NYC happenings

The Design School opens it doors today and tomorrow and  we have a group of lovely people heading here in a few hours time so I will have to be quick as there is heaps to do which I should have done yesterday but as always the day got out of hand. Talking of which I just wanted to  reach out (how American am I sounding, impressed hey) and say thank you to Rue Magazine for tweeting about the classes at the Ace and saying I was one of their favourite designers, to New York Spaces for their lovely feature and also to Editoratlarge.com. Thank you guys, spaces are getting very booked up for the NY session and  we have some amazing press attending, People Magazine, journalists from Rue & other cool magazines as well as some very cool bloggers!  We may also have a film crew to film the proceedings for a bit. Remember if you are coming in from out of town and need somewhere to say the Ace Hotel is giving us the most amazing room rate so just let me know and I will give you  codes etc.

I talk alot in the classes about thinking outside of the box whso en it comes to design and although it may sound scary when you break it down it really is easy peasy. If you want a magical tantalising interior then you have to use colour, you have to be bold, as you just wont get that heart skipping a beat thing if you go down the pale route. You also have to play around with scale and use zillions of lights to create pockets of warm glowing snugness. Check out Claire Safronoff’s Parisian apartment below. It feels arty, dramatic, and edgy, purely repeat purely because of the colour (paint that room out white and sure it would feel very nice, but who wants nice). Nice isn’t good enough we want pulse quickening, skipping around the room type interiors that mesmerise as  much  you don’t even want to go to bed you just want to sit and gaze at your fabulous interior, right?

Gotta go, going to try and run for 20 minutes which is bad for me with a terrible hip but then again I can’t have a film crew coming to the Ace in less than a month without being size 0, its not going to happen, hip pain or no hip pain!

Btw excuse the spelling mistakes this morning its was a toss up between checking it all (which I know only takes a few minutes) or pounding the streets, pounding one out!

Have a lovely weekend.

Adding a high voltage jolt

Sometimes we need a pick up me, this morning I know I do. Long hours stuck at the computer is driving me a little nuts – have had the first cup of coffee of the day (that hasn’t really helped) possibly need a massage or (crazy idea) a holiday!!  Haven’t had one of those in years but enough on me. I’m in a moany kind of mood this morning- no time for holidays until possibly October when I might on my way back from Australia just might be able to stop in Thailand for a night or two to swim in the ocean. I said that last year and it didn’t happen so am guessing it probably won’t happen this year either but here’s to hoping.

Our homes also need a pick me up, you know the feeling sometimes when you walk into one of your rooms and think it’s missing something – like a risotto without the seasoning it feels a little bland. Have no fear I have the answer, what you need or your rooms need is a jolt of unexpected colour. It will lift the spirits and raise the bar; it will give your room an unexpected twist. Here is the hard part, you’ve got to have confidence you can’t plump for a namby pamby kind of a hue – we need high voltage knock your socks off sort of  colours – like saffron, burnt orange, bright bright red, magenta.  Flowers in this colour, vases, a cushion, maybe an occasional table or chairs like below, if you can go big (like the odd piece of furniture) it will take your space to a whole other level. Accessories are great don’t get me wrong but it won’t give you that TA DA moment because they are simply not large enough.

Image below by Mark Gregory Peters o and I have the feeling that that red cabinet is by Ikea, used something very similar for the Channel 4 show not so long ago.

I’m done, should be at yoga but can’t stand it, so I should be swimming but I don’t fancy it – told you it was a moany kind of a day!

Actions speak louder than words

It’s hot in London, just about to strike the hour of 6am and you can tell it’s going to be a humid one. I’m just about to go plunge in the lido for an outdoor pace up and down to hopefully clear my head as today is ordering day. Ordering stock for the new store means there is no turning back, not that I want to turn back it just means from here on in its real. Up unto this point its felt a bit unreal but now no more playing around with schemes in my head or changing my mind every 20 minutes regarding the vibe I’ve got to stick with my gut and go for it. So my plan (an early heads up for you guys) is to make our new space a little more glam than urban. I love urban but I’ve researched alot and everyone does urban, big industrial lights, concrete floors, slightly scruffy wooden seating. Love it except like my home and store I need more of a mix.  I’m thinking fireplaces with cosy chairs around, with big supersized mirrors overhead. I’m thinking rugs and lots of cool lighting, just found the most amazing little chandelier (think cowboy meets granny) that is beaded and can sit over the bar. I’ve also found some funky wooden green chandeliers that are neither cowboy or granny more boho in feel I guess. I’m thinking maybe some panelled wallpaper at the back and big rustic tables housing beautiful blooms of faux flowers. Buckets and buckets of cool blooms that take your breath away which we are going to mix with fresh foliage. Gem (my sister) is heading up the floristry team, I won’t give away much more but our plans are going to take flower stores to a whole new level.

