I’m dreaming of a chandelier for my living room and Mud Studio has the one that I want though there is no way I can afford it so it will remain on my dream wish list for a very long time. I’ve become obsessed with Mud Studio, a fan for a few years now but even more now as their beaded chandelier continues to captivate me and my affection for it only grows stronger by the day… Here it is shown in the home of the founders of Mud Studio, Werner and Philippa du Toit, who live in South Africa along with other wares from Mud Studio that I’m dreaming of…
Mud Studio is on one hand, earthly and natural and on the other, very chic I think. I wouldn’t mind having some of their dinnerware, it’s right up there on my Astier de Villatte wish list!
Speaking of Africa, I’ll be in Amsterdam tomorrow (I know, sounds unrelated but I’ll get to that in a moment) for a few days with Debi Treloar as we will begin the first batch of shoots for my next interiors book to be published simultaneously by Chronicle Books (US) and Jacqui Small Publishing (UK). I’m very excited because my home will be in my next book, something I’ve been hoping for, but beyond that I can’t wait to share more of the homes I love with you and to give you more inspiration and ideas through my words and ideas. I’m excited!
But anyway, in Amsterdam, there is a shop called From Africa With Love that I heard opened not too long ago that specializes in design from Africa and I just know I’ll love it. It’s my top priority of things to do during my free time this week between shoots and I’ll even do some shopping with Stephanie Rammeloo from Dreamboat, an amazing stylist and author who had her home in my book and she is such a lovely person to spend time with. I feel so lucky that decor8 has opened so many doors for me to meet so many talented, generous people out there…
(images: mud studio)
I’ve known and featured Heather Moore from African interiors brand Skinny laMinx for years now and have enjoyed watching her grow her business into a now successful and known brand in South Africa and beyond. With a brand new Skinny laMinx store and studio in Cape Town that just opened last month, Heather takes her business seriously and loves her creative company.
A self-taught designer with a background in education and illustration, she sells screen-printed fabrics and homegoods that are available in her Etsy shop and at Heath Ceramics in California along with many other locations worldwide.
When I asked Heather about her new store and why she opened it she revealed, “For some time, I’d been looking looking for a special space that could house both shop and studio, where I could meet my customers, give them a peek into what goes on behind the scenes at Skinny laMinx, and also use the shop as a lab for testing new products and designer collaborations.I spotted a freshly placed To Let sign on my way to my favourite morning coffee spot on Cape Town’s Bree Street one morning, and within just over a month, with the help of my friend and architect, Jo Anderson, we managed to transform a greasy scooter garage into a chic and clean-lined store filled with eye-candy for fabric lovers.”
In the photo above you can see a series of solid brass pegs and steel shelves entitled “The Skinny” by Cape Town design duo Pedersen + Lennard .This installation is a showcase of a brand new product developed especially for her shop.
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In her shop she carries the complete line of Skinny laMinx tea towels, cushions, table runners, tablecloths, table napkins and stationery as well as retail fabric sales from the studio. You can also order custom 50s-style sofas in Skinny laMinx fabrics along with vintage Danish furniture and accessories.
Beautiful new space Heather, congratulations!
(images: heather moore)
It’s always a pleasure to find beautiful places and things to point you to, and today I have a couple of great ones starting with EST magazine. I’ve talked about this gorgeous e-mag before but their current issue just went live a few hours ago and it is definitely work a peek. It’s so inspirational and packed with modern, well-edited rooms and in this issue, lots of Scandinavian shout outs. I love the trend report with shots of pink and the fashion spread with all of the happy Spring tones. See for yourself…
My favorite room in this magazine…
Stunning display and yummy concrete floors.
Just add pink!
I have the lamp shown above, it’s from Muuto and is a favorite piece in my studio space at home. The pillow reminds me of a disco ball so of course I love it!
This image is a favorite because I own the same rug (though mine is a bit pinker) and sometimes seeing things that you own in another person’s home is a bit fun, isn’t it?
How is that for a little inspiration and eye candy? Great issue, EST!
(images: est magazine)
Hello friends, it is Leslie here with January’s edition of Color Me Pretty. How are you? I hope that you are doing good and I’m happy to be with you for another year on decor8 with my column. I hope you enjoy and look forward to my color stories and craft ideas each month. For January, I find myself thinking about bright fluorescent pink during these long rainy days in the Pacific Northwest. It’s definitely a trend, I see it everywhere at the moment – especially in fashion, on blogs and over at Pinterest!
Instead of mixing bright pink with the typical winter grey I thought it would be fun to use Kraft paper brown along with some softer shades of pink and a light blue. It’s fun to try something new.
Color cravings can be very fleeting in creative projects and I have a hard time playing in the typical colors of the season. Do you know what I mean? I am like many who tend to want what we can’t have! In the winter I long for summer colors to contrast the dark days and in the summer I daydream about snowy white, pale grey and chocolate browns. I guess it comes back to texture, as any color can look great applied to the right material. Warm cream cable knits in winter and then the same creamy color on linens and leather in summer. These days anything goes if you love it and it helps you feel creative.
I pulled out my watercolors one evening last week and had fun creating triangle and striped patterns in the shape of hearts. I thought they would make a nice card to top off some simply wrapped presents. You can do this with any bright paper. Just make yourself a little template to make things go faster.
Another home craft project I have been thinking about and finally got around to making is this little dreamcatcher. I liked the notion of something catching your good dreams. With a new year upon us it is nice to do something to remind us of what we are dreaming about for ourselves and for others. I wrapped a metal hoop from Michael’s with some cream washi tape. I then tied a crochet doily with some string to the hoop. Finally, instead of feathers I decided to use beads, which I threaded on string and then tied to the hoop. After making one, I now have ideas on how I want to make dozens more! So watch out I may have more featured in the column next month!
I hope you have had a wonderful start to 2012. I look forward to seeing you back here next month. Take good care! – xo, Leslie.
(styling/images: leslie shewring
I really like the work of stylist Jenni Juurinen in Finland and find these two photos from her portfolio quite lovely, particularly the spoons dipped in neutral color paints and the gorgeous wallpaper…
I found Jenni via Emmas inspirational pinboard… Don’t you just love Emma’s eye? I do. She really curates such lovely pins and her love of white, clean spaces makes her a kindred spirit of mine for sure! Here are a few more from Jenni’s portfolio – I think the pendant lights with the wooden beads are amazing and wonder who makes them. Such a clever idea! I’m also crazy about charcoal gray walls at the moment so these rooms make me happy…
And speaking of Finland, did you know that my book is now available in Finnish?! I know, right? Serious! I’m so excited to think of it being in Finnish book shops. Quite cool! It is called, “”Sisusta tyylillä – 1000 inspiroivaa sisustusideaa kodin jokaiseen huoneeseen” and is available for purchase here.
Does anyone know the name/manufacturer of the wallpaper shown above in the second image?
(images: jenni juurinen)
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