Decorating a Modern Home

Giveaway time at Decorating Emporium

2011-08-22T02:36:00.000-07:00

Elements and Julie Anne have just started a new store known as Decorating Emporium. To launch this exciting concept, they have an amazing giveaway this week so take a look at what they have on special! See that gorgeous blue links cushions in the picture...I have my eyes firmly set on that!

When making a comment to enter, please tell them you found this shop through Mrs B! Its just nice to know how far good news travel.

Happy Shopping everybody!

Mrs B xxo

Matlida's Market

2011-08-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

Cute little bottles from Matilda's Market

Today I went to Matilda's Market at the Hawthorn Townhall. I really had no idea what stall holders would be there as I read about it briefly on beautiful A-M's blog and thought to myself Off to Market Again...Yippee! And of course, I met up with A-M again and I think we didnt stop talking, admiring and gooing over the most exquisite homemade baby items under one roof. I was also very fortunate in meeting A-M's friend Rachael who just happens to be the organiser of the whole Matilda's Market. To be in the company of such very talented women just makes my Sunday morning perfect!!!!

I bought these 6 little gorgeous bottles for my kitchen shelf and both A-M and Rachael told me the best flowers to put in them are the 'weedy' type you would find in your garden. I would like to put herbs in them I think but these stems from a native bush we have look just as pretty. Oh...when Mr B saw the bottles, he immediately went to the local Italian supermarket and bought me the same 6 little bottles with the orange nectar in them. Now I have 12 and intend to use them for my childrens parties next week!

So, who watched The Block last night? Later I will post my impressions about the end result. All I can say that Amie and Katrina, you have both been wonderful throughout the whole series...good things come to good people. Keep Strong, lots of hugs and kisses!
Mrs B xx

Home Sweet Home...

2011-08-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

Home Sweet Home

This is my favourite room. When I walk upstairs its the first thing I see, my gorgeous home sweet home cushion from Heartfire at Home. Linda is the owner of this beautiful blog and as soon as I saw this cushion, I just knew I had to have it and exactly where it was going to go!

You may also notice my other cushions on the green couch...they look okay for now but have been recycled so many times, on different couches. I still want the yellow and navy blue look but for now, they still look pleasant and I have to stop this cushion fetish I have at the moment.

So, that's all for now, Blogger is driving me crazy and will not let me set my margins correctly, pictures disappearing and unable to highlight text for links! I am just hoping it is one of those things and everything will be back to normal....very soon!

Oh! and of course I have been watching The Block every single night for the last 8 weeks! I actually got to see Amie and Katrina's home and Rod and Tania's on a day nobody else was there. All I can say is that both houses are just gorgeous and I wish all the couples the best of luck for the coming auctions.

Mrs B xx

Lighting Bling!

2011-07-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

The two lights above the kitchen bench need to be changed into something BLING!

When we first built (it has been over 2 years now, there were a few decorating decisions that just had to wait. The ceiling lights above the bench was one of them. i just couldn't focus on what lights we wanted so the decision got postponed until now. I want something that is unique, something that is the WOW factor...a bit of bling. It doesn't matter if it's modern or older style, as long as 'it works' overall.

Cape Cod Designs

I love this french light with a passion but would it work in a kitchen? I don't think the dimensions are big enough for my space but I can still sigh and look!

Bell Chain Pendant...Cape Cod Designs

Maybe something more like this? Modern style lighting is not working for me at the moment. Any comments about the lights above my kitchen bench will be greatly appreciated. Mrs B xxo

Teenage Boys Room...grrr

2011-07-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

The latest picture of one of my son's bedroom (yes I know, the never ending saga) Believe me I have tried and tried and tried to make it look as nice as possibly...sigh. The problem is, no matter how much $$$$$'s is spent in this room in regards to decoration, nothing can compete with what is on the opposite side of the room, the wall you cant see. Think BOY heaven! Every possible gadget and game consol a teenage boy could ever wish for. So here it is with Collingwood football pictures stuck on the walls for extra effect. Please tell me that everybody else has problems decorating for older teenage boys....or is it just me LOL

Skinny laMinx...etsy

Now this is better! Great cushion, trendy light , perfect for my son's room. I really like this shop from etsy and they some fabulous cushions all unique and hand crafted.

On another note, I cannot wait for The Block tonight for the bathroom reveals! All I can say is

GOOD LUCK KATRINA AND AMIE !

Mrs B xxo

Design Ties... Kelly, where are you?

2011-07-15T00:49:00.000-07:00

As some may have noticed, I have started to blog again and catching up with all my dear friends who I have neglected over the last several months. I am trying to find a favourite blog of mine called Design Ties ...a Canadian blog with Kelly and Victoria but I think the girls have moved blog address and maybe Kelly started a new blog on her own.
If anybody knows where Kelly is and her new blog, I would be very grateful. I have tried to find a link on the old site but to no avail.

Guess whose house this is...

On another note, who has been watching The Block? I know many of us are and sending all our blog love and support to Katrina and Amie. It has been a gruelling couple of days for the girls as the TV show continues to unwind one drama to another. There are moments I just wanted to turn off the TV as it was just too hard to watch. The girls came through in the end and hopefully, they will deliver a stunning bathroom on reveal day to the judges. What I didn't expect however was the unjust criticism and the most malicious comments not only directed towards the girls but other contestants on Facebook.

Katrina and Amie's house before renovations... Picture from Katrina

Katrina and Amie are wonderful to watch, entertaining and holding their heads high! They are finding out it's a 'mans world' in the building game but here they are, two woman building, cementing and painting without any experience or knowledge before they entered The Block. Well, I am proud of you and cheering you on every step of the way!

Mrs B

Decorating a green couch!

2011-07-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Cushion colour combination from The Works

Today I went to a shop that is totally amazing and well known to many Melbourians! Of course it is The Works in Hawthorn. I spent a good 2 hours just pottering, touching and rearranging displays like the one above, working out my colour scheme and the look I am after for my home. I bought the gorgeous grey/blue flower cushion in the picture but desperately wanted to buy the yellow and blue geometric cushions as well. This will be my new colour scheme for upstairs. I have this fantastic green couch that needs equally colour that will make the whole room 'sing'.

My green couch upstairs

Sadly, at the moment, my new purchase is hidden in the car as Mr B said 'you don't need any more cushions' Little does he know I will need many new cushions haha! Just waiting for the right time to casually flung it on the lounge as if it has been there always.

Mrs B xx

Interview with Katrina... The Block 2011

2011-07-10T02:12:00.000-07:00

Week 1... Amie and Katrina Guest Bedroom

I have been a fan of The Block since the very first episode was shown almost 9 years ago. katrina has very generously allowed me to ask a few questions about her experience so far on The Block.

1. When you found out you were going to be on the Block, how much design preparation did you do? Did you have all your paint schemes in order, tradies to ring, pictures of furniture, shops etc

Katrina We didn’t have a great deal organized. There was no time. We won the eliminationchallenge and had 3 days to return home and pack. With 3 kids, the last thing on my mind was the design! We had some friends give us phone numbers of tradies, but it was really hard to ring them and ask them to drop all of their jobs and come and help us for 8 weeks. It wasn’t easy and the tradies we thought we would use didn’t end up as our final tradies!

2. Did you change your mind in how you were going to decorate once you found out they were Victorian Cottages?

Katrina No, not really… I didn’t decorate necessarily for the style of the house from the front. I decorated for the potential buyer. Who was buying the house and what age/demographic/style are they?

3. During filming, did you look at other properties in Richmond/Melbourne to work out the best layout and function of a terrace home?

Katrina We did have a scout around. But as you saw in last week’s show we were given a floor plan of the home and we had to stick to this plan. These were the council approved plans. This made life so much easier!

Amie and Katrina

4. In the first week of moving in, what was your single biggest challenge that you and Amie had to face? And what was the single biggest highlight of the first week?

Katrina The first night in the house was a massive challenge. Just finding somewhere to sleep was difficult! It was freezing and the toilets were outside! Argh!! The biggest highlight was finishing 1 room! This meant that I realized the house was ‘doable’. It really could be renovated!

5. In regards to Room 1 (which was just beautiful by the way) how did you feel about the judge’s comments? Did you take their suggestions on board for Room 2? Did you decorate to what they would like?

Katrina We only ever heard 2 sentences of comments from the judges when we were at Scotty’s Workshop. We never spoke to the judges so their feedback was limited. We did listen, but it didn’t mean we always agreed with them!

Best of luck girls for Week 2! I think your office idea is fabulous...lets hope the judges do as well. A big thankyou to Katrina in taking the time to answer my questions.

Mrs B xxo

To Market!

2011-07-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, there are moments in your life that may either inspire, motivate or just give you immense pleasure...this morning was one of them. Today I went to the Boutique Market at Hawthorn Town Hall. I was actually between two minds as to should I go, but I really wanted to meet a blogger friend of mine who I have followed her build and life every step of the way for the last 3 years...A-M ( The House that A-M built) I casually mentioned on her blog that I will be there and so I thought to myself I will just say a quick hello, introduce myself then go for a wander around the stalls. Little did I know, A-M had actually told the girls at the entrance to keep a look out for me so as soon as I came in, I was introduced to the person who singularly inspired me to blog about my own house build. To try and describe how gorgeous A-M is in every possible way would do her a great injustice. I have never met such a lively, warm, vivacious and generous lady as I met today. We chatted for at least 30 mins and to say I both think we didn't take a breath between all our topics would be an understatement! We spoke about our blogs, staircases, other bloggers, our boys and of the course The Block!!!

A-M introduced me to some other stall owners whose blogs I also read. I met the girls from Mondocherry and their shop is simply divine. In the picture above is actually a material picture, stitched and beaded all by hand that I bought from their shop. They also have these stunning butterfly pictures, all hand sewn. I only wish I had more time to linger, touch and feel everything!

I also bought this lovely yellow print from Sweet William. I told the girls I was chatting to that 'Yellow was in" and although I bought it more for my boys area, it just looks perfect next to my green bedroom cushions that I bought from Etsy. I can feel my style coming through slowly...its taking a while but well worth the wait. Sweet William have also these gorgeous prints that you will not find in shops. Once again, I could have bought so many pictures but you have got to frame them all!

At the Boutique Market, I caught up with my other special blogger friend Stormy from Stormy's Castle. She is also a very talented creative girl and creates the most amazing artwork (you can see on her blog) It was just one of the mornings that was very inspiring and I feel the decorating bug is coming back after a year of not really doing anything.
On a final note, The Block was also a topic of conversation and we are all cheering on Katrina and Amie! These two girls are amazing and I know their house will be stunning at the end...Go Girls!

Mrs B xxxooo

Having a break ...almost over!

2011-06-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Bedroom

It has been ages since I posted....6 months ago? Nothing is really happening with the house as normal life just continues on. My bedroom is still work in progress, managed to buy the butler style tables for the bedroom and lamps to complete the look. I have also been busy looking at the goodies on Etsy as the Aussie dollar is so high at the moment. The cushion you see was an Etsy buy and just perfect for the style I was after for my bed.

I have been buying the most amazing little paintings from another etsy store but still have to find the perfect frames...always work in progress. Anyhoo, just wanted to let you know I am still here in blogland.

Mrs B

Merry Christmas and New Year resolutions.

2010-12-25T12:25:00.001-08:00

I have loved looking at all the most stunning Christmas pictures this year on blogs so here are just some of mine. Each picture has taken me 5 mins to load very frustrating and several times I have just gave trying to post. Never mind, I will work it out why blogger is so slow but at least I now have a few precious pictures to show you.

At the moment, like most people I know, we are busy spring cleaning and decluttering the house. There is nothing like the start of a new year to get you all inspired and finish off those projects that have lingered for too long! I have set 3 new year resolutions that I truly want to succeed in....

1. To be more organised
I have gone back to work full time this year so its important I still have a beautiful clean house, washing done folded away each night (I have 2 full loads a day hence why its an important chore), kids forms for their school activities signed and homework completed. They are my priorities for the home front. If that can be achieved then the rest will follow .

2. To be a nicer person.
Still working from the inside out...always! Not to get caught up in conversations that drag you down. I have been reading The 7 habits of Highly Effective People. I find this helps me more in my professional life but a classic book and interesting read.

3. To get my act together financially.
I love shopping and buying things but I need to take a step back and look at the real value of money. Yesterday, I spent half a day organising the study and getting all my son's old text books to sell at a second hand textbook shop. Then, I sat down for a good hour with a rubber and rubbed all the answers in pencils out of the books so the next child who bought it could enjoy it. I managed to sell the 6 language books for a total of $25 which in return I bought 2 more 2nd hand books for this year. The satisfaction I had from just a small amount was immeasurable...sometimes, just going back to basics is a lesson in itself.

Hope you enjoy my Christmas Pictures....

Mrs B

Time for Christmas...great gift ideas

2010-10-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

All images from Mooza Designs

Already the shops have Christmas decorations and since I love shopping and Christmas, I am always on the lookout for wonderful gift ideas. Yesterday, the Herald Sun featured a company called Mooza Designs who create gorgeous hand crafted resin and acrylic letters, words and symbols. Imagine receiving a gift like the word BLISS personalised for you in all your favourite colours. I have 6 nieces and forever racking my brain as to what I can get them for Christmas...always something special just for them. I think this will be one my Christmas list.

Mrs B

The Beach House...Completed for now!

2010-10-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

Front View

Finally the beach house is finished. Months of hard work by Mr B...plumbing, painting, rubbish removal (never ending trips to the tip) scraping, floor sanding, lighting and landscaping , it is now finally available as a normal rental. The photos don't do any justice as to how nice it looks compared to the before shots. I now have this great desire to start another project I have wanted to do for many years...to rent it out as a holiday cottage, fully furnished and of course decorated in the Sarah Richardson way.

