In the Pink

I don't know about you, but it seems pink is everywhere at the moment. It's Pantone's colour of the year, House Beautiful has just devoted a whole issue to it, and I couldn't be happier. I love it in all it's forms, but personally, I like it best when it's paired with a strong, complementary colour to add depth and contrast. For many years, my most popular paintings were huge works on canvas, full of peonies, roses and lillies, and pink was often the feature colour. Whether it is the faintest shade of blush, or a full-blown magenta, I think there's a pink for everyone. My youngest daughter's bedroom was, until fairly recently, painted a vibrant, shocking pink, paired with bedlinen in bright aqua. I absolutely loved it, and although it's now all white, I still manage to sneak a few hits of pink in now and then. Looking through these, I doubt I'll have any trouble coming up with new ideas for my Interior Portraits series any time soon. And the best part - I get to 'decorate' a new room whenever I like, even if it's just with the stroke of a paintbrush. Oh, and it's a lot quicker, with next to no mess (oh, ok, quite a bit of mess actually, but you know what I mean).



jonathan berger


hot pink + blue and white ginger jar = perfection





krista ewart via house beautiful



round hill jamaica - need I say more?



allison caccoma design via house beautiful



house beautiful



jonathan berger



some de gournay deliciousness 







housetohome.co.uk


What about you - are you in the pink?  

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In the Pink

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Bright and breezy

Yesterday, I shared a snippet of the first painting in my new 'Interior Portraits' series. As promised, here's the full picture:





'Interior Portrait'
watercolour on paper
210mm x 297mm



You're probably thinking this is a bit of a departure from my recent paintings, and you'd be right. But that's what I love most about art; I can indulge in all my design loves, without hammering a nail or spending a fortune on new furniture. If I'm loving orange, it turns up in my art. In the mood for soft, dreamy blues? Paint it. Beach, boho, traditional, moroccan - straight onto canvas. Which suits my fickle nature down to the ground. This piece is also a case of art imitating art - the abstract canvas in this painting is actually a large piece I'm working on for a client, so it managed to make an appearance here as well. 


The original inspiration for this painting came from a room I've long admired, designed by none other than Brisbane's own Anna Spiro. It's been stashed away in my inspiration folder for ages, and I love the use of bright colour, stunning artwork, and of course, a crisp white background to showcase each unique piece in all its glory.



 what can I say - love it!

The best part of this style is that I can incorporate favourite pieces into the painting. Chairs, sofas, cushions, wallpaper - the sky's the limit. My inspiration folder is full of possibilities - here are just a few:


























Maybe you have the perfect piece for my next painting? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

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Bright and breezy

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Tricia Guild's tips for living with colour

Images from Designersguild.com

A few weeks ago I interviewed Tricia Guild OBE, whose colourful shop and design business Designers Guild, has been going for 40 years. Chatting with Guild over coffee at the King's Road showroom in London was hugely inspiring (I posted some snaps of the shop at the time) but, as I am still haunted by the garish orange I once painted the front room in my first London flat, wanted to ask the expert for her tips on getting some colour back into my life without creating a headache-inducing mess. Here's what she said...


• White is fine if you’re decorating somewhere dark – but if it’s dark it’ll still be dark afterwards, just whiter than it was. But it might be wonderful painted a bright colour
• There’s an idea that in a small room you shouldn’t use pattern. Why? It can be like a little treasure box
• Don’t use colour on absolutely everything – perhaps have a neutral wall, bricks, an organic sofa, or sisal floors. I usually have pale ceilings – and I do like height and I think it does help the space
• Using different patterns doesn’t equal clashing – but make sure the colours work between one pattern and another
• Having said all that, I really don’t like rules, because you can always find a way of turning them on their head

Tricia's new book, A Certain Style is £27.47 from Amazon and features 14 of her interior design projects, all vastly different - but all exquisitely colourful. Really makes you look at things differently at home - or it did me, see below...

