Cosy rugs for Winter from Early Settler

The quickest way to warm your home this winter is adding a cosy, textured rug. These beautiful new rugs from Early Settler are not only on-trend, but soft underfoot.

Photography Mike Baker  /  Styling Heather Nette King

Chirala Bark hand-blocked rug pictured left (150 x 240cm) $299  /  Marakesh Trellis hand-tufted rug pictured right (240 x 300cm) $699

Bohemia Peeko hand-tufted rug (150 x 240cm) $499

Pebbles hand-woven rug (240 x 300cm) $999

Creating a cosy winter atmosphere doesn’t require a big budget – just big ideas. And it all starts from the ground up, which is the essence of Early Settler’s 2018 rug collection. Both contemporary and traditional, the warm, welcoming rugs are ones you can literally sink your toes into, as you gently ease into the peace that comes with returning home.

Here is a few of our favourite styles from the new range – we’re equally impressed with the styles on offer and the affordable price tags. Shop the collection by clicking here.

Marrakesh Peacock hand-tufted rug (150 x 240cm) $399

Nomad Diamond hand-tufted rug (240 x 300cm) $799

Aston Milan Palm Springs Style Home

I’m always swooning over Aston Milan’s home designs, so when I discovered their newest display home is situated at The Surrounds in Helensvale on the Gold Coast, I just had to visit. Here’s a little look inside.

Photography Mark Zeidler

Looking at display homes on the weekend has become my new favourite hobby. It’s a chance to dream about my future home and get inspired by the various designs. It’s also a great way to quickly figure out what you like and what you don’t like. For me, I love homes with high ceilings, the kitchen and living/dining zones situated at the rear of the home looking out to the backyard, and large sliding windows or bi-fold doors that bring the outdoors in. This particular home called The Desert (part of Aston Milan's black label collection) ticks all of those boxes and is probably the best interpretation of Palm Springs-style that I’ve ever seen in Australia. Everything from the elegant furnishings through to the breeze block wall outside, to the palm tree atrium in the centre of the home, screams Palm Springs.

If you’re looking for something fun to do this weekend, I recommend checking this home out in person – it is truly amazing, and so much better in person (the master suite with dressing room and bathroom was amazing and probably as big as my one bedroom apartment)!

Trend: Velvet Garden

ART  /  PENDANT LIGHT  /  TRAY  /  PINK CUSHION  /  GREEN CUSHION  /  QUILT  /  BENCH SEAT
TURTLE  /  CANDLE  /  SOFA  /  RUG  /  POT + PLANT STAND  /  VASE  /  COFFEE TABLE

NEW HOTEL: THE COLLECTIONIST

Malmo room by Willis Sheargold

Sydney’s newest hotel – The Collectionist – is offering a custom experience for its guests, with each and every room completely unique in its design. Here’s a quick tour of our favourite rooms.

Photography Terence Chin

Grigio room by Willis Sheargold

Nasim room by Pattern Studio

When I was a kid I used to love ‘choose your own adventure’ books, so when I discovered that The Collectionist (located in Camperdown, Sydney) seems to offer a similar experience for hotel guests, I was sold! This whole concept really excites me because a) It’s different, and b) I love the idea of choosing a room that reflects my taste. The eclectically designed hotel offers an individual experience, opting away from standard ‘cookie-cutter’ décor. The Collectionist commissioned the talents of seven designers from four leading design studios, and 13 artists, to create 39 individually designed rooms and lobby space. 

Rita Velour room by Amber Road

Rita Velour courtyard by Amber Road

The design teams credited with bringing The Collectionist concept to life include Andrew Cliffe from The World is Round; Yasmine Ghoniem and Katy Svalbe from Amber Road; Susie Willis and Matt Sheargold from Willis Sheargold; and Josh Cain and Lily Goodwin from Pattern Studio; while the overall construction has been managed by Unita.

