Saturday Swooning

Although this beautiful home is  in Melbourne Australia, you would never know it, as its the perfect reflection of a Mediterranean influence and culture.

The arched doorway is actually a cleverly placed mirror!

 With a beautiful lime washed white effect, { typically Italian and Spanish influences} the combination of exotic palms and plants,  and the rustic wooden furniture from various travels, the home works on all levels creating an all over aesthetic pleasure. The personal sentiments included  reflect the past and the present in perfect harmony, and is a reflection of the owners passions, travels and style.

The futuristic combination of including new designer wares placed alongside traditional woods and personal artifacts, marries the look together without looking out of place; and still satisfies the owner as it includes sentimentality and history.

The home belongs to Giovanni Mangano and Tory Flanigan. Giovannie says "with a neutral backdrop, you can try different things together and it still works,"

The elaborate and beautiful portal from Rajasthan is hundreds of years old and works beautifully with the PP Mobler "Flag Halyard" chair.

Scattered around the house are heirlooms from their grandmothers passed down to remind them of their roots and family.

The brown coloured  wrought iron gates are a continuation of the wood theme from inside.

photography Mark Roper Styling Glen Proebstel

 


This home is like a wonderful oasis in the middle of the desert and has a really relaxing and refreshing impact.

Laxed living

Outside living at its best, cool breezy and chilled

Well summer has truly set in here on the island. The bikini's are out (not mine!) and the suncream is on. The kids spend the entire day at the pool and birthday parties have now officially moved to the beach! The best thing about living on this island is that in the summer months, everything moves outside. Most homes have an outside kitchen (next to the pool) where all the entertaining and eating happens, breakfast lunch & supper!

Alfresco dining in Spain

The easiest way to keep it looking real is to keep your outside area in tone with the original structure of the house. Most Spanish properties have beamed ceilings and here this ceiling covering extends the inside beams outside with reeds over the top to provide shade.

These green bottles are typically Spanish and are a great way to inject some permanent colour into a neutral background.

 

 

Something New - Loving Lula

Ive just got to the exciting point with my beautifully shabby dining room chairs, where it's almost time to bring in the fabric. To say that I spend most of my insomnia time browsing for beautiful fabrics is a slight understatement. I am by now an expert trawler of Etsy and Ebay on the hunt for "the one".

The gorgeous collection of Lula Fabrics from South Africa

Something to suite everyone's taste!

 Spending a few hours digging is as much enjoyable, but also frustrating at the same time. I now have literally thousands of images in my "fabric book" folder and I'm sure the weight of these alone are slowing down my computer!

There is a great gap in the market for truly beautiful, fresh and creative design.

Influences from various cultures as the design inspiration

I wanted something crisp and clean, with pattern, preferably white and blue, but it was hard to find!

LULA fabrics

I stumbled upon the most exquisite line of  fabrics and (strangely enough)  they are from my homeland, South Africa. It a nutshell they capture exactly the type of fabric and pattern that I fills the spirit.

One of my favourites from her new collection "The Silk Road"

The choice of colours and themes leave little to be added, but I'm sure the collection will keep on growing and producing vibrant and exciting design.

Classic beachy stripes in heavyweight fabrics

The head designer is Melissa Kerkhoff, an extremely talented and insightful artist and textile designer, whose small range has grown from strength to strength, and its only a matter of time before the label will become a household name.

In her own words,,

"Each of the Lula Collections captures this passion, and my desire for beautiful, functional fabrics that enliven the spirit and bring joy to the soul."

Ive been in talks with Melissa and hopefully Something Blue Living will soon become one of her stockists for the Balearic Islands,, SO thrilled!

If you want to have a peek at the whole collection (including beautiful ballet pumps, toiletry bags etc) be sure to visit them at



http://www.lulafabrics.co.za/showroom.html#chairs

Enjoy! x

Cool Britannia! - Jan Constantine

Well, with this long weekend's festivities taking place for the Queens Jubilee Celebrations in my old home London town, Ive put together a quick collection of a few things British!

BUSBY the Queens Guard one of my illustrations

If you haven't already come across her range, you soon will. Her unmistakable style is fresh and fun but at the same time comforting and homely. One of these cushions will be a great ice-breaker as they are all hand stitched and made with love!

Exquisite hand embroidered and appliqued goods from Jan Constantine

Love this one!

These also come as a sew-your-own craft option, a perfect gift from England!

Jan Constantine for Harrods

The British flag has recently become very trendy in the world of interiors, from bedding to soft furnishings, cups and aprons, and practically anything else. Her quirky and clever use of all things British has filled a huge gap in the market to replace those unsightly London tourist items, and lets face it,,, the green Harrod's bag has been needing a face lift for years!

Her line is stocked in all the best shops, including the famous Harrods, Harvey Nicol's, Liberty and Selfridges. Her range is extensive and vibrant and is also an official affiliate with the London Olympics!

The lovely British Isles map available in dark navy & duck egg blue

http://www.janconstantine.com/default.asp

I'm planning to do a full feature on her as a crafter/designer/inspirational business woman so keep an eye out for that as it should be really interesting!

