Dinosaur egg discovery and getting plastered!

Well, no wonder the house isn't finished! I keep shopping for the bits to finish it before I buy plaster for the walls! Far more interesting I reckon!!! This is my latest acquisition!

My son thought it was a dinosaur egg.... but it's really a very large, white, organic shaped planter! How cool is it!????? There's an off -set hole on top and I L.O.V.E. it!!!! It's doing the temporary residency thing on top of storage boxes in the finished playroom. We're clearing the main lounge area in preparation for plastering too!

Current state of the upstairs lounge room.

The room behind the lounge is our to-be-main bedroom and is still full of stored 'stuff'! I'm really looking forward to seeing the coffered lounge ceiling go in because it will have recessed lighting that runs around the ceiling cove like this picture below (but ours will be all square set):

I'm still hoping for a chandelier too but dear old darling hubby still needs convincing. I've got my eagle eye on this one , should I be so lucky!!!!

I snapped this photo at Coco Republic. Drool!!!!

Then again, maybe I'll just bless his cotton socks for the plaster!
x KL

Diversional decorating!

My house may not be completed yet, in fact - far from it, but that doesn't stop me decorating in tiny little spots with favourite bits and pieces. It gives me somewhere to rest (divert) my eyes instead of looking at all that still needs to be done! Often these areas offer storage to boot and are constantly shape shifting as the house progresses. Nothing is ever static when you live on a building site!

In the entry; all this will disappear once the joinery is done!

A niche custom made for a sculpture I can no longer source! Who knows what will end up here!

Handy storage of some favourite design tomes!

Industrial letters, old bookshop sign & son's plane upon a Chinese cabinet. Expired use-by date?

Can't wait for that ducted vacuum system to be hooked up!

I love all my shell and coral pieces. This is one collection that is still growing!

I like using art in bathrooms. It visually breaks up floor to ceiling tiles! This framed shell is above the loo in the main bathroom.

My hubby has just weighed in on my post. He reckons that if I didn't blog the whole of the house would be finished and then I'd have something really worth blogging about!!!! LOL True, so true!

x KL

'The Farm' dream

Do you have a secret "I wish I had " place? My husband and I build contemporary homes but we both long for a farm. Just a little one.

Only a few hours away so we could escape easily on weekends. Surrounded by picturesque natural bush for our son and his mates to explore, run wild and be boys!

With a little cottage and a huge bunk room for loads of visitors. A fire pit. A 'real' garden that grows veggies and abundant flowers for the house!

A traditional country kitchen for family scone making and hearty breakfast eating. Big, sleep -in-till noon beds and no telephones, television or PlayStation! Books - everywhere! Old furniture that tells its story though each mark; simple, honest and not pretentious.

And don't forget a big, junky shed for fossicking!
Oh!!!! The bliss!!!!
We're committed to the dream. We throw nothing out! Instead we have in storage the seeds for the reality. A cedar hall stand, armoire, old javi-lounge, gramophone, meat safe and old Royal Doulton, rose covered dinnerware. The list goes on. One day we hope to unpack it all in a place worthy of it's moniker. "The Farm".
x KL

Mirror, mirror on the wall!

I think I mentioned once before that I have occasional decor 'obsessions'. Months where I'll fixate on one item and buy multiple examples of it! Well my Mirror obsession is over! I thought I'd share pictures of my favourite ones with you. Some are my pictures and others are uploaded as mine is still in storage waiting for walls!!!!

This was the first Venetian mirror I bought. So sweet!

My last purchase in situ in the shop where I bought it. And I'm decorating a contemporary house!

I have a large Venetian mirror like this, waiting for a home!

 Perhaps I'll use it in my WIR as a make-up mirror like this?

A more contemporary mirror from Tantra

We have hung it in a custom sized recess in the guest bedroom.

Daughter # 2's bedroom mirror.

Bought for my eldest daughter's bedroom but she doesn't like it! I'll put it in the pool bathroom.

These are two mirrors seen in an Elle Magazine. I tracked them down! Mine are charcoal metal framed.

All my 'old' mirrors, one temporarily hung here, will be stored for 'The Farm'.

Well I say my obsession is over but..... I do like mirror!!! I think I might repeat the mirror - under- kitchen island look like we used in the last house, but perhaps use dark smoke mirror. And I love these furniture items too!!! Here I go again!!!!

Our last kitchen. I like how the mirror under the island makes the stone 'float'. I might repeat this concept.

