Designalogue

Fella & I were very lucky to spend the weekend in the newly renovated cottage ‘the Nest‘ which is smack bang in the bush just outside of Healesville in the Yarra Valley.  Some very lovely and super clever friends of mine, have turned  what was once an old run down, skanky, stinky cottage into a place that is truly special.

An impossible place to not chill out the second you walk through the door. Though I think for me it was the minute I pulled up in the driveway.

This is what I did:

Drank lots of  lovely local wine while cosying up by the fire here:

Ate/scoffed down delicious food while seated here (yep, a detail I thought important to share!)

Inhaled the incredibly fresh and clean air  while spending many an hour admiring the view to the bottom of the garden

Wandered along the river, which is just at the bottom of the garden -um awesome! (psst – this picture perfect stream is real people!)

and just thoroughly enjoyed being the beautiful Australian bush

Kooky fluro coloured trees and all!

But all good things must come to an end – damn you Sunday eve! And now I am home once more in the big smoke, but plotting about how to get back to the super special place. and have gotten myself all stressed out again just plotting my return trip!

Do yourselves a favour Melbourne peoples - The Nest in Healesville is a really special place to be, and I’m sure you are going to hear a whole lot more about it!

Aw, poor Designalogue Blog. You are so neglected by your maker. 3 months since my last post. Oops.

I wouldn’t say you have been forgotten about you dear blog…just kinda pushed you to the back of my mind while I got on with other things.  But blog guilt has  finally got to me, and so here I am giving you a bit of the attention that you desire. (Take what you can get!)

So to news of late…

I recently flew up to  Darwin for a few days to work on a project. For those not familiar with Australia’s geography, Darwin is the city up the top & in the middle of Australia where its hot, really hot all the time and they have  a lot of  big bitey things in the water. (of which I saw none – kinda sadly!) My only brush with the interesting nature of the area was accidentally peeing on a sweet little green tree frog. I didn’t realise the little guy was there until it was too late…… but saved in time before the flush! Lesson learned – when in the tropics, check where you are sitting! Even where you are sitting is in a bathroom on the second floor – wee critters like climbing pipes it seems!

Sadly and well, very inconveniently my camera died. As it turns out little snappy cameras cant handle being dropped on the floor after about 110 times. Up till that last drop, I swear it was totally fine. Life without a camera on hand to snap away is a bit sad. The camera in my Iphone  just doesnt cut it. So until a new camera comes  my way…will my vague descriptions of things work on a design based blog?

Im thinking not.

So no pictures to share of interesting things in Darwin. But hopefully  I will have got around to getting myself a new camera by my next trip up in a few months time. Maybe  then we can have a slide night?

As this is a design based blog, I cant leave this post without a picture or two – so thought I would share some chairs that I recently had re upholstered for a client:

Before – needing a bit of zhoosh!

Before....

& after….

They are part of a project that is coming along so beautifully & I cant wait to share it… but all in good time!

So I missed Australia Day by a week – oops!

But I am feeling a little patriotic to my home land at the moment, so I will share the love with these fabulous clips that are very uniquely Australian. Or as an Aussie would say – Aussie Az!

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

via Sharing the caring & more of Keith Loutits’ fabulousness here

Sir David Attenborough visits Sherbrooke forest (very near where I grew up – just so you know!) to check out a very unique Australian native:

Ah Aus, I do love you so and I always will, but sometimes I will just need to flirt a little with other far away lands. Ok?

The Cockatoo, for those who aren’t in the know; are an native bird to my lovely home land of Australia. But as this is a designed based blog, and not a bird fact forum, I will spare you from too many a detail of the pretties! Except, they are in some regional areas considered a pest, and in more city dwelling areas considered a pet! In captivity, they are known to live for up to 50 years.

My point is this, Cockatoo’s are not something that one should commit to lightly. And with this in mind, I am also thinking of the gorgeous limited edition Cockatoo rugs by Catherine Martin for Designer Rugs!

