Pretty Rugs from Safavieh

Spring is in the air! Can you just smell it? In Los Angeles where we live, it was the perfect 75 -degree, clear blue sky, sunny day. The hills are green and the wild flowers are blooming. It's so pretty we can hardly stand it. Despite what people say about LA, parts of it are quite stunning.

Spring also makes us want to clean up the house, wash the windows and spiff things up a bit. We find the best way to spiff things up is to add some colors to the house. Switch out the lamp shades (yes, you can buy different lamp shades and voila, it's like a brand new lamp), get some fresh flowers, and buy a couple of new rugs.

We like the Soho collection of rug from Safavieh quite a bit. It's totally fresh, modern and fun. It's also not too expensive either (about $1200-1500 for a 8 x 10)

Here are some samples from the Soho line:







To see the rest of the line, click here. If you need help with pricing/availability any of Safavieh rugs. please drop us a line.

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Contemporary Exterior of Villa

Villa is elegant design and modern, equipped with a beautiful swimming pool, the villa looks luxurious

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Five Good Things About A Bad Economy

Can you not open a newspaper or turn on the TV without hearing more bad news? You'd think the world is coming to an end or something. We just see it all over now, don't we? In our conversations with friends and family, not one passed without comments on the economy and how terrible things are.

But you know what, comes with every hardship there are things to be learned and treasured. Our lives are changing, but it is changing for the better.

Here are five reasons why:

1) We waste less. Seriously, we've been spending too much, wasting too much, eating too much. Cutting back is not a bad thing.

2) We learn to buy less and buy better. It's so much better to buy one good thing than ten junky things anyway.

3) We value more important things than money. This is the time when we appreciate our health, our friends and our family more than ever.

4) We start to recognize than there are others in the world beside ourselves; that we are all inter-connected and our actions affect us all.

5) We simplify our lives--and isn't that a better way to live?

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Great Source for Home Decorating Pictures

We have to confess, we are a home decorating magazine addict. We subscribe to every single one there is, but the truth is, we never read the text. We just look at the pictures. What's the point of reading if the pictures are enough, no?

If you are looking for inspirational home decorating pictures, we have a great source for you. Check out RedCover.com. This site is actually a seller of images, much like Corbis or Getty Images, but they specialize in interior, garden and food images only. What we love best is that it has the best of European home design ideas, which we don't have easy access to here in the US. It's a lot of fun to browse through the beautiful pictures on the site.

Here are some sample pictures. There are thousands more...

Notes: The pictures on the site will have watermark on them to prevent piracy, but for browsing purpose they are not too bad. We recommend the feature search as it lays out everything very nicely for you.

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Z-Gallerie to close 25 stores

Z Gallerie announced it will close 25 stores across the country today, citing deteriorating business conditions. The company will still have 52 stores and its web site.

We love Z Gallerie. It has affordable, stylish merchandise at very reasonable prices. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this tough economy will pass and all of our favorite stores will survive.

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Exterior Old Buiding

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Love This Loft!

The New York Times recently featured a wonderful loft in New York City that we just love. Loft decorating is tough. It is usually just a blank, open space and most people find it a challenge to make it cozy, warm and inviting at the same time. There is also the issue of spacing--you have to divide and conquer creatively.

Here are some pictures from the article which shows how it can be done. To see the rest of of the pictures and read the full article, click here.

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Building On the River

Building On the River

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Gate on the River

Gate on the River

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Bar, Laundry and Wardrobes...

The bar area

This is now the bar! I feel it has all come together and now complete. The top cabinets just make it look so much better and once again, I was seeing things half completed. The bar is upstairs as originally it was going to be like a second kitchen. I suppose it is in a way as there is a small oven going in, a round sink and a bar fridge. The back splash will be glass in Antique White USA (same colour as our walls) I am having a green couch in this area with gold and purple cushions! Don't worry everybody, the colours work really well together or they did in the shop LOL
I am also going to buy a big red vase of some description to tie in the red in the lounge area.

