I’m completely in love with this image of one of Taronga Zoo’s resident elephants, which combines hand drawing with digital photoshop in one.
It’s part of a collection by artist Andrew Howell at online gallery Penny Farthing Design House. Check the site out - www.pennyfarthingdh.com.au - it’s packed with the most cool and covetable art, all at pretty reasonable prices.
Full Elephant, $595, www.pennyfarthingdh.com.au.
From barf bags to kiddie meals, you can now fly Hello Kitty Air thanks to Taiwan’s Eva Air, where just about everything on board - including the plane itself - is branded with the world’s most famous mouthless cat.
Word is Taiwan also has a Hello Kitty themed maternity hospital, where mums give birth in Hello Kitty themed labour rooms, and their bubs are welcomed into the world in full Hello Kitty style. It’s proving very popular, and many mums-to-be are booking in before they even fall pregnant. Who knew?
Images via ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com.au.
How do you do yours?
Pic 1 from Urbancomfort.typepad.com
Pic 2 from Home-Designing.com
Pic 3 from visualize.us
I’ve always had a bit of a love hate relationship with toile, never quite sure where I stood.
But with Ikea offering this pretty new Emmie set for just $14.99 for a quilt and pair of pillows, I’m more than happy to give it a go.
To toile or not to toile…what do you think?
Hip kids and mummies alike are sure to love this funky new wallpaper from Muffin & Mani at Babys Got Style. It’s all made with PVC-free paper and solvent-free ink, so it’s safe around your little ones and won’t emit any chemical nasties into the air. Designs range from cute furry things and classic stripes to a bit of old school cool for your bigger kids.
Maia is currently obsessed with all things feline…would love to create a feature wall in her room with this fab cat pattern. Watch this space…
Wallpaper costs $130 per roll and murals are $665 at www.babysgotstyle.com.au
Have you checked out the new look Homelife website? It’s bigger, better and more packed full of decorating inspiration than ever before, with features from two of my favourite magazines - Inside Out and Country Style - plus a host of great ideas you can try out in your own home.
One of my favourite new features is its ‘Style Book,’ which allows you to browse through the site and collect your favourite images Pinterest-style.
I spend much of the latter part of last year working on design and decorating features for the new look-look site - check them out - I hope you enjoy!
With winter well and truly on its way (hello summer, did we ever even meet you?) now’s the time to start think about heating your home.
Ever considered having a fireplace in your kitchen? Provided your home isn’t filled with children and pets, there’s no reason not to. For most of us the kitchen is the nerve centre of the home - it’s where we cook, chat, entertain our friends - and a fireplace not only gives it a cosy vibe, but it creates a striking and unexpected focal point.
This EcoSmart fireplace from The Fire Company is run with eco-friendly biofuel (made from agricultural bi-products such as sugar cane), and will heat a moderate-sized room. It doesn’t require a flue, so it can be used in apartments or small homes, and there are even portable models available that you can shift between indoors and out. The model shown costs $4295.
The Fire Company, www.thefirecompany.com.au.
What does your bedside table say about you?
Is it a clear, uncluttered spot save for a book and the night’s reading material? Is there even room for the reading material?
Loving this smart, easy to access home for all those gadgets that are guilty of cluttering up our bedroom surfaces - mobile phone, iPad, remotes and the like. It’s called the Hulsta Neo chest of drawers and it’s from Transforma (www.transforma.com.au).
Ingenious!
If you’re tired of looking at ugly plastic toys scattered around your home, why not cast your eyes on these lovelies instead?
Designer Alexander Girard designed them back in 1963 as playthings for his own children, and they’re now produced by the Vitra Design Museum and sold at Space (www.spacefurniture.com.au).
Each doll is handpainted on pinewood, so no two are exactly alike. At $190 a pop they’re not exactly cheap, but they’re sure to bring a touch of colour and fun to a mantelpiece, console table or even a shelf in the playroom, and will be enjoyed for generations to come.
The industrial look is oh so fashionable right now, but it’s a pretty tough one to pull off. The trick is to choose your destination with care, and only use it in small doses so your home doesn’t end up resembling a discarded warehouse.
Kitchens, open plan living rooms and hallways are all great places to add a touch of industrial chic - think think steel hanging lights over a kitchen counter, an overscaled metal standard light beside the sofa, or a raw-edged sculpture or work of art opposite the front door. Balance it out with beautiful, textured fabrics and joinery in the surrounding furnishings.
If you’re in Sydney, great places to check out include Ici et La (www.icietla.com.au) and Mark Tuckey’s new industrial showroom in Newport (www.marktuckey.com.au).
Georgia Madden is an interiors writer, mum, cook, chauffeur, chief arbitrator...
See my design and decorating features in House & Garden, Home Beautiful, Inside Out, Houses and Renovate magazines.
I'm also online at homelife.com.au, hipages.com.au, stratalive.com.au, kleenexmums.com.au and huggies.com.au.
