Friday 25 May 2012

I've got sunshine on a rainy day

Happy Friday one and all. So how's the week been?

Things have been hectic here, busy busy with fun and interesting client work. I'm blessed. You know, I still have to pinch myself that it's less than 2 years since I said goodbye to corporate life and threw myself onto the roller coaster yet again - can't believe it!

My dining room table was a fun and messy place to be yesterday, with fabric and paint swatches strewn all over the place as I played with pulling together delicious and enticing pallettes for my clients - perhaps my favourite part of this job. Hours pass, I forget to eat - and I might get a teeny wee bit obsessed with finding exactly the right colour or pattern, or combo of both!

Which leads me to my point ....

 

Slowing life down was a big part of this whole change, mid-life 're-appraisal', call it what you will! I didn't give up what I was doing before and risk disappearing into professional oblivion just to repeat the pattern of 'gotta be amazing, gotta give it my all', always at the cost of my energy and own inner peace.

 

 

So no matter how much I love what I now do - and you KNOW how much I love it - I know I still need to make sure I take time to stop and smell the roses, well my version of that anyway. So these photos that I wanted to share with you today are my version of that famous old cliche ....

 

 

Looking through my camera lens at a flower as intricate and beautiful as the Bird of Paradise, as close as I can get, makes time stand still. How can I not feel joy when I see the colours, textures and shapes of this marvellous little part of our universe?

 

 

They're not roses.

And they don't smell.

But they are my sunshine on a rainy day like today.

 

Til next time,

Nx

 

Friday 18 May 2012

Delightful Friday

Is it true?

Can I really now blog on my iPad?

Is Blogsy the answer?

Well, that makes me just about as happy as this hotel spotted in May's edition of Livingetc ....

 

 

If this post works, then it is true!

 

P.S. In case you can't read it, this is the Saguaro Hotel in Palm Springs - if a little bit of colour might lift your spirits today, go here

Or just enjoy these shots of the guest rooms ...

 

Friday 11 May 2012

Bathroom Sneak Peek

Hello.

How are you?

It's been a while.  7 weeks to be precise. 

Sometimes life just re-prioritises itself and you just go with it, because it's the right thing to do.  I love blogging, I love writing, I love decorating, I love what I do - but I love people more.  I love my friends and I love my family, both 'real' and extended.  When they need me, I am there, and nothing else is important in that moment. 

But life does go on and after 3 or so months showering in the 1970s afterthought of a bathroom under the house, enough is enough!  Although I have to say that the co-ordination of fittings down there (and I mean everything: hooks, towel rails, toilet seat, toilet roll holder and toilet brush, even 'feature' spots on the white tiles) is pretty impressive - isn't forest green in at the moment?  They don't make 'em like they used to ....

So to ease myself back into blogland, I thought I'd give you a little 'sneak peek' at some of the key features in the new design ....

via Lighting55.com

That's my favourite part.  A late addition - and a bit of a splurge - but just the item I was looking for to really lift the design and make it unique. 


Luckily I fell in love with a feature tile other then the beautiful Dwell/Heath Ceramics one that would cost me more to ship from the U.S. than it would to make and buy!  A lesson learnt - never set your heart on something until you find out if you can 1. source it and 2. afford it!

via Methven

Bathrooms can be hard to design, hard to make interesting.  There are lots of lines and squares and hard surfaces and it can all end up feeling quite bland and cold.  I'm a fan of looking at everything you put in there, such as taps, shower heads, rails, handles & holders, and especially lighting, to see what you can do to lift the design and make it feel like a real room, not a utility area.

via happilyeverafterinseattle

Clever storage is another 'must' of mine.  Can't wait to show you how this picture (or one similar as the final selection hasn't been made yet) will be used in my pocket-size powder room. 

Well, it is nice to be back.  I hope you're still there!


'Til next time, take good care of you and the people you love, Nx