Flower Quince

I look at wallpaper a lot as part of my work at Porter's Paints.  I've learnt that although you may love a wallpaper pattern, if the scale is not right for the room it won't work.  Here is a great example of scale and form that is just right framing the window with the organic shapes of the branches.  All the lines are curved - the vanity, the spalshback and the upholstery and I love the line up of the stool and the wallpaper on the left.  This iconic paper is Flower Quince by Clarence House.

Image: via Chinoserie Chic

Oversized bathroom mirror

My business partner has a penchant for large mirrors ( and I am not saying that I don't !) so we frequently include oversized mirrors in our designs for clients, on the floor and occasionally behind console tables.  We have not yet done this look which I love.  Obviously you would only do it if you had lovely shiny under sink plumbing (no plastic) and I am assuming the mirror is in two pieces with the lower part cut around the vanity.  I don't know, it could be once piece that is predrilled by the glazier ? . . .


Image: Oliveaux

Upstairs Downstairs

Sometimes I suffer from interiors overload because my brain sees colours and fabrics and mouldings on walls - even when I am relaxing and watching TV.  I do love period dramas as much for the costumes and sets as the plot line.  Tune in to Upstairs Downstairs on the ABC, set in 1936 just before the war, there is lots to inspire.

Images: BBC Television

Gula by Ximena Escobar

Stunning 'Gula' wallpaper/mural designed by for Colombian designer and illustrator Ximena Escobar for Wallpaper Republic.  Love that the design gives the impression that there is a picture rail and the detail is amazing.  Would love to use this to funk up granny's sitting room.

Images: Wallpaper Republic

Offspring - Nina's wall

Since the first series of Offspring I have been searching and searching for the source of the pressed metal wall in Nina Proudman's apartment.  Finally, this week, others on the same quest have bubbled to the surface of google and I now know, thanks to In the Night Sky that the panel is called Shield and is from Pressed Tin Panels in Bathurst.  Thank goodness as it was really starting to bother me.

Tres Tintas Nimbus

I spent a serene half hour looking at fabrics in Funkis store Miljo in Bondi this morning and flicked through the latest book of wallpapers from Tres Tintas - stunning patterns and colours. Nimbus has loads of movement and is really elegant in the petrol blue colourway.

Image: Tres Tintas

Arizona

Always an easy target for a splash of hot pink I am immediately drawn to this wallpaper - Arizona by Suzy Hoodless. The whole Hothouse collection has fabulous patterns and colours.

While the one above is my favourite, these colours are also very elegant - I'm thinking The Great Gatsby and art deco.

Images: Suzy Hoodless

Palm Beach Black

It is hard to convey a surface finish - especially wood finishes via this medium. I am now only weeks away from completing my diploma in Colour Design so my main interiors reading has been fandecks of paint chips and little pieces of Colorbond metal - not such great blog fodder. Anyway good old Porters have come to my rescue with a product I love - Palm Beach Black - a water based wood stain that you can use inside and out on any wood and - an inspiring image to match to break the blogging drought.

Image: Porters Paints

Dining room inspiration

My house has a dining room with a corner fireplace like this one as many older houses do in Australia. It is still the natural original wood and I would consider painting it - but I feel that is quite a big decision though as it would never be the same again if I did. I also like the panelling idea. Food for thought and indecision !

Image: Katie Ridder via Desire to Inspire

Chameleon

Power points and light switches are mostly pretty unexciting until HPM Legrand come along and present you with 15 different coloured cover plates to click on and change to your hearts content. I received a sample in 5 O'Clock Olive from the Earths colour set which is very tactile and restful. The full Linea colour range is below.

Although you probably wouldn't pick it from the swatches below Gun Metal looks great with the stainless steel appliances in my kitchen - stainless is darker than you think.

Images: HPM Legrand, Emma Mitchell

How about orange ? ... and blue ?

One of the things I found at Designex was that size wasn't everything. There were a number of smaller stands that were crammed with great products - one of those was Ferm Living. This wallpaper - Ferris - is inspired by the ferris wheel at the Tivoli gardens in Copenhagen which is a very tasteful fun fair / park in in the centre of the city. I spent a great summer in Copenhagen as a student and love Danish design. I am loving these colours for kids rooms - a refreshing departure from the red/blue or pink purple combos. The second is by Porters from the range designed by Bholu. Mavis Monkey Ma and Pa also comes in a very sophisticated natural colour way. The penguins at the bottom are by Isak. This UK based design company also has Scandinavian origins and they ship worldwide. Incidentally the title of this post is inspired by the highly entertaining blog how about orange.

