Hidden In France

The stuff procrastination is made of.

Just peeking my head above a fortress of terribly depressing books to say hello.  What I'm writing right now better be good because the reading I'm doing as research, if history is any indication of the future, has me feeling hopeless for the human race.  

What I mean to say is that if the book I'm writing is crap, then I will have been a masochist.  But you already knew that (especially you Isa.)

Writer's angst has me searching desperately for online distractions.   Alas the mindless and entirely relaxing world of home design now revs me up.  I've come to resent draperies and candelabras and don't get me started on side tables. It's the accumulation that creeps me out.  It's all the STUFF.   It's an addiction people!

 

...all the pretty, pretty stuff.. 

Just one more picture okay, then I go to work.   I needed a boost, those books are soooo depressing.  

I knew if anyone would understand, it would be you.

pictures from the rice catalogue. 

A cool transformation

This is something really cool (to me). the same apartment I posted about here can be found today on Desire to Inspire (thank you Nadia for being on the lookout for things that will inevitably make me fall off my chair).  

The apartment looks even more amazing (to me) now and it's really inspiring to get a sense of the process that leads from the before to the after, so i guess I'll post both images.  Why I love this interior beside the obvious: girly, pastel and white floors?  It is because of the surprising associations,  the mixing of pastel and peaux de bête for example, especially with white floor feels very new.  So many personal touches, girly touches, but also a framework that shows how nothing in this decor is an accident.  I would love to know who the owner/stylist is. Desire to inspire says it has to be a woman.

Enough blabbering. Here it is:

Here is the living room before:

can you spot the seven differences:  I like the new version above this one much more.

Un petit tour dans la cuisine:

here is the kitchen in December. Less was not more:

This wall made quite an effect on me.  The next day I bought a big of assorted scrapbook paper at Michael's.  This was december, the box has not been open. But the intention was pure!

This above was in december.  Am I the only one who thinks she can recognize the blue velvet couch above, perhaps reupholstered?  AND by the way, this was me obsessing about blue couches. So while I was busy talking, apparently some people took action.  Oh, and to toot my own horn again:  I was into hideous tapestry back then as well.

Look at the daring blue in the bedroom, and again, that trademark patchwork on the walls:

more bedroom:

and finally the picture below, which will prove to My favorite and my Best that it's all about the camera.  And knowing how to use it.. ahem.. and a great stylist... and quite a few dineros:  this room is practically unchanged aside from crucial notes of color.  Never underestimate the power of a bright red butterflies and an armful of leaves.

after:

before:

I forgot to say that you can click on each image to make it bigger.

sexy interior

I like this house a whole lot, especially this room.

All this white is going to my head.  If I lived there I'd spend my days on my hands and feet making love to this glossy white floor.  

uh-oh.. children live here.  

Oh this was crass....  but is it a sin to lust after interiors?

And exteriors?

I realize my husband has been gone only 4 days and already I'm having impure thoughts.

That is one fine house.  I'm ready to move in today.  I promise to behave.

Sixx Design via Youpi Touch. (merci de toutes ces découvertes fabuleuses Muriel!)

Recession-proof decor

I LOVE this house in Copenhagen, found via Indenfor & Undenfor (The same website that inspired this post.)

To my opinion, this is a very personal and successful decor.  The owners have not received the memo that shabby chic is out. They have in fact redefined shabby chic to work for them. They've assembled objects with character, nothing is matchy-matchy, nothing is done to impress.  They've  mixed the old with the new (mostly Ikea it seems), played with a very unique color palette. It's a house that brims  with love and playfulness.

I was thinking about the interiors that give me acid reflux in TV shows like cribs or  Housewives of Orange County or New York (or whatever that is I'm trying hard NOT to watch and would never admit to watching, unless of course i just have.)  Money, money, money, cold hard cash was poured into those interiors without a shred of creativity or invention.  

I guess when the money is there you might not need be resourceful when it comes to furnishing your house. The result is accumulation of goods.  Everything bought. I'm not saying everything is always ugly or in poor taste, but it's bought: the brand new floor, the brand new rug on the floor, the table on the rug, the tchatchky (spelling?) on the table. You can practically smell the maniacal shopping frenzy that went on to make sure that every surfaced is occupied, every corner filled with goods QUICK!!! The point of course being that the interior needs to be completed.  Done. Finished. Like a race.  

Those interiors might inspire shock and awe, and maybe that's a perfectly acceptable goal, but I don't feel the love, and I don't feel the personality.

