Easter in our new home

The bedlam of moving is over, thanks to help from my family.  I hate to think how awful it would have been without them.  The unpacking of boxes from the apartment was 80% done...

when another shipment arrived from storage in Adelaide, where it's been for the last five years, creating more chaos!  And there's still one final shipment yet to arrive from the old apartment in New York - only a few items.  It will be lovely to have all my old familiar things around me.


My Easter gift to my son was to fulfil his dream of having a dog.  We rescued a sweet 8 month old puppy from an untimely end at the pound, giving her a "forever home" as the rescue people call it. 

We've spent the Easter weekend snuggling her, feeding her to help her gain some much-needed weight and trying hard to help our very skeptical cat learn to live under the same roof as a socially clueless puppy.

Beautiful things for my new home

Well, I haven't even moved yet but I've just found some divine items that will have a place my new home.
I discovered Greyfreth and artist Isa Chandler via French Essence.







Her cross bottles have an ethereal beauty.

This is the one I chose for my home...

I also loved her wooden Italian tassles and have a large one and a medium sized one on the way.

I drew the line at the gilded angels wings, but I love the look.

I'll be looking forward to the arrival of these lovely things and finding a place for them in my new home.

(All images from greyfreth.blogspot.com)

Apartment lounge room

The lounge room was the reason I bought the apartment.  The previous owner was a lover of French provincial style and in the lounge room she had installed floorboards which she painted white, french doors flanked by sash windows, a juliet balcony tiled with tumbled marble and a gas fireplace.  Together they created great bones and all I had to do was dress the room.


Not long after we moved in, my son came home from a beach holiday with a shoebox filled with shells.  They were so varied and beautiful that I put them on display in a glass vase.  Every time I walked into the lounge room the luminous colours of the shells would catch my eye, which inspired the coastal palette for the apartment's decor.

Lounge room (my son's shell collection on the left)

I've never been a fan of beach decor, so I went tentatively down the path of trying to capturing a coastal mood without crossing the invisible line into "beachy".  My primary influences are Swedish coastal and Hamptons styles, both of which I love. 

I chose a colour palette which reminded me of the shells and water - sandy colours and white with accents of blues and greens.  I re-painted the ragged walls with a colour that reminded me of sand; Dulux Bone White. 


I purchased a lounge in a natural-coloured fabric, throw rugs, cushions, a foot stool and a gorgeous textured area rug from Laura Ashley.  Linen curtains came from Freedom Furniture.

I'm attracted to natural materials, so over time I added various accessories in marble, linen, stone and wood from Camargue and Pond at Mosman, Parterre at Woollahra and Abode at Willoughby and Waterloo.  This grouping is in the entrance area just off the lounge room - the orchid came from Matt Bisaro at Mosman.

The sweet Italian art deco chandelier with blue dragons tears came from Vintage Glamour.

My favourite find of all was a French recycled timber coffee table with a lovely "X" leg, from Parterre.

The formality of topiary buxus teamed with distressed pots in sandy hues (both from Mosman Gardener) just seemed right for the balcony.

(top two photos from galettorealestate.com.au)

Apartment kitchen

It's almost time to say goodbye to our home of three years.  What a great renovation journey it was. It all started with the kitchen which was in need of an overhaul.

Kitchen before

Kitchen before

Initially I considered creating a contemporary kitchen.  But I decided that my small,1920s apartment with original period features called for a more traditional style.

My research led me (via Willow Decor) to the divine craftsmanship and style of Swedish kitchen designers, Kvanum.

Kitchens like this...

...inspired my design choices.

I found a wonderful kitchen designer in Sydney, Dominique McAdam from Provincial Kitchens, who helped bring my design ideas to life in the context of my 1920s space.

(image from www.galettorealestate.com.au) 

Living above other people, I couldn't have a wooden floor, so I decided on tumbled travertine.  I love it - it's adds visual warmth and I like the rustic texture.  The photos don't do it justice - in natural light it's quite matt (not shiny and reflective) and is lightly filled with a sand-coloured grout.

The marble countertop is Volakas, a pure white Greek marble with a gorgeous cappuccino-coloured streak running through it.  It streak looks grey in the photos but in natural light  it has a soft mushroom undertone which softens the grey and gives it the cappuccino colour.

The cupboards are hand-painted in Dulux Natural White.

The backsplash is a lovely handmade Spanish tile from Pazotti Tiles at Bondi Junction.  It adds visual texture to the cool, white space.

Kitchen after

Kitchen after

After extensive searching, I found the holophane pendant lights at Magins in Willoughby.

Kitchen after

(All "Kitchen after" images from www.provincialkitchens.com.au)