DREAM HOME
DREAM HOME

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Lovely Leura...

Thinking more about my trip to The Blue Mountains I decided to stalk around looking for properties for sale. I found this little gem in my favourite Blue Mountains suburb of Leura.
Look at the views this treasure has to offer!



What a sweet but not so small cottage.

From the realestate website - The best of both worlds, views and a garden and seldom available! One of the very few outstanding gardens with panoramic cliff edge VIEWS from the cascading waters of Wentworth Falls to Bowral Gib. Sited on over 2 ½ Acres of Paul Sorensen gardens, crammed with mountain exotics meandering gravel pathways, dry stone walls and native bushland, you can see forever from this beautifully maintained and much loved weatherboard residence. There are 3 bedrooms, a 4th or study, 3 bathrooms, formal and informal living areas plus a massive family room leading from a thoughtfully designed kitchen and super sized laundry. High ceilings, pretty picture windows with a treed backdrop and valley vistas , plus gas log fires and a bore for the garden, all add up to the ultimate in privacy, tranquillity and seclusion. Located just around the corner from the Fairmont Resort, the Golf Course and less than a 90 minute drive from the city.



I adore the colonial picture windows.



I would put a sumptuous window seat in this bay window.





If this is the formal lounge I'd paint the walls either antique white or a very soft beige. I would also perhaps add a little more plasterwork to ornate the ceilings. The slow combustion fire would either be replaced with a white version or somehow moved to the other wall and create a stone mantle fireplace. The sofa's would be white French settee's with an aubusson rug and a tufted ottoman used as a coffee table. And of course lets not forget the grand chandelier ;)



If this is the familyroom the carpet looks to be sisal which I already love. I'd have a linen couch, perhaps another large ottoman coffee table but I'm unsure of what lighting I'd use in this room.



The kitchen is small but delightful. With such a lack of storage cupboards one would hope there is a massive walk in pantry somewhere ;)



A beautiful chandelier is definitely needed in the dining room,...



as well as the bedroom. I'd have a beautiful off white French Louis bed and I'd probably place my soon to be covered aqua velvet, tufted love seat at the foot and place my French style vanity and leopard print chair in the bay window. I'd have duck egg blue silk curtains and a damask wallpaper feature wall and probably another aubusson rug.





Imagine waking up everyday looking out from your bedroom window at that view!! It may not be the ocean but still equally as beautiful.




Beautifully manicured gardens.




Unfortunately, to live this lifestyle you'll need just under two million dollars *sigh*


It's always nice to dream though ;)





I also quickly wanted to mention my excitement about Jason Sullivan winning the Home Made competition. I can't wait to see his future designs!!





Saturday, July 4, 2009

For the love of the Sweeds...


A few sundays ago my family and I took a day trip out to a wonderful part of Sydney called The Blue Mountains. It's one of my favourite places to visit, especially during winter. The air is so crisp and the autumn colours still present on the foliage is beautiful. It's a very old part of Sydney about a 3 hour drive inland from the coast. It has so much character with it's quaint cottages and shops and lets not forget the breathtaking expansive mountains and parklands.




While visiting one of the most exquisite shops - Maison Montage - in a little town called Leura I was lucky enough to finally grab a copy of this enchanting book - Swedish Interiors.



I know most of you probably already own this heavenly gem but I wanted to post a few of my favourite inspirational images from it's glossy pages.





please click image to enlarge











my sincerest apologies for my dodgy scanning.




This room is usually a little more contemporary for my taste but can you imagine the wonderful parties one could host in a setting like this? An abundance of candles and mood lighting, complementary music, dancing and comfortable conversation surrounding that crackling fire.....It's a little bit awesome don't you think? :)






I've also made some new Swedish blogging friends I'm excited about...




Splendid Willow - A Sweed living in America




^^ I am sooooooo in love with this room! *sigh*









Wabi & Sabi - Sweden












Stop by and say G'day, they have some STUNNING images!
p.s HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO MY AMERICAN PALS! :)



Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Home Made...

>
How much have I enjoyed this series?!!! It's been so great! I'll actually be sad when it's over :(
I couldn't be more thrilled with the two finalists. They are both so amazingly talented it's awe inspiring.
My pick for the winner is Jason. Despite the fact he's a little bit saucy and comes across as a real gentleman, I am sooooo in love with his designs! Every week he's pushed the bar and delivered brilliance.
Last nights home was his best yet. The blue and white colour scheme had me swooning. I absolutely adored it. I love that he loves a more traditional look and I've noticed now a couple of his rooms really have a beautiful plantation feel to them. Not once have I ever felt his rooms looked like show rooms. They scream comfort and glamour without being pretentious.



The bedrooms and livingrooms are Jasons designs and the kitchen and bathroom are Darren.
Oh those ornate ceilings and the empire chandelier, blue walls and sisal rug are simply exquisite!


IMO Darren is the master of texture. This bathroom presented a real problem for him and he tackled it head on with an unforgettable result.






This whole home just flows so beautifully. I just hope the owners don't tire from the colour blue anytime soon :/





The family room.






The guest bedroom.





The master bedroom.




The sexy designer himself Jason Sullivan.
GOOD LUCK!
To see the before shots and videos of this house and the other house it competed with, as well as previous homes from the previous weeks, go to http://channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/homemade/






Monday, June 22, 2009

The White House Daylesford...



Hello again :) I know it's been ages since my last blog I sincerely apologise for that. I hope you're all well :) I've moved house and I'm currently busy renovating and decorating my new bedroom. I'll post pics when I'm finished if it turns out how I picture it in my mind hehe. The look I am trying to achieve is inspired from Claudia Strasser's The Paris Apartment book. Needlessly to say I am going to town with the girly goodness! ;)





The reason for this blog is I received my copy of the july/august issue of Vogue Living and I was so thrilled to finally see the stunning weekend cottage of one of my favourite designers, Mz Lyn Gardener.





6 months ago, after featuring her gorgeous home and vintage store, Empire Vintage in Melbourne, I received an unexpected, lovely email from Mz Gardener telling me the exciting news of her new country cottage she was renovating at the time.



This cosy weekender is very different from her girly chic warehouse apartment I'm sure you're all familiar with and adore as much as I do, but equally as beautiful. Mz Gardener has successfully catered for both sexes by going for a more industrial vintage look. Most of the items were purchased either at flea markets or salvage stores.
The library has one wall covered in a handpainted wallpaper by Deborah Browness, depicting rows of books. A very clever use of a small space.





I especially love the kitchen with it's open timber shelves and blackboard wall.



No Gardener home would be complete without her signature clawfoot bath :)






Simple but very enticing. I love those white shutters!





An old garden shed was converted to seperate guest room.
I absolutely love it! It's the perfect mix of city meets country and old meets new. I'll definitely be adding The White House Daylesford to my list of places to stay. Thank you Lyn for creating such a treasure for us to enjoy :)
For more information on the renovation and beautiful pics you can visit Mz Gardener's website or buy the July/August issue of Australian Vogue Living magazine.