Queenscliff's Ashby House

There's something visceral about owning something a genuine antique from another culture, another land. Especially when you know the provenance of said antique. I have no desire to own a Malaysian/Balinese antique, but to own a French or Swedish antique would be divine. I love to have just a few choice pieces of French/Swedish antiques in the home (rather than fill it will the same style -one would wonder if it was all repro!). I always remember the living area of Something's Gotta Give with the one Swedish horloge comptoise.



I really enjoyed the long weekend two weekends ago when husband, Hannah and I went to Geelong district in Victoria. I love the houses there and the sea air. Of course, I visited my favourite haunts in Geelong... but we also did some exploring.

We went to Queenscliff, about 40 mins on from Geelong, a lovely touristy seaside town. Whilst sharing a raspberry gelato, we discovered Ashby House, a gorgeous French shoppe, selling antiques, homewares and linens.



What sets them apart from the other French-style furniture stores is that Ashby House is full of GENUINE French antiques. Michael and Julie Melican visit France twice a year (what bliss, husband and I would love that life) to buy for their shop. They come home with containers full of the best things!



Like this giant Spanish antique armoire, from the 17th century. I don't know if you can see from the perspectives of the room, but this armoire is huge. It barely misses the ceiling!



There was also a unique armoire ... with two side sections with shelves but a glassed middle section with four wide, deep shelves... I loved it.



Michael and Julie treated us to a special stay-past-closing-hour-to-yak! I loved this French antique grandfather's clock and mentioned it to Julie, who was keen to share more about it. Turns out Michael and Julie pick these up, broken or not... and brings them home. Michael's taught himself to repair these great things. Apparently these are not "grandfather clocks"... these are "horloge comptoise", or clocks meant for the working folk, the unique thing is not the look, but the strikes. It strikes on the hour once, ringing out the hours, but then in 30 seconds it repeats itself. This is because people who are working in the fields, barns, stables etc don't often know the exact time, but hear it ring... and then they know in 30 secs they will get to hear and count the strikes again. Fascinating! (for me).



But this is my favourite piece. A small ceiling lamp ($1200)... Perfect to hang above the my "dressing table" area in our bedroom.



People, it's worth a visit. Queenscliff, Geelong and especially Ashby House. Check out their fine white linen, their antique silverware and silver compotes, their large French antique furniture, their gorgeously selected artwork, their clothes and even garden settings.

45 Hesse Street
Queenscliff VIC 3225
Australia
+61 3 52581907 Read More..

Ananda Khalsa

I am madly in want of a piece of Ananda Khalsa's jewelry.
They are so fine!
So whimsical, so precious, so unique, so Christmas/anniversary appropriate :)



Ms Khalsa creates these heirloom-worthy pieces out of Asian art, natural forms, and the cool sleekness of metal. She hand paints each piece on paper and then sets them behind hand-ground glass in fine and sterling silver. Then she accents her pieces with 22k gold. (Which is so good to hear since Asian gold is 24k and that is what I've always grown up with.)



Ms Khalsa even accepts Paypal! heh!

Any of the below will do quite nicely.













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Nicola by Shabner for sale.

This is now for sale. I thought I'd offer it here before eBay-ing it. Any takers? I can try to remove it from the frame and insert it into a mailing tube if preferred, since the frame is damaged at the bottom.

Measurements with frame are 60cm height, 50cm width.

Leave a comment or email me via my paperbean design website. Read More..

Figments

I received an email from painter Kristine Baerlin from New York about Figments Studio, specialising in artwork for the children. As you know, I love the idea of converting loved photos and portraits into art. Kristine's style is different from mine. She hand-paints the portraits using a signature circular pattern. A modern take on pop art tradition.



Contact Kristine Baerlin for your commissions on a personalised conversion of your favourite photo of your children taken this summer! Read More..

Thanks to my new sponsor!

Wow... it's exciting when you meet with others who believe in what your passions are and what you do.. I always believe in focusing on the passion rather than "how many people area reading"... Passions draw... popularity ... well... wanes.

Thanks to my first sponsor, Greentea Design. Mike Ramsey from Greentea Design contacted me 2 weeks ago and today... we have liftoff! :) Yay

Check out their kitchen cabinets and furniture! I'm Asian myself and love how the pieces are unique and we have real antiques. The website is also very very very well done. I love how you can view up really close details of the furniture pieces.



I love antiques... love to have show-stopping pieces in every room... maybe the Persimmon Hutch for the kitchen. Or the Antique 3 Drawer Black Console in the living room. Maybe paint it lacquered red and leave the detail untouched... or something. :)

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New Releases at Room To Grow!

