Living Areas - Armchair and footstool dreaming!

{Image via Pinterest}

 

How divine is the image above?! It was designed by resident interior designer to Coco Republic and showcased in Home Beautiful (I think)! Love the cabinetry, blue and white and of course the gorgeous armchairs.

The White Shed (http://www.thewhiteshed.com.au/) has something in black and white that reminds me of the above. It is quite affordable too.

{Image via Pinterest}

I have always had an obsession with armchairs, I am not sure why. Not that I have ever owned any particularly nice ones, I can just appreciate a beautiful chair! And hope to have some beautiful ones, one day! This post is a bit of my current stream of consciousness regarding their place in our home.

{Image via Pinterest}

Contrasting piping! Love it!

The following image is from a Home Beautiful and it is a vintage chair covered in fabric from No Chintz. I ordered a swatch and it is gorgeous in real life, however a cotton - I think I would need a fabric in a more hard wearing fabric for my family! Or maybe or bedroom chairs! I can't help but admire the NY pictures above it!

 

 

With that in mind I have been keeping an eye out for a chair to cover. I found this beauty at Paddington Antique Centre. It's a stunning chair but with a price of $800 it was an expensive place to start before fabric and covering costs. I want a real bargain! Haha!

 

 

The following image is from Home Beautiful October 2012, one of the 50 best rooms. I of course love the cabinetry but the navy armchairs with piping are stunning. The magazine suggests looking at Orson & Blake for something similar.

 

 

I also love everything about this image from Coco Republic, white, again! (Maybe I need those cushions for my couch!)

 

 

{Image via Pinterest}

 

I went to Ikea over the weekend and noticed a new range of dark blue covers for the EKTORP series armchairs and footstools. Madeline has the EKTORP armchair and footstool in her room but am now considering buying the dark blue cover for the footstool and bringing it out into the lounge. I could even add some trim as above.

 

{Image via Ikea}

 

For $69 it might not be a bad investment! I will have a think on it. The armchair obsession and window shopping continues! {As does the constant stream of consciousness!)

The Library!

 

I have recently joined the library after being a resident of Brisbane for 11 years! I was collecting titles of decorating books around the internet, from blogs, people I follow on Instagram etc. I was adding them to my Christmas list and then I had a brainwave - I will borrow them and if I love them I will buy them!

 

 

There are lots of handy pictures and little interesting bits I'm storing away in my brain. I am also borrowing magazines which I LOVE - I am a visual person! I have been taking photos of things I like as I go.

 

What an amazing resource! And even better, I order the books/magazines online to my closest branch.

Madeline's Room - A quick, fun project!

 

When I was Christmas shopping the other day I picked up these little hearts at Typo, they were just sweet and I thought I could use them somehow. I had a mini brain-wave and brought out a spare Ikea frame and dug around my old scrapbooking supplies for a pink spotted paper.

 

 

The hearts are so very sweet. So in less than 5 minutes while Will was in the Jolly Jumper and Madeline was playing Lego I knocked up a sweet frame for her room. Pretty cute I would say. (There is something similar being sold in boutique children's stalls for a much higher price!)

 

 

I was in a bit of a hurry to have a good look around Typo so I jumped online to see if there were other shapes and designs. There are! Might even make a sweet gift. If anyone would like the spare hearts let me know!

 

 

Collecting blue and white!

 

I have recently started going to the local op shops (there are so many around us) in search of cheap antique/vintage furniture, frames/mirrors and blue and white china. My Aunt, who is an incredible homemaker, had a white kitchen with blue and white crockery displayed and I always admired it. I modelled our kitchen after my memory of hers. The above plate was $5 when I went the other day - it has since had a price rise to $7 as it was co-ordinated with an apron and tea towel. I was just looking for the plate but since it's for charity, why not?! A complete silver jubilee set! Haha!

 

Quite honestly I forgot about the blue and white until I spotted these pictures in Home Beautiful April 2012. I could move into this house, I have pictures of every page.

 

 

Love, love, love it.

 

So it won't be an expensive collection but I hope it will look pretty enough, eventually. I have visions of my children buying me blue and white for every occasion for years to come!

Our Ollie dog.

 

Now Summer is here, our Ollie is moulting like a madman. It's driving us bonkers and it's like tumbleweeds in the house. (Even though he is limited to the kitchen and the back deck). We called in reinforcement of the doggy wash kind. He looks reasonably happy - he hasn't had a hydrobath in years but something about it made him bolt inside and hide! He is normally a typical water loving Labrador! He smells nicer now!

 

 

Adam was vacuuming the kitchen for the 34,567th time and I suggested he vacuum Ollie. He loved it! Amazing how much MORE came out. Oh heavens. Lucky we love him!

Getting Christmas ready!

It's that time of year where we dig out the tree and decorations from downstairs and embrace our inner Christmas spirit! Christmas is surely more magical since having children, Madeline will be completely adorable this year. The presents, the family, the Christmas lights and songs. I feel incredibly blessed. It's a big deal in the Edwards' family, Adam's Mum loves shopping and giving gifts as much as I do. Everyone is very, very spoilt come Christmas morning.

I have been hunting for a wreath that was inexpensive and pretty - I found a lot of cookie cutter wreaths priced at $20 or more. I wanted a bargain! I found this one at a random cheap shop for $14. I adore it. And our beautiful stockings ready to be filled! I have started shopping for those, the best bit! Our Christmas tree is awaiting the star - Adam and the kids do that each year.

Meanwhile, the hall-stand has lived in the elements for the last 5 years and has been re-introduced inside. I quite like it! I had visions of painting it black like these inspiration pictures I found on Pinterest. Adam has suddenly become a bit reluctant to paint it - so we might leave it for a while!

{Image via Pinterest}

{Image via Pinterest}

I can't wait to start my Christmas cooking - cherry ripe balls, apricot balls... Yummy!

A spot of window shopping!

A gorgeous silky oak sideboard for $400 at the local Salvos. I'm quite captivated by it!

 

The following are from Recollections. No end of great stuff at pretty reasonable prices. I love the simple table (Adam wants to build similar) with the chairs.

 

 

 

Ikea have something somewhat similar which I have been eyeing off for some time, the INGOLF chair and HOGSBY table. They are quite reasonably priced but I think it's probably worth investing in the more expensive items, they just look nice! We have nothing at the moment, since the table and chairs sold on Gumtree so anything is probably better than nothing. The table has been out of stock for months. I am going to Ikea on Saturday so I will see.

 

{Image via Ikea}

 

{Image via Ikea}

 

Love these chest of drawers and bedside for Madeline's room. She probably needs a bedside table eventually, I'll keep it in mind.

 

 

Think I should buy a lotto ticket! Haha!