Designalogue

Day 1 of the year of the dragon. Seems appropriate to post some eye candy  pictures of dragons used in interiors.

Obvious really!

Osborne & Littles‘ ‘Chinese Dragon’  is one of my favourite of all time wallpapers. I’d love to use it in a project (who be the brave?!)

and moving on…

When I was a kid I would’ve flipped out over this wallpaper by Paper Boy (so  excellently titled ‘ere be dragons‘ ) and would’ve loved having this on my bedroom walls.

Instead I had bright red wallpaper with little white flowers all over it. It went so beautifully with my lime green curtains.  Picture all the furniture painted lovingly by my mumma in gloss bright red and a white flokati on the floor to complete the look.  Clearly it was the 1970′s.

hmm…its no wonder as a grown up  I am super stimulated by colour!

And of course  Schumacher make an appearance with their very well loved wallpaper Chang Mai.

Its pretty. But I don’t want to live with it!

According to Chinese horoscopes the year of the dragon is extra special and believed to bring success and happiness.

So I say welcome in dragon! Last year was a very sucky personal one for me and I’m happy to be done with it.

This year is already off to quite an amazing start and the opportunities that have already presented themselves are enough to make me fall off my chair! So welcome dragon & stay a while. I’m happy to make up the spare room for you!

2011, Happy to be done with you!

2012, we are going to get along real well.

A nice way for me to start the year off to a good start was to see my work featured on the HGTV blog in a story on their ‘favourite bright, bold bathrooms’

Thank you HGTV for featuring my work on your blog!

And so for the new year

I’m really excited for the year ahead. I’ve got some really exciting projects in the pipeline and after a few days of chilling out, I am itching to get back into my work. But as I am working on evening up the work/ Life balance thing, I’ve got a few travel adventures planned and some personal creative projects too. So all looking to be a productive year!

Oh, and also I am going to aim to be more regular with my blog posts. I’m never going to be an every day blogger (how - HOW do people do that!) but I will give myself the aim to blog of atleast twice a week. OK… maybe just once a week!

so, we’ll soon see- watch this space!

And that’s that! the last delivery for 2011 is DONE!

A stunning organically dyed wool rug to be more specific!

I know I promised in my last post pirate ships, Ferrari pianos  and Chinese matadors… but  I before I get to that (eventually ok….!)  I have a bit of  house keeping I have to do:

Changes in my world  mean that I am re-jigging my office around and now have some space for another business to set up camp too in my unique space! Its a great space & perfect for an established small business to come & join me.

So.. what’s on offer. A lot really (well I think!)

This whole room:  (yeah, I really could’ve tidied up a bit before taking a picture…live & learn!) The furniture will go, leaving the space entirely open for what you want to do with it!

As well as the entire room, access to the whole down stairs area that you can use for client meetings.

I have meetings in either of these rooms. Its different to most work places, but that’s also a difference in my business – which I think of as a good thing!

The downlow:

• Full private room (4×4 metres & tall ceiling) with street view & hydronic heating
• Room enough for 1 or 2 desks
• Access to 2 unique meeting rooms & outdoor space
• Close to loads of great cafes,  beach, South Melbourne market,  Albert Park Lake, Melb sports & aquatic centre, close to city
• Close to tram routes
• Street parking (with permit for 1 car)
• Kitchen & powder room

In essence – its a unique space looking for another unique business to share.

If you are interested, or know of anyone who is interested – please email or call.  Contact dets here

*Trevurr the cat is on premises, so peeps with animal allergies this aint the space for you.

Wow. What a week I have had… I was invited to work along side a Chinese design firm on some display apartments in Shenzhen China. A great opportunity that came my way at the perfect time, I couldn’t not go.  So last week to China I went!

It was incredibly inspiring, satisfying,amazing and very exhausting. A LOT to get accomplished in only 3 days.

Here is some of what I got up to:

This is the design office where the firm I was working with are based. Its a large loft with a centre section that is open to the air that has a huge 2 storey antique Chinese gate and a long antique table (stupidly I didn’t take a better picture off, so what I’m talking about is seen through the glass)  The staff have their meals here togther each day. Including their 2.5 hour daily lunch breaks which involve a hearty meal followed by a snooze at their desks! With all that rice at lunch I really needed a snooze too!

The purpose of my trip was to put together 5 display apartments that will be in these apartment buildings. The Chinese design team had put together the concepts for each apartment, my job was to pull all of that together and go over what they have done & make sure it all flowed.

I was taken to the design district. These buildings are filled with all sorts of  design furnishings. They are HUGE. I saw 6 of these buildings (there would be more) and each one is 8 floors high and all filled with every kind of interior products that  you could imagine.  Some good, some awesome & a whole lotta crap!