Benni Hasheeh room by Amber Road

Benni Hasheeh room by Amber Road

The Maritime room by Willis Sheargold

Cloud Runner room by The World Is Round

Instead of rooms being allocated, guests are invited to peruse available rooms on check-in and choose their room based on the style, colour, texture and design – just as they would a work of art. Genius! This is a revolutionary change to the traditional hotel check-in process, where rooms are pre-allocated; and to room design, where the variety is limited. The Collectionist’s digital booking process is carried through at check-in with access codes to rooms communicated via email and SMS. However, the personal touch remains an important element with social drinks hosted by a bartender between 4pm and 8pm. Rooms are priced from $200-$260 per night depending on the size and whether an outdoor space is included.

Click here to book a room.

The Drawing Room by The World Is Round

Celeste room by Pattern Studio

Pepo Melone room by Willis Sheargold

Space Crush: Prado

I’ve always known Portugal was home to some amazing interior designers, so it was no surprise when I discovered Prado restaurant and adjoining grocery shop was designed by Portuguese-based Arkstudio.

When I first clapped eyes on Prado Restaurant on Instagram, my jaw dropped to the floor! I was swooning over every aspect of this amazing restaurant, everything from the lighting to that delightful deep minty green painted on the walls and the high ceilings adorned with greenery. And then I discovered Prado also have their own boutique grocery store, and that’s when the swooning really began. Oh my mind is bubbling away with ideas, I could see how these colours and textures could translate well into a residential home – perhaps in a kitchen/dining space. But enough of my babbling – have a looksy for yourself – enjoy the inspiration!

DISPLAY CABINET  /  PENDANT LIGHT  /  WALLPAPER  /  CUSHION  /  BUTTERFLY TRAY  /  LEAF TRAY  
SERVING BOARD  /  DINING CHAIR  /  PAPER ROLLER  /  PLANTER  /  WOODEN BOX  /  HANDLE 

Toowoomba City Guide

My partner and I spent last weekend in Toowoomba, exploring the beautiful parks, street art-filled laneways and stuffing our faces with tasty culinary delights! Here’s my guide to a fun gourmet weekend away in the Garden City (just an hour and a half drive from Brisbane).

Photography Mark Zeidler

I have to say, Toowoomba is not what it used to be. Once a sleepy country town, it has undergone a massive rejuvenation in recent years and is a pretty hip place to be now! There are plenty of amazing eateries, cool street art in the various laneways and you can even do a spot of retail shopping too thanks to the brand new Grand Central shopping centre.

I was super impressed with Walton Stores – a laneway precinct filled with a diverse range of casual dining options. We ate both lunch and dinner at Junk – an Asian street food restaurant, and I can happily report the food was absolutely delish!

The streets throughout Toowoomba city are filled with laneways – made more charming now by all of the street art covering the buildings’ walls. Toowoomba have the First Coat International Art Festival to thank for the city’s large scale murals from artists all across the globe. It’s fun to stumble across all of the various murals and they certainly make the city more vibrant!

It seems almost every suburb in Toowoomba has some form of beautifully landscaped park or garden – and two you should definitely check out are Queens Park and the Japanese Gardens at USQ. Pack a picnic lunch and take in the leafy surroundings. If you’re headed to Queens Park and love heritage homes, take a walk around the surrounding streets. There are some gorgeous homes and well worth a sticky beak! And if you’re a flower enthusiast like myself, you’ll want to visit in September for the Carnival of Flowers.

Located in a narrow laneway off Ruthven Street (one of the main streets in Toowomba’s city centre), Ground Up Espresso Bar is THE place for coffee in Toowoomba. I can attest their breakfasts are equally tasty, and that’s partly thanks to them using the best sourdough in town (from cult-like bakery The Baker’s Duck). The service was also warm and friendly. If we were to move to Toowoomba, this would be our regular breakfast hangout spot.

We also had breakfast at Emeraude – a micro region eatery in the sleepy town of Hampton (a half hour drive out of Toowoomba). The food was absolutely divine, and well worth the drive. All of the fruit, vegetables and meat are sourced locally in the immediate region, making for the best (and freshest) gourmet experience you’re likely to ever have.

