Artist Nina Pohl's home, Berlin

This colour combination isn't the most obvious but isn't it pretty? These photographs were taken in November  2012, by Tod Selby, but even with the flat light of that time of year it still looks fresh and bright. I don't even know what that wall colour is but I love that it's continued through the entire space. Too much of it on its own and the space could look a little like a hospital but the pink sofa (awesome!!) and pops of dark blue are a perfect contrast. Some serious inspiration can be drawn from this place. The Selby does it again!

via The Selby

My Stylin'

Last week I set up a couple of little corners in two very different spaces for a feature I've been asked to do about the trends for the new year for Edinburgh's property paper. One little corner was in my flat and the other was in The Last Word Saloon. I had lots of fun styling the shots with photographer, Rachel Hein, and the results are better than I'd expected so I'm pretty excited about seeing them, in print, in January.

I borrowed the cushions, the red 'birdie' lamp and that beautiful, white metal framed side table from Catalog in Stockbridge; my new favourite shop. It was very difficult to give that table back...my living room is a lesser place without it. I have notified Santa...

The little art deco table with blue painted top was borrowed from Cherubim, a great little gallery on St Stephen Street with an ever changing stock of interesting upcycled furniture for sale. It's always worth a visit for an unusual statement piece.

The antlers were visiting my flat from The Last Word and the rest of the stuff is mine...received as gifts, bought, found or inherited over the years. 

I promise to share the final shots and pictures of the feature when it's been printed but in the meantime here's a sneaky peak of how the day went from behind the scenes.

If you reeeeaaaaally can't wait you can see some of the shots here. 

Main photograph by Rachel Hein, the rest were taken by me.

Rachel Hein Photography

It's almost a whole year ago, that Rachel Hein came to our home and took these amazing photographs (amongst others) of Sebastian and Kingston. Sebastian was six months old and we wanted to have some beautiful pictures to record this stage of our lives. Aren't they great?
Rachel was so relaxed and after a chat and a cuppa she started snapping away. We weren't even in the room for this shot! Kingston is such a nosey dog (typical boxer), that he had to 'oversee' and slowly edged his way into the limelight. I love the result and I'm so glad Rachel let Kingston poke his nose in.
A photo shoot is such a lovely idea if you have new additions to your family, or for a kid's birthday party or just to record something special like your family decorating the Christmas tree. I love the ideas of getting vouchers towards a photo session, or prints, as a Christmas gift. Check out Rachel's blog for more photos and this super cute shoot she did for Perdie & Boo.
I loved the result of our family shoot so much that I asked Rachel to help me out with an exciting interiors editorial project I'm doing at the moment. The still life scenes are completely different to the active kids she's used to snapping but the results are brilliant! More on that very soon so watch this space!

Rachel Hein Photography

Nursery Envy

I had to post this awesome nursery even though you've probably seen it. It's a collaboration between Sharon Montrose of The Animal Print Shop and interiors genius, Morgan Satterfield of The Brick House. The photographs were taken by the uber-talented, Laure Joliet.
The routered wall is brilliant isn't it? These images are definite keepers for anyone up the duff, looking for inspiration for a non-gender-specific nursery. And...it doesn't even belong to a baby! It was designed and set up to promote Sharon Montrose's work and there's still time (till the end of today (America time)) to enter the giveaway to win that chair, that cot and $1000 worth of those animal pictures!

image source

Collage Craziness

I was seriously distracted by these pretty prints of collages from Violet May on Folksy. Cassia is inspired by mid century advertising, vintage music posters and book covers. These are my favourites. Did I mention it's my birthday soon...?

 images from Folksy

Yeah...Ok...Instagram

For snippets of day to day life you can follow me on Instagram...if you like. It can be food and family heavy but hey, that's where my life's at right now...

Instagram users search username 'yeahokbye'. PC users can follow via webstagram here.

The Zoo

I thought I'd had my fill of all things safari after visiting Edinburgh Zoo (for the first time) a couple of weeks ago, but by the looks of theses photographs, it appears I'm still drawn to interiors with skins, patterns and textures inspired by the kingdom of animals. I went with quite a few members of my family, some of which were over from Australia, to see the famous pandas. As exciting as the pandas were, my highlight were those of another monochromatic nature.........As the heavy rain of the Scottish summer drenched us, my mum and I, separated from the group and pushed a sleeping Sebastian, in his plastic covered pushchair, to the top of a ridiculously steep incline, to see the zebras. There were five of them, all sheltering from the rain, standing under the viewing platform. They were beautiful...perfect. And so close. It was the end of the day and the zoo keepers started calling them up to their shed. The zebras ignored them for a while but after a couple of whistles, they flicked their stripey, funnel-like ears and trotted up the field like obedient dogs. Magnificent.
The point of my rambling? Inspiration from nature in design is, as always, excellent. I love the giraffe inspired rug in this beautiful, masculine interior. 

