NEW MATERIAL COMING SOON!

NEW MATERIAL ALERT!!! Sudoku is NOW on pre-order for the suede version! It comes in black and toast! SUDOKU $69

Check out Vanessa Hudgens rockin the Sudoku (black- twill) out and about in LA!

images from: starzlife.com and x17.com

A Collar for Ned

I just came across these very cool Mascot dog collars and leads. I think I am going to have to order one in for Ned. Only problem will be trying to decide on which colour.....probably Navy.

A Beautiful Vignette

I am in-love with this beautiful vignette in the home of Melbourne based artist John Young which was featured in the July/August 2009 issue of Inside Out Magazine. I think the composition of the simple, natural tones of the objects with the divine, earthy coloured portrait is very beautiful.

Loving Ruffled Kitchen Skirts

I love the informality of ruffled kitchen skirts. I'm thinking from a budget conscious point of view this might be a fun option when we renovate our kitchen at our Stradbroke beach cottage. Are they a pain to use and keep clean?? I would love to hear from anyone who has had these before...

image 1 - mary ruffle, image 2 - skona hem

Favourite Find!

I bought this faux bamboo guilded mirror a few months ago and only just cleared a space for it on the weekend! As you can see, I have not finished - the magazines are a jumbled mess, there are no photos in the picture frames and I would eventually love wallpaper on the wall behind it but it was fun doing something in my own house for a change. Hope you all had a lovely weekend...I'm enjoying time at home for my kids school holidays so maybe a few more home projects will get done! Tracey xx

Pretty Yellow Wattle

Whilst I have been out on my morning walks of late I have noticed the wattle trees in flower all over the place. When I went down to the park with Harry yesterday there was one large tree in flower. I picked a few branches and brought them home and then arranged them in an old crystal vase my grandmother gave me a couple of years ago. I just adore the vibrant yellow of the flowers against the grey-green of the leaves.

Saturday Vintage Shopping Trip

A friend asked me to go hunting for vintage pieces with her yesterday {Saturday}. I warned her before we left that sometimes it can be hard to find things and sometimes we can come home with no great finds. Well, didn't I eat my words. We had one of the most successful vintage hunts I have had in a long time. We filled the boot of the car and then filled the back seats with things too. We even have a few pieces which need delivering next week!! Now, that's what I call a successful day...

People Magazine - Summer Sandal Guide

Check out the July 6th issue of People Magazine, on stands NOW!

Chinese Laundry and CL By Laundry are both featured!

www.chineselaundry.com

Friday Flowers

I was very lucky to be given these pretty mottled roses from a friend today. I arranged them in a pretty yellow vase we have at Black & Spiro. I placed them next to our beautiful vintage lamp and shade {note the beautiful embroidery on the shade} on a table in the shop and then a very lucky young lady came into the shop with her mum and her sister and they took the lamp home for her bedroom. I am sad to see this beautiful one-off vintage lamp go but I know it will be loved and cherished by it's next owner...

Happy Weekend. See you next time.

xx

Anna

Family Friendly Decorating!

I love adapting traditional style furniture to suit modern life. How practical are these chairs - just wipe off the spilt juice! The yellow looks fabulous as well!

image via House Beautiful.

Black & Spiro Today

It's been a while since I posted some pictures of the shop so I thought I would post some today. We have some lovely new pieces in at the moment including some beautiful vintage/antique pieces.

Summer on the Otherside

One of the things I love about this time of year {Winter in Australia} when it comes to my magazine subscriptions is the beautiful Summer homes featured in my favourite American magazines. Even though we are a little lighter on this year without the likes of Domino to give us our hit, this month's issue of Elle Decor looks like it's a cracker!! Loving this house belonging to Scott Currie {Elie Tahari public relations} in Southampton, New York.

The Origins of Taste

I've been talking a little bit about my mother's style in comparison to my own this week and I happened to stumble across this article by Anne E. Collins the Executive Editor over at Point Click Home in which she talks briefly about the origins of taste. I think it's a good read and applicable to my posts here this week. I hope to talk more about this topic in the coming weeks on ABT.