I’m sure many of you have seen the pattern of which I speak – its appearance on the front cover of the latest Issue of Australian Vogue living, has caused quite a stir in the world of late (and rightly so I say!)

Available for adoption to good homes: Limited edition rugs – three colourways, and only five of each.

Personally I think the adoption process for these lovelies is too lax. The ‘candidate’ should be subjected to at the very least a home inspection!

But alas, we know that’s not going to be the ca$e.

All I am saying is that I hope the people who adopt these lovelies, fully appreciate them and treat them with the respect that they deserve. To think of a coffee table upon, or even a baby spew incident…well that just breaks my heart!

Please. Give them a good home. I know I would make Cockatoo ‘yellow’ a very happy and long life together.

Um, how did it become May already? I swear it was New year just a couple of weeks back and we here in Melbourne town were in a heat wave. Suddenly its May, and we are having a super freeze. I’m beginning to think that Mother Earth has taken up quick step dancing! or just maybe I am just in a time bubble?!

So in the weeks gone by (though it feels like mere hours!) Ive just been doing my ‘thing’. Some of this involved helping the lovlies at Lump Scultpure Studio put a display together for the big annual designery trade  show “Interior Designex‘ to display how beautiful their light boxes can look beautiful Inside as well as out!  This is the result of that: 

CMD for Lump DX2009

CMD for Lump DX2009

As I only had a week & a bit to gather bits & pieces for the stand, I had to use what I could get my hands on quick sticks! This meant most of the display came from my stocks! (read my home!) But with some assistance from Diane Bergeron & Interstudio. 

The other side of the stand was as so: 

Ah then as quick as a flash, but not soon enough, the weekend came!!

Sunday was a perfect day. Blue skies, 19 degrees (that’s about 62F) and just gorgeous! Fella and I jumped in the car and headed up to a friends farm -an hour & a bit out of town for a lovely Sunday lunch. This is my idea of a perfect day!

To get to the farm we travelled past the areas recently hit by the tragic bush fires. (For what this is in reference to click here) I stuck my camera out of the sun roof of the car to take some crappy snaps of what now is. (I think the pics are pretty good considering the car is travelling at 100kms! (that’s about 62 miles per hour!))

This picture shows a vineyard with the burned hills in the back ground. The vineyard was untouched – the vines just look burnt as its now Autumn here. 

These pictures show how devastating the fires were. Apparently, bush fires are usually close to the ground, leaving the tree canopies relatively unscathed. As the bush was so dry – from a hot summer as well as 11 years of drought, as these images show everything went up in flames.

My heart breaks thinking of the animal life that had no chance of escaping. 

The yellow ribbon that someone has placed on this tree is the symbol that acknowledges these fires and raises money for those who suffered.

Although it is Autumn (fall) here. These trees are red from the fire – not the season. All these trees are native to Australia and dont shred their leaves in the seasons. 

Three months on from the fires and the forests are already greening up with new growth. 

And then to the farm we got! So beautiful! and its one of my favorite places in which to be. An hour there makes me feel like I have had a week away.  

 Ahh the serenity! until…

Why is it that boys feel the need to throw stuff? Apparently this tree was just asking to be target practise! (practising for what?!) I will point out – no animal or bird life was in the line of fire. 

And me and him felt the need to do some loved up posing in the sun set! 

And then it was done. and back to the city we went… for another week to go by quick as a flash! 

And breath out again and hear ones thoughts… Ah, its gone and done for another year and I now have some peace and quiet once more. Ah. that’s nice. 

oh, best I fill you on on what I’m talking about! So you don’t feel all left out and unloved! 

So: I live (and work) a very short 2 blocks away from the  serene, peaceful and picturesque Albert Park lake. 

Quite pretty isn’t it! – on the edge of the city right by the bay….lovely -if you haven’t yet visited, you must – its lovely……. OK, that’s my tourist gathering bit done! 

