2011 Coastal Living Ultimate Beach House

I've loved Coastal Living magazine since I first stumbled upon a copy in my local newsagent a few years ago. It's right up my alley - gorgeous beach houses feature in every issue; from the quintessential shack, right through to homes where the word 'shack' definitely doesn't apply! The 2011 Ultimate Beach House is now open for inspection, and was designed by none other than Phoebe Howard - so you know it'll be beautiful. Come on in and I'll take you on a tour.....

Relaxed, casual, unpretentious - everything a good beach house should be

Phoebe chose to leave the base cabinets in natural timber, for durability

love the framed thongs (Aussie for flip-flops, not the underwear kind). I'd love to do this with some  fabulous Havaiana styles - I think they'd work a treat framed like this.

serene and soothing

and how about a carriage house above the garage - perfect for housing those extra holiday guests

and the side porch, for when you've had enough of gazing at your ocean view

You can check it all out here - there's a special digital issue, or you can let Phoebe herself walk you though, and give you all the deets. Love.

I'l be taking a little blog break - I'm seriously slammed with work at the moment, so I'll be back later next week with some new goodies to share. See you then,

J'adore Adore

I had the pleasure of attending Adore's first birthday celebrations last week, and what a great night it was. I met the lovely Loni, caught up with many fellow bloggers, and generally had a great night celebrating a really great local magazine. As an added bonus, the new issue is out now, and it's an absolute gem:

and look - there's my Sea Coral II in Turquoise in the Hamptons feature - love it!

Seriously, this latest issue is the bomb. You need to get on over here and check it out - stat!

Mellow Yellow

I've had so many requests lately for prints in bright, sunny colours. As we head into summer here in Oz, I know I'm ready for some sunshine, and so here are the latest prints just listed in my Etsy shop:

 'Seaweed in Marigold'

new print here

'Sea Fan IV in Marigold'

now here 

Nothing like a little ray of sunshine to brighten your day :)

House stalking

I have to say, it's been slim pickings lately in the real estate world. The recent slump has seen fewer homes coming onto the market, but I did manage to find this lovely weatherboard number in Glen Iris, Victoria. I'm a sucker for a pretty Edwardian cottage, so let's take a look around:

pretty, no?

You can check out the link here while it lasts. 

Work in progress...

Just a quick update on the commission for the lovely H. Here's a little look at the underpainting as of last last week, although it's come along significantly since then. I'll share the finished painting as soon as it's signed, sealed and delivered, but until then, here's a snippet:

I'm making a huge mess, but it's so much fun working big again. I'll be adding some of these larger works to the exhibition I'm having later this year too, so stay tuned for updates.

Back to work now, catch you soon,

Peace out

It's school holidays in this part of the world, and I managed to squeeze in a long-overdue trip to the beach last week. It was a gorgeous sunny day on the sunshine coast, with a warm breeze, and lots of seafood for lunch.....doesn't get much better than that.

yep, that's the Mr - shy little wallflower that he is :)

But back to the coalface now - I have a painting to finish! I'll be back with an update soon.

Catch you then,

A blank canvas

You might remember in my last post I mentioned I was about to start on a commission for a lovely client? Well, I thought this might be the perfect time to share a little of how I go about painting a commissioned work - before I forget all about taking pics along the way.

here she is...a nice (big) blank canvas

My lovely client, H, spoke to me about creating a painting for a large wall in her beautifully renovated Queenslander. If possible, I like to visit the client on-site - that way, I can get a feel for the space, the light, and the bones of the room itself. This painting will make a real statement - at 3m x 1.5m, it's a large piece, and will be on view from the minute you walk in the front door.

We then had a chat about her ideas, what colours she'd like included - and just as importantly, any she definitely didn't want. She has a great mix of traditional and modern in her home, as she's retained the original charm and character of her Queenslander, but she's also included some clean, modern elements too. To complement the original VJ walls, she chose a traditional, full-blown floral curtain:

..and picked up the olive green from the pattern, using it as an accent wall colour in the central hall, and also for the glass splashback in the kitchen. Elsewhere is a natural white, keeping things nice and airy.


So, after discussing the options, we decided on a modern abstract design, incorporating the raspberry, red/pink and olive green from her curtains, as well as some complimentary tones. Once that was sorted, I sent through a series of mock-ups of my ideas, to make sure we were on the same page, and also to provide a visual of what I'm thinking. I've found this really helps both me and the client - I'm a really visual person, but I realise not everyone works that way. By doing so, it really helps to iron out any misunderstandings before we're too far down the track.


So, that's enough from me - I have painting to do. I'll post more pics once the piece is all signed, sealed and delivered. Can't wait to share the finished painting with you all - and I have to say, it's a lot of fun to be working on such a large scale piece again. Supersizing isn't always a bad thing you know :)

Stripe me lucky

Black and white is a classic combo that never goes out of fashion. Throw them together into a stripe, and it's even better. I've been seeing this pic all over the place lately, and it was love at first sight:

is this not the most gorgeous storefront ever? It belongs to designer Liz Caan. Perfection.

I love black and white awnings. So fresh, yet chic and classic at the same time. And how better to frame a lovely window, or door, than with one of these arrangements.

 Sibella Court's shop, The Society Inc. Love the green door too....and that it won't stay that way for long - she changes its colour often. Brilliant

 Nathan Turner is starring in my new fave show, Million Dollar Decorators. Of course we're late to the party here in Australia, but I don't care. Loving it sick.

 Double the good stuff. 

 Love the awning and the pooch

And best of all, it completes an Aussie beach house to perfection. 

So, are you a fan of black and white? Love it, or (heaven forbid!!) hate it?



Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Palm Beach beauty

I have to say, lately my local Aussie magazines are hitting it out of the park. This month's Home Beautiful not only featured Hayley's lovely home, but also this Palm Beach stunner. I recognised it straight away - it was for sale not so long ago, and it was straight to the inspiration folder. It ticks all the boxes for me, so let's take a little tour:

I'm a sucker for a box bay window

love this outdoor area, and the simple, elegant interiors

crisp and clean

indoor/outdoor perfection

lovely custom cabinetry

As usual, it's been bedlam around here. My two youngest are in the middle of exams, which means lots of trips back and forth between home and school. I know my comments have been few and far between, and I apologise, but I am visiting your blogs, honestly! And then there's the tennis, which of course, I had to watch to support Our Sam in her first Grand Slam win. Maybe now it's all over I can concentrate on work. Speaking of which, I have a fabulous commission that I can't wait to get started on - a 1.5m x 3m abstract for a lovely client. So looking forward to getting stuck into a nice big canvas for a change. I'll post some pics as soon as it's photo worthy - can't wait!



all images via realestate.com.au

Porchlight Interiors

This month's issue of Home Beautiful magazine is an absolute cracker, and one of the gorgeous homes on show belongs to Hayley Hayes, co-director of Brissie based design firm, Porchlight Interiors. Besides being talented decorators, Hayley and sister Tracey are just lovely, and I was thrilled to see Hayley's beautiful home showcased this month. And to top it off, if you look very closely, you can spy one of my prints on the wall - 'Seagrass in Turquoise'. So chuffed - thanks Hayley!

terrible pic of my print, but isn't Hayley's home gorgeous?

'Seagrass in Turquoise'

210 x 297mm (8" x 10") 

prints available here on Etsy

 in.love

love everything about her kitchen

pics via Porchlight Interiors/Home Beautiful magazine

photography courtesy John Downs

So, do yourself a favour, and check out the magazine if you get a chance - you won't be disappointed.