Dulux Colour Forecast 2012-13

Palette 1 - "Immerse"

 I find the psychology behind colour forecasting really interesting. It is a culmination of information, change and myriad shifts that result in the trend watchers releasing the colour palettes that we will ultimately be featured in the clothes we wear, our decorating and even to a lesser extent the colours of the cars we drive.

Those living on the east coast, know how much grey has been in our world of late, so in an effort to lift spirits I have started with some blue..as in BLUE SKY!!!..(and I'll save the grey palette for another day!)
Here is the first in a series of 6 released by Dulux...

 

 

 

Parents Retreat

It's no surprise that I am the product of a very creative family. Dad is a retired builder and has amazing artistic ability & Mum has always been very stylish both in herself & the home.She is the reason I originally became interested in interior design in the first place!

 In fact, it was not unusual to come home from school to find the house completely re-arranged! We were always encouraged to explore our creativity as children ... something I need to do more of with my own!
(I just don't cope well with glitter, glue and mess!)

Mum always has a project on the go, and we recently recovered some chairs and spruced up the lounge room in time for Christmas!

The fabric is "Ikat" from Warwick Fabrics and, is of course, available at Natural Habitat Interiors & Design.

Summer Loving!

It's unanimous... this festive season was a cracker for our family so I thought I'd share some of our summer colour!

Christmas day was a joy, lunch for 16 went off without a hitch... apart from being a little late due to the bubbly affecting my memory and the baked potatoes being delayed!

This collage shows, my new rug from Armadillo and few christmas day dishes.... and before we knew it we were happily knocking 2011 off its perch and welcoming in 2012!

The weather co-operated beautifully again for New Years Day and the real unwinding began!

Whilst downloading the holiday snaps I was reminded how lucky we are to share such great times with family and friends in such a beautiful part of the world.

Picnics with sunshine and swimming, camping with fishing and reading... I can't think of a more inspiring way to start the year and hope that your break was enjoyable too!

Xmas Wishes

5 sleeps till Christmas!!!!
I know the years seem to speed up the older we get, however this one has been ridiculous!

Even my 8 year old looked up at me....(picture big wide blue eyes!) & proclaimed a month or two ago that "this has been the fastest year of my life!"...to which I laughed and responded " well hang on mate because it just gets faster!!"

It has been a very hectic one for Natural Habitat Interiors and I like to actually list (like all true OCD sufferers!) the achievements we have made....
to help validate the blur!

I won't bore you with all, but embracing social media (eg: blogging, business Facebook & Twitter)has been a biggie for this Gen X'r!

I don't confess to having grasped it all, but I've had a go!

Thankyou for reading my ramblings... I can't believe the volume of knowledge and talent out there in blogger land.

We are having a staycation this year with family joining us on the deck Christmas day. My youngest sister (aka greenbeenfood.blogspot.com)will be sorely missed as she spends her 1st Xmas in Melbourne with her gorgeous family.

Hopefully an early morning swim in the harbour, followed by lots of mess, noise and laughter will set the tone for the day.

Have a wonderful Christmas and I hope to post more regularly in the new year.

 

Loved this image so much.. courtesy of Luxxbox + Objx [info@luxxbox.com]

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Anthropology Fabric Range

We recieved the gorgeous new Anthropology fabric range this week. It is has an eclectic exotic appeal combining "the age old artistry of Asia & the Middle East with a fresh interpretation of colour." Thats the official blurb.... shown below in the watermelon colourway, it is sure to be a a hit as it draws its inspiration from classical kilims yet can easily be integrated into contemporary situations.

We love the room settings & styling Warwick have used for the photo shoot.....the range is well priced and the sample is available to take home on loan.

Sydney Snapshot

Last Friday, after a stressful week, Rob and I were off to Sydney to the Gasparre Holdings bi annual tile fare. The weather was foul and all Virgin flights to Sydney were cancelled resulting in a 4 hr bus trip to Coolangatta then on to Sydney...we arrived late in the evening and even worse, had to forfeit our long planned reservation at Flying Fish!

