Seaside Retreat by Jamie Bush

The shifts in weather have made me realize just how strongly affected I am by the weather, climate & environment. I’m sure we are all ready for some sunshine and blue skies. We got lucky this weekend with some amazing Spring weather in San Francisco that just came out of the blue (no pun intended)! We’re at a balmy 22 degrees celsius and I couldn’t be more chuffed.

With that being said, let’s feast our eyes on a perfect vacation home (or primary home, if you’re lucky) by Jamie Bush, located in Malibu, California. Jamie Bush maintains a soothing, cool-toned neutral palette throughout the house, which continues out to the terrace as well. The blue of the ocean is the perfect counterbalance to the home’s neutrality. It’s hard to decide which is the star and which is the backdrop – the view or the home… or maybe we shouldn’t have to decide at all. This is harmony between nature & manmade construction at its best.

Materials such as marble and stone are carefully selected to show off their natural beauty – such as in the marble kitchen island and this cylindrical side table. The marble’s strong veining acts like artwork. The bare white walls facilitate the eye being drawn towards them as focal points.

Oftentimes, people default to thinking of dining tables in circular or rectangular forms and neglect to think of more organic shapes such as the one shown here. The irregular shape of the table lends a more casual feel and invites additional people to pull up a chair and join the conversation, as seating space is less defined. The natural wood paired with the large sliding glass doors invite the outside in in an effortless manner.

The cool-toned, grey hues of the wood furniture, and the washed blue shade of the rug are very calming – aren’t you ready for a nap here? (I’d leave those terrace doors open to allow the breeze in while I snooze…)

Legs galore

The slight angle of the sofa is just enclosing enough that the space feels intimate, yet not so severe that the living area feels closed off from the rest of the space. It also enables easy access to the terrace.

This entry bench is another fantastic example of a material being shown off in all its natural glory. It simply doesn’t need any ornamentation to look complete (I’d remove that vase/vessel and let the bench stand alone). Sometimes less is more.

Texture is the name of the game in this bathroom – from the cerusing of the wooden vanity cabinet to the raw wood stool. There’s something about rougher textures that work magic in coastal locations.

We’ll end this tour outside (where you’d most likely want to be if you were in Malibu) …

Are these stone sculptures or seating or both? Design is truly celebrated when form and function merge – especially when the pieces are ergonomic like these.

Discover more of Jamie Bush’s work here.

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Leanne Ford Revisited

It’s finally Friday and you deserve a treat. A treat for the eyes – eye candy, if you will.

Leanne Ford strikes just the right balance between industrial-cool (through her use of concrete and metal) and natural warmth (through her use of warm, natural wood). Interior and exterior spaces can very easily look too cold once too many industrial elements are introduced; however, Leanne Ford always manages to create welcoming spaces full of warmth and character, which almost give off a soft glow with the help of some natural daylight.

The pictures below were not all taken from one residence but are in fact a collection of images that I feel best demonstrate the aforesaid balance/equilibrium she manages to achieve.

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Click here for more Leanne Ford goodness.

Yellow Brick Home

I stumbled upon Yellow Brick Home about a month ago and have been hooked ever since. Kim and Scott are DIY experts – a husband and wife duo from Chicago who have turned their (almost 130-year-old) house into a beautiful home with their own bare hands. They also run The Pet Shop and The Print Shop.

Simple, all-American and timeless, their home is full of hidden treasures and fun little details, topped off with a generous sprinkling of love and adorable dogs for good measure.

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A few things that stand out to me most (apart from their clearly impeccable taste) are:

(1) the paint colours – sophisticated neutrals that are just different enough from the standard neutral wall colours to keep things interesting but still timeless. If I had to pick a favourite paint colour from their home, it would have to be Benjamin Moore’s Intense White used on their living room and bathroom walls; the soft warm tint keeps the rooms warm and inviting but still bright and fresh;

(2) the light fixtures – many of which are from Rejuvenation. Again, simple, timeless classics;

(3) the gorgeous headboards;

(4) the rugs; and

(5) the amazing mosaic honeycomb tiles on the bathroom floor (which they also DIY’d themselves!).

If you enjoyed this post and/or enjoy DIY, I highly recommend checking out their Pinterest and Instagram for more!

“Pop and Colour”

Need a pick-me-up to catapult you into your weekend? Step right on through to this spunky, vivacious California bungalow… I think it’ll do just the trick…

When a good friend tells you that your blog has been featuring too many minimalist spaces as of late and requests for more “pop and colour”, you gladly oblige. So here you go, Alice, I hope this is enough pop and colour for you! 🙂

This spunky, vivacious 1930s California bungalow belongs to clothing stylist and blogger Joan Schubert.

