KWID @ BG - sneak preview!

I arrived home to find the October edition of HK magazine 'Home Journal', and after flicking through almost the entire thing without seeing much of interest, I stumbled upon a feature at the back on the goddess, Kelly Wearstler. Amongst a whole heap of stuff that was old news...(I swear magazines here are about 4 months behind the rest of the world)...they showed some of the new homewares range she has designed, presumably for Bergdorf Goodman. How exciting! I'm not too suprised - it seems very inspired by her typical vintage look. I am looking forward to seeing the rest of it though, especially how they merchandise it in store.

In the pink...

In honour of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - and the fact that my new Dorothy Draper book, "In the pink", just arrived I thought I'd contribute to the pink themed posts out there, and post a few of my favorite things...in pink. Hope you like!

From the new Badgley Mischka collection (from This is Glamorous)

Fuschia pink crocodile Hermes kelly bag (I want!!)


Christian Louboutin pumps (these too!)

Creed - Spring Flower fragrance

Kate Spade purse - super cute

From the Milly NY collection

THE original dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's (when Holly is partying with the Brazillian)

Pink peonies

Laduree pastries...yumm!

Parzinger Chaise, from 1st Dibs


1940's French slipper chairs, from 1st Dibs

Billy Haines slipper chairs, from 1st Dibs

Dorothy Draper Chest, from 1st Dibs

Barovier lamps, from 1st Dibs

Interior by Barrie Benson, featured in Domino Mag

Both images of Jamie Drake interiors

Miles Redd living room

Interior by Jan Showers

And last, but certainly not least (and to clarify, I would not be caught dead in a car this colour) a bit of fun on wheels..

It's Friday!

Happy Friday to everyone! It's a long weekend here in Hong Kong, so I'm off to Macau for a few days of sitting by the pool, reading, eating and drinking too much sangria. Can't wait!

Despite the fact that its 31 degrees here today (89 F) I just bought a beautiful wool coat, it was an absolute bargain! My husband doesn't understand...Men! I guess probably because we very rarely get overcoat weather here...but I'm telling myself its for if we ever move home to Melbourne - or London, or New York...

Glamorama!

I was leafing through my copy of Elle Decor's 'The Grand Book of French Style' last night and came across these images. How glam is this bathroom! It says it was designed by the Compagnie des Arts Français in 1930 at the French Foreign Ministry buiding, for the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain.


The roman bathtub is covered in silver mosaics, and surrounded by a shattered-glass panel by Labouré. The white leather stools were designed by Adnet, and the white swan (barely visible in the left niche) is by Lalique. The walls feature a shattered-glass stud inset.

I love this mirror, how fabulous it would be to have something this size in your bathroom when you're getting reading for a night out.

The first thing I thought of after seeing this (other than how fabulous it is!) was that it reminded me of a bathroom by Andrée Putman that I saw recently (see earlier post)...I wonder if she was inspired by this vintage French bathroom?


Image from Bella Magazine (Australia).

It ain't easy being green...

Green is definitely my favorite colour, I'm not entirely sure why, but I'm drawn to anything green time and time again. I guess it's not too difficult to analyse why I like it, or why so many other people do too. It's ubiquitous in nature, and maybe that's just enough said. But these days 'Green' means much more to people than just a colour name. It's taken on a whole new meaning, one which is different for each of us depending on our level of understanding of the environmental issues our planet faces.

I for one am willing to publicly admit that I don't do nearly as much as I could, and my level of understanding of these issues, as much as I recognise them, is not clear. So today I wanted to show my appreciation and say thanks to the eco-chic bloggers out there who are sending us - as consumers, and some of us as designers - information about ways we can stop contributing to these seemingly insurmountable problems - i.e. contributing to landfill, global warming, depletion of the ozone etc. etc. So, if you haven't already checked out the eco-chic blogs I have listed on my site, please do so!


Images from the Laura Ashley Colour Book

Roman Thomas

I am in love with New York based furniture company Roman Thomas. Their range is made up of what I would call 'new classics'. Very simple profiles, great proportions (from what I've seen from photos!) with a nod to the past but still very au courant. The luxurious materials they use (such as vellum, horsehair and shagreen) lend an historical quality. I love these images from their website, especially the horsehair covered cabinet (bottom left).

Today I'm loving...

This bed is perfect! It's got just enough deco-inspired details to make me sleep easy, not too feminine - so my husband will be happy, and I love the upholstered headboard. I usually like a matching endboard, but I love the feet and base on this design. I want one!



Images are from a promotional brochure for the fabric collection from Larry Laslo for Robert Allen. Not sure if the bed is a Laslo design, but I aim to find out!

Demilune shades

I think these demilune (or half) shades are a wonderful decorative option for wall sconces and lamps. Its a nice idea especially for sconces that don't protrude far from the wall , which usually have glass or metal shades. I think they look fabulous on the two antique sconces below (the first one is in a Fortuny fabric), and add a touch of authenticity to them.

This image is from the 'small space style' post I did a little while back, but never noticed that there was a half shade on the lamp (top left corner).

This is my favorite image. I quite like the juxtaposition of the modern shelving and accessories, the oak panelled walls and those neo-classical lamps with half shades. Very chic!

From my scrapbook

When I first started this blog I intended for it to be a visual reference of my inspirations. I've been so caught up posting new images til now so today I thought I might post an old one from my image files. I can't remember where this image came from - I think either Vogue Living or Belle - it's about 5 years old, but I still love it just as much as when I first saw it. I think this is an example of how a neutral colour palette can work. I love the combination of the classic looking sofa (love that fabric too - have no idea where it comes from, so if anyone recognises it please let me know!), the trunk coffee table, vintage chair to the left, and that solid timber mirror. It's a room I certainly wouldn't mind coming home to each night.

Marvelous Milly

After I finally got over the shock of seeing my name in print, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of this months Elle Decor. Particularly the apartment of Michelle Smith (front cover image). This apartment has already been blogged about - see Habitually Chic - so I wont go on, but I just cannot say enough good things about this apartment. It's so refreshing to see an interior that doesn't look contrived or too perfect. The apartment itself looks amazing, which certainly helps, but I love pretty much everthing in it!

I heart Elle Decor!

I had just started devouring my October edition of Elle Decor this morning, and was very nearly about to brush over the letters to the editor (they are so often from some whiney idiot who complains about the cover of last month, or the amount of homes of gay couples) when I found this! I can't even begin to explain how excitied I was (...actually, still am).

Also, I want to apologise for any of the other great blogs that I now read on a daily basis for not mentioning you! I wrote this letter back in June when I just started reading/writing blogs, and have discovered so many more since then (see my fave list of blogs). Thanks to Elle Decor for publishing my letter...if I wasn't your number 1 fan before, I definitely am now!

Fairfax & Sammons

"Traditional architecture for the modern world" is the motto of Architectural and Interior Design firm, Fairfax & Sammons. Anne Fairfax and Richard Sammons are a husband and wife team, based in New York, who have created some wonderful homes around the world. They have a talent for creating traditional-modern interiors inside classical architecture. These are just a few of my picks from their portfolio..

There are many more images on their website if you're interested, plus a great interview of the couple on the NYSD website where they showcase their own lovely West Village home. Check it out!