…another favourite magazine for me is marie claire maison. it’s full of inspiration and i love reading the stories. Somehow the french know how to whisk me away in the most romantic of ways, and marie claire maison does just that – taking me far away and then bringing me back with a bundle of new ideas for my own home projects.

I adore the selection of homes featured in each issue – marie claire maison finds the most incredible abodes, tucked away in the most remote parts of the world. This particular dwelling I’m sharing with you today is on a picturesque lake in Finland called Saimaa. The home is owned by Ritva Puotila (who makes exquisite textile installations). Furnished in the gentlest of ways with vintage and handmade Finnish furniture and textiles, Ritva’s home is breathtaking…

The article’s writer, Marion Bley, calls it a modern day summer home for the Robinson’s, with only the bare necessities – there is no electricity, and no hot water. There is however, a separate dwelling for bathing, which is down by the water’s edge…

Marion writes (something like this), “like the tableware, glassware and linen, the furniture, though sparse, has been chosen for it’s beauty and simplicity…”

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This article featured in the July/August 2007 issue.
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all photographs by ingalill snitt.

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click here to be whisked away to the marie claire maison website. if you don’t read french no problem, just click away and you’ll be sure to stumble across some beautiful rooms that are sure to inspire!

xx

I simply must start my absolute favourite interior magazine line up with Vogue Living. Yes, perhaps it’s the Aussie in me but still, after years of perusing plenty of bookstore shelves around the world, no matter where I happen to be, it is a copy of Vogue Living that I’m carrying out the door, eager to sit down with a cup of tea (or verre de vin, depending on the time of day) and flip through the pages to take a peek inside some of the world’s most inspiring homes.

Pulling one story out of Vogue Living for this series is quite difficult… The publication recently celebrated it’s 40th birthday!! But having said that, one story in particular has always stood out in my mind so this is the one I will share with you today. This is a spread that I think was featured in the September 2005 issue (but don’t quote me on that!). It is the home of David and Nicole Page, founders of the very cool davidmetnicole. It was shot by Jonny Valiant, and I’m quite sure it was written and produced by Andrea Campos. Enjoy…

…I love that dining room! So simple, so eclectic, and so authentic…

Isn’t that a beautiful home? I love its rawness, and realness. It’s sophisticated but completely loose, honest and stylish. And there are so many style ideas in there- the japanese paper lanterns combined with long strands of black velvet ribbon; the empty frame overflowing with family snaps; the pinned velvet curtains in the doorways; the waxy fireplace; and the beautiful bed.

above cover shots by Petrina Tinslay

Editor David Clark has a discerning eye for inspiring interiors. The chosen feature stories are always a reflection of the times without being stuck in trends or style phases, nor is the publication always focused on homes with designer labels (I love that!). But to me what is most apparent, is that each issue is always one step ahead of the trends, and that’s definitely one of the reasons why I find myself drawn to it time and time again.

So! If you are not already an avid reader of Vogue Living, it’s never too late to become one…

+ click here to take a peak inside the latest issue of Vogue Living, featuring the above home, filled with found treasures.

+ click here to buy a subscription.

xx

PS Man, I’m thinking I missed my calling… should I be in sales or what?!! 😉

PPS Disclaimer: I’m not employed by Vogue Living, in case you thought my sales pitch was that good.

So what do I have up my sleeve for you this week? Well, I’m very excited to inform you that this week is all about a source of interior inspiration that we all cherish: magazines…

more of this story here

This week as part of my nesting series, I am going to reveal to you my absolute favourite interior magazines – these are the ones that I have read for years and adore from cover to cover. These are the ones that I keep stock piles of, scattered from one end of the globe to the other – my storage unit in Sydney is filled with not only props and furniture, but boxes of inspirational magazines, plus piles at my parent’s home in Sydney, plus piles here in le petit bateau bought in Paris, the US, Canada, Amsterdam, and beyond.

Magazines have played a huge part in my career as a stylist, and not just for when I have had the pleasure of working with them, but also as a continual source of inspiration, even before I became a stylist – I remember days sitting in my little boutique in Sydney, flipping through the pages of the latest issue of one of my fave magazines, sipping tea and being inspired with every turn of a page, ideas for shop displays and new products bouncing off the glossy paper surface. Having an eye for detail, I learnt early that there was so much information accompanying the luscious photos in the tiny by lines and gutter text (the text that runs up the gutter of some pages – usually revealing the merchandiser of the shoot, the photographer, or the stockists of products), and the stockist pages at the end of each issue. For those of us with a keen interest in beautiful products and creators, these tiny pieces of text are invaluable.

So, this week I will feature a favourite past story (or two) from each interior magazine that I love, and tell you why I love it. Be prepared for a serious dose of interior inspiration!!

Yay!! This is going to be so much fun. Vive les magazines!

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all images from my styling portfolio, features in Home Beautiful and Vogue Entertaining + Travel.

…photographed by Yannick Labrousse. The colours are fabulous together, and the combination of retro, contemporary and Asian silk is sublime. unexpected. uncomplicated. and 100% livable. love it!

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Today in Amsterdam the sun is shining bright! I have the windows open here on the boat and the water reflections are dancing on my screen, keyboard and hands as I type. It’s really magical and I wish I could capture it somehow to show you. I feel like I am typing little beams of sunshine to you. If it’s cold and and cloudy where you are, then I hope these little rays of dancing light reach you through this post.

I couldn’t help but post this beauty which I found over the weekend while perusing the Marie Claire Maison website. This home is located in the Seychelles and has been restored using local artisans.