'In The Palazzo, You Are In Heaven'...

seen in WSJ magazine

So says Francis Ford Coppola of his heavenly, sublime palazzo come recently opened hotel (Palazzo Margherita) in Southern Italy... Wouldn't you just love to spend a few nights here in heaven yourself? Designed in collaboration with French designer Jacques Grange and the Coppola clan -  the design is just pure quirky (see wallpaper/chandeliers) whilst oozing movie set glamour. Love it! Love it! Love it!

Have You Been To Mavis' Kitchen?...

I know you know that I'm a complete sucker for beautiful gardens - particularly one with an old Queenslander quietly nestled in the landscape. There's something just so homely about a grand, old, slightly rundown timber house and something just so soulful about a garden that has been loved and tended and filled to the brim with edible delights. Add to this - heart-warming home cooked meals and you have a beautiful restaurant and a recipe for a great day out ! Hubby and I decided to head up to Mavis' Kitchen in Uki (about a 40 minute drive from us in Byron Bay) last weekend on a whim -  it was our 18 year wedding anniversary - and with the sun shining and nothing particularly planned we thought we'd drop in to see if we could get a table. Luckily for us - there was room and we were able to spend the afternoon languishing in the beauty of the surroundings.... I do love that such a place has been created in the midst of nowhere - and yet because of it's beauty attracts people from near and far. It's a real testament to the place. If you're in the area, then it's worth checking out Mavis' Kitchen - if simply to have tea and scones and to delight in the love that abounds there..

One Fine Day...

I do love it when cutie pie little stores open up in my hometown of Bangalow... Gorgeous, one of a kind stores, the kind that Bangalow is famous for... One such store is One Fine Day, housed in a pretty little shack in Station Street... One Fine Day is filled to the brim with colour and creativity - beautiful things that bring a smile to your face... If you're heading to Bangalow then be sure to check out what's in store...

Penny Farthing and Max Dupain....

Wow... What a coup... If you're a lover of Max Dupain photographs (who isn't?) - then you're in for a treat. Penny Farthing Design House has secured release of a series of photographs from the Max Dupain estate - beautiful, evocative, black and white images - that beautifully capture Australia, our culture, our life, our sensibility... If you're interested in infusing some MD photographs into your decor then contact Penny Farthing Design House for options... Imagine some of these pics lining your walls? Beautiful...

Beautiful Things and Travelling Wares...

I'm loving these summer holidays - as you know (!) - not only because the weather is so beautiful - but also because the slower pace has given me the chance to do a little stalking! And stalking, I've been doing... I do love hunting down old work shoppers - to find out what they've been up to... And in my hunt I've come across the delightful Kara Rosenlund... Kara came along to one of our very first workshops - and had a gift from the get go... You know those types that seem to be able to bring colour, style and texture together with ease and light hand? I've been following Kara since that time, to see how her career would unfold and recently have been checking out her website... And wow, what a treat... Kara has been styling and photographing (yes, she takes pics too) up a storm, as you can see from the images above... Such evocative, emotional and sensitive work... Congrats Kara on taking your career to such great heights... Not to be dull though, Kara has fingers in many pies... Check out Kara's caravan of old wares (called Travelling Wares) which trips from market to market around the Brisbane area... Love it Kara, you're such an inspiration....

I love that the workshops attract so many diverse and interesting women - who all share a commonality - the desire to lead a creative life... I come across so many women who don't have the confidence to be creative... These women believe that creativity is for the select few - only those who are born with the gene! I love it when these gals attend a workshop as it can be such a personal leap for them to even turn up! The workshops are designed to create a space where even the most novice creative is free to explore her own creativity... We use decorating as our creative medium - but really our workshop experience can be applied to any creative medium. We give you the space, and the tools that you need to allow your creativity to unfold... Creativity isn't a finite thing, after all... It's a journey that often lasts a lifetime... A creative ride! I  can't wait to fire up new workshops for 2012 - and to launch the new website which will have all of the details/dates... So, if you've been holding your inner creative to ransom and are looking for a way to unleash it into the world - then look out.... As 2012 is going to be a very creative year...

Chillax In Byron Bay...

It's no secret that creative types turn to the environment around them for inspiration in their work... The colours, textures and energy around us is a great influence on how we feel within ourselves and in turn how we express our vision through our work... Well, this is my environment... The beautiful Byron Bay.... Pure white sand, clear blue water and sculptural foliage - like the pandanas tree - in muted tones that speak in whispered tones - saying all the while - 'relax, relax, relax'... I've recently been working on a lovely project - a small hotel - in Byron Bay - and it's colours just like these that have made it's way from the environs beyond to the spaces within... Washed up, washed out blues and greens, sandy tones in textures intended to translate the feeling you get from the beach to your lounge room... Loving this colour palette right now - it says summer chillax - exactly how summer in Oz is supposed to be... Can't wait to show you the result of our chilled out labours...


This pic is by Prue Ruscoe for a shoot we did for Inside Out...

Colour Interpretation...

Check out my daughter Inez's creative offering for today - an artistic/graphic/computer interpretation of the cover of my sense of style: colour book... I love that it's a little Matisse and a little Gauguin - with beautiful rich colourings in broad, organic brushstrokes... Really, it's just lovely to see all of that holiday computer time (!) being put to good use, I say.... We could have an artist in our midst afterall...

2012... Here We Come...