Monthly Archives: May 2014

I’ve always considered myself a bit of a plain and simple kind of girl but lately I’ve really fallen in love with pattern – and what a time to fall in love!  There are gorgeous patterns everywhere - ikat, chevron, trellis, stripe, damask, floral, toil, animal print, polka dot, graphic.  Bright and colourful or soft and subdued.  Riding solo or mixed up craziness.  Rules are being broken and caution thrown into the wind – a pattern play is going on that is pure perfection!  Oh my… 

Mixing patterns definitely brings a sense of playfulness to a space.  Busy patterns up energy levels while simple or pale patterns can create serenity.  The art of pattern mixing can be a bit daunting (I hear you!) but hopefully the below pics will give you some inspiration - don't forget you can always abandon the “rules” and just have some fun.  You’d be surprised

I’m feeling a bit blue….an inky saturated indigo kind of blue.  Gorgeously daring and dramatic, I’m loving this moody hue in interiors right now.  Mmmm, maybe I’ve got a colour crush…..

Indigo is one of the oldest dyes to be used in textiles and is said to be the purest of blues.  It’s a great colour if you want to create a bold impact or drama.  It goes with just about everything – deep enough for winter but also refreshing enough for summer, it looks great paired with neutrals and greys, woods and natural materials.  I’m seeing so much of it in traditional and tribal styles and patterns.  I think where we are seeing indigo at it's best though is in the bedroom – perhaps because of the calming and cocooning vibe it evokes.

We are huge fans of Arent & Pyke.  This bedroom is taken from a Sydney terrace (featured in this months

Over the Easter/Anzac long weekends we took a 10 day break and had a proper old-fashioned family holiday. You know -  kids and dog into the car, long (ish) drive, zero visibility out of the car rear window, surfboard on the roof - a holiday where all you do is book a place to stay that's near (ish) a beautiful looking beach and let the rest unfold when you get there….

Let me tell you - it was heaven. The best holiday I think we've ever had as a family of 5. Here's why…

We found a gorgeous looking farmhouse in a gorgeous looking area of hinterland behind a gorgeous looking stretch of coast in the travel section of the SMH last year sometime. "Gorgeous" we decided and did the totally uncharacteristic thing for us of booking it straight away. We had no idea what we'd do when we got there or even what there was to do. We just knew that 10 days there looked like restful, beautiful paradise - GORGEOUS!

With such a build-up of gorgeousness (and a pretty