The kitchen...well, not much we could do at this stage. Just a good scrub, a new oven given to use by our best friends, painted the underneath the bench white and put on some new taps. Eventually, I will get an IKEA kitchen like on this fabulous blog A Beach Cottage

I think give 4 years and we may be in a position to set it up as a Holiday House. I still need to do some research and see if its a viable option for the area. At the moment, we need a steady income flow from a long term renter. Already, we have had a number of people just knock at the door wanting to rent it but not go through an agent. This is just not going to happen as an agent checks references and deals with issues that may arise. I will always use an agent as its my peace of mind. Now its finished (to a tidy up standard) I can see the potential that this little 1960's beach shack has to offer. No longer have we any desire to knock it down but keep the house the way it is just add 2 major outdoor areas with decking, barbecue area and of course beautiful seating so guests can enjoy the views. So many of these type of houses are being knocked down and replaced with big double story contemporary homes that are capable of sleeping up to 12-15 people. I think this narrows your market as these houses rent only to the family market in Summer time. My idea is to appeal to couples as a weekend retreat throughout the year. It will only sleep 6 and I think this is a good way to advertise it.

The curtains are from IKEA and although the photos do not do them any justice, they look fantastic in real life. I wanted to get the big ringlets (not sure of the correct name) so they are easy to open and shut. These windows took 6 large panels with 2 panels worth $50. I got them all taken up professional so the end result looks like they were custom made for these windows. The floors Mr B and his friend did theme selves. almost killed both of them. They are also the most beautiful feature of the house. Not sure if the pics show (Mr b took the pictures of course LOL) but they are red gum parquetry and very expensive in today's dollars. So for a cheap 1960's beach holiday home, it now starting to show its beautiful features.... I just had to look past all the other stuff.

Mrs B

Etsy shop of the week.

2010-09-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

RozArt

This would have to be one of my all time favourite Etsy shop. The artist creates the most whimsical original oil paintings that I just cant help but smile when I look at one. Now when I get that Paypal account organised, Mr B is going to commission one for me for Christmas...he doesn't know he is going to do this but he will!

On my Christmas list is a Nest painting just like one in the picture. The 3 eggs will of course represent my 3 children...how cute is this painting.

RozArt

Next on my Christmas list is a swing 'leap' painting that depicts an age that all my boys have been. As long as the little boy in the picture has strawberry blond hair thats fine as my boys look the same anyway LOL
There is something about this particular painting that lifts my spirits and reminds me of a happy childhood...carefree, full of hope and joy.

RozArt

How do you have a cow in your house? Easy...look at the episode of Grand Designs.

Grand Designs

I know you cant see the cow due to her head being in the way... but believe me its a cow. when I saw the episode with the cow picture, my heart did a back flip. Anything is possible in decorating!

RozArt

I just love this bee painting...

Apartment Therapy Picture by RozArt

Look at the colours when grouped with other pictures. I love this painting so much but maybe my one will be of a little boy holding balloons.

RozArt

Another Leap painting. How could you ever not smile every time you walk past a painting like this in your home.

RozArt

Three little children. Should I do a picture like this with my three boys?

Hope you enjoyed looking at one of my favourite Etsy sellers...more to come.

Mrs B xxx

100th post! back to blogging

2010-09-04T20:36:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe it has been 5 months! Anyhoo, I will try not to dwell on the fact I have neglected my beloved blog and all my bloggie friends so here is the 100th post.

First of all, what did I miss? To be blunt, I almost had a heart attack when I visited A-M's blog 4 weeks ago. Not only had she moved out but her home was in Home Beautiful and most importantly, I did not have a copy of that issue! What has happened whilst I've been away from blogging? One of my lovely forum friends kindly came to my rescue and sent me her beloved copy of Home Beautiful all the way from Western Australia...(lets not mention the fact that the postage was more than what the magazine was worth) So my biggest thankyou to Kexkez who sent me the issue that A-M's house was in.

On the decorating side...nothing at all. The beach house project has diverted all of all attention and effort. Thats ok, its almost come to an end and has just gone onto the market to be rented out. Eventually, I would love the beach house to be a holiday rental, where I can pretty it up with white furniture but that would be a few years down the track. I am starting to refocus my attention back to our own home and the picture above is my son's room and his birthday present. We have set up a desk for him with everything he need, lamp, little buckets to keep stuff in (they now hang from the wall) and a cool red chair. All came from Ikea. Not a real big fan of this store but when you get everything for under $100...you become a fan!

This green Buddha sits on our kitchen bench next to our stove. It belongs to Mr B, every night before he cooks, he lights the little candle. It looks like it just belongs...very calming and of course I love the colour, it matches our doors. The Buddha is from the Jamie Durie series at Target. Cost $10 and has a really nice quality about it.

At the moment, I have been studying Etsy for quite a while, looking at original art works and cushions that suit my home. I am itching to buy haven't even got a paypal account. I must be the last blogger who has never bought a thing on line. Thats going to change...after all, I have a home to finish decorating!

Mrs B xxx

Post 99...one year today

2010-04-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

It is exactly a year since we moved in. I am feeling rather sentimental about reaching this milestone as the house took over my life for at least the last 3 years. I still feel very proud of what we did and the hours and hours of endless research and planning that went into designing and building the house has definitely been worth it. There would be nothing more depressing if we built and wanted to move a year later. This seems to happen all the time and we have watched so many beautiful homes in the estate with a for sale sign within months of the new owners moving in. Why do people go through all the pain of building just to sell it? Money/profit or is it something else? Anyhoo...thought I would shoe a few exterior shots today as this is our house first birthday.

backyard view

front of house

back view

View from our balcony

Next post will be my 100th post for my blog. Another huge milestone! I will be writing about what I have learnt about blogging...I know this topic has been done so many times but I haven't done a post on it. Hope you come back to share with me my 100th post.

ps...You may have noticed I have been experimenting with different 'subtle' looks for my blog. Still working out what suits my personality the most.

Happy Easter to everybody!

Mrs B

So who wants to rent a beach house....

2010-03-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

A beach view from our front window

Life changes.

After many sleepless nights, it has come time to acknowledge that we have to do something about my parent's beloved beachfront 'shack' (shack sounds soooooo much more romantic than house) so we have decided to rent it out for the first time ever. As you will see from just a few photos I dared to put on my blog for now that nothing has changed since it was built in the 60's. It will not be a holiday rental but a permanent rental for somebody who wants to live on the beachfront...no roads, just walk to the beach outside the front door.

What would I love to do....

via...house of turquoise

This is what I would love to do haha! Just imagine sitting in this room, surrounded by all these beautiful colours right on the beach front. Sadly, not for this little house as it is purely a rental property that needs to bring in income and be rented asap. We met with the agents a few days ago and they told us what needed to be done on the inside and out. Their advise was not to do any thing that wasn't urgent as it will not bring us any more rent. I find this concept really difficult as I want to 'pretty the interior' and put in new things that will make the renters happy. This is not how to approach a rental property apparently. Oh well....at least I am allowed to paint it in a colour I like.

Our little beach shack

Open living...most houses along the beach don't have front fences. The original concept was for all the kids to play together. We do however need to put up a side fence just to have some privacy from the neighbour. I wonder how they are going to react when they get the fencing notice as the do love to 'spread out' when they come up.

Oh! see those 2 trees in the background...they are in our property and have to come down. The root systems have not only got into the sewage but has made our driveway almost impossible to drive on. Problems, problems, problems. Thank goodness Mr B has taken over as property supervisor and meeting with all the tree cutters, plumbers, painters etc etc All too much for me and to think I watch all the reno shows. I will stay home and watch the kids I think. My idea of renovating is picking pretty colours and going on shopping expeditions LOL

One scary picture coming up.......

The 1964 interior!

This is a before shot....of course you knew that. the agents said not to change a thing, just a good scrub and to change the stove to a new one. A bit of paint, new appliance , nice roman blind and a floating shelf on the left hand wall (we already have one...bonus!) and hopefully this kitchen will look sweet for a beach shack. By the way...have a look at what Michelle has done with her kitchen on a shoestring budget.

Before Shot...image via De Novo Concepts

After Shot...via De Novo Concepts

This is what I am going to do!....A bit of paint can transform a Kitchen immediately.

Hope you enjoyed my rambling beach shack post...updates in the next few weeks as this project needs to be completed immediately.

Mrs B

Wallpaper and Drapes

2010-03-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

Colour examples for Theatre, Bedroom and Study

Finally my wallpaper and drapes are almost done! What an exhausting process it has been for the last 2 years. I wont go into details about my search for wallpaper but finally I have settled on 3 designs I love. Also, The drape fabric that Vanessa, the Laura Ashley consultant suggested is more perfect than what I could imagine. So, here are the pics and a big thank you to Vanessa who took the time to help me decide and cut out samples for me so I could see how they looked in my own home.

My bedroom

My bedroom at the moment is a blank canvas. I also wanted a 'blue' theme just like I see in many awe inspiring blogs but it has taken me a while to realise that blue does not really work with colours I already have. So 'blue' may have to be in accent colours...will have to work it out. The wallpaper I have selected is Isodore bronze/silver. When we held up a large sample in my room, it was one of those light bulbs moments....perfect! Compliments everything when standing back in the lounge with my green couch as the two rooms join each other. Pattern is quite large and the background is almost the same colours as my walls.

Isodore in silver/bronze

The next task was to find a fabric that didn't compete again the pattern in the wallpaper. I hate matchy, matchy stuff and really wanted a beautiful 'silk like' drape for the room that goes from the ceiling to the floor, wall to wall. Now this is going to be very expensive so whatever I was going to pick, I had to LOVE not just think it matches!!!!

This is what Vanessa found back in the cutting room....

Curtain Fabric selected for the bedroom

Pictures do not do this fabric justice at all. It has the appearance of silk but much more studier and if I can say absolutely beautiful to feel and hold. If I am paying a fortune for curtains in my bedroom then it has to be something very special. This is it! Together with the wallpaper is looks perfect, different patterns but one doesn't overwhelm the other. If you are reading this and thinking OMG what is Mrs B doing LOL...what I am doing is adding my personality into a modern home...if there is one room in the house I want to be luxurious and romantic, it is my bedroom. Just wait till you see all the room come together.

Theatre Room

Now onto the theatre room. This room I had always imagined blue/teal/turquoise but the wallpaper I picked had to be a darker tone as we have a projector in the room so therefore darker colours are more appropriate. The wallpaper is charcoal based colour that 'should not' fight against the brown in the couches. It has a touch of gold and silver to the pattern as well.

Wallpaper 'Erin' in charcoal for the study

This will go against the wall where the pictures are. I just hope the pattern is not too busy. The pictures are going back up but if they don't look right with the wallpaper, they will go else where.

Now, the drape fabric was the hardest selection to pick as it has to be fairly heavy to block out all light as well as not fight against the wallpaper pattern like the room upstairs.

Theatre wallpaper with sample of curtain fabric

I picked a neutral fabric as you can see in the picture above. Oh hum I say. OK, it fits and the fabric is lovely to feel but if I am spending a big $$$$'s on just one window then I think I should once again LOVE the fabric that I have picked. This one just looks safe and matches. So, I am ringing Vanessa up to pick my a fabric like the one she did for my bedroom.

If anybody has a comment about this, I am happy to listen...as always!

Theatre wallpaper with bedroom fabric

This is better but I don't want to use the same fabric (secretly I wish a blue colour fabric would work in this colour scheme)

Study and wall leading upstairs

Finally, the easiest room to select for but the most difficult to wallpaper. We are having a striped wallpaper hung horizontal not vertical. It was suggested to wrap it right around the wall and up the stairs as well. I think this will be a WOW effect but I don't know how the wallpaper guy is going to do this. Great idea though...so watch this space for what we do!

Wallpaper for study wall and staircase

So, long post today but I wanted to show you the direction I was heading. have a great weekend!

Mrs B

Blog award

2010-03-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Strangely enough I feel like my son in the picture! I have just been given two blog awards by Walls That Talk and I must admit feel very honoured that somebody in blog land thought that my little blog was worthy of a mention! The rules are I am to find 15 other blogs I have just discovered and another 15 blogs who I think are great. Also, to write 6 things about me.

Well, I might just tweak the rules a bit as I would rather just keep it to a few blogs for my awards...so here we go! The first award go to blogs that I have just discovered and think they are just fantastic! Katrina, Lisa and Michelle are all very unique individuals and a story behind each amazing lady. Please take the time to visit and say hi.

Katrina Chambers

Lisa leonard online

De Novo Concepts

My next award is for just a few blogs that are very special to me. These owners also visit my blog and make those all together much loved comments after my posts. A-M and kelly & Victoria from Design Ties are the first two blogs I came across when I first started blogging and even though both are very popular blogs, the girls still come over here to comment on just about every post. I also award two fellow building blogs to Annie and Kek who also come over and leave comments all the time. Annie has done some amazing decorating in her home and kek...well if ever I had a twin sister it would be kek! She is on my decorating forum and almost every post she writes its exactly what I would say! My last award goes to Maria who truly is such a wonderful and extremely generous blogger. Her articles on colour are truly amazing and I am really grateful that people like her give up her time to research and write what most of us need to know about colour.

Design Ties

The House That A-M Built

Moving On Up

get-me-outa-here

Colour Me Happy

Now 6 things about me

1. I am a people pleaser...I don't like to think I upset anyone.

2. I would love to be an interior designer

3. I would like my house in Home Beautiful

4. I am the secretary of the local men's cricket club!...and yes my friends think I need some psychiatric help!!! LOL

5. I wish for all my sons to become professional cricket players

6. I hardly own or even wear makeup...much to my best friends horror!

So there you go! i will let all of you know that you have won the awards. If you feel like it, you may do the same but you don't have to. Sometimes its just nice knowing someone has thought of you!

Mrs B

Little things that make me happy in my home.

