Voyages over Edinburgh

I'm on a little roll, show casing home grown talent...so...take a look at the illustrations of Edinburgh born Architecture student David Fleck. I spotted this print on a larger scale in the window at Curiouser and Curiouser on Broughton Street a while back and fell in love but didn't have time to stop in and get it.
What's not to like? Monochrome Edinburgh skyline with gloriously colourful hot air balloons floating over head.
Here's David's story behind it...


'In the winter of 1785 in Edinburgh, all the shops closed for a day and over 80,000 people gathered in the grounds of my old school, George Heriot’s, to watch the incredible spectacle of Vincenzo Lunardi taking one of the world's first ever balloon rides. The whole town caught balloon fever, with Scottish women even wearing large balloon shaped bonnets they named after the famous aeronaut.'

He's having a sale here for THIS WEEK ONLY so...I bought it. Now to work out wear to put it...

Project Upcycle...

I have a couple of little furniture refurb projects awaiting my attention, cluttering up the flat. I know what I want to do with them but finding the space and the time with the baby around is proving a little challenging. Whenever I need a little motivation boost I take a look at Trash; Edinburgh based designer Caroline Key's site packed full of brilliantly renovated furniture projects. Her pieces are a little bit different, from the run of the mill before and after projects you see. Caroline works with bold colours and geometric patterns, often letting the original wood finish shine through, producing a pretty spectacular result...

I might just give in and send my furniture her way....

Rad Riad

I've been to Marrakesh. It's an incredible place. A veritable attack on the senses. Whether it be the intense aromas of spices in the souks; the sweet, refreshing peppermint tea; the sounds and smells of the main square at night; the beautiful vivid colours of the Berber rugs and coloured glass lanterns and hand painted tagines; it's all pretty intense.
It takes a lot of concentration and restraint when picking up key interior pieces for your home, whilst on holiday. A bright orange, handwoven rug, or beautifully painted geometric tile can make a room but it can also stand out like a sore thumb. If you're shopping abroad you have to stay grounded and keep relating back to home...Would the bold cobalt blue of the Majorelle gardens, really work with the flat, white light of a Scottish winter? It's very easy to get swept up in the romance of the situation when you see how well the colours and pieces work in context.
Check this out: The Morrocan geometric tiles, layered Berber rugs and juicy coloured walls mixed with a few contemporary twists, in this Marrakesh riad work a treat ...

What have you bought abroad that worked or didn't work when you got it home?

Bold Bedding

I've been thinking all things bedroom recently as I'm keen to transform ours from the dumping ground it's become over the years. ...In stark contrast to my previous post,  and as much as that Aspen ski lodge bedroom would be a dream to go to sleep in, I've been erring towards injecting a little bit of fun into my own. Layered patterns and bright colours have been catching my eye...but more on that at a later date...
I saw this bedding, by Thomas Paul, a while back and was blown away. I've always had a penchant for all things nautical but I've been trying to think if I always had a thing for large scale safari animals or if it's just something that's come along, with the children's books and imagery, since having Sebastian.
Either way I freaking LOVE this massive elephant print duvet cover.

Dreaming...

I know, I know...you think you've seen that bedroom before. Well...you have. Here. I thought you might be interested in what comes with the dream bedroom...

Yep, you guessed it; a dream ski lodge in Aspen...owned by Aerin Lauder, featured in Vogue.

The Last Month...

I thought I'd share a little Instagram round up of my goings on this past month. It's been pretty hectic but it seems 'hectic' makes for some interesting images.
Highlights have been the opening of the husband's new bar, The Last Word, and the first bar, Bramble making it into The 50 Greatest Bars on Earth in The Sunday Times Travel supplement. We also enjoyed a trip up north to Glencoe for a friend's birthday, and watching Sebastian discover Kingston's tail one rainy Sunday afternoon was pretty cute...

Edinburgh castle in 5pm sunshine | Sebastian finds a new toy | Bramble makes it into 'The 50 Greatest Bars on Earth' according to The Sunday Times | a gift from my sister (handmade!) | my grandfather's orange lamp on my great aunt's piano in the corner of my living room | coral and leopard print | the best pizza in Edinburgh | Sebastian eating 'Lolipop and Grandpa' (illustrations by Cate James) our current favourite book | the husband opens a new bar, The Last Word | Liberty fabrics | Cramond beach | Sebastian's heart shaped birthmark | mummy and daddy swans with 9 cygnets at Rouken Glen Park | Kingston gets comfy on the new old sofa | 'Spaces' by 'Frankie' magazine arrives from Oz | bargain purchases | Kingston looking super white (and a little confused) after a bath | a few days in Glencoe | mmmm...antipasti | 'homely' Stockbridge market Edinburgh

Baum und Pferdgarten

Here are some pretty pieces from the Spring/Summer 2012 collection of Copenhagen fashion label Baum und Pferdgarten. Seriously...I want it all...although that leopard print top is fairly high up on the list...

Check out the full collection and a sneak peek of the Autumn/Winter collection here. You can also shop the collection here.

Out-tiled

If there is a better tiled splashback out there please send me evidence...

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Neon Shapes...

Combining 2 current trends and bringing you brighter than bright triangles...

Farmhouse Chair | Riley shoulder bag | Lileth Enamel Bangle | Playnation Cushion | Spear Vase | Trio Print | Tutti Frutti Mug

A Coloured-in Council House

This unrecognisable council house, in Hackney, is owned by artist Francis Upritchard and her furniture designer husband Martino Gamper. The colourful home is full of inspiring and sculptural bits and pieces, with little stories. That parquet floor (not generally native in council housing), for example, was given to the couple as a wedding gift. The friends, who gifted it, inscribed their names in some of the pieces, and helped them lay it.
It just goes to show that with lots of creative imagination and some hard work, anything is possible...

If you've got 5 minutes to spare, the story of the impressive transformation is detailed here.

Simple White...

I know the current trend in the interior world is to go dark, and I love it but...I still can't resist a whiter than white space. This Antwerp house belongs to Melanie Ireland, the creator of Simplekids; a very cool Belgian kid's clothing company. The interior was featured in the equally cool French magazine (for kids!!), Milk.
Black on white in the kitchen, that pendant over the table, magazines filling the fireplace and those cushions, are all officially on my wishlist.

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