Texture and Lignt..

 

Is this not an amazing space?  I love the texture of the brick with the curved lines over the windows.  Such a wonderful detail.  The fresh clean lines of the furnishings are a great way to offset the rustic ceiling in the space.  

Image via

 

CALL IN THE DRAGONS

Expect a wild year said the Zodiac. With the Chinese Zodiac Year of The Dragon coming to a close soon, it is interesting to notice how many great dragon designs have been created anew. Fierce, respected, honored, feared and fictitious, the dragon inspires awe and brings good fortune. Why wouldn't you want some fiery fabulousness in your home?

 Photos courtesy of Jim Thompson

No.9 Thompson's Dynasty Collection designed by Richard Smith captures the allure of Chinese folklore. Inspired by ancient decorative arts, from 17th Century silk carpets to ceramics, the hand-painted designs boldly represent a rich decorative history in a color palette for today.

With a wave and decorative link border, Enter The Dragons can be used in a variety of applications. The festive dragon is featured down the center of the fabric along with animated clouds against a rich chocolate brown. There is a great energy to this print, and I have seen it used in upholstery, but panel curtains look striking as well.

Aqua, orange, pink and yellow is another incredible color mix. This fabric can ground a room and the dominant colors make it a heady combination.

 Schumacher's Chang Mai Dragon fabric came from a 1920's Art Deco print. The exuberant colorations are beloved for their versatility, as they make pieces look modern and vintage depending on the shape of the piece they go on. Here, Global Views showed their new high back chair with the print to showcase custom upholstery options.

Century Furniture showed the print on a traditional upholstered chair at High Point Market.

Photo courtesy of Mottahedeh

Bringing the dragon into tablesettings adds an air of mystery and allure.

Mottahedeh's Red Dragon plate shows the fierce creature circling the border with outstretched claws. The dynamic nature of the design and the composition looks beautiful in a place setting.

Photo courtesy of Caskata

With gold detailing, Caskata's Dragon Canape Plates look amazing all together, since they capture the dragon in different places.

 Photo courtesy of Dempsey and Carrol

Opulent Gold Dragon stationery from Dempsey and Carroll will send good fortune.

In good company

My favourite things... right now that is.

Clockwise from top left
'Paradise Apparatus' - Julia Rosa-Clarke - Edition S from Warren Editions
Framed Gold prints by Marli - Collaboration with Skermunkil
'Dancing Badger' - unsigned - Bought in Lilongwe from an art centre
Mexican flowers - folded by me and dipped in Gold
Rolled Books - folded by me as well

By Invitation only: Besotted Blog

 

I first discovered Besotted Blog a while back, I am pretty sure I followed one of her fabulous photos from Pinterest into her shop.  I am a sucker for paper goods, packaging, photography and fonts and it is always so fun to find another person who loves these things too!  I have a few stamps from her line and they are so fantastic (I just ordered the antlers and plan to use them on my holiday packages).  Tristan's blog is so fun, she takes the time to write witty posts with great photos and has completely convinced me to put a calligraphy starter kit on my Christmas list.  

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

 

 

images via besotted blog

 

DIGITAL DOMAIN: LONNY LAUNCHES AN IPAD APP

 Photos courtesy of Lonny, Patrick Cline Livingly Media, Inc.

One of the things that is truly amazing about blogging and digital magazines is the ability to turn content around at lightning fast speed. I had a great time working on the market section of the October issue of Lonny with Michelle Adams. The opportunity to work with Michelle, and to take new products and serve them up alongside Internet finds in the tried and true Lonny format was an amazing one. Being included in the We Went Mad For section was great too, as I got to put my stamp on new home accessories and fun finds in my sight line. Legions of devoted followers look to the magazine, created in 2009, for pretty, edgy, iconic and forward - thinking livable design ideas.  Bearing that in mind, Lonny recently launched an ipad app, Lonny Magazine, so you can get your fix anytime, anywhere.

Getting to share market trends as they are bubbling up is part of the allure. Natural Selection, the trend-focused market section, highlighted the faux and the real rocks and minerals we have been seeing everywhere of late. From fabrics and wallpapers to drawer pulls and accessories, the glamorous chunky rocks are stars. 

With great choices available, it was hard to decide what to leave out.

I always enjoy seeing what Michelle picks for this section-- sometimes she goes femme, other times she goes edgy glam.  Nina Freudenberger, a gal that has her design mind very together, was also included.

There are companies out there, such as Waylande Gregory, that are always on my radar because they rarely make a design misstep.

On a trip to LA over the summer, I uncovered Garde, a totally chic design destination in West Hollywood started by a former fashionista turned Belgian design aficionado.

Taking editing and display to a new level, her shop oozes with minimalist beauty. Handmade, artistic collections have design purists running to visit.

When I was perusing the West Elm website for finds as I often do, I found that one of my favorite tabletop designers had created a capsule collection for the brand. Sydney Albertini Studios creates highly saturated plates with abstracted designs. This collab is a chance to score her work for a steal.

He does it all. Or at least it seems he does. Nate Berkus simultaneously launched his new book, A Life That Matters alongside a big debut with Target. This Midwestern wunderkind does it again.

The cool thing is, The Collection will be constantly refreshed, so there are new discoveries to be made on a regular basis.

Paper flowers

I've been having a ball making these big mexican paper flowers from Tissue Paper and experimenting with different colour finishes.

Look great hanging on the wall in a group or as table decor with candles.

A little grey for Monday...

 

To be honest I could have used just one more day before we hit Monday.  I know it sounds selfish but I am tired even with the extra hour.  I love this space it is so easy going, perfect for spending the day reading and relaxing.

I hope you have an easy going day! 

image via pinterest