Cool kitsch in the kitchen

Doesn't this image just conjure up the best old-school kitchen style?
What's not to love here?
Tiles: check.
Lots of good storage: check.
Cute, vintage wares: check.
Retro kitchenalia: check.
It's from birdy popcorn's happy days...one half of this stylish designing, vintage goods-sourcing and blogging pair is my sister-in-law. Love your work, Bianca.

The art of distraction

It's a tiny kitchen, but how much does that great pendant lightshade distract from the fact?

This kitchen is the cooking domain of US art blogger Kate Singleton. And she shared her home on SF Girl By Bay's Unexpected Guests.

Everything's (still) all white

Sensing a theme here...
I walk past this building on my way to work most mornings.
I've photographed it often, and guess I'll continue to do so.

Meanwhile, I'm quite keen on this kitchen, or maybe it's that fridge I like the look of?

This image is from photographer Martin Lof. Check out his site...very nice.

White on

It took hours of configuring a layout, but my bathroom's floor tiles are sorted.
I "tiled myself into a corner" and stuffed up the $$$ floor tiles big time.
After ripping up the offending tiles and working out a system that worked (seriously, when you stuff these tiles up, making them "work" again is like a crazy puzzle for geniuses), I happily attached them to the floor last night and have found myself wandering past the bathroom and looking in at my handy work, checking that I'm still satisfied with the result. Nerd.
Yay! The sadly postponed bathroom reno is getting closer to being finished.

See the joins? Nope, neither can I!

Grouting and rest of wall tiles next.

Cuff love

A chunky plastic cuff, made of pre-loved building blocks - Torre Magica - make a bold statement (click on the image to enlarge).

the eight hollow blocks are threaded together with almost-invisible plastic elastic.

The number of blocks in the box allowed for one 8-piece cuff of each primary colour.
And, more importantly, these three cuffs are for sale!
If you are interested shoot me an email here, message me on Facebook, or leave a comment. SORRY, THE BLUE CUFF AND THE RED CUFF ARE SOLD.

Modern love

I wonder when we develop/decide on our most-loved interior aesthetic? And what helps us to decide?
I remember first longing to live in a minimalist mid-century modern home when I was about 12 or 13. Odd child.
Design Boom has some lovely images from an exhibition at the National Museum of Warsaw called We Want to be Modern.
I reckon I'd find the museum's collection just as desirable then as I do now.

Stylish stickybeaking

I've become quite the fan of Jeana Sohn's blog, but more particularly her Closet Visits site.
Fashion: great. Sticky beaking: excellent.
But many of her style plates also have incredibly chic homes.

Screenwriter Deborah Kaplan on a very lovely chair.

Shoe designer and hair stylist Beatrice Valenzuela.

Singer-songwriter Nicole Simone.

Daisyblue alerted me to Jeana Sohn, and when I decided to blatantly steal the Closet Visits idea (imitation IS the most sincere form of flattery, after all), she also put her hand up to be my debut closet visitee (although, being Australian, I think I'll be calling it Wardrobe Wanders). Stay tuned...

RIP Liz

Aside from being a hard-working AIDS ambassador (later in her life), Elizabeth Taylor was a mighty fine actress and had a way with style that she seemed to be born with.

Holding court in a completely magnificent frock, jewellery and headpiece ensemble. She wears it with such relaxed aplomb.

A couple of beautiful photos with her husband (her second, who she married twice) Richard Burton. The couple's realtionship was famously tumultuous. The chemistry the pair shared is apparent in every photo and film they made together.
They had love and hate in spades.

Home is where the art is

Magnificent art, from a site called Mammoth, to be had by clicking here. Thanks SF Girl By Bay for bringing this to my attention. Check out Mammoth, there's some amazing art there, like this print from Steven Riddle.

Profits from sales are going towards aid in Japan via Doctors Without Borders relief fund.