2010-03-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

I have not blogged for ages! All my good intentions have gone down the drain but still I am here, reading all my favourite blogs and adding several more to my list. One of my dreams, as stated already on my blog is to get my home in a Home magazine. How funny that people dream of winning the lottery, getting a movie role, becoming a famous sports star but my dream as silly as it may be, is to have my house in a magazine.
There is nothing more I love than reading when a fellow blogger actually achieves this dream. I feel so excited for them and just want to know everything. I know A-M had a photo shoot recently and she compared it to like getting married again....I feel exactly the same way LOL
However, I have such a long way to go as the house is fairly empty so not much to take pics of except for white walls and a nice kitchen. Still, this is my dream and slowly I am adding small bits to the house that really just make me smile and happy...after all, that is what its really about!
Anyhoo....so what do I love at the moment...my darling little boys room of course! I added a really nice wall decal to my son's room and with minimal $$'s it really makes his entrance so cute.

Wall decal for my son's room.

So what else makes me happy when I walk into a room....my ensuite! I have set up all my beautiful soaps from MOR and the smell just is gorgeous. I love looking at this small space in my home and yes, it is always kept this neat and clean. Its like a retreat for me, somewhere I can escape and take a breather for a minute. With 3 boys, a girl needs somewhere to hide and be girly!

Last of all, my bedroom. Just a simple crisp white cover and the doors open to allow the breeze in. It is also a lovely retreat. This bedroom will also be the first room to be transformed as on Wednesday I am selecting the wallpaper for the back wall. Everything takes time and I am not rushing out to buy any furniture until I see something that I love.

So nothing has changed much, just waiting for the rooms to be transformed into how I had always imagined them to be. At least I am having fun just dreaming.....

Mrs B

Work in Progress!

2010-01-21T22:28:00.000-08:00

My Powder Room

Has anybody noticed the changes in my blog? Of course you have haha...it is wider, bigger and more colourful. I am coming up to my 100th post and have been reflecting on how my small decorating blog has 'travelled' over the last year. There have been weeks where I have posted almost everyday but then months have gone by and not a single, solitary word...I shall call this 'what on earth am I going to write about that will be remotely interesting'!!!

Anyway, what started me thinking about my own blog, was after reading an article on this subject by Maria from Colour Me happy Not only a great post to read but also the comments from other bloggers are very helpful and insightful. Here is the link...

10 Tips that will take your home design blog to the next level.

Well, I am listening and learning so after much mucking around with codes (I cant believe that I actually learnt how to change my template by changing the html code format) I found a much easier way. Phew!!! and managed to do it without deleting my whole blog like I almost did when changing the code thingie.

So...this will be a work in progress project. Fine tuning the colour format and working out why I have all this empty white space next to my header picture!

Mrs B

Lets 'really' talk about teenage boy's rooms!

2010-01-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

Image from Tommaso Ziffer

As you all know, I have this fixation on how to decorate and the design that goes into teenage boys bedrooms. There is very little out there that really inspires me and makes me say wow!!!! gee that is a stunning room for a guy 15 years and above. I literally have hundreds of images of the most stunning bedrooms for babies, children and teenage girls but where are the rooms design specifically for teenage boys and older?

Its like when I go clothes shopping for my boys. The whole floor will have the most beautiful trendy clothing for girls and when I politely ask where is the boy clothing situated, its always in the corner, just a few selections of boring colours and designs, hidden out of sight because obviously boys don't where clothes hahahaha Anyway, a bit off track but the point being is I am determined to decorate my boys rooms that totally not only look fantastic but rooms that suit them and their life style....now this is going to be a challenge, believe me!

So, my question is, what is the most important design element that should be in a male teenagers room. I would love to hear from everybody your thoughts on this to help me kick start this project or quest I should call it LOL

Is it the paint colour, window furnishings, computer (this is one thing my boys will never be allowed to have in their rooms, for a good reason) tv's, desk or just a place to lounge with friends. From your experience, as a parent or interior decorator, what is the most important thing a young man would want in their room. I will be very interested to hear from you all.

Image from Rees Roberts via Desire to inspire

Now this bedroom is stunning! Its the blinds that makes the room....but once again, its for a girl but could easily be a boys room. But, would a boy actually like this room? (take away the girly stuff) to tell you the truth I don't know...that's why I need help to understand what they really need and want.

Picture from It's the little things that makes a house a home

On another note...You may remember that my lovely husband built some shelving so that all my son's toys could have a 'home' downstairs. The inspiration came from It's the little things that make a house a home karla has done a wonderful job in making her son's room more usable and child friendly. She has adapted her son's room to suit his life style...why have a big robe if he doesn't have the clothing to use all that space. So this is what got me thinking....

Mrs B

Sunday Post

2010-01-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

I have decided to start a Sunday Post for my blog. It will be about little things from around the house that I think would be great to share.

So first up is my little set of Babushka Dolls you can see sitting on my kitchen bench. As a matter of fact, they were featured in the last edition of a decorating magazine I had been reading. What is special about these dolls is that they have a another purpose....

My babushka Doll that sits proudly on my kitchen bench top...

Opened up, a set of 3....

Each cup has a purpose....

You guessed it, they are measuring cups for the kitchen...starting at '1 cup' right down to a 1/4 cup.

Such a lovely and funky kitchen gadget and great to get friends to guess what they are...most have no idea LOL They probably have been around for a while and nothing new to most readers but I thought they were so useful and cute...just had to share.

Mrs B

The study...before and after

2010-01-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

There is something about buying shelving and storage units that doesn't really add up. Most of it is flimsy and only made from chipboard. Yesterday, Mr B got out his handy saw and went to Bunnings to get all the materials to make the storage shelving that was so badly needed for the study robes. What a difference it makes to the rest of the house downstairs. The house was designed with heaps of storage but we struggled to work out where my DS3 would put all his 'daily' toys and how we could keep the house clutter free of all his stuff.

Normally, a family would have a designated kids room for this with everything on display, but I didn't want this type of set up for this new home. I cant tolerate clutter in any form (I grew up in a house of total chaos!) so everything has its place and behind close doors. That is not to say I don't LOVE knick knacks and beautiful table arrangements...I long for it so much but not just yet. So...getting back to the study, this is what Mr B made for me after a few hours...everything has its place for my little boy and all the toys are sorted out into piles of Toy Story, Mens and Cars! he loves it and I feel some order come back to my lounge room.

The Study

This is our study/desk at the moment but the back wall is getting wallpaper in the next few weeks. I had always imagined a silvery blue colour but I will wait for all my samples to arrive. So really this is a before shot as it is not completed to the way I want it to be.

Before shot!

A very uninspiring before shot demonstrating no storage at all...a place where my kids keep their school bags and that is about it.

After Shot

The storage that Mr B built for about $50 in materials. The unit is free standing as the hydronic water pipes are behind the wall so no drilling holes in this wall! It fits all my sons toys that he has for downstairs...so neat, looks great when the door is open but when I pack up the house for the night, just close the doors...........like this (picture below)

Mess out of sight....well at least for a few minutes haha

Mrs B

Happy New Year...So What Have I Done?

2010-01-01T15:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everybody! Like many other people in blogland, I also cannot make new year resolutions as I never stick to them. I would like to think one of my ' must do's' this year is to blog more often and comment and other people's blogs but somehow I just feel dried up with ideas at the moment. There are so many brilliant blogs out there with the most inspirational pictures so this keeps me going and inspired.
So what have I done to my house....not much haha!!!!!! It sounds very cliche but it really does takes time and patience when it comes to making a house a home. My news however, is I have found the wallpaper I love (particularly the price) from Laura Ashley. Strange I have gone for a more traditional look in a very contemporary home, but some of their wallpapers are just so beautiful...perfect for the areas I need them for. A consultant is suppose to come to my house in the next week (for $50) and help me with co-ordinating a few things like the curtains and wallpaper. What I like about this is the fact I can just takes my time in ordering the products. I will let you know what I have selected.
What has been done in the last month is really just some final touches of must haves before the real decorating begins...Last area of landscaping, blinds for upstairs and a few floating shelves for my son's room. The boys rooms are starting to take shape as they live in them and I can work out what they like and really don't like. They both have very strong primary colours...green and red and my little boy, more softer colours like pale blue. The pictures below will give you an idea of what direction I am heading but much more to add, it just takes time to evolve.

So, onto the pictures....

Roman Blinds for the stairwell.

You may remember I had these ideas to have a vibrant print for the blind at the top of the stairs...this is it without the lovely print I wanted. Still looks really nice but to have it in the fabric I had my heart set on was going to be a very costly and time consuming exercise and I had to get something asap as this is where the summer sun rises every morning and the heat was becoming unbearable. Still, it is very beautiful and have had lots of nice comments about the fabric and colour.

New blinds for the upstairs lounge room

At last, our new blinds for the upstairs area. The colour is just so lovely and really compliments the lounge. Also, I learnt my lesson from the downstairs blinds and made sure that the 3 blinds all pull up together at the same time....so they always look even.

TThis picture is with the blinds closed. Oh, yes, the cushion is off center but I couldn't be bothered to take another pic with it straightened!

Son's bedroom

The colours I have selected all work really well together ...I really like the reds and greens and really gives the kids room a contemporary feel without making the bedrooms feel 'babyish' As of yet, they haven't asked for black yet or to stick 'death eater' posters every where (I shiver with horror at the thought!) I must admit, I feel very lucky that I am allowed to decorate my kids rooms without any input from them...such bliss to have it all my way. Will it always be like this?

Red floating shelves from IKEA

Yes another dreaded trip to the 'Carpark from Hell' at IKEA. Melbourne people will know exactly what I mean by this! They have the audacity to charge you parking at IKEA but only have one boom gate to get in and one to get out off. Needless to say the traffic congestion it causes has to be seen. Who ever designed this madness should seriously look at another job. Anyway beside all that, we bought the floating shelves and they look great in our son's room. Still a little way to go before the room is complete, some more red storage furniture, colourful mats and maybe a wall decal. I also want to get some pictures of New York enlarged for our son's room...this will just complete the whole look.

Before Shot...Front garden just planted back in April

After Shot...Garden in December

Just a few landscaping pics, the garden is slowly coming along. Some days I don't think anything has grown at all until I look at the before and after shots. The front garden is developing but still struggling to find a tree specimen tree that can take the winds and extreme temperatures that we have. At the moment we have 3 silver birches and are struggling but still alive. Our beautiful silver princess did not survive even though it was an Australian Native.

Front Garden

Fake Grass

The last area of our landscaping now completed. This was a very difficult area to decide what to do with but with much deliberation and research, top quality fake grass was the way to go. It sounds crazy that in a beautiful country like Australia that many people are putting down fake grass but we have a water crises and cannot water lawns at all...indefinitely

Anyway, either hate it or love it, here it is a suits this area for what we need it for.

Along the fence line we are planting small trees...not sure just yet but a variety to grows up and not out.

A view from the porch area.

Mrs B

Security Doors are in...

2009-11-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

Our stacker security doors went in today for the downstairs kitchen area. We have 5 sets of these doors throughout the house and will be getting the rest after Christmas. What a joy they are...we can just keep the doors open throughout the day keeping flies out as well as offering security. At first I was concerned they would ruin the look of the home both from inside and out but they just blend so easily you don't even notice them. The photos below show how they look both from the interior and exterior.

This picture is from the outside with the stacker wire doors open....

Same view but with them shut. As you can see they just neatly slide out of the way if not needed. I love these wire doors...it has made living in and outdoors a breeze now as I hate the flies!

Mrs B

2009-11-21T12:56:00.000-08:00

Its Christmas time! or at least in my household. Some of the decorations and tree have gone up but I still have to find the rest in storage at my Dad's house. My little white tree (that one that will do for now) looks so pretty in this spot but it still needs more decorations and lights according to my children. My 'dream tree' lives in this beautiful candle shop and I am hoping that it will be for sale boxing day so at least next Christmas I will have this 8ft tree to fill the space.

I bought the magazine when it came out and I just loved this Christmas edition, so much that it inspired me to set up my tree in November. I am busy preparing for a few Christmas parties...one for my son's cricket team and parents and another for all my friends from work.

Anyway, more pictures to come once I set up all the Chrisie decorations.

Mrs B

Holidays....Wonderful, but back to decorating!

2009-10-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

Image from House of Turquoise

We have just come back from our 'trip of a life time' holiday to the USA and Toronto in Canada. It is very embarrassing to note that I haven't blog since July but I also was very concerned that if I made an announcement that we were going overseas, I would be devastated if the wrong people read my message and decided to pay my house a visit whilst we we gone! Our wonderful friends baby sat our home and our dog for us and they were also very sad to leave our place behind as they felt they had a holiday as well.

The trip was unbelievable and we stayed in the most wonderful hotels...thanks to Trip Advisor. We went to Disney Land LA, New York, Toronto, Las Vegas and Hollywood. New York is my favourite place and it always reminded me of Carrie in Sex in the City. I will say it was the wonderful hospitality of the American and Canadian people that made our holiday so much more special. No matter where we were, people bent over backwards to give us directions or help when we needed it. I have never received such good service in restaurants or hotels in my life. Anyway, enough about my trip, back to decorating!

Where am I at the moment...not much further down the track than where I left off in July. I have ordered blinds for upstairs which will look nice but all my beautiful drapes will have to be put on hold until next year as there are other priorities for the house. this Wallpaper fixation I have needs to be address however...I must get it done for the areas in the house so I can move on to finish the rest of the rooms. I did however manage to buy two sets of Barcelona style chairs for the house off my friend. These are beautiful chairs and often I will sit upstairs with my feet up reading a book or just relaxing. I may in the future put them both together but at the moment they are better in separate rooms so each lounge area has more seating.

My new addition to the upstairs lounge room

So that is about it....just trying to keep the house clean and decluttered, patiently waiting to get my wallpaper just like in the pretty picture of the bedroom above. Christmas is coming up (which I love) so i cant wait to see all the decorating ideas and pictures in all my favourite blogs.

Mrs B

Are wall decals still in fashion...does it really matter?

2009-07-09T00:59:00.000-07:00

What do we really think about wall decals....hmmmm I see pictures on the Internet, they look great in the 'mock up' rooms but applied to real life how do they really look? I have seen some in shops but they are already peeling from the walls so how do you know the type and quality that you should be buying?

