1GS Picks & Design Board...

Soundslike Home, out of Sydney, has some great pieces and I found a couple things I may get for my home...

like these rattan tray tables.  They come in a set of 3 for $209!

{Rattan Tray Tables}

and one of these cube side tables for next to our new sofa...it's white washed teak and only $121!

{multi-cube-white-wash}

I've been busy pulling together pieces that I'd love to add to our home.  This is what I've found so far...

we already have a similar coffee table and the carved Chinese piece is ours. 
So we need:

• New Sofa
• Area Rug
• Side Tables
• Lamps
• Kilim Pillows
• I want a large turtle shell for the mantel
• Large Mirror or Piece of Art for above the Chinese Console
• Lamp for Console
• Recover Our Mid Century Club Chair

Yes, $$$ signs are flashing before my eyes! I think I can pull the "look" together for around $3500 (not including recovering the club chair...that may remain on the to-do list). We want to have the room finished by August...that's when our first guests are coming for a visit!

Sofa Love...

We've been searching for a new sofa, to replace the temporary one we purchased when we first arrived in Australia.  Today, we found a shopping center that was all home interior shops.  We went into one of the stores, Early Settler, for the first time and we loved almost everything they had to offer!  Right when we walked in we saw a great sofa and we both agreed that it was most definitely a top contender!
Try to ignore everything else in the room!  We're only interested in the great linen sofa.  Of course, I'd loose the throw pillows and add Turkish Kilim pillows instead, to bring some texture, pattern and color to the piece.  I really do love it...

Then, we went into Freedom Furniture, which I've mentioned before on the blog and my husband found his dream sofa...

I have to admit I really loved it too...it's great in person.  The scale is perfect, it sits lower to the ground and the leather is beautifully distressed.  It feels very rich....very Restoration Hardware.

Two totally different directions!  One more cozy and feminine and one more modern and masculine.  When we got home I stared at our living room for a while and could easily picture both options in the room, but I think we will end up agreeing on the linen sofa.  It just seems a better choice for this time in our lives...we can all three stretch out on it, watch a movie and be really comfy!  I think we may be getting it next month, it's a big purchase and we want to be 100% before pulling the trigger  checkbook!

Client Project: Final Touches...

A few posts back, I mentioned that I'd be adding some baskets as wall art as the finishing touch to a project.  Well, surprise, surprise...it's the entry that keeps on giving!

I knew that once the mirrors went up they would be out of scale with the length of the wall and the height of the ceiling, so I had a plan in my mind and knew the exact solution I wanted to present.  Right when I sent over the photos of the West Elm baskets and explained my plan to hang them to surround the mirrors, my client was immediately on board and headed straight to her local West Elm.  The store only had 3 baskets in stock, so she got 2 of the small ones and one medium basket and the other two are on back order and are due to arrive sometime in February.  We already hung the three baskets, via Skype (got to love Skype) and let me just tell you, they're the absolute perfect finishing touch to the wall! 

You may also notice that there is now a runner as well.  There was always a plan to add a runner, but we were still searching for the perfect one.  The other day I found this sisal one on Overstock.com and knew that it would play off the Ikat cushion perfectly...the homeowner finished making the cushion a couple days ago and it turned out wonderfully!  I can't wait to share the after photos with you all, once the 2 baskets and runner arrive.

A Slight Obsession...

Not sure if I've confessed this before, but I have a small not so small obsession with Sea Urchin Spines!

{find them here}

Yes, I know that sounds quite odd, but I find them to be absolutely beautiful and perfectly organic...it was love at first sight...

{found here}

 I really need to order some, A.S.A.P...

{found here}

I think they're great for jewelry design, various craft projects (like strung on a length of hemp twine to make a garland, glued around a picture frame or hot glued around a glass cylinder to make a great vase) or even just simply having a large collection displayed in a bowl on the coffee table.  An easy and quite inexpensive way to add a unique, coastal, bohemian touch to your wardrobe or home interior!...not to mention a great conversation starter!

