Around My House

I guess I’m ready to start this new series Around My House, I mean how ready can you be with showing off your house when it’s not your – just rented for 2 years. But I put my heart and soul into making it feel like a HOME. First step my bedroom. It’s a mix of dark Indian wooden furniture and some teak wood pieces that we have collected over the past year here in Singapore. That’s all mixed with some blue and white Chinese porcelain vases, Vietnamese paintings and patchwork bedcover and grey Persian carpet.

 

Books for the weekend

How is your weekend so far? Hope all of you are great and having a relaxing time. I thought of going through my books that have been on my coffee table for some time. My favourite ‘Cool Spaces for Kids’ by a South African author, stylist, designer Sam Scarborough. The book provides witty ideas and the know-how you need to create safe and stimulating spaces for kids, allowing them to spread their imagination and enjoy the fun and play in their bedrooms, gardens, playrooms. 

Second great book that I could recommend is ‘Domino. The Book of Decorating’ by domino editors. The book gives useful hints on creating a beautiful home, bringing together inspiring rooms, how-to advice and insiders’ secrets from today’s premier tastemakers in an indispensable style manual. My favourite thing about it is that it takes you room by room and unveils the decorating process and provides the tools for making spaces that are personal, functional and fabulous.

And finally a book that is on my ‘to buy’ list ‘Apartment Therapy’s Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces’ by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, the co-founder of the most popular interior design website, Apartment Therapy.

 

Going green

I recently thought of green as it’s the color of spring and summer. Sometimes unconsciously you feel like adding a certain colour to your life later only learning what it means and what you might need. Well green is the feng shui color of renewal, fresh energy and new beginnings. In the feng shui theory of five elements, color green belongs to the Wood element.

Green color is very nourishing to your health, as it calms your nerves and balances your whole body by bringing healing feng shui vibrations from Mother Nature. When working with green color in feng shui, it is important to have at least several different shades in order to maximize its feng shui energy effects.
Photos: Wohnidee

 

Living by the sea

I have been keeping those photos for quite some time now, and still adore the soft, fresh, breezy look of the interiors. Imagine having a house decorated like that, it would feel like being constantly on holidays. I wouldn’t mind. Indulge yourselves in that feeling.

Photos: Wohnidee

Visiting Australian Beautiful Home

I’m off to Australia today – just virtually, to have a look at some wonderful houses and living ideas. One that caught my attention first is a Louise and Bruce’s Sydney bungalow that they transformed into a dream home with a calming mix of charm and character. I love the original timber floors and the mix of old and new. It’s fresh and sentimental.

Photos: Sue Stubbs for Home Beautiful

 

Lavender dreams

It has been gray and raining today and I was coincidentally daydreaming of  lavender fields. As lavender in aromatheraphy help relieve tension, depression and  helps to regulate moods. I found out that the use lavender colour suggests something unique or extremely special. It  invokes feelings of nostalgia or romance. People with anxieties or fears feel best in a lavender room.  It is perfect for kitchens and bedrooms but I found it works well in living rooms.  For me it’s enough to look at the beautiful images and already feel relaxed and lifted.

 

 

Moroccan tea anyone?

With the hot weather we are having here in Singapore recently I thought of the good old Moroccan mint tea, which is very cooling. It is not a drink. It is a sign of hospitality and friendship and tradition. Because this drink is so popular, it is served all day long, after every meal and with every conversation. Moroccans take great pride in their tea and will often ask a visitor who among their group of friends makes the best cup of mint tea.

All you need to prepare the delightful drink is green tea, fresh mint leaves, lots of sugar. The secret is in the preparations. Combine the mint and green tea and sugar in the teapot, then fill it with hot water. Let it brew for 3 minutes. Set up small slender glasses. Fill just one glass with tea, then pour it back in the pot. Repeat. This helps dissolve the sugar. Pour the tea from far above to get a nice foam. Garnish with mint.

The flavour of the tea combines so well with the warm Moroccan interiors.

More inspirations in Taschen’s book.

  And finally an amazing compilation by Nikhilesh Haval 

Sweet dreams girls

This one is for a friend of mine who is looking for ideas on how to create a dream room for her little girl. Hope you will find something right for you 2. Having only a boy I enjoyed going through many incredible, sweet, dreamy room designs. There are so many themes and wonderful inspirations. The easiest way to makeover is to start with fabrics for bed sheets, curtains, chairs, cushions. Find what you like, what goes together and then add some details like pictures, decorations. You can work with the furniture you have, just dress them up in new coat of paint, textiles. Have fun and enjoy!

From Pottery Barn:

Butterflies

French rose

Garden

 Tulips

 Tea party 

 From Homes and Gardens:

Ideal Home:

If blue and white is your colour

It’s no wonder that blue and white is a favorite color combination for cottages and seaside decorating. Of course, blue is one of the best color for home decor. Blue brings down blood pressure and slows respiration and heart rate. That’s why it’s considered calming, relaxing, serene and evokes images of the sea, and is often recommended for bedrooms and bathrooms. I choose to use  blue and white chinese porcelain in my decor. Blue and white has long been a popular combination for dinner china and beautiful antique or new blue and white plates are easy to find. I have been collecting items of use and no use such as plates in the ever-popular blue willow pattern, or even flow blue patterns, with purposely blurred images, that were popular about one hundred years ago. Vases, soup tureens, tea pots and other pieces of antique blue and white porcelain also look beautiful when on display. I have been on a lookout for blue and white linens to add to my collection. Tablecloths, napkins, placemats, curtains, bedspreads, sheets and more are available in delightful blue and white solids and patterns that can brighten up your home as well.Why not display the mix-and-match plates on a wall, not necessarily in the kitchen.

If you are interested to learn more about blue and white Chinese porcelain go to http://www.blueandwhite.com/

Decorating ideas with blue and white by Carolyne Roehm.

Photos: 1. 8rd.org, 2. Countryliving , 3. mine, 4. 5. Carolyne Roehm

Nautical inspirations in boys room

The best place to express fascination with the sea and the nautical style is kids’ room. I have been collecting ideas (Dutch Boy, The Inspired Room, White Company) then the decor items and gradually creating my own ahoy style (more pictures to come).

To add some natural beachy feel to the style all you need is some seashells, piece of wood washed by the sea, fishing net. The sea is the limit in this case 🙂