a little mexican lovin'

Doesn't everyone love a little Mexican?

I spotted this funky little pop up food joint in Surry Hills yesterday when I was on my way to a meeting - design inspiration is everywhere.

The building is the old Royal Lounge Pub but it has been taken over by a new chef with a love of colourful Mexican food.

I love the colour they have injected into the old pub. It has captured the Mexican theme & is a lovely place to sit outside to enjoy the sunshine.

Go check it out!

Have you seen a funky restaurant or cafe lately? Share it with us!

Elle x 

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Sydney Design Stalker #2

The Sydney Design Stalker strikes again!

Have you ever seen a more beautiful home? Granted it is not everyone's taste (and I don't think I could live without having a wall colour) but it is most definitely textured and colourful!

What do you think?

      Hidden windows somewhere under there

                                   Yes, it is a house!

                  Gorgeous little windows

                       The front door

What do you think?

Elle x

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Does your chair have personality?

Have you ever thought about what personality your chair represents?

I'm a little alternate.

I'm a traditional, a classic.

I'm a eclectic.

I'm a quite posh.

I'm highly strung.

I'm a perfectionist.

I'm a traditionalist, with a twist. 

I'm bold.

I'm simply tasty.

I'm open for snuggles.

I'm a reminder of your grandpa.

I'm a dock martin kinda gal.

I'm a free spirit.

I'm a fresh.

And when you put us all together, we tell a story.

So, which one are you?

Elle x

Follow the design fun here.

All chairs are sourced from Matt Blatt.

A nordic jewel

A white interior filled home with birch wood and simple designer furniture that help make it a jewel of Nordic inspiration.

Via Mi Casa Planete Decor

Home Styling

"Tina Seidenfaden Busck and Pernille Hornhaver are the founders of ‘The Apartment’ an interior showroom/shop in Christianshavn, Copenhagen. The space is what it sounds and looks like in these photos, an apartment that has been restored by the founding partners to showcase design objects, furniture, antiques and art. The all-white space serves as a blank canvas where innovative modern design meets the unparallelled craft of traditional furniture making. In these photos you will see how the space has been transformed over time as it is dressed with different furniture, objects and art."

One day it would be nice to have a library in my home, but I would happily settle for a wall of books.

Today designers and architects are finding new and exciting ways to utilize space. One form of doing so it to use all available walls. A wall of plants (vertical garden), a wall of books and a wall of photo frames, there are many options. 

This apartment is a combination of warm and cool elements;

Cool: white walls and ceiling, dark grey wooden floors, metal table and furniture legs

Warm: Coloured books, lamp shade, tones of grey, woolen colourful rugs

images via http://www.stylebyyellowbutton.com/p/about.html

Space + Colour

The interior design colour you choose for your space will influence the effect the room has on clients, yourself and your work and those around you. By understanding how this works, you can then deliberately select the colour to get your desired effect and feel. 

It is common knowledge now that a colour affects everyone's mood. Recently on the blog someone asked for advice with decorating a white office with a little hint of colour.

In fact, the key to using white successfully in your interior design scheme is to add interest in ways other than colour. The overall effect you can get will depend very much upon the styles of furniture, fabrics, furnishings, floorings and accessories, which you choose.

Have a look at how these white spaces were totally changed by adding a delicate touch of colour. 

Colour can be introduced in many ways;

adding a feature piece of furniture to a space. Introducing colour through a chair is an interesting and easy to change way to liven up a space.

A similar effect can be achieved by bringing in small items spotted around the space.

A coloured rug not only add... colour, but also brings warmth and texture into the equation.

Colour does not always have to be drastic. Here colour has been used in the form of wooden panels, the wooden legs of the chair, coloured glass vases, and the light blue in the painting.

Wood is an easy and clever way to use existing furniture to bring colour and tone into your surrounding.

A pin board is a very useful tool in an office but there is no need to buy a cork board. Think about using a fabric covering and using a colour or even a print.

Colour can also be established in a space by using different types of fabrics. This space has incorporated a woollen rug, and 4 leather chairs in different tones.

Adding black and wooden detailing to a space brings a sense of drama. Try not to overlook black when hunting for something interesting.

And finally, you know I love texture so I will remind you... Introducing different types of textures into  a space is a clever way to allow colours and tones to sparkle. 

Artwork is a fun way to add colour to a space and the best part is, you can change it at any time!

Ok, just one more, don't over look lighting. A copper or chrome pendant light or an interesting lamp shade can lighten up a space in more than one way.

Working with colour is not easy. 

My number one rule when it comes to colour;

If you aren't 100% sure don't spend too much on colourful items. Rather spend less and change them more often. This makes the decision process easier while also allowing you to change your mind and space to suit your mood.

Elle x

All images via Pinterest and LivingTec

Bedroom on a budget

As requested by one of our first readers, this post is directed towards students who are attempting to design on a budget.

 

What’s the most expensive thing in a bedroom? Right, it’s bed and any furniture you are willing to have there. While you can’t really do it without bed, you sure can without any additional furniture. So let’s start with the essential part of the bedroom, which is bed. It doesn’t have to be expensive or big if you are living alone. Go with smaller modest beds like the one in the picture below. It will save you a bit money for the rest of your decor.



As for other furniture in the room, think about what you really need and what you really don’t need, if you plan to buy some chairs just for the bedroom but do not plan to use them, then what’s the point? A minimalist approach doesn’t take away from the bedroom’s decor if it is done right. Having said that, having a single chair in the corner of a room is a cheap and effective feature for the space.

