ROOM REMIX - Best Decorating: January 2010

Hullabaloo Home Decor Giveaway! CLOSED

Happy Monday! What better way to celebrate Monday than with a giveaway! Right? :-)

In December I did a post about the textile gift boxes that I had won from Hullabaloo Home Decor through Design Dazzle and how much I absolutely love them. I know you were loving them too, and I have good news! They have offered to give one lucky Room Remix reader not only some textile gift boxes, but also one of their fabulous decorative textile storage boxes!

Both the textile gift boxes and storage boxes come in a variety of fun fabrics. You can check out the fabric choices on their website.

THE GIVEAWAY:
4 small textile gift boxes (11" X 8" X 4")
1 medium decorative textile storage box (13" X 9.5" X 5.5")

TO ENTER:
1. Visit Hullabaloo Home Decor's website and let me know one of your favorite fabrics in a comment.

2. FOR AN EXTRA ENTRY - Tell others about this giveaway in a tweet, on facebook, or in a blog post and LEAVE AN ADDITONAL COMMENT letting me know you've done so.

This giveaway ends at midnight CST on Friday, February 5th. Good luck and have an awesome day!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

Inspiration - Yellow Kitchen

I found this photograph of a yellow kitchen from Living Etc and stored it away for safe keeping. You never know when you need to convince a client that a yellow kitchen would look rather cool...
Photograph from Living Etc.

Blog Inspiration - Inside out

The Australian magazine Inside Out is one magazine that I recommed my clients to source if they're looking for ideas.

What is great is that the staff of Inside Out have a blog where they "happily reveal a few of their favourite things". It is very informative about Australian and International interiors, designers, artists, stores, products, art and anything else they desire. Check the blog out here.

Photographs via Inside Out.

Sunshine Award and A Sunny Home

Thank you to Sarah at Real Estate Style for awarding me the Sunshine Award recently. It made my day!

I'm supposed to pass the award on to 12 other blogs whose positivity & creativity inspire others in the blog world. Since there are so many awesome bloggers out there who do just that, it's really too hard to choose just 12. Therefore, I'm passing the award on to all of you. I'm constantly amazed at the creativity out there and it definitely adds sunshine to my day. Feel free to pass it on and spread the sunshine. :-)

A post talking about sunshine seemed the perfect place to share this home by designer Kathryn Chaplow (Photographer James Yochum) that was featured in the January/February 2008 issue of Home magazine (pointclickhome.com). I love her creative use of color. Makes me happy just looking at it. You can see the rest of the home here.

Giveaway tomorrow! Have a good day...

Decoración de Baños

El baño es uno de los espacios más acogedores y agradables de la casa, y también uno de los que más posibilidades ofrece a la hora de vestirlo y decorarlo. Tanto si se trata de baños modernos, como si son tipo vintage, rústicos o minimalistas, actualmente casi todo vale dentro de la decoración de los baños, siempre dentro de la elegancia y el buen gusto.

Las tendencias más actuales siguen la línea del minimalismo y las formas rectilíneas, como se puede apreciar en este ambiente de Ideal Standard. Sanitarios con estética casi cubista, espejos sin marco, mamparas de ducha casi invisibles y tonos neutros son las pistas a seguir. Baños elegantes, para espacios de la era post-industrial.

Los baños accesibles para personas con baja movilidad y los sistemas para ahorrar agua en grifos o sanitarios son cada vez más comunes, y hay una gran variedad.

Las tendencias en lavabos aceptan casi cualquier material y diseño, y si no, a ver qué me decis de este espectacular lavabo-acuario. Todo un placer para la vista y los sentidos…

Sin embargo, los ambientes clásicos también están en la cresta de la ola en lo que a baños se refiere. Los tonos grises y blancos siguen siendo tendencia, pero en este caso los sanitarios evocan la Belle Épocque, así como los preciosos carteles bellamente enmarcados.

El color también tiene su sitio en el cuarto de baño. Si bien las líneas sencillas son lo que más se lleva, el contraste de los colores es también una nota a destacar. Las franjas verdes que decoran estos sencillos muebles, y la elegancia de sus patas de acero, son el complemento perfecto para el suelo de grandes baldosas de gres y la tarima de madera de teca.

Sauna de vapor y ducha para dos

¿Quién no querría disfrutar de un sauna de vapor y ducha, todo en uno sin tener que visitar un hotel? Renovation Store tiene una gran ducha de vapor perfecta para dos, su diseño es simple y funcional, en blanco, cromo y vidrio.

Perfecta para despertarte en la mañana con un masaje estimulante o si lo prefieres para prepararte para ir bien relajado a la cama por la noche. Si no tienes tiempo para terapias de alivio del stress semanal, invertir en esta ducha a vapor es una exelente idea.
Otras amenidades incluyen un masajeador de pies, distintas opciones de lluvia multi-funcional y protección contra fuga de líquidos. Pero si eres de los que aman los gadgets, puedes agregarle a este modelo algunas cosas extra como altavoces, ordenador con mando a distancia, FM, CD externo y teléfono. Además, cuenta con un ventilador integrado que ayudará para el control de la humedad. Este modelo tiene un costo de aproximadamente 3.400 dólares.

