Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Collaboration at Rosebery















Last Thursday night I attended the fabulous opening party of Megan Morton's School, Propery and Photo Studio, Koskela's new store and Kitchen by Mike.  A collaboration within one amazing warehouse space in Rosebery, Sydney.  I don't think I've ever seen anything as big as this place and if you are in Sydney or if you are visiting Sydney in the future then this is a must visit.   

Here are a few {smudgy and not great} photos I snapped on my iphone at the opening party.  Unfortunately I didn't take enough photos but if you want to see more then head over to Lucy at The Design Files as she has posted some better photos of the space.  Briar from Sunday Collector has also posted some great pictures HERE!! 

By the way, the food was DIVINE - I highly recommend eating at Kitchen by Mike!  You won't be disappointed!!!  The address is 85 Dunning Avenue, Rosebery.

xx
Anna

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Pretty Bedroom



Here's a very quickly taken snap of a pretty bedroom in a divine home in Sydney which I am currently working on.  I was so thrilled when my client asked me to make her a patterned bedspread as we've mostly been doing white French quilted bedspreads for clients these past few years {which I also love BTW}.  It was just such a refreshing change being asked to do a traditional patterned bedspread.  I can't wait to install the curtains which will bring the entire room together...

Hope you're having a wonderful Monday.
xx
Anna

PS - Yep, I've joined the Instagram craze!! 

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Country House Part 2





We still need more books for the bookcase but we are gradually getting there.  You wouldn't believe how many books it takes to fill a bookcase of this size.  Every time I visit the house my client has a few more boxes of books ready for me which I then place into the bookcase for her. 




If you have been following my blog for a while you will remember that I have posted pictures of this lovely house in the country before.  It is one I have been working on for a year or so.  Just before Christmas we installed a beautiful large built-in bookcase which covers the entire wall in the lounge area.  We built it around a pretty window which looks out to the garden.  

Late last week we hung 44 family photographs in a cluster wall in the same room.  We also delivered a pair of traditional white cane verandah armchairs and a pretty garden table which we filled with pots of orchids and succulents and candles.  We placed the table on the verandah at the front door.  Next stage is the dining room and then onto renovating the bathroom and redecorating the main bedroom, guest bedroom and the children's rooms.  I'll be sure to post pictures as we go along.

xx
Anna

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Schuyler Samperton











I thoroughly enjoyed browsing through Schuyler Samperton's portfolio on her webiste this morning. Schuyler has recently designed the home of model Carolyn Murphy which is featured in the March issue of Vogue {U.S. Vogue that is}.  I love her gorgeous, layered, Bohemian style.  Just breathtaking.

Oh and Schuyler has just started a blog HERE.  I'll definitely be following this new blog!!
xx
Anna

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Fly on the Wall







These fabulous pictures have been posted before by other bloggers but I just love the 'fly on a wall' approach to these photos.  Taking photos from above a room or object or collection of objects seems to be all the rage and I must say I love this style of photography.

image 1 - Deborah Needleman via Style Court
image 2 - via Pretty Stuff

Hello & Goodbye





In the early days of being married and setting up our first home, I think I did make a few hurried and maybe rash decisions when it came to buying furniture. I think it was because I wanted to have a beautiful house as quickly as I could. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad that I started to collect beautiful antique furniture from such a young age but I do look back now and ask myself, why was I in such a hurry.  That seems to be the way I’ve always run my life. I’ve always been in such a hurry to get everything achieved.

These days when it comes to buying furniture for home, I find myself slowing right down to almost a halt. I haven’t really done much with our new house because, to be completely honest, I just can’t get my head around it with everything else which is going on in my life right now. I seem to be way too busy trying to keep the shop decorated and looking beautiful instead of our own home.

These days it’s all about trying to find that perfect piece for the front window display or the perfect antique cabinet or table to fit in a certain spot in the store. I find that I don’t make rash decisions these days about pieces of furniture. Instead I sit and wait patiently for the perfect piece to come along.

One such piece is the beautiful antique French bookcase which arrived in the store last Friday. I have been looking for this piece for about 8-10 months. I wanted an antique cabinet which had glass doors so that I could display things inside of it, timber shelves because I don’t like glass shelves at all, lovely carving, a straight top so that I could put things on top of it, the right size to fit on a particular wall in the shop and also be in good condition. It needed to tick all of those boxes and also be a good price.

I was so thrilled when I found this particular cabinet as it actually reminded me of one my mother has at her house. When it arrived on Friday I immediately went to work filling it with all of the new blue and white jars we had also just received into the store.  I was like a child on Christmas morning. 

I thought my beautiful bookcase would be in the shop for a while so that I could enjoy it. But Saturday morning I was advised that the bookcase was no longer mine. It had sold. I’m so thrilled it is going to a good home but now it's back to the drawing board. 

Thursday, February 16, 2012

More Photos



Here are a few more photos which I took yesterday as promised.  My photos certainly don't do it all justice but I thought I'd share them anyway as this will be a beautiful cookbook once it is released.  I'll be sure to post about it's release date and further details as soon as I know. 



This is one of Marcia's mother's very old cookbooks above.  Her name is Mary and she is so beautiful. 



YUM!!!!


Marcia cooking in her kitchen.


3 Generations - Marcia, her mum Mary and her daughter Samantha.


Mary and Sam admiring the cake which Marcia made.  It is actually an old recipe of Mary's.  When they cut the cake later in the day Mary announced it wasn't as good as hers!!