Mirrored furniture from Tantra.

Definitely on my 'wish - list'!!!!

x KL

The Block - What the?!

Crap. If you're watching The Block, you'll understand! What the!!!!????

I've had a really yucky day today - something I won't bore you with. I was so looking forward to tonight's episode and rushed a spag bol to be ready by 7pm ( I started watching at 7:20 but the men of the house gave me a running commentary up to that point).

What would you DO!!!!??? We had a great family debate. (Well it was only me, hubby and youngest son but is was interesting!).We decided we'd refuse the $3K cash and request a day's labour from each of the other contestants in lieu; plumber, painter, labourer, tidy-upper-er, for a day - whatever! To ask the others to relinquish their hard earned cash in 'room wins' for a challenge seems very unfair, yet Katrina and Amie deserve their prize too! (VERY difficult dilemma, Channel 9. Bad form!)

KL

Spare time... for art????

My youngest has returned to school today and my older girls will resume their university studies in the near future. I really adore being home with them all but I don't seem to get much done. Instead we have jimmy-jam days, movie outings and cake cooking sessions.
As our building and decorating budget is tight, I have often painted canvases myself to 'fill - in' an expanse of wall or just as decoration. Sometimes I have been able to splurge, but rarely. If I ever had 'spare' cash it would definitely be spent on art. And travel. And.... more art!  Like this :

Norman Lindsay Lithograph 'The Anklet'

'Surface' by Martine Emdur - TOP of my wish list!

A David Bromley Original. Photo courtesy of Capocchi

Whilst waiting for my Lotto win I might start actioning some canvases for the upstairs, unfinished rooms. I'm going to paint over this one I did for the last house and do something black & white or maybe a union jack?!

This is a Vivienne Westwood rug mounted as art. Drool!!!!

And my baby boy at 9 needs something more mature. I'm thinking maybe a spot of graffiti?

OK for a newborn - six year old. Definitely past its due date!

This is actually wall paper but it gave me the idea.

 It might be too 'old' for him though! Framed Vintage posters of his favourite movies might be better!

Not the best down load. But I'm sure you get the idea!

X KL

My Mood-board book!

I often see on some of the blogs I read, interior designer's 'mood boards'. They tell a visual story of the potential design for the space, from colours to furniture and fixtures. I've never done one before and given my trend to change direction mid makeover, I wondered if it might help.

Photo courtesy of Amber Interior Design. Impressive!

It then dawned on me that I do create something similar for each new house. I call it 'My Yellow Book' (after the colour of the first ever version! Duh!)
Rather than a room by room pictorial scheme, my books, although sectioned into rooms and areas, are a record of my evolving ideas, details, plans, purchases, prices, wish-lists, sketches and of course magazine cut-outs! I constantly remove and add to their pages!

Not quite as professional as Amber's beauties, but sufficiently practical for me! It becomes my build 'bible' and helps me keep track of where I'm at and usually keeps me going in the correct direction!
How do you file all your house planning information? I'd love to hear of your methods!
KL

Bed linen instant updates!

Do you love bed linen? I do. I've been 'collecting' doona covers, throws and pillowcases in all sizes since we first embarked on drawing our new plans.Some sets are in storage awaiting the finished rooms and others are being used now.
Do you have seasonal linen? We have the requisite 'winter' flannelette sheets, but I also love dressing the bedrooms in a warmer palette in the cooler months. Mostly, I love white linen on our king bed but I'm always swapping and changing! The linen in the children's rooms reflect their likes and personalities and increasing maturity!

My son's bedroom at our last house, aged 6

At 9 he is in a big Queen bed and loves it! His current linen

Pony Rider Quilt I'm planning to get for when his room is finished! Hopefully it will see him through his teens!

My eldest daughter's bedroom in the last property, she was 18.

Her current arrangement. She LOVES butterflies!

This is in storage for when her room is finished. Still butterflies but more suitable for a 22 year old?

Daughter No. 2 in her last bedroom. Sweet 16!

At 19 she still adores her bed linen so we're updating the surrounds.She has a Black feature wall.  We've added a blood red Aura faux fur too!

Our temporary bedroom (Will be a guest bedroom) Boring last week!

Back to my favourite white damask linen by Moss River this week!

I added this today. A taupe silk coverlet. Divine!

 Most of all though, I love how new bed linen updates a room instantly. Other than paint, it has to be the cheapest and fastest way to transform the most personal areas of the home. What do you think?
KL