June 2011

Winter Glitch...

Hi everyone!

I have been having LOADS of trouble uploading photos to my blog this week, which is why I haven't posted anything....very frustrating.

I have been busy though, preparing for a new Design Market coming to Hobart on August 28th.

(see the side bar for more details)

as well as making new items for my Etsy Shop.

(I'm quite excited about this Market)

here

Even thought it is Winter here in Australia, the last few days have felt more like early Spring, and I am loving it. It has made me want to sit outside in the sunshine on the porch with my coffee.

I spotted this image and realised that we really need a little space like this were I can watch the boys on the trampoline and ride their bikes about when Spring really does show it's lovely face.

Spring and Summer just make you come alive in so many ways.

I hope all of you who are in Summer right now are having a ball outside in the warm weather

...we are in for cold rain all weekend =0(

Have a lovely weekend wont you?

Alice Waters on One Kings Lane

One of my most memorable meals was that at legendary Chez Panisse. It was five years ago, and yet I think that I'm still on a high about the whole experience. For foodies and wannabe foodies, Alice Waters' Berkeley restaurant is like Mecca. You have to dine there at least once in your life.

Chez Panisse is celebrating its 40th anniversary in August of this year, its longevity a testament to Waters' innovative cooking and her emphasis on fresh, locally grown produce. It was this passion for healthy, organic cooking that led Waters to later start the Chez Panisse Foundation which promotes school lunch reform and The Edible Schoolyard for public school children.

In honor of the restaurant's upcoming anniversary, One Kings Lane has partnered with Alice Waters to offer different Chez Panisse experiences to One Kings Lane members. The sale, which runs now through July 1, includes different packages like tickets to the 40th anniversary celebration and even an opportunity to cook in the Chez Panisse kitchen for a day- and all of it is tax deductible. The proceeds from the sale benefit the Chez Panisse Foundation. How cool is that?

If the cost of the experiences are a little outside of your budget, by all means check out the In the Green Kitchen sale, also running through July 1, which features Waters' picks for the kitchen.

And just for fun, I took a few photos of the menu from my dinner at Chez Panisse. There was no way that I was going to throw it away!

Be Like A French Country

be like a French country

Platner on My Mind

I like to surround myself with things that have provenance. An impressive provenance is not a requirement, mind you, although I would be thrilled to own something once owned by someone I admire: Albert Hadley, Van Day Truex, or Dorothy Draper, for example. And I don't think that anything in my house has a really, really fine pedigree. I have some nice pieces, but nothing by a blue-chip designer like Boulle, Kent, or Frank.

The kind of provenance that is important to me is one that connects me to someone or some place important in my life. One that establishes a connection to one of my grandparents, say, or to my Atlanta roots. Something that tells a story. Story, to me, is most important. Take my headboard. It has a curvy black wrought iron frame that comes to a point at top, capped with a fleur de lis; the interior is upholstered in gray mohair. It's nice looking and unique, but it's the history behind this piece that I just love. The frame actually used to be a outdoor sign, one owned by Charles Willis, the old Atlanta jeweler and tabletop purveyor. In fact, the companion sign frame still sits on Peachtree, holding the Dante's Down the Hatch sign. (Dante's, by the way, is a fondue restaurant/ jazz club that has been around since the 1970s.) Some of you might remember that the house that holds Dante's used to house Charles Willis. See? That's a story, one that probably does not mean much to most of you, but it's one that reminds me of the good old days in Buckhead.

There's also my framed 1930s photo of the actress Irene Dunne. Truth be told, I have never cared for Dunne; whenever I see one of her movies, I find myself getting a little irritated. But, she was my late grandmother's favorite actress. My grandmother's friend happened to be down in Sea Island, Georgia at the same time that a young Dunne was visiting the resort, and she somehow took or obtained the photo of Dunne standing outside of the Cloister, in turn giving it to my grandmother. Not only does this photo remind me of my grandmother, it also makes me think of all of the summers that I used to spend down at the Cloister. That's a double connection.

