Colour Trend: Burgundy + Blush

We’re officially obsessed with 2017’s hottest colour trend – burgundy and blush pink. When the two hues combine, it’s pure magic. The pale pink helps to balance the richness of the burgundy – creating a perfect harmony.

SOURCES (PICTURED ABOVE)
EVENT STYLING  /  CHAIR  /  CARD  /  THROW  /  PRINT  /  SHEEPSKIN  /  LIGHT  /  CUSHION  /  DRESS

Incy Interiors velvet range

Not only does this colour combo work in interiors – it also crosses over into fashion, and even event styling as illustrated above in the work of business Styled By Coco. This is typical of most colour trends, they tend to filter into all sorts of areas.

If you had of told me a couple of years ago that burgundy would be in, I would have scoffed and thought don’t be ridiculous. Well, I’ve come around to this colour, but here’s the clincher. It looks best with pale blush pink. Throw in some rose gold/copper accents and you’ve got the perfect colour combination - it’s got great contrast, with the softness of the blush cutting through the richness of those dark burgundy hues.

There are so many brands embracing these colours – including Republic of Fritz Hansen (available from Cult). The iconic Arne Jacobsen Series 7 chair pictured above, has been given a makeover – inspired by the soft, feminine colours of Japanese cherry blossoms. The shell of this special 2017 edition is available in two colours – a deep-red merlot and a serene, pastel nude. Both are paired with rose gold coated legs. Dreamy right?!

SOURCES (PICTURED ABOVE)
CITTA’S NEW COLLECTION  /  FASHION BLOGGER  /  CAKE STAND  /  HANDBAG  /  THROW
PINK COAT  /  NAIL POLISH  /  PEONY PRINT  /  CHAIR  /  OTTOMAN  /  TEALIGHT LANTERN

LIFE INSTYLE SYDNEY

Milk and Sugar

If you’re a retailer in the gift/homewares/kids sector, you’ll most likely be aware of Life Instyle. Their next trade show kicks off mid February in Sydney and promises to be bigger and better than ever!

Blushing Confetti

Life Instyle truly helps business owners take time and stress out of sourcing and buying. With over 300 unique suppliers under the one roof, you can virtually do all of your buying right there and then. This year Life Instyle are describing their event as a "Hyper Paradise" which sounds about right if these images from various suppliers are anything to go by. Not only that, it’s a place of pure inspiration, offering workshops, and seminars from leaders in the field. Everything from hearing about the latest trends, to tips on brand authenticity to how to utilise Instagram for your business will be on offer throughout the event’s duration. Tickets are affordably priced at $30 – it’s a great way to keep informed and learn a new thing or two!

Blacklist

Fox and Fallow

I have attended Life Instyle a few times in the past and it really has a designer vibe to it - I would even go as far as to say it’s one of my favourite trade show events in Australia. The brands they have to choose from are all carefully selected to ensure you’re finding truly one-of-a-kind products. Plus you’ll find First Instyle there, a place to showcase emerging designers as they make their debut to the trade industry for the first time. And their Kids Instyle area is pretty special too – if you stock products for kids this area is amazingly cute!

Zakkia

This year’s Life Instyle will be held at Royal Hall of Industries, Hordern Pavillion from 16-19 February. Entry is free, however is a trade-only event. To register to attend simply click here.

TREND: LEAFY GUM

PRINT  /  BAG  /  LIGHT  /  THROW  /  SIDEBOARD  /  LEATHER CUSHION  /  CUSHION
  CHAIR  /  OTTOMAN  /  WHITE VASE  /  LEAVES  /  GREEN VASE  /  CHEESEBOARD

Looking for the perfect office chair

Domayne’s Elsie office chair

When my partner brought home an ugly black mesh office chair – I rolled my eyes and said “don’t think for a second that monstrosity is staying!” Well about three years on, said office chair is still very much with us, and he’s finally seeing that it’s bringing down the whole vibe of our home (his office nook is in the living room).