Inside one of the design centre buildings.

I spent 2 solid days in this store selecting all of the furnishing fabrics for 5 apartments.  (may explain the blurry picture!) It was very full on!

I had a team assisting me, but only one of which spoke English. I would describe what I was looking for ie “a cream coloured upholstery with a bit of texture” that would be translated and about 10 people who would then  go searching for that amongst the piles of fabric sample  books & present it back to me.  The Chinese taste is far more ‘shiny’ than mine, so I constantly had to keep that in check so that the whole scheme wouldn’t be so shiny shiny!

Oh & always, ALWAYS someone had a camera on me. its a very weird feeling being constantly focussed upon. I so feel in tune with Brad & Ange now….!

Some of the selections made (hmm…looking very shiny!)

And then done.

Here I am ( the blonde one!) with some of the design team when we had just finished. I was exhausted as is very clear in this picture! (just to be clear, I am sitting down! if standing my head would maybe be out of frame!!)

In the next few days I will post  about the hotel I stayed at which had a life size pirate ship, a Ferrari grand piano & the staff dressed as matadors.  All true!

Its cup day today here in Melbourne town.

In past years (yep, Designalogue has been around for years!) I have put some effort into the horsey theme & found lots of pictures featuring horses in interiors… I haven’t gone out searching very far this year, and well, I’m even kind of cheating a bit as I am just showing a picture of my own living room – badly photographed… but it does have a horse!

See. A horse that is made of crap loads of horses!

This picture will give you a much better look-see at my fabulous ponies!

It was very cleaverly created by one half of the Design Crisis clever duo – Karly Hand.  She did a limited print run of 30,  so I was very quick to make one of these mine – ALL MINE!

and so I did & we will live happily ever after!

If you are feeling ripped off by my lack of enthusiasm for this years race – you can have a look at horsey stuff I have done in past years here on the blog:

here, here, here, some more here, and then I did this one, and finally that.

While trawling through my many bookmarked blogs I came accross this apartment that I  just wanted to move straight into.

thanking  The Designer Pad for this eye candy

(originals from Elle Decor Spain)

OK, so swap the Hessian upholstery for some linen, get rid of the black board wall (never been a fan – chalk dust = sneezy) & its just about perfect for me to move right in. I’m sure the current residents wont mind!

What a nice surprise to come across in my rather back logged RSS feed!

The super lovely Jo (who is in my opinion the blog god) of Desire to Inspire gave me a very lovely shout out for my House & Garden top 50 rooms feature on her Desire to Inspire! Thanks Jo!

I was very lucky to meet Jo earlier in the year when we were both invited to Sydney courtesy of Electrolux to have a very fine dinner at Testusyas. I loved her instantly! We giggled like teenagers & drank alot of wine. A. LOT!  Was a very fun evening!

Some pictures of the delicious food we ate are over on my CMD facebook page -here

& also, the on line gallery of the House & Garden top 50 rooms is here.

Ok. I think I’ve plugged my feature enough now….even I’M bored with it now!!!!

Every couple of months on a Saturday morning I take myself off somewhere in the city for a meeting of creative women. There is no freaky ritual or special hand shake required for entry – its just a room full of women who have creative businesses, there for the purpose of listening to another creative chick talk about the trials & tribulations of her business.

As I am a solo operator in my business,  I find it so inspiring to hear other peoples stories. Having your own business is hard – really hard ( & yes.. also awesome!) so hearing how other people manage really helps!

The meeting is the Creative Women’s Circle and is run & all organised by the very clever & super lovely Tess McCabe.

Tess is one of those people who always seem to be doing something or going somewhere interesting! I dont think she sits still much!

Her latest project has been to write a book – Converstations with Creative Women.  Im guessing you worked out from the title that its not a murder mystery or drama…its simply conversations with creative women!

I’ve pre ordered my copy already & really look forward getting my hands upon (um, I’m hoping an autographed copy!)

You can get yours here

Do it. seriously!

And spread the word! Tess has created this book all on her own – including marketing. Its a big job!

Im a bit excited today.

Last night I atteded the launch of the House & Garden Magazines top 50 Rooms feature 2011, held at the sky high eye candy restaurant Vue De Monde.

I knew that I was in the running to be a part of the feature as a photographer – well actually one of the best Australian photographers Derek Swalwell came to photograph my dining room! But I didnt want to count my chickens until I saw it with my own two eyes!

Well, now I have.

And not only am I IN the feature – I have a double page spread!

And of course Trevurr the cat makes an appearance! I swear that boy knows what he is doing! He was totally working it & sat to pose for the shot!

And see – there is a photo of me & my name & everything….. its real!!

The magazine goes on sale on Monday! Go & get it. Dew it!