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 Using a well known icon such as a flag in your choice of decorating  can be difficult as it has the tendency to easily turn tacky, if not done properly.

 Choosing the correct fabric weights and textures is the key to keep it looking classy and fun.

Blogging her way..

In my head I had always pictured the famous Holly Becker (Decor8) as a real life Carrie Bradshaw straight out of Sex and the City!. I imagined her single and gorgeous, living alone in New York City and blogging her way into our housebound wives camp, whilst attending  glamorous events and styling interiors for Elle Magazine.

Her amazingly inspirational blog was responsible for momentarily (on a daily basis!) transporting us back in time when we were free and wild and didn't have toddlers covered in mud tagging at our skirts while we tried to read her daily dose in peace! A place where our sofas didnt have ice-cream stained hand prints on the headrest and life could remain pretty for longer than just one morning..

As Ive slowly started to read more and more about this talented woman, the one thing that reassures me that I am not a total lunatic by signing up to her fabulous "blogging your way" ecourse, is the the fact that she is just so real, so warm and so normal.......in the nicest flattering way!

She doesn't exist on diet coke and martinis, she doesn't live in the hustle and bustle of  the city that never sleeps, and she doesn't want to marry a movie-star;  in fact she is happily married to her soul mate Thorsten, works from her home studio, has a dog called Vinnie (just made that up), and lives in a small town in the middle of Germany!

Holly & Thorsten (my new BF's)

 Her genius idea to set up an online ecourse in conjunction with her world famous blog Decor8 has catapulted her into the limelight as one of the most influential women in the world on interiors.

 I am so thrilled and exited to be joining the class this June and I cant wait to get stuck in!

If blogging is not your thing but interiors are, be sure to get her incredible book "Decorate" available from amazon and all good book stores. The book, which features 1000 inspirational design ideas for every room in the house, is like a design reference bible..and a must for every coffee table regardless..

The book launch for Decorate at Liberty in London

Well, its DAY 1 of the course and I have a Spring in my step,, just hope I havent bitten off too much as my fellow students all seem like PRO's!

Something beachy

The fact that I live on a Mediteranean Island is not something that happened by chance.

Ive always been drawn to the ocean and the whole surf culture of living (not that there are many waves here). The thing that inspired me the most was the relaxed way of living, the beautiful cool ambiance of beach living and of course the wonderful sunshine almost all year round.

Jeffreys Bay lifestyle!

When I was in my twenties, my biggest dream was to move to Jeffrey's Bay (the hottest surf spot in South Africa and my local hangout) and set up a little painted furniture business. Well fast forward twenty years and Im almost there! My workshop is filled with beautiful vintage finds and the painting has begun!

via Pinterest

beach attic perfect for holidays via Pinterest

My inspiration behind Something Blue Living, was to encapsulate the feeling of hot summer holidays, fresh cool linens and prints against a neutral beach shack backdrop , nothing forced, easy living with an element of vintage thrown into the equation.

Old beach cottage living

If you want that beach ambiance with you all day, I have to recommend my favourite perfume, Bobbi  Brown Beach......... it immediately transports you back to your youth, covered in suncream and playing with your buckets and spades at the seaside. Simply genius and works like a bomb! Just waiting for her to bring out the scented candles,, come on Bobbi!

Bobbie Brown Beach Perfume

find it here at www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com

Something Special..Happy Mother's Day!

          

Something New

Round embroidered pillow - multi/blue

Every once in a while, you stumble across something that literally takes your breath away! I recently discovered a really cool site called One Kings Lane which is an online SALE outlet. Once you registered you have access to a wide range of homeware items from textiles to light fittings at well below retail prices.

The catch is that you have to act quickly as it is a live marketplace, so you cant hold your items for long periods of time before purchasing (in fact they only hold them for 9 minutes!!!!) so popping outside to hang up the laundry might prevent you from getting your hearts desire.

Find their complete range at https://www.onekingslane.com/sales/14136

Round Jute Pillow - Turquoise

When I laid eyes on these beauties, I just wanted them all! I can just picture a bright pillow on one of my painted furniture pieces or thrown in for a dash of vibrant colour.

Botanical Ottoman Pouf - Fuchsia

The range is called Tribal Touch and is from the cool label KARMA LIVING.

Inspired by tribal motifs and updated in bright, contemporary hues, each of these pillows, ottomans, and poufs will bring a sophisticated sense of color and pattern to your home. Throws in fringed and embroidered designs amp up the boho-chic feel.

Botanical Pillow - Ivory

Botanical Pillow - Moss Green

Botanical Pillow - Teal

Botanical Pillow - Turquoise

Embroidered floor pillow  - Denim

 I couldn't choose between all the lovely colours, so Ive just uploaded  one of each of the colour ranges.

These particular designs are inspired by Indian embroidery patterns and are so original and unique!

Botanical Pillow - Ivory

Jute Pom Pom Pillow - Red

Happy drooling!