RED....GREEN....PURPLE....YELLOW

These are all the colours that need to work in the same room. Lucky I have white walls. I must also find a piece of art work that will tie all the colours together....Well I hope it will work!

The Laundry

A bad picture, but this is our laundry, I actually really love this room. So open with a lot of cupboard space. Our green doors are on now but still waiting for the wood doors below to be installed. The washing machine and dryer are on the other side.

Wardrobes

Here are the wardrobes completed. They look really nice but now we are both concerned that the kids wont look after the doors but it is something we have to teach them. I already except the fact the doors are going to be knocked around but it is just part of family day life. The builder is putting in a lot of safety stoppers and the like to protect the doors. This doesn't worry me at all, this house is a family home and it is going to take knocks and scratches for many years to come.

Well that is all the pics for now. Still waiting for this kitchen to be finished, house cleaned and the plumbing to be completed before I can take some really nice pictures. Also, thankyou for all the thoughtful, nice and encouraging comments that people have made. I love reading them every day and if there is a particular part of the house you would like to see, let me know and I will try and take a picture for you. At the moment it is such a mess so that's why there has been no shots of entire rooms, just the clean bits!

Mrs B

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Exterior Building With Fountain

Exterior Building With Fountain

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Kitchen and Wardrobes

Here are the pictures of my half completed wardrobes. It is unbelievable how much cabinetry there is just for these 4 robes. The pictures are my kids robes, ours are put together but not in yet, really big job for the installer. Our builder was there with us and he couldn't get over how nice they looked in the house. It is going to take a while to get use to this as we have never had anything like this before.

The next few pictures are of my kitchen. Thank goodness John (my builder...I told him about my blog today but not the name and he reckons he will find it so lets see if he does LOL) quickly put my fears to rest about that draw, all it needs is to be adjusted and he told me just to wait until its all done!

This is my colour splash back, Mr B and John loved it! I don't know, so I have taken a picture with the colour I had selected, in real life has got that wow factor (good wow, bad wow) I don't know....What is everyones elses opinions. Sorry I didn't take a further back shot but there is cabinets and stuff everywhere...its like taking a picture of a messy house to show everyone! Also this is the top cabinet I was talking about but you cant see the gap below in the picture.

Now you can see the top panel is just a little too high.

The Bar! Well, I wasn't going to put this picture in as it is not completed but I wanted to show you the colour....no need to comment as I want to wait to see all the cabinets installed above it...white and silver. One thing about this house is that it is showing my personality hehe parts of it are very conservative but then there is this creative, outrageous, funky element that just hits you when you walk into some rooms. Enough rambling, must press the submit button before I change my mind!

Mrs B

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Steel features

Steel features on the outside of my house

Victoria from Design Ties asked me for a picture of the steel fins that we have used on the outside of the house. Here is just a small sample of how it looks at the moment. Not all the house has its final render so I will wait to take a really good shot when the outside is completed. I absolutely love this design as it wraps right around the house and gives what could of been a boring wall, some interest and definition.

Guess what everybody, the wardrobes are being installed...this time I took pictures, in a much better mood today haha

Mrs B

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Comfortable Chairs & Lounges from Jessica Charles

We like furniture that is made in the US. We just do. There are two reasons for it: 1) we are patriotic and 2)they are just made better.

Jessica Charles, a division of Hancock and Moore, is one of those. They specialize in only one thing, chairs (which include dining chairs, lounge chairs and occasional chairs) and oh they do it so well...

Here are some pretty things from Jessica Charles:









As always, email us if you need help with any of these items.

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Dining Chairs We Love-Jessica Charles

We love these chairs from Jessica Charles. They are so well-made! We have chairs that are 15 years old and they are still in super good shape.

Here are some new styles that are totally adorable. The chairs are expensive (ranging $600-800 per chair depending on fabrics), but we think they are worth it.

You can see the rest of the collection at the Jessica Charles web site. In addition to chairs, they make fabulous chaise lounges and occasional chairs as well.

