Lots of love for Lotta

I've spotted an incredible stylist who has my heart completely today! Lotta Agaton is freelance stylist in Sweden who has styled images for some of my fave places like H&M Home and Elle Interiör where it doesn't matter if you can't read Swedish, you can just enjoy the visuals!
Lotta has a portfolio of stunning images which you can view for yourself here but I have gathered some of my faves together.

 I am so in love with this room. Often a black and white room can appear stark and cold, but the 'lived in' look of the sofa cushions as well as the hints of green leaves make this feel like a very liveable room. Don't even get me started on the wall too. I want everything there!

These images almost could form an inspiration board for me. I am totally in love with the simple black and white palletes used in most of these images, and the typography - swoon! I also love the dusty pink of the chair in the bottom right image. It's a little bit retro and not a too 'girly' pink that it makes it look too feminine. I've no idea where the incredible typographic prints come from, but they are a constant feature of Lotta's work.

 

More typography and prop wonderfulness! Again I love the shot of greenery which brings these scenes to life and gives them a scent. I also have total envy for all the beautiful, quirky and fun accessories in these shots. I think that is one of the strongest draws for me to Lotta's work, there is always something fun, whether it's a great quote in a print or a wooden hand flipping the middle finger!

Anyway, I hope you like this tiny glimpse into this talented ladies work. Please check out the online portfolio as it is jam packed with amazing images, you can also read Lotta's blog here where you will see her inspiration sources. Finally you can become a fan on facebook (search Lotta Agaton Interior Stylist) and check out some behind the scenes of some of her photoshoots. It actually has made me miss my previous life as an assistant stylist!

pretty places - the happy home

The Happy Home blog is one that has been in my 'daily reads' list for a while and today I want to share a tale of curtain rods. Belinda Graham is the web editor for Real Living magazine (a favourite of mine for very practical but stylish ideas) and she also authors this lovely blog sharing some fabulous decorating ideas as she renovates her home.

I was reading through the pages of her blog and came across her "Let there be (temporary) light" blog post. It is Belinda's tale of tracking (or hunting) down curtains (and lights) for her living room. I found myself laughing out loud and nodding along as she recounts her treks to Ikea and the "choose-your-own-curtain-rod buffet" at Spotlight as I too have recently walked the same path. While perfectly OK, the living room curtains that came with our house are hung off the ugliest curtain rod and rings I have ever seen (they are also in our bedroom). All the other windows in our house came with timber blinds when we bought, taking away the dilemma of window decorations when we moved in and we have just put up with the rods for now. We have two sets of tall sliding doors that lead out to our courtyard and the curtains (completely OK dark chocolate bouclé fabric) fit the decor well and more importantly keep the cold out in winter and the heat in summer. So far I have found some pretty decent ready made curtains, but alas we have lovely high ceilings which = non-standard curtain drop lengths. In turn this means custom made curtains = $$$$ and so new curtains go back to the home decor wish list.

 

There is hope though - and this is where Belinda and her blog come in. There was more head nodding as Belinda recounted her desire for white curtain rods on her white walls. She has ended up with black rods (read why in her post and see the lovely picture above) and I think that she has saved me from a decor obsession. You see I was having trouble finding white curtain rods I liked with the right level of "whiteness". I agree with Belinda that darker curtains on a white rod could end up looking like they were floating mid air. So with that blog-land has given me inspiration - perhaps I can keep the curtain we have but just find a replacement rod - and it doesn't have to be white - hooray!

Please pop over to The Happy Home blog and see if she can inspire you too.

a dash of colour - colourful furniture

As mentioned earlier this week, the arrival of spring here in the southern hemisphere has got me all inspired to throw around some colour! Here are a few inspiring ways to add some colour around your home....

This charming writing desk is from the wonderful and witty Jo from blog Mo and Me. If you need a nice time out, head over to her blog and read all about how Jo and Mo 'collaborate' in crafty, creative ways. You can read about Rudi the writing desk here.

Mrs Schmitts Daughter

More witty fabulous and colourful inspiration from Mo + Me. This bright cabinet was christened Mrs Schmitt when Jo found a piece of paper with a quote for a day out at the zoo bus trip with coffee and cake. It was addressed to a Mrs Schmitt and so the cabinet was named. Read about Mrs Schmitt over here and see how she fits into a bright and colourful room.

Another talented blogger is Louise of Pour toujours blog. This is her 'Magical' yellow bedside table. Louise has done some wonderful "upcycling" in bright and vibrant colours. See some of her other projects on her blog here.

This great injection of colour is certainly a way to add some personality and fun to a room, or hallway in this case! Check out the story behind Kathrin's bold but fantastic pink door here at her blog Where Your Heart Is. I also love the way the hallway is painted grey on the bottom half, and the art wall arrangement. You can see more of this lovely home in Germany here on Flickr. Another of my favourites is this incredible bright red bookcase....