Pull Down...

One of my favorite faucet designs is the industrial pull down faucet!  I wanted to pull a selection from different price points and styling...from very industrial to more sleek.

{hjuvik, pekoe, vigo, elba, series 400, K7, kraus, vigo, vigo, jado, blanco, dax, watermark, grainger, grainger}

 In my book, the bigger the better! My top picks are the last three...which also span the price range.

Is this look for you?  Have any of you incorporated this style of faucet into your kitchens?  What is your favorite faucet style/finish?

Entry and Blog Love...

Liking this bench, ikat pillows, and art from the blog Design Manifest, featured in this months House of Fifty...

Always love finding new blogs to follow and this seems to be a great one!

Dining & Director's Chairs...

I've always been fond of using director's chairs in home decor and actually have a vintage set of my own, which are bar height, that I bought 10 years ago at a flea market in Texas....

Lately, I've seen a lot of chic dining spaces, with the director's chair as the chair of choice and have been very inspired...

I love this dining room by India Hicks...Classic Coastal Style...

{room designed by India Hicks found here}

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and this room by Australian designer Sarah Davison is almost spot on with my personal style!...Love it!  If you want to check out Sarah's portfolio, and I highly recommend you do, you can find it here.  I'm in love with the Palm Beach House she designed.

{room designed by Sarah Davison found here}

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Great look for casual eat-in kitchen dining...

{image}

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Loving the look of this Kreiss Shangri-La Director's Chair!

Baskets As Wall Art...

I love baskets used as wall art and am planning to use them to finish up a project...

Some beautiful inspiration...

{image}

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beautiful, natural, textural, dimensional, impactful!

Birthday Wish List...

My birthday is in February and I've been admiring a few things, so I thought I'd throw together a little post to give a few people some ideas....oh, and to share some cool stuff with you all...

{Graphic printed basket, papier mache tortoise shell, kilim pillow, kilim pillow, calligraphy brush, calligraphy brush, calligraphy brush}

Topping the list are a few kilim pillows and a collection of calligraphy brushes!  They seem to always make my yearly Christmas list and Birthday list...hint, hint!

Staying Motivated...

for our possible trip to Fiji...

{image Maria Menounos  }

need to be bikini ready, so I can sport a cute suit like this or...

{image}

look this great in a photo!  So far, so good...I've been off to a great start this new year and if I keep it up, I can hit this goal!

Guess I Wasn't Kidding...

OMG, it's the 4th and, for sure, final revision!

we switched out the bench, once again, for this great Aman Trunk from Cost Plus World Market...the look and quality is just much better than the bench with the baskets.  It's already been purchased and is sitting in the clients foyer.  Now all that's left to do is hang the two driftwood mirrors and make the cushion.  Some before and after photos (probably won't have cushion ready in time) will be coming very soon!

Now, we're moving onto having the formal dining chairs reupholstered...Just looking for the perfect fabrics.

Adventure Time...

We are definitely feeling that it's time for a little adventure...

{image found here by Beverly Ealdama}


although, there is still much to explore in our new country of residence...

we just can't fight the desire to be here...

{image}

we're aiming for March...fingers crossed!  That should be enough time to get in swimsuit shape and acquire some cute tropical attire.

Another Revision...

So, remember the two design boards for my clients foyer I presented last week. (plan 1, plan 2) Well, just when you think you've figured it out, you get thrown a curve ball.  The "perfect" little entry bench we found at West Elm would have been great, but the cost for shipping was crazy, so we went back and forth a bit...wanting to just go for it and then not wanting to just throw money away.

In the end we decided to try looking around, again, for a more cost saving alternative that wouldn't be too much of a design compromise.

Today, my client sent me a link to a bench she found at Cost Plus.  It's on sale for $99, marked down from $230!  I think it's a great compromise, since we'll be able to use an existing ikat fabric we have to make a bench cushion.

