How incredibly inspiring is this home of basket maker Harriet Goodall? Set in a small town near the beautiful Southern Highlands in New South Wales (Australia), Harriet and her husband Mat have set up home in this rented cottage and have filled it with all sort of found and handmade objects.

I’m not going to go into it further because Sohi magazine has the whole scoop here – I suggest you make a cuppa, and read every word.

Not to mention this new magazine Sohi looks completely wonderful and I really really want to get my hands on a copy – it has my ethos aaaaall over it. If anyone out there has copies, and you live in or near Sydney, could you save/collect them for me? I want to devour every page when I get back there. Perhaps I need to move to the Southern Highlands to get a copy. I will if I have to.

xx

PS seriously thinking about basket making. Not that I need another project but wow, don’t you think it would be a fabulous hobby?

PPS if anyone knows more about Harriet Goodall (I can’t find her in the web), please tell me more, I’m very interested in her work.

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images by Todd Sutherland, found on the ever-lovely Concrete & Honey.

If there is one good thing about my friend Zoë moving away to England it’s that she can tell me all about her adventures in her new place of residence, and visit all the places I would love to visit. The other day Zoë went to the opening of the anthropologie store in london on my behalf, and then sent me a truckload of beautiful photographs and wonderful descriptions of what is in store. I think my favourite installation is the tea bags in the front window, how fabulously creative and so very English. Zoë’s post is now in the guest quarters, so please  click here to read and view her gorgeous photos.

Thanks Zoë!

xx

photograph by pia jane bijkerk

Our sweet (blog)house guest Zoë has just left a very special post in the guest quarters for us all and I’ll only give you one hint: it’s about following one’s dreams. Please click here to read Zoë’s post and leave her a special comment. I will write a proper post about it soon once you’ve all read what she has to say. I will just add this though – thank you, dear friend, for sharing your world with us.

xx

This is a gorgeous article from World of Interiors that I have had on my moodboard for well over a year now, I’ve been meaning to show you for that long! Aren’t I lazy (don’t answer that). Oh yes I remember why I didn’t show you earlier – it’s because I was hoping to shoot Manon’s studio as part of Paris: Made By Hand! But after a chat with Manon we found out that her atelier is not open to the public, and that is very important for the Made By Hand concept. So then I tried to find Manon’s work in Paris so that I could at least include her pieces, but to no avail. Her work was nowhere to be found in Paris at the time. I was very sad as I adore her creations and philosophy, and wanted to photograph her space and her work. I hope one day I have the opportunity to do so, but in the meantime let’s take a look at these beautiful photographs by Eric Morin for World of Interiors…

Manon creates fabric sculptures, dressed household objects, clothes and accessories.  Every single piece is unique and exquisite…

She uses uniforms from early 20th century workmen and women, and her textile collection is, well, c’est à mourir (to-die-for)…

Manon’s studio is part of a residents for artists. Her kitchen is full of lovely old crockery, all on display, and the back wall is covered in peony wallpaper which she found at a brocante…

And then, as if Eric Morin (sorry I cannot find any website for his work) did not already whet our appetite for  inspiration, I just found this incredible story of images by Japanese photographer Makiko Takehara (again, no online portfolio)who recently photographed Manon and her Paris studio for Japanese fashion magazine so-en. Take a deep breath and hold it tight, because what you are about to see will indeed, take your breath away…

Are you still with me? My heart did ten double backflips when I first saw these images, with thanks to mady dooijes of abundance – a textile designer herself who authors a beautiful blog filled with inspiration. From there I went on a rather erratic wander – running to a number of dead ends in search of the original shots and more information. Alas, here are the images, but no more information than I have already offered. Manon and her work remains a beautiful mystery, one that you may cross if you are in the right place, at the right time.  Let’s hope for this moment…

To see more of Manon Gignoux’s work, please click here.

Last night I had a rare chance to visit my (blog)neighbours via my blogroll, and see what everyone is up to. It’s a rather favourite wander of mine, because there is always so much inspiration to be found at each of their places, and I come back to my (blog)house filled with light and joy. Just before I was about to head to bed, I decided to visit one more place and it was that of pacha design (you may recall I featured their awesome blog in my ‘blogs in the spotlight’ a couple of weeks ago). My heart soared when I spotted their post on fashion and textile artist J Morgan Puett’s artist colony in Pennsylvania called Mildred’s Lane. I have never seen a more inspiring property in all my life, take a look…

J Morgan Puett and her ex-partner and now good friend who she calls peabody, have spent ten years creating this magical place as an artists colony. They don’t believe in disposability so everything is used, re-used, and reworked – old nightgowns become tablecloths, bits of steel become coffee tables, and old linen is used as floor coverings. The staircase is made up of random steps, nothing is taken for granted and it takes a week to clean the place which is a cherished chore as it gives her a chance to rearrange her incredible collections. Old sheds have been turned into guest rooms in the most romantic and timeless of ways. There is not a space that has not been styled – J Morgan Puett even styles the inside of her fridge which is like a work of art with  gnarled wood and antique linen put to good use.

I’m completely enraptured. If I had magic red slippers I would click them right now 3 times to take me straight there. This is where I would like to be to rejuvenate my spirit in between projects.

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All incredible photographs are by Simon Upton for  London Telegraph Magazine.

Be sure to visit J Morgan Puett’s website for a more inspiration.

Thank you Pacha Design for showing me the way to Mildred’s Lane.