Favourite Finds Friday- Navajo Style

Ever since starting up my own Etsy shop, I have spent countless hours browsing through different Etsy shops discovering beautiful and amazing products and my collection of favourites keep growing by the day! The thing I love most about Etsy is the variety of one-off, unique hand-made products that you won’t find in the usual bricks and mortar shop- perfect for adding that personal touch at home, or a lovely thoughtful gift for a special someone.

So I thought it was about time I started to share some of my finds with you, with a new (hopefully) weekly feature – Favourite Finds Friday. Each week I will do a wrap up of the fabulous products that have been catching my eye, both on Etsy and elsewhere on the net and where you can find them.

To kick off the first FFF, the products that have been catching my eye lately have had a real tribal/ Navajo feel to them…

1. Dandelion Archival Print – Watercolor Painting by Riva Luna

2. Small Feather Earrings in Burnt Orange and White with Natural Patterns by Sal

3. Wood Sculpture - Wood Art, Chevron Series in an Exotic Wood Frame, 9 3/4 x 9 ¾- by Paintsquare

4. Triangles Removable Throw Pillow Cover- by Leah Duncan

5. Yuchi Zebra Arrowhead Chevron Geometric Tribal Necklace in Black, Metallic Gold, and White- Foudre Blanche

6. Light as a feather art print 8 x10- by Lovely Sweet William

 

Oooh! and the lucky winner of the Charlee Le More Giveaway was announced on Little Bits of Lovely earlier this week, Congratulations to Courtney! 2 Charlee Le More cushions are on their way!

 

Have a lovely weekend!

Rochelle xx

Adorable Nursery by Kate Abdou Design

After spending all day working on my book-keeping and the boring paperwork that goes with starting your own business, I have the perfect lift for my Monday afternoon, and I’m sure it will put a smile on your face too! You may recall the Circular Quay project by my lovely friend Kate of Kate Abdou Design, which I blogged about here. Well today I’d like to share with you a nursery project Kate recently completed for a client in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and yet again the end result is gorgeous!

The brief for the project was to create a calm, relaxing and safe space that represents childhood and will grow with little ‘M’. The vision for the project was to use retro and vintage styling to give the space a lived in personal feel, while avoiding the cliché baby boys room look.

As always, Kate’s attention to detail is impeccable, from the sourcing of the pre-loved items, the layout of the furniture and the additional personal touches that make this space look so homely. The bold red and white striped rug is from Armadillo & Co. The bookshelf below the window has been custom-made and runs the entire length of the large window, a simple and beautiful way of displaying books for little M to choose from at night. Can’t you just imagine the stories being read and the lullaby’s being sung while mummy or daddy sit on the vintage stool, soothing little M to sleep?

I love the custom-made wall decal with bubby’s first initial and his date of birth, not to mention the fun pendant light and strings of felt balls. The blue picture rail is a little reminiscent of racing car stripes without dominating the room.

By keeping the room a crisp white, all the cute little gifts, toys and accessories can be changed around at any time, allowing the room to grow with little M. I really like that nothing looks over-styled or precious, as if you wouldn’t want to remove a book or toy from the shelf.

I love this cute idea filling a glass dome with matchbox cars!

These bright coloured ‘Gum Hooks’ are from Top 3 by Design and are a great way to keep clothes up off the ground.

And the happy little client!

To see more of this project click here, or to see more projects by Kate Abdou Design click here, and if you want to get sneak peeks at upcoming projects by Kate Abdou Design you can follow her on Facebook here, where she posts beautiful daily inspiration boards, and project photos for you to drool over.

 

Happy Monday!

Rochelle xx

Gallery visit + Giveaway!

Today I went to the Art Gallery of NSW to see the latest exhibition, Kamisaka Sekka- Dawn of Modern Japanese Design. If you are interested in Japanese art, I would definitely recommend you go along. The exhibition has been broken into 2 sections, the first focuses on the work By Kamisaka Sekka, and some of the masters of the Rinpa decorative style. The second has a number of current artists and designers that have created their own art and kiminos based on Sekka’s work and Rinpa style. Akira Isogawa was one of the designers included in the exhibition, I have always loved Akira’s work, and the dresses he designed especially for this exhibition certainly lived up to my expectations! Gorgeous!

I am planning to head down there again, as part the way through they change over a number of the works due to the fragile nature of some of them, and I may even pop along to one of the workshops or lectures that they have running for the duration of the exhibition such as; Origami, Plum Blossom Painting, Celebrity Talks and even a few workshops for kids.

Kamisaka Sekka
Flowers of the twelve months, 1920-25

Kamisaka Sekka/Kiyomizu Rokubei IV & Kiyomizu Rokubei V
Entrée dishes in the shape of a stream, 1920

Akira Isogawa
Tulle strap shibori dress with iris motif, 2010

Kamisaka Sekka (1866-1942) was one of Japan’s leading artists, designers and art instructors. His bold, visually dynamic designs and innovative approach to production made him one of the great visionaries of modern Japanese art and design.

Sekka’s paintings on scrolls and screens, drawings for lacquerware decoration, ceramics and textiles revived the decorative tradition of Rinpa – a quintessentially Japanese style originating in the early 17th century.

The exhibition explores the Rinpa tradition, with works by early masters displayed alongside Sekka’s innovative interpretations. The enduring appeal of both Sekka and the Rinpa style is revealed through a display of contemporary Japanese art, fashion and craft design, including works from artists such as Ai Yamaguchi and fashion designer Akira Isogawa.

With loans from the Hosomi Museum in Kyoto and private collections this is the first exhibition in Australia to showcase Sekka’s exquisite work and the exceptional Japanese sense for design.