So are you now inspired to inject some colour into your home now too? I like the idea of painting the back of a door a colour. I think it makes for nice surprise when you open the door!

a rescue project

I think it's the change of seasons that is drawing me to colour. As flowers bloom and things generally are getting greener, I have found some great examples of people brightening their homes through bold use of colour and pattern. First up is some of the wonderful work by Clara from The Home in Paradise

 

This charming shelf unit is affectionately named Inglorious Bastid and was given one last chance by Clara. See how she transformed a cheap and dull piece of furniture into something new and fresh in this blog post. I love all the before and after shots and step by step details. We have a similar story for a set of shelves in our home. I had used the shelves for a while but when we upsized our home, they became redundant. They were actually at the front door waiting to be taken to the rubbish when a moment of inspiration struck and I imagined the daggy 'pine' laminate replaced with a gloss white finsh. After a quick trip to the hardware store for primer, paint and some new handles we had rescued our own "inglorious bastid" and it lives on as a gloss white shelf for my cookbooks and magazines. It's actually quite rewarding to tackle a little project like this. You feel a sense of pride in bringing new life to a piece of furniture!

Do you like the look of those magazine holders in the second shelf? Well the crafty Clara has created these from the flimsy cardboard magazine holders from Ikea, but also suggest using cereal boxes too. So clever! I like the idea of putting your own stamp on things, and simple (cheap) projects like these are so easy to take on. Get the 'how to' over here and please also check out Clara's blog . There are lots of great stories and projects that Clara has taken on in her home in the Caribbean. Who knew a keyboard and mouse could look so pretty!

bedtime dreaming

Have you discovered Serena and Lilly? I had not heard of this amazing store before, but somehow found myself recently getting lost in their catalogue online. It seems that they have star pulling power with with Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Garner as fans of their nursery ranges. 

I think that dressing your bed is such a little, simple pleasure that can make such a big difference. Over the weekend I swapped around the throw cushions I have on our bed, from creams and blue to greens, and it is like I have a new bedroom! I love how simple it is to make a decor change with linen and cushions. Here are some totally dreamy images from the June 2010 Serena and Lilly catalogue.

 

Aren't these dreamy images? The prints in the bed linen is wonderful, as are the combinations. I really like the bold black and white softened by the green, as well as the soft pink used under the crisp blue and white above. Now how about these kids rooms.....

A room certainly fit for a little princess, how wonderful is this colour combination... and for the boys there is this great sea inspired room.

I love the vintage sails hung behind the bed and paper pirate hat touches! I would love to know who the talented stylist is behind these images!
Warning:: try and avoid being clucky when you see some of the nursery images...

Again another incredibly styled image - how wonderful are the paper cranes! This colour pallete is divine too.

Here's another childs room with a pop of colour - a great combination of blue and persimmon/orange.
There is so much inspiration in this catalogue, I've come back a few times just to browse! I even love the way they display the paint colours available.

I also really appreciate that there are lot's of decorating tips both on their website and in the catalogue. They show you how to out some of their looks together.
Check out the Serena and Lilly website (there's a local Australian version too). You can head straight for the catalogue here too if you need more amazing inspiration.

too much cool - Isa Form

I just took myself on a quick journey, wading through google translating pages from German and Swedish all because of this image.

There is just so much coolness about this room! I love the pops of green and yellow against the black and whit, the old school clock, peace sign and yellow taper candles. By far though, the stand out pieces in this room are the 2 prints - the big black and white pear and the yellow apple in green frame. I came across this image via A Merry Mishap's flickr favourites. Unfortunately I can't find the owner of this amazing room, but I have found the artist behind those cool prints.

From what I can tell Isa from Isa Form, found this great use of her prints from a fellow Swedish blogger Inspiration and Design and posted them to her own blog.

These 2 prints, pear and apple are from Isa's kitchen print range. I think they are so unique and just too cool.
There are plenty of other great prints to choose from in a range of categories, like Nature, Love and Buildings.

This is the Yama ki print from the buildings range and is another great use of simple black and white and an eye-popping colour. Anyway, I've had a fun journey and can only dream of having a dining room that cool!

Colour School

This morning I received a newsletter from Australian Design Review announcing the winners of the 2010 Dulux Colour Awards. One of them caught my eye and I wanted to share it with you.

 This wonderful use of colour is part of the award winning design of Fitzroy High School in Victoria, Australia.

I'm certain many of you don't remember going to a school that looked this good! The most creative part of my school was the student murals. It sounds like a very interesting project where colour has been used in both an aesthetic and functional way and I hope the students appreciate their wonderful environment. I think your work or study environment is so important... though if you saw my space at work you would not think I felt this way. I have had good intentions to make my area at least reflect a tiny bit of personality. Currently it is a pit of spreadsheets and other boring documents that would never hint at the fact that I am in a creative role. Seeing this totally funky high school has inspired me to do something about this... but after the Easter long weekend.

It seems there is not update yet on the Dulux Awards site with details of the 2010 winners and more images, but we should be able to check back soon for more information.
Another image winner featured in the Australian Design Review article is the winner of the Residential Interiors category.

This is Prahan House by SJB Interiors and you can see why it won a colour award - that jolt of green on the floor is pretty incredible! Check out the SJB website, it's full of amazing projects they have done. I couldn't find any more images from the Prahan House, but I will keep my eyes out!

{all images from Australian Design Review}