And, yes, I did make another quick design board, just to see if the new bench will meld well with our existing driftwood mirrors and Wisteria lantern.  I do like it, and I also like that the baskets will serve as a place to stash shoes, purses, shopping bags, etc.

stay tuned for a possible 4th revision...just kidding (I hope)!

printed blinds...

in the right room ...

{surprisingly, you can find them here}

they could make quite the statement!

bohemian state of mind...

Lately, I've been wanting to toss most of my existing wardrobe and go, exclusively, with a Bohemian style...

bohemian by amandalenore featuring gold tone jewelry

bohemian style by amandalenore featuring a fringe belt

it may just be a summer thing (it's starting to get pretty hot here), but this look always feels right!

If we end up back in Hawaii, after our time in Australia is over (2.5-4.5 years left)...I think I'll go for it!

Client Project: Foyer Update

The other day I posted a rough plan for the entry foyer of my current client project.  Today, I believe we've finalized it. 

We are going with a driftwood mirror...actually with two!  We've been searching for the perfect mirror all this week and went back and forth with the DIY idea, but my client sent me a link today, asking what I thought of the driftwood mirror at Kohl's.  I quickly checked it out and noticed that the dimensions were two small, but then noticed that it was Buy One Get One For $1...yes, that is right!  Ding, Ding, Ding...if we hang them side by side it would provide the scale we needed!  So with the get the second for $1 and a 15% off coupon, my client ordered two driftwood mirrors for $112.

However, before committing to the mirrors, I wanted to find either the perfect bench or console table to go under them.  I hadn't checked out the West Elm site yet, so I headed over and low and behold...I found just what I'd been looking for!  Oh, and it was on sale.  I sent my client the link for the Essex Printed Bench, in Ikat Feather Gray, and a quick design board to give her an idea of what the bench, mirrors and her new light fixture, from Wisteria, would look like together.  She quickly signed off on the whole scheme, placed the order for the mirrors and is now heading over to West Elm as we speak!

{the walls are painted in a slate blue, the ceiling is a metallic bronze and the light fixture casts a beautiful pattern onto the bronze ceiling}

 Don't you just love it when a plan, finally, comes together!

Sofa Love...

We're still searching for the perfect sofa...We have not seen even one strong contender yet.  Of course, I'm still not 100% sure the exact style I want.  My current selection process is that once I see it I'll just know. 

With that in mind, I saw this sofa online and I knew I loved it!  I also know that it's not in Australia, so the search is still on...

{Jane Bisectional Sofa found here}

I love the chaise, the clean lines, the tufting, the low arms!...color?  I think I would be pretty happy if I came across something like this and at a great price point...one can dream!

Client Project: Driftwood Mirror

About a week before Christmas my clients closed on their new house and have been completing projects at lightening pace.

They've already changed out most of the light fixtures, painted the front entry hall (walls and ceiling), painted the office in a pumpkin spice color, had crown molding installed throughout the family room, kitchen and breakfast room, knobs installed in the bathrooms and have hung most of the drapes!

Today, I wanted to share the design board for the foyer and a possible DIY mirror idea:



{the foyer turned out perfect, now we just have to dress it up with a mirror and possibly a bench...lantern via Wisteria}

 the client has a large collection of driftwood, so I thought it might be an affordable and stylish idea to DIY a driftwood mirror...

{mirrors: crate and barrel, pottery barn and blue fish}

I think I'm leaning towards a large rectangular mirror?...  What do you think?  Yes or No to the DIY mirror.  At first the client was wanting a wrought iron mirror, but with the lighting being metal and some other pieces being wrought iron in a nearby area, it just seemed a bit overkill.  I'm biased, I love driftwood! 

Perhaps we could still bring in a bit of wrought iron in the form of a bench base, with an upholstered top...maybe one of the great Ikat pillow fabrics we used in the family room.

{via fabric.com}

Ideally, I'd really love a pair of these under an extra large rectangular driftwood mirror...

{image via 1stdibs}

I can't wait to see it totally finished!

I'll get her to take some photos soon, so I can share them with you all!