Monday 30 July 2012

Natural Wall Finishes :: Tadelakt Lime Plaster


I am currently looking for a natural wall finish that I can use on a curved wall in a shower recess. Mosaics or small tiles would be one solution but I am looking for a more natural and traditional product that looks similar to polished plaster. 

One material that I am investigating at the moment is Tadelakt. 
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If you have ever been to Morocco you may have noticed the shiny plastered walls of palaces, hammams and bathrooms. These walls have been made with a traditional application of applying a lime plaster to the wall then polishing the wall by hand with a stone and finishing with an olive oil soap mixture for its final appearance and water resistance. This method gives you both a lovely natural appearance and a waterproof finish. 

Just think that this traditional finish goes way back to the days when glass and plastic showers were not available!
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Polishing the wall with a glass bead.
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It's a unique finish but the process is labour intensive and time consuming which may result in a higher price tag then just tiling a wall. Like any feature finish if this is the look that you after then it's worth the investment.

Also to note in Australia you may still need to waterproof your wet area before applying this plaster finish.

Have fun.

Monday 9 July 2012

Recycled Candle Centre Pieces, Coat Hooks and Book Ends

Now here are a few original recycling ideas by artisan designer Terina Smith.


These pieces have been rescued from landfill or farmers paddocks then cleaned, polished and given a new lease of life. 
I love these coat hooks made from recycled locks 

These candle centre pieces, book ends and coat & hat racks have been created from 100 year old electricity cross beams and old insulators found in the Scenic Rim region. 


Recycled candle centre pieces
Recycled coat & hat racks
Recycled bookends.
All images courtesy of Terina Smith
Can you imagine that these pieces would have been passed by bullock trains and horse & cart, seen the advent of motor vehicles and dirt tracks turn into bitumen roads and been around to see the telegraph replaced by telephones and now optical fibre cabling. 

What an amazing piece of history in a recycled object. 

If anyone would like to buy these feel free to drop me an email here.

Have fun.

Monday 2 July 2012

Why I blog and decor8 Blogging Your Way


When I started my blog a couple of years ago I was scared of writing, hopeless with spelling and feeling a little bit shy but with limited online knowledge and the support of a dear friend Michelle from Paper Tree Designs, I wrote my first post. The years have flown by and until recently I had not stopped to ask myself why I blog until I started Holly Becker'sgging Your Way e-course.
It's been an amazing course and I will be honest and say that it's been hard for me to find the time around my work and other commitments but I am so glad I kept going. I may have missed the odd homework assignment, sorry Holly, but wow what an interesting course. 
It has made me step outside of my comfort zone, given me loads of advice and made me rethink and change a few key things in my life and my blog. It has also taught me the importance to be yourself, live your dreams and passions and blog from the heart.
So, back to the big question.....why do I blog?
I am a greeny at heart but also an Interior Designer which can be seen as polar opposites. I love great design but also feel it is important to raise awareness that there are sustainable alternatives to the mass produced furniture, kitchens and bathrooms we see all too often in our high street stores.
In the past my blog has concentrated on my client's projects and great design ideas that I have wanted to share. However, I also have my own home and it's ever increasing "to do list" of ideas to reduce its running costs whilst still having a beautiful home and until now I have never shared these more personal aspirations on my blog. 

Due to the cost of buying a new home (one that we would inevitably redesign) and the challenge of finding a home that has strong passive design principles (a rare breed of house) we are thinking about raising and extending our humble postwar home in Brisbane. My husband is a project manager in the building industry and given a design or some drawings, he can get things built very quickly. One would think we would be the perfect couple to renovate, decorate and own the perfect  home but like most people it all comes down to money and time. Maybe now is the time to step up and do it ourselves?
So thanks to Holly's course I am adding a new dimension to my blog and looking forward to sharing with you our future home, all our sustainable initiatives and our design decisions that we make along the way. 
Hopefully in the few years our journey will inspire others to avoid the mass produced and resource intensive and seek alternative solutions and products for a more sustainable but still beautiful home.
So, a huge thanks to Holly and her team at BWY for change is on the way in my life, my home and on my blog...
Have a great week.
Lisa