Friday, 13 June 2008

nursery pics

The view from my hallway to the front room, which is now the nursery/office.



This tall boy used to be the baby wardrobe of a friend. Years ago I sanded it back and varnished it. But now I think I want to paint it again. But I love the dark timber against the Guggenheim poster.




My brother bought the radio as a gift for my 18th birthday - sooo long ago now - but I still love it. The vase used to be my parents. Its from the 1970s. The lanterns were table centrepieces at a friend's wedding and she said we could take them home. I love this little collection.




The Oeuf baby bouncer the team at real living bought as a maternity gift. You just can't go wrong with chocolate brown and baby blue.



This is my teeny tiny desk. I love it though. It's actually an old kitchen table that has been restored. I have a beautiful view onto a bottle brush tree in the front garden of the apartment block.



I used to ride a Vespa and it's hard to let go of the nostalgia that those bikes bring. The metal sign is from the 1950s, I think. The little box holds a red Vespa - the same colour as my old one. The gum leaves were from another friend's wedding. She lined the pews of the church with them and for a long time they smelt amazing.


Ah, my magazine collection. Obviously I've got a stack of real livings. Also, there's a growing pile of Dumbo Feathers and Domino mags. My Vanity Fairs live in another corner. The picnic basket, which holds notebooks and writing files, is from London's Fortnum & Mason.


Yes. One of Ikea's bestsellers, I'm sure. The good-old Expedit bookshelf. However, I've transformed it slightly. I needed extra storage for baby stuff (toys, nappies, bed linen) so I covered Ikea's ugly plastic storage boxes with dandelion wallpaper from Porter's Paints.


The only problem with the storage containers was that I had to stack my books 3 deep in some parts!


And here is the baby end of the nursery - yes, it's all in one impossibly small room. The prints were bought at a Shaker Village in New England a few years ago.




The chest of drawers were bought in a shop in Narrabeen. The wooden stained filing drawer was bought on my recent visit to the Southern Highlands for $15!


I opted for a simple white cot and have kitted it out with a cot set from Bholu which has a picture of a bird and says "tweet dreams". So very, very cute.


The teddy bear used to be mine. The boy on the horse is a gift from my aunt and uncle.


Inside the drawer I'm storing nappies. Love the colour of the Melobaby change mat.




I lined the drawers with leftover wallpaper from Signature Prints. Now that drawer is full of baby wraps.


After much delay, I finally present to you pics from the front room of my flat, which is a combined office/nursery. It's kind of funny that this is a multifunctioning room as it really is one of the smallest rooms. It's probably about 3m x 3m. So tiny! But all that means is you have to get creative with how you use your space. There's actually quite a lot of storage in here, thanks to the tall boy, Expedit bookshelf (with additional storage containers) and the chest of drawers. It was also important for me that the nursery not look icky. There's so much gaudy baby stuff out there. I wanted it to be sympathetic to the rest of the flat but still be a baby space. I hope I've achieved that.

latest purchases

The new Gio cot set in Aqua from DwellStudio.
The icon "helicopter" blanket was a bit of a splurge - it's cashmere silk! -

but figure it will last years (not six months like

so many other baby products out there).

DwellStudio's Transportation stroller blanket will


go perfectly with the Luce stroller, below.


Okay - so this was when the shopping frenzy took


control and I bought these soft toy


building blocks - but they're educational!!!


One of the best decisions yet - a Benetton Luce stroller -


they retail for only $399.95!!!


A gift from the real living team - simple, stylish


and gorgeous colours: thanks guys!!!




I think this baby will be arriving soon (famous last words, I know) but I had a "sign" this morning so we'll see what happens in the next couple of days. Thankfully I managed to get a last burst of shopping activity in yesterday - all in the name of gifts. My mum wanted to buy a cot set and after a very disappointing foray into David Jones department store and a few other baby shops I decided to select something from the DwellStudio range. They are head and shoulders above the other designs in terms of style. So couldn't resist to buy an icon knit blanket, stroller blanket and soft toy building blocks too! Also, was lucky enough to pick up my light and zippy stroller a few weeks ago - the Australian-designed Luce for Benetton (it's distributed by Born with style) - and received a gorgeous Oeuf bouncer from my work colleagues at real living as a gift.



Images courtesy of DwellStudio, Born with style and Kido Store.

Thursday, 12 June 2008

musician sonny rollins

Sonny Rollins in Sydney, interviewed by the
ABC TV's 7.30 report - worth watching - he's one cool cat!


Daniel and Michelle waiting with coffees in hand
for the Clinton St Baking Company to open.


What do the Clinton St Baking Company in New York and Sonny Rollins have in common? Well, it is where I first heard his music. In 2006 I travelled to New York with my husband D and good friend MT and had an amazing holiday. I can't tell you how much stuff we did on that trip. All up we had about 10 days in New York and every day was jam-packed. I did loads of research before we went. I'm a bit crazy like that. Even had an Excel spreadsheet with an itinerary as didn't want to miss a thing. Anyway, one of my must-visit places was the Clinton St Baking Company as I'd read the brunches there were great. Sure enough, we queued first thing Sunday morning before the place even opened, got a table straight off, ate blueberry pancakes and listened to Sonny Rollins. Well, life came full circle the weekend before last when I got to hear the great jazz saxophonist play his first (and probably last) gig at the Sydney Opera House. This is a man who has played for Miles Davis and Johnnie Coltrane. It was electric. He has so much energy with his playing - none of this stilted, self-conscious jazz that passes as much modern stuff. And perhaps the most amazing fact is that he's 77. What an inspiration!

Wednesday, 4 June 2008

bholu











I can't keep up with Jodie Fried from Bholu... literally. I desperately tried to visit the opening night of her rock star rug tour but the pregnancy got the better of me and I've had to contend myself with these images. But what beautiful images they are! Actually, any of these would go perfectly in the nursery. Yum!



Images courtesy of Bholu

Tuesday, 3 June 2008

three days to go...


I cannot describe how incredibly busy I am this week. It's my last week at work before I go on maternity leave. I'm not sure how regular my blogs will be going forward but I DO promise to post some nursery pics soon - might have to be after this weekend.

Having said that I do feel like I'm leaving real living on a high note. The current issue - and cover - is one of my all-time favourites. I was lucky enough to visit Fran's house (it's a seven-minute walk from where I live) and interview her at home. The reason I found it so inspiring is that while it isn't a massive home it really is filled with character. Every person who lives there is represented some way in the decorating scheme - from Star Wars' toys (her husband worked on the films) to colourful Balinese storage boxes (picked up on family holidays). Yes, interior design is important (and there are some great pieces in this home) but having a place that IS a home is so much more important. Well, for me, anyway.

Hope you enjoy the issue - it went on sale yesterday.

Image courtesy of real living

Monday, 2 June 2008

designer kara smith








Kara Smith is one creative - and busy - girl. Not only has she just released a new range of totes (see above) but she's also participating in "Springboard" – part of the Australian Design Unit which showcases new Australian design in textiles, homewares, industrial design and accessories, among others.



Here are some pics from Kara's workspace - aren't they gorgeous! I am particularly jealous of the sunlight flooding into her room given the gloomy day it is at the moment.



For more on Kara and what inspires her - click here.




Images courtesy of Kara Smith

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