Christmas in Flower

This will be my last blog of the year! I'm off to spend it with family in New Zealand where the beautiful red Pohutukawa will be in full flower. It is our unique Christmas tree. You never know I might find some inspirational things there and will post on them in the New Year. In the meantime, I found these two Pohutukawa-inspired New Zealand designs ...

Pohutukawa tea towel from Ingrid Anderson Textile Design. Printed on 100% natural fibre fabrics and made in New Zealand, the complete product range includes contemporary textiles and homewares for kitchen, laundry, living and bedroom spaces.

A Pohutukawa tree decal from Sticky Kids who design a wide variety of wall graphics - all handcrafted in New Zealand.

Enjoy the festive season!

Time to Celebrate!

Image source The Contemporist

We are very excited because we have just received DA approval - yipee! And what better way to celebrate than in a very stylish bar like this one at the Condesa DF Hotel in Mexico City, designed by architect Javier Sánchez and interior designer India Mahdavi.

I love everything about it - the funky bar stools, the shiny white, ultra-large tiles, turquoise walls and spider web-like lights. If it wasn't for the size of the bar and the number of stools and lights, you could easily be forgiven for thinking this was in someone's home.

M.I.L.K Inspiration

This is what Christmas should be about - flying away to be with friends and family and having times filled with love and laughter.

I was given the latest M.I.L.K book for my birthday and it is just beautiful - gorgeous images and inspiring words.

The Family, Friendship, Love & Laughter book includes 150 winning images from the Fresh M.I.LK. competition selected by Elliott Erwitt, and an introduction by M.I.LK. creator Geoff Blackwell.

For more on the M.I.L.K book, check out their website.

Eco-friendly furniture

On the weekend I discovered a fantastic new cottage business recently started by the sister and two friends of a friend of mine and couldn't help but make some purchases with the beach house in mind.

Literally working from their backyards, Sydneysiders Camilla Schroder, Sarah Hargrave and Nicole Elliott, source old, unwanted furniture and house parts, spruce them up and turn them into fabulous 'new' furniture, lights, bed-heads, chairs ... you name it, they'll do it. As their business card says - it's all about 'upcycling' and 'decorating the eco-friendly way by merging vintage with contemporary to create a classic style'.

Like these old door knobs which they have turned into a coat/hat/beach towel hanger - whichever you prefer (and which I have yet to put up on the wall!).

Or these two chairs - with fabric sourced from Cloth - and table (whose top lifts up like an old school desk). The chairs are super-comfy and will be perfect on the deck to watch the world go by. The table can be used, not only for drinks, but to house a secret stash of mozzie repellent, sun-sunscreen and maybe the odd book or two.

The trio, whose company they've called S.H.E (an acronym of their surnames), currently sell at the Manly markets, will make to order and are in the process of setting up a website. Watch this space!

Design & DAs

Well, another week is nearly over and Christmas is looming rapidly and we're still waiting on DA approval! Oh, the joys of trying to build a house.

I just hope that we don't have to wait too long and our current house doesn't end up looking like this one!

This is another photo from UK-based photographer James Merrell. It's a great shot, contrasting the decrepitude of the house with the beautiful bed and linen. Although I think I could hang out on that porch watching the world go by. What about you? You certainly wouldn't have to worry about having, what I call, a 'Martha Stewart moment' trying to spruce the house!

In the meantime, I have been asked by the publishers of Fast Thinking magazine to blog on design on their new Think Tank blog. I've just posted my second one: On the Scent of a Good Book. Come and check it out at www.fastthinking.com.au/thinktank.aspx.

Floating Stairs

I am in love with stairs that float, like weightless piano keys in the sky, belying the engineering feat required to ensure they can be climbed. What seems to make them look even more amazing is when they meet or follow windows or skylights up to the next level. Stairway to heaven anyone ...?

Apartment Therapy - Lauren and Eric Wendlandt's house, Framework Design architects.

E-Architect - Sycamore House Scotland, ICOSIS architects.

Contemporist - Poliform's 'Mylife in 80m2'

Contemporist - Butler Residence, Portland, Oregon, PATH Architecture

E-Architect - Portobello Road House, Pitman Tozer Architects, images Nick Kane.

Not strictly floating but these stairs still offer the same effect and I really like the all-white walls and shelving, wide timber floors and great view on the second level.

Moochinside Design Store

Every so often I’d like to feature interviews with designers, decorators, architects and others whom I meet on my travels – whether for work or in researching our house build.

Today I’d like to introduce you to Margie (Mooch) McFayden and her Hardy’s Bay store Moochinside which would have to be my favourite shop outside of Sydney. It is a combination of design, gift store and gallery and I always find something to buy in there, whether for myself or for gifts – from jewellery to clothes, homewares to art or just gorgeous objects to indulge in.

When did you open?
We [Margie and her husband Pete] opened Moochinside on the August 1, 2006. We moved up to Killcare from Drummoyne in 1999, already had a block of land there and were ready to build.

What are your backgrounds?
Pete is an architect and has had his own practice for 25 years. I re-trained as an architectural technician after our children were born. We still have our office in Balmain and Pete also has a studio at home so works between the two.

What designers and artists are you featuring at the moment?
I try to feature local artists as much as I can. At present I have Debbie MacKinnon from Sydney who has a weekender in Killcare and whose paintings hover between landscape and abstraction and Sally McDonald who is from Newcastle.

Debbie McKinnon, Bouddi (Re)Generation, www.salmongalleries.com.au

Tell me about them and their work?
Debbie is an established artist and her profile is on the website at the moment. Sally is up and coming and her work is lovely. She uses a lot of multi-media in her works and then finishes all works with layers of resin.

Have you any exhibitions planned in the near future?
The next artist to come is Maree Coleman who we have featured before and very successfully.

What is your favourite piece in store at the moment?
At the moment my favourite pieces are the Pappelina rugs from Sweden. They are fabulous, eye-catching, durable and functional floor mats made from plastic and linen that are great for any room both indoors or out.


Their online store and Ecomooch online store will be open soon so keep an eye out.
The Ecomooch store features a range of sustainable, eco-friendly building products and solutions including Ecosmart Fireplaces, Australian Recycled Timber, Quantam Solar Heat Pumps, BP Solar Photo Voltaic Cells, Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse Systems and Hunter Pacific Fans.

Or even better, take a trip up to Hardy’s Bay and check it out in person at 1/1 Killcare Rd (in the heart of the shops by the bay). Or telephone them on 02) 4360 2257.