The Hose-able Rug!

Most of the clients I work with either have young children, grandchildren or pets. Anyone who has or who knows anyone with kids and/or pets knows first hand that these little delights normally come equipped with grubby hands, feet or paws. They also tend to have an outstanding ability to make mess on the hardest surface or object to clean in a house, normally the carpet or rugs!

When I am designing a space for clients of course I always want it to look beautiful, but it also has to be functional and most importantly practical. Rugs were previously a difficult thing to have in a house with children or pets because they were often quite an investment and if they got dirty you'd need to have a professional come in and clean them for you. Often they would never look the same as they did new.

Then came the invention of polypropylene and voila we now have the indoor/outdoor rug! My favourite indoor/outdoor rugs are by Dash and Albert. They come in a fantastic range of colours and patterns, but the best part is that when they need cleaning you take them outside, hang them up and hose them down! Yes, you did read that correctly, YOU CAN HOSE THEM!

I always like to try products before recommending them to clients and I can confirm that you can hose your Dash and Albert indoor/outdoor rug with complete success.

One important point to mention is that they are not a plush rug, but let's be honest plush rugs tend to hide food scraps and anyone who has trained a puppy will remember that the puppy finds a plush rug to be much the same as they do grass....no further information required there!

Below are some examples of the range of colours & patterns available. If you wish to see the whole collection click here.

 

And here is my rug hanging up post-hosing...

And afterwards, placed back in the living room all clean & like new again...

If you are located in the U.S you'll already know how to buy these rugs, but if you are located in Australia and would like information on how to purchase one please feel free to email me - alisha@matildaroseinteriors.com.au

Desk & Chair Project for $25!

I love to up-cycle and refinish old pieces of furniture and give them a whole new lease on life! It's truly amazing what a difference a splash of paint can make.

My eldest daughter is at school and has reached the age where she is incessantly doing craft, writing on several thousand pieces of paper and basically just "creating masterpieces"!

Due to this love of hers, we decided it was probably time that she had her own little desk and chair in her bedroom. Of course I could have gone out and bought her a new desk and chair but that would have been too easy and not creative enough for me! So instead, I decided we'd find something old that no-one wanted and breathe new life into it.

When driving along in our local area some time ago I found an old 1920's dresser on the side of the road. I pulled over so I could ask the lady how much she wanted for it. To my surprise it was in very good condition and she was giving it away for FREE! My poor long suffering husband then had to help me get it in the back of our car & it sat in our garage for a number of months, annoying him I'm sure.

Fast forward to two weeks ago and I was again driving along and saw our local op shop had several different little chairs out the front. I pulled over and discovered a poor little old chair that was in good condition, but had it's ugly on in a big way! It had great bones though and was only $20...bargain! I then set to work on creating a pretty little set for my daughter's room. Pictures below...

 

This is clearly the desk "before" shot. She wasn't very pretty but as I said she was in good condition and had potential.

 

And here is the chair before it's make over. Again, not pretty but I liked the design of the back and hey for $20 you can't complain.

And here is the end result!

 

A bit of a change isn't it! She loves the light blue desk, soft green and pops of colour from the fabric.

It is always best to choose your fabric first and then pull a colour from the fabric to use as your paint colour. 

The good news is that because I had the primer, paint & the fabric from another job this whole thing only cost me $20 for the chair and a few dollars for some sand paper. 

Have you ever taken and old piece of furniture and updated it?

Keeping cool during a heatwave

Here in Australia we have been struggling through an insane heatwave over the last week. Today is set to top 43 degrees in Sydney which has only ever happened 3 times in the last 150 years! 

The heat is incredible and we are all hiding in our homes, curtains drawn and air-conditioner running constantly. I really feel for anyone who doesn't have air-conditioning on days like today.

As I keep my eye on the fire alerts for our area I thought I'd post a couple of images of lovely cool pools and interiors decorated in cool blue hues.

House of Turquoise

 

BHG 

Tracery Interiors

Keep cool fellow Aussies!

Merry Christmas!

I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! 

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog  this year (when I've been able to post).

This year has been a great year and I'm looking forward to 2013 with absolute enthusiasm!

I hope you and your family have a safe and happy break.

Bill & Giuliana Rancic's New LA Home

I'm more than happy to admit that there are certain celebrity reality shows that I really love to watch and Bill & Giuliana is one of them!

Bill & Giuliana have recently welcomed a new little boy into their family and decided a new home was in order too. I love their new home it has such a beautiful classic style. I also love how little Duke's nursery has been designed.

 

Below are some photos of their gorgeous new LA pad...

 

 

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!