Head-turning, shoulder-sweeping glass, pearl and plastic chandelier earrings

I've made a couple of pairs of these chandelier earrings.
One pair - made of gold, turquoise, mother of pearl and stone - that I wear quite often always gets plenty of admiring comments.
The main element (from where everything hangs) is recycled from a multi-strand necklace (this one previously held 4 strands). The recycled beads are a mix of glass, plastic and pearl and the length, from the hook, is 11.5cms.
And, more importantly, these handmade earrings are for sale!
If you are interested shoot me an email here, message me on Facebook, or leave a comment. SORRY, THIS ITEM IS SOLD

Wearstler weight in gold

Kelly Wearstler is a majorly influential interior designer in the US...and that influence is spreading. She was first brought to my attention in Domino magazine (RIP, Domino). They loved her and I can see why. Her aesthetic is very cool. She championed the Hollywood regency look, but has moved on to a more decadent, gold and metallics-heavy, flamboyant late-'60s early '70s look of late. I love it! I'm also a fan of her new blog. The media loves her...and one can see why. Not only is she creative and talented, she's quite the fox and uber chic.



Stylish to boot.

A perfect pink fit

Yes, I can certainly see myself throwing out all my old furniture and starting over with a pink chaise. Mid-century modern touches are chic, might give the Frenchy rococo elements a wide berth, though.



All images courtesy of Coco+Kelly.

Fire light

The day has turned and the rain has finally arrived...might just go and warm myself by the cozy firelight. Well, until I get the old oil heater removed from the other fireplace, this one (which has been covered over) will have to do the trick!
Mmmm...cozy...

Sleep-over

I don't do it enough, but I took the Jag for a cruise down the Coast for some indoor camping at the apple crate with the best view ever. Rocky Cape really is a magical place.

Colour my world

I've started to create, in between doing bits and pieces around the house, such as re-puttying a leaking window (and just before the next few days' rain!).

Looks like this multi-colour feather neckpiece will be first cab off the rank.

A work in progress...not sure about the clear polyurethane plastic tubing?

A meritorious highschool piece of art by my sister. Talented!

I picked up these wooden blocks from a garage sale last week (along with the cute footstool below), the blocks are for jewellery.

I'll reupholster this one...in good time. I'm thinking a pale yellow velvet or maybe even pale sea green or jade?

Home and clothed

The new edition of Lonny is online. This is such a great concept. It still amazes me that you can see an item on a computer screen, click on it and then be taken to a site that allows you to actually buy it. So Jetsons-esque! Ahh...the future. We have arrived.

This vintage homewares spread from Lonny is lovely. And the "keeping vintage modern" advice is spot on.

Who doesn't love parquetry floors, high ceilings and big French windows! Pic from Emmas designblogg

And this is what I'm wearing today. I picked it up from Salamanca market, in Hobart, for the grand sum of $30 (if you look closely you can see my reflection in the doorknobs - haha).

Look at the workmanship on that baby! Not an overlocked seam in sight.

Couldn't have said it better myself

I've been enjoying the frequent posts by the endearingly nutty Gala Darling of late (that's where this twist on Keep Calm and Carry On came from). She's a New York girl, originally from NZ, by way of Australia. Check out her blog.

Shining beacons

Digging this covetous lighting from this Honkers apartment featured on the strangely hard-to-navigate (but still good) Apartment Therapy.

New York, new look

I love this quote from artist Jasper Johns:

Do something, do something to that, and then do something to that.

Which the owner's of this house also liked (that's where I stumbled across it).

...and more mail

...this time in the form of Glamour magazine. I subscribed to the US mag when the $AUD was soaring; a bargain buy. It's a high-selling publication, the swag of high-profile advertisers that grace the front end are usually a good indication of how well a magazine is doing.

I love Juergen Teller's photos for Marc Jacobs' ad campaigns. I think he is a '70s-loving kind of man.

I also found some cool stuff while flicking through an old Belle magazine.

This very cool Tom Dixon light.

And this magnificent house on Spain's Costa Brava.

You have mail

How lovely is it to receive a letter or package in the mail?!
On Monday I received a package from my gorgeous sister-in-law, one half of the cool Birdy Popcorn girls.
Two beautifully fragrant soaps were wrapped in vintage fabric, along with an old newspaper image of a '70s girl in a cool long dress and a retro playing card.
Whenever I go to Melbourne I walk a couple of kms from St Kilda up to Balaclava to buy these vegan soaps from the local health store.