Interiors Archives - Page 15 of 21

Christmas Decorations on Tour

December 22, 2009 By Paola 1 Comment

You’ve seen mine! Now show us yours.

This is a very lazy on vacation post with the idea entirely stolen from Liz at Violet Posy.

If you’ve done a blog post about your Christmas decorations, lack of decorations, other holiday decorations, beautiful decorations that you’ve seen round and about or anything else festive that you’ve done and want to show off then use the fun widget below to post up a link to your blog.

It will be running from now until 6th January or Twelfth Night or the Epiphany, the day when decorations are traditionally taken down in the UK (or else you face a year of bad luck).

I’ve added a link to my post and to Violet Posy to get you started and show you what it will look like.

Fancy Hotel of the Week – the Scarlet

December 9, 2009 By Paola 3 Comments

A UK friend of mine and occasional blog commenter stayed a couple of weeks back at this brand new hotel in Cornwall and thought I would love it as much as she did. And from the pictures she was right. We used to go down to Cornwall nearly every year when we lived in the UK and it’s another place I miss horribly. I MUST get to this hotel sooner rather than later as it looks amazing (though annoyingly it doesn’t appear to take kids).

The building itself is a fabulous purpose built affair, making the most of sea views and built to the highest eco-standards by architects Harrison Sutton.

This is the wonderful bar area. Love the colours and the mix of chunky wood and leather.

Like the seating and the low hanging lamps, though wonder if they’d be annoying if you were actually in the bed.

Pretty colours, though the big wooden boat is a bit of a Cornish cliche. Kelly Wearstler should look here to see a more successful use of statuary though.

More lovely colours, prints and unusual lampshades in the library and lobby.

And everywhere fabulous sea views. Why are there no hotels like this close to Seattle? Cornwall does actually remind me of the Pacific Northwest a lot. Maybe I should open one.

{All images from The Scarlet’s website. Check out more from their gallery here. And they have quite an interesting blog here about the trials and tribulations of building a hotel. Interiors by Max Bentheim Interior Design}

Christmas is Coming….

December 9, 2009 By Paola 5 Comments

I’ve finished crocheting my Snowflake Garland. It was very quick and easy and everso slightly addictive. So much so, that I might make some more as gift tags.

The Minx and I referred to that seminal work Usborne Activities – Christmas Cooking at the weekend in order to prepare our Christmas party offering. These were made from a basic Victoria sponge cake cooked in a roasting tin to make one big flat cake. The cake is then cut into twelve squares and ten triangles, covered with butter icing (by me) and decorated most tastefully by the Minx with bits of Twix as the tree trunks.

The now traditional Christmas tree decorating photo was also taken.

Update: Oops, I forgot to give pattern details for the crochet garland. You can download a free PDF here. It’s a US pattern, so UK readers should remember to translate it from US crochet terms to British crochet terms, but that’s very simple. Details of the garland I’ve made are here on my Ravelry page, for those of you who are on Ravelry. If you are, do come and be my friend!

Christmas is Coming…

December 5, 2009 By Paola 3 Comments

The air is buzzing with excitement (the Minx) and panic (moi).

The enormous Advent calendar stuffed full of tantalising little packages, which was sent by the Minx’s lovely godparents, is hanging up and revealing its secrets.

Christmas decorations courtesy of the Minx (with help from me on the actual cutting) are starting to go up

(for real proper grown up snowflakes check out Uncle Beefy, take a look at this incredible gallery of real snowflakes or make some on your computer here – the Minx and I have been having tons of fun with this little program and there’s no little tiny bits of paper to clear up afterwards).

New papier mache baubles from Crate & Barrel are on display.

And the snowflake garland I’ve been crocheting for the fireplace is now finished, blocked and ready to be starched and hung.

We’ve got a fun and festive weekend lined up. Our friend is visiting from Victoria and tomorrow we’re going to decorate the tree, do some Christmas baking, hopefully get to Urban Craft Uprising, go to a party in the evening, and then off, weather permitting, to Leavenworth on Sunday.

I hope you’re all less panicked than I am. What special things are you doing for the holidays?

