Real Homes : Melissa and Jason.

June 1, 2015 by Hayley 7 Comments

We all see those amazing photos in the glossy magazines of those incredible houses that are styled to perfection. They are decorated with designer furniture and trinkets that are so expensive, most of us would have to sell one of our kidneys to afford them. I thought it would be fun to take a peek in some ‘real’ homes of ‘real’ people. Homes where people live and play, with children and animals, with handprints on the wall, and furniture bought from shops that we can actually afford.

What do y’all think?

First up is one of my besties homes, you can probably tell why we are friends, we have similar taste, and we shop well together (when we’re not bitch fighting over a ginger jar). I know your going to love her home as much as I do.

Mel and Jason bought this home about 6 years ago and have slowly renovated the whole home, room by room.

Lets start with the front entry, where you can just catch a glimpse of the gorgeous home beyond. The downstairs flooring is polished concrete with a gold fleck through it, although its hard to capture in photos, it is rather pretty.

Through the front entry, you naturally gravitate toward the casual living area. They call it the ‘man cave’ but I’ve got to tell you, it’s about as far from a man cave as you can get. Mel has slowly brought in pretty pieces and made it into a beautiful room, full of coastal charm and beautiful blues. It opens out to the waterfront with a wall of bi-fold shutters and is light filled and airy. Everyone loves this room, and as it was originally meant to be Jason’s media man cave, he is happy to accept all compliments about this room, and often takes credit for Mel’s interior decorating skills. Yes Jay-son (his self appointed interior designer name), nobody believes you!

Let’s move into the kitchen. Mel and Jason have kept most of the original kitchen, but just by changing the back splash and rangehood, and adding a new floral blind and pendant lights they have updated it and given it loads of character.

This attention demanding cabinet houses all of Mel’s pretty china, she has a weakness for jugs, can you tell? Also in the kitchen area is a little desk nook, I love this idea, because lets face it, most of our paperwork piles up in the kitchen and never makes it to the office!

The kitchen leads on to the dining room which is a beautiful room surrounded by white shutters, it feels intimate and is perfect for dining.

On the other side of the dining room is the formal living area. I say formal, but nothing is too formal here. Mel and Jason have created a relaxed family home where you feel comfortable enough to throw your feet up on the couch, which is just the way I like it.

Also downstairs you will find a beautiful, blue, guest bedroom with stunning wallpaper and classic bed linens. Wouldn’t you love to be a guest here?

The downstairs / guest bathroom is timeless and stunning with a selection of subway tiles hand picked by Mel and Jason. They work well together and this bathroom is my favourite.

No room has been left untouched, even the laundry has had a facelift, and isn’t it gorgeous with it’s butlers sink and nautical wall display. And those lights are pretty special too!

Lets go upstairs and have a peek in Mel and Jason’s bedroom and ensuite. Their bedroom is decorated in an array of beautiful blues and feels relaxed and peaceful. The ensuite is finished with layers of marble tiles and shiny nickel hardware. It flows perfectly and feels serene, just like a master bedroom should.

And just because Mel and Jason are so good at renovating bathrooms I thought I’d show you the third bathroom as well. It is the kids bathroom, and is also finished beautifully.

What do you think? Isn’t is a beautiful family home?

You can find Melissa on Instagram – @melly2605

Do you want to see more ‘Real Homes’? I know I do! If you have a home you think I should feature please let me know, e-mail me some pics or tag me on Instagram.

Hayley x

FYI : All photos were taken by me (not a pro photographer) on my iPhone, on a rather dull day. Sorry! I hope I did your beautiful home justice Mel! xx

Girls Bedrooms.

May 29, 2015 by Hayley 2 Comments

I have 3 kids. My 2 girls are 12 and 14 and I have always had so much fun decorating their rooms. I find it easy to create pretty girls rooms, and if you follow me on Instagram you would see that I am always changing their rooms, it is such a fun space to play in. I change their linen, cushions, wall hangings and art often.

Last week a did a post about boys rooms, and this week I am following up with some favourite shopping finds for girls rooms.