See, this house took time.  Generations even.  It took some looking and scavenging.  It took curiosity and love. It took ingenuity and selectiveness.

More and more, and I've said this before, magazines that display the kinds of interiors only money could buy make me yawn. But I get thrilled by  houses filled with things found, reused or home made.  There is a soulfulness to those interiors that cannot be store bought. In a way, the kind of decors I love these days are pretty much recession-proof.

Gorgeous pillows

No words, only beauty from Anthropology, Urban Outfitters, Ballard Design and Horshow.  And those pillow are making me too tired to add the links.  It's sublimal...yawn...zzzz.

best for last:

DIY versus interior decorator

I used to salivate in front of home magazines and blogs, now I only read decor magazines when I'm in a doctor's waiting room and zip through my deco blog RSS feed in five minutes without getting that little jolt of excitement once. 

At first I though this might be low-grade depression.  Now I suspect it has more to do with the recession.

Of course I have my own color preferences, but it's when i see an interior that is inventive rather than decorated that I get excited.  For example, the rug in the stairwell above was made sewing Ikea rugs together. When an interior is decorated with more imagination than money, it feels like a more attainable dream.

I found the images on this post reading the beautiful blog So Lovely.  Read So lovely for the story, and Living Etc. for more detail about the house and its owner Chrissie Probert-Jones, co-founder of Stitch designworks.  

How cute is that wall?

By the way: I had a double take when I saw the bedroom below.  Precisely the same floor plan as Lisa Whatmouth's bedroom I posted about here.  Here is one: 

.. and here is the other. Ain't it weird?

Now the architecture of this home is fabulous, but see how the decorating seem to involve more love than dough.  A bit of Tricia Guild vibe with the wall paper, books presented in reverse, (sorry Google won't tell me what to call the opposite of the binding) Ikea shelving, bright expanses of fabric, an unframed painting, and the touch of blue that tricks you into thinking that this all came together by accident.

The little girl in me will always dream of a round bed.  They have it at Ikea and I always look at it dazzled, then shake my head no and walk away.

Hope you're having a rollicking sunday and you're not just reading blogs like I am.

Omygod White Floors!

And because negativity breeds negativity, I will wash down the last post with one of the things that makes me happy (as long as I don't have to wash them)  WHITE FLOORS!  For some it's shoes or chocolate, what can I say.

I found these wonderful pictures in the lovely blog RiverMist Expression, via Shill, but I don't know who the photographer is.  Anyone knows?

The bathroom lucky money bought

All this rambling about luck was not entirely innocent, you know I always have an agenda. Do you remember Catherine from Mill Valley, the lucky winner of the Domino decorating contest?  You think I'm obsessed with her don't you?  Mmmm you're right.

She and I have kept in touch.  I never thought of her as lucky for winning. Her win was no Vegas slot machine deal. She had a vision, she made it happen, and she made it happen by doing most of the work herself with great ingenuity and playfulness.  And no this is not a dilettante with too much money and time on her hands. She is someone like us, with a budget and a job.  She did not hire a decorating pro either.

I told her I call her style modern Marie Antoinette, (mostly since seeing the Sofia Coppola movie ) but her style is much more than that, and not so easy to define.  One thing is for sure, it is not like anyone else's.

 With the prize money, she transformed a room into a lovely bathroom that is so her. Here are the pictures , and because it's always fun, she has also sent me the before pictures and her notes.  Read to the end:  this is still a work in progress and she asking for your opinion.

Catherine says: "There was no question when I won the Domino contest that I would FINALLY get my claw foot tub and redeo my most disgusting hall bath! The vision, for years, was to install a large casement window with the tub right underneath so I could look outside to the garden/trees/sky when bathing in deep water for my middle age aching body. (UGH). Everyone asks why the hall bath instead of the master bath which is as disgusting. Simple answer: I could not afford to move all the plumbing to get the tub under window and the hall bath is also the one guests use so why not make it my bath also.

I researched and purchased everything myself and then had the white laminate floors installed and a large window installed in the 12 inch thick concrete wall. This was the biggest cost.  

My vision included silvery vines and leaves on the ceiling and draping down the walls here and there.  And a small beautiful crystal chandelier for above the tub.

I knew I wanted a "furniture" piece for the vanity. Fortunately I found the perfect french looking piece and a small lovely sink that was set into the top. New low flush toilet and nice hardware.

I have done all the painting and just had to paint/stencil the tub.

(Corine's note: Okay, now the before pictures, hang on to your desktops.)

