houses

the old stables

Sometimes I look at Country Style magazines, or Home Beautiful magazines where people convert old stables and they are so gorgeous, and I am so envious. I wish I owned some old bluestone stables to convert.  Or even to just grow some lavender in front of to look at and admire.  And dream about the possibilities of what I could do with them one day.

Like these!

    

Four years ago Pricey’s Mum and Dad bought Strathkellar in Hamilton.  It has a lovely architect designed house and some gorgeous old trees in the garden, including the gnarled old olive in the photo above, but the MOST amazing feature is this beautiful bluestone stable building.  In near original condition.

So many possibilities.  Don’t you think? 

We went to Jenny and Max’s and had a lovely lunch in the garden on Easter Sunday.  And ogled.  And dreamed.

gold

I dropped in to my friend Myf and Simon’s house, and they had a new light shade.  Made my an Australian designer.  But I didn’t hear who.  I wasn’t paying attention but I’ll ask today.  Anyway I like it.  

It reminds me of those stackable aluminium travel cups that came in the zipped vinyl carrier that was permanently stored in the glovebox of the family Kingswood or Valiant when I was little.

And when you drank orange cordial from them eeww.  The metallic taste was always a bit icky.  But everyone had them.  Drinks from those cups were the taste of childhood picnics.

Anyway, this light shade fits right in with the swanky bathroom at their house. Although it is in the dining room, and obviously, the bathroom is, well, in the bathroom.  None-the-less it’s the gold I am talking about. 

 

The main bathroom at Myf and Simon’s is just so fun. Check out the gold walls.   Some sort of metallic sheeting.  And the full length mirror walls.  And the stone.  It is completely OTT in the nicest possible way … I wish I was brave enough for a bathroom like this.  Every time I walk in I ALWAYS want to take a bath here.  

 

But what I want to point out is the styling. Check out the plant pots.  Tin cans painted with metallic paint.  Bringing it all back to real.  So Myf and Simon. Perfect I think.  

I wonder whether Shaynna and Darren would agree … are you watching The Block?

rearranging

IMG_8820I like change. I am always of the view that a change is as good as a holiday. And since our extended summer holiday I think I am having ‘real life adjustment’ issues. In any case, there’s no doubt that I have been thinking about and making changes at our house.

On Friday I decided our entrance needed a little TLC.

So, I took the LOVE letters down from behind the kitchen sink, and placed them above the coat hooks. They add a bit more height to the entrance hall which is good I think. And I moved the pigeon holes down a bit, away from the doorway. Which makes the entrance feel a bit longer. And I put a picture over the ugly electrical box to hide it (the picture’s cute isn’t it? India did it in kinder). And I relocated my side-of-the-road/hard rubbish planter under the picture. Right in front of the window.

IMG_8831

And then I added a collection of plants. With the sun coming in all day it is a happy place for plants to grow.

And I am feeling quite happy with my new arrangement.

IMG_9159