THE CREATIVE PROCESS

This pretty much sums up my day .. especially the 'random internet surfing'. I've been stuck for hours doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that and, really, not much of anything. Found this on everyone's favourite PINTEREST via here.

note: i just found out I have a PINTEREST page .. how did that happen - can anyone let me know?

STAR DESIGNER

I love Sally Field. From 'Places in the Heart' to 'Mrs Doubtfire' and now 'Brothers & Sisters' .. I could watch her till the cows came home. Now I bet I love her home also as the super talented Tim Clarke has designed her home (and other star celebrities such as Portia De Rossi and Ben Stiller).

I love the beachy type house .. with the big plant and even bigger mirror. Or the one, which on Tim's website comes under 'native woods', which uses wood and eclectic homeware finds. He has a shop too - yep, too cool heh! In it is an A.maz.ING array of chairs & lamps & ottomans .. oh my - you must go peek. Here is the link to his site. Off you go (-:

ps. thanks to Marie's blog for helping me find Tim

CHANGE IS GOOD

I had a few spare minutes and felt like a change. Sorry about the previous posts and not being able to read the words now. Minor pickle. See you all soon (-:

MAXA-mum style ..

Oh I am so (not) witty with that tagline I know. This s.s.s.tunning home by MAXA DESIGNS is, what I believe, the perfect Australian country home. The windows. The space. The style. It all conjures up feelings of cozy afternoons reading a book watching the day go by. This home is in the Bunzyip State Park (just near Gembrook in Victoria) and whilst reminiscent of a wool shed, a shed it most definately is not.

This contemporary home on 10 (lovely) acres uses old and new materials in its construction - and the fact that MAXA DESIGNS specialise in designing environmentally sustainable buildings, you can bet it ticks all the boxes most people want from their homes today. I love the glass sliding doors the best. I can almost feel the warmth of the winter sun as it hits those exposed brick walls (which, by the way, were popped in just to display the home owners extensive artwork collection).

If you visit MAXA's website or facebook page you can see more of their work. They have entered 2 of their homes in the BDAV (Building Designers Association of Victoria) Awards this year - and will find out in July if they have won. Let's cross our fingers for them.

a creative romantic ...

link

I have absolutely NO idea how to insert a video link .. so if you are bored and trust my judgement, go visit this.

http://media.theage.com.au/entertainment/red-carpet/a-wedding-proposal-like-in-the-movies-literally-2374293.html

that good feeling ..

OK, it's the weekend. I'm sitting here on the computer blogging away while my boys are out playing star wars .. or cowboys .. or whatever with their friend over .. and the sun is shining, the house is clean .. and I have 'that good feeling'.

So, lucky for me I found this cute artwork by Will Bryant. I found his page via If the Lamp Shade fits .. then Savvy Home .. then Poppytalk. Just in case in you wanted to know my trail of discovery.

Have a great weekend wherever you are and hope you get that good feeling too (-:

nice AND nice ..

You know how some people are nice. And you know how are some houses are nice. Well, this house has nice people. Well, it did. It's currently for sale so I'm guessing the nice people are going somewhere else nice to live.

I only know they are nice because one day, about 6 or 7 years ago, we were doing a drive around the neighbourhood, getting ideas on colours for our render for our house. Sometimes looking at a little swatch just doesn't cut it does it? So we drove past this one quite a few times and just loved it. Low and behold we saw a man doing a spot of gardening. This house was very new at the time and even though the garden here is quite advanced, at that stage there was nothing. I actually walked up the drive and asked the man (the nice man) would he mind letting me know what colour the main rendered part of his house was. I told him we did not live in the next street so it would not look like we copied (something I thought was important). He actually told me. Can you believe it?? Better still, he said 'hang on, I've still got a sample pot' and he went into his garage, got it and gave it to me WITH a smile. Amazing heh.

In the end we didn't go with that exact colour (it was a smidgen darker) but it was the end of our search for a colour we loved.

So I hope you too like this nice house that the nice man live(d) in (-:

Oh happy days ..

Oh Happy Day's indeed. Today I got this image from a lady in Queensland who bought 2 of my 'Happy Days' umbrellas - she emailed me to say thankyou and showed me where she put my OEKE's. I have to say they look quite sunny. AND today I also confirmed an order for 6 of these to go in a school in Sydney. So you see .. Happy Days (-:

Even though I can't read maps ..