Acabados con cera para muebles antiguos

Los acabados a la cera son de los más antiguos que se conocen, y quedan preciosos sobre muebles de maderas nobles, chapados o marquetería. Hacerlos bien no es difícil, pero sí es importante conocer la técnica para sacarles el máximo partido posible.

Lo primero es hacerse con el material: cera para muebles (puedes comprarla hecha o prepararla tú mismo; en un post próximo enseñaré cómo hacerla), lanilla de acero, paño de algodón o brocha plana de buena calidad, un cepillo para zapatos y una media limpia.

En primer lugar, si el mueble estaba ya encerado tendrás que limpiarlo bien. Puedes usar un desencerador comercial (a la venta en buenas droguerías o centros de bricolaje), o emplear una mezcla al 50% de aguarrás puro y aceite de linaza. Agita bien la mezcla y frota el mueble con lanilla de acero nº 000 empapada en ella, retirando al tiempo la cera vieja con un paño.

Una vez limpia la madera hay que aplicar la cera nueva. Puedes hacerlo con un trapo de algodón limpio que no suelte pelo (por ejemplo, una camiseta vieja) o una brocha. Extiéndela bien, sin pasarte con la cantidad.

Deja secar una hora y saca brillo a la cera, frotando la superficie con el cepillo para zapatos envuelto en la media. Después, da otra mano de cera y deja secar de nuevo, esta vez durante veinticuatro horas.

Verás el brillo intenso que adquiere la madera con este tratamiento. Las mejores ceras son las incoloras o amarillas, de tipo anticuario. Y recuerda que, cada vez que quieras volver a encerar el mueble, es recomendable limpiarlo primero para que no se acumulen las capas de cera vieja.

Product - Ilias Wallpaper

Photo from ArchiExpo

(click on the image to get a closer look)

Vogue Living May/June via The Design Files

A client of mine has sourced this beautiful wallpaper called Growing/Falling from an Australian brand called Ilias. The red spots that you see at the top are flocked (raised pattern produced by dusting powdered wool over the partially sized surface) and gradually disperse down the wallpaper.
'Ilias' is the work of Ilias Fotopoulous - a designer or 'artist maker' who has created a textile and wallpaper range. He came to designing after a stint as a lawyer. His work is intriguing and he explains that his products are usually results of experimental and creative processes, in which he finishes with a product different from what he first imagined. Learn more about him here.

292 - Concrete

Making sure that the posts are straight.

The concrete truck arrived today to put the retaining wall posts in place. It is a bit of a juggle - making sure the posts are all straight as the concrete gets poured in. We should see a wall soon with all the earth packed in behind.
Following this, Euan can start on the foundation for the new addition.
Photographs by Charlotte Minty.

Blog Inspiration - Small Acorns

Flowers by Amanda

Designers Guild

All photographs via Small Acorns

I think it is safe to say that most of us Wellingtonians know about Small Acorns - the great boutique store that sells homewares and design products, including Orla Kiely, Designers Guild, Kartell, Minti and Trelise Cooper Kids.

What you may not know is that Amanda, the force behind Small Acorns has a great blog. She talks about the inspirations in her daily life - including flowers, the beautiful stock in her shop, interiors, food, finding treasures in second hand stores, her family and other observations. She was the whistleblower on the Orla Kiely copycat bedlinen at The Warehouse which, as a result, were removed from the shelves. That shows you the power a blog can reign. She also takes most of the blog photographs herself. Clever lady.

Check out her blog here.

New portrait photo

I was getting a bit of grief from my family about my 'blog author' photo that I had on this blog. They said that it didn't look like me and wanted to see a better professional looking photo. So I called my brother-in-law, Neil Pardington to help me out. Here is the result. Thanks Neil for taking a decent photo and making me much more presentable to the world!
Photo by Neil Pardington.

Valentine's Day Ideas

A fun idea to use as part of your Valentine's Day tablescape

delish.com (photo Steve Giralt) found via Love Actually / Tip Junkie

I did get a few comments that people were interested in Valentine's Day ideas and since a lot more of you follow than comment, I'm going to just assume that there are others of you that would be interested as well. :-)

Also, as hard as it is for me to commit to, I'm going to be mostly out of blogland for the rest of the week. I just really need to catch up. I'll be back posting next week, so I hope you'll all meet me back here.

A vase filled with pistachios and carnations would be a pretty addition to your decor.

delish.com (photo Steve Giralt) found via Love Actually / Tip Junkie

or you could use the pistachios to make this heart wreath. Instructions at marthastewart.com

These cute button napkin rings are just one of the ideas at marthastewart.com's Valentine's Day Crafts and Decorations

Decorate your mantel like At Second Street did

Make a keepsake rose heart - tutorial and pattern at Ladies Home Journal

Customize your candles with beeswax hearts

(photo Andrew McCaul)

or soften your candlelight with these lace trimmed votive holders. Both of these candle ideas are from Good Housekeeping's Ideas For Homemade Valentine's Gifts

(Photo Kate Mathis)