Along with that we will be stocking the coolest collection of vases anywhere in the world (can I say that)? Just did so hey – glass, ceramic, wood – big ornate urns that stopped me in my tracks when I saw them, I actually spent 3 nights dreaming about them as well as a cool selection of other accessories. Plus very soon I will be announcing (I hope) a new venture called  ‘calling all creatives’ so if you are a designer, maker, artist, foodie and want to exhibit your stuff to a greater audience stay tuned I have a plan. Its an early plan so I can’t divulge just quite yet but  its a good one I think.

Off to swim, no image this morning just words today and actions.  As the saying goes actions speak louder than words, never a truer sentence spoken! You can talk until you are blue in the face about doing this or doing that, unless you actually do something about it its pretty darn pointless.

 

 

 

 

Talking home offices

I should be at yoga instead I overslept, dreamt that I ran to LA with Gordon Ramsey? Weird don’t know where that came from, or why best not to ponder I say and get on with the business of the day!

Today I thought we should yabber about home offices, mine takes a whole floor – desk and library one part, relaxing nook the other part except I am now just thinking I don’t ever spend anytime relaxing in the nook, so its a bit pointless but we are not here to talk about my issues.  Most of us have home offices whether we are freelancers working at home or we work full time we still need a desk to sit at to type emails, pay bills etc etc. I always like to delegate,  by that I mean I don’t want to hot desk it with the dining table or any other table I want a specific table that does nothing else than be desk like. Here is the key when choosing a desk try and opt for a slightly grander number and your home office won’t feel so utilitarian.

I’ve painted a very ornate old brown thing teal and it does the job nicely, I’ve also put lamps around it that don’t shout officey. I’ve skimmed the area with rugs, covered a comfy chair with sheepskin throws  and accessorised to the max so it doesn’t  feel boring. We all have to do boring things at our desks – I’m pulling at least a 12 hour day today at mine therefore it needs to make me happy. The Americans are great at utilising every single nook of a place especially in overcrowded cities like NYC – passageways, hallways double duty as home offices.  If you happen to have a  space that is cramped check out this idea below from Real Living Australia, which by the way I happen to be gracing the cover with this month.

Chop desk in half and bracket to the wall, cool hey.

My desk (photography Todd Selby) which I am sure you have seen before a zillion times – actually need a larger one too much stuff is happening and piles are appearing all over the floor!

Yabberings on Martha Stewart, Jonathan Adler and my Australian 2012 Tour!

I spent the weekend planning, thinking, pondering, researching, panicking and getting excited all in one hit. We walked past the new store a zillion times trying to imagine the fit out, we’re at the point where it seems real but then it doesn’t. Trying to figure out the food to serve, should we work with a food stylist or young chief and come up with a cool menu, organic, locally sourced (its only A1 so we can’t actually cook anything on site), or as I suggested but it got a very bad response, should I just replant the garden, grow it all from home, cook it, package it and sell it in the store. I am sure I can grow stuff in 6 weeks, get 20 hives and plonk them on the flat roof, make plum jam, quince jelly, grow almonds, apricots and raspberries (for cakes). It feels very Martha Stewartish (just need the magazine to go with it now) but it got an eyebrows raised to the heavens and a deep sigh kind of reaction. Some people are very boring!

I digress, I wanted today to show you Jonathan Alder’s new holiday pad in Shelter island. What delighted and surprised me about this place is that it feels way  more three dimensional than all his other homes, namely because not everything in it has been designed by Adler. I love Adler’s designs but the trouble when you buy everything from one source be that Adler, or Ralph Lauren or Pottery Barn or Ikea  say  is that it lacks originality, it tells a narrative but its a pretty narrow minded one at that. The more we can dip into other sources, styles and  periods the cooler our homes become. Without further ado some pics:

Think Jonathan and Simon may have converted to the dark side.  Very cool outdoor space boys!

