a lazy summer day

Winter has definitely settled in for a little while and I am already looking forward to some beautiful, warm sunshine. On these cold days, I regularly day dream that I am lying by a luxurious pool with a good book, falling in and out of sleep (my ideal holiday). Oh, how I love those lazy summer days.

Count down to summer!!

Images via Cote Maison and French By Design. 

coloured antlers

i came across Cassandra Smith on etsy and her designs, while a little different, are appealing and fun.

Cassandra hand paints naturally shed Sika Deer antlers using acrylic paint. Sika Deer are native to East Asia and unfortunately, this deer is now almost extinct everywhere but Japan.

Cassandra also sells other unique items, but I have to say, the painted deer antler is my favourite. A painted antler to hang on a wall, or simply to use as display piece, would look great in any room.

fun furniture from anthropologie

undecorate

i came across a new design book called "Undecorate" this morning whilst reading the newspaper and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

"Undecorate", produced by Christiane Lemieux, founder of DwellStudio, discusses how the best interiors are those that exhibit a no rules approach to interior design.

For many years, people looked to fashion and design experts to learn how to style their home and what items and colours they should or should not have, but really, with the explosion of design blogs and online magazines over recent years, many people are now looking at what real people, like us, are doing. We are reality - seeking to create a home that is comforting, stylish and appealing coupled with an environment where we can relax after a long day at work, that is child friendly, that you're proud to invite friends over to see and that, most importantly (unfortunately!) is budget friendly.

Interior design is exciting and this books illustrates what fabulous creations "real" people can achieve - the non fashion and design experts!

hollywood house

there is something about Tori Spelling that interests me.

Last year I watched (or I could possibly have been addicted!) to her "Home Sweet Hollywood" reality show - there was somthing about Tori that hooked me in. Whilst she was born in one of the most famous and wealthiest families in Hollywood, she has developed into a down-to-earth (as much as you can living in Holloywood) person who experiences the same struggles (eg: being a mum and working) as others in modern society.

Tori displays incredible style. Personally and in the home, her style is relaxed, simple and beautifully constructed.

I noticed her and her husband's (Dean McDermott) house in Hollywood is for sale (approx. $3.2 million US) and it looks stunning. Whilst it is a typical Hollywood mansion, the interior creates a stylish and homely feel. If only I had  a spare $3.2 million!

Hooked on Houses