Pretty beach House :: NSW, Australia

Whilst looking for more bathroom design ideas I stumbled across this private beach house resort just outside Sydney called the Pretty Beach House.

I have not had the luxury to stay but it is on my list for when I visit Sydney next.

This private resort has three homely pavilions with interiors that feature raw natural and reclaimed materials balanced with classic and modern furniture.

I love the bathroom design with the use of a raw timber table and reconditioned side cabinet mixed with a contemporary feature bath.

Also the use timber slats with this beautiful wall fabric drape above the headboard has a lovely balance with the black furniture. This use of black adds a level of sophistication to a natural room.

image via Pretty Beach House

For more information check out the site prettybeachhouse.com.au.

If you are interested in finding out where to obtain some of these lovely pieces of furniture please feel free to email me. Have fun.

Small bathroom design ideas :: Mirrors

If any of you are following my journey to explore the options when designing a small bathroom I have another tip for you.

With small bathrooms it is all about introducing detail into the room. Even though larger mirrors can make a room feel bigger they also reduce the opportunities you have to introduce detail into a small space. Sometimes there is just not enough depth in a small room to allow for these built in storage mirrors. I will deal with storage in a later post.

Instead you can introduce a smaller decorative mirror or two. Better still would be to recycle an old picture frame and convert it into a mirror to add interest, detail and character.

image via House and Home

image via Homes and Gardens

top image via Living etc and bottom image via Decorpad

images via Living etc, House to Home & Carolina Eclectic

image via Anna Spiro

Above are just a few examples I have found that I hope you will find inspiring. Have fun.

Interior design workshops :: Last chance to vote

A special thank you to everyone who has already voted in my 2011 Interior Design Workshop survey. 

If you have not yet had chance to vote this is just a quick reminder that voting will finish in a few days. 

Just to recap, earlier this year I presented an interior design workshop in Brisbane on "Discovering your design style". It was a great chance to meet some lovely people and to help them answer questions regarding specific interior design and decoration issues.

images by Porters Paints, Designer's Guild & Udessi

I have found that many people under estimate the amount of time and do not fully realise what is involved to create their desired room look. The challenge is knowing where to start, what to do, how to prioritise and who to call. Also with so many choices in the market it can be quite confusing to make decisions.

I had great feedback from that workshop and now plan to run a further series of interior design workshops next year and would love to hear what topics you would be most interested in. The topics could be:

"Discovering your own design style"

"How to decorate - the first steps"

"How to use colour in the home"

"How to design a bathroom"

"How to design a kitchen"

"How to create a healthy, non toxic & eco friendly home"

"How to style a property for sale"

"How to design a French inspired room"

"How to design an eclectic Asian inspired room"

"How to renovate for profit"

I would love to hear your feedback so I've have created a poll in my sidebar. Please feel free to vote for your preferred workshops including their location.

If you would like to know any further details please feel free to email me here or if there are any other interior design issues you would like to know more about please leave a comment.

Thank you for your guidance and have a great week.

Fjall :: Falls Creek, Victoria, Australia

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to stay in Falls Creek and do some skiing which is one of my favourite outdoor activities.

As I am always on the hunt for unique places to stay I could not help myself to tell you about Fjall Ski Lodge in Falls Creek. This luxury alpine lodge with interiors designed by Hecker, Phelan & Guthrie brings a strong sense of nature and the outdoors inside with a subtle reference to the Scandinavian interior design style. 

Their palette uses a mix of oak timber floors, custom designed oak timber joinery softened with a palette of charcoal, white, black and pale grey fabrics and upholstery. They also keep to an Australian made focus with their beds and ottomans made by Jardan.

images by Peter Bennetts

These rooms certainly provide a sense of calm and balance reflecting the landscape that surrounds this lodge. If you are interested in staying at Falls Creek for your next Ski holiday, click here for further details on the Fjall Ski Lodge. Have fun.

Small bathroom design ideas :: Vessel basins

I am still looking for a recyled bathroom vanity unit but in the mean time I have stumbled across these lovely vessel basins. These basins sit entirely above counter and can make an attractive detail to any small bathroom. We are all used to the white ceramic variety but they can also be made from bamboo, copper or stone (travertine or marble).

These are just a few that I have found recently.

bamboo basin image via stone forest

image via decorfair

images via colours of Mexico

images via china sink & treasures of old Mexico

I may now have to revise my previous white china selection as these are so full of character. Have fun.

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Balinese day spa :: Ikatan Day Spa, Noosa, Qld, Australia

One of the many things that I love about my work as an interior designer is that I get the opportunity to research unique places and experiences.

One of my favorite locations to travel through and research is Bali. Back in England I use to dream of travelling to tropical Bali and now that I live in Australia Bali is in easy reach. I found the culture, the people and the places I stayed truly amazing.

So can you image my surprise when I discovered a small piece of Bali within a two hour drive from Brisbane. A few years back when I was looking for a venue for my wedding I discovered Ikatan Balinese Day Spa located just outside Noosa.

Ikatan is an authentic Balinese day spa offering body treatments with natural ingredients and massages in pavilions and villlas set within mature tropical private gardens.

The style of architecture is very similar to the spa environment you will find in Bali. Even the interior decoration, cushions, fabrics, timber bowls, garden decor, doors and window frames have all been imported direct form Bali.

images courtesy of Ikatan

I believe the experience is truly authentic and the closest I have experienced to Balinese body treatments and massages outside of Bali.

If you are looking for a wedding venue or a place to escape to for a few hours I can highly recommend Ikatan. All you need to do is book in and leave your children and mobiles behind! Have fun.

Searching for tiles & small basins

The hunt for bathroom tiles and small hand basins has begun...

I am looking for small tiles to balance a larger tile size for the small bathroom. Using small tiles balanced with a larger tile can add an extra detail to a room size which does not allow much space to add many details. 

I have also decided on a slim oval hand basin to sit on a recycled vanity unit and will be going to look around Brisbane's reclaim yards tomorrow for a piece of furniture that can be used for the vanity and also provide some much needed storage. Have fun.