So, after deliberating for a few months I have decided it doesn't really matter if wall decals are in or out of fashion but I am going to try just a few in my boys rooms. The first one are some really cute swallows for my toddler's room. I think about 8-12 little birds all stuck around the top part of the wall . I can get them in several colours but I think blue would look nice but it doesn't seem that imaginative does it! This is just an idea at the moment....just thinking....

Onto the pictures of my son's bedroom...

This picture has been taken from the door way so on the right side are the green wardrobe doors. So all the little swallows will be 'dancing' around his room. I was thinking of adding a tree branch or two but will have to think about it carefully...I don't want it to look corny.

Mr B actually framed the material picture in the photo a few weeks ago (we bought from IKEA )
We still need to order some gorgeous drapes but that wont be happening till next year....the money tree has definitely shivered up and died from plucking too many notes of it haha

Here is the picture of the swallow wall decals I have selected..... I just think they have so much character.

And how they look on an actual wall....

coolartvinyl

The next wall decal I absolutely LOVE Birds on a Wire its called and I think it just looks so 'mannish' (if that's a word!) and sooooo cool, perfect for my oldest son's room. I was thinking of putting the decal just over the bed, underneath the window as in this picture below. Or, I can put it on the wall opposite...doesn't really matter.

Oldest Son's Room

Somehow, I am still not convinced about wall decals so I would be interested in your thoughts. I must admit, my 'ideas file' in my head is becoming very dried up at the moment as other day to day events are taking precedence over the house. I will tell you though, I am going to Canada in a few months time and cant wait to hit the shops! I believe there is a Pottery Barn in Toronto so that will definitely be on list for places to visit LOL So maybe once I get this trip over with, I will start to become inspired again. I still need to order my wallpaper and curtains for some of the rooms...oh well, everything takes time I guess.

Mrs B

A quick message for A-M

2009-07-09T00:15:00.000-07:00

Hi A-M!

I feel so relieved that its just not me but I cant even log into your beautiful, inspiring blog! I haven't even managed to see your house finished properly as I have that warning message as well so all I get are just 2 secs glimpses...not even enough time to get your email address LOL (this has been happening for almost 6 weeks from my end)

I just wanted you to know why I haven't left any messages after you have moved in. I hope you fix the problem soon as I want to have more than just a quick sec glimpse at your stunning home.

Mrs B xxx

Pictures...slowly getting there

2009-05-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

I thought I would quickly post some pictures of my house of how it looks at the moment. Still so many things to add...mainly the final touches. The brown lounge and rug are from our old house, they look OK for now I suppose. I still need so oversized art pieces, cushions, rugs, vases and all the other stuff that makes it into a warm, welcoming space. You will notice that our fireplaces are in...not without dramas either. The builders cut the holes too big so the plasterers still have to come back and patch up the gaps. At night we all 'retire' upstairs to watch TV or read a book. I think we are finally getting use to the space of our house.

I am still here!

2009-05-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

Hi...to all my wonderful blog friends.

I am still here, just having a small break from my blog but hopefully back in the next few days totally refreshed with more pictures. I am slowly decorating my house and our garage is almost empty of all our belongings. Some of our paintings are up so our so it is all beginning to take shape. We haven't stopped entertaining for the last 4 weeks and it has been fantastic...having the space and the kitchen to finally spread out and cook for all our guests.
I have a big event coming up this week, my friends 40th Birthday party that I am hosting. I think I am going to cope and the house is looking good with almost everything completed. I cant wait to take pictures of the house when I set it up for the party to show you all. I will not go over the top but rather just use what I have got already....this has been my philosophy since moving and decorating my home.
I also wanted to say a big HELLO to all my friends from work who have finally found my blog and starting to read it.
Anyway, I must go to check what has been happening with all my favourite blogs...I do miss you guys and I promise to start commenting again...I feel like I have neglected all my online friends...(a special big hello to A-M and Kelly& Victoria whose journey I have followed from the start)

Mrs B

Pictures that inspire...Part 1

2009-04-30T02:46:00.000-07:00

I want to start a series of posts highlighting certain elements in decorating that best represents my own personal style. Up until last night, I never really knew what my style was for this house. I know what I like, what colours look good together but really it was beginning to difficult for me to visualise how I was going to decorate the whole house for all rooms to have some unity.

Whilst browsing through all my blogs, a comment by Patricia Gray caught my attention and as Oprah would say...I had one of those light bulb moments.

In an interview she did recently on All The Best by Ronda Carman Patricia was asked to describe her design style...this was her answer

I like furniture to have good lines, rooms to have 'good' bones, juxtaposition with good antiques and art work with modern design.

This is my design style. It wasn't until I saw it actually written down in words that it all clicked. I love my antiques but I equally love modern art and contemporary design...I was somewhat torn between the two but it all can work together now.

There are literally hundreds of pictures I could use for this post. Strangely, I knew exactly which pictures best represent my ideas that I have for certain parts of my house.

I will start with two designers who have had a great influence on the direction I will be taking. Each picture has a certain element in it that I absolutely love! No way will I (or even able to) replicate each room but to really use the decorators ideas as a source of inspiration.

So here we go...Patricia Gray and her beautiful decorating style....

Patricia Gray

What attracts me to this stunning room is the contemporary art work and over sized mirror. I have noticed that Patricia users both these elements in most of her rooms...Love it and will definitely be using the same concept for my bedroom and perhaps the downstairs entrance hallway. The light coming into the room is just so beautiful and inviting.

There is something magical about this bedroom. It's the stunning blue lampshade bases (I cannot find anything like this in Melbourne) with the silver lampshades, the over sized mirror again and the contemporary art work on the wall. Combine all this with the dark wood....just lovely!

What is there not to love about this kitchen. The use of granite is sensational in this picture.

Patricia Gray

Finally, a picture of a dinning room...the table almost exactly like mine. In this picture, once again, the big mirror, classic and contemporary fittings working together. Even the crystal vase with the big white flowers....sigh!

The next decorator is Nathan Thomas who was the winner of Top Design (I love my decorating Shows)
Once again, when I analysis why I like these rooms so much, it is the combination of classic and modern ideas combined.

Nathan Thomas

Beautiful wallpaper, antique desk with contemporary objects beautifully grouped together. I still cant work out how to group things effectively in a space but that will be for another post!

Its the Art Work I LOve!

I saw how he did it on the show and thought...I can do that! This will be my upcoming project...pictures to come only if it works haha

>

When I saw how he grouped the pictures together, I was blown away by how good it looked. This potentially could have been a disaster but because he has a great eye for design, he has collected a group of fairly 'daggy', old fashioned portraits in frames that have seen better days and created a wall of art that won him the title of Top Designer! The judges loved what he did with this wall and I cant believe how it works so well. This is my inspiration for future projects I have in mind.

Hope you enjoyed reading about what inspires me....many more rooms to come...

Mrs B

Decorating a Modern Home...Finally

2009-04-25T23:51:00.000-07:00

So here I am, two weeks living in our beautiful new home. I am finding that I am beginning to be very picky and fussy as to what objects and paintings actually come through the garage door! There have been some 'teething problems' but I am prepared to live with them a little longer just because I love living in the house. I will give you an example...

Our Fireplaces...The house was designed around having two fireplaces, yes I know a bit of a overkill but this was my thing! I love fireplaces and if I could, I would have one in every room. Downstairs is going to be one of those normal gas log fires but upstairs was going to be the 'special one' It is one of those white long pebble fires, not for warmth but purely for looks. Like my chandelier, I have always wanted one. Anyway, today was the day of the installation, no more empty holes to look at. 7am the guys arrived, within 15 secs they told us it was too hard to install because our fireplaces were an inferior brand (Australian made mind you!) and they cant install them. Also there are 2 steel beams right in the way of where the pipes are going both up and downstairs. Mr B rang our builder, he was at our house in 15 mins. The installation guys just went to their next job.
There is no point in getting all upset when these things happen...after all, we are in our beautiful new home and nothing is going to spoil that!

So...What are my decorating projects at the moment! My bedroom will definitely take a while to evolve. The pictures here are what we have at the moment, a bed, bedside tables that can stay or go and our beautiful antique Table. I have a simple white bedspread but will definitely dress up the bed with cushions and a blanket. I am looking for an oversized contemporary art work to hang on one of the walls and also some drapes to dress up the windows. here are some pictures of my bedroom and ensuite to give you an idea of the space I will be decorating.

Main Bedroom

I would like some sheers to frame this window...just to give the room a more completed/luxurious feel to it. We already just had blinds installed in this room.

Ensuite

My lovely SIL gave me this jar (its called something else but I have forgotten the correct name) as a house warming gift. I put my Grandma's shells into it...

Another view of the ensuite...it needs something else with a bit of height, maybe a vase with flowers?......

At the moment, everything is very sparse and I cant wait to get all my pictures, plates and vases into the house. Everything takes time and its amazing how my tastes are changing all the time. I really do only want things that are beautiful to look at or sentimental to be on display.

My next post will be a few inspiration pictures that have given me some great ideas!

Mrs B

I am still here!.....Landscaping Pictures

2009-04-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but since we have no phone line and are on wireless internet connection, everything to do with blog land is so slow since we have moved into our new home. I have almost given up trying to load all my favourite blogs to read. I just wanted to say I hello to everybody and I am so sorry I haven't been able to comment on your blogs for a little while. I am still here, just frustrated that pictures are not downloading properly and often it takes a good 20 minutes to open up some of my favourite Canadian blogs...I have soooooo much catching up to do when we finally get this land line.

So....what has been happening at my end. Slowly we are moving possessions into our new home. Mr B has made numerous trips to the Salvation Army and the tip but finally we now have all our household with us...mostly in the boxes in the garage. I have been absolutely appalled by the amount of useless 'crap' I have stored and collected over years and concerned by the wastage of money that has gone into buying stuff that really we do not need. So much of it has gone to charity but even charities are beginning to be very picky as well and will not take large tables, sofas, desks etc. people do not have room in their houses for such items. I could go on about our 'throw away' mentality in our society but this is really not the time and place for it. I will just say however, I could of easily just walk away from all those unnecessary possessions, collect just a few pieces and be happy with that! It has made me even more determined to decorate this house with what I have got. The only things I really need are display cabinets to display all my mothers and grandmothers crockery...later more about this.

Landscaping...as part of our contract, our builder did our garden for us. This has been this biggest blessing as it really has completed our home, instead of looking at builders rubble, we look at beautiful little plants that hopefully will grow into healthy plants that produce flowers for the native birds.

Back Garden

We added all our 'garden accessories' to the back area. The decking is being stained today which I am very excited about. not much of a back yard but we are on a reserve where the kids are able to play.

A nice area to sit during the day and watch the world go by.

The last two pictures show plantings of native grasses and kangaroo paws. This area mostly gets sun during the day so hopefully the plants will do well here.

I have a more updated picture of this area, will post it later on. The small tree at the back is a Silver Princess (Australian Gum) and produces these amazing gum flowers that the birds love.

Front Garden

A small front garden as most of the space is taken up with our driveway and front decking. The landscaper took about an hour just to place the rocks in those positions...they are all hand picked for our garden as well.

Front Door

I still am amazed at how many neighbours and friends have commented about the colour of my front door. Some have said in a certain time of day, it looks like a golden colour. The front door is my pride and joy...thankyou to Michelle who picked the colour for this door.

The house is now starting to look like a home. the nature strip still really annoys me with all the builders rubble left behind but Mr B will clear it up and make it look as if it belongs to the rest of the garden. My lovely neighbour has looked after our council tree for us during the house build. It may look a bit wonky but it has survived!

I hope you have enjoyed my landscaping pictures...Day 5 of moving in. hopefully, I can post up to date pictures of the garden as it grows.

Mrs B

Finally we are in!

2009-04-12T04:54:00.000-07:00

We are in!

Finally, after almost 18 months of a house build, we able to call our house a home. Moving has been unbelievably difficult, stressful and I wish someone could wave a magic wand and put all our worldly possessions in their rightful place. Rule number 1...find someone to look after any child under 5 whilst moving. Our little fella is not coping at all, and his behaviour has been extremely difficult to cope with.

Anyway, no need to hear about moving dramas as that is not important. The first night we moved in, it really felt like a dream. I could not believe that finally we are sleeping in our new home! Its still feels so surreal as if I am dreaming. Everything is so different to what I am use to, the rain shower we have in our bathrooms, the light sensors that turn on when you walk into our robes and ensuite and the space that our new kitchen offers...I really don't know how to fill up all the cupboards but I'm sure I will find new kitchen gadgets to do just that. It is so strange to have so much space...fairly unsettling at night as I cant see all the rooms from just one point of the house. We have always lived in small homes so it will take quite a bit getting use to.
There are still things to do like our hydronic heating, fireplaces, landscaping and all the bits and pieces that come with finishing of a new home. My builder and his supervisor have done a terrific job in maintaining a top standard through the build. My tiling in all the bathrooms are just perfect...I love the tiles I selected and gives the bathrooms a 'day spa' feel to them.

So, now the important part...pictures Yeahhhhh! You must remember, that none of the rooms are decorated and only have the bare amount of furniture in them but at least you can see where I am heading. I am so happy that finally, no longer is this a long, frustrating house build blog but is now about Decorating a Modern Home!!!!! so lets start the new chapter by showing what my house looks like...Day 3 of moving in. I can then start to share the journey of each room as I decorate it and make it feel like a home.

Theatre Room Day 3

So you can see I have plain dark leather couches, light ottoman, cushions that have a teal/blue pattern through them and a blue throw. these are the colours I will be working with in this room.

Dinning Area Day 3

We bought this table off our friend and easily sits 8 people even more comfortably. I love square tables especially for dinner parties. You can also see my beautiful crystal light fitting...at night it looks stunning. I saw this light fitting on a show called Design Guys years ago and have always wanted one since, now its in my new home. I know Kelly from Design Ties loves this light fitting as well and was going to have it in her dream kitchen!
Also, you may notice the window furnishings, they are called Redi Blinds ( I think thats what they are called) and are actually made of paper. They just stick on where you want them and are so easy to take off when your proper window furnishings arrive. Fantastic product and so cheap.

