Friday, 25 May 2012

Putting Our House on the Market

My husband and I have made the monumental decision to put our house on the market. I say monumental because we are yet to secure the property we really want to buy. We have decided that we'll be proactive and try to get ours sold, so we are in a better position to negotiate. There is the chance that this may all go pear shaped and leave us homeless! I'm just being a little dramatic there, as we can always rent somewhere until something else comes up, but we REALLY want this new house and are just praying that it all works out in the end.

Anyway, my anxiety levels are rising as I think about the photographer coming on Monday to take photos, then there are the Open For Inspections that we'll be having in June. I've never gone through this process while still actually living in a house and it's a little odd to think about strangers walking through our house, looking at all of our things, while we aren't there! We trust our agent of course, but it's still a strange process to go through.

So whilst I'm busy getting our house looking as good as possible, I'm also have little daydreams about what we'd do with the new house (who can resist the daydreams?) so I thought I'd post a few photos of the rooms I'd love to use as inspiration for our (hopefully) new home!



I absolutely love EVERYTHING about the above property. The crisp white interior with the wooden beams, neutral palette and hints of seafoam green are my idea of perfection.


I'm sure I have posted the above photograph before, but I just love this room. We have thrown around the idea of putting our girls into one room for a while and I think that if we do make a move then we will definitely do it. I think it's nice for siblings, especially sisters, to share a room when they are little. I'm sure as time passes and they become teenagers they'll want their own space, but it would be lovely while it lasted.


Another example of a fairly neutral palette but with a WOW factor photograph. I love the idea of doing something fantastic like this with a great family photo. Many people seem to dislike photos (especially family ones) and prefer artwork. In my opinion, no family home is complete without photos of the family that reside there!


The simplicity of this bathroom really appeals to me. I've mentioned before that I like white bathrooms, white kitchens and white bed linen, as I like being able to see that they are clean. But I also like white in a bathroom because it's not too fussy and allows you to relax in the bath without being visually bombarded.


Wherever possible I think it is a great idea to have built-in bench seating or banquettes. I remember Sarah Richardson once saying on her show that she had fond memories of her mothers room because it had a sofa in it. She loved that she had a place to sit or sneak in and sleep in her parents room. Our girls also love to be in our bedroom and seating like this would be great for chatting away or giving them a sneaky place to creep into at night (although who am I kidding, our eldest always ends up in our bed!)

Have you ever done anything crazy like selling your beloved family home in the hope of securing your dream property? As much as it will pain me to sell this place and still not end up with the other house, I think I'd be more disappointed if we just let the possibility pass us by without REALLY trying to get it. Wish us luck, we may just need it!

Thursday, 17 May 2012

NYC Designer: Christina Murphy

I was recently reading through a great blog Made By Girl. There was a post about designer Christina Murphy who is based in NYC. I hadn't seen her work before, but loved a lot of what I did see when I went to her website. I thought I'd share some of my favourites.

All images are sourced from http://christinamurphyinteriors.com










I love pattern and colour in interiors and I think Christina has created a lovely mix of both in the rooms above.

Tuesday, 8 May 2012

Colour Trend - Blue & Crisp White

Anyone who loves browsing through furniture or homeware stores may have already noticed the latest colour trend. From now until perhaps the end of our Summer, blue & crisp white are making a big appearance.

I love this colour combination, although you do need to be careful to stick with similar tones and if it all gets a bit too much, you may wish to add accent colours in orange, red or blue to break it up a little. Below are some of my favourite rooms featuring blue and white.



Above images: Sarah Richardson



Above images: House of Turquoise

Image source unknown

Image source unknown

If the above images have you considering adding some blue & white to your home, here are some lovely accessories currently available.


1. KAS Anika (Green)  2. KAS Cambridge (Navy) 3. KAS Polly (Navy) 4. KAS Ruby (Blue). For stockists visit www.kasaustralia.com.au

1. Byzantine Cushion 2. Kale Range 3. Omah Range 4. Tessolate Cushion. Above cushions available from Freedom stores.



For those of you living in and around Brisbane, Anna Spiro has this lovely dinner set available at her store Black & Spiro.

IKEA is also running a Limited Edition Blue Collection in Europe at the moment, so I would assume that will also make it's way here soon!

Friday, 4 May 2012

e-Design Service Sale!

I am excited to to announce I am having a massive sale on my e-Design Service!

Get one personalised room design for just $150!

There will be limited numbers of personalised designs will be offered at these prices, so be quick!

Click here to read about the e-Design service:
http://www.matildaroseinteriors.com.au/e-design-service-2
 
 

Monday, 30 April 2012

Houzz Feature!!

I opened my email today to find a very exciting email from one of the biggest interior design inspiration sites in the world, Houzz. The email was to inform me that the office I designed with the step ladder bookshelf and Cole & Son Woods wallpaper had made one of their features. I think I actually let out a little squeal with excitement! I have spent many hours trawling through the Houzz website looking at all the beautiful images of interiors from around the world. It is a real honour to be included in one of their features, thank you Houzz!

You can see the article here:


Saturday, 28 April 2012

Kerri Shipp

Blue & White and Pastels are set to be the next big trend in interiors. I also love watercolour art, so this post is to introduce you to a fantastic Australian artist that you may not have heard of.

Kerri Shipp is based in Brisbane, Australia and runs an Etsy store called Driftwood Interiors. Kerri is an artist who specialises in original paintings and fine art prints in watercolour, acrylics and mixed media.

Of course being called Driftwood Interiors, you can expect to find beach inspired pieces such as this beautiful blue coral piece below.

But some of my most favourite pieces at the moment are the abstract watercolours.


Fusion


Kerri's collection also includes some beautiful butterfly paintings and some lovely interior paintings that are almost a room within a room!


If you love Kerri's work as much as I do you should stop by Driftwood Interiors Etsy store and pick yourself up a beautiful piece for your home.

You can also find Kerri's work featured in this month's Real Living magazine, in stores now!


Sunday, 22 April 2012

Norma House - Palm Beach

If you happen to follow my Pinterest board then you will have seen some of these images before, but let's be honest, Norma House in Palm Beach is so stunning it quite frankly deserves its very own post!

Norma House was one of the first homes built in Palm Beach. The owners have poured their heart & soul into it and have given life back to the old property. The results are nothing short of spectacular!


From the very first image you immediately get a sense of quality, style and sophistication oozing from this property. I also love the clever use of mirrors in this home. Rather than just one large mirrored wall, they have framed up individual mirrors making them feel more like works of art as they reflect that amazing view.



I just adore this room (by day or night). The retractable doors and the contrasting palette of black & white give the room a spacious and glamorous feel.


I'd imagine you'd be calling in sick a LOT if this was your master bedroom!



I love how the walls in the bathroom have been left as is, it brings such authenticity to the old home. It also adds a real textural quality that is often hard to obtain in a bathroom.

And now let's head outside....


This deck is just gorgeous. I love how the arches frame up the view and the use of the wicker furniture nods to the past. The black lanterns add the contrast with the white and it is this attention to detail that makes such a difference.



There are no words for how perfect this picture is...

Fancy staying here and enjoying this amazing place for yourself?

High Season Rates (Dec - Jan)
$9,000 per week or $2,000 per weekend

Shoulder Season Rates (Feb - Apr & Oct - Nov)
$8,000 per week or $2,000 per weekend

Low Season Rates (May - Sept)
$7,000 per week or $1,800 per weekend

Yes, it's not the cheapest place you'll ever stay, but it may be one of the most beautiful!