Very cool living room, furniture and rug are vintage finds, o and see how against a darker palette everything feels just way more sophisticated.

One final thing, one final important bit of news my Melbourne Masterclass on Saturday 13th October have completely now sold out! AMAZING, thank you to all who have booked.  We have opened up one more day on Friday October 12th, but regrettably that is the very last day I can add as my schedule, as they say is bonkers!

Happy Monday, should be at yoga but stuff that, coffee is in order and then I might try making a croissant seeing as I am feeling a little Martha Stewartish (presuming you can knock that sort of  thing up in a jiffy)

Wallpaper, back in a big way

Wallpaper,    it used to be a  style no no for yonks and now its back in Vogue in a big way. Its one of the easiest ways to add depth, texture and intrigue to a wall which you just don’t get with paint. You could go the whole hog and paper the whole room or you could do a feature wall. I know feature walls are sneered at by some but I actually don’t have a problem with them. On a wall behind a bed instead of a headboard for instance fine by me – framed by mouldings and actually made to look like an artwork also fine by me. The trick I would say if contemplating a feature wall is to tie in the paint colour so you don’t get such a complete contrast – white walls, and a feature bold wall of paper in my book is a big no no, purely because that contrast is to harsh to ever feel relaxed in. Better to marry the whole colour and tie in the paint with the paper. A couple of images to inspire not sure where the paper is from but its bold, its blingy and its quite fabulous. Photography by Ton Leighton.

Before I go I must say that my masterclass in Sydney  on Sunday 14th has sold out, there are still some spaces left on Monday 15th but spaces are getting pretty booked up  and Melbourne on the 13th is also very close to being also sold out, so incredible thanks guys to all of you who have booked cannot wait to meet you all!

I need coffee ASAP,   didn’t get much sleep last night so much stuff in my head worrying my mind, not helped by either Maud or Mung’s who take up the hugest amount of space for two little people (sorry dogs). Have a lovely weekend x

 

Following your heart

Question of the day – Is painting your house in bold colours an investment nightmare? By this I mean when we come to sell are we putting off 99 percent of potential buyers because we have pushed a few boundaries with our interior that most people won’t like or won’t get.

My answer (maybe not the most sensible) is live for now.  If you are in the business of renovating and selling then yes endorse magnolia and other really sellable hues but if you are living in a space and thinking that maybe in 5 years or so you might move  without question ditch the pale.  My younger sister was told by her estate agent when she came to sell her East London apartment that nobody would buy it – its painted in F&B throughout – downpipe, railings, inky sludgy Ahern colours. He told her and her husband to paint the whole thing white, the didn’t they sold within a few months. So dark colours are not for everyone I totally understand that (I don’t really – I mean whats wrong with them) but that is not my point. My point is follow you heart, live for now, none of us  know  what is around the corner so its incredibly important to have a pad that makes you happy the moment that key goes in that door. If you want to go dark go dark, you’ll be happier, you’ll look skinnier (its a bit like wearing dark clothes) and you’ll have the coolest pad in town.

Photography Todd Selby

Campaign over happy Thursday!

Bathrooms

I was wondering, why is it do you think that bathrooms tend to get a bit neglected?  There seems quite often a disconnect between the amount of time and energy spent on sourcing fixtures and hardware and the time spent on the decorative stuff. Designing a bathroom is a matter of mixing function with the practical stuff BUT also combining style.  My top tip would be  to decorate this room as you would say your living room and forgot for a bit its a bathroom. A bathroom, shower room whatever you want to call it should blend in beautifully with the rest of your space – yes it will feel different but it should be a gentle transition if that makes any sense, not some cold sterile space that lacks personality.

One of the reasons the decorative pleasures get ignored in  this room  I reckon is in part  because we tend to decorate bathrooms with stuff we buy at specailaity  stores . Ditch them and instead hit favourite stores to find items that house toothbrushes, or cool plates to put a collection of bottles and handwashes on. Baskets are fab for towels or rubbish bins as they add warmth and texture to what can be a  quite sterile room. Also think about including actual furniture, chairs, stools, tables, benches, add art, flowers (stuff)  as it will  warm up the space no end.

