Before I kick my current guests out of the guest quarters (joking about the kicking, they have been the best of guests! although rather quiet, I am sad to bid them bon voyage), I wanted to leave you with a story of shots Michelle and I worked on together a little while ago. It is an old church hall in Sydney converted into a loft home and photographic studio. So much fun to play in I can tell you – the owners had many beautiful old treasures for me to work with. My favourites were the grammophone, the old dial up phone and the owners fabulous array of framed photographs.

I also wanted to dedicate this post to Jo at Desire to Inspire – Jo just so kindly gave up a number of her secret treasure troves in her home town for me as I needed the sources for an upcoming shoot. So these shots are for you Jo, hope you find some inspiration from them, and I have attached a little living treasure for you at the bottom!

image from Habitat catalogue 2007

What a whoppa of a year this is going to be – can you feel it? This special energy is so ripe and rich, I could cut it with a knife and serve myself a slice for breakfast to keep me going for the day.

Habitat catalogue 2007
the mix of modern objects with found objects – only just the beginning.

But let’s not babble on but get straight to the goods we want to hear about: trends in home design.

We’ve seen a great shift in retail this past couple of years toward the handmade. And folks the good news is that it is only just the beginning – we haven’t even scratched the surface of what is to come.

Most of us are already keen users of ebay and etsy, but it is still a rather new if not undiscovered territory for most. For those of you who are struggling with your sales do not fret! You are pioneers and pioneers need patience, so hang in there and keep creating. And for those who haven’t yet taken the plunge, go for it for as moloko says, the TIME IS NOW

So what’s my word about 2008 trends?

(Click here to read more…)

After a little rocky start thanks to my hosting company deciding to do maintenance the moment I launched the blog, I am back on track and ready to roll! But haven’t quite made the effort to roll out of bed yet (love my lap apple) and Alfred seems to have forgotten about my morning cuppa. again.

Thank you to everyone who replied to my email send out yesterday, having a look at the blog and sending me your well wishes, I love you all.

The above image is from an art gallery in Amsterdam that my lovely friend Connie and I stumbled upon the other day. We both couldn’t resist snapping some shots through the white-barred window, it was such a beautiful tiny space, and with this intriguing phrase in giant lettering on the wall it seemed to be written just for us, reflecting our current states of mind. It was as if the sentence formed from the intense conversation about love, loss and life that we had just been engaging in.

I didnt get a chance to find the name of the space or the artist, so if anyone knows please do let me know. In the meantime, I will try to find it again to see if I can learn more about the concept and the artist. Here is a broader shot of the space…

Stunning non?

So what is installed for you this week when you wander through my house? Let me see…

On the kitchen table amongst a tonne of paperwork still to get through is a series of shots from a Summer BBQ story I shot with photographer Chris Chen in Sydney, Australia with some ideas for table setting this summer (if you are lucky enough to be in the Southern Hemisphere!)

In the sound studio, we just released the song ‘les gouttes’ and have it available on the myspace page. I will describe (with visual aid of course!)more about this song as it has quite a story behind it.

A new book has been added to the Library called Recycled Home – I cant wait to get a chance to sit with it, I’ll write my review.

Presents! You have to check out the wrapping, it is so gorgeous!

A mini travel guide full of beautiful images of a very special set of villages in France where I will be spending my Christmas, and a little surprise visit to a rather magnificent property too.

And on this weeks menu there are oysters, there are scallops, there is pan-seared tuna with herbes de provence, and of course there is champagne! I will be writing the menu up in the kitchen shortly.

And all that in between my daily postings and working out how to use bullet points. Thanks for your patience with my little start up issues. Hope you enjoy the first week at my place!