Styling with Books.

February 13, 2015 by Hayley 3 Comments

Do you judge a book by it’s cover? I totally do, I mean, if I’m looking at a design book and they can’t get the front cover right, then what hope does the rest of the book have, honestly? I’m a sucker for a fabulous front cover and I don’t mind admitting it. I use books for decoration and styling in my own home, so often the cover or the spine is the first thing I’m interested in. Sometimes though, I do get sucked in by an inviting front cover only to find the book is not so fabulous inside. I want to share with you some of my favourite books, the ones with the beautiful front covers and equally as gorgeous content.

ADORE is the first book launched by the very popular online magazine – Adore Magazine, The dust jacket is crisp white and glossy gold with a hot pink spine, and if you undress her she is a vibrant hot pink fabric. ADORE is full of bright, happy homes and is sure to inspire you to add a splash of colour into your own home.

ISLAND STYLE by India Hicks. If you love the british colonial style, with a little bit of bohemian thrown in, you will adore this book. I have a book of the same title by India Hicks printed in 2004. This new book is due for release in March. I’m sure it will share many of the same relaxed living spaces and pictures from the original book, but I’m hoping there will be lots of new images to drool over, because the cover is enough to make me buy this book again.

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL THINGS by Anna Spiro is one of the most inspiring books I’ve picked up in a long time. Yes, I bought it because the cover is a magnificent work of art, painted by Anna’s sister-in-law Pip Spiro (formerly Boydell). But once I started reading this book, my entire views on decorating changed. The book is full of mis-matched, imperfect, real homes that are inviting, warm and soulful. It gave me the courage to follow my heart, and not worry about things matching or being on trend.

PLACE TO GO PEOPLE TO SEE by Kate Spade has a visually stunning cover. This is more of a picture book, full of beautiful images, it is perfect for a coffee table book, and great for styling with that pop of kelly green.

These next two book are a couple of my favourites that I refer back to often.

LIVING ON THE COAST by Barclay Butera is a charming book of coastal cottages, beach houses and more luxurious homes decorated with bold colours, pattern-on-pattern and lots’ of blue and white. And Hello, That cover is stunning, when can I move in?

Nathan Turner’s AMERICAN STYLE is Californian chic, he shares his ideas for relaxed and stylish living spaces that won’t cost you the earth.

I don’t have these book, but I see them popping up in images everywhere, They are on my wish list. Does anybody have them?

IN THE SPIRIT OF MIAMI BEACH / THE HAMPTONS / PALM BEACH.

These are also on my expanding and never ending wish list, just because they have fabulous covers …. Allegra Hicks, AN EYE FOR DESIGN, PALM BEACH ENTERTAINING by Annie Falk and LIFE’S A BEACH by Martin Parr.

Hayley x

Wallpaper everything I say!

February 11, 2015 by Hayley 5 Comments

Today I’m talking about Wallpaper, I love it and would wallpaper every room in my house if I had the choice. I often get asked what brand my wallpaper is and where it’s from, today I’ll answer all your questions.

This is the wallpaper I have in my front entry. It is by Nina Campbell from the Birdcage Walk story, and it’s called Pagoda Garden. It is a soft blue and is masses of bamboo leaves, I love it because it gives my entry a tropical vibe while still keeping within my colour scheme. It is available in an array of colours. I bought mine from The Elephant Room.

I have a Cole & Sons wallpaper in my bedroom, It is from the Banbury range and is called Stone Trellis. I chose it because I am often changing the bed linen in my bedroom, and this graphic trellis pattern is easy to mix with florals, patterns and solids. The navy blue goes well with many colours, I especially love it with a pop of pink. I bought it from Tangletree Interiors in the UK. I needed to use my USA mail forwarding service to get this one. I use Shipito.

My daughter has a pretty Laura Ashley wallpaper in her bedroom. It is girly and pretty with fresh colours, she loves it. It is called Summer Palace in the duck egg colour. It is from Laura Ashley.

And lastly, My son has a huge world map wallpaper in his room. It is vibrant and boyish, without being babyish, I think it is a great option for little boys room that will grow with them for many years. It is from Telescopes & Astronomy.

Here are some I would love to use in the future. First on my list is something from Anna Spiro’s range available from Black & Spiro, the graphic patterns are so bold, and the colour choices although equally as bold are easy colours to work into many colour schemes. I love the Round and Round the Garden in Ginger Jar Blue. And Anna is from right here in Brisbane, Australia! #mumlittleloves

F. Schumacher & Co has been one of the leading textile designers for over 100 years, and you can see why. They supply some off the best selling ranges of all time. They are clear favourites of many interior decorators worldwide. Here are some of my favourites, Imperial Trellis, Chiang Mai Dragon, Nanjing and Iconic Leopard.