If you need help with any of the products shown, drop us a line...

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Reflection time again...

Our inside door handles

Warning to all my readers, this is a long, completely sooky whinge....but this is a house build blog therefore us long suffering owners are entitled to a little whinge every now and then LOL


It happened again. I went to the house for a quick brief visit with the sole purpose of taking a picture for Victoria but when we got there, our kitchen guy had been...so how excited was I! The builder opened the house for us so I went in to look at my 'dream kitchen'.

I don't know how to say this but I was disappointed so much so that I didn't take any pictures at all. Once again, the kitchen is still only 3/4 finished with bits of panels missing here and there. that's OK, work in progress but what I noticed was that one of the cupboard panels had a large gap between the bottom and the draw underneath. Obviously, something did not measure right and it looked like they had down tools in order to come back with a solution. I suppose I am just sick and tired of everything in my house only being half finished all the time. Why cant my kitchen just be installed complete like a 'normal' house build. Also, our shower screens were installed, very nice I grudgingly admit but then I started to focus on the tiles in the powder room and how I don't like them. Mr B by this stage was used to my 'is this alright, or maybe I should have done this' type of conversation. Anyway, Mr B went upstairs to look at the red cupboards for our bar upstairs...all I could hear was ohhhhhhhhhhhh by that stage I did not want to go upstairs and see the rest of my choices.

The bar, what can I say...I don't know if I love it or hate my colour choice. It is certainly different. Mr B was fantastic, he said it looked so funky and original, it is after all our family home and we need colour in our lives as all the walls are white. I just don't know any more. Part of me said I should have just gone all white and beige... but I felt it was important to inject my own personality into my home. Should I have gone safe...I think that is what I am struggling with at the moment. Anyway, the glass screens in my ensuite and bathroom looked absolutely gorgeous so at least I am happy with those rooms.

Tomorrow is the big day I see all my robes and walk in pantry totally decked out. Already I am fretting over my choice in wood. Every now and then I have this little 'meltdown' and I just wish I could just pick neutral colours, it would have made everything so much easier.

On a different note, I was very sad to read today that The House that A-M built is going to close down and become private subscription only. A-M always leaves the most beautiful, positive comments on my blog and it is also the first blog I read every morning on my blog list....always a wonderful, inspiring picture or story to start my morning routine.

That's all for now, no pics of the house but tomorrow watch this space.....THE WARDROBES

Mrs B

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Exterior of Twin Building

Exterior of Twin Building

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House Pictures...

Balcony

The picture above shows the view we get from our balcony. The last panel on the right cuts out our view line of the park. I am not really sure why the council made us put up screening on that particular corner. Just a slight irritation as it doesn't look right but I will get use to it. At least it will protect us from the winds that come through around winter time.

Children's Bathroom

I love this picture! my kids bathroom with their new carrara marble top. The whole room just feels right, I can't wait to see the basins, shower and taps installed. The basins are a beautiful round shape that will sit on top.

Door Handles

These are the door handles I have chosen...you can hardly see them. I didn't want the handles to be a feature and wanted a very clean look. At the moment, some of them are sticking to the granite but they will all be adjusted. My concern originally was that they wouldn't be easy to use but they feel really nice to open.

Powder Room



Kitchen Detail

In one of my favourite blogs DesignTies, Victoria wrote apost about a project she had been commissioned to do by a client. The major design was a magnificent fireplace that desperately needed to be remodelled, in keeping with a contempoary interior. Victoria used the combination of wood and steel strips placed horizontally up the wall. Anyway, I mentioned that there are elements in my home that have used steel as a design element. The first one is shown in the picture above. I wanted a steel strip right around the kitchen island between the granite and the doors...even though the cabintery is not on, you can still see how its going to look. I also have andoised steel fins as a feature on the outside that wrap right around the house. Of course silly me I forgot to take a photo but I might duck around tonight to take one!

Mrs B

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