Exploring Sydney

February is a really busy time in the Australian design industry with both Design & Decoration and the gift fair only a week apart both events based in Sydney. We found some amazing pieces that we snapped up and spent days scouring antique stores finding one off finds. We also made sure we had time to play and I couldn't resist visiting the much talked about Boathouse cafe in Balmoral Beach. I cant begin to tell you how much Jess and I loved this place, the casual ambience was full of glorious details, bowls of fruit displayed everywhere cleverly mixing artificial fruits with the real thing. I loved how they used the base of pot plant holders as platters on old wooden benches, flowers were everywhere. The food, well don't get me started, the hard part was what to choose, the menu had us both drooling and it didn't disappoint! The cafe placed perfectly overlooking the bay was only made more appealing by the beautiful weather.

We were having such a great day that we decided dinner would have to be at the newly refurbished Watson's Bay Beach club (last two images above) the apple green bar piled high with coconuts and pineapples overlooking Watson Bay had me wondering could a city be more beautiful.

I have walked away refreshed and inspired but now need to make up for lost time and work all weekend to catch up, tomorrow I'm off to the country, 4 hours aways from Brisbane to work on a restaurant, motel, shop and new home build. To say it will be a challenge is an understatement of the year its the complete opposite to the new glamorous homes Im currently working on but for me its all about the challenge and I love something different....I think! The down side I have no private plane or helicopter just a long country drive that my client pointed out after I accepted the job...to watch out for the large kangaroos that can jump in front of your car, okay now I'm terrified!

Jess has convinced me she needs to stay in the office, she said we are just way too busy for both of us to go, convenient Jess I'm on to you! Thankfully I have convinced my husband to drive me I was not doing this alone!

All images taken from the Boathouse website, to see my snaps check out my instragram page Verandah House

Adore Home Magazine

A big thank you to Loni from Adore Magazine for featuring Verandah House in the December issue and for managing to capture a good image of Jess & I! We've been busy here in the hub of West End since opening our showroom only a few months ago. We are still meeting new customers and love seeing our longtime ones return for a visit. Its been an exciting and busy few months but we love being in West End, its a lively mixture of cultures and the bohemian heart of Brisbane. We feel right at home here and hope you can come visit soon. 

Island Fever

I absolutely fell in love with the home of Rebecca de Ravenel featured in Vogue. Her flat in New York is super stylish and shows her great taste and style. Her time spent in the Bahamas and Paris is evident with all her vintage finds and collectables that adorn her home.

Blue and white is so timeless and I love how she has mixed it up with browns and earthy tones too creating a relaxed but super stylish look to her home! 

I cant finish this post without a mention of her stunning bedroom, I have just ordered similar wallpaper for my bedroom and now I'm on a mission to find this canopy its amazing!!

After such a busy week I'm happy to be lounging around at home doing very little, laptop in position, wine in hand and enjoying doing absolutely nothing but indulging in me time, I hope your having a great day too xx

Suzanne Kasler

I'm a huge fan of Suzanne Kasler's work, she is renowned for designing classic, timeless homes, incorporating the personal collections of antique pieces, contemporary and custom made pieces.
Her latest book Suzanne Kasler Timeless style, represents a lot my own design aesthetics. I personally love soft blue in a bedroom, for me its calming, restful, and elegant and the colour of my own bedroom. I believe a bedroom space should feel restful as Suzanne quotes, "Bedrooms are very important its where we begin our days in the morning and end them each evening"

A Touch Of Glamour

I'm loving touches of gold in bathrooms but am I ready for gold taps, the verdict is still out. If you're clever how you go about it you can mix silver with touches of gold (as above). It can work equally as well and adds a more practical element to your bathroom. I try whenever possible to use wall lighting in bathrooms, the light is so much softer and lets face it a whole lot more flattering on naked bodies! The wallpaper is custom painted at VH, we are loving doing custom hand-painted paper by our Chinese artist, its no doubt a work of art.

Photo credit: pinterest and http://www.riverahomes.ca/?page=portfolio

Blues and Greens

As a designer my love of nature is possibly one of my strongest design influences, most of the colours I use come from natural elements like the sea, shells, walks on the beach, collecting, driftwood, the depth of blues in the ocean, the country, flowers, rolling green hills. They say blue and green should never been seen, how wrong they are, I couldn't love a more perfect colour combination.

Verandah House Island Style

Our Verandah House coastal room represents the true Queensland relaxed look. With a cream cable-knitted throw draped over our built-in bench seat, layered with a mix of linen, beaded and embroidered cushions and accessorised with beautiful coral pieces and decor books...what's not to love! The bar trolley is a big favourite & a must have for any living/dining area. The wallpaper and custom panel work are added features and allows us to change the look every season.