Catherine Martin

Catherine Martin is a well know Australian set and costume designer and married to Australian film maker Baz Luhrmann - has won two Oscar awards one for Best Art Direction and one for Best Costume Design - both for the movie Moulin Rouge.

Like most of Australia, I had no idea about Ms Martin until her Oscar win - but since then I have been delighted to find that Ms Martin now uses as design medium that is not toooo far out of my reach  -thanks to her collaboration with both Porter Paints and Designer Rugs.

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 Feature wall in the bedroom!!

It I had the luxury of a formal  sitting room 

CK

iPad

Okay - I want one - not sure why but just do.  I read in bed - like a nightly ritual I can't get to sleep until I have read - but books are expensive and while I frequent our local library I never seem to find the book I want - so in the world of instant gratification the iPad would help - I find my ebook,  download and within minutes I am reading - plus the added bonus of having not wiped out a rainforest for one book(so here goes for justification - this is an environmentally friendly device - okay lets not look at the environmental impact of the actual production of the device!!).  

But (always a but), I really am not sure about sitting in bed  reading from  the iPad -I like the feel of a book - there is also something homely about a house with bookshelves heavy with literature!!

And on the subject of readers,  which I am, there are now a thousands ebook readers - the choice is confusing - so perhaps in the meantime I shall just stick to the tried and tested printed material..

Image via Stagetecture

CK

Where has the time gone

OMG - it has been ages since I last posted - and so much has happened!!


OUR HOUSE SOLD - okay we had to take a drop in price but in this market just to sell has been great!!  


We are now in a rental home - location is great for the kids schools and we were able to also have our loyal four legged family member live with us - there are a lot of rental homes that do not take pets!!  So all in all it is good - unfortunately the house does not have air con - it is two storey with no eaves - crazy in an Australia climate!!  It is also without a dishwasher which has been a little blessing in disguise - it has created opportunity for more family time -we all do the dishes together after dinner!!


The new house - plans in at council - the Planning Authority have given the green light to the sub division down the middle so we will have a long narrow block!!  Finances or lack of mean we are not able to build a two storey home but I am excited about the home that we have designed - the hallway from front door to where the living are begins is 21mt long and at it narrowest just over 2.2mt wide - so a pretty impressive space!!!  Flooring is still being negotiated - I would love dark flooring - we are looking at either cork or bamboo - jury is still out on that one.  Kitchen - WHITE obviously both the dilemma is oven - large free standing or two ovens (60cm) and a separate cook top???  


But all is progressing and now it really is wait and wait and wait for council and the other authorities to do there thing!!!


In the meanwhile more inspiration for the interior  -

Our door table - surrounded with tolix chairs in orange

Love the colours - feminine without being flowery!!

Colour for the boys bathroom!!

Oh and school hol's are nearly at an end - I love the holiday's - jut hanging in out with the kids - some days just doing nothing but hanging -I think that today we will see it we can met up with LOML (Love of my Life) and have lunch - the boys love meeting up with either of us on work days and having lunch - and I have to say there is nothing better than to beat the work day blues than having lunch with the family !!

Enjoy the weekend - I am planing to make a little garden in our rental home - just at the front door  - just to give it a little happy home feel!!


Oh and it is LOML birthday so we are having a wee little BBQ with friends!!


ENJOY!!

CK

The Ship Song

Happy Monday - love this song!! 

Colour my day - with stripes

Okay so there are some hurdles to go before we can progress further on the new house - but that does not stop me from planning for the interior - and if I could be so brave I would decorate with stripes - perhaps in our master bedroom - behind the bed..or the kids room..okay perhaps being not as brave but still using stripes I can recover a chair.

CK

Home Open

We are over over over home opens - the market is very very slow and we have had enough of having the house spick and span - the kids are really over my OCD with the house - I  am in a clean neat trance - every time we leave the house I am like a mad woman   - cleaning - I vacuum every morning - but at some stage the house will be sold and we can then return to live a normal house existence - but until then I am to remain a possessed home owner!!


But it is short term pain, long term gain  - and I am really enjoying flicking through my mag's - getting endless ideas on kitchen layouts, bathroom tiles, flooring etc.. - some idea that I am kicking around..

The walk in robe   - love the mirror!

We have incorporate this for the kids bathroom - the wet area concept!
Image via content.agency.com

The deck area by our bedroom - this would be even better with a bath !!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend - I am on leave holiday with the kids at home next week - look forward to a less hectic week and just hanging out !!

CK

The house came down

Sorry sorry sorry  - it has been sooo long since I last posted -life is busy - we are trying to sell the house, we are still negotiating the design of the new house I am working more, the kids have stuff all the time but life is good..several times I have sat down at the computer to write but alas my inspiration levels are low  -so with prompting from Mr A (he is on school hol's and we have survived our first semester of high school) - I am doing a post  - the first for three months - sorry it will not be rock your world stuff but I have at least begun again .. I actually enjoy the whole blogging thing - it is a creative outlet in an otherwise busy world - my little escape from reality...