No trip to Toowoomba would be complete without a spot of shopping at Harolds Finishing Touches. Owner Aaron is such a delight to chat to, and has a carefully curated selection of homewares on offer. I highly doubt you’ll leave empty-handed. There are so many treasures to find in store. The good news for those of you who don’t live nearby - they also have an online shop!

Another cute store to check out is The Bungalow and Basket, and they have a great little coffee and cake bar inside too. And there are so many more cafes and restaurants than what I have listed here. We just didn’t have time to try everywhere – it definitely is a great excuse to go back for another visit. In fact, I’m even contemplating moving to Toowoomba. I can totally picture myself living there. And it doesn’t hurt that the housing is much more affordable than Brisbane. Has anyone else contemplated a country or sea change to a smaller city/town? I’m keen to give it a go. I’ve always said so long as there is a courier service and internet, I can work anywhere (as I work from home)!

Trend: Moody Blooms

ARMCHAIR  /  THROW  /  ART PRINT  /  BLACK & WHITE PRINT  /  CUSHION  /  LAMP
BEDHEAD  /  BEDSIDE TABLE  /  RUG  /  CANDLE  /  POUFFE  /  QUILT COVER

Pre-order new Escape Edition Now!

Photography Mindi Cooke  /  Styling Kylie Jackes

Our brand new Escape edition is almost here and available now for pre-order through our online shop. Here’s a little taste of what’s in this issue.

Photography Mindi Cooke  /  Styling Kylie Jackes

Welcome to the Escape edition – inspired by my recent trip to California. This issue is all about leaving the ordinary behind and discovering extraordinary destinations, lust-worthy home tours and dreamy bedrooms. Our front cover is just one of those lust-worthy homes – we have featured Kayla Boyd in her amazing kitchen, and well I just couldn’t be happier with the end result – it’s a truly stunning cover right?! Wait til you see the full home tour – I’ve added another little sneak peek look inside, of the bathroom (pictured above). And now I’m lusting after those pink concrete sinks, sigh, just add it to my ever increasing list of must-haves!

If the Scandinavian hygge trend (Danish for cosiness and comfort) is calling your name this winter, you’ll want to step inside Hailey McGinty’s Sunshine Coast abode (pictured below), layered in muted creamy tones and accented with touches of blush.

Photography Mindi Cooke  /  Styling Kylie Jackes

Photography Tanya Zouev  /  Styling Maddy Evennett

Check out Instagram super-star Maddy Evennett of @hutchinson.house’s easy-breezy coastal home (pictured above), it will surely inspire! And for dreamy bedroom inspiration – read our feature, featuring three very different bedrooms, all of which that have embraced natural colours to create a cosy, restful space.

Photography and styling Haus of Cruze

If you’ve ever pondered a trip to the Golden State, all of my recommendations can be found in our special California Dreamin’ feature. The Adore Escape edition is available online for pre-order now (click here to buy) and in newsagents Thursday 14 June.

Concrete Goodness from Harpers Project

Love the industrial and raw look that concrete can bring? You’ll simply adore Harpers Project’s new line of furniture combining concrete with handcrafted eco-friendly timber.

With the Scandinavian mantra, “Buy Once, Buy Well” in mind, Harpers Project produce furniture that will last the test of time. Well-known for their work with marble and solid hardwood, they’ve chosen to expand their range using concrete – introducing a new stool, coffee table and rectangle and round dining tables.

We also adore their full range of homewares and furniture and with most of their online store on sale right now, we thought we'd share some of our favourite styles below.

SHOP OUR FAVE PRODUCTS

Trend: Dreamy Rose

ART PRINT  /  CHAIR  /  TRAY  /  THROW  /  SCONCE  /  QUILT SET  /  LAMP
BEDHEAD  /  MIRROR  /  BEDSIDE TABLE  /  RUG  /  ROUND CUSHION  /  CUSHION