I featured Room To Grow a few months ago and kind director Lilach Weineiger sent me a lovely gift! (Thanks again!) It now hangs in my study in the new home (will feature the study when its ready) :)

Room To Grow was the first to carry Krooom's sexy range, but now you readers in the US can get it from Barnes and Nobles! The few French readers I have can go to Tropico and Hipercor in Spain.

Just to reiterate, Room To Grow/Krooom's products are made from reinforced cardboard recycled material (at least 60% post consumer waste). So go green! No chlorine bleaches and hazardous dyes used, only water based glues and a special UV coating. Done with the item? Recycle it again!

I love the funky and fun designs... suitable for the serious man, the moody teen, the funky designer and even the fun-loving little one! I love their toybox and the Maggie storage bookcase to match the lovely black and white damask Delta I got from lovely Lilach! On casters too! GREAT movable closet! Hmmm.



I think best of all these gorgeous things are so sturdy!

Lilach sent me an email two weeks ago letting me know about their new July 2008 range! Sorry Lilach, only now getting headspace to action some emails for the blog!

I love the new Manooo wall organiser! Perfect for kitchen, dressing area, children's room and the hallway. Pretty and fresh to the everyday mundane. :)



And of course, beneath the Manooo, have the Austin sideboard! Great for the hallway, these two things! One for your pickup-ables, and the other for the ubiquitous umbrella, vase, bags, scarves and berets. Great for newspapers and even the Yellowpages.

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MODERN DESIGN: PROVIDE HOME

Where to start ... with my recent relocation to the gastown neighborhood, it is the community of creative individuals that have drawn me in and helped me find my new love for Vancouver. Immediately from street scape PROVIDE HOME caught my eye. A sophisticated white interior complimented with local fir paneling and a unique custom line of fir furniture. A modern interior that features unique home accessories from some of my favorites: beautiful modern pottery from Rina Menardi to hand blown glass light fixtures from Niche Modern, to glass candle holders from Laurence Brabant, Paris, or the glass collection from Anna Torfs or Lawrence. For those who appreciate the art of Pottery, each of the pieces produced by Rina Menardi are sculptural pieces, seeing them in context with modern furniture will give you a good sense of how they compliment modern interiors, even the family at Inform Interiors showcases them in their B&B Italia room settings. I first came across the beautiful hand blown light fixtures in New York when I attended ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) and was in awe of their modern translation of the traditional exposed bulb, what a pleasant surprise to see that Provide Home introduced this New York design company to Vancouver by providing a couple of my favorite restaurants Chambar & Medina Cafe with their accent lighting.

In contrast to a previous negative comment about this retail space being "pretentious?" - it does take a sophisticated eye to appreciate good design. There are no knock offs or cheap representations here, only fine investment pieces that are all about quality. What I love about this neighborhood boutique is that the Owners Robert Quinnell and David Keeler feature a number of local designers and artists as well. Too often our local talents are missed, Provide Home provides a platform to showcase the local creative community. Check out the jewelry designed by Shereen de Rousseau or the resin vases of Martha Sturdy or the stationary designs of The Pink Door Company.

As an interior designer constantly sourcing unique product for clients, what a pleasant surprise to see this lovely modern interior become my lifestyle specialty boutique right here in Vancouver.

Provide Home carries a selection of unique home accessories that exclusive to their showroom - some of my favorites to add to my list above ADONDE, TICHELARR ceramics, DAFF FELT, CALEB SIEMEN, MAISON ET OBJET to EX VETO, ENO, MUUTO to JUDY ROSS textiles.

To learn more about exciting new products from Provide Home, Robert  recently joins the blogging world through Provide's blog where he shares with readers his favorite modern design sources.

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Cool Colloco...

Fantabulous finds at Colloco...Oh how I loved my Chopper bike way back in the 70's !!... Read More..

Showcase: Room to Grow

Fancy some hard-wearing cardboard furniture for your home? Sydney company Room to Grow has some funky cardboard pieces...

I'd like this for Hannah's room... a toybox and bench combo. Strong enough for a 2-5 year old to sit on and keep his beloved toys.


Table and chair set for the littlies


File organisers for the home office on castors


Funky magazine rack for the home office


Storage for the home office
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Showcase: MOZI

MOZI is the brainchild of sisters Camilla & Olivia Tipler. MOZI is a homewares store incorporating images of their pets Peter Rabbit, Max the Giant Poodle and Pepper the blackbird as well as their far-away travels and love for all things exotic.