Exciting news - okay we still have not sold our house  - which is a worry  - but that has not stopped the progress on the new block  -the house come down the other day .. it was pretty exciting - and the saving grace was that it was a wet rainy day so no dust on our house (we have brought the block next door to us).. it took less than 40min for the house to the completely wrecked -


We are seeing the builders today to finalise the plans - so once I have those I shall post - we really trying to look at how the house will work best for us  - this will be the third home we have built - so we are pretty clear on what works for us - but the budget is so so so tight - priorities  and compromise  is the build motto..

Have a great weekend.. school hol's start today two weeks of no school lunches and days at home..

CK

Destination -Riverside Theatre, Perth Convention Centre

OMG - tonight it the night - EDDIE VEDDER is in town - too too too excited.  Forget the luxury accommodation, the plush pillows on the king size bed, the oversized bathroom, the plush fluffy towel  - my destination is the Perth Convention Centre for a 8pm start with Eddie -and a around 2,499 of my closest friends!!

Home open again this weekend  - here's hoping that we get a bite - then the fun starts - packing, culling, and finding a rental for the next year while we build - my motto  - Short term pain long term gain,.


Have a great weekend - I am on a high to start the weekend  - come on Eddie  Vedder!!


CK

Color my day - PURPLE

Purple - one of the colours of the suffragettes - the colour symbolising dignity  - okay not sure how this actually applies to the use of purple in the interiors of your home - but perhaps what it could mean is that to use purple you are a strong and brave person  - like the use of most bold colours I could only use in small does - but these interior do tempt..

via thecoloureffect.blogspot

via Country Homes & Interiors -British

via hiddeninfrance.typepad.com

CK

Skillion Roofs

I was hoping that we could incorporate a skillion roof in our new home - but alas the budget won't stretch to this - given the other wants I have so for now I shall just have skillion roof eye candy I really like skillion roofs  - I think it has something to do with the clean lines they create.  The homes always seems to have a modern yet retro feel - there is something to me that is intrinsically calming about a home with a skillion roof...

Kyneton-house-by-Marcus-O’Reilly-Architects

Rivergums Skillion

CK

Destination -London

I love London - not sure I could live there full-time - I think the cold winter would depress me  - but I love the fast pace of life, and the architecture - the mix of the old and new  - so where would I stay - I am not a fan of stuffy stays but if you could the Ritz would have to be high on the list  - 

Okay this if far to stuffy for me.

But a wee search of the net and I have found this gem - Naoroji St - how cool is this -  the decor is too cool for school, a view of the London eye  - I can picture myself now... 

Enjoy the weekend - we have an open air movie night at the kids school  - given the lingering hot weather we are having it will be a beautiful night!!  In fact I am wondering how we can incorporate a white wall in the outdoor area of the new house that will do double duty as a movie screen .. where there is a will..which brings me to tell you all the settlement for the block is today at 3pm - this is both exciting and stressful - for a while until we sell our house our mortgage will be extreme - but my chant is "short term pain long term gain". (and our first home open is tomorrow - thank goodness that I attacked most areas last weekend - just the fluffing around stuff to do...flowers, last minute sweep and mop, beds made, scented candles..

CK

Colour my day - ORANGE

Retro, funky and modern  - the words that describes for me  interiors with orange - remember the days of the orange laminex kitchen - they still look pretty cool now (I think it was teaming it with the fake wood look that made it date)!!  I would not be brave enough to have a permanent fixture of orange -such as kitchen cupboards but punches of orange are pretty cool.

above via freshome

CK

Living with - Bunting

There is something quaint and homely about bunting.  We have some coloured bunting adorning the kids playroom - every time I walk into the room I have a little smile - the other bonus is that the eye is drawn to the ceiling thus taking your eye away from the disaster that is at times the play room floor!!

images above via designismine

decortoadore

via housetohome

CK

destination - Camperdown, NSW

Many of you may have seen this home in a not too long ago issue of Real Living (Aust) mag.   I am very settled and love living in Western Australia but should I be making a move to the other side of this land down under then destination Camperdown it would be  - but only if I could snag this home!!

Okay not perhaps the luxury destination that I have blogged about before but you have to admit this house is great - the furnishings, the dark floors the knick knacks  - the whole package!!

all images via realestate.com.au

We have a very very busy weekend - not in a social sense but our house goes on the market next week so the weekend is devoted to de-cluttering, cleaning out cupboards and generally getting the house spick and span ready to sell..ahh happy days

Enjoys you weekend and I hope you have something nice planned - we will certainly do the weekly walk along Cottesloe beach - love the view out to Rottnest and the kids relish the ice creams at the end of the walk.

CK

Settlement

Oh my golly - soo soo close - we are due to settle on the new block in a matter of days - we have our house on the market and the first home open will be next weekend - but still so so so much to do  - we have plans being drawn up for the new house - so I am really excited to have a look see!!

And while I excite in the prospect of choosing fittings and fixtures in the forefront of my mind is the continuing devastation for those in Japan - the threat of the nuclear plants exploding - and when you put all that in place - it seems vacuous that I am worrying about kitchen colors!!!  

No I can't stop life going one but I am conscious that I need to cherish what I have, don't sweat the small stuff, stop to smell the roses and laugh, live and love each day!!

Japanese Cherry Blossom

CK