"I had demoed out a small corner shower two years ago and set an armoire against the wall for storage. There was an ancient vanity, tiny avocado green mosaics on the floor, part of the ceiling was gone from a leaking roof and the walls were an orange peal texture. It was gross. 

Aqua blue and just a splash of coral red were the colors. No plastics bottles! I put the shampoo and conditioner in a silver vintage curette set and the teacups hold soaps etc. 

HOWEVER, I came to a halt in the decor process. It all felt sort of cold, too much white, something off. So it really is a work in progress and any ideas would be appreciated! Or I may continue....What would you do? 

Thanks for all comments!"

Catherine.

Well, Catherine, I would personally not change a thing, but you remember this link you sent me?  What about a nice funny/subversive piece of art on the wall by Artist Tracey Emin:  like this one:

Who else has ideas?

House Doctorin beautiful decor

How do you pronounce keltainen tallo ranalla?  It's the name of a blog I just discovered and lost myself in for an hour yesterday.  So inspiring.  Through it I discovered  House Doctorin, another of those Danish companies that feels so fresh and new.  It reminds me a little of Rice but maybe a bit more color shy. Fabulous stuff, none of it available in the State so all I can do is dream.  Here are some of my favorite images.

A london villa

This is the post that wrote itself:  a london villa with all the elements I love, via Purple Area and Living Inc. Purity, bohemia, white and color, modern and antique; it's all there.

Read the article on living inc.  We've seen these elements in a lot of magazines, blogs and photographers portfolio, I'm thinking Designers Guilt, James Merrell, Rice Denmark etc. All very trendy, but it's beautifully done.

Oooh.. Look what Sunrise Hossegor found.

If you're ever in France and lucky enough to vacation in beautiful Hossegor, (in the South West of France) You must go Sandrine's boutique Sunrise Hossegor   "Sea, Sun, Bohème and Rock'n Roll" is the theme.  Here is a girl who loves colors, and Joie de vivre.  And if you still though the "French don't like America," she's one more living proof of the contrary. She is the most California-girl E-vah.

Her blog inspires me daily.  Here is the link she found.  Flickr member, fifties lover and softies maker extraordinaire Devoted Satellite.  shows us her happy home.  Here is her recipe:

A Peacock bedspread.

Glass, bakelite, lucite, varnish and gloss.

Hawaiian retro-kitch smorsgasbord.

Colorful fabric banner.  Doll heads.  Red giraffes.

Red polka dots.  Tea lights.

I'm happy now.

Apartment Therapy knows me?

I'm all over the place today again. At the moment, the insanity versus enjoyment of life quotient is high. Maybe when school ends, so will insanity.  (Though it could get worse.  What do you do with your children for two long months? Us: we argue. It's quite stimulating, really.)  

But blogging is still fun.  For one Apartment Therapy L.A.  talked about my blog today.  The sudden influx of traffic is baffling.  But even more puzzling to me is that they know my blog exists at all.

But back to design,and art.

The doshi levien sofas i just discovered in decocentric got me quite excited.  

Comfortable?  Not sure.  Awesome?  YES! The inspiration too is wonderful:

This site was a mine of wonders and excitement.  Through doshi levien (the name of the two designers,Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien) I discovered the following artists:

The Iranian photographer Shadi Ghadirian. 

And the Los Angeles painter Kehinde Wiley: 

As you might see I'm still struggling with Typepad.  Nothing looks as I need it to look, but every time I try to fix a problem, I create five more, so F@# it.

Enough with the nymphets already.

Domino Magazine used to be so fresh, so new, so fun.  But now...

1- the issue I just received features yet another long-legged vixen with tanned skin, smooth long hair, hip wardrobe, minimalist waists, and a trendy decorator.  Here is the deal, though:   if I’m ever in the mood to feel lousy about my wrinkles and my ever-expanding derriere, I read Elle, or Vogue, thank you very much.  I like decoration magazines precisely because they are guaranteed safe and nymphet-free.

2- haven’t we seen this cover before?  I can’t tell your covers apart.

3- there is nothing in this issue I haven’t been introduced to months ago via Decor8.

4- and the layout?  Looks like the same stuff thrown together in a very formulaic way.  Bo-ring.

Must I really give up on you, D?  Are you listening?

These  photographs were borrowed from a magazine I can't get at home but would love to: the Danish  Bolig.

Maybe the blogs I have been reading, but my attraction to color is, if not fading, at least substantially toned down by my new passion for white.  This Bolig interior  just might be the perfect combination of white and color, of modern and vintage, of clean lines and earthy textures.  I think it’s in the air, wanting less, craving simplification, a low-tech life with only the things I need.