So, with permission to replace it, I’ve now found myself on the hunt for the perfect office chair. And do you think it’s been easy? Nup, seems there’s not many companies out there producing stylish looking office chairs. And whilst I’d love for my partner to just use an upholstered dining chair instead of a traditional office chair, he’s insisting it must have wheels. Ugh. So here’s a roundup of my top contenders. 

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1 UPHOLSTERED

At the top of my list is an upholstered office chair – something soft and comfortable as he also works from home with me, and is at his desk most of the day. This Elsie office chair from Domayne(pictured above) would be perfect in terms of colour (our sofa is also a soft beige) however the fact that it doesn’t have wheels probably means he’ll scrap it off the list. But it is pretty right?!

And to the right – West Elm’s Aluna office chair – another stylish option, which also comes in a teal colour (pictured below).

More upholstered beauties below. Numbers two and three are standouts, simply for their sexy brass legs. Something I rarely see when it comes to office chairs.

1 DELTA  /  2 ALUNA  /  3 HELVETICA

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2 LEATHER

West Elm’s Slope leather office chair

Whilst a leather office chair is probably not going to be a great fit for the style of my home, it’s definitely a popular option I thought I’d share with you. It can look great in more masculine spaces and with mid-century furniture, like the Slope office chair pictured above from West Elm. They’ve probably got the most amount of decent looking office chairs out of any Australian retail store and I highly recommend you hop on over to their website to take a look (click here).

Muuto’s Fiber chair (pictured opposite) in cognac silk leather and black base is another stunner in the leather category. This beauty is great for those not needing wheels but still wanting a swivel base.

Other worthy contenders (in real and faux leather) are listed below.

1 HELVETICA  /  2 GARRISON  /  3 MANHATTAN

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3 WHITE & GREY

Styling and photography by Riikka Kantinkoski for Finnish Design Shop

Whilst I’ve dubbed this category ‘white and grey’, it really could have been called Scandinavian. Clean, classic lines and a bright white freshness to each, these office chairs certainly tickle my fancy, and are anything but boring.

Pictured opposite is the Kuskoa Bi desk chair from Cafe Culture + Insitu. Available with fixed swivel base or castor wheels, it’s a stylish, versatile option that would fit seamlessly in a contemporary home office.

The above chair looks to be an Eames chair, and whilst this one pictured is from a store in Finland – replicas like this are a dime a dozen in online replica furniture stores.

1 ABOUT A CHAIR  /  2 VENUS  /  3 ÖRFJÄLL

Sanctuary Studio's 'Neon Drive'

Sanctuary Studio is the brainchild of mother/daughter duo Anne Cook and Simone Rennard. Today we check out their bright Neon Drive collection – perfect for summer.

Photography Maree Homer/  Styling Sarah Ellison

Sanctuary Studio describe their collection as Palm Springs meets Bondi with a 90s pop twist. Pastel hues, neon accents and pop references are splashed across beach towels, luxe weekender bags, scented candles, oversized outdoor cushions and sarongs to create the ultimate travel capsule for a long and lazy summer in the sun.

“Like everyone, we love to travel and the idea of creating a resort capsule inspired by our travels, was a natural fit for us,” says Anne.

Love the range? Click here to buy their products.

AGHA SYDNEY GIFT FAIR

Eadie Lifestyle

The Australian Gift & Homewares Association’s industry led trade exhibition is once again on in Sydney this February. We’ve got a sneak peek look at some of the exhibitor’s exciting products.

Eadie Lifestyle

At the 40th anniversary of the AGHA, they are paying for your all day parking at Sydney Olympic Park (terms and conditions apply). They’ve also made it easy for interstate visitors, offering a complimentary airport shuttle service to the event. If you’re a retailer you’ll know the importance of attending trade events like this to keep on top of all of the latest homewares and gift trends. With hundreds of exhibitors and over 50 brand new ones – you’re bound to find something unique for your store. Suppliers like Eadie Lifestyle, Indus Design, L&M Home, Rayell, and Robert Gordon (just to name a few) will be there with brand new exciting collections - pictured is a little taste of what you’ll find at the show.