Here are a couple of photos of my girls rooms, yes, the pics are a few months old and I change them all the time, but trying to get their entire room clean like this is a mission! So, you get the idea …

We are currently planning new bedrooms for both of my girls, I am busy collecting the perfect pieces. Both of my girls rooms are being planned around cushions. I know that is the wrong way to do these things, but they both found cushions that they love, so I am using them as my room inspiration.

These are some of their favourite things.

FURNITURE

Love chair in Mint | The Family Love tree

LINEN

Leela block print quilt | Kalyana Textiles

Duvet cover in Building Block | Lazybones

Cross my Heart Pillowcase | Me and Zebedee

CUSHIONS

Pink flamingo & linen | Villa de Luxe Boutique

The Meander cushion in Sea Foam | Frankie Jean

Pink Dove decorative cushion | Dreamers Inc.

ACCESSORIES

il_570xN.772369291_e2dn — Weave | Zoe Loves Ava

Do you have a pretty girls room you’d like to share? I’d love to see it!

Or do you know of any fabulous products that would be perfect for a tween/teens girls room, I’d really love to see them. I’m looking forward to creating 2 gorgeous new rooms for my girls, and I can’t wait to show you all when I’m finished!

As always, click on the picture to go to shopping.

Happy Shopping!
Hayley x

Table Linen, part 2.

May 27, 2015 by Hayley Leave a Comment

As promised on my post about table linen on Monday, I’m continuing on with my picks of the best placemats, coasters and table runners to complete your dining table.

Obviously, you don’t need all of these elements for your table. If your using a tablecloth you don’t need a placemat, coaster or runner, but you can layer them up if you wish. It all depends on the mood your trying to create. You can keep it simple and classy or you can layer up the linens in lots of colours for a more playful occasion. I love mixing it up.

PLACEMATS

Rattan Placemat, recessed brown | Alfresco Emporium

COASTERS

TABLE RUNNERS

Indigo Hamptons Table runner | Peacocks and Paisleys

Hemstitch runner, available in a variety of colours, pictured in Sea Mist |Alfresco Emporium — Hemstitch runner, available in a variety of colours, pictured in Sea Mist | Alfresco Emporium

Here’s a couple of tables I have set recently. I use whatever I have on hand for my table. There are no rules. I like to use table runners across the table rather than down the table to create placemats for each person. I also like to use small trays instead of placemats, it makes serving and clearing away easy too!

As always, click on the picture to go shopping. I hope you found something you like.

Oh and one last thing, table linen can be so pretty that you probably don’t want to hide it away when it’s not in use, so don’t! I often have a pile of linen sitting on my kitchen bench, I love the pop of colour it brings.

Happy Shopping!

Hayley x

Table Linen.

May 25, 2015 by Hayley 1 Comment

I did a post about styling your dining table a few weeks ago, if you missed it you can see it here. Today I wanted to share some beautiful table linens to dress your tables.

Firstly, lets talk about selecting the right size and fabric.

Select a tablecloth that has a drop of approximately 25cm for casual dining, and a little longer at around 35-40cm for a more formal dinner service (It should hit the lap of the diner). Always buy a couple of extra napkins in case one gets stained.

Now that’s sorted, you need to choose a fabric. There are 3 fabrics most tablecloths are made from – Linen, Cotton or Polyester.

Linen is the ultimate luxury in table linen. Linen drapes beautifully and has a great durability which is why you often see linen pieces being passed down through generations. It will last forever, but does require a little more work by washing on a delicate cycle and ironing while still slightly damp to get a lovely crisp finish.

Cotton is a popular option. It is low maintenance, and can be washed on a regular cycle, it can also be bleached, as is often required for table linen. A quick run over with the iron is all it needs. A cotton / linen blend is a great option to get the best of both worlds.

Polyesters are popular due to their strength and durability. They are pretty much indestructible. They hold colour well and can be washed many times over without showing any signs of wear. No ironing required, just wash and dry! Be careful to select a woven texture, preferably in a lighter hue to avoid the horrid synthetic sheen.

Let’s have a look at some beautiful linens! Tap on the picture to go shopping.

TABLECLOTHS