And speaking of things I don’t need; I don’t know about you, but when I dream of decorating my house, I can’t remember a time I considered including a nymphet.  My husband and I might disagree on this, but I have veto power.

Was ist das?

Omygod. Someone created a magazine just for me, and it is in German.

Decor8 still finds the very best stuff. Of course you've already seen some of these pictures of Wohn Idee on Decor8 but I must own them and put them right here, in my small colorful corner of the www.

Eva Gnaedinger wakes up houses

‘Awakening of a sleeping house’ says the translated title of the côté Maison article.

I woke up/renovated a house once. Only I'm the one who had to take sleeping pills afterwards. Was it worth it: yes. Was it nightmarish? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Are yah OUT OF YOU MIND ?! But I remember those were my exact words right after childbirth, and then I developed convenient amnesia about the whole ghastly affair and couldn't wait to do it again.

Decorator Eva Gnaedinger, known for her exquisite provençal/minimalist style, has remodeled several properties. The following images are of place in she renovated and decorated in Provence between Avignon and Uzes. They call it 'une maison de village.' I call it a gosh dang castle's what I call it. And boy oh boy.. ohs and ahhs… If you had any doubts whatsoever about visiting Provence one day, this should convince you.

The billowy simple white curtain makes this picture, no?

Isn't this suspended bed insane? I wonder if it is as comfortable as it is divine to look at.

And tell me if I’m wrong but isn’t it the same property than can be rented here, I recognize the rooms but not all of the architecture.

Photos are by the very talented French photographer Nicolas Mathéus whose brilliant portfolio can be discovered here.

Yvestown is moving to sweden

Yvonne, creator of the Yvestown blog , lover of Cath Kidston, Oli cloth and pastel colored DIY is moving from Holland to Sweeden. Exciting because it means a whole new house for her to decorate. This is what the Dutch house looked like:

I haven't met a blogger who doesn't love this baby blue smeg.

I love this rack she found to display her Cath Kidston china:

Love this!

The house that Rice built

A pity I had to scan these pictures from an old Living Etc. The original photographs were wonderful until they were rendered vile by my scanner. Does anyone know how to get these pictures online? Because this here, is my all time favorite kitchen:

You might recognize the red Akurum cabinets from Ikea, so gloriously red and shiny they give me palpitations in a good way. Here the red cabinets are arranged in a more European way with no top cabinet. I love the simple white shelves with colorful bowls, and the blue toaster is pretty darn near irresistible to me.

These are pictures of the ancient Danish country home of Charlotte Hedeman Gueneau and her French husband Philippe, owners of the company Rice Denmark. You’ve seen their products in magazines as well as here and here. But I’m still not sure where to find Rice products in the US (I think Urban Outfitter has some but that’s simply is not enough.)

I am slowly working at “Rice-ing” my kitchen, and the rest of the house as well to be honest. This is the style I want, this is the look I want, these are the colors I want.

Here are some ingredients for a charming and personal home:

Things that don't necessarily match.

Simple Ikea mirrors make this room.

A entire floor devoted to lounging...

Or is it an home office?

A portrait, a whimsical cabinet.

A painted bed frame and a quilt.

une peau de bete.

And an entirely unexpected black bathtub.

Do you know that the crochet items made by Rice in Madagascar alone assure the survival of 300 families. I just love this company.

Maurice Renoma is hot stuff

The latest design from Maurice Renoma via the ever cool French blog J'ai Flâné pour Vous. Maurice Renoma was already an old man when I was growing up, and it is amazing to me to find him at the heart of some of the hippest French designs. I love the classic bourgeois shapes combined with irreverent pictures.

All pictures borrowed from J'ai Flâné pour Vous.

Maurice Renoma's photographic work and his designs can me enjoyed at the trendy café and gallery on the uber chic Avenue George V in the 8th arrondissement of Paris as well as in a boutique in my own quartier, rue de la Pompe in the sixteenth arrondissement.

How jet-settish is this?

Tricia Guild guilt.

I.. hmmm.. feel a bit guilty because I'm not so sure I'm allowed to show you the folowing pictures.

My readers are familiar by now with my reverence bordering on idée fixe for Tricia Guild. In some countries it might even be defined as stalking. But just how much stalking am I capable of you wonder? Well, now that we have peeked into the abode of Designer's Guild hot shots, first Mark Homewood and then Liza Giles, here is the interior of the queen bee herself.