Kitchen Pictures

Well the kitchen has been completed finally...it is my pride and joy. What I like most about it is the beautiful granite Bianco Romano. It just literally sparkles and I am just forever looking at all the different patterns through it...sigh

I didn't go for the top of the range appliances but the ones we did select are just so nice and easy to use. Mr B is the cook in the family so he wanted an oven that turned on and off...we don't really do any fancy baking etc so something that was easy and uncomplicated to use was fine with us.

Island bench

We did buy a Miele dishwasher although as this did have the best reputation. Highly recommended! You don't realise how bad some other dishwashers are until you see your plates cleaned by a really good dishwasher. It is so quite I cant even hear it and when I open the door, the plates are actually sparkling...just like in the TV add LOL

A view to the alfresco area

Bathroom with hydronic heated towel rail.

One thing I am looking forward to is living in a house with hydronic heating. Overseas this is the norm but in Australia, it is not common to find this source of heating and is very expensive to install. I have lived in a house before with ducted heating and I was forever freezing and unsettled. I promised myself that if we ever built, I want to feel warm in every room not just in certain parts of the house.

Upstairs lounge room Day 3

Green large couch with a purple and gold theme through the ottoman and cushions. This is work in progress to pull this room together!

Our bedroom Day 3

I know there is just a bed but at least you didn't get to see just the mattress on the floor haha this is one of my biggest decorating challenges...how to make this space into a beautiful, romantic and gorgeous bedroom. This photo shows you what I have there at the moment (including my sons port-a-cot as he sleeps in our room) the little blue cushion is a hint of the type of colour I like. Already I love the white doona cover and white sheets so I am working around that theme.

Sons bedroom Day 3

All my kids have their lovely bed linen, I just have to add their bits and pieces.

So, I hope you enjoyed my before shots. As I add new things to the rooms I will update these photos...I just cant wait to get started!

Mrs B

Melbourne Garden Show...my photos

2009-04-04T20:37:00.001-07:00

The Melbourne Garden Show has been on for the last week and since I have never been before, this year I really wanted to go. We got there 9am on a Sunday morning thinking we will beat the crowds but already hundreds were lining up at the entrance, waiting for it to be open. I had a really good time, much better than our home shows. What I liked the best was the garden displays, mostly filled with Australian native plants. Of course a day couldn't go by without a small drama...my batteries in my camera went flat. Never mind, I actually took most pictures I really wanted of the plant combinations I loved.

I hope you enjoy my pictures, I took photos of mostly sections in the garden as this is what I am after.

Wouldn't this be a lovely little spot in a garden to just sit and ponder in. I could just imagine all the native birds and little lizards coming to visit.

Fantastic use of different size rocks. This seems to be a theme in our gardens lately as water restrictions means we cannot water our grass lawns any more. The rocks in this picture has been done really well but too many gardens over use the rock idea and it looses its effect. Rocks are suppose to be a feature not a substitute for a lawn or nature strip.

Nice area but not for me...great if you are doing the whole outdoor living 'resort style garden'.

A very funky native style table piece.

The plantings in this small area are just divine...the photo doesn't really show how nice it looked. I loved the little 'zen tree' look- a- like plants that softly weep to the ground. I have no idea what they are called but I will look it up in my brand new Aust native plant book.

Very similar to how I want my garden to look like. The kangaroo paws are just gorgeous...apparently everybody else loves these plants as my landscaper is finding it hard sourcing the red variety.

This is just so pretty! A rock with a love heart carved into it, surrounded by beautiful purple flowers. This would have to be my favourite picture of the day!

The darker leaf plants are kangaroo paws...very hard to see the flowers in the photo, I like the way rocks are used in the native gardens.

Fake grass! Yep, this is what its come to. There is a drought, we cannot water lawns so a lot of home owners are resorting to this. We are having a small square of fake grass on the side of the house. I never thought I would have the stuff in my own home but its amazing how fantastic it looks.

Final picture, a sculpture for the garden. There were many more but this is where my batteries went flat.

Mrs B

Is it about the journey or the destination?

2009-04-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

Very appropriate title I think! 17th months have passed and we are on the eve of m0ving in. Still so many things to go, the outside is incomplete, waiting for the few last details to be added, electrics, plumbing, hydronics, carpet to do on the inside. Landscaping will start next week and our sides have the aggregate cement. Driveway still not done due to rain. The only time it rained in Melbourne this 'century' (maybe a slight exaggeration hehe) was the day they had picked to do the driveway! Oh well....I must build a bridge and just except that when ever something vitally important is about to happen at the house it rains...at least everybody in Melbourne will benefit from the downpour.

So, is it about the journey...always! but I have had enough and impatiently waiting for it to be over. Have I learnt a lot...yes, but I have learnt more from my mistakes. I see this as only a positive and I know that many of you will understand this. There is no such thing as a perfect house, perfect build or perfect selections (I can only speak from my own personal experience) as I am changing my views and personal preferences as I build this house. I look at other peoples gorgeous homes on their blogs and I often wonder why I didn't do this colour or design my home like that. But, my house is about where I am at the moment, not where I was 10 years ago or where I might be 15 years from now. To answer a question 'is this my dream home' it is at this moment but may not be in the future. I have no 'dream home' as such as every home I see has the greatest potential to be beautifully decorated by the owner. I think it all depends on if they have a desire to do it so.

It has taken over my life for the last 2 years so I am ready to be at the end of this particular journey...ready to start an exciting new one. So, here are the last few pictures of my home before we move in.

A glimpse of our beautiful red splashback

Our sensible staircase

This was one aspect of the home I really struggled with the design. What we have is a very simple and plain staircase. My builder is going to do some final touches to the polls, just to give it more details. I still am contemplating what to do with the walls underneath the stairs. This will be one of my first decorating projects but the white colour has to go! This is what is bothering me the most.

Should I paint underneath the wood a different colour?

The floor in the kitchen

Our blackbutt flooring with a semi gloss.

Bathroom now complete with our lovely taps.

Sparkling clean...just waiting for the mirrors

More Floors.....

Pictures of our aggregate paving...very interesting process, when they first did it, it looked dreadful beyond description. Its not until they use the high pressure hose that the stones are revealed.

Patio area just outside the laundry...this is where I will be hanging out my clothes. No more dodging between dog poos in long grass when hanging out my washing LOL The joy of small things!

Service area...ahhhhh so nice and neat! We will be bringing our recycling bins down this path, what bliss!

Mrs B

The Garden....

2009-03-27T00:40:00.001-07:00

Todays post is about the landscaping for my house. This was included in the contract as all houses in the estate need to at least finish the front graden in order to get back the 5k bond from the developers. Believe me when I say that 5k has already been spent many times over!
So, this afternoon I met our young landscaper to once more go over the plans he drew and what he had 'in his head'. Can I just say, never before have I been so clueless, confused and so overwhelmed with all these decisions I needed to make. He had all these different coloured rocks, big ones that are going to be a feature, smaller rocks and 4 different coloured mulches. Which combination did I want???? Haha, how do I know, I think we just stood there for at least 15 mins both scratching our heads. He spoke about all the Australian natives he is going to put in and how the plants are going to be set out. I have no idea of the plant names but I know I am having Kangaroo paws right up to my front door with white pebbles and native grasses framing the driveway. I hour later, both of us still very confused, it all fell into place. I just said to him plant what you like just make sure it looks pretty and the plants attract the native birds. The pictures below are probably the best indication of the type of plantings I am having. I will say that I picked white granite boulders with very dark/black mulch to give the garden that striking colour difference, Plants are mainly silver, dark purple, red and yellow colours. I have no idea whats going to happen but for once I have to just sit back and trust him that it is going to look nice.

Image from Peaceful Landscapes

In this picture shows a native grass which is similar to what is going to be planted.

The following pictures I have no links so my apologies to the landscape companies I took these from. I Love this grass...I think its this one that will frame the driveway...

Rock gardens...

These are my granite rocks...I really like this look.

Update on house progress...The floor sander is trying to sand all our floors today but he was at the end of his patience when we rolled up. The poor guy was trying his best to do his job but made difficult as the tradies kept coming in and making a mess. Hopefully he will have peace and quite tomorrow as the first coat is suppose to go on. I can see the end now and I cant wait to move in and start a difference focus for this blog. The house is looking like a home, all new and sparkling (only because the windows have been cleaned LOL)

Mrs B

Blackbutt Flooring....

2009-03-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

Our blackbutt flooring...this is what it looks like with just one sand. We are going with a satin finish, just a more natural look.

Could not resist hehe ...another pic of our front door.

Just got back from the house. Our lovely landscape man is meeting us tomorrow (had to cancel as he was held up at a job) but we saw our beautiful blackbutt flooring .. it has been given a very light sand for the first time. It will take 5 days to complete the whole house as it has to be done in stages. I am so excited that I couldn't help but post pictures. Feeling much more positive as the house is starting to look less like a bomb site and more like a home we can actually move in to. Getting closer to moving in....but still feels like a dream.

Mrs B

The end is near...

2009-03-25T03:21:00.001-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted a while and commented on all my favourite blogs! I have been so preoccupied with other things in life, dwelling on a few 'well meaning' comments by neighbours about why hasn't our house been finished yet. I think I can almost see the end in sight. We have had so many tradesman at our house, frantically trying to finish it off before our builder goes away on another overseas holiday. We have to be in before he goes...that is a given. This is such a critical time for a house build like this as the attention to detail is so important. If he rushes the jobs, it will show. We haven't waited 16 months to get a second rate finish to our house. Renderers are almost finished and the house looks so much better. Our beautiful, beautiful front door was put on today. Look at the finish, I have never seen such a finish to a front door. It is like glass and the colour is just stunning in real life. Our builder really has got some really top tradies working for him. This is what keeps me positive.
So, a few more pictures...

Front of house with our new front door and render almost done...

Our shiny green door, I still cant get over the glass look it has...I cant wait to see how my native garden is going to look at the front of the house.

Side of the house...

Our back garden...fence almost completed (the coulor of the fence is suppose to be the dark colour as in the previous picture) I take terrible photos!

Kitchen pictures for borg (member of my house forum)

I didn't go for an undermount sink like so many kitchens have now. I was so concerned about my granite , banging heavy greasy pots on it that I decided to go for the sink as shown in the picture.

I love my bins...

My tandem drawers ...the small one inside the bigger one.

More kitchen detail for Borg...

Mrs B

Exterior...House Build

2009-03-19T00:46:00.000-07:00

We are slowly getting there...Hooray! Renderers have been there for 2 days, doing the final coat, still not finished but bit by bit, the house is starting to look complete. The decking has been done back and front which I am very happy about. I also met the landscaper today and he seemed so enthusiastic, lovely and very inventive. I am having an all Australian native garden and he picked the colours of purple, silver and yellow (I think this is what he said) colours that compliment a modern exterior. In the front will be like a native rock garden...4 -5 big feature rocks spread out and all the beautiful natives growing between. He also picked a few native grasses as well which I have admired in other gardens in the area. He is also doing the back garden as well in the same theme. I was really impressed by his ideas so to say I cant wait would be an understatement.

Front of house with new walk way.

Here are some shots of my almost completed exterior. Still not all rendered the final colour, mainly the left side needs to be done. There also will be a beautiful green door to set of the front entrance, Still waiting for it to be delivered.

The box feature on top of the door will be the dark chocolate colour...still to be rendered

Kitchen with the new overheads

Ensuite with basin, tap and toilet.

Back shot of my house

Between the fence pillars will be a metal fence, all neighbours have this as we all have to be consistent. This is according to planning guidelines. Pillars will also be rendered the dark chocolate colour.

Decking at the back of house

It is such a fantastic size, already I am imagining all my barbecues with friends out here!

It sits nice and flush with the door...

Front steps

So not long now...starting to look good! Still so much work to go but lets remain positive!

Mrs B

Pictures...Lights, bathroom, kitchen and stairs

2009-03-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that I took of my house. It is slowly coming together but so much work still to do. Lets see what happens this week.

Ensuite marble and basin

Ensuite...mirror still to be installed and taps of course.

Hallway with feature lighting

Feature lights...upstairs lounge room

Kitchen...still not finished!

View into kitchen and living area

Lounge room, you can see our chandelier hanging without the crystals...think we will wait until we move in.

Stairs and wall lights...this is the window I want to put a feature blind in. Make a real statement in the stair area.

Powder room with my white basin. We will be having a long vertical mirror here right up to the ceiling...something different.

I love my white marble, always wanted this look for as long as I can remember.

Laundry

The best till last...my feature wall niches at the entrance of the house. In real life they are just so beautiful.

Mrs B

Small Update...

2009-03-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

Side shot of my house with incomplete colour.

17 days to go before we move in. Do I think we are going to make it? No, simply because my builder will not rush any job and accept poor quality work. For example...the kitchen guys was there again (for about the 8th time) and he said he has taken away all my top panels. Apparently my builder didn't like the paint finish so he has told them to do it again. We still have all the plumbing to do which includes fireplaces, air conditioning etc, concreting and landscaping. But the biggest annoyance during this whole build is the half finish render on the outside. I told my supervisor this and he said it is always done last so it is not ruined by other work. I understand this but gees the house looks so incomplete, that's why I haven't taken any outside shots for my blog.

So what has been happening this week....The lights and we have so many of them. When our architect designed the house 2 years ago, I said to him that one of the features I would like are lights that can be set to create different moods in the house. In saying this, we have not got any fancy technology like a C-Bus system as this type of thing is just not in our budget. By lights I mean downlights and LED wall lights, set on different controls so that we can easily change the lighting in our house. We have these really nice wall niches at the entrance of our home and yesterday we saw them lit up for the first time. I nearly fainted at how nice they looked and the WOW factor they gave.