Robert Gordon

Rayell

L&M Home

Located under the ambience of The Dome, expect to see the industry’s best at Design Life Sydney, the premium sourcing destination for first-class buyers. Coming to Sydney for the first time, The Launch Pad welcomes over 30 emerging entrepreneurs showcasing new and innovative product. Taking place 18-21 February, 2017 - this trade-only event is one to pencil into your diaries. Register for this event at sydneygift.com.au

My Mini Kitchen Makeover

With a small budget, I recently set about giving my kitchen a mini makeover. Here’s what I did....

When I purchased my apartment off the plan, it was a little disappointing when I found out that I couldn’t make a lot of design changes. There were however, a couple of things that I could do – adding these pendant lights at the build stage, along with closing in the space above the top cabinets to make it look more streamlined. As you can see in the before image to the right, there wasn’t a huge amount I changed. And in hindsight, I have to say it’s not that bad, at least it’s very white. It just didn’t speak to my personality though. It all felt a bit blah.

So here’s what I changed:

• New barstools for more contrast
• New gooseneck tap
• Bigger fridge to fill that space
• New tiled splashback with more visual impact
• New toaster and kettle
• New brass door handles to tie in with the pendants
• Remove oyster light and replace with 2 downlights

The Morphy Richards range of toasters and kettles are super stylish. I love that their new Scandi Aspect design has a timber-look trim giving it a fresh modern look. Another favourite addition are my new Lewis Dolan brushed brass pulls and handles from US online store My Knobs. I had to use a secondary shipping company (shipito) to be able to get them here to Australia, but it’s worth it, as brass hardware in Australia is hard to come by (and not to mention super expensive in comparison to these).

I really love my new plastic mat in the kitchen from Habitat Home Collection. The icy blue colour is nice and fresh and adds just the right amount of colour to the monochromatic space. It’s also really durable, and because it’s made of plastic, it grips quite well to the tiles so you don’t need to worry about it slipping around.

When it came to budget – the tiles were actually the cheapest thing in the space, coming in at $61 for 2 cartons from Bunnings. The labour was about $250. I’m lucky to know a tiler who did a great rate for me – and as he just tiled over the top of the existing tiles it cut time down. Another budget friendly addition was the black tap from Meir. What a difference it makes replacing the existing ho-hum mixer that was previously there. I love that it’s a matte finish - it dries quickly and never looks streaky (like it can with a chrome one).

Overall, I’m really happy with how the makeover turned out. It’s now a space I enjoy using.

Get the look with these finds:
FRIDGE  /  TOASTER  /  KETTLE  /  HAND CREAM  /  HAND WASH
BAR STOOL  /  MAT  /  DOOR HANDLE  /  PENDANT LIGHT  /  TAP

Trend: Stormy Evening

OTTOMAN  /  PENDANT LIGHT  /  PRINT  /  CHAIR  /  PLATTER  /  SOAP
PILLOWCASE  /  CUSHION  /  THROW  /  SIDEBOARD  /  LAMP  /  CANDLE

Big City Views Balcony

It’s not often the striking Melbourne cityscape is upstaged, but this inner-city balcony may just trump the view it overlooks.

Photography Annette O’Brien  /  Styling Jess Frazer  /  Words Jacqui Greig

Quality pieces of furniture, such as the GlobeWest ‘Reef’ three-seater sofa, Luum ‘Simply’ daybed and Luum ‘Simply’ coffee table pictured, were chosen for their contemporary appeal.