Sorry about the blurry aspect. I was undercover, and I'm no James Merrell.

Oh hi Tricia!... Please don't mind me. Go about your business while i take some picture. What's for dinner?

Lovely home. Thanks for the visit.

Liza Giles's home

I don't remember posting these incredible pictures of Designer's Guild senior designer Liza Giles's place. Her place is the more feminine and frilly version of this apartment, no? You've already seen the following pictures on Decor8, This is Glamorous, and Elle Interior Sweeden. The flat was photographed by James Merrell, and the pictures promptly stolen by me right off This is Galmorous.

(here is the ubiquitous chinese lady)

I just can't get enough of those white floors but i know better. I know that they are an immediate and utter mess. I KNOW they will ruin my life. I know that white floors don't mix with kids and pets and bay windows always open onto a garden, with all the dirt that represents. I know because my old kitchen was tiled white and it was murder. I know those things. But will this knowledge stop me? Can I be saved from myself?

the little green chair

All right now… who started it?

I noticed lately that decorators have a thing for the little green chair. These are some I spotted recently. Did you notice any? Do you want to play a game of 'i spy?'? I’ll add your find with a link.

Fawn Galli's home via Domino mag.

Jamie Drake via Alkemie.

Gaelle Boulicaut via Desire to Inspire.

Cookie Magazine, also via Desire to Inspire (which has been very inspiring to me lately.)

Peter Dunham via Domino Magazine.

Mystery picture via This is Glamorous.

I even found one at home, a garden chair I upholstered with a green velvet 10 years ago

Mark Homewood's home

Thanks to Claire ( who should have a blog with all her talent but is busy running Mimosa Café a really cool and funky French Café in Topanga Canyon.) I got to read the latest Living Etc. This is my favorite magazine of the moment. I went absolutely mad over the house of Mark Homewood, buyer for Tricia Guild. I know these pictures have been floating around the blogosphere but in magazine format they made me skip heartbeats. The place is inside a house and on four floors. The magazine calls it a Terrace. What is a terrace for you British bloggers? in American and French it means a patio but I think it's different for the british or it makes no sense.

Again, though I would be personally incapable of painting wood floors white--it would feel like murder and heresy-- Mark Homewood and his partner did it to fantastic results. So, so gorgeous.

There they are. The owners. They look so damned good I wouldn't mind keeping them, were i allowed to move in.

I can’t believe it’s not sugar!

No, it's furniture, silly.

It’s acrylic as a matter of fact, with loose powder pigment and the creation of multi media artist Elisabeth Paige Smith whose work I discovered while strolling down Abbot Kinney a few years ago. (she has since moved her studio and it is now appointment only) Beside acrylic she uses resin, fiberglass and wood and I just love those stark lines mixed with powdery colors. It’s Zen minimalist meets cotton candy. I’d love to see what that fluffy-pink table would look like in my home.

I want Kathryn Ireland's house!

Could you define your decorating style in one word? In two? I was attempting to do just that the other day and I was at a loss. Who wants to make that kind of commitment you might ask? Who wants to narrow themselves to a single word?

I do suddenly. Ardently.

I can't possibly narrow my taste to a color scheme, a design period or a style. It isn't about the price tag either, as I’m not much onto brands or status. Definitely not about the architect/ designer/decorator and other powers that be, though some make me swoon more than others. So what is it I like? Who am I? DO I EVEN HAVE A PERSONALITY!?

Then I saw the pictures of textile designer Kathryn Ireland's home in House Beautiful.

"That’s IT! That's what I like! Exactly" I exclaimed to myself on the verge of an epiphany (or an embolism, I was that excited.)

The house is located in beautiful Ojai and if you haven’t yet you MUST go there one day. The light, the air, the scents, this is as close as you’ll ever get to Provence in this country.

Here is what Kathryn Ireland says about her house: “ This is classic Spanish architecture, but with a sense of bohemian fun, comfortable and loose. I get everything I get in the South of France, just 90 miles from L.A. But what I like most about it are the barnlike elements. When people design for animals, they do a better job! It's not about perfect moldings or perfect floors. It's about massive space and amazing flow. I love the way this house moves from the kitchen into the living room. And then these massive iron door handles everywhere. I love to lift them. It's downright medieval.”

Isn’t that cool? The opposite of taking herself seriously. Read the entire article. I just love the way she expresses her style.

And then it hit me.
Here is the word that best defines my decorating taste: “playful.”

