black, grey and a touch of mid-century

On Friday night, I missed out on a 1960s FLER chair on e-bay by $1 dollar in the last 4 minutes of bidding. I was gutted! I would have put in a higher bid but I was in a yoga class and well, not cool to check your i-phone mid yoga pose! I had visions of reupholstering the (very similiar looking) chair like the one in the above photo (with the grey sheepskin rug).  Incidentally, I would also have this as my lounge room any day! Oh well - I will have to keep searching and waiting..

p.s this is my 50th post - yay to me :)

Image - via Desire to Inspire

home extension part I

It's exciting (and scary) to think that in a few (several?) months we will have a new extension to our home. Now that I'm pregnant we have sped things up a bit! We have put the plans into council, and the engineers report has been received. The go-ahead from Council will take 6-8 weeks. This is what we're proposing to do:

• Knock out three walls (one in the kitchen, and two are exterior), extending into the backyard and partly into the driveway
• In doing the above, we will create an open plan kitchen/lounge area
• New kitchen and bathrom
• Turn the current bathroom into a laundry
• Have a baby!

Our house was built around the 1920s and has retained original features such as high ceilings and floorboards. We plan to make a modern looking extension using colorbond (corrugated iron). It will look something like this except our original exterior walls are red brick. The contrast of red brick and silver/grey colorbond, I think, will look striking.

Image - colorbond.com

 

kitchens on my mind

I have decided I need to get my butt into gear and start thinking about our home renovation. We're hoping to get it off the ground in December - pending council approval! (argh). We are basically opening up the back of our (north facing) house with an open plan kitchen/lounge area. We are also planning a new bathroom and laundry. (Asking for trouble I know!). One thing on my mind is that I have no idea of the finishes or look I want! On a budget, that is.

It will be an L shape kitchen with an island. We need a look that doesn't make the space look smaller. The kitchen and lounge area need to be seamless in order to make the space appear larger than it is. This is what we have to work with - Baltic pine floorboards, relatively high ceilings, galvanised steel Tolix stools and one very handy handy-man!

This photo has done the rounds already but I love it - the use of white, steel and timber. The opening shelving, the contrast of timber accessories against the stainless steel. The display of treasured objects on open shelves. What I'd like for my own kitchen: open shelving, stainless steel splashback (if $$ was no object), timber accessories, ivory/grey paint.

What I'd like for my own kitchen: industrial style lights (above an island), hanging utensils (we have a small alcove like this where we will hide the kettle, toaster etc and I think some hanging utensils or at least a small shelf could be placed in here for coffee, tea, sugar...)

I like the white on white-wall kitchen with black benchtop and use of stainless steel shelving. What I'd like for my own kitchen: the mix of overhead cupboards and open shelving to maximise space and light (our kitchen is north facing), handles with clean lines.

I have posted about our Tolix stools before - the same as in this picture but ours are 65cm high to suit the height of future kitchen island. This picture highlighted to me how great stainless steel finishes look against timber. Very rustic. I like this look and as I have the stools already I think any timber finish would look great with them. An idea: perhaps a (reclaimed) timber benchtop for our island with a white benchtop for the rest of the kitchen? I'll need to find some images where this has been done successfully...

Decisions, decisions. Once we start work on our renovation I will post before, during and after shots but for now, I'll continue to catalog and dream...

Images - via Style Files (2 - by Living etc, 3 - by Mikkel Adsbøl)

irving baby!

I have always wanted to cover a wall with magazine clippings - it's such a great look, and an affordable one too. A great way to use all those magazines that we seem to accumulate. I have only had the guts to create this look using a framed chipboard (I think I'm worried about chipping off paint and damaging walls). I think Irving Baby! have executed this look really well. Irving Baby! sell original, retro and vintage clothes and accessories and in line with their brand they have used old 1950s/60s vintage newspaper clippings.

If done really well I think this look has the ability to transform a space, or a wall - like in Julie from Olive & Joy's dressing room. I think Julie has nailed it here.

Have you done this or is it something you'd like to try? Real Living have tried it, see here.

I know it's only Thursday but I have an extra long weekend planned. We are taking a road trip to the Grampians in Victoria, we'll be camping and soaking up the fresh air. I have a picnic rug, snacks and the new Real Living so I'm all set! I'll be back Tuesday, till then have a lovely weekend.

bowerbird bazaar

In Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne it’s The Finders Keepers market. In Adelaide it’s Bowerbird Bazaar – a market for designers and makers alike. Here I interview the founders of Bowerbird Bazaar - Jane Barwick & Rebekah Cichero (thanks ladies!) – to find out what’s going on in the Adelaide design scene…

How did Bowerbird Bazaar come about?