Home to Scott Feltham and Nicola Sims, and their two children, this balcony is considered an outdoor alternative to a lounge room. “The balcony is always the most popular spot to wind down at the end of the night,” says Nicola. A subtle reflection of current urban design, the space uses bluestone, raw timber and steel as key elements, with a modern and relaxed feel.

Nicola loves to be surrounded by warm colour and bold, simple shapes, evident in her online homewares business – Luum.

“I’ve used colours that complement the soft pastel tones in our succulents, and balance well with tones of green. Cushions from my own range make the balcony inviting. The tables and daybed are from my ‘Simply’ range – bringing warmth through colour, natural timber and their simple form. I tend to find it easier to relax when surrounded by things that aren’t overcomplicated.”

Measuring approximately 4x6 metres, the space has been maximised with streamlined furniture and plants in pots as opposed to garden beds, while the kitchen and dining areas – adjacent to the balcony – have bi-fold doors that open to conjoin the indoor open-plan living space with the terrace.

The laser-cut metal screen is the hero – inspired by a need for privacy; balanced by the desire not to block too much of the Melbourne skyline. The simple geometry of the design complements the bold foliage scattered throughout the balcony, which, with the numerous potted plants inside, ensure a garden-like feel despite living in a dense urban landscape. 

“We have numerous potted plants inside and out to extend a garden-like feel in our dense urban landscape,” explains Nicola. Luum ‘Cup’ pots and Capra Designs ‘Crescent’ plant stand pictured.

PLANT STAND  /  POT  /  CUSHION  /  RUG  /  OUTDOOR SOFA  /  COFFEE TABLE

Love this space? Looking for more outdoor inspiration? You'll find this and more in our new Planted Magazine and the Endless Summer edition of Adore Home. Out in newsagents now.

Wanderlust: Bask & Stow, Byron Bay

There’s a little piece of paradise hidden in the back streets of Byron Bay called Bask & Stow. If you’re looking for boutique accommodation in the area, this is a must-stay.

Photography: Kara Hynes  /  Words: Loni Parker

When it comes to accommodation, I can be very picky as I’ve stayed at a number of beautiful boutique hotels in Australia and the US. So you can trust me when I say Bask & Stow really is an inspiring place to stay. I loved all of the design details both inside and out. White breeze block throughout gives a definite Palm Springs vibe – it’s safe to say my head was bubbling with design ideas for my future dream home.

There are four suites to choose from – sun, sea, sand and salt, each with its own unique coastal-inspired style. We stayed in the sea suite pictured above and right. Whilst the rooms aren’t huge, they did feel spacious thanks to the high ceilings and white walls and furniture. Plus you have your own private balcony – some with hanging cane chairs and outdoor table and bench seat.

The bathroom was pretty big, complete with bathtub and rain shower. I loved the luxurious details in the suite, like the marble floor tiles in the bathroom, leather door handles on the wardrobe and Slim Aarons print on the wall. There’s even a small kitchenette, but with so many great cafes and restaurants in Byron, you’ll want to eat out. On our trip we ate breakfast at Byron Fresh, grabbed some fish and chips from the kiosk at Beach for a casual lunch, and dined at the laid-back Byron Bay Brewery (try the sticky lamb ribs - they’re insanely good). It’s also worth noting Bask & Stow is a short walk from Top Shop, famous for its milkshakes, smoothies and casual bites.

Other features on-site include the shared plunge pool – a great spot to cool off in the afternoon.

Location-wise it is situated half-way between Tallows Beach and Byron Bay’s city centre, making it a great spot to enjoy the best of both worlds. There are great walkways along the beach – I’d highly recommend it on your stay. We walked up to the infamous lighthouse from Bask & Stow, which took us about an hour overall (there and back). It’s near impossible to get a car park up there in the summer, so walking is your best bet (plus great for walking off those lunches and dinners out!).

Overall I really enjoyed my stay, it’s the ideal spot for couples seeking a quiet weekend away in a tropical, relaxed setting. Click here to check out their website and to book your own escape.