That said, a spot of christmas shopping (loved the latest packaging at Aesop!), cocktails and dancing on a balmy night at the Opera House forecourt along with attending the Picasso exhibition does wonders to lift the mood!

The new tile range from Gasparre Holdings were as usual, on trend and fabulous quality, and Cosimo's daughters new cashmere knitware range was an added bonus!

The exhibition was great, (I know its not a Picasso in the collage!), art classes were in full swing

and all in all, it ended up being a very inspiring mini break!

Cloth fabric

Check out the latest efforts from Julie Patterson & team from Cloth.

Natural Habitat LOVE their product... from fabric to homewares... and we can supply it to you!

http://www.clothfabric.com/?feed=rss2

Highlights - girls weekend away

Last weekend, I joined a group of girls (ie: mums that became friends through kids) and we headed north for a bit of r & r. We shopped, laughed and chatted our way to broadbeach, bangalow & back....we basically had a ball .... this a quick snippet of what captured my attention...taken on my trusty iphone as I had to travel light....

ps: the dog is a star!

Letterbox Makeover

Its been a big week of finally embracing social media...I have had twitter lessons,

a facebook refresher and discovered instagram...which I love!!!!

What do you think of our revamped letter box? I decided that stackstone had well and truly had its day..(it's been there since we opened in this location 7 years ago!).

Tiles are from Jatana Interiors and are also available through us.

see www.jatanainteriors.com.au for more of their range.

note: Murphy - CEO ..at the door :)

Some days are diamonds!!

Today was a great way to start the week.... we have been nominated for an "excellence in Service" award through Rotary and one of our recently completed projects is a finalist in 4 Categories of the AHA

"Awards for Excellence"

It is so lovely to have our work recognised....we love what we do and are grateful to the clients for the opportunities and the fabulous contractors that

make it happen!

Some days truly are diamonds!!!

The Royal Hotel

And finally, while still on the subject of hotels, The Royal is a lovely deco building in Armidale on the tablelands of NSW, that is barely recognisable from it's previous "life" !

Completely gutted and designed to cater for a different demographic, the hotel is now warm, inviting & family friendly ....
Stay tuned for more as we are full swing into a country themed heritage pub with another on the drawing board!

Yamba Shores Tavern

While I am on a roll, we also completed the Yamba Shores Tavern this year. Situated on the bank on the beautiful Clarence River this was a massive renovation that has been in the making for the past 2 years.

We worked closely with owners Matt & Kirsty Muir and the space has been transformed from a dated eighties relic to a fresh, vibrant and practical space.

Latitude 30 Degrees

This project involved the renovation of existing premises situated at the stunning

Marina at Coffs Harbour.

We resisted the urge to use any cliched "coastal hues" opting instead for a rich

and earthy palette to complement the tapas style menu and give locals an alternative atmosphere to other waterfront venues.

It has now been operating for several months with great success and I, for one, look forward to enjoying a mojito, a plate of tapas and watching the sun set at the end of a busy week!

Escaping the Winter Chill

We are back! Two weeks of blissful warmth...no cooking or cleaning....just lots of relaxing, laughing, snorkeling and

as my waistline can attest...

lots of eating and drinking.

Its back to reality...the tan has washed off but I am revitalised and ready to tackle some exciting new commercial projects. Loved the colour and textures that a tropical environment enjoy including the gorgeous "Vakabati" bed mats that were being aired by the villagers during a day trip.

Brightening Winter

Whilst the days are beautiful..crisp & clear, when the temperature goes below 10 degrees

I tend to shiver and moan!

So the latest studio display is a reaction to that...its seems I am in denial and this scheme(meant to be installed in January)  is not actually late...but early...for spring!!

Justification is my strong point! 

The fabrics are a mix of Warwick, Fabric Convention and Schumacher. Mirror, trays & lamptable are a great new find from the trade fair and the  chair itself is another roadside salvage that was repaired and sprayed.