Fiddle Leaf Fig

When I was a child indoor plants were very popular. I remember my Mum having various types in our home.

These days indoor plants seem to make less of an appearance in our homes, in some ways I think it's a bit of a shame. Plants play a vital role in keeping our air quality high, which should be important not only outside, but in our homes too.

If you have never given thought to having an indoor plant, I'm about to introduce you to one one that I think you will want to rush out and buy! The plant I'm talking about has various names but is most commonly called the Fiddle Leaf Fig. It is also called the Banjo Fig or Ficus lyrata (for those of you still using Latin regularly!). For many years it has been popular with interior designers as it has a great structure, provides real organic shape and grows very large, making a real statement.

Plant experts describe it as "having large, glossy, tropical looking leaves shaped like the base of a violin. It's hardy, doesn't drop its leaves and indoors it is virtually unkillable". That last bit makes it my kind of plant! I have one in my home and so far the unkillable part definitely seems to be true....thankfully.

Here are some images of Fiddle Leaf Figs in interiors.

All images sourced from Pinterest

Beautiful, structural, organic and good for your air quality all-in-one, what isn't to love about a fiddle leaf fig!?!

Shop Tour - Pippi Australia

Our last shop tour for this series is Pippi Australia. Pippi is located in Kincumber and is one of the first stores I found when I relocated from Sydney to the Central Coast. Needless to say I was so pleased to have found such a beautiful store so close to my home...my poor husband would cringe each time I said "I'm just ducking down to Pippi!".

I will quote directly from Pippi's website as it describes the store perfectly, "A heavenly white abode of coastal living homeware, giftware and stationery".

The store is filled with gorgeous white and neutral tone homewares which would suit almost any decor. They also have a line of bags, children's products, scented palm wax candles and beautiful shell wedding bouquets.

I love this architect style lamp. These are great in an office or work equally well in a living room, they lend a slightly masculine feel to a room. What coastal living store would be complete without some fabulous shells? These would look lovely in a collection displayed in a glass vessel.

As you can see from the picture above, the shelves in Pippi are filled with lovely pieces, many of which serve both a functional and decorative purpose. I particularly like the grey textured vases and the sweet origami crane, I have a cousin who used to make many little origami cranes and these remind me so much of those. I love it when I come across items that are slightly out of the ordinary, I think they add a very personalised feel to a home.

I'm sure you have seen driftwood drops before, they are lovely, but normally come with a large price tag, these however are really well priced. Driftwood drops work well as shown here in groups of 3, but are equally nice on their own hanging in a narrow niche or nook area in your home.

This picture shows some of the beautiful lamps available. These types of lamps provide a lovely soft light and are pretty in bookshelves or as decorative items in childrens rooms. I also love the little driftwood bowls on the top shelf, they almost look like nests.

Above is a picture of the gorgeous shell wedding bouquet you can also purchase at Pippi, once again it is a slightly different take on a traditional bouquet and would of course be a perfect addition to any beach wedding.

I highly recommend you stop by Pippi, you will not be disappointed! The store address is 182 Avoca Drive, Kincumber, NSW 2251.

If you can't get to the store, the web address is www.pippiaustralia.com.au where you can view and purchase their products online.

Shop Tour - nicnacs 4 kids

This week we'll be taking a tour through nicnacs 4 kids. This store is owned and run by Nicole Thomas and Anne Lyndon and is located in Erina Heights on the NSW Central Coast. nicnacs 4 kids specialises in lovely toys, gifts, furniture and accessories for children.

The photo above shows a collection of beautiful accessories for any girl's bedroom. I especially love the little fabric ducks, the pink & white framed paper tole artwork, the little babushka doll & mini Eiffel tower on the bedside table. The bedside tables are lovely with their scalloped detail, this makes such a nice change from the standard straight edged furniture that is so often used. Of course I also have to make mention of that gorgeous little burgundy tutu, my girls would love to get their hands on that!