Contemporary Dolls House – the Lundby Stockholm

December 4, 2009 By Paola 1 Comment

One of things I like best about Facebook is how it lets you tap into your friends’ collective brains for ideas. Having reached a bit of an impasse on contemporary dolls houses – either too expensive, too not available in the US, too discontinued or too babyish, I made a plea on Facebook as a last resort before buying something a little more traditional.

Eliza Truitt, Seattle photographer extraordinaire, mentioned how much she’d enjoyed playing with her Lundby dolls house as a child, which she thought was still being produced. A quick search online revealed this, the Lundby Stockholm, an extremely desirable residence with lights (I would have KILLED for a light up dolls house as a child), two decks and a swimming pool in a drawer.

The absolute coolest thing is all the fabulous furniture which is available. Come and have a look around.

Lundby is a Swedish company that has been going since 1947. They make two other houses, each with their own furniture and lights, though you can also swap furniture between the houses. (I see the Gotland summer house in the Minx’s future). There’s even fabulous vintage furniture available on Ebay.

Lundby stuff is available in the US at Cheeky Monkeys, but it is ferociously expensive. A better bet is to do as I did and buy from the UK. Lundby stuff can be found on Amazon.co.uk though they won’t ship the actual house to the US. I ended up buying a ton of furniture from Creative Toy Den here. There’s even an Lundby advent calendar with dolls clothes, accessories and Christmas decorations for the house which I am itching to buy.

So that’s me sorted for Christmas then. If she’s very, very lucky, I might even let the Minx play with it occasionally.

Abigail*Ryan Homewares

December 4, 2009 By Paola 1 Comment

Our favourite jewellista Abigail Percy and her beau Ryan Bell of Chick Stud Earrings fame have been working day and night (at least according to their Facebook status updates) on their new range of home textiles, based on Abigail’s stunning botanical drawings.

Their beautiful and unusual teatowels and scatter cushions are made from 100% cotton or 100% Pure Irish Linen, hand printed in the UK and hand-sewn in the duo’s Belfast design studio.

I love the colours they’ve used and they’ve done a fantastic job with the styling the images as well. Definitely thinking about getting some of these in the shop after Christmas. In the meantime they’re available online from Abigail*Ryan.

Contemporary Dolls Houses – The Ones We Didn’t Get

December 1, 2009 By Paola 4 Comments

Shhhh. Don’t tell the Minx but ~~I’ve~~ Santa’s been shopping for a dolls house for her. Although I know full well that at the moment she would be most happy with some horrific Barbie affair, I wanted to get her something a more funky and cool, that she would appreciate more as she grew older. And let’s face it, this present is just as much for me as it is for her.

So the last few days I’ve been surfing round the rather exciting world of modern dolls houses.

Here are the ones I didn’t end up getting.

Bozart Kaleidoscope

Designed Laurie Simmons for PMW Architects. I have wanted one of these ever since I first saw them but for some unfathomable reason they’ve been discontinued and are now only available on Ebay if you’re lucky. I may still have to buy one for myself one day.

Minimii Arne Jacobsen House

Minimii was founded by a Danish design duo who were looking for a contemporary dolls house and decided to build one based on Arne Jacobsen’s own villa in Charlottenlund.

The company will also be producing mini Arne Jacobsen furniture. Unfortunately the products are not yet available (due early 2010 and it looks from their website like they may be horrifically expensive).

The Dolls House Emporium – Ocean Drive

For a brief moment we considered braving the huge shipping costs and buying this from the UK. Fortunately it is not available to ship the US.

Plan Toys Green Dollhouse

Somewhat less esoteric is this dolls house which features its own wind turbine, solar panel and recycling bins. Not that the Minx would have any clue what to do with these features. We did consider this one, but in the end decided that, while it would be perfect for her now, it might seem a bit babyish in a couple of years.

We got something else in the end. I am beyond excited about it. Seriously and not sarcastically. More tomorrow.

Better Late Than Never – Hella Jongerius Jonsberg Vase

November 30, 2009 By Paola 1 Comment

These Jonsberg vases by Dutch design legend Hella Jongerius for Ikea PS have been all over the design blogs for years, and though I’ve always loved them they never seemed to have them in stock when I’ve been to Ikea (and I really couldn’t be bothered to make a special trip).