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How fun is that flamingo painting? The splash of pink paired with a thin gold/brass frame adds just the right amount of glamour to this otherwise very white room. Pops of colour are incorporated through smaller decorative items such as the pink lamp, orange Celine handbag, and multicoloured books and vases.

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Having a neutral backdrop is a clever and practical way of designing a space as it means that if you ever get bored and want to switch things up, the bones of the room can remain neutral while you dress up the space through adding and subtracting the smaller decorative items.

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The owner didn’t just stop at the walls and furniture – even the blinds are made of a colourful, bold print. There’s a fine line between harmonious and unruly when it comes to colour and the owner manages to strike the right balance by keeping to a few key colours: orange, green, yellow and blue (and pink in some other rooms).

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The colourway is maintained in the kitchen, from the pink upholstered chairs to the orange-toned wooden cabinets.

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Possibly my favourite shot of this home – what a gorgeous vignette. This bedroom ticks the right boxes for me, from the graphic, geometric wallpaper, to the palm print pillows (which are a little ubiquitous these days) and potted palm leaves, to the simple headboard (the clean lines, natural linen and neutral colours of the headboard help to ground and balance out the bold colours and prints seen on the wallpaper, pillows and bedspread).

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This bathroom is a perfect demonstration of how a colourful painting can completely elevate the feel of a room – without it, the bathroom would just be a standard, neutral bathroom (and a bit lifeless, to be completely honest); the unexpected splash of colour transforms the bathroom into a fun, vibrant and youthful space. It’s a real mood-lifter.

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Tribal, geometric and tropical – I don’t know about you but this eclectic dining room evokes an adventurous energy and makes me look forward to my next holiday!

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Design by Laura Neuman of Pepperjack Interiors. Photo credit to Michelle Drewes.

Refined Sophistication by Studio Piet Boon

“Founded in 1983 by Dutch designer Piet Boon (1958), the Studio Piet Boon philosophy is based on a balance between functionality, aesthetics and individuality.”

Headquartered in the Netherlands, Studio Piet Boon is all about refined sophistication.

This urban residence in Amsterdam has a certain hotel-like sensibility, with its minimal lines and natural stone materials. Perhaps it’s due to the lack of personal belongings in the shots but it’s hard to imagine anyone actually living here long-term. The apartment feels more like a luxury vacation rental than anything else. Nonetheless, the architectural feel of the apartment is undeniably a treat for the eyes.

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The all-white walls allow natural daylight to take centre stage without detracting from elegant architectural pieces such as the scaled-up kitchen island constructed out of large slabs of natural stone.

The crystal drop pendant light infuses a touch of femininity and glamour to the bright and minimal bedroom.

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The levels of concrete leading up to the bathtub create a striking spa-like effect in the bathroom.

More Studio Piet Boon here.

Clean Lines by Griffiths Design Studio

“Simplicity, style and elegance is the signature of the most successful design ideas.”

Australian interior design is having a moment in my book (and on my blog, clearly). Griffiths Design Studio, led by Gillianne Griffiths, is based in Melbourne, Australia, and was founded with the philosophy that “simplicity, style and elegance is the signature of the most successful design ideas.”.

This apartment in Toorak, Melbourne, evokes a deep sense of calm and serenity with its clean lines and simple monochrome palette.

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Highlight: the charcoal coffered wall.

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Highlight: the whimsical but structured light fixture.

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Black and white perfection.

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Visual interest is created by mixing varying tones of grey within the same room.

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Whoever said neutrals couldn’t be cozy was very wrong. A chunky knitted throw does the trick.

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Clean lines keep the space looking airy and fresh.

Check out more of their projects on their official website.

Hecker Guthrie

Do kitchens get any fresher than this? I think not. The kitchen equivalent of freshly washed, crisp linen sheets.

I’m about to share with you one of the freshest, brightest and most revitalising kitchens I’ve ever laid eyes on. Allow me to introduce you to Hecker Guthrie, an interior design studio based in Melbourne, Australia, led by Paul Hecker and Hamish Guthrie. The Australian design aesthetic is one that I often admire – free and easy, modern, youthful and always with a touch of that carefree Australian vibe.

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What is your preferred kitchen style? Would you like to spend your lazy Sunday mornings in this Toorak Residence kitchen?

Kate La Vie’s Enviable Apartment

If you’re familiar with the beauty blogosphere and YouTube world, you’ve probably heard of, or follow, Kate La Vie. I, myself, have been following her blog and YouTube channel for years. What stands out the most to me about Kate is her impeccable interiors style and DIY talent. She has a gift for styling knick knacks and decorative items around the home. Her Parisian flare permeates her beautiful apartment in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Bohemian touches lend a casual, free-spirited balance to the space.