.. I still think these are cool. They are by Melbourne based ex-smarty-pants-geometric-engineer-turned-lamp-designer-extraordinaire Dianna Chapman of LAMPS BY SPACED. You can choose which Melway Map you want to use and she creates these stylish lamps using vintage surveyor tripods.

Perhaps if I had something as nice as this in my car I would never get lost!!!

You are in for a treat ..

Oh how I love a 'before' and 'after' and this fantastic makeover by Aussie (Melbourne too) designer Camilla Molders proves how stylish some people really are.

To have seen past those burgundy walls and heavy trim and end up with light, (more) spacious (looking) room with touches of glam - she is one top-notch interior designer (WHO just happened to work at the likes of Mokum etc).

Visit her Designalogue blog or website.

Bowled over ..

Aren't these stunning. I can't say I've searched high and low for ceramic's - but I'm pretty sure there is nothing out there that matches these lovely bowls. Obviously I'm into the stronger, bolder patterns - but if you visit Jill Rosenwald's Etsy shop you can find other delights that are a little less graphic. Oh, and if you visit her blog you can see that her husband is extra talented and makes the most amazing lamp bases (and I'm sure a tonne more). A great find from a link over at Annechovie.

Doing it differently ..

I am very fond of a long driveway ..

that pool table (or perhaps rich people only have snooker tables) is WAY too small for the room

I thought I would do things differently today. I know I always 'appear' to post the same style home .. I admit it - I love light - I love angles .. and most of all I just love family homes that are modern.

Today's post is about a home that I could also quite easily live in. It's in Lower Plenty in Melbourne (an area we looked at before we moved to the coast). Admittedly our budget was NOWHERE NEAR this house - but that is how I came about finding this home.

I love the high ceilings, the fireplaces, the exterior, the brickwork, the parquetry, the mouldings/trim everywhere - and yes, I gotta admit - I have fallen for the staircase. I'd feel like a movie star living here. And speaking of movie stars - or at least 'movies' - I would get the stylist from 'Somethings Gotta Give' to decorate this.

Or better yet (and yes, I did say BETTER YET) I would fly over Heather Jenkinson from the UK and get her to work her magic. I love the muted colours she uses, the 'homes' she creates and the style that is achieved. (go visit her blog and find out more)

You ready .. ???

Super duper fantastically amazing aren't they. I know I always post the same sort of style home - I'm guessing by now you've picked up on my taste of houses. It doesn't mean I'm not partial to country time homes, or period homes .. or different architecturally eras. It's just I love this sort of home.

BUT. I think I've found the it'n'a'bit master of homes I love.

Dick Clark Architecture. No more words required. Go visit their site and be bedazzled by their work. Click on the 'Explore' section for a tonne of pics. Let me know what you think.

Opportunity Knox ..

I'm feeling a tad sleepy just looking at this room ...

that ceiling just does me in ...

such lovely, lovely angles ..

In our 'previous' life .. the one before the move to the coast to enjoy the beaches and fresh air, we lived in Heidelberg, Melbourne. Our home was a delightful 70's masterpiece. When we bought it at auction it was chocolate brown everywhere, orange kitchen, fluffy carpet - the whole 70's experience. We spent years fixing it up and when we sold, it was a white walled, timber floored, 5 bedroom + office home (albeit with a teeny weeny backyard - a downfall of Melbourne life).

Around the same time our friends bought a house around the corner from us (also in Heidelberg) which was an Alistair Knox design. They have since sold it and also moved to fresher air and are now living in Bright. But before they sold, they reno'd it to the max (he is a very talented architect). They added a 2nd storey, created a wonderful home (you should have seen the kitchen), laid real timber floors that originated from their grandparents homes and did a wonderful, luscious garden.

Which brings me to this home - also by Alistair Knox. In this home I see the most magical of homes that could be created. Those ceilings are like a work of art. The beautiful windows letting the outdoors in. Oh, and the outdoors - with those trees, my heart is a flutter. Squint your eyes and add some white (or perhaps colour if you are that way inclined) and imagine the possibilities.

You can find this home here

ps. you must check my next post - the bestest architect I have EVER seen .. fantastic!!!