So now I'm contemplating buying a new dining table, and I'm strongly considering getting a Platner dining table. First and foremost, it's a really good looking table, one that is now considered to be a classic. And, it looks great with more traditional table accessories. (Just look at all of the yummy examples below.) But, seeing that I'm a nostalgia seeker, there is another reason. It was a Platner chair like that at top that was the first piece of modern furniture that made an impression on me. My mother used to take my sister and me to the dress department at Neiman Marcus where we would sit in Platner chairs, ones that spun around much to our delight. Platner's design seemed awfully exotic to me, as did all of that late 1970s fashion at Neiman's. And you know? A slick table like this would add a little edge to my antique French sideboard. Oh, and by the way, my parents bought the sideboard at Rich's department store which, at that time, employed the soon to be legendary designer Dan Carithers as its home furnishings' design director.

Good grief. I just can't stop making these connections. It must be a sickness, and an exhausting one at that!

A Platner table and chairs in the Dallas penthouse of Pat Patterson.

Jonathan Adler used a Platner table in this dining room that he designed.

The dining room of designer James Andrew

Patterson photo from Elle Decor, May 1999; Ka Yeung photographer; Andrew photo from Elle Decor; Adler photo courtesy of his website.

The French Country-ness Of It

The french country-ness of it

French Kitchen

French Kitchen

French Country Kitchen

French country kitchen

Kitchen Sets Interior Design

Kitchen Sets Interior Design

Amazing Table Lamps

If you dream of redecorating your interior or are simply interested in unusual interior design ideas, you are welcome. Below is the list of the most creative and extravagant lamp designs you have ever seen.

Unusual Table Lamps With White Color

The bottles are collected from cafes and households in Nottingham and then they are cleaned and sandblasted. Then with some clever cutting they are transformed into decorative shapes, totally unrecognisable from their original state.

Abyss table lamp. This odd lamp is design by Kundalini studio. It is common knowledge that designers often get inspired by ordinary things but could you imagine that someone gain inspiration from a intestinal tract? The advantage of the lamp is that it can twist and turn forming variety of shapes, thanks to its flexible segmented construction. LED lighting provides clean and bright light.

Feminine Amazing Table Lamps

Girls Table Lamps. These beautiful girls table lamps by Italamp are a fashion lamps designs. The girls table lamps inspired by the hat and women's clothing. The girls table lamps romantic-style with strikling design that featuring a hat-shaped shade, woven with a hint of sparkle. If you love the whole fashion-inspired theme, try this girls table lamps. The girls table lamps available with three different height and many color choices, like purple, blue, black, brown, green, silver, and whatever you're looking for, they've got your color. We hope for placing these girls table lamps on your bedside table or in your dressing area.

Every element should fit to the main interior idea and if you have chosen modern style then all accessories must be in that style. The table lamp PizzaKobra by Ron Arad might become one of them. This lamp has an awesome design which surprises by its flexibility and creativity. This modern table lamp is made of steel and aluminium, finished with chrome and equipped with 6 white LED lights. It could become an amazing functional table decoration of any modern interior design.

Beautiful Colorful Mood Lamp Design LUNE Color Changing LED Mood Lamp From Cielux

Plastics looks cool as light fixture due to amazing light effects it creates (we've already seen how plastic cups can be turned into beautiful chandeliers). The only thing to be aware of is that the heat the light produces may burn out the plastic so you'd better use LED lights. But for sure, this always looks cool!

Creative Amazing Table Lamps

Little Garden

Even in the event you posses a little lawn, you are able to nonetheless have an appealing backyard. Room ought to not be a limiting element when preparing and designing your backyard. Listed below are some little garden ideas that you'll discover very helpful. Little garden has no size limit. In fact, a clay pot had been able to meet its demand. The first thing to do is find a location. If the desired garden wants to be just in form of a pond with a little bit green plants. You can build it anywhere. The remaining part on the corner of the garden is also allowed.

Amazing Little Garden With Stone Decor

Green Little Garden With Many Plants Various

Elegant Little Garden Design

Beautiful Miniature Little Garden

Little Garden Inside Your Home

This garden is a perfect blueprint for anyone seeking a primordial get away in a tiny back yard. Ideas and planting are simple but effective and wholly integrated.

Beautiful Little Garden With Colorful Flowers

The beauty of this glorious little garden is that it’s steeped in green. It is true that there are more different shades of green that any other color in the spectrum. No wonder Nature in her wisdom chose to clothe her most plentiful living things in this hue.