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Highlights: West Elm Monroe sofa, marble fireplace, raw hardwood floors, bright white walls.

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Highlights: Moroccan-inspired pouf, mid-century modern pink armchair, cushion covered with eyes (!), eyes print, cacti… okay, pretty much everything!

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How adorable is that baby cacti arrangement?! Kate DIY’d the mini planters herself. Genius!

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Herringbone floorboards (tick!), subway tiles (tick!), “marble” (but not actually real marble) fireplace (tick!), selection of cacti (tick!), tribal-looking bohemian mirror (tick!). Tick, tick, tick!!

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Which print is your favourite? For me, the palm trees win, hands down. Close second: the polka dots & pink marble hybrid print (oh, and let’s not forget the ocean waves print!).

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Beautiful brass touches everywhere ❤

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This gorgeous marble and brass bar cart is from Oliver Bonas.

Now into the kitchen…

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That mint green SMEG is everything. This kitchen was completely DIY’d and designed by Kate herself. The backsplash constructed with herringbone tiles is so unique and really stands out. The brass theme continues with the tap.

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Now into the bathroom…

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…and lastly, the bedroom:

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Brownie points if you noticed the change in headboard and the flooring. I personally much prefer the latter picture (with the new herringbone wood floors and (non-existent) headboard); warmer, fresher, less feminine and more modern. The warm wooden floors help to ground the space, whereas previously, the room appeared to be “floating” due to the combination of white walls and white floors.

I’ll leave you with Kate’s video of her apartment tour. Enjoy!

Humbert & Poyet

Humbert & Poyet is an architecture firm founded in 2007 by two Architects, Christophe Poyet (from Monaco) and Emil Humbert (from Paris). Over the years, the dynamic duo have designed prominent restaurants such as the Michelin Star restaurant, Beefbar, in Hong Kong and Monaco, and Song Qi, a Chinese fine dining restaurant in Monaco. The duo also design residences and offices around the world.

“We like to put forward the spirit of the place. The noble materials by combining them and combining them with one another. We favor working with artisans and traditional know-how” – Christophe Poyet (translated by Google).

Beefbar, Hong Kong

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The layered marble coupled with hidden lighting creates a dynamic yet soft lighting effect, adding an almost celestial glow to the space.

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My favourite elements, carrara marble (or more likely, calacatta marble, since the marble is whiter and the grain more defined) and herringbone flooring, once again make a dynamic pairing. The tufted brown leather banquette injects maturity and an old world feel to the restaurant.

Apartment Marais, Paris

You may have seen my post on this apartment on my Instagram page. This space is smooth as crème caramel. Elegant and sophisticated are words that sprung to mind when I first stumbled upon pictures of the space. 

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Layers upon layers of earth tones – so harmonious and tranquil. I can almost feel myself getting more relaxed just looking at the place. That baby grand piano makes me imagine soft classical music wafting through the living room as the owners unwind at the end of the day.

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The minimal sand-toned stone fireplace melds perfectly with the natural tones and materials surrounding it.

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A carrara marble tulip table by Eero Saarinen (one of my favourite table designs) accents this lounge area. Splashes of colour add energy and vibrancy to a cozy corner. The mid-century modern style of the tulip table is complemented by the mid-century modern wall sconce.

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The kitchen is a little more modern, with the stainless steel ladder leading to mini library shelving, and the minimal dark grey galley kitchen. A touch of country is incorporated through the the dining table and chairs.

Grace Apartment, Monaco

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The Sputnik chandelier is an instant eyecatcher. That rich teal colour of the dining chairs is so deep and beautiful, and somewhat mellows out the bright gold of the chandelier.

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Glamour, glamour, glamour with the touch of the unexpected from the cluster of fluorescent light tubes on the righthand-side wall. I would normally find a space like this slightly tacky (maybe it’s the overly shiny marble flooring?) but somehow it works here. Personally, I would prefer to use a matte, sand coloured stone (a huge continuous slab of it) for the floor instead, to balance out the various statement pieces in this room and to ground the space.

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Absolutely in love with the palm print wallpaper. If that view out the window is real, the wallpaper is a clever way to bring the outside in.

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This graphic wallpaper adds some geometric fun to the bedroom. More fun is injected through the smattering of yellow cushions on the bed.

I could continue to wax lyrical about the designs of Humbert & Poyet but why not have a peruse for yourselves – step right on through