Images: Ferm Living, Porters Paints, Isak

School tour

I went on a class excursion to Porters Paints in Waterloo yesterday which was very interesting and enjoyable. I could happily poke around in the little room of wallpapers and super swatches in all Porters colours for a few hours. I saw samples of the range designed by Julie Paterson of cloth for the first time - very calm and serene colours. Looking for Water below was my favourite.

Image: Porters Paints

Hemingway

I'm not madly into retro wallpapers but I do think that some retro styles are very elegant and especially like the look of these Hemingway wallpapers in close up. The first one is called Ringo and the second Hula Hoop, both available from Wallpaper Shop.

Images: Hemingway

Striking stripes

These provide food for thought I think. The mix between matt and texture in the bathroom and living room is very effective. The living room below belongs to Tina di Lorenzo of Di Lorenzo Tiles and I like her style here a lot. In the accompanying interview she reveals that the striped wall was achieved using Dulux Fauna in satin and gloss ! Time-consuming she says but great style I think without breaking the bank.

Images: Living etc, House & Garden, Lonny

Not for the faint hearted - this geometric pattern is also painted on to the wall. There is an interesting article on Nina Freudenbeger in the last issue of Lonny here - she has painted her shop walls and parts of the floor in a fabulous zig zag. I also identify with many of her quotes:

"Make sure your home reflects your own style and comfort level; your space should not be designed only to be 'photo ready'. The chair you sit in to drink your morning coffee and read the paper should be just as comfortable as it is attractive. Make no compromises. "

My problem is the 'make no compromises' bit can make progress pretty slow on the home project front.

Glass garage doors

It's the end of the summer holidays here and my kids go back to school tomorrow, but we still have a few more days in holiday mode as we enter the last rounds of the Australian Open. The tennis this year has been very exciting so all eyes are on Melbourne and with many night games, many a late night watching.

And so to Melbourne. I have posted about the light in this bedroom before but wanted to return to this Melbourne home as I wanted to record the 'up and over' garage door style window which opens the bedroom wall to a private roof terrace complete with built in stove no less. I came across this great post here on glass garage doors by Melbourne based Camilla Molders at designalogue. These are brave designs with walls that move - but pretty unbeatable if you want the outside-inside feel.

Images: House & Garden

Out to sea

Maps are a great addition to kids bedrooms and play rooms especially when they get to the questioning stage of where's this and why etc and for talking about the news, good or bad in the world. These wallpapers are by Ralph Lauren. I'd love to do a child's room based on one of these as the colours are a bit different - a departure from pink and light blue.

Images: Out to Sea, Expedition by Ralph Lauren

Tip of the day

Reading one of those '500 designer tips you you should know . . ' type of articles, one suggestion was to paint the wall behind a collection of pictures or objects in a dark shade for added impact. Especially good if you have a collection of black and white photos to display.

Images: Heiberg Cummings, via Mrs Blandings, David Prince via Desire to Inspire

Third in show

I love an awards ceremony so I flicked through the prize winners of the UK Homes and Gardens 2009 Fabric Awards. How the judges choose I do not know given the huge ranges of new fabrics and wallpapers that are issued each year and so many gorgeous designs to choose from. The Lotus papers by Farrow and Ball below came third in the 'blow the budget best wallpaper category' . It comes in a huge range of colours - some subtle and some dramatic - and they have pictured it with my favourite Pols Potten chair.

Images: Homes and Gardens, Farrow and Ball

Topo Dorado

I am intrigued by this wallpaper by Pattern Tales. 'Topo' is available in a number of different colourways and in some limited edition prints. It is quite unexpectedly detailed in close up and I love the gold version appropriately named Topo Dorado. ( Pattern Tales is a brand by Sir Alan the Gallant a Barcelona based design studio). You can't often put gold and understated in the same sentence but I think you could achieve just that with Topo Dorado.

Images: Pattern Tales, Elle Decoration via Pop Pervert

Collections

One of the questions below was 'do you collect anything ?'. I love a collection in interiors - whatever it might be - as it really personalises a space. It also can be a pretty thrifty way to decorate - using what you collect anyway. I read about a couple who had frames filled with all the concert tickets they had been to together which looked great. I do hope my husband doesnt get any ideas about his Wallabies ticket collection - thats not quite the look I'm after.

Images: So Chic, Tobi Fairly, Andrew Lehmann, Living etc