Also, I have been researching on how to take good interior shots. The fantastic group on my house forum have given me some great advise as well (not that I understand any of the technical jargon hehe) but I think its time to learn how to use my camera properly and stop being lazy! So hopefully the following pictures haven't got this sickly grey tinge like in the previous house shots.

Mrs B

Update on House Build

2009-03-10T23:55:00.001-07:00

Its been a few days since I have updated my blog...I actually had nothing to write about as no one has been working on the house.....I had another one of my meltdowns again and ended up in bed with a migraine. Well its official, you know its only 20 days before we move in, big countdown as I have set the 31st of March as my handover date. I sent my builder an email 4 days ago asking for a definite date so we will see a what happens.

So what has been happening. Most of the lights have been installed which is very exciting as one of the features of our house is the mood lighting. We actually saw the lights on today as the electrician was doing his final check...still a few hours of work left but I am rapt. We have gone crazy over the amount of lights that we have but never will even a quarter be on at the same time. The wall lights that you see in the photo are LED's and are designed to stay on a great lengths of time and use very little power. My feature chandelier in the bedroom looks just perfect and of course the photos do not do it justice. I really must learn how to take good interior design shots when the time comes...If anybody has any tips for taking house shots I am all ears!

So, here are a few random light shots not very inspiring but for the next few weeks this will still be a house build blog.

The lights on the bottom part of the wall are the LED's. They actually are blue when lit up. These will mainly be on at night for the kids if they wake up.

My beautiful contemporary chandelier. It is just perfect for the room and hung at the right height. Of course all the crystals are safely tucked away until we move in. If you look closely, you will also see some small light fittings beside the window. We had no idea they were here until the builder asked us to pick the fitting for them. They are actually lights that shine upwards. I will not get any bedside lamps until I can see the whole room set up.

This photo is taken from the lounge room upstairs. Imagine our bed underneath the window with the chandelier over it.

This 'interesting picture' (not!) is actually how they do our floating glass mirror with the lights behind it.That long white thing is the light, we have one on both side. It is going to be tiled around the edges.

Kitchen cupboard detailing. Starting to look really nice now but still not 100% completed

Mrs B

Window Shopping

2009-03-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a bit like a roller coaster... I met my supervisor at the house and he told me another four weeks. Excuse me, but hasn't he read that I am moving in 20 days, after all, its on my blog therefore official?

Anyway, all was not lost as I had planned a shopping trip to a new homewares store that promised all these wonderful, unique handcrafted goodies. A Big thank you to

Lee from Glimpse of Style

who put me onto this shop in Fitzroy. Every week she does this wonderful Monday Shop post where she does a write up about small design/homewares shops around Melbourne. Lee is a wealth of information about where to shop. So.... off I trot, still angry and annoyed, to a wonderful store called Southwood Home. Even standing outside the window, I loved the whole concept of the store even before I took a step into the shop. All products are handmade by local artists therefore it is more pricey than your cheap imports in chain shops. Anyway, to see all the pictures of whats there, go over and visit Lee's blog. I have included a few other pictures on my blog as well.

See that red painting in the corner..it is stunning in real life. The whole shop is just styled so beautifully.

The cushions remind me very much of what you can buy on Etsy, very unique. This is an older picture but I like it because that handcrafted bed is very similar to mine...it gives me good ideas on how to style my own bed.

All their bowls are hand made, they felt so nice to touch.....

The tree blanket I feel in Love with! I am going to get one but will wait until I have set up my bed. It comes in 5 different colours. I noticed they had a few vintage pieces mixed in, the lamp bases are old, painted over but its the shades that give it that WOW factor.

Just some more amazing cushions and the lamp shades are a must as well. I could easily spend soooooo much money in this shop. I think just one piece at a time!

Mrs B

25 days to go...

2009-03-05T22:40:00.001-08:00

My heading today is 25 days to go... It is when we are moving into our new home. That will bring us up to the 31st of March. Our builder promised us before Christmas, promised us February and promised us March for sure...can you see a pattern here? We have given notice to our landlord and have to move out on this date, give a day or two. How exciting is that! Now we just have to focus on getting a house built to move into. So the countdown is now on.

David Schefer ...(picture from Patrica Gray)

Now, back to decorating the house! One problem area of the house is my staircase. Would you believe I haven't one photo to show you as it looks very incomplete. When I designed the staircase, I told the staircase guy that safety was number 1 priority. We have two very solid landings, one up top and one half way up. There is no spiral in the treads for a very good reason. Anybody that has lived in a house with a dangerous staircase will know what I'm talking about. The first day we moved into our rental, my baby followed me up the stairs while I was trying to get a mattress up and without me even realising he was there, he came to the spiral bit and fell on his head backwards and tumbled right down to the bottom. He wasn't hurt thank god but his fall was solely attributed to the design of the staircase, the fact it had no landing and it was very steep. Also, my elderly father visits us all the time and the thought of him climbing stairs sends me into a cold sweat...my dad has also had many terrible falls that has resulted him ending up in hospital.

So, what does this mean when it comes to designing a staircase for my own home. It is solid with a handrail, no open treads, no fancy curves and very plain. I suppose it was one part of the house where I was not prepared to spend the extra 5-20k in making it a feature. My task now is how to give it that wow factor! I was reading Patricia's Gray post on her favourite staircases and thinking to myself how plain mine looks until I came across this picture (above)

It wasn't the staircase I looked at but it was that blind half way up. Perfect, this will also work in my house as I also have a long window that has obscure glass on the top landing. I am going to find a striking pattern to use as a blind for the focal point of my staircase. For once I am glad that I haven't ordered the blinds yet. Will keep you posted about this window.

Today I bought this beautiful, contemporary chandelier for my bedroom (not this exact one but very similar) The shop I bought it from also does custom made ottomans. Perfect! as I am having ottomans as my bedside tables for the bedroom. It is slowly coming together but that purchase can wait till I move in I think!

Graham and Brown wallpaper

More wallpaper samples for my Butlers Pantry and Study area. Love both patterns. This weekend I am going to order the samples so I am very interested to see what they look like in real life.

Graham and Brown

I can see this red pattern in the Butlers Pantry...compliments the red splashback. Just ideas at the moment..

Mrs B

Photoshop by D@n

2009-03-03T03:22:00.001-08:00

This program is amazing if you can do it properly. Dan, a member of my favourite home forum has 'photoshopped ' my pantry picture, adding in the wallpapers I have selected. Can I just say what a difference! Originally I would say the light blue colour but after seeing these pictures, I think the brown/red pattern looks stunning. It just goes to show you how important it is to get samples before you make any selections.

Mrs B

Butlers Pantry... Wallpaper

2009-03-02T22:56:00.001-08:00

Butlers Pantry...view from kitchen looking in...

Wallpaper from Graham and Brown

Ok, back to wallpaper. Kelly from Design Ties suggested I look at the Graham Brown colours and patterns. This is what I like so far...I think the two samples above and below are contemporary, subtle and will work well with my cabinets... well at least I hope so!(I probably wont know for sure until I get my A4 samples of the wallpaper) Maria from Colour Me Happy wrote this outstanding article called Insider Secrets to Testing and Selecting paint Colours

Maria explained in great detail why its always important to see colours on a larger scale than just from a paint chart. Well I think that goes for wallpaper as well...I need to see the whole pattern and feel the quality of the paper.

I also love this colour, the brown will blend in perfectly with the cabinets but still keeping the pale blue/silver back ground.

Mrs B

Fires, Kitchen,Pantry, Study...Wallpaper!

2009-03-01T22:21:00.000-08:00

High Alert

I haven't updated the progress on the house for a week I think...that's because there has been no progress! But...I am not dwelling on anything negative as it is a terrible waste of emotional energy and all I can think of are the people in Victoria who right at this minute are deciding to stay and fight potential fires or evacuate. Five million messages were sent by the Emergency services today on our phones warning of severe weather conditions and winds. Over 360 schools throughout our state have been closed so I just pray that all the children and elderly are taken to the evacuation centres. On the news they are telling people there will be no warning so leave before 12am tonight before the winds start. Already there have been out of control fires burning throughout Victoria so all emergency crews are on high alert...OMG I don't know what to say...people are fillings up their bath tubs, hoses inside, hoses outside but if there is a similar firestorm like we had 3 weeks ago there will be no warning. This is just unbelievable. I just hope that everybody in the fire danger areas (some are part of Metropolitan Melbourne) are safe. It is so upsetting....

I thought I would show pictures of my 90% completed kitchen...I love my kitchen so much, exactly how I imagined it to be. I designed every single aspect of it, right down to the very last detail. Any body that has ever designed their own kitchen will know how difficult to achieve that 'certain look'. I spent hours with two different cabinets makers (long story hehe) countless hours pouring over the most beautiful kitchen books so to say I am happy is a big thing for me. We are going for the Henna Red glass splash back with under cupboard lights shinning on it. I am sure it will evoke 'strong' reactions from visitors but at least we have a talking point, a bit like a controversal painting LOL

Opening of our pantry

In this picture, I wanted to show you where our pantry is situated...for a reason..

Wallpaper in the Butler's Pantry?

I was reading all my favourite blogs and came across this post by Anna from Toxteth. Anna also wants to do a wallpaper splash back for different parts of her kitchen and bathroom. I think this is a fabulous idea and had been thinking about it for quite a while. She has beautiful wallpaper samples from Porters Paints and I have seen most of the patterns as well. So...I was wondering if anybody would like to comment about what style or colour wallpaper would look nice in my pantry. I know a few wallpaper shops in Melbourne but I wanted to get an idea about colour. The wood in the pantry and study is walnut but dark (I cant for the life of me work out why I picked this colour, must of been in one of my vague, weird moods) but dark it is. I can imagine a blue colour but there is nothing blue in the house at all. This is going to be the fun part...what a funky pantry its going to be!

Wall of pantry

Study Desk

This is our study desk. I also want to put wallpaper her between the two work stations. I can see a modern look here as my boys will use this area a lot. On the opposite walls are the green doors so I need to make sure I link in the two colours. Ginger coloured carpet is on the ground.

Mrs B

Bar, Laundry and Wardrobes...

2009-02-20T20:39:00.000-08:00

The bar area

This is now the bar! I feel it has all come together and now complete. The top cabinets just make it look so much better and once again, I was seeing things half completed. The bar is upstairs as originally it was going to be like a second kitchen. I suppose it is in a way as there is a small oven going in, a round sink and a bar fridge. The back splash will be glass in Antique White USA (same colour as our walls) I am having a green couch in this area with gold and purple cushions! Don't worry everybody, the colours work really well together or they did in the shop LOL
I am also going to buy a big red vase of some description to tie in the red in the lounge area.

RED....GREEN....PURPLE....YELLOW

These are all the colours that need to work in the same room. Lucky I have white walls. I must also find a piece of art work that will tie all the colours together....Well I hope it will work!

The Laundry

A bad picture, but this is our laundry, I actually really love this room. So open with a lot of cupboard space. Our green doors are on now but still waiting for the wood doors below to be installed. The washing machine and dryer are on the other side.

Wardrobes

Here are the wardrobes completed. They look really nice but now we are both concerned that the kids wont look after the doors but it is something we have to teach them. I already except the fact the doors are going to be knocked around but it is just part of family day life. The builder is putting in a lot of safety stoppers and the like to protect the doors. This doesn't worry me at all, this house is a family home and it is going to take knocks and scratches for many years to come.

Well that is all the pics for now. Still waiting for this kitchen to be finished, house cleaned and the plumbing to be completed before I can take some really nice pictures. Also, thankyou for all the thoughtful, nice and encouraging comments that people have made. I love reading them every day and if there is a particular part of the house you would like to see, let me know and I will try and take a picture for you. At the moment it is such a mess so that's why there has been no shots of entire rooms, just the clean bits!

Mrs B

Kitchen and Wardrobes

2009-02-19T00:18:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures of my half completed wardrobes. It is unbelievable how much cabinetry there is just for these 4 robes. The pictures are my kids robes, ours are put together but not in yet, really big job for the installer. Our builder was there with us and he couldn't get over how nice they looked in the house. It is going to take a while to get use to this as we have never had anything like this before.

The next few pictures are of my kitchen. Thank goodness John (my builder...I told him about my blog today but not the name and he reckons he will find it so lets see if he does LOL) quickly put my fears to rest about that draw, all it needs is to be adjusted and he told me just to wait until its all done!

This is my colour splash back, Mr B and John loved it! I don't know, so I have taken a picture with the colour I had selected, in real life has got that wow factor (good wow, bad wow) I don't know....What is everyones elses opinions. Sorry I didn't take a further back shot but there is cabinets and stuff everywhere...its like taking a picture of a messy house to show everyone! Also this is the top cabinet I was talking about but you cant see the gap below in the picture.

Now you can see the top panel is just a little too high.

The Bar! Well, I wasn't going to put this picture in as it is not completed but I wanted to show you the colour....no need to comment as I want to wait to see all the cabinets installed above it...white and silver. One thing about this house is that it is showing my personality hehe parts of it are very conservative but then there is this creative, outrageous, funky element that just hits you when you walk into some rooms. Enough rambling, must press the submit button before I change my mind!

Mrs B

Steel features

2009-02-18T23:49:00.000-08:00

Steel features on the outside of my house

Victoria from Design Ties asked me for a picture of the steel fins that we have used on the outside of the house. Here is just a small sample of how it looks at the moment. Not all the house has its final render so I will wait to take a really good shot when the outside is completed. I absolutely love this design as it wraps right around the house and gives what could of been a boring wall, some interest and definition.

Guess what everybody, the wardrobes are being installed...this time I took pictures, in a much better mood today haha

Mrs B

Reflection time again...

2009-02-17T23:13:00.000-08:00

Our inside door handles

Warning to all my readers, this is a long, completely sooky whinge....but this is a house build blog therefore us long suffering owners are entitled to a little whinge every now and then LOL

It happened again. I went to the house for a quick brief visit with the sole purpose of taking a picture for Victoria but when we got there, our kitchen guy had been...so how excited was I! The builder opened the house for us so I went in to look at my 'dream kitchen'.