Use bold colours to brighten up the rooms and artwork with similar colours to create unison. Do not under estimate the power of paint. Repainting your space white will invite more natural light while also providing a blank canvas. 

If your are, however, more into neutral and calm colour schemes go with floral patterned wallpaper in neutral tones. It will not only enrich your bedroom but will also give it a warmer look. Of course, wallpaper is more expensive than certain paints both in terms of price and installation but in the long-run quality wallpaper can serve you for a long period of time.



The pops of colour in this space all work well as they are within the same yellow tones but don't go out a purchase anything that catches your eye. Your space should be built up over time by items you enjoy and have meaning.

Even if you want a calm bedroom be sure to add accents in deeper shades here and there in order to make it look stylish and finished. Get everything out except the most essential parts of the room like bed and a night table or lamp. Thus you can make the smallest room in the house a stylish minimalist room for rest and lounge where nothing will distract you from sleep.



Don't be afraid to try a little DIY. It is cheap, easy and enjoyable to rummage through garage sales and turn old mirrors, frame or wooden pieces into something spectacular.


 

The bed linen you chose should represent who you are as a person. You might think this sounds a little strange but you should not be purchasing something that you don't love. If you aren't quite sure at to what that is at this stage stick with neutral colours. Don't under estimate white linen for starters. But it can always be brought to life with fantastic cushions. See my post on cushions here.

 

Lighting is what finishes a space off, it is a mood changer. Don't be afraid of doing something a little different. See my post on industrial lighting. 

 

Elle x

 

 

 

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Images via Interholic

10 ideas on how to bring back creativity

Drawing a blank happens to even the best designers and makers. Here's how to get your creative juices flowing again.

Flummoxed by colour choices? Just can't seem to pull that room together? When you are seeking decorating inspiration but coming up short, it's time to shake things up. Get unstuck in a flash by trying any of these 10 creative rut-busting activities, and share your own tips and stories in the Comments section. Let's get started.

by Republic of Fritz Hansen

1. Attend a local design event. From holiday home tours to interior design showcases, festivals, walking tours, lectures and more, there is sure to be something worth checking out this season. Pick one that looks interesting and invite a design-loving friend to go along.

by Rikki Snyder

2. Go to a flea market, antiques fair or fun vintage shop. Nowhere has more interior inspiration than a good flea market. The wild mishmash of colorful china and textiles, worn wood furniture and ephemera is sure to spark a new idea or two — and you may even come home with a new treasure.

by Laura L. Benn

3. Intentionally follow your curiosity. Take a little field trip to your favorite bookstore, but instead of zeroing in on your favorite section right away, let yourself wander. Be open to anything that catches your attention or draws you in, and investigate it further. The magazine racks are a great place to start, since you can scoop up a few magazines on new-to-you topics for just a few bucks. Widening your focus can have surprising results — maybe you will find the perfect kitchen color scheme in a knitting magazine, or bedroom inspiration in a book of travel photography.

by ZeroEnergy Design

4. Be inspired by music.It may not translate directly into a room scheme, but great music can call to mind a mood, style, feeling or even the colours of a space. Your favorite music (whatever the genre) can also give you an incredible boost when your spirits are flagging — all the more reason to cue up the tunes.

by Exteriorscapes llc

5. Take a photography walk. Go to a neighborhood you don't usually visit, camera in tow, and snap photos of anything that visually inspires you, whether it's a beautiful landscape, striking architecture or even creative graffiti.

by Rebekah Zaveloff

6. Drink up inspiration at a local café. Designers work hard to make cafés and restaurants deliciously appealing, and the best are filled to the brim with great ideas to bring home. If it's a small thing you like, making a mental note is fine; but if you really love a space, take a picture or two.

by Christopher Kellie Design Inc.

7. Get outside. Time spent in nature is not just restorative; it can also provide inspiration for color palettes and garden design. Country road, dense forest, botanical garden — try different venues to see what appeals to you most.

8. Visit an art gallery, a museum or a craft exhibition. A skillfully curated art exhibition always leaves me feeling creatively full and inspired. Explore something that sounds intriguing or perhaps something you haven't paid much attention to before. Sculpture, painting, photography, ceramics, woodworking, art glass ... the possibilities are endless.

by Etsy

Washi Tape Assortment by Sticker Stop - $8.50 »

9. Look at craft supplies — even if you are not a crafter. Just because you're not working on a project doesn't mean you should miss out on all of those luscious colors, patterns and textures in the aisles of your local arts and crafts store. No awesome crafts stores near you? Hop online and explore the world of crafty blogs instead.

by Rikki Snyder

10. Use a market bouquet to play with color. Instead of plunking the whole thing in a single vase, use the next market bouquet you buy as an opportunity to experiment with colour combinations. Group the flowers in different ways, snip some short, try out unusual containers and see what appeals to you. If you hit on an arrangement you really like, take a few photos to commemorate the moment — and possibly inspire a future paint color or throw pillow.

by Bosworth Hoedemaker

Going further: Stay organized in a way that inspires you. Whether you prefer hunting for inspiration online, on paper or both, what you do with the material you collect after the fact really matters. For some, a vintage trunk crammed with all sorts of assorted treasures is the ultimate thrill, while others may see beauty in a row of slim presentation binders, neatly labeled and categorized. Online, take the time to curate and organize your bookmarks and Houzz ideabooks in a way that makes sense to you.

Tell us: How do you get inspired? What is your favorite tip for getting out of a creative rut?