What about you? What’s your word?

life on a barge

Maybe it's a pipe dream, and it's probably not all it's cooked up to be, but I sometimes fantasize about living on the water, in a (beautifully decorated) barge or a péniche and slowly discover Europe, one river at a time. The following pictures have a lot to do with it.

They are taken from a book I love by Joanna Copestick called Family Home. A book published in 1998 but that doesn't bear a wrinkle. One of the homes featured is a barge in Amsterdam owned by Pauline Van Der Heijen and Goos Drenth. Does anyone know if the barge still exist today?

The boat has (had?) six small rooms, one of them Pauline's studio (she's an artist). I love the colors and the ease of this place. The kitchen is as cute as a button and it all looks so cozy. The beds make me want to curl up and be gently rocked by the water. It makes me want to slowww- dowwwn.

A baby! I miss babies.

To me, this is what happiness looks like.
To live at the rythm of a baby's pace, with no place to rush to, no agenda. Ahhh, the nostalgia.

Bohemian Rhapsody

My favorite discovery of the week was via Absolutely Beautiful Things and decor8. It is the work of Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri, two women who grew up in Lebanon and run the company Bokja. (that means baluchon in French. Anyone know the English word for baluchon? Maybe ‘bundle” ?)

Following their passion for textile and travel, they create modern furniture using ancient textiles mostly from the Middle East. The precious embroidered or printed textiles are recycled as modern patchworks, which are then used to upholster antique and modern furniture. I think the result is stunning. (Et très, très cher.)

In the US, Bokja’s creations are sold exclusively at abc carpet and home in New York, which has to be the most wondrous store I've ever been in. (Et très, très chère aussi.)

Here is some more modern designs: the terrible cropping is of course intentional. Kidding. I'm just lazy. It's Friday.

All pics borrowed from Bokja.

irreconcilable differences

Lately there has been a tremendous influx of exactly the kinds of rooms I love, and I've been bumping against walls, dizzy with room lust. I want them all is my problem. I can’t have them all I’m told. I can’t even get rid of my shabby chic style purple sofa because the family (and infortunately the pets) finds it très comfortable. No matter that the sofa offends me in every way, these people (and pets) have no heart.

This is home. That is until I get to move out and into one of the following rooms:

this one in Domino Magazine.

this via Brilliant Asylum.

Via coco+kelly, a great blog I just discovered.

this was via decor8, the best design blog of all time, methink.

Decor8 again.

Decor8 toujours. Now you can see why I am partial to it.

This room is from the rice catalog, found via Purple Area, favorite design blog numéro deux.

I also found via Swiss Miss a very interesting post on the power of white space. I could never reconcile how a color lover like myself seems to gravitate so much around white walls, white rooms and white furniture.

Rice from Denmark

Beautifully photographed, great stylist, lovely objects: Rice is back with a new collection for the summer. I love everything here.

I posted about the last collection here.

Photos from Purple Area, Kixkoll and Rice's website.

Pretty much my ideal living room.

Might very well be my ideal bedroom.

Pia Jane Bijkerk

Sometimes blogs just write themselves: all you have to do is steal copiously from creative people who have something interesting to say. Now I don’t know why in the world Pia Jane Bijkerk was hiding from me until a month ago but suddenly here she, absolutely everywhere, with a strong voice, a keen eye, lots of talent and really beautiful pictures to offer us: I’m hooked! Found in her blog today were photographs of a home exactly how I like’em.

It is an exclusive peek at the London home of South African photographer Debbie Treolar

I absolutely love this house: Lots of white, vibrant touches of color, playfulness and ease, and the one design element that I lust after the most these days: Painted white plank floors.

To see more pictures of the house read Pia's entire post, it’s informative and bursting with many more gorgeous photographs. Then read the rest of the blog and finds recipes. en/ or visit the artist studio and participate in Pia’s heart contest. All pictures borrowed from Pia Jane Bijerk's blog.

Landscape paintings on Elle decor blog

I'm off to take my kid to a tennis tournament. I get totally frustrated when there is a 3 day week end ( thank-you Martin Luther!) because I have to don the mommy hat. That mommy hat is really a drivers cap when it boils down to it.

But I had to show you this picture from Elle décor's blog because it is just too beautiful, at least to me. Ahhh that yellow, ohhh those landscape paintings. The pictures was taken in the Hut Bay Manor in South Africa, the decor has such romantic old world charm. I'd love to do something like this at home: fill an entire wall with paintings and put them close together like wall paper. If I understand well, the Manor is featured on Elle's revamp issue. but this photograhs is an extra from the shoot.