Est Magazine | Issue 13

I finally found some time to sit down and read the latest issue of Est Magazine and, as usual, it's brilliant. Filled with lots of slick design and inspiration - one of my favourite articles was about a Dutch woman, Saskia Hurd, who worked with young designers to create a really cool hostel for travellers.

The hostel's simplicity is captivating, and while there was a tight budget, everything looks beautiful, functional and cleverly thought through. I love the bed built into the living room wall, which can be opened up or closed away behind bright yellow doors. And the bunks built into a tiny nook is a great use of space, especially with the large pull out drawers underneath.

And talking about simplicity, there is a stunning Melbourne family home featured that I know you'll love. The closing sentence summed it up beautifully... "Elegant without being extravagant and simple without being minimalist, this home reflects the lives of its inhabitants in a way that will truly stand the test of time".

A teenager's retreat was built under the roof line and between the two boys' bedrooms. Such a great space, the green carpet with the crisp white walls gives a sense of the outdoors. Large floor cushions with bright graphics add another cool touch.

Although it's quite a minimal look, each piece of furniture in the house has maximum impact because of it's beauty and form. The Tufty Time sofa is delicious - gorgeous and squishy (very technical terms!) - I'm a big advocate for investing in a quality sofa.

Such a gorgeous home, it makes me want to go and clean up any clutter at my place! Pop over and read the whole magazine for yourself, I've shared some of my favourite parts, but there's so much more.

The Adore Book

Of all the online interior magazines, it's no secret that Adore is my absolute favourite. It's always bursting with colour, pattern and inspiration, not to mention an abundance of beautiful homes. So when founder, creator and editor, Loni Parker, announced last year that she was going to be putting together an Adore book I was one of the first to pre-order my copy. A year later it's finished and looking even better than I hoped. I'm very excited to be able to give you a sneak peek...

A beautiful hardcover coffee table book, Adore is filled with colourful interiors. The book is divided into 10 chapters according to room type, with plenty of inspiration and eye candy to get your inner designer adorning. Adore breaks down why a room works and offers styling tips and colour theory facts you can file away for future DIY projects.

There's even a chapter on creative walls and entertaining to help you get the most out of your space. At the end of each chapter, a panel of homeowners and interior designers share their helpful hints and words of wisdom on a whole gamut of decorating topics.

I asked Loni her thoughts on the book, and this is what she said... "The Adore book has been in the making for about a year now, having started crowdfunding for the book in February last year and finally releasing it in late April, it's definitely been a long labour of love! I've filled the book with colourful interiors from all across the globe, that I personally adore and hopefully readers will love them too. Some photographs have never been seen before – commissioned especially for the book whilst others have been sourced from various sources from all over the world, including some that have been featured in Adore Home magazine's past editions. I really wanted to create a beautiful coffee table book that would sit proudly in anyone's home and be a go to book of inspiration and lots and lots of beautiful images."

I can't wait to receive my copy at the end of this month, and it will definitely take pride of place on my coffee table, once I've devoured the contents. If you want your own copy of this gorgeous book pop over to the Adore online shop, and enjoy!

Vancouver Island Getaway | Rue

I managed to find some time yesterday to read the latest Rue magazine. If you have time this lunch hour or over the weekend, curl up with a cuppa and get inspired.

My favourite part of the magazine was this beautiful bed & breakfast on Vancouver Island, with it's light, airy, relaxed style. Owners, Harold and Marianne, achieved this with the help of their interior designer daughter, Angela Robinson.

Time spent in Norway inspired Angela - she borrowed their natural colour palette and layers of texture, working with quality materials to ensure that comfort wasn't spared despite the minimalist look.

Because the setting of 'Inn the Estuary' is so beautiful, it was important to Angela to have a seamless transition from indoors to out. Bright whites, warm wood, and accents of blue and green reflect the natural surroundings. I'd be very happy to stay here, wouldn't you?

Read more about this home and lots more in the April/May edition of Rue.

New Adore & More

I'm finishing this working week off with a few magazine excerpts. First... the latest edition of Adore Home magazine is out, and is amazing, as always. It's focus this issue is on the beautiful city of Perth.

There's a lot of inspiration, and as usual, my favourite are the home tours. The first home belonging to interior designer, Lisa Marinovich, is a beautiful example of how you can use pattern and colour to bring a space to life. She's used one of my absolute fave wallpapers, Coconut Grove, which also appears on the cover.

The next home I love too, although it's very different to the first. It's funny... I feel like if you throw both homes in a big bowl and stir them around, you'll get my perfect home! I love the edginess of Samantha Tatulli's home. 

Samantha is also an interior designer, she works for Coco Republic, and she has a more neutral colour palette with the addition of warm leather, gold and greenery. If you look at both home owner's fashion style, it's a real reflection on their interior style. I often tell people to look to their wardrobe to help with their choice of colour palatte. There's so much more to see, so find some time this weekend to read all of Adore.

Dale & I, Bibby + Brady, were recently asked by Habitat, the Resene Magazine, to come up with an alternative room scheme. They sent us a photo of the original dining room and asked us to re-design it with our choice of furnishings and, of course, our Resene paint colours. We love the result...

And last but definitely not least, make sure you check out my new "Nook of the Month" in Your Home & Garden magazine. Each issue will have a new nook - ideas for what to do with an under-utilised, or awkward space in the home. You know I'm all about 'nooks', and there are some fantastic ones coming up, so pick you copy today.

Have a brilliant weekend everyone. See you next week, I've got some great things to share with you then.

The Home of Kristen Jackson

My post yesterday was to tell you about some of my favourite online magazines and their latest issues. Top of the pile for me is always Adore magazine, and their feature on ten budget decorating ideas was truly inspirational. My pick of the tips was Kristin Jackson's set of four hand-painted spotty curtains which she created for just $85 - amazing huh?!

Upon further investigation I discovered Kristin's blog The Hunted Interior and was instantly hooked. Kristin is so clever with her interior design skills and her DIY skills. She has a great line on her website that reads "Kristin believes in the design philosophy that you should hunt your surroundings to build a layered space that is true to you". Isn't that a great motto, and I whole-heartedly agree with her. And to prove her point, let's take a tour of her beautiful home.

The details, and the colour, and the life in this home - they're just delicious. And I didn't even show you all the photos. To see more and to follow Kristin's blog, head over here.