Much to my disappointment, there are no giraffes at Edinburgh Zoo (Sebastian had a toy giraffe with him on the day to compensate), if there were, they may have stolen the show but for now, the zebras reign...in the rain. 
P.S. The shiny, wet hippos (mum, dad and baby) grazing, came in at a close second place.

Interior photographs by the super talented Phillip K. Erickson. Zebra photograph by me on my iPhone 4, then edited with Instagram.

London Interior

I was pretty speechless when I came across these photographs of  Interior Designer, Shaun Clarkson and fabric designer, Paul Brewster's London home by James Balston. There are too many awesome features, like the painted floors and the glazed panels, to mention but there's one room that I'm saving for its very own post...because it blew me away! Come back tomorrow to see it! 

images

Pattern on pattern on pattern...

...well, what else would you expect from Margherita Missoni's Milanese home?

photography by Mark C. O'Flaherty

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

Mario Testino's L.A. home

I wish I travelled enough to fill my home with collected treasures from around the world...
That girl must get a bit annoying though, just hanging around striking a pose all day...I wonder what far off land he picked her up from...?

from VOGUE US via Abigail Ahern 

Home to Roost

I was introduced to this incredible food blog last week via A Cup of Jo. Coco from Roost takes the most beautiful photographs of the specially adapted food she creates for her and her husband, who suffers from Crohn's disease. As I got closer and closer to licking my monitor whilst browsing through the images, I came across these photos of the couple's gorgeous new home in Alabama and had to share them with you...

I recommend you make yourself a cuppa and have a browse through the photos and recipes...you may be some time.
All images from Roost

'The Selby in your place' book

Todd Selby takes photos of the creative elite in their creative spaces. He started his website in 2008 and his first book was published in May of this year. The entire book is available to see online, only, until Friday 12th of November at 9am (NYC time) or you could order it from here.
It features photographs of some very interesting people and spaces, and I love the felt tip interviews with pictures at the end of each feature.
Here's a sneak peek from the book featuring the home of one of my favourite ladies; Helena Christensen.

...maybe a little idea for a Christmas present... (hint, hint)

...to the bar!

In honour of London Cocktail Week, I thought I'd post a little something of what the husband has been getting up to...
As I've mentioned before, here and here, my husband co-owns a couple of popular little bars in Edinburgh, one of which is called Bramble. Their knowledge and skill on 'all-things-booze' has won them a handful of awards & accolades. Most recently, the husband was asked to create a few bespoke drinks for the launch of 'Darnley's View', a gorgeous new handcrafted, London dry gin, by renowned vintners and spirit merchants, the Wemyss family of Fife, Scotland.
Although Wemyss have opted for photographs with a fresh, clean white background for their press release imagery, I wanted to show you these.Bramble is a basement bar in the New Town...it has very little signage, is difficult to find and evokes the speakeasies of the prohibition era. Once you find it you're guaranteed an excellent drink or 3; from a newly invented creation to the classics. You can pretty much tell all that by looking at these brilliant photographs by Peter Urwin.
No prizes for guessing that one of the trends in the cocktail world at present is the ongoing quest to find the prettiest, vintage glasswear possible?!
...anyone else kinda thirsty...?

Behind the scenes...

You may have noticed that I have a fascination with the 'goings on' behind the scenes of film sets, fashion shows, photo shoots, etc etc.
I love these shots, by super talented photographer Ditte Isager, showing the story behind the fantastic imagery she produced for Bloomingdales. I've got to say, I was surprised the bed wasn't just shot in a studio and super-imposed onto a dreamy forest background. It astounds me as to how much work goes into catalogue/advertising imagery, like this, when the majority of people would take a quick glance, lick a finger and flick the page...
I'd love to do some design and styling work for magazine shoots...
image source

Grey Walls & Statement Art

I know, I know; suggesting you paint a room grey couldn't sound more dull...but it looks fantastic... image source