Shopping For Layers…
For a while now I’ve been shopping online more & more, anything from groceries to kids stuff. Whilst it started when I had a little one & couldn’t get out of the house, it has now developed into a fully-fledged habit. So I thought I’d post some of my favourite stores for finishing off the house. After all, our homes needs quite a lot of layers to create interest & excitement after the tradespeople have left!
Mr Kitly: For all the smaller & more obscure arty finds from beautiful ceramics to exquisite Japanese metalware. A must visit. One of the triangular brass paperweights from Masanori Oji + Futagami is currently adorning my mantel.
Safari Living: Ten years on & still going strong thanks to Felicity Rulikowski’s pitch perfect eye. Stable brands include Marimekko, Missoni, Muuto, Donna Wilson & Design House Stockholm amongst others. Practically everything you need to finish off the house.
The Minimalist: To quote from the source: “unique, limited edition and designer made product from around the globe. The Minimalist isn’t about buying less but buying better. “
Third Drawer Down: Full to the brim with everything quirky for the kids & the not quite grown up kid in all of us. Personal favourites are the Worry Beads by Fredericks & Mae and the garlands, pinatas & paper decorations by New York favourites CONFETTISYSTEM
Top 3 by Design: Simply the best (read smartest, most functional & beautiful looking) design pieces for the home you can buy. Instead of trawling through the options, Top 3 has done the editing for you. Essential!
Dunlin Home: A beautiful edited collection of furniture, lighting & pieces for the home that feel rustic but well made which is often rare nowadays. A particular stand out is their lighting from Original BTC, check out the Stanley copper & brass pendants. Amazing!
Etsy: A post on the best online stores can’t leave out Etsy, the worlds best site for buying handmade, vintage, art & crafts & just plain quirky. Be warned though, time limits for surfing should apply. It’s addictive. I have some favorite shops I follow, check out 1001 Vintage for great ceramics & mid century modern, African House for Juju hats & the like and finally Beat Up Creations for altered vintage plates which I love right now.
Dreaming Of A Getaway
Its right about now that we all start feeling we need a break somewhere warm & glorious so we can escape from the Melbourne cold. I came across this blog My Paradissi which posts all these amazing shots of long days soaking up the Meditteranean summer which had me feeling slightly depressed but hopeful it will get warm again. I love the whitewashed walls, the relaxed slouchy cushions & sheer white cotton curtains blowing in the breeze. Its the combination of effortless cool, refreshing whites, mixed with natural materials of stone & olive branches that strikes a chord with me every time. Classic combinations never die for a very good reason, THEY WORK. Its a guiding principle for all good interiors. So make sure you put a bit of effortless cool in your pad.
Image 1, 2 & 3, My Paradissi 4: Paola Navone’s House The Style Files
CHDC Favourites… Floor Lamps
I’m always on the lookout for great floor lamps that are functional & look beautiful on or off. If a client doesn’t go ahead with our first choice, we often go through a second option phase where we assemble a range of other ‘maybes’. I thought it might be interesting to see some of our favourites. Things that I look for in a great floor lamp are; 1. Scale: if its going to sit next to an armchair then it needs to be fairly petite & complement it as if it was the other half of a pair. There is nothing worse than having a large floor lamp that dwarfs the chair or a sofa that dwarfs the lamp, 2. Adjustment: can you move or angle the head up or down, side to side, these are all part of the finishing touches to pulling a room together & pointing the light to where you need it, 3. Dimming: a cosy mood is never creating by interiors blasted with light, being able to adjust the lighting down to a moody glow when you need it is the secret to a gorgeous interior. I spend my life in lamp light, we all look better that way!
From top to bottom, left to right: “Fork” by Diesel for Foscarini, “Perf” by Diesel for Foscarini, “Kapelo” by Chris Connell for Ism Objects, “Lean” from Workroom, “Grasshopper” from Gubi, “K-Tribe” by Phillippe Starck for Flos.