Below an image from Livingetc of a bathroom in a bedroom. It works because the owners have blended the bathroom beautifully into scheme, hanging a beautiful chandelier in the space, echoing the palette – its that gentle transitional thing I was banging on about a second ago.

Off to Bikram which I hate hate hate and hate again.

 

Decorating ideas

You know why I love interiors – because it gives me butterflies. Butterflies when I see something really fab, or implement some cool design idea, or discover some amazing find.   I can’t stop thinking about it, it almost, it totally consumes my being. That is currently the state I am in figuring out the design for the new store, I’m flitting from laid back slightly urban, to glam with a dollop of boho, then I am thinking industrial, my head is in a pickle!

I’ve got Melbourne in my head, the cafe scene over there is so fabulous, lots of little hole in the wall places existing with a very low key vibe, and larger spaces, urban, industrial laid back perfect for coffee. Any feedback greatly welcome, our coffee house is also a flower store, with a capsule collection of cool accessories including vintage finds, art and a whole load of other stuff which I can’t really bang on about because we haven’t even signed yet and I am superstitious in nature. So in my usual rambling fashion I need to think out of the box and come up with some super super cool decorating tricks – all of which would work fabulously at home.

Painting a pattern on the floor – if you’ve got rubbish floorboards and fancy upping the style ratings a stripped or chevron painted floor in black and white looks AMAZING. Yes it’s not a five-minute job but it’s cheap and I’m seriously thinking about doing this in the new store.

Spraying flea market furniture a rock n roll colour, it doesn’t have the same impact if you go down the conventional colour route, just to warn having done that

Add mirrors, they give the sensation that you are in a much grandeur venue particularly if you go supersized, its one of the most transformative things you can do.

Paint your walls a colour that pushes boundaries (dark, dark, dark)

Style up your space with layers; books, flowers, candles stuff.

The image below actually an old one from Domino magazine of a rented apartment pretty much nails what I am talking about. The walls are painted a beautiful inky hue, there are layers everywhere – love a large round table near the bed if you’ve got the space so much more interesting than a standard bedside. Art on walls, flowers on tables, it’s all about tricking the eye, tantalising it so it doesn’t quite know where to look. I may not be able to do all of this in my new store, but its on the list and if its on the list its worth considering.

Happy Tuesday the sun is actually out, so I might grab a second and eat some granola, yoghurt and berries under the fig.

Wowzars

What a phenomenal press weekend we have just had, the front cover (yes can’t quite believe it myself) but THE FRONT COVER of Australia’s totally cool Real Living magazine, with a fabulous number of spreads inside (12 pages no less). Love it, the layout, the images thank you Real Living.

As a result and due to an overwhelming incredible response, that in honesty I cannot quite believe,  I am opening up one further master class  in Sydney. TA DA  Monday 15th October  has just gone live online and you can book here, places are limited though so best to book early!

In addition, on The Mail on Sunday yesterday a double page spread of me lounging in the garden, hanging out as you do looking all summery and laid back.

AND there is more, stay with me if you can, People Magazine in the US of A wrote a lovely article about my master classes happening in NYC at the achingly cool Ace hotel in August, and below front cover of the Metro magazine on Friday!

 

If I can get my jaw off the floor and allow my head to stop swelling for a nano second ,  (I had mentioned last night over homemade pizza and beer that maybe  we could now get a live in chief, a nanny for the kids,aka dogs, a masseur, a personal dresser and hair stylist, please a hair stylist,  told you its gone to my head)!!,   then I have something to say.

lf you have a dream,  follow it no matter how impossible, tough and unlikely it may seem if you work hard, believe in yourself, have passion and a fire in your gut then you will get there.  You’ve got to fail a bit (a lot) its all part of the process of finding your niche in the market place your groove if you like.  It doesn’t happen over night and it involves zillions of hours, but at the end of the day you can plonk down with a glass of wine on the sofa,  a little (nah a lot) exhausted and think, I created that, by hook, by crook, by perseverance and by determination.