Image via Flikr -Aumbody images

Once a year, for 4 looong days the quiet lake transforms from the pretty picturesque lakeside it tis, into a Grand Prix circuit full of ear bleed loud cars, bucket loads of beer, busslings of busty broads and bogans!! 

Image via The Age - pic by Viki Lascaris

Yesterday for a couple of hours I joined the busslings of busty broads and bogans and tottered track side to see what all the fuss and noise was about! In case you were unsure, its about ear bleed loud cars, bucket loads of beer, busty broads and plenty of bogans! AND that’s about it really!

Not being a car motor head person it is lost on me somewhat, but I do admit – its hard to not smile and get a grin from ear to ear when the giant mosquito roars past at 300kms an hour! 

Image via The Age - pic by John Donegan

And I have to confess, I cant help but giggle like a school girl when the cool fighter planey things do their low flyovers!  Each day of the Grand Prix the plane roared repeatedly over my house sending Trevur the cat scuttling for the safety of under the bed and me into the street to watch it do air ‘doghnuts’. 

I think I might be a fighter pilot when I grow up. Except the fighting bit, and the fact that I am a grown up…

Image via The Age - pic by John Donegan

The whole event finished up last night with a concert where 70′s rock gods (!?) The Who played on! I didn’t go to see them, but heard them live from my garden and repeatedly said to the fella : ‘Oh, I didn’t know they did THIS song!’ 

So that’s whats been going on in my ‘real’ world of late! Not very design worthy – but my blog so I can do what I want!!!

One of these days I will do a proper post once again, as I have been a little lax in that of late due to being really busy and important!!!!!

Where ever you live on the planet earth, at 8.30pm this Saturday it is Earth Hour.

So in preparation for an hour with the lights out, its candle time! What be more appropriate than this gorgeousie light globe candle from Queen B candles!

(Oh, and And just so you know it is even more perfect as its a non toxic emitting candle made from beeswax not paraffin like most other candles available – loving the Queen B candles!)

And the teacup candles are a bit special too!

I want me some!

In the current issue of Australian shelter mag Inside Out, there is photographic proof of what I have long suspected is true. The Truman show is real, and yes, I am the star of it.

Can you pick it up where you are in the world?!!! Do you get reception?

Anyway, the photographic proof of which I speak is a house that has long been in MY head: the location – Byron Bay Hinterland (soooo beautiful there), the of view of rolling hills I desire to stare out at, just the whole sensibility of the joint being a well thought out sustainable build and I even dig the frisky red rabbit keeping an eye on things!

If it turns out the Truman/Camilla show isn’t a happening (ah, doubt that!), then the architect and current* home owner  Sharon Fraser and I are kindred spirits cause I love it so.

The bunny is on the lookout for me!

Are sunken lounges making a come back?

Yeah, those are views I could look at.

Not such a bad scene to wake up to

Now this, is very cool indeed.

If you are wanting the TV to be the focus of the room its just like magic-now you see it… but suddenly there is more to life and you don’t want the tele to be the focus of all – so whoosh and kaboom and now you don’t!

If that doesn’t quite explain to your liking, then try this instead: Using a mechanical rope and pulley system, the painting moves up or down to cover the TV screen or not. The concept is way impressive anyway – but then in this case its a painting of fish – well, that just rocks my world people!

This rocks my world

Obviously for those who know me once I move in there will be many many more cushions (Yes, this yet another admission of ‘interior’ addictions I have)  undoubtedly  more colour and general stuff -you know a nick-nak or two!!! But I am confident it will still do it all justice!

And so how about a round of applause for my first scan job here at Designalogue!!!

Oh thank you, thank you! Now if I can only work out how to capture an image in a site using Flash……. (you people seem to do so, but I no can!)

Photographs by Richard Powers

*current – consider this marching orders! I’m moving in – oh but don’t freak out or anything i will be nice about it all!!