This past weekend we somehow found ourselves in Ikea and there was the pink one in stock, so I snaffled it up, all $39.99 of it. They also had the black one, but somehow I didn’t like it as much in person as I thought I would. I still would love to get the white one and also the terracotta, though I’m not sure they’re producing that one any more.

But the pink one makes a cheerful addition to the fireplace.

We are still in our pumpkin phase as you can see, though the Minx and I are making extensive preparations for the grand Christmas decorating day next Saturday.

The other two bits of incredibly thrillng house news (honestly how can you guys cope with the excitement?) are that (i) we appear to have chosen a colour for the living room walls. No more egg yolk yellow! (We will be discussing this more extensively later). And (ii) this afternoon we have an appointment with the architects to talk about remodelling the basement and doing something about our two kitchen dilemma. Will let you know what they have to say.

Knitting for the Home – Part I

November 25, 2009 By Paola Leave a Comment

Flicking through some recent magazines, it seems that texture is making its way back into interiors with a vengeance.

I love the way that knitted or crocheted items add softness, comfort and intricate detail to a space. I seem to spend far more time than is good for me on Ravelry nowadays and here are some of the patterns and projects I’ve been ogling recently. If only I had more knitting time. (If you spent less time pissing about on Ravelry, you’d have more time to knit. Just saying. – Ed )

From left to right starting at top left

– Crochet your own placemats. Pattern here.

– Knit your own covers for paper lampshades. Info Interweave Knits.

– Knit a cute little teapot cosy (available as a free Ravelry download here).

– The pattern for the Jacquard cushion can be found in Glamour Knits At Home. Photo credit here.

– Blue and white Delft Pillow by Eunny Jang, also in Interweave Knits.

– The crocheted and starched lampshade is inspired by Marcel Wanders Crochet Chair. The Ravelry project page is here, unfortunately there is no pattern. I ADORE this project.

– Another paper lampshade cover from Interweave Knits.

- A close-up of the crocheted lampshade above

– Cute and practical little coasters by the Purl Bee.

– The pattern for the Matryoschka cushion is available for download from elf518’s Etsy shop.

– The pattern for the Puff Daddy stool is available here. Also featured by Apartment Therapy.

– Pattern for this fabulously striking ‘Metafourmosis’ Afghan/wallhanging is here. Do it in colours to complement your decor.

– Another paper lampshade cover from Interweave Knits.

- A really cute little ‘gingham’ dishcloth. The Ravelry project page is here. Again there is no pattern available, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to figure it out.

– Striking retro potholders made based on this pattern. Photo credit and inspiration here.

– Lampshade from crocheted hexagons, which will apparently be published in a book called ‘Crochet Revolution’. I can’t find details on Amazon, though the Ravelry page is here.

– The pattern for this bathmat is from Knit 2 Together. UK peeps, do you remember Tracey Ullman? She moved to the US and started writing knitting books.

– Minimalist crocheted lampshade from the same people who brought you the Puff Daddy footstool.

– If you’re feeling really bored, why not crochet your own lacy curtains? The pattern is here.

– The MOST amazing knitted bookcover. Again there is no pattern, but go to the Ravelry project page here, marvel at the close-up pictures and see all the work involved.

Fancy Hotel of the Week

November 19, 2009 By Paola 6 Comments

I know, another one.

But I made the mistake this morning of flicking through a Maison Cote Sud which was lying around the house, which immediately made me long for the South of France in all its decadent beauty. And if you could see how grey and wet and utterly MISERABLE the weather in Seattle is today you would understand why that was a mistake.

Parisian architect and designer India Mahdavi has recently completely the renovation of the iconic 80-year old Monte Carlo Beach.

I love how she has tipped her hat to the hotel’s heyday in the Thirties and kept it firmly rooted in Provence and the Mediterranean, but made it resolutely modern in feel at the same time. Very, very clever.

That chair just sums it up really – 30s shape, beachy materials = something new and fresh. And that boat in the distance is just perfect somehow. As are the icy glasses on the table.

I want that lamp. Badly.

I like how the lamp echoes the one above and how the prints – which are graphic and modern, but somehow deeply Provencal – work with the walls and lampshade. And the Matisse-like sketch on the wall and the 1930s B/W prints everywhere are cool touches.