Cool Product of the Week

Each Wednesday I will be featuring a "cool product of the week". Our first feature is from West Elm. The headboard and attached bed frame are sleek enough but you can also attach two nightstands! The bed and other pieces also come in a deep chocolate brown. Click on the above title to take you directly to the west Elm website.

Geraniums

My mother has always had lots of large pots of geraniums growing on her verandah. No family dinner or lunch is complete without some sort of flower arrangement on my mothers dining table and geraniums have often filled the void when other options aren't flowering in her garden. I thought I'd post a couple of her little geranium arrangements. You won't believe it when I tell you the last image is actually in her old bedroom at my grandmother's house. The black and white ticking wallpaper which you can see in the background has been on those walls for around 40 years! Mum chose the wallpaper for her room when she was a teenager. Now doesn't that spell timeless....

“. . . The Moves! Fashion on the Go”

Bravo's hit reatlity show- Project Runway season 5 contestant Korto Momolu designs styled with Chinese Laundry shoes!


Alesha


Bounty


Landice


Blayne


Willy


Landice



Credits:
Photographer: Stephanie Matthews (www.StephanieMatthewsPhotography.dphoto.com)
Stylist: Michelle Washington (www.fashionstylistmichelle.dphoto.com)
Designs: Korto Momolu (www.kortomomolu.com)
Shoes: Chinese Laundry (www.chineselaundry.com)
Hair & Makeup: Valerie Noble (www.valerienoble.com)
Models: Kahshanna Evans (courtesy of BMG Models), Hazuki Kato, & Mandy Yeung

Shower Room!

via House Beautiful

Isn't this just the most perfect shower by Peter Dunham? You would never get me out in the morning!

Alice Temperley Cushions

I am in-love with the cushions Alice Temperley has designed for The Rug Company. I would love to add the one at the top to my mismatched cushion collection. I've noticed a few fashion designers dipping into the interiors side of things lately...

Image 1 - the rug company, Image 2 - via the city sage

Aimee from Song Of Style part 3

Check out the lovely Aimee rockin the Catch Me -- $119

www.songofstyle.blogspot.com

available in three colors! www.chineselaundry.com

Elegant Tailored Style vs Eclectic Style

Following on from yesterday's post about a more simplistic, tailored, elegant look I thought these images Joni posted last week fitted right in. I know my mother loves reading Joni's blog and has probably already seen these beautiful images and saved them in her 'I love' files. I too saved them in my files as I thought they were divine.

After thinking some more about my discussion with mum yesterday I wonder whether as I grow older I will crave a more pared back classic look. I think I have developed my look of mixing styles because it is unique to me and maybe because it is a younger version of my mother's style. I certainly won't be changing my style anytime soon so don't worry but as I said yesterday I do question my look every now and then and it will be interesting to see it evolve over time. I think that's the great thing about having a blog in that it can be a record of one's personal style and it's evolution over time.

I'd be interested to know what style you love. Do you prefer an eclectic 'uniquely me' look or a more pared back elegant tailored classic look?

Conversations on Design with Mum

My mother and I often have conversations about design, usually on a Sunday sitting in her lounge room surrounded by her collections of magazines and books. Although we do share a very similar aesthetic my mother's style is a little more tailored and matching than my own.

Today we were talking about architecturally beautiful houses requiring very simple and understated decoration. It actually reminded me of this beautiful house in Maine which I've had in my files for sometime thanks to Heather. The owner of this incredibly elegant home, Gwen McCaw is quoted as saying "Because it's such an architecturally beautiful house, I felt I could decorate in a really clean way."

I suppose after talking to mum about this today and then reading this article again it makes me question my love of bright patterned fabrics and mixing furniture styles. But then again my mother always makes me question things...isn't that what mothers do? I think it's great to be able to appreciate design in all shapes and forms and certainly our conversations always keep me inspired.