Real Estate Envy...

Looks like another of my favorite design firms, Shelton & Mindel, has updated their website recently. I am totally lusting after this place which looks like a new addition to their portfolio. I must sound like a broken record...BUT this place does have great bones. And its full of great furniture. Period architecture mixed with 20th Century icons - they do it so well. I want...or at least a small Hong Kong sized version ;)

Somerville Scott & Co.

It's been a while since a furniture collection has "wowed" me, but the range by London based Somerville Scott & Co. did just that. As far as I'm concerned these designs tick all the right boxes for me - they're elegant, well made, beautifully detailed and made from quality materials.

The Sloop club chair - very versatile looking, great lines, and I've always been a sucker for studs ;)


The Minx sofa - so classic! The contrast coloured buttons are super cute, but I have to say I love the brass strip detail along the bottom!

The Felidae I chair is another classic, and again very versatile. Love the detailing at the top of the legs there, just enough to make it stand out from the crowd.

The Precisionist's table is a beautiful combination of brass, walnut and leather - so luxe looking. Great as a desk or a dining table.

The Miss Helen room divider - so simple, yet so chic.

The Miss Helen buffet - ebonized walnut with marble top, with a brass plinth, hardware and interior. Stunning.

The Curiosity Cabinet I - a mix of brass, ebonized walnut, lacquer and gold leaf. A bit like what I would imagine Paul Dupre-Lafon meets Alice in Wonderland would look like...

Check out their website for images of many more great pieces!

P.S. I want to thank you all for the lovely comments and emails from my last post, but I also want to reassure you that I have no intention of turning this blog into a daily soap opera of my personal life, and will restrict news to work related topics. Speaking of which, I should have some more for you soon - so stay tuned!

Bloggers Block, Bad stuff and Bravery

I've been a bit light on posting lately...not intentionally, I just haven't had much to say, or to share. Truth be told, a few crappy things have happened lately, and that is partly to blame for my absence. My Grandmother passed away a few weeks ago, and I rushed back home to attend her funeral and spend time with my family. She was an incredible woman and greatly influenced my life. I'm sure I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for her. Its been a really surreal few weeks post-Australia, and while I'm glad I got to see my family twice this year, it wasn't really a trip back that I wanted to make. I think I am still in shock and it will really only start to sink in the next time I take a trip home and she's not there. And its quite likely that next trip will be for my little sisters wedding, which will make it that little bit harder. I have to say though, despite her 84 years, and the general "oh, well (she wasn't young...)" reaction I get when I pass on my news, my Grandmother had a lot left in her. She was young. And she was active, fit and healthy, and her partner was 15 years younger than her. No, that was not a typo. 15 years younger. They danced every week up until a little while ago and she was really with it and vibrant. I'm so glad I saw her only a few months ago, but I still can't help feeling cheated. You know? And so I've felt that part of my childhood has now disappeared, and I'm that little bit older - not necessarily wiser, but definitely at a different stage in life.

And then today, I found out that an old acquaintance passed away. At 37. Of Lung Cancer. He wasn't a close friend, but he was a friend of good friends who were in a band together, and he was partially responsible for producing the soundtrack to my youth. So now, only weeks after feeling like my childhood was stolen, I now feel like my late teens and early 20's are somehow tainted or significantly further away somehow.

So, I guess this post is about life. And how short it is. And sometimes its not short, but it can still feel like its cut shorter than it should have been. So for all of us that are still here, we need to make sure that we are doing what we want to be doing, and that we're happy - and sometimes you need to be brave to get out of the rut you might be in. Because you just never know. And I guess we should all be living life like we only have one day left. I know that I'm not. But after today, I'm sure gonna.

Yovanovitch update

While I was stalking, um, I mean checking out Pierre Yovanovitch's website the other day I noticed a few new projects had been added...joy!

These all bear the trademark of Yovanovitch's style - fresh, modern and always, always, full of great furniture. Check out his website for more!

Delightful desks!

I'm still on the home office train of thought...although now I'm thinking I should put myself and my laptop at a snazzy secretaire in our living room, and leave my husband to wallow in the mess he calls his study at the other end of our apartment.

Love this new one from Armani Casa - looks like its covered in Parchment. The lines are stunning - a little Karl Springer inspired perhaps?