Lovey Inspiration from Selina Lake

If there were ever a stylist I could find inspiration from, it would be Selina Lake. While I have raved about her latest book here, she has a knack for continually making interesting arrangements. Her work is always bright and fresh. Gorgeous, inspirational photos can be also found on Selina's flickr group.


Photographer Max Attenborough captures Selina's work beautifully:


images courtesy of photographer Max Aattenborough


More of Selina's work is wonderfully captured by Debi Treloar





images courtesy of Debi Treloar

Your Inner Stylist: Pushing One's Creativity

Can you create a stunning vignette? While I had just been over on decor8 the other day, I noticed Holly has set up a challenge on one of her new flickr groups, Interior Styling. She urges budding and experienced stylists to create their own vignettes, in their own home, using one's own things. OK. I'm up for that! I've been lax around here since the summer, only gaining energy while my hubby has time off, and with that, my creativity comes back (phew! mothering two busy little people under 7 years old wears me thin!). So thanks, Holly! I feel inspired and ready to undertake some new work in the New Year!
This was my contribution, made many months ago, to the Interior Styling group:


This was so long ago, that I have since restyled the table all together, blogged about here. Now I must don that creative cap!

Budget Apartment By Tim Neve

Budget Apartment By Tim Neve

Recently posted on one of my very favourite blogs, decor8 , I just had to add it here to the growing collection of simple homes in white. Holly says that Tim has 'gotten beige right.' Indeed! Its mix with white is one I've never seen before, making beige stunning ~ if you even thought that was possible!

My tiny, but now color cohesive, finished patio

Here is my latest finished project: my patio, just a little slice of outside for us and the kids - as evidenced by the sandbox in the right hand corner (really quite a life saver for me as it can occupy them for a while : ) ).

While I was trying to make the chandelier work, or place it on Craigslist, as it only fits outside, I also wanted to create colour cohesion throughout my small space, following the interior to allow the eye to travel outdoors. To achieve this, paint was needed! Items that were black had to lighten, so I painted the Ikea Noresund table grey. I used Tremclad grey primer. My thought was if grey wasn't it, then I could go with white on top. But, it turns out, I like the dull grey.

My inspiration for a grey table came from one of Judith Wilson's fantastic books, The Natural Home:

Particularly this metal table from Wilson's book:

Et voila, here is my table, along with breakfast and coffee. The dish is Ikea, and the cup is from my new favourite line of Sophie Conran Portmerion pottery. I love the texture the pottery. It feels like its just thrown off the wheel.




The plant stand after 15 years is beginning to rust and needed a face lift. Here it is before. But I did not use metal paint - especailly spray paint - that was an unenjoyable toxic experience. So, I just mixed some blue and white latex for a chipped, beachy feel. I won't mind if it chips some more. Who knows, maybe next summer I'll paint it another colour? At any rate, I think I've achieved some colour flow, and that crazy chandelier works a bit better than before.

Feature home - Summer Cottage

Ah summer, and I've been on a computer hiatus, resulting in blog neglect. At any rate, I've been painting my home - again, and have photos of this to feature soon . . .
As I'm just checking mail and poking around my favourite haunts, I've come across this simply breezy, light, summery UK cottage featured on apartment therapy. The mirrors are really fabulous and the kitchen is cute as a retro button.

Painted chanedlier

Ever since I saw the cover, and blogged about Josephine Ryan's French Home, I've been lusting after this chandelier, which I found at a local shop. Its rather interesting to me now, how some things can look so fabulous in a book, snapped by a photographer, and in France, of course, compared to one's 'standard apartment.'

Its quite large! So large, my hubby was walking into it while it hung in our living room apartment. (Sadly, he also started calling it a bee hive.) It really needs a high ceiling, or a light filled kitchen over a table so that it need not need to be turned on! Just like its pictured in the book. So I hum and haw if it will work on the patio, and if it should be placed on craigslist. Then I wonder if all would be better at least with candles, and perhaps a few crystals, like in the book, of course! What do you think?

Simple Style

I recently read - and studied - Simple Style: Creating Relaxed Interiors for the Contemporay Home by Julia Bird. I adore her books. They are so fresh and inspiring. I felt like I needed to absorb this book just to embrace it. Oh, and then I did! I cleared and cleared, had a garage sale, and now have a white canvas to work with. Pictures on that another day ; ) Unlike a lot of home style books I have read lately, there are few pictures of family homes/living. Julia, however, captures a few of these in Simple Style which is so great: illustrating that living with children need not equal homes of colorful chaos, with too many toys (Which children don't need anyway. Simplicity works wonders on children's calmness too!)



This is what inspired me, from photographer of Simple Style Hotze Eisma:


More photos from Simple Style can also be found here