Window Shopping; West Elm

The expansion of international brands into Australia continues in the realm of home-wares as well as clothing so I got to spend a few fun hours exploring West Elm,  a great mix of Gypset and mid century modern, I even remembered to take a few photos to share with you.

I am seriously in love with the Moroccan wedding blanket ottoman, and the terrariums, I am also seriously considering a round coffee table when we splash out on a new one, if only I had promised I would not buy anything else until we move.

If you want more details check out the West Elm Website, (including delivery details)

AA xx

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day,

We have had 3 weeks of solid rain here in Sydney ranging from a light drizzle to a full on down pour every day. I'm not a huge fan of continual rain. I get that we need it, the plants and green stuff that provides our oxygen particularly so. And I am thankful that that has been pretty much our entire winter this year but I'm hanging out for some sunshine.

With all the rain nothing has time to dry out completely I have been burning candles  like crazy to stop the house smelling damp, also the heater has been going on full the whole time we are home, not looking forward to seeing the next power bill, I think I might have a heart attack.

But I have taken the opportunity to catch up on my reading, delving into the archives of two of my favourite design focus blogs, and discovering a new one, I'm not as enamoured of their style as I am with the other two but their blow by blow account of all things renovation (they're now onto house number two) and DYI is fascinating.

And another win for hubs, I have been very appreciative of the extra faux fur throw he insisted we pick up, I wasn't 100% sold on the idea at the time, but it has been very snugly in the rotten weather and I have been able to move the smaller one to the bedroom, double the snuggles, all the more places to catch up on my favourite mags.

How about you? Any tips for dealing with inclement weather? Or are you one of these crazy people that like cold and rain?

AA xx

PS. There are huge giveaways in Real Living this month, well worth checking out if that sort of thing takes your fancy.

ChChChanges……..

All of this waiting for council has proved to be a bonus for the current home. The inspiration and research I have been accumulating for the new house needs an outlet during this long drawn out process so I have made a few changes around the current place.

Before….

Living Room, couch from Freedom, just seen cow hide
rug on the floor from Ikea

Dining Room, the fabric canvases
were originally one piece above the bed

Hallway, most of the light that comes
into the house comes through the front
door. Crazy I know.

Bedroom, this is an almost before,
originally there was a fabric wall hanging
above the bed which has since been cut up
and stretched over canvas in the dining room 

After…..

Tried and tested, Hard to kill houseplants, Part 2

Last time we looked at how to choose house plants this time we will look at some tips and tricks on how to keep them once you have them.

talesofendearment.com

What to look for when buying them and what to do with them once you have brought them home.

Tried and tested, hard to kill House Plants, Part 1

With all my focus at present on houses and interior design it has also made me realise what has been missing from my home at the currently.
When I was growing up there was always plants in the house, my mother had a very green thumb, so there were plants everywhere inside and a gorgeous garden outside.
Since we have moved around so much I haven't had plants in the house are they are really difficult to move. Looking at all the design blogs I have realised how much I have missed them and how they really make a house a home.

Taylor Tomasi-Hill NYC Apartment

But unfortunately as I have discovered  I haven't inherited my mother green thumb so I have had to put in a lot of research and trial and error to try and keep plants alive in my home. As I have discovered this is made up if two parts, choosing the right plants in the first place and then keeping them alive…..