The Dana Gibson Collection for Stroheim is full of bright colours and fun prints. I adore everything she does! Here are two that make me smaile, Peregrine in Multi Bright and Montenegro in Multi Bright.

Ralph Lauren Home has a stunning range of wallpapers, they really know how to do blue and white to perfection. Here are a couple I’d love to use in my home, Basil Stripe in Porcelain and Homeport novelty in Marine.

Thibaut is another leader in the world of wallcoverings, I found these bright and fun prints that would bring life into any room. Doesn’t the Island Ikat make you want to sip a cocktail by the water, And it comes in so many beautiful colourways I had to share 2!

Did you see something you like? Do you have any more questions? Contact me anytime, I’d love to hear from you!

Hayley x

February 7 Vignettes

February 9, 2015 by Hayley 8 Comments

The first week of every month, I ogle and drool at all the beautiful ‘7 Vignette’ pictures on Instagram. You know the ones, the artfully arranged flat lays of fruit & flowers, the chubby little children’s hands cupping a perfect cookie, or the light filled photo of curated & collected objects that tell a beautiful story. Here are some of the daily winners from February to give you a taste of what I’m talking about, click on the pic to take you to the IGers page.

‘7 Vignettes’ is the creation of Jen from The Interiors Addict. Starting on the first day of the month, and running for 7 days, with daily photo themes or words, you post a picture and use the hashtag #7vignettes. Here’s a list of this months themes –

I’ve always longed to join in, but didn’t think I had what it takes. This year, in the interest of ‘no regrets’ I am doing all those things that I never had the courage to do. I am proud of my efforts, and I wanted to share them with you.

I decided to go with a secondary theme of my bed and bedside table to make my 7 vignettes cohesive. This is definitely not necessary, but I felt it was easier to control the 1001 ideas racing through my head if I restricted myself to one concept.

It looks like I have an amazing array of fabulous linens in these pictures, but just between you and me – there are all kinds of things masquerading as linen and throw rugs in these pics, for example the ‘neutral’ pic has a cable knit poncho pretending to be a throw. I didn’t buy anything, but just foraged things from around the house. You don’t need lots of fabulous decor items, or a professional camera (all my pics were taken on my iPhone), or a background in styling (nope), just a little bit of thought and 10 minutes a day (ok, 20 if you need to change the bed back).

It was great fun, the #7vignettes community is friendly, supportive and encouraging. I encourage you all to have a go next month!

Hayley x

Feathers, Tassels & Shells …

February 6, 2015 by Hayley Leave a Comment

Recently while I was doing some talent scouting for my Instagram #mumlittleloves segment, I came across Loha Home, and I seriously stopped in my tracks. I featured Loha Home the very next day, I was so excited to share the beautiful art pieces with you all. Loha Home had such a positive reaction and so many of you asked for more details. So, I thought I would dig a little deeper and introduce you to the face behind Loha Home. Meet Penny!

Penny, who has worked in the fashion industry for over 20 years, is the face behind Loha Home. The business name ‘Loha’ comes from Penny’s favourite word Aloha, which means Hello and Goodbye, as well as Love and Peace. In the Hawaiian language, Aloha stands for much more than just these words, it’s deeper meaning is “the joyful (oha) sharing (alo) of life energy (ha) in the present”.

Penny finds much of her creative energy from the beachside town of Torquay, where she recently moved to from Melbourne, with her husband and 2 daughters. She says “I have embraced the beach lifestyle and find so much inspiration around me”.

Penny’s pieces are embellished with objects that give them a 3 dimensional effect. “I love feathers, tassels and shells, plus I’m a sucker for a splash of neon” she says. These are some of the elements that make each and every piece of her art unique. They are individually created and embellished, not mass produced, and that’s what makes them so special. Prices start at $280, which is pretty fabulous for a framed, one of a kind, piece of art!

I am lucky enough to have one of Penny’s pieces in my home, It is so much more stunning in person. It looks absolutely perfect next to my bed with my navy blue trellis wallpaper, don’t you think?

Penny is currently working on her website which is coming soon, keep an eye out here at Mum Little Loves and I’ll let you all know when it’s live. You can also follow Penny on Instagram @loha_home. If you just fell in love with Penny’s art like I did, your in luck! Penny has kindly extended an exclusive offer to Mum Little Loves readers – If you purchase a piece of art from Loha Home before the 20th February you will receive FREE courier postage within Australia! (Hint : Valentine’s Day is fast approaching!) You can contact Penny at penny@loha.net.au

Happy Shopping!

Hayley x

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