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White vs. Colour

I'm sure by now you're all aware of my love for white - I like nothing better than a clean canvas on which to layer artwork, fabric and texture. But as an artist, I adore colour, and every so often I'll come across an image that makes me question my whitewashing ways. Huka Lodge is an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous holiday retreat, and the dramatic colour scheme here is truly inspired. Of course, it helps when the natural landscape is so breathtaking, and the white woodwork really makes the teal pop:
















Now, these next pics are perfect examples of how a similar room will look with a neutral colour scheme:





oh, I love this one too





  ...and the ceiling - divine

















Did you notice that, although the colours are dramatic, they've been taken from the natural landscape, so they complement their setting perfectly - interior design at its best. I'm thinking that this gorgeous teal may be my new favourite winter accent colour. Oh, and another thing - wouldn't this be the perfect location for an international blogging convention? 


Enjoy your day everyone,





all images courtesy hukalodge.co.nz

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What little girl wouldn't love this?

Isn't this the most gorgeous little girl's room? I love the hot pink and turquoise colour scheme, the little shelves either side of the bed, the bedhead, silhouette cushions.....pure perfection.



Traditional Home Magazine



I'm signing off until Monday, when I'll be back with all the details of the giveaway - I'm really excited about it and can't wait to share it with you! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, see you next week.

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What little girl wouldn't love this?

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Outdoor living

Here in the southern hemisphere, winter is almost upon us. There's a definite chill in the air, even here in sunny Brisbane, and I'm already dreaming of spring. Of course, reading all of my favourive blogs from our northern hemisphere blog buddies does nothing but whet my appetite for barbecues, spring blossoms (oh, those gorgeous peonies and lilacs!) and days spent soaking up the sun. So, here are some gorgeous outdoor rooms to keep us going until the warmer weather rolls around again.



































 all images housetohome.co.uk

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Ta Da!!

Ok, I know this has been a long time coming, but I've finally finished the first of my vintage chair makeovers. I decided to paint the two seater white, so I can play around with colours and fabrics to my little heart's content. Here she is:










I've loved this black paisley for ages, and really like it for the seat cushion. I agonised over whether to paint the chair black, but now I can use fabric as the focus, and then change my mind when I get sick of it - which is often!






It was really a quick and easy way to give new life to a tired old piece. The set was in perfect condition, and all it needed was a quick clean, priming with a coat of sealer/undercoat (I always use Zinsser, it's fantastic and works on all finishes) and three coats of white gloss via my new best friend, this baby.



I seriously wish I'd bought one of these sooner - it's fantastic and so easy to use.


Here are the befores (sorry, forgot to take one of the two-seater, I was in far too much of a hurry to get going!)



And now...



 ...here she is all painted and pretty.





I did have one issue, for some reason I had this weird hot pink sap? leach out when the first coat went on. I have no idea why this happened - anyone have any ideas?







 Looks just as good with some neutral taupe cushions


 


I'd had this Ralph Lauren fabric stashed away, and initially thought it would look great on the seat cushion. After I saw it, I realised it was just wrong, so kept tweaking things until I was happy.





I threw a white matelasse quilt over the seat, and I quite like it in combination with the crisp blue on the cushions.


Ok, so now all I have to decide on is some gorgeous cushions. I like the black and blue and white so far, but then I was visiting the lovely Judy's blog, Verandah House, when I saw these:



Les Indiennes by Mary Mulcahy


 ...and these..








...and now I'm loving this green! I think I might paint a chinoiserie-style artwork for above chair, similar to the wallpaper above. And those of you who read Viv's lovely blog will recognise the piece on the wall, my daughter saw it and fell in love with it, so we just had to get one.


So, what do you think? You guys are all so chic and stylish I'm sure you'll give me even more pretties to add to the mix, but hey - that's the fun part! Oh, and this little makeover is a part of the Best DIY Projects in April Link Party over at Beneath my Heart blog, so go check out some of the other amazing transformations on show.
Enjoy the rest of your day,

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