 

Above text and images are all via the Art Gallery of NSW. Check out the website for more info on the Sekka exhibition. 

 

On a different note, I am very excited to announce that as a way to launch the latest design in my Charlee Le More range, Rachel over at Little Bits of Lovely is hosting a Giveaway! To find out how you can win 2 cushions of your choice from my Etsy store head on over to Little Bits of Lovely now! You can view the full range at my Etsy shop – Charlee Le More and Good Luck!

Rochelle xx

Current Obsession – Acapulco Chair

These Acapulco chairs keep catching my eye lately… I have seen so many different variations from the shape to the colour, and they are also no longer purely used as outdoor chairs, but have found their way inside too! At one of the trade shows earlier this year I was pleasantly surprised by just how comfortable these chairs are, making it even more tempting to buy one or 2 to soak up the sunshine in, or bring the sunshine inside!

This iconic design came about in the 1950′s in Mexico, yet no-one knows who the original designer was. There are rumors that it was a french tourist in the 1950′s that designed the chair. After feeling uncomfortably hot sitting on solid chairs on the beach of Acapulco, and inspired by the traditional Mayan hammocks of the area he designed a chair that reflected the tropical, laid-back style.

I love the bold graphic style of this chair, yet it still has a very casual and light feel. Yet another chair to add to my chair obsessed lust list…

via – Lolita

via – Subtlety of Taste

via – Konstantinos

via – Veneer Designs

via - Veneer Designs

via – Artrick Playground

Does this chair catch your eye too? Would you use it inside or prefer it outside in the sunshine?

Rochelle xx

Spot the trend….

I thought I’d do something a little different today and see if you can spot the trend…? I have slowly seen more and more of this look, and I would love hear your opinion on it! For the moment I am still sitting on the fence, but after finding all these lovely rooms I am certainly warming to the idea! So lets see if you can spot the similarity between the next 2 rooms…

via – Pinterest

 

via – the DesignPage

 

So can you guess what it is? I’ll give you a couple more rooms that should make it really obvious…

via – Sharart

 

via – Trendey

 

Guessed it yet? I’m, talking about layering rugs. Part of me is saying why? Do these people just have too much money that they want to buy one oversized rug and then cover it up with a second? Or maybe their kids have spilt something on the first? While the other half of me is saying yes! I can have both rugs, why choose one if you can have 2 right?  2 colours, 2 textures 2 styles, yay! Where ever or however this trend started I can see it catching on, so are you going to jump on board or are you not so keen on the layered rug look? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Here are a few more rooms that I couldn’t help but share.

via- Apartment Therapy

 

via- Decorpad

 

via – That Inspirational Girl

 

The great thing about this look is that you can mix and match in unlimited combinations, I particularly like the heavy functional hemp style rugs with a lovely soft patterned rug on top like the first room with the vintage Beni Ourain rug = love To see more you can check out my Pinterest board here, there were just too many to post! So what do you think? Good, bad or still on the fence like me?

 

Rochelle xx

 

 

Apartment Tour – Beau Lifestyle

I just had to share this beautiful home tour with you today, it is the apartment of design blogger Chantal from Beau Lifestyle who’s blog I have only just discovered but think I now need to add it to my reading list! Chantal loves DIY projects and hunting down bargains at flea markets and vintage shops, mixing old with new, designer with not so pricey items which you will see in her beautiful apartment. Seems she’s managed to get the balance just right, for a look that is glamorous yet relaxed and lived in…

Isn’t this photo AMAZING! This is the image that got me sucked right in and wanting to find out more about this beautiful home….

You see that beautiful oversized abstract canvas above the sofa? It is one of Chantal’s DIY projects! I have been wanting to do my own abstract painting for a long, long time now, and if I could pull something off like this I would be very happy!

Don’t you just love the Moooi drum chandelier! And the Chippendale dining chairs with a chevron fabric on the seat, I am in love! not to mention the beautifully upholstered bamboo armchairs, if you want to see what they looked like before chick here.

and yep, one day I will have my own little bar table/cart beautifully styled until then I will continue to drool over others… How cool is the square ice bucket! Chantal’s boyfriend picked it up for her as a surprise from a vintage shop, how thoughtful!

I always love a well styled bedside table…

Yep, that’s right Chantal is also one super stylish Mummy! I adore the beautiful framed prints above the cot, and the cute owl pillow!

If you want to see more of this fabulous home jump over to Beau Lifestyle, where you will also find some of the DIY projects that have featured throughout the home.

 

Rochelle xx

Current Trend – Velvet Cushions

Has anyone else noticed the current trend in cushions seems to be velvet? Simple block colour cushions in gorgeous rich shades from deep violets, to bold pink, navy to gold… Personally I am loving this look! There is always something so luxurious about velvet, I know there are some haters out there, but surely you could handle just a couple of scatter cushions can’t you? And if you prefer, a lot of these cushions seem to have a raw hemp or natural linen back as a contrast against the velvet front.

Still not sure? Let me show you a few interiors that may change your mind…

via – My First Little Place

via – Glimpse of Style

via – Homelife

via – Pretty Petals

via – House to Home UK

via – House to Home UK

As you can see velvet cushions are more versatile than you may have thought! They are not only perfect for ultra glamorous interiors, but add a beautiful texture to vintage, rustic, retro, modern or ethnic styled interiors. What do you think, have I changed your mind?

I actually have a little living room project I am working on at the moment, which I have just ordered some orange velvet cushions for, I can’t wait to add the finishing touches to this room, I will share it with you once I get some photos…

Rochelle xx