Monday, November 29, 2010

Pool renovation - the saga continues

Why do I do it? Leave things until the last minute, that is. Life has been insanely busy this last year, but of course, trying to organise the refurb of our pool in the lead-up to Christmas is nothing short of crazy. That's just how we roll here I guess, but next time, please remind me to tackle something like this at a more sensible time...namely in the middle of winter perhaps?

First point of call over the weekend was a visit to choose our pool tiles. Now, one thing I've learned is that this is very different from choosing tiles for your bathroom or kitchen renovation. You see, there are lots of factors to take into account when choosing colours for a pool. The surrounding area, paving materials and colours, the shape and style of your pool, natural light......and the list goes on. Usually, I'm fairly decisive and once I choose which 'look' I'm going for, the rest falls into place. But this time, the process was agonising! Glass mosaic, travertine, mother-of-pearl...there are so many lovely options, it's so hard to decide on just one.


although our pool is freeform and not formal like this, the colour scheme is the one I've gone for - light interior with a dark charcoal border tile.

actually, this is nothing like ours, but I do like the whole indoor/outdoor feel



 glass panels will replace some of our existing fencing




...and we'll be adding a new deck to the area as well

I'll share some of the horrible before shots with you all later today (brace yourselves!) but for now that's a little update on the saga. I'm banking on it being all being done and dusted in the next week or so, now the weather is heating up (at long last) and we can't have an Aussie xmas without our pool. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Enjoy your day,

Kerri 

Friday, November 26, 2010

Pool party anyone?

And so it begins....the renovation of our pool, that is! Our pool has been looking more like a swamp than an oasis of late, and that's because it's way overdue for a complete overhaul. And after the recent floods we've had here, we had the added problem of dirt and debris washing in from the back yard. I will post some revolting before pics once it's all nice and pretty again, but as it's just too horrendous to show at the moment I'll spare you until it's all finished. Of course, I have a file full of inspiration photos, and here are a few of my faves.

This pool is very similar to ours actually, and I'm thinking a little pool house would be just the thing to finish it off 








One thing I do have to decide is what colour waterline tiles to use. As we live in a bushland area, I won't use anything too bright or vibrant (so turquoise and aqua are out, unfortunately), as it just won't suit the surrounds. I've also been following the building of Shannon Fricke's new pool, and I know she'll come up with something fabulous to suit her country setting. I'll keep you up-to-date with all the goings on as the renovation progresses. 

Happy Friday everyone,


Thursday, November 25, 2010

Bedroom makeover - an update (of sorts)

You might remember this post, when I shared some pics of my painted canvas floor rug? Well, I had a little play with it:


and popped it on the wall in my daughter's bedroom. I do apologise for the terrible photo - it's the only one I have at the moment, as my former design assistant Darcy...

hmm, butter wouldn't melt!

...decided it would be great fun to have a chew on my camera's memory card. Thankfully, I have most photos saved to my computer, but I've lost some that I've taken over the past week or so. Of course, how could I be angry with him - just look at that face. And he was having such a lovely time, throwing it in the air and chasing it all over the studio, I didn't have the heart to be upset with him. But needless to say, a new memory card is on my shopping list!

Oh, and on a completely different note, I thought I'd share a pic of a new painting. It's loosely based on paper cut artwork, and as a little experiment, I thought it might be fun to paint a watercolour version:

'Paperie in Turquoise'

I'm still deciding whether to add a series of similar works to my Etsy shop, so I'd love some honest feedback from you all. I think this design could be tweaked a little to make cute Christmas tree cards in different colours:

'Paperie in Magenta'

'Paperie in Indigo'

So, what do you think? Honest feedback please my lovelies, I trust your judgement. Think of yourselves as my official market research team - albeit ones who are seriously underpaid, but greatly appreciated!



all images by me, and designs copyright Kerri Shipp 2010

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Frankie Magazine's 'Spaces'

While tearing through my local shopping centre yesterday, I popped in to Borders and managed to find this gorgeous book. 'Spaces' is frankie magazine's new project. According to frankie, "Spaces is a collection of eclectic interiors from around world. This large-format mag explores the homes, studios, shops and cafes of graphic designers, photographers, vintage collectors and shop owners. With a focus on carefully curated style, Spacescelebrates the unique vision and individuality of creative people living everywhere from Melbourne to Amsterdam." Enough said, let's take a look inside:






images courtesy frankie magazine

Although I've managed nothing more than a quick flick through so far, I love the premise of this book. Taking a peek inside any creative's home and work space is always so interesting, and I can't wait to have a good rummage through. Maybe if I study these images really hard, I'll manage something that's so far eluded me - that effortless, 'thrown-together-without-a-thought-but-hey-it-looks-fabulous' kind of work space I can only dream of, instead of my actual 'thrown-together-and-looks-like-a-bomb-site' studio. One thing's for sure - frankie and I have a date this weekend. Oh, and one more thing:







Couldn't have said it better myself, and if it's good enough for Mary, who am I to argue?




Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Saturation point

I've had these images saved in my file for some time now, but I've only recently discovered that the creative genius behind the lens is photographer Chris Court. It stands to reason that his images are full of texture and infused with rich, saturated colour - he is, after all, the brother of uber-stylist Sibella Court. Bohemian with a twist - I like it.












I'm in love with this office - swoonworthy

Check out Chris's website for more stunning images.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Hamptons Style Mark III

Before I start today's post, a little snake update: unfortunately, our friend has disappeared. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy to see him gone, I just hope it's a permanent move on his part. And unless we know exactly where he retreats to, the snake catcher can't come and remove him. Fingers crossed he's packed his bags, never to return!

Now that the excitement of the past few days has died down a little, I thought I'd revisit my previous posts on Hamptons meets Queenslander style. I think both of these homes are just gorgeous, and I love the fusion of traditional Queensland architecture with that crisp, elegant Hamptons style. And while we're on the subject of
combining architectural styles, I thought it would be fun to combine some of my favourite decorative elements into a virtual design for this home.

I'd gather unique pieces

I'd take a leaf out of Meg Braff's design book

throw in a little of Collette Dinnigan's style


 add an unexpected pop of turquoise 

 arrange a vignette or two




of course, I'd have to have the ubiquitous Queensland verandah


and to top it all off, incorporate some Windsor Smith magic

Of course, each of us has our own personal style, and this is merely my interpretation of Queensland meets the Hamptons. I'd love to hear what you'd do - would you go traditional, or maybe contemporary? Mid-century modern or country cottage, or maybe something completely different? And the best part of this virtual design process - you're only limited by your imagination!


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