Jam & Juicy

What happened to my finger playing volleyball. It turns out it’s broken, might require plastic surgery, and definitely requires wearing a splint for at least eight weeks. UGH! That’s why there’s been a shortage of blog posts lately.

What I think of bright orange & pink together…

 

Images via Eco Stems, DC Nearlyweds, Fine Art America (photo by Rona Black)

Image via The Decorologist

Image via Color Sizzle via BHG

Image via Color Watch

Image via Honey Living

Image via Primed 4 Design via BHG

Design by Sarah Richardson, Sarah’s House 1

Image via Rooms of Inspiration

Living room and bedroom designed by the fabulous Jamie Drake…        

      Images via Drake Design Associates, photos by Wouter Vandertol

Image via House to Home  

FLOR tiles, image via CasaSugar

Image via photo.net

Happy weekend!

Stunning Santorini

My friend Maureen from the blog Maureen at Modecor Muses is in the middle of an exotic cruise holiday. She’s visiting Greece, Croatia, and Italy. I’m sooooo envious after seeing this picture that she posted on her Facebook page…

Once upon a time, there was an island in the Agean Sea called Thera. In 1646 BC, a massive volcanic eruption blew out the interior of the island, creating a geological caldera. Now called Santorini, a giant central lagoon that’s about 12 x 7 kms (7.5 x 4.3 miles) is surrounded on three sides by 300m (980ft) steep cliffs. A small island on the fourth side separates the lagoon from the Agean Sea. Mild volcanic activity after the major eruption built up two small islands in the lagoon (Palea and Nea Kameni).

 Image via civilization.ca

Fira has been the capital of Santorini since the early 19th century. It’s perched on the edge of a 260m high cliff.

Image via Wikipedia

Part of Fira was destroyed by an earthquake in 1956, and only a small number of the 18th century buildings were saved. Today, Fira is filled with white-painted houses on stepped streets, blue-domed churches, and sun-drenched verandas.

Picture by jeffzoet via Flickr

Image via citypictures.net 

Image via Letter 2 Mom

Image via Athens Tour Greece 

Picture by jeffzoet via Flickr

Picture by mgtravels via Flickr

Ahhhh, the life of a dog in Santorini…

Picture by Andrew Chang via Flickr

The life of a human isn’t too shabby either!

Picture by Emma_L_M via Flickr

There may be no better place on earth to watch the sunset than from a romantic table for two on a terrace in Santorini…

Image via santorini-hotels.blogspot.com

  Picture by gabriel traveler via Flickr

Image via travelfreehi.com

I’m ready to pack my bags!

California dreaming

Ugh. More drab & rainy weather this past weekend and in the forecast for the whole week. Seriously, who peed in Mother Nature’s Cheerios? She is one crabby lady! I found another pretty & colourful home that makes me feel happier on these wet & gloomy days. This one belongs to California-based designer Ruthie Sommers. It’s fresh & colourful & pretty, and I’d happily move in right now if I could!

Ruthie’s house used to be part of a large estate in Los Angeles. The greenery, terra cotta pots & tiles, and black trim stand out nicely against the white stucco.

Love all the beautiful shades of blue in the pavilion, and how the Venetian mirror adds some sparkle and glam.

    

And the stripes on the walls add a fun beachy vibe.

Now let’s head inside. The combination of marble & granite checkerboard flooring, grasscloth walls, and pink linen curtains is a pretty and elegant welcome to Ruthie’s home.

The focal point in the living room is the mural wallpaper called Early Views of India by de Gournay. Can you see the door that’s cleverly disguised by the wallpaper?

I’m totally diggin’ the X trim on the kitchen island and the lucite stools. The artwork and Tiffany blue tray with yellow flowers & ceramic ware add great pops of colour.

How cool are these turquoise faux leather doors? The nailhead trim is to die for!

The doors open to Rosie’s pretty dining room. Decorative painter Peter Bolton created the gold leaf tree design on the ceiling to tie in with the chandelier. How cool is that?!

More beautiful blue in the office. I really like the look of the walls painted white and the door, trim, and cabinet painted blue.

Floral wallpaper on the back of the cabinet adds a pretty feminine touch.   

Check out the glossy white vaulted ceiling in Rosie’s bedroom. Love how it reflects the sunlight coming in through the window. The beautiful pale blue wallpaper is by de Gournay. Rosie carried the wallpaper right over the closet doors.

Great retro dresser. Notice how the lady in the picture above the dresser matches the curtains :-)

And just when you were thinking that Rosie’s home is pretty in pastel, think again – her study combines a hot pink rug, bold red damask wallpaper, a glossy bright yellow ceiling, and green velvet chairs. Wowsers! Once again, Rosie disguised the doors by painting them red to match the wallpaper.

Yep, I’m definitely dreaming about moving to California right about now! How about you?

Source: House Beautiful
All photos from House Beautiful and all photos by Victoria Pearson

The groovy & colourful Kemps

Tim and Kit Kemp are hoteliers who have designed numerous boutique hotels, including the Haymarket and Soho in London and the Crosby Street Hotel in New York City.

Junior Suite at the Soho Hotel – image via Firmdale Hotels

The couple lives in a 1920s London townhouse near Hyde Park. Their home is filled with wonderful colours and patterns, just like the hotel rooms that they design. Here’s the groovy couple… love those purple go-go boots!

Isn’t the arched bronze front door awesome? If you’re wondering what that big thing on the floor is, it’s a beehive found in France!

The house revolves around the barrel-shape kitchen. The cabinets are limed wood and the flooring is bleached wood. The wing chair is upholstered in a patchwork of tea towels.

The adjoining sunroom is a casual eating space and is the closest thing in the house to a dining room. I love the bright pink & white fabric on the head chairs, and how pretty is the view to the garden?

The living room is open to the kitchen. I really like the combination of the floral and striped fabrics and the red piping on the sofa.

The library is filled with colour and pattern, and of course, books!

The loft has a great vaulted ceiling, and you can just see more books in the upper right corner. Wonder how you get up there!

The grandest room in the house is the drawing room. Tim’s grand piano is in this room, and the Kemps enjoy the fireplace in the drawing room on cold winter nights. Kit expresses her passion for decorating and collecting in this room. It’s filled with her finds, like antique wood panels that she cleaned and hung on the walls in strips.

The master bedroom has a more traditional look and feel than the rest of the house.

And the guest bedroom is an ode to black & white! Maybe a bit of toile overkill, but I think it works. I really like how the zebra rug gives the otherwise traditional room some funkiness.

I love how the Kemps have managed to create a home that’s both elegant and relaxed. This is a house that just has to bring a smile to your face every time you walk through the front door :-)

Source: ELLE Decor
Unless otherwise noted, all photos from ELLE Decor and all photos by by Simon Upton