Colour 101: Two "twists" on the traditional feature wall

I'm still undecided how to get some colour onto the walls in an interesting way in Anoushka's shiny new little room. And thanks you all for the fab suggestions, by the way - pale grey (I would never have thought of that!), turquoise, bright green, a yellow strip, a gold ceiling... They are all amazing ideas. I also can't stop thinking about these two "twists" on the traditional feature wall:

(above) Paint a half height section of wall, being sure to wrap around a corner for max effect. Love how this one doubles as a bed head (and can we start obsessing over that Melon colour already?!). Huge thanks to Anna who made my weekend by sending me that swoooony pic!

Oh How Sublime

Another alternative to painting a simple feature wall is to use one colour in two different strengths on two adjacent walls. So fab. Seriously considering this one... Hmmm.

Ikea Sleepover: Spend the night at IKEA!

I just received the following email (and it's a little bit fun, so here goes):

Hi Louise,
Because you're family, we wanted to make sure you're one of the first to know about our amazing IKEA Sleepover competition.

In this once in a lifetime opportunity, 50 lucky ladies will win a sleepover night at the IKEA Homebush store on 25 March, including chick flicks, pampering treatments, and indulgent snacks served by some very handsome men. And IKEA will make a donation to Bear Cottage on behalf of all the competition winners.

To enter, simply go to the IKEA Sleepover Facebook page. Competition closes 14 March.

Good luck,
Mark Tsen
IKEA FAMILY Manager

Gimme! of the day: "Parisian Chic" by Ines de la Fressange

"Celebrity model Inès de la Fressange shares the well-kept secrets of how Parisian women maintain effortless glamour and a timeless allure in "Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Ines de la Fressange".

"Inès de la Fressange—France’s icon of chic—shares her personal tips for living with style and charm, gleaned from decades in the fashion industry. She offers specific pointers on how to dress like a Parisian, including how to mix affordable basics with high-fashion touches, and how to accessorize."

"Her step-by-step do’s and dont's are accompanied by fashion photography, and the book is personalized with her charming drawings. Inès also shares how to bring Parisian chic into your home, and how to insert your signature style into any space—even the office."

"The ultra chic volume is wrapped with a three-quarter-height removable jacket and features offset aquarelle paper and a ribbon page marker. Complete with her favorite addresses for finding the ultimate fashion and decorating items, this is a must-have for any woman who wants to add a touch of Paris to her own style."

"Inès de la Fressange started as a runway model, became the face of Chanel, and launched a clothing line; she is the essence of Parisian style and elegance. Her drawings have regularly appeared in Elle. She is creative consultant for Roger Vivier shoes and is designing the interior of a new Parisian hotel. Sophie Gachet is a fashion journalist for Elle in Paris."

Images rdujour

"Parisian Chic" is released on 5th April 2011. Click to pre-order on Amazon. 

 

20 bookmark-worthy sites I (only) discovered this week

Another week, another 20 reasons to love the nets! PS We need to discuss this blanket! Are you feelin' it?! Ima-feelin' it!

inspirations deco

1. inspirations deco

2. my farmhouse

3. decorazione

4. effortless-style

5. tiny white daisies

6. bohemian hunter 

7. cool baby cool

8. thats a first

9. paper crave
10. alice in design land

11. stylish irish

12. what the traveler brings
13. miss walker

14. rich girlsss

15. on the streets of sydney

16. something navy

17. man repeller

18. i love wildfox
19. cooking from the heart 
20. knife and saw

On sale soon: Belle Feb-March 2011

Oooh baby! The weekend just got a whole lot sweeter.

Happy weekend Tonic-ettes!

I'm looking so forward to this weekend - My big brother and his new Missus are down from Brisbane for the weekend, so it's a quiet family lunch for 8 here tomorrow! Oh, and I just had a "tinker" with my blog header, one thing led to another and... well, here she is!

Scissors Paper Rock

Anyone up to anything smashing this weekend? Share!

On sale now: Home Beautiful March 2011

Sneaky peak time again! Let's have a flick through the March 2011 issue of Home Beautiful mag (on sale now!):

(above) "Seeing Spots": How fun are those walls? ("Background in Cloth wallpaper in 'Spotcheck', $206/10 metre roll, Porter's Paints.") So often, I'm drawn to anything playful, yet grown up at the same time, and that wallpaper would be right at home in a newborn's nursery, as much as it would in a dining room (in my humble opinion, anyway!).

(above) "Graphic Designs": Swoonicating over that 'Chad' floor lamp in black, ($299 from Mercator Lighting). 

(above) "Clear winner": A gorgeous home on Sydney's South Coast, belonging to "Kim and Rob", aka owners of Roki - the Aussie distributors for Hokare (rechargable candles and cordless lamps)

 (above) "Above Sea Level": Another dreamy beach house, this time on the Uraguayan coast.