The Waratah street directory cover made to cover the and Melways (yay!) and UBD (a popular Australian street directory). $34.95


The Flannel Flower mug. $17.95


Hummingbird placemats. Set of 4 $39.95


Midnight Peacocks mouse pads 50 tear off pages. $12.95

All images from MOZI

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Southern Bazaar's great finds

We went for a much needed (but much regretted) holiday to Venus Bay, Victoria, Australia amongst greasy foods, loud crowds, massive flies and 43 deg days and tiny motel room without air conditioning.

While it was nice to get away from daily environments, laptops etc and enjoy drives and beaches, this is our last summer holiday.

Hannah inhaled through her nostril a large fly on her first day at the beach...

BUT we did find a gem on the last day. Southern Bazaar is full of great mid-century finds... I wanted them all!









(Left to right): Red velvet 2 seater loveseat ($445), Sideboard ($300), Arco lamp ($695), Noguchi coffee table ($995), Cow leather rug ($??), Teak side table ($195), Tv sideboard ($185), orange art glass vases ($49-59), Black and white Eames armchairs $995, red ball chair $695.

And lastly, my favourite lust items:

Teak dining table and chairs on right $2490. I love the detail of the chair and tables. I want so bad.

Southern Bazaar: 42 Cashin St, Inverloch, Wed-Sun. Read More..

Target Australia

I finally had the headspace (husband was with bubs in another corner of the store) and time to peruse the latest offerings by Target, Australia. I must say, I'm impressed. Even two years back, the designs were lacklustre and cheap-looking. Today, dinnerware, bedding, homewares are looking stylish, chic and designer. (Except the children's furniture department, which LOOKS cheap and imaginative.)

Husband and I love dinnerware that is nicely weighted. Ie. needs to weigh like non-plastic-cheap-ass-stuff. We loved the latest range of Target dinnerware. If it weren't for priorities I would have walked away with a hell of alot more stuff.

A couple of years back, the photo frames from Target were nasty. Now they are so swish! Wanted a few of them too.

Cushion designs are looking up. Now they're using designer fabric rather than cheap silk-wannabes and a few beads. Bedding is also going designer.

I picked up two items for the master bedroom in an attempt to add some modern pizazz to the room. (Btw, the pink bedspread is going home to the in laws soon!!!) I like what I got. (Huggies walker nappies weren't on sale.)

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Williams-Sonoma Catalogue

Ok for those of you who don't know, I'm in Australia. I accompanied the husband for a two month work trip to Toronto, Canada at the beginning of this year and thoroughly loved the shopping (Toronto, not so much). Anyways. The precious few catalogues I made the husband lug brought back are from some of my fav stores in Canada/US.

Going through the small pile for a specific inspiration point which I will blog about soon, I revisited the Williams-Sonoma Feb 2007 catalogue. I have to talk about the recipes they include into their cookware section. How thoughtful and ingenius. They have these recipes on the web too. A great way to make people come back... and their online desserts section is quite marvelous.

That's it. That's all I wanted to say. Read More..

The Makings of a Set

Some years ago I enjoyed my first cheese n' cauliflower bake at my then-boyfriend's aunt's. This ardent home decorator and vintage dealer lived in a charming 1920s art deco two bedroom apartment in a small block of just 4 units in exclusive St Leonards, Sydney. Her unit overlooked a pine forest and then the sea.

But it wasn't the envious furniture she had, or her cheese n' cauliflower bake recipe, or her pretty decor stuff I remember. It was her Johnson Bros White Heritage dinner set. I love a white dinner set but didn't want something round and plain and modern. Since then, my mum-in-law and I have been trying to gather a dinner set for 8 without spending top dollar.



The Shopping Sherpa has set herself a challenge to own a complete Maxwell & Williams dinner set via op shops, second hand stores and eBay. On her blog (bottom left menu) she records how many items of the set she scored and the cost it took her.

Whenever I go to my favourite second hand and op shops, I always keep a lookout for the Johnson Bros pieces. So I am thinking of recording on my blog my challenge too.

I will say, after waiting for some other person to buy them for weeks, I scored 7 teacup sets today at Salvation Army for $25. Think I'd like to collect a set for 8.

So far:

Dinner plate: 6
Soup bowl: 1
Tea cup: 7
Saucer: 10
Dessert plate: 4
Bread and butter plate: 8 yay!
Milk creamer: 1 Read More..