We were both exhibiting interstate (Jane – in-sync design and Rebekah - sprout design) and kept bumping into each other and talking about the fact that Adelaide really didn’t have a high-quality market for designer/makers. Rebekah called me one day and asked shall we organise one? And I said yes!

What was your motivation behind creating Bowerbird Bazaar?

We saw a gap in the market in Adelaide and a need for a selling place for South Australian designer/makers locally, as well as an opportunity for interstate designer/makers to tap into the Adelaide market. We wanted to create an opportunity to promote the makers and invite retailers and media to the event too.

What do you look for when choosing artists and designers to sell their wares at Bowerbird Bazaar?

The design base of the products, presentation, the professional approach to the design and business. Products need to be designed by the applicant and preferably made in Australia.

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists and designers looking to sell their products at local markets such as at Bowerbird Bazaar?

We provide stallholders with a lot of information and support, particularly to those who are emerging and have less experience in both wholesaling and retailing. Join mailing lists so you can be notified when applications open. Accompany an application with good photography. Treat your stall like a temporary shop front, i.e. merchandise well.

What would I expect to find there?

Beautiful products and the chance to meet the makers behind them… Everything from a rug for your floor, cushion for a chair, textiles, furniture, wall art, jewellery, glassware, ceramics, clothing, leather goods, stationery. Wonderful local gourmet food, wine, beer and coffee too! Over 80 stalls.

What has the response been like to Bowerbird Bazaar?

Overwhelmingly positive. There’s a hunger for good design and the venue, a wonderful historic gutted theatre in the CBD, has a character of its own. It’s a great shopping and socialising event. We had 6000 people through in March – and it was only our second event. Many local stallholders are now participating in events interstate.

And...where to from here for the Adelaide design scene?

There’s a large design and artistic scene in Adelaide that’s largely been underground. There’s now a strong platform for designers, makers and artists to promote that work directly to the public and retailers. Adelaide can only be acknowledged more and more as a design town – as a destination to find good design, as well as a place to come to and sell and promote Australian design to a design hungry market. There will be more and more South Australian Design seen interstate now too.

These are some of the great designs on offer - see more at their web site & blog.

The next Bowerbird Bazaar is being held next weekend from 8 - 10 October. If you're in Adelaide you should definitely check them out. I'll be there and hopefully I'll walk away with some goodies to talk about in a later post...

tolix tonic

I have been sick the past week and feeling a bit sorry for myself (that's why I haven't been around much). So sick I forgot to share my excitement about our new Thonet Tolix stools that arrived last week! With wedding money we decided to buy some Tolix stools (we wouldn't have been able to afford them otherwise) which we had been coveting for a while. L.O.V.E is an understatement when it comes to these French stools. This isn't the best photo, and this is our ugly kitchen...you can see why we want to get rid of it soon!

Here are some better photos of the Tolix stool .. also check them out at Viv from ish and chi's kitchen...

Image 2 - Kelly Green Interiors via My Villa Life, Image 3 - Caffe Paparazzi

reading chair dreaming

On my 'must have' list for a long long time has been a reading chair. I love to read and figure I need a dedicated reading chair to do it in, instead of reading on the couch (being distracted by the TV) or on the bed (where I'm likely to fall asleep!). I love the idea of having a little reading nook complete with side table, cup of tea and nibbles to devour while reading a good book! So I was inspired to rediscover a book I bought years ago at Aptos Cruz Gallery here in Adelaide. 'Fusion Interiors' explores design and interiors from different cultures around the world. I discovered the book has some pretty cool chairs...in the right setting any one of them would make a good reading chair. For now, I'll keep dreaming of one day finding a perfect reading chair to plonk myself in..

It also showed a gorgeous picture of the late President Kennedy and (then) Jackie Kennedy on the cover of Life magazine - with the title 'Senator Kennedy Goes A-Courting'. So old fashioned! And such a gorgeous photo..

All Images - original photos taken from Fusion Interiors authored by Martin Waller and Dominic Bradbury, published by Andrew Martin.

i'm loving...

..everything about Michelle from M.A.Belle's home - the stripes, the yellow, the gorgeous red chair and especially the NY print. I.want.that!

Images - Real Living via M.A.Belle

credenza credentials

The Jam Factory in Adelaide showcases contemporary craft and design by leading and emerging artists and 'makers' and they are without a doubt a local and national institution. I visited them today and discovered an exhibition called 'credenza credentials'. Here is some of the amazing design on show... I love Edward Garcia's piece, it reminds me of mid-century Parker style furniture (and it would sit nicely on the set of Mad Men, don't you think?).

Edward Garcia

Petra de Mooy

Andrew Bartlett

Gareth Brown

Tom Mirams

Michael Penck

All images - Copyright Jam Factory Contemporary Craft and Design and the exhibiting artists