(above) "Sweeping Scale": A "reinvigorated Californian Bungalow" on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

(above) "Fair Play": A snippet from Jen Djula of (online ethical store) Blue Caravan's home.

(above) "Light the Way": 10 ways to "cast a stylish glow over your home or workspace"!

(above) Yum. That is all.

(above) Shopping: Garden Goodies (When exactly did the humble mailbox get so cool?!)

(above) "In the Know": A complete kitchen design guide. Phew! And there you have it. PS The March 2011 issue of Home Beautiful is on sale now!

Highgloss magazine + The Coveteur

Time seems to have flown by this past few weeks, and there are two websites I ordinarily would have blogged about theminute I caught wind of them, but didn't. And I can't bear to go on living my life and calling myself a blogger until I alert you all to them. So.

1. Highgloss :: When the founder-slash-editor-in-chief of the latest online decor mag is Paloma Contreras (of La Dolce Vita fame), you know you're onto a winner. Go have a read and prepare to be inspired on a grand scale.

2. The Coveteur ::  Originally called The Coveted (but then the real The Coveted called the lawyers and, well, to cut a long story short, it's now been (promptly!) renamed The Coveteur and who gives a rats anyway - it's fab (think Vogue and The Selby's lovechild). FAB!

On sale now: Australian Country Style March 2011

Way pretty in the cover department, and I enjoyed taking a tour of artist Marnie Gilder's digs inside. Australian Country Style's March 2011 issue is on sale now. Sneak peak to come!

Anoushka's new room: It's finished (well, close enough)!!

Aaaand... It's a wrap! Almost. Miss Anoushka's room is pretty much finished, with the exception of "operation "Spice Rack" oh, and curtains, so let's take a whirlwind tour of her tiny (and it is tiny!) room:

It's fairly different from what I initially imagined, but I adore how it's come together. It's cute, rather than being too stuffy or sophisticated. One thing I wish I could click my fingers and change is all those (Dulux Natural White) white walls. I may still paint the ceiling a colour. Or I may paint a feature wall (or two!). To be honest, I'm not sure what colour I'd even do it... (thoughts?)

Hung the mini-gallery myself. Bloody hard work. Thinking I may wake up with (bulging) biceps in the morning...

Yes, more pictures...

I think every good daybed needs a couple of chunky-ass bolster cushions. Do you think I can find any in Sydney that are long enough? No. No I can't.

(above) 3 Howards Storage World tub thingies at $32 each. Nice and big, yet shallow enough for sliding under the bed. Best 96 clams I ever spent. Oh, and they come in pretty much every colour of the rainbow!

(above) Yellow/green/blue dots: "Food colouring on serviette" by Jasper Bell; Greige-y smudgy canvas: "How not to paint" by Louise Bell; Kiddy drawing also by Jasper; Small pink oil paint & graphite on canvas by (Aussie artist) Lisa Madigan; For Like Ever poster bought online from Village; Bone China Angel Wings, $340 from Have You Met Miss Jones.

Living up a long driveway, among so many beautiful tall trees means it gets super dark in our house at night (unless the moon is completely full), so I bought these great Candela Tooli nightlights online from Olifant last week after seeing them on page 42 of Adore Home magazine's "British issue" $99 for a pair - one for each of the Mini Tonics!

"Piper", Anoushka's cuddly since birth, snuggles up to a couple of Table Tonic Pink Spot Ikat cushions.

Aren't they just incredible? Bone China Angel Wings, $340 from Have You Met Miss Jones.

How. Fab. Is the blanket. Thank you mum!!!

(And no, she won't "take orders". I already asked.)

Oil paint & graphite on canvas by Lisa Madigan. Love.

(above) Any guesses what's going on this wall??? (Hint)

So... I hope you enjoyed my little tour of Mini Tonic's (nouveau) boudoir! Early days, and I'm sure there will be tweaks and adjustments here and there, but she loves it and I do too! Oh, and lest we forget the dreaded "before" shots (below), which resemble some kind of beachside crack den when I look at them now...

The. End. (I hope)

Table Tonic in the press!

Two recent pages from the Sunday Telegraph's Sunday mag, featuring Table Tonic goodies! Wheeee!

(above) Table Tonic Union Jack cushion, $85 ("Smarter than a Kate and Wills mug, but still delightfully Brit-kitsch.")

(above) Table Tonic Silver Moroccan Leather Pouffe, $220 ("Rest your weary pins on a glam footstool.")

"Zest for Design: A visit with Louise and Graeme"

This was the beautiful little Federation house we recently sold and moved out of, featured in all it's glory (with a little help from a stylist!) in the current issue of Home Ideas magazine which hit the stands last Friday (18th February). I think they captured the essence well in these really beautiful images... (Click pics to enlarge)

(above) Table Tonic Union Jack cushion

(above) Table Tonic Ikat cushions and 

"Olivia" Moroccan Wedding Blanket

Home Ideas magazine Vol: 6 No: 3 (below) is on sale now!