Colour + Design Archives - Page 13 of 60

That Was The Week That Was: NYC Edition

March 6, 2012 By Paola 4 Comments

This has been an Instagram week of colourful shopping, tall buildings, funky hotels and yellow cabs. With just a bit of blogging inspiration thrown in.

On the 1st January I started posting daily photos to Instagram. I’m @mirrormirroxx. Come and be my friend.

I’ve had the most wonderful weekend. My head is full to bursting with ideas and inspiration, as is my cardholder with friends old and new. Unfortunately my email inbox and laundry basket are also in danger of exploding and my fridge is very, VERY empty.

I’ve got tons of ideas and thoughts and photos to share with you all but need to get myself straight today. New and improved blogging service begins tomorrow.

Packing and Panicking : Blogging Your Way NYC

March 2, 2012 By Paola 4 Comments

This is what’s going down currently chez moi. Early tomorrow morning I’m flying off to New York to attend Holly Becker of Decor8’s first ever in person Blogging Your Way workshop, which will include a day of photography and styling tips with the lovely Leslie Shewring of A Creative Mint.

I’ve long wondered what could happen if I took my blogging a bit more seriously, so I’m hoping to get a ton of tips and tricks to take this blog to the next level and beyond, now that I’ve got my mad Photoshop skillz in hand. (Haha! – Ed)

I’m back on Monday night so there won’t be any blogging over the weekend. However I’ll be taking pictures like crazy, so follow me on Instagram (@mirrormirrorxx), Twitter or Facebook.

In the meantime, tell me all your favourite unmissable shops in NYC, I’ve got a free day of mooching around on Monday.

Things I Am Loving: Freshly Picked Desk Accessories

March 1, 2012 By Paola 3 Comments

The problem with Pinterest and Instagram is the constant stream of beautiful STUFF that is being constantly paraded under your nose. How is a person to resist?

A recent Pinstagram-driven purchase was a lovely tan and gold leather mousemat from Freshly Picked, which I first saw on sfgirlbybay’s Instagram stream.

Susan from Freshly Picked makes the most beautiful tiny moccasins for babies (which almost make me wish the Minx was tiny again) and also the most delicious painted leather mousemats and pen holders, originally available in either a subtle gold, white or charcoal.

I love my mat’s stark simplicity (which contrasts well with my floral desk) and the fact that it is high quality painted leather makes it easy to keep clean (er, quite a lot of food ends up on my mouse mat) and means it will only become softer and more supple with age.

Which is a bit of a bummer because I am now craving one of Susan’s new neon mouse mats rather desperately.

Buy your mousemat here. Please don’t tell me if you get a neon one.

Go Fug Your Room? – Ines de la Fressange in Provence

March 1, 2012 By Paola 6 Comments

Does that title send shivers down your spine?

Given that Ines de la Fressange is the person I’d most like to be when I grow up, and Provence is the place in the world that I’d most to live (yeah, how original am I ), and her apartment in Paris has already been given the coveted mirrormirror seal of approval, I can’t express how excited I was to see that my Elle Décor international edition was featuring Ines’ house in Provence.

Until that is I actually opened the magazine. Was this cold, spare, almost industrial, snoozefest of a space REALLY the home of the most stylish woman on the planet? Or has my beloved Ines been kidnapped by space aliens and replaced by some sort of robot?

My first issue is with all the white. I spent one of the happiest years of my life living in the South of France and the light there is warm and golden and oozes like butter, made for the sunset colours of painted plaster, terracotta tiles and warm, rich woods. This harsh, clinical whiteness might work in Scandinavia, or Britain, or even Paris, but it doesn’t begin to say Provence to me.

And then there are the chairs. Is it me, or does every single chair with the exception of the daybed look supremely uncomfortable? Either the sort of chair you have to perch on or a somewhat creaky flea market sofa with the sort of smelly upholstery you have to cover with a throw?

I could almost cope with the white if it had been enlivened by some brilliantly contrasting colours, but black? I think black is quite difficult to live with at the best of times, but the black and white, with the stiff metallic lamps and stark, shiny floors, just seems cold, uncomfortable and unfriendly in Provence. And I can’t even begin to explain how many sorts of wrong the depressingly coloured Union Jack cushion is.

The kitchen is by far the best room in the house and shows what might have been if more colour had been included. But it still all seems rather brutal to me.

But what do you guys think? Is this house fugly or not? As usual tell us how you reached your decision in the comments.

poll by twiigs.com

I was astonished to find out that an amazing 74% of you agreed with me about Diane von Furstenburg’s Manhattan penthouse. I do hope you’re not just sucking up.

