andrew Corrie, the owners of Ochre.  I remember seeing this when it was first published in Elle Decor back in November 2010 and thinking that I loved the colour palette, and just how soft and serene it felt for such a big loft space.  Fast forward a few years, and funnily enough I have painted our walls a similar shade (although more taupe – think the background colour of the blog and you’ll be close)…and had started thinking along these lines without even looking at these pics.
I have to say I’m pretty in love with this right now, and am already mentally replacing my sofa, dining chairs etc….
a few angles of the lovely living/dining room…this space is the best in the whole apartment if you ask me…
although that kitchen aint half bad either…although ours is rather large, so I shouldn’t be complaining…
 very pretty bathroom and wardrobe spaces…love, love, love!

winter warmers

Maybe its winter and the thought of staying at home with my cats on days like these, or maybe its a shift in my tastes. Either way I seem to be drawn more often than not these days to rooms with warm plummy colours. I was never a fan of purples really, but I certainly seem to be now. It pairs perfectly with chocolates, blueberries and mushrooms. I don’t know if I’d paint the whole house this colour, but definitely my bedroom or a small reading room. What do you think?

Dining room of designer Marcelo Lucini

by S. Russell Groves

Romeo Sozzi’s apartment in Romea living room by Martin Brudnizki

a living room by Laura Kirar
one of my all times favorites, by Jacques Grange

from an article on 1st Dibs about on Fort Street Studio
Donghia

bedroom by Candy& Candy 

unknown source

 

Where I want to live this week…

+
= heavenly!

If I could mix Olivier Gagniere’s Parisian apartment…..with the Ritz Carlton residences in Toronto…I’d move in tomorrow. The colours are divine, and the mix of furniture (albeit polar opposites) are to die for.

Olivier Gagniere’s apartment photographed by Simon Upton for Elle Decor, Ritz Carlton residences by Munge Leung.

Inspirations

It’s been a busier week at work than I anticipated, hence the lack of posts… But before I sign off and wish you all a great weekend, I’ll leave you with some of the images that we are using as inspiration for the renovation of the studio apartment. I’ll post update photos next week!

Friday afternoon inspiration

Hope you’ve all had a great week, and you have an even better weekend. I’ll leave you with a few pics that I’m loving at the moment…

Andy Goldsborough

Antoine Proulx

Armani Casa

Christophe Delcourt

Stephen Miller Siegal

Paul Fortune

Evan Lobel

Kelly Wearstler

Framing a room

I’m a bit of a fan of bright white mouldings – I think they make a room look fresh and bright – especially those with period details and high ceilings. Adding glossy black doors and a narrow border in the cornice to a room makes all the difference, it adds a modern graphic touch to what could be an otherwise traditional interior. I love how these designers have used borders in the mouldings to literally frame the room.

Two wonderful examples by NY based design firm Marshall Watson – the black border inside the cornice, along with pale coloured walls is such a great look. Photos from House Beautiful.


The technique, used by Steven Gambrel with perfection, looks fantastic in the entrance of this very smart gentleman’s apartment.


A very grand room by Eileen Katherine Boyd in a NY showhouse. She has elaborated on this technique by adding a border to the corners of each wall, and along the skirting – truly framing the walls of the room. A stunning result.

A similar concept – Suzanne Rheinstein frames the entrance to her dining room with red grosgrain ribbon. How fabulous! Photo from the Elle Decor book, “Designing Women”.

Now, if only my ceilings were this high…!

Random inspiration

I’m moving apartments in a few months. Our lease is up, and the landlord wants to raise the rent by 20% (as is happening all over Hong Kong at the moment). And, I don’t really want to share my space with cockroaches, rats and termites anymore (I wish I were kidding). Hence, we are looking around. Part of me wished I was moving back to my own house in Melbourne, but we’re not really ready to leave here just yet. So, apartment hunting we go. I’m also thinking its a good excuse to get the pre-loved furniture I bought finally recovered and have my space in a state that is at least partly photographable (is that even a word ?) so I can share some pics with you all. In the meantime, this is what is inspiring me at the moment…

Source unknown – I love this sofa – I can’t get enough of green.

Living room by Shamir Shah – it looks comfortable and chic to me.

A Steven Gambrel living room – nothing else needs to be said…

An interior by Todd Romano – love this colour combination.

Markham Roberts own living area, as featured in Domino

An interior by Madeline Stuart

A crisp classic neutral room by Larry Laslo



Above 3 images of an interior by Joe Nye a great mix of warm toned timber and a neutral colour palette.
Interior by Jean-Louis Deniot – love the mix of styles he creates.

Image from Highland Court fabrics – I love how relaxed this room looks, and how comfortable and chic it is.

Image from Elle Decor Oct ’07 – everyone’s favorite front cover.

Apartment of the owners of Duane Modern/Antiques image from 1st Dibs – a great mix here – but what else would you expect from vintage furniture dealers!

Angela Free interior – again, I love the warm timber and the cool, neutral colours.

Source unknown – but a super cozy looking room. These colours might be too warm for HK, but I’m still a Melbourne girl at heart, and I will always love these warm tones.

The two images from my tear sheets file that won me my free pretty in Maison 21‘s competition. From old Australian Vogue Living magazines.

And last, but far from least, the bedroom from 1st Dibs founder Michael Bruno’s Paris apartment – care of Katiedid. I can’t stop thinking about this room, its just so chic. I love this chest of drawers because its so unique, but I really don’t think I could live with furniture that’s covered in dead elephant.