I don't know how to say this but I was disappointed so much so that I didn't take any pictures at all. Once again, the kitchen is still only 3/4 finished with bits of panels missing here and there. that's OK, work in progress but what I noticed was that one of the cupboard panels had a large gap between the bottom and the draw underneath. Obviously, something did not measure right and it looked like they had down tools in order to come back with a solution. I suppose I am just sick and tired of everything in my house only being half finished all the time. Why cant my kitchen just be installed complete like a 'normal' house build. Also, our shower screens were installed, very nice I grudgingly admit but then I started to focus on the tiles in the powder room and how I don't like them. Mr B by this stage was used to my 'is this alright, or maybe I should have done this' type of conversation. Anyway, Mr B went upstairs to look at the red cupboards for our bar upstairs...all I could hear was ohhhhhhhhhhhh by that stage I did not want to go upstairs and see the rest of my choices.

The bar, what can I say...I don't know if I love it or hate my colour choice. It is certainly different. Mr B was fantastic, he said it looked so funky and original, it is after all our family home and we need colour in our lives as all the walls are white. I just don't know any more. Part of me said I should have just gone all white and beige... but I felt it was important to inject my own personality into my home. Should I have gone safe...I think that is what I am struggling with at the moment. Anyway, the glass screens in my ensuite and bathroom looked absolutely gorgeous so at least I am happy with those rooms.

Tomorrow is the big day I see all my robes and walk in pantry totally decked out. Already I am fretting over my choice in wood. Every now and then I have this little 'meltdown' and I just wish I could just pick neutral colours, it would have made everything so much easier.

On a different note, I was very sad to read today that The House that A-M built is going to close down and become private subscription only. A-M always leaves the most beautiful, positive comments on my blog and it is also the first blog I read every morning on my blog list....always a wonderful, inspiring picture or story to start my morning routine.

That's all for now, no pics of the house but tomorrow watch this space.....THE WARDROBES

Mrs B

House Pictures...

2009-02-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

Balcony

The picture above shows the view we get from our balcony. The last panel on the right cuts out our view line of the park. I am not really sure why the council made us put up screening on that particular corner. Just a slight irritation as it doesn't look right but I will get use to it. At least it will protect us from the winds that come through around winter time.

Children's Bathroom

I love this picture! my kids bathroom with their new carrara marble top. The whole room just feels right, I can't wait to see the basins, shower and taps installed. The basins are a beautiful round shape that will sit on top.

Door Handles

These are the door handles I have chosen...you can hardly see them. I didn't want the handles to be a feature and wanted a very clean look. At the moment, some of them are sticking to the granite but they will all be adjusted. My concern originally was that they wouldn't be easy to use but they feel really nice to open.

Powder Room

Kitchen Detail

In one of my favourite blogs DesignTies, Victoria wrote apost about a project she had been commissioned to do by a client. The major design was a magnificent fireplace that desperately needed to be remodelled, in keeping with a contempoary interior. Victoria used the combination of wood and steel strips placed horizontally up the wall. Anyway, I mentioned that there are elements in my home that have used steel as a design element. The first one is shown in the picture above. I wanted a steel strip right around the kitchen island between the granite and the doors...even though the cabintery is not on, you can still see how its going to look. I also have andoised steel fins as a feature on the outside that wrap right around the house. Of course silly me I forgot to take a photo but I might duck around tonight to take one!

Mrs B

My shopping trip....

2009-02-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

I have just come home after buying my beautiful chandelier. The photos is actually from the showroom and the sales assistant wasn't really keen on me taking the photos. I have noticed a ever increasing trend of shops having a no photo policy. The photos do not show how nice it is in real life, I am not the best photographer, point and click is my style! The crystals you wrap around yourself so you can create any design you want. My dream has come true....I have always wanted this light fitting and now it is going into my new home.

Isn't it funny how we can get all excited over finding that one special piece. It makes the wait and the search all so sweeter.

Mrs B

Tagged

2009-02-14T03:06:00.000-08:00

First time I have been tagged! Lee from Glimpse of Style has asked me to show where I blog and a little bit about my space.

Well, here you go guys...what a very, very sad blogging space hehe! definitely not home beautiful material but rather a lovely 'before' shot of a room that desperately needs a make over.

(maybe I should invite Colin and Justin to make over my house! Even if it meant I could just stare at them as they are just soooo gorgeous....ok, must get back to reality!)

So, my blogging space is actually in a rental property that we have been in for about a year. To say that I just want to get out and move into my beautiful new home would be an understatement. Unlike Lee who has a lovely, creative space, my desk is purely for my laptop and other papers and junk with no order or even purpose. I do not like renting and it was only suppose to be for a few months therefore I never really settled down and made it into a real home. Well that is my excuse LOL

So there you go! I promise in a few months time I will revisit this post and update my new blog space!

Mrs B

Kitchen and wardrobe fitouts...the start

2009-02-11T01:45:00.000-08:00

Back to blogging about my house! One exciting thing that has happened is the Bianco Romano stone is now safely on my kitchen bench, exactly how I imagined it to be. There was part of me that wanted to wait to show you my kitchen when it was all completed, pretty and clean but as I have said once before, this is not a 'home beautiful' magazine but a builders blog...the good, the bad and the ugly! I think its important to keep a record of how my house is built so if my kitchen looks half finished then that's the way it is LOL The problem with me, as you can tell from previous posts, is that I focus too much on the mess and aspects of my house that are only half completed. Anyway, beside that, I think my kitchen is coming along exactly how I imagined it to be. Stay tune for the glass coloured splash back! I am (well maybe) using a very deep red , colour. I still dont know if I made the right colour choice. Not too late to change it...what do people think????

A picture of the back bench...gees I love this granite (after the hassle and the expense I will allow myself the luxury of saying how nice it is LOL!) The hole is for the stove and underneath are for all the pot drawers.

This is a sneak preview for what has just been installed...my wardrobes fit out in some sort of oak colour. I had no idea what I selected as I had to pick 5 different colours in case it was out of stock. I still have not seen it yet as I had to work back late and Mr B took a few photos (he took 7 only tonight and he didn't think the cararra marble in the bathrooms were important enough to take pics off...we had 'quite' words about this misunderstanding hehe

This is part of my draw for my wardrobe, I couldnt get over how nice the wood looks like in the photo. I have no idea what it is that I selected but just another wonderful random moment in my housebuild...I never know what is going to be selected next for me!

Mrs B

Human Courage

2009-02-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

It has been reported all around the world about our fires in Victoria and the terrible lost of lives. Even today when I woke up, the death toll is still climbing...just this incredible sadness you feel when you listen to the stories from people who were trapped in the fires to the bravest men and woman who are right now at the front, desperately trying to contain the fires. My heart also goes out to the police who are the ones that are first on the scene and whose job is to go through burnt out houses and cars. I don't want to report everything I have heard on the radio as it is very distressing to hear the stories of people who are missing entire families, I just hope they are found safe at one of the emergency centres. The picture above is one of our courageous fireman, the majority of them who are volunteers. They have normal jobs and houses in the areas affected but here they are fighting to save communities and lives when some of them don't even know if their own families are safe. Such a terrible tragedy and to think that the fires were lit by arsonist. Every body I know has friends or relatives that live in the these areas. I just hope the fires that are burning out of control as I type this post, take no more lives.

Mrs B

Have you ever seen something years ago....

2009-02-08T00:07:00.000-08:00

This light has been in my mind ever since I saw it used in a TV show called Designer Guys. I loved it back then and have always wanted it in my own home. But, fashions come and go and I put this light into the category of maybe one day.....Well today I saw it in a beautiful homewares shop in Melbourne called Domayne. The light was used in a bedroom setting. I kept going back to the room, contemplating if the long shape would suit a bedroom as I had only seen it used over a dinning room table. So tonight I am going to ponder whether this is the light I have been searching for my bedroom.

Another decision I had to make on the weekend was lights above my bed. I choose lights like the ones in the picture, the light only shines up so doesn't compete against my bedroom table lights. It actually took me a while to work out what would be best for the space but I think I have made the right choice. So many decisions to make when building a house!

This picture is here just because I love the mood the lighting has created. Similar to what I selected for our high ceilings upstairs.

Mrs B

Bianco Romano

2009-02-06T18:38:00.001-08:00

Our beautiful bianco romano slabs are now at the stone masons being cut for our kitchen as I type this post. We went down to the factory to make sure they use the correct slab for the feature island bench. I have a feeling they are not the slabs we picked out 5 months ago from the marble place and of course I didn't take pictures did I! Doesn't matter, both slabs are stunning and the slab in the photos here will be for the island bench. I told the stone mason to try and not have much of the black stripe that you can see up top. Not that it will really matter as he practically has to use the whole slab for the bench and it is not in a feature section. I am so glad we went for granite and surprised that granite has fallen out of favour at the moment with most new house builds. I love the inconsistency, the colour and texture of the stone.

Here is our Carrara Marble being made for all our other bench tops. Very exciting to see all our house bits around the place.

Our big marble slab on the machine waiting to be cut.

Here is the machine where all the action takes place. I have learnt a lot about stone finishes in the last few days. We are having a mitre cut where you have the joint on the 90 degree. If that didn't make sense I apologise hehe because all the guys were talking to Mr B about it and my eyes started to glaze over LOL I just said I don't want to see joins and I wanted the edges to have a soft feel about them.

Oh...I almost forgot, we have another random addition to our house....according to our stone mason, our bar bench top is going to be Carrara Marble??? When I got home, I looked in all my notes to the builder and no where did I see I had that down hehe oh well, will look beautiful and is just another random moment in my house build. I have a great sense of humour so looks like we are having marble in the bar!

Mrs B

A white bedroom?

2009-02-02T23:45:00.001-08:00

LivingEtc

Everything about this bed I love. So dreamy and makes you just want to snuggle in and watch telly, read a book or just lie there thinking nice thoughts. What goes into making a bed like this...perhaps beautiful bedlinen, lots of plump pillows, good quality sheets, doonas and maybe some accessories like quilts and blankets folded at the end of the bed. As a person with no training in interior design, I am always fascinated at how beautiful 'other peoples houses' are in magazines. So, here are just a few examples of ideas I have for my bedroom. I know this blog is Decorating a Modern Home and my pictures are of a different style but this is what I want for my bedroom but with a contemporary twist.

LivingEtc

The picture above could very well be my bedroom but with carpet. I have a beautiful sleigh bed, same colour and have just bought a simple white doona cover with white sheets and pillow cases. After that, I am stuck for ideas. I have some bedside cabinets that don't go with the bed but they have a really nice shape. I am not sure what to do with them but thinking of painting them so they could work in my room. What colour......I have no idea so I am open to any suggestions.

I love this wallpaper...I would like it on the back wall where my bed is. I also have been searching everywhere for the perfect bedside lamps. Not sure just yet what style I am after but there are so many lamps out there to choose from. Definitely something to buy after the room is set up.

LivingEtc

I really like these cushions! very different but Wow, what a statement they would make in a simple white bedroom.

LivingEtc

This bed is just lovely! When I get sick of all white, just add a colourful doona cover to change the look of the whole room.

Mrs B

Dare I begin to plan the garden?

2009-01-30T16:57:00.001-08:00

All pictures from...Secret gardens of Sydney

Tradesmen are working on our house again today. It really gives me hope that one day our house will be finished and we will be living in our 'dream home' YAY!!!! So.....dare I even think about our landscaping and all the wonderful ideas I have? In our contract, our lovely builder is doing basic landscaping, what this means I am not too sure but we will talk about it together and work out something. What I need is a small front garden, side courtyard and back garden that backs out onto the park (on show to people walking by) My garden will be all Australian Natives except maybe for one or two feature plantings. I love water features and feature sculptures or urns. At least with gardens you can let them evolve and often the climate and soil conditions dictates what grows best.

I love the way they have made the bowl a focal point and also the thick plantings on the side of the courtyard.

White pebbles and copper tone pots...really nice!

Another feature for a courtyard...something for me to think about!

I love the lighting at night and the orange walls.

The long planter box is exactly what I would like for my courtyard. Extra seating for when I have all my friends over!

Mrs B

Starting to get there......

2009-01-28T11:41:00.000-08:00

My study with the 'random' green doors hehe We didn't ask for these doors to be painted green but they are...lucky we love them so they are staying.

Our half finished Kitchen. I took this photo to show you what I mean by the overheads. The window dictates the height of the cabinets and already it had been lowered from where originally it was placed. The bench on the left has another white box on the end so at the moment it looks lop sided. The picture doesn't really do it justice to how nice it all looks in the space...doesn't matter hehe this is a house build blog not a 'Home Beautiful' spread! Pantry is to the left as well as fridge.

Walnut cupboards in the Laundry...I think I like them but once again, I am seeing things half finished!

Our Walnut theatre system. The colour of the wood grain I wasn't sure about last night. I need to be patient and wait till the carpets are in and my furniture that I have bought for this room. A very productive day, thank goodness as it was over 40 degrees and we still had the guys at the house.

Thankyou to all our tradesmen.....every single one has been lovely and polite.

Mrs B

Reflections...

2009-01-27T23:26:00.000-08:00

Just some (honest) rambling thoughts on a hot day to share.....