What Do You Think? – Open Kitchen Shelves

February 28, 2012 By Paola 22 Comments

One of the projects we’ve got lined up for this year is remodelling our horrible downstairs kitchen.

The good news is that we have two kitchens in this house. The bad news is that they’re each as ugly as each other – the downstairs one is a relic from the seventies, complete with crumbling cabinets, laminate countertops, ancient linoleum, probably an asbestos problem. I’ll show you pictures one day when I’m feeling especially mean.

I’m starting to consider design ideas and am very tempted to include lots of open shelves. They look good and of course are WAY cheaper than cabinets.

From a gorgeous house tour on Design Sponge. My kitchen is NEVER this neat..

I’m loving these open steel shelves shown in last month’s Livingetc. I suspect they only look this good though, because they’re carrying half a ton of gorgeous vintage tea plates and spoons.

Source unknown. Love the juxtapostion of white shelves with dark wood counter tops.

I could never keep shelves as tidy and uncluttered as these. From a this tour on Houzz.

It would be nice to have a least some of my two hundred and fifty-odd cookbooks on display. From The Kitchn.

I am, however, intrigued to know what open shelves are like to live with. How easy is it to keep everything clean? Do you have to go out and buy tons of fancy plates and crockery to make them look good? (This is not necessarily a problem). Is it easy to keep them tidy or do they end up with piles of stuff just shoved on them? What are your tips and tricks for keeping them organised?

Tell me all your deepest, darkest, most sordid secrets. No one reads this blog anyway.

The above is from the Seattle house of the architects we’re hoping to use, which I previously blogged about here.

This pantry makes my inner Martha squee with delight. However I have more chance of flying to the moon than achieving such perfection. From here.

Nuns on the Carpet: Gwyneth Paltrow and Shailene Woodley Oscars 2012

February 28, 2012 By Paola 2 Comments

A couple more Oscars posts I think and then we’ll get back to talking about knitting.

What was with all the nuns on the Oscars red carpet? Are they doing a remake of the Sound of Music or something?

Gwyneth went all Mother Superior on us – an utterly gorgeous dress though she’s not a good enough actress to make the born again virgin stuff convincing.

While Shailene Woodley turned up as the demure young penitent.

Gloriously, and rather randomly there was even a real nun walking the carpet. Mother Dolores is a former co-star of Elvis’ who now stars in a documentary about her life as a nun.

And speaking of the Sound of Music there were huge cheers at our Oscar party when Captain von Trapp FINALLY received his Oscar – a moment spoiled only by his refusal to lead the auditorium in a rousing chorus of ‘Edelweiss’.

Dressing in Adversity: Vicky Beckham, Melissa McCarthy, Anne Sophie Bion Oscars 2012

February 28, 2012 By Paola 4 Comments

(With honourable mentions to Princess Charlene and Gwen Stefani).

Appalling things obviously happened to the original dresses the following three ladies were going to wear, but adversity couldn’t dampen their determination to attend as they fashioned replacements out of stuff they had lying about round the house.

Fortunately Vicky Beckham is tiny enough to fit into one of David’s knee bandages without any need for alterations.

Melissa McCarthy did extraordinary things with waxed paper lunch bags, unbleached of course for added eco-friendliness.

Anne Sophie Bion resorted to that old friend the bin liner (trashbag if you must) and didn’t even try to disguise it. She’d be terrible on Project Runway.

Princess Charlene must have suffered some sort of awful accident as she made yet another attempt to escape her loveless marriage, but she still made it to the ceremony while wearing a neck brace.

And poor, poor Gwen Stefani clearly had a terrible accident with the ketchup bottle at the Vanity Fair party itself but still soldiered womanfully on.

Separated at Birth: Jane Seymour, Natalie Portman, Mena Suvari Oscars 2012

February 27, 2012 By Paola Leave a Comment

Every year many starlets model themselves on other, more successful, movie stars, hoping that a little of the magic will rub off on them.

Mena Suvari covers as many bases as she can by copying both a cartoon character AND a bird.

Separated At Birth: Michelle Williams and Angelina Jolie

February 27, 2012 By Paola 3 Comments

Some of the ladies took their inspiration from further afield. Both Michelle Williams and Angelina Jolie decided to channel icons of 19th century British literature.

It sort of doesn’t matter what Michelle wears, while she keeps with that gamine cut she will always be Oliver to me.

Angelina, poor girl, tried at every opportunity to divert attention from the wooden stump under her black velvet gown. Seriously, what was she thinking with all that ridiculous posing? Please tell me she was having a laugh.