It was a beautiful day surrounded by beautiful people.  Thank you Marcia for asking me to help you.  It was my absolute pleasure.  I can't wait to get a copy of the cookbook once it is released!!

Hope you have a great weekend.
xx
Anna

Marcia Georges' Cookbook


I feel very fortunate to have met Andy & Marcia Georges all those years ago.  I have been working for them in their home and in their very well-known and respected Brisbane restaurant, IL Centro, for.....I don't know how long.  It seems as though it's been many, many years. 

Today I was one of a team of people who came together at their home to style a very large number of family-favourite dishes Marcia had tirelessly prepared over the last 2 days which will feature in her upcoming cookbook.  We used lots of fabulous heirloom tablecloths, napkins, cutlery and china.  The cookbook is going to be full of their family history and the wonderful dishes they have shared throughout their lives.

I will post some more photos tomorrow but here's a sneak peek above.

Oh and if you didn't know, Marcia and Andy are opening a beautiful new bar which will be called Mr & Mrs G on the river in a new building in front of their restaurant in the next couple of months.  I have been very lucky to work on the interior of the bar and let me tell you Brisbane you are in for a big treat.  It will be something very special.

More pictures tomorrow, I promise!!

xx
Anna

Monday, February 13, 2012

Black & Spiro Today


A trip away always has me coming home planing a complete overhaul of the shop.  This week has started with us ordering new fabrics for curtains, window drops, armchairs, cushions and some new cabinetry to house our growing collection of vintage pieces like jugs, vases, plates etc.

We also have a very limited number of our I Love New York cushions in the store.  This year we have pink ones as well as white ones and on the back of each cushion is a special Black & Spiro fabric.



This vintage oil painting is one I purchased in NY and is now hanging in the store waiting for someone to take it home.  I absolutely love the carved timber frame and I will say that this one is going to be very hard to let go of...



Here's a little sneak peek of some of the fabrics we have arriving in the next couple of weeks. 






And this is only the very tip of the iceberg.  There are so many beautiful things coming it will be very exciting as the boxes start arriving over the next few weeks.

Happy Valentines Day.
xx
Anna

Sunday, February 12, 2012

More Ben Pentreath


Further to my previous post look at this fabulous picture taken at Ben Pentreath's store in London!  What a wonderful and uplifting combination of colours and I love the Josef Frank fabric on the armchair mixed with the kilim stripe on the side chairs and the blue and white ginger jars!  I really love his style.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Flowers & Things


These were my last dahlias and asters for the season.  Our garden is currently completely bare with the soil airing ready for our next plantings in March.  I miss being able to head out to the garden and cut a fresh bunch of flowers.







Talking about flowers and gardening I must share my new favourite blog with you.  You may have already discovered it but if you haven't then I suggest you head over to Ben Pentreath's blog.  It is divine in every single way.  I love the images he posts of his beautiful country house and his garden and his store, some of which I have posted above.  So beautiful.



Oh and I know this is a bit random but I loved how this picture matched the pictures above.  It was featured in House of Fifty online magazine and was created by Naomi over at Design Manifest.

Hope you have a great weekend.
xx
Anna

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Florence in NY


This sign advertising Kate Spade's collaboration with our very own Florence Broadhurst is painted over the entire side of a building down in Soho.  It's hard to miss.  When we visited one of the Kate Spade store's late last week they were just preparing the store for the arrival of the Broadhurst collection.  Even the tissue paper used to wrap my couple of small purchases was printed in FB neon coloured pattern. 

xx
Anna

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Chic NYC Dogs


As mum and I were walking down the street in Soho this afternoon we came across this man and his very cute dogs.  He allowed me to take a photo.  I had to share it with you!!

xx
Anna

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Chance Encounters























My days in NYC have been very busy and very productive.  I have enjoyed uncovering some wonderful treasures and meeting some lovely people along the way. 

Earlier today I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.  As I walked out the front door of The Crosby Street Hotel where we are staying, who should be standing right in front of me?  I could hardly believe my eyes...it was Kit Kemp who is the owner and designer of The Crosby Street Hotel.

My knees went a little shaky and butterflies started to fly ferociously around inside my stomach however, despite my nervous state I approached her and said hello.  I told her I would never usually do something like this. However, I know how much I would have re regretted it if I didn't pluck up the courage to say hello.  She was so kind and so lovely.  We spent a few minutes chatting about various things and I must say, having admired her for such a long time, including posting about her work, her home and her hotels here on the blog over the years, it was one of the most wonderful and exciting encounters of my life!!

Another wonderful experience I had today was being invited to Betsy Morgan's beautiful house for afternoon tea.  Betsy, who is an Interior Designer here in NYC and her husband own a DIVINE 5 storey townhouse in Chelsea.  We enjoyed a tour of her home and in doing so met her 2 beautiful daughters and chatted about all things New York and Design. 

Betsy allowed me to take a few photos of her home which I am sharing here today. You may think you have seen Betsy's home before.  Well you are probably right as it has been used for some pretty well-known photo shoots including the photos taken by Mario Testino of Sarah Jessica Parker for Vogue.  That's right, she's had Mario Testino and SJP in her home all at once.  AMAZING!

All in all it was such a wonderful and inspiring day.  Thank you Betsy for inviting us to your home for afternoon tea and thank you Kit Kemp for stopping to say hello to me.  I was completely and utterly starstruck!!

xx
Anna