Has anybody out there ever doubted theme selves during their house build? I am not exactly having a panic attack and really this should be such a happy day, but I am starting to doubt my selections that I made for my house. A wonderful surprise today...some of my cabinetry was in for the kitchens and bathrooms: the beautiful walnut cabinets as well as my feature overhead cabinets in the kitchen. I don't know if I like the particular walnut veneer I picked and worst still, the overheads cabinets are too high and I will not easily be able to reach all my stuff. I also have doubts about my tiles, balcony glass, garage door, lights placed wrongly.....all my fault and I don't know why I am being so picky! Maybe I should have just played it safe, but I think I am seeing things half finished therefore only focus what hasn't been done. I know I should be grateful that every day we have tradies working on our house but when you are already 4 months over the due date, it doesn't put you in a good frame of mind.
The kitchen already looks stunning and is taking shape exactly the way I envisioned. I am concerned however, that the cabinets are too high, but I suppose I will deal with this issue if needed. Question...Is it okay to have just a little step to use if needed to reach objects in the back corner of overheads? The problem started with the kitchen window as this dictated how high the overheads would be....I must get a photo so you can see what I mean. Anyway...I hope all my selections work together but gosh it is hard work when you try and be different when using splashes of colour...I can understand why homeowners go for safe colours and not bright green doors like what I did LOL
Mrs B

Balcony and Garage Door

2009-01-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

Our balconies front and back have now been installed...Yippeeeeee! Actually, when I think about it, any work that gets done we are excited about as it brings us closer to moving in. I love my garage door colour now, it changes colour with the sun. You can also see the balcony glass that has just been installed.

The long strip that goes across the glass is actually a sandblasted effect to give the house an interesting feature.

This picture is of a Liquid Limestone driveway. I love both the look and pattern and I would like it for my driveway. The problem is I don't think it a common product used in Victoria and have no idea how much it costs or if my builder will do it. We are supposed to have aggregate concrete but I'm not too keen on the rough texture. More pictures to come of the back balcony...

Mrs B

My Shopping Splurge...

2009-01-25T19:36:00.000-08:00

Bed Linen from HomeRepublic

Recent puchase...Bed linen for my 14 year old son. I just realised that all the bedding are based on the same colours...Oh Well! When they get older, the boys can pick what they want as long as it is not black.

Sheridan bedlinen

I had just a small shopping expedition today...well not really, a really big one as you can see from my pictures! I managed to get 50% off all these beautiful Sheridan bedlinen for my 10 and 2 year old boys. I went a bit overboard as I bought everything...Donas, sheets, shams, quilts, blankets, animal cushions etc The picture above is for my 10 year old, at first I was concerned he may be too old for it but when we showed him the picture he loved it! His pillows that we bought go with it perfectly so I am very happy his room is coming together.

Sheridan...Dinosaur Range

The dinosaur bedding is for my baby. I even bought the little green dinosaur in the picture. Very happy today, slowly I am getting things for my house...after 16 months of enduring this house build, I need something to cheer me up.

Mrs B

Kitchens...

2009-01-25T13:03:00.000-08:00

I spent a good 10 months on thinking, planning and agonising about my kitchen. I didn't have a kitchen designer so most of the design came from me. the pictures in this post represent all the elements that will be in my kitchen and bar area up on the second floor. I love .... horizontal handles, red glass, red glossy cabinets, white kitchens, clean lines, white granite tops and walnut wood. Combine all this and you have my kitchen and bar! Oh...I also forgot to mention that I love butlers pantry's so I have a small one but without a sink (the sink story I will tell you another time...I had to compromise with Mr B) So....I hope you enjoy my random pictures of kitchens!

Please note...When I saved these pictures, I didn't keep a record of the sites they were from. My apologies...

I love the skinny overhead cupboard, I am having one similar but going across the whole kitchen.

This is such a beautiful kitchen...very clean lines and I like the colour of the splash back.

One of my favourite houses. The floor boards are wide plank oak...I wanted this flooring so bad but was going to cost me a small fortune...oh well, my blackbutt floors will look just as beautiful.

I like the way the architect has combined the white gloss cupboards with the wood. Another element I am having in my kitchen.

The island bench is similar to mine.

A picture of Bianco Romano! very difficult to get it in Australia. I searched for over a year for the perfect white granite and I saw it at a Melbourne Home Show event. Cost us a fortune but I didn't care...this colour was exactly what I had been searching for. This stone is for my kitchen.

Henna Red on Starfire Glass

I have picked this colour for my splashback. Love it so much!

Mrs B

Wish I was a child again....

2009-01-23T17:56:00.000-08:00

Pottery Barn Dr Seuss Bedlinen

I really am a big kid at heart. I loved the characters from Dr Seuss books and my father used to read me the books every night. This bed linen is just the nicest I have seen for a little boy or girl. I really have got to have it now and are working out how to get it to Australia. Oh why don't we have a Pottery Barn store here!

Mrs B

Cushions and doors

2009-01-19T22:46:00.000-08:00

here is a selection of cushions that my boys have chosen for their beds/rooms. I love the colours and the fact they look quite trendy. We also looked for Doona covers together but they didn't like anything at this stage.

This picture is for Michelle...all my doors are up and what a statement they make! I'm sure we will get many interesting opinions/comments when people visit our house but who cares, dare to be different I say!

Last picture is of my new garage door. I think I like it...looks much browner than when I picked it from a sample a few centimeters big! I need to 'build a bridge' and start to love it because it was a special colour order. Sometimes you get caught up with small details that you need to see the whole house not just a small aspect!

Mrs B

Green doors....

2009-01-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

Room colour scheme

I like this colour board, some of the colours I am using for my babies room. The blues/aquas, yellow, green and reds.

Skonaham

A nice bedroom for a teenager (still thinking about ideas for my 14 year old)

Not sure whether dark blue and white would compliment the green doors. Maybe I have to have the right shade of blue for it to work

Sheridan bed Linen

I saw this bedlinen at Myers yesterday and initially I had dismissed it but some of the colours caught my eye. It had all the colours in the colour board (pic above) I don't want the red sheets pillows etc but the yellow sheets are really pretty. I could fold the doona at the foot of his sleigh bed and show off the pretty yellow sheets and a blanket on top...just like in my favourite inspirational picture. What do people think...Will this pretty doona set look nice with the green doors?

Wardrobe Doors

Time to give an update on the progress of my build. Still slow but the good news is, still moving along. This makes us very happy. There is nothing worst than turning up to your build site week after week and no progress. I think we are into our 15th month...3 months over our due completion date. Its amazing how some houses can be built so quickly and easily and others like ours that seem to take forever. My heart goes out to all bloggers out there who are currently building or waiting to build and are experiencing difficulties and frustrations like we are. I know many people are also paying rent on top of a mortgage with slow builds. Others like Stormygirl, haven't even got a starting date even though her land was ready to build on several months ago.

A few friends have commented to us that we are 'too nice' therefore our builder puts us last on his important list of houses to be completed. I am beginning to think they are right. Maybe if we had of yelled, harassed, insisted, argued etc during the build, it may of been finished? That may of been true but sometimes the bigger picture is so much more important. Our builder has done so much extra for us without charging that perhaps he may not of been inclined to do so if we had of played hard ball.

I hate confrontations and still believe you can put your point across without all the dramas. I would definitely be terrible at running a business! Anyway, the doors have been hung and slowly, slowly we are getting there. I cannot see the finish line yet but that's Ok. As long as I am stilled thrilled with the quality of the work then I can be patient for a little longer.

Now let me tell you the kitchen story....l think I will leave that for another post LOL!!!

Mrs B

For Stormy

2009-01-13T03:25:00.000-08:00

Now you may ask what is a girls bed doing in my blog when I have boys...As I tried to explain to Mr B and the other older boys that just because it has pink bed linen on it, doesn't make it a girls bed LOL Stormy asked me for a picture of the Sleigh Bed I won on ebay so here it is! I love it and it will look just perfect in my little babies room for the next few years...I will show you another picture with blue bedlinen on it in a few months time!

Mrs B

My Inspiration

2009-01-13T01:29:00.000-08:00

Picture from Gardenweb...Zipdee's Room

This is it! I have found the colour inspiration for my babies room. Everything about this picture I love. The bedspreads, the turquoise cushions, green sheets and of course the wonderful bookshelf filled with all the complimentary colours...red, orange. blue, green etc The pretty bedroom has been designed for 3 girls but the colours are just perfect for a baby boy, well I think so anyway hehe My latest news is that I bought a beautiful cream sleigh bed for my little boy. All my ideas are slowly coming together...I have always wanted a contemporary nursery that can grow with a child. Now I am on the look out for bed linen to put on his bed, nothing babyish but more like the bedding in the picture above.

Mrs B

Chairs and chidren's rooms...

2009-01-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

This picture is so gorgeous I just had to show it again! Notice the cute little rocking chair, well I have found one (replica) at a store called Matt Blatt (Abbotsford) also an online store. As soon as I saw the little rocking chair, I knew it would be perfect for my babies room. It was also very comfortable which was really number priority.

Eames RAR Rocker

Ovalia Egg Chair

So, here we are in the store and I told my other two boys to pick their chairs for their rooms...I wanted them to have some ownership in decorating their rooms. Note to self...never let a 10 and 14 years old boys have any say in any decorating decisions This is what they selected...an egg chair! Where on earth is this going to fit in their rooms. What made it worst that Mr B also liked it and told the boys these were the chairs from Men In Black.

Can someone please help me here!

Picture from Ohdeedoh

I just love the vibrancy of this room. I like the white furniture with the aqua colour accessories.

Bedding from Design Public

This is what I imagine for my oldest son. Sophisticated but still fun and colourful. I like the blue and green together as this is the two colour combinations in his room.

Mrs B

Our Farm House

2009-01-07T22:06:00.001-08:00

This is my father's farm and the view is from the balcony of a small kit home we built a three years ago. The trees you see here are a few hundred years old, the whole area has a lot of aboriginal and gold mining history attached to it. The land is littered with old gold mines that have long since been flooded by water but the old stone fences still exist from early settler days.

Another view from the balcony, sometimes the horses and cattle come right up to our back porch.

This is a picture of our little kit Home we built through Swenrick Homes. Still needs to be finished off by Mr B but I think it will be one of those ongoing projects hehe

The inside, one big room, 4 bedrooms and a bathroom with a separate toilet. The floors Mr B laid himself and he also did the tiling in the wet areas. When you buy a kit home, often you can select what stage you want the building company to be responsible for. We got everything done except for flooring, painting, heating/cooling and the veranda.

This is the kitchen and even though it is laminex, I love the different colours I selected and the tiles, they were from Roger Sellers (Richmond) definitely money worth spending.

Main room, the wood heater is a must in the country as it heats up the whole house. I also love my chandelier that I picked. As the ceiling is a cathedral style, the lighting suits it perfectly. Actually, it was the ceiling that sold us the house, gives the room such a feeling of spaciousness. The blue couches I know don't really fit into my colour scheme hehe but they are the most comfortable you will ever sit in. Comfort before beauty in this case (also bought them off my friend for an excellent price so who cares if they don't really suit a country interior)

Looking back into the kitchen....

Our pretty guestroom ...

Our bedroom...

Bathroom...

There is still so much work to do , particularly on the outside. Unfortunately, because we have cattle who are not house trained, any plant, tree we have tried to grow has been eaten by them...grrrrrr. They walk through fences! When I go up next time, I will take pictures of the creek and other interesting buildings around the area that date back to the mid 1800's

Mrs B

Bedrooms and Trees

2009-01-03T15:00:00.001-08:00

Its me again and my random thoughts (photos) for everybody to see. I still have this tree fascination for my babies room and the picture above will be the tree I am buying. Very different colour schemes in all my pictures but I love the aqua colour in the pictures above. There is something so refreshing about blue, aqua and red. I also love the hint of lemon thrown in as well. Oh well, so many choices but at least I know I will be having a tree in my babies room.

On a different note...My oldest son actually is now very excited about his room and wants it decorated very similar to the one I had previously shown before ( it had a basketball hoop in it) Once he saw his room painted at the house, he could visualise what it would be like living in the house and all his stuff finally in his room. Will keep you posted...

Mrs B

My fascination with trees...

2009-01-03T04:17:00.000-08:00

Urban Child

Urban Baby

Enfant terrible...Inke design

Yep, I have a fascination for Trees at the moment. I dont even know if I like wall decals or not but for some reason I want to put a tree behind my babies bed, with pretty leaves falling around him, little birds and butterflies flying around the tree. Just another idea...maybe its just a fad but I have always liked the tree idea.

Mrs B

My fixation on designing cool boys bedrooms

2009-01-02T01:59:00.000-08:00

As the title suggests...Cool boys bedrooms? What I think is 'cool' and what my boys think is 'cool' couldn't be further apart. I am on a mission to decorate my 3 boys rooms to perfection, each room individual,colourful; reflecting on their owners personality and most importantly , a room where they wont be embarassed to bring their friends to hang out and play in. This will be Mission Impossible!!!!! Here I have found pictures that represent the most funkiest, coolest rooms you can find but I can guarantee that my kids would loathe these stunning pictures. My 14 year old just wants a bed, white walls and his TV on the wall. Plain doona cover and his cricket trophies on a white cabinet...that's it, nothing else, no girly cushions, rocking horse or curtains. This is my biggest decorating challenge yet! Stay tune as I let loose a barrage of colour with co-ordinating lamps, ottomans' cushions, window furnishings and bedding!
The pictures I have selected are from Better Homes and Gardens as well as PB Teens. In no way will I replicate the rooms but rather take bits and pieces from each room. I Love the checkered rug in one of the pictures and already I have seen it in Ikea. My colour theme will be green, blue and white...other accent colours yet to come. Hope you enjoy the pictures....

In this picture, I love the way they have mixed so many colours on the bed. In particular I like the use of yellow...very pretty but not sure if my boys would like it.

This bedlinen from PB teens is more like it...very sophisticated and subtle, I think the colours would work well in my oldest boys room.

The dark walls work well in this room. I think I will use dark blue as a contrasting colour in oldest boys room.

Couldn't resist! beautiful for a little girl, about 10 years old. I just love the colour combination...now where was I? that's right, back to boys...

Red white and blue, never can can wrong with this colour combination.

I love the rug, this room has given me ideas for my babies room. So serene and beautiful...

This room is so funky, dark blue works well with the red. I actually just asked my 14 year old if he liked this room...he loved it and wants everything in it...I think I am getting close to a victory!

I love the green walls, what a beautiful room! Sorry, I cant remember what site I found this picture on but it is just so lovely

Mrs B