This lovely set of aqua bed linen would look great in a little boys room but to be honest I'd also happily use it in a little girls room. I'm not a huge believer in girls rooms always having to be pink or purple. Using this set for either sex really just depends on what you use to accessorise the room with. Adding some pops of green would make it feel more masculine and adding some pink accessories would make it feel more feminine (the little babushka doll is a perfect way to tie in the aqua and pink colour scheme).

Aren't these artworks just the cutest thing!?! Any mother with a young daughter will tell you of their love of 'swishy' skirts and of course, dancing. What may not be clear from the photo is that they are real little skirts attached to the canvas, such a cute touch!

Lets face it, children have a pretty nice existence, so they don't really need inspirational quotes garnishing their walls, life at their young age is awe inspiring enough! I love these examples of typography art, any little boy would love a list of dinosaur names in his room. I personally used to sing (badly) "Hush Little Baby" to my girls when they were babies and I have to admit there was the odd occasion (normally at 2am) when I would forget the words. How handy would it have been to have the words framed and hanging above their cot! Of course the "I love you to the stars the moon and back" piece is just beautiful and a good reminder for all of us, but especially our children.

I hope you've enjoyed a quick look around nicnacs 4 kids. If you would like to see the store in person the address is Shop 3, 490a The Entrance Road, Erina Heights.

Their Facebook page is here and their email address is nicnacs4kids@hotmail.com

Shop Tour - Haven At Home

Over the next few weeks I'm excited to be taking you on a few virtual shop tours! The shops I will be featuring are some of my favourite stores in my local area.

First up we have the gorgeous store, Haven At Home. This store is located in Erina Heights and is run by Tracey Abrahams. Haven At Home has been operating for almost a year and a half and Tracey carries a beautiful range of homewares, bags & jewellery.

I have purchased a number of things from Tracey, but one of my favourite pieces was the large 3D metal wall flower seen here in the master bedroom.

Below are some photos from Haven At Home

These pendant lights are just lovely, they really lend themselves perfectly to any coastal interior scheme.

I love a number of items in this picture, first and foremost the bird silhouette is just beautiful. It of course looks lovely against the cream/taupe wall in the store and would equally striking against a white wall. The flower on the opposite wall is another great example of the wonderful contrast these pieces bring to a room. I also love the metal screen lamp and the pendants hanging above.

 

I adore this mirror! If I could possibly fit one more mirror into my house, this would definitely be it. I'm also loving the seagreen lamp and of course the turquoise/teal glass vessels. At the bottom is a lovely navy ikat cushion and the white flower basket on the bottom shelf would make a fabulous fruit bowl.

 

How amazing is this driftwood floor lamp? I also love the beautiful cushions in the background of this shot. I'm really pleased that the typography trend is progressing beyond large lists of suburb names, it's nice to have some inspirational quotes in our homes as a little daily reminder.

This photo has so many elements that I love, including the table! The table lamp is lovely and has a very contemporary feel. Of course the wall flowers again are just beautiful (especially in a pair). In the bottom of this photo, to the left, is an aqua cushion and is one of the cutest cushions I have ever laid eyes on. It would add a very feminine feel to any space, but would be especially perfect in a little girls room or a nursery.

This floor lamp is just gorgeous! The lamp is obviously standing in this photo but I have also seen them laying on the floor and they look so sophisticated yet also casual.

So there you have it! Isn't Tracey's store just beautiful? To drop into the shop the address is Shop 2b, 490a The Entrance Road, Erina Heights.

For those of you not close by, the web address is www.havenathome.com.au or you can purchase directly from Haven At Home's Facebook shop

Grey Mood...

So far this year (in NSW) we haven't had a very nice Summer, it has been quite cold and very wet. This however, is not the reason for my grey mood! I'm a little preoccupied with grey interiors at the moment. They are a cool colour which I love, are generally quite serene and relaxed and will take sunny pops of colour like yellow really well. Here are some of the grey interiors I love...

Style For Living

Benjamin Dhong

Decorology

Live Breathe Decor

Design Shuffle

House of Turquoise

Staci Edwards

Chic Coastal Living

La Dolce Vita

House of Turquoise

Source Unknown

Hopefully this will inspire a grey mood in you.....in a good way of course!