Christmas Decorating

I have always loved this time of year, the build up to Christmas is always a fun and exciting time, now intensified for my husband and I by the fact that we have two little girls!

Of course there are downsides to this festive time of year. I don't like the build up of traffic that can be found around every major shopping centre in Australia. I also don't like the fact that some people seem to go out of their way to be rude and obnoxious around Christmas time, which I assume is where the term "silly season" may have stemmed from.

I love experiencing Christmas all over again through my children. Watching their faces beam each time they catch a glimpse of one of 'Santa's Helpers' and of course watching them light up when it's time to decorate the Christmas tree. And let's be honest, it's pretty handy having Santa's Naughty List to use as a negotiation tool with them too - yes I'm one of those parents!

Each year I'm tempted to decorate and put the tree up earlier and earlier, but I promised a friend of mine this year that I would wait until 1 December. She is absolutely right of course, a month to a young child is a VERY long time and with the stores getting their Christmas stock in from early October in some cases, the long wait can start to take away some of the magic of Christmas.

I'm pleased that I have waited and am looking forward to decorating on Saturday. This year we are changing from a traditional red and gold theme to a bright and colourful theme sure to impress the girls! Here are some other trees for inspiration...

House of Turquoise

Image Source Unknown

Southern Living

The Blythe Banner on Flickr

All following images sourced from Southern Living

For those of you that have also waited to decorate, have fun on Saturday!

Sarah 101

The new season of Sarah 101 began in Australia last Sunday and what a season it's going to be!

As many of you know I love Sarah Richardson and Tommy Smythe as a design duo and the images below will give you a sneak peek into what this season has in store.

The show airs on Lifestyle Home at 7:30pm each Sunday night on Foxtel, you'll want to Series Link it!

Linda McDougald Design

I love to keep up to date with what other designers are doing around the world. In Australia we definitely have our own style. This is obvious through our architecture and interiors, but more often than not, you can see our style has evolved from a base normally found in the Northern Hemisphere. Some of the most stunning interiors in the world were being created before our little land down under had even been discovered! So of course we are going to take cues from their designs and try to replicate it here. 

Linda McDougald is a designer based in the USA and I could sit and look at her portfolio for hours, I just love everything she creates. The house featured below is located in Palmetto Bluff and would have to be my favourite. If you'd like to see more of Linda's portfolio you can go to her website: www.postcardfromparis.com

 

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Latest Pinterest Love

As an interior designer I LOVE images of rooms, furniture pieces & of course accessories. I buy copious amounts of magazines, read design blogs, have Houzz and Pinterest accounts and I still can't get enough of wonderful interior images!

I thought for this particular post I would show some of the recent images I loved on Pinterest.

The above mirror is from Pottery Barn. For those who follow the Matilda Rose Interiors Facebook page, you'll have seen our announcement about Williams-Sonoma Inc. opening a store in Bondi Junction which is so exciting!

I love the proportions of this room, the bright white finish with pop of purple and of course the pendants hanging above providing a beautiful contrast

This beautiful kitchen won the House Beautiful award for Kitchen of the Year 2012 and it's easy to see why!

My love affair with grey marble bathrooms continues, this is just stunning. I love the vanity and who can go past a claw foot bath

I have always loved the idea of a conservatory, but living in Australia they would not be practical in Summer as you would melt into a large puddle on the floor! This room has a conservatory feel to it without the glass roof.

This particular living room was designed by Chango & Co. in East Hampton. I have fallen for this house, it's everything I love about Hampton's design.

Feel free to follow my Pinterest page for regular new images of various classic/contemporary style interiors from around the world.

Australia's Most Expensive Home

Do you have a spare $56m clogging up your bank account? If so, you may be interested in buying Australia's most expensive home (currently on the market).

Not surprisingly, this home is located on Wunulla Road in Point Piper. The interior was designed by Thomas Hamel. It has 8 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and some gorgeous guest accommodation. It really is a spectacular home with stunning views right back to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Ah, imagine the decisions to make if you owned this home....cocktails on the lawn, by the pool or on the roof terrace!?!

Busy, busy, busy...

I have been so busy of late and can't believe it is almost August! I am currently working on a number of really exciting projects and am really looking forward to the next few months and watching these projects come to fruition!

In the meantime, here are a few bits and pieces from the various projects.

First up is this AMAZING glass tile. This is one of the most beautiful tiles I have ever seen, it shimmers and throws a silvery aqua colour depending on the light. We are using this as a feature tile in one of my clients bathrooms.

Below is a great bubble chair, that would make a great addition to any contemporary room.

The below sofas are great low/high solutions for a living room

Bookshelves to flank a fireplace



Of course no design is complete without some fantastic lighting!

As you can probably tell from the images above, the projects I'm working on are quite varied which makes for a really interesting time and process. I'm looking forward to posting some updates and of course the finished products!

Please note - out of respect for my paying clients, I am not able to reveal product or source information on this blog.