It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Swedish photographer, Petra Bindel, I have featured her work before on the blog, here and here. The interiors she photographs always inspire me with their unique style.
I love the dark walls and crisp white trim in this room (below) looking through to the gorgeous teal room beyond. The touches of teal and green in the foreground room provide a link to the room behind.
I'm particularly drawn to the dramatic moody colour palette of charcoal, teal and indigo blue at the moment. Soften with white and bring warmth with wood and metallics.
Also high on my list of current faves is a modern take on traditional plaids and checks. I love taking something old and giving it a new twist.
To see more of Petra's work check out her website, and also Cameralink, I'm sure you'll be as inspired as I am.
You may remember how I blogged about how much I was loving my new SodaStream machine at the end of last year. Well, it's been a lifesaver through these hot summer months, and we've had fun creating lots of delicious drinks. I especially love SodaStreamFree, which is a range of fruit flavoured concentrates that contain only a fraction of the calories and sugar of other regular soft drinks.
Dael & I spent this morning putting together some of our favourite healthy hydration creations using fresh fruit, mint (fantastic in drinks), lots of ice, and SodaStream Free caps. Let me tell you, our little studio was smelling divine, and we were set for drinks for the rest of the day.
The first we called "Apple-Peach Pick Me Up". We start all our drinks with lots of ice; then we filled a mason jar cup with diced peaches, nectarines, and watermelon, slices of lemon, and fresh mint leaves; and topped with Apple-Peach SodaStream. The sweet, zingy taste had us feeling energised and ready for the day.
This pretty little number is "Green Tea-Lychee Twist". The SodaStream Green Tea-Lychee flavour is divine on it's own - light and fresh, a real thirst quencher - so we kept it simple with some ice, watermelon and a slice of lemon on the side. This would be great on a hot afternoon with your girlfriends.
My personal fave is our "Fresh Lemon-Licious". Combine lots of ice, fresh mint, lemon slices and SodaStream Fresh Lemon to make the perfect summer cooler.
To find out more about SodaStream NZ visit their website and Facebook page, and have fun coming up with your own yummy recipes.
Last year Dael & I worked with a gorgeous young family who had relocated from Auckland to the beautiful Hawke's Bay. They have a fantastic new home with lots of lovely pieces, but Caryn just wanted some help to pull things together, starting with their entranceway.
It's a large, light and bright entrance with hallways on both sides leading to other areas of the home. The wall opposite the front door was the perfect place to create a welcoming vignette, but we felt the console table was a bit small, and more could be done with the space.
Dael & I created a concept board to show Caryn and Jarrod what we had in mind. The "hero" piece was a gorgeous gold chevron wallpaper, which would create an immediate impact when people entered the house. We wanted a larger scale console table than the original one, keeping the lines clean and simple to allow the wallpaper to shine.
We're so thrilled with the outcome, the wallpaper looks amazing. As I said, Caryn has so many gorgeous trinkets, but we helped her edit and style the table, giving her a couple of different options...
We felt the Motel print was hung a little high and looked a bit disconnected from the table, so the first option has the print propped up against the wall with a simple grouping of vases and accessories next to it. The soft green that's repeated in the stool, print and plant keeps your eye moving.
The second option was to keep the Motel print on the wall, but to add some height on the table so the print was more inclusive in the setting. We had some fun with all Caryn's bits and pieces, layering from front to back and with a mix of textures. Some books helped to ground some of the smaller pieces.
The corner next to the front door is the perfect spot for the coat rack. It's great for things you can grab as you head out the door - coat, bag, dog lead etc. A touch of greenery helps to bring the outdoors in, and the mat provides a fun welcome.
If you'd like some Bibby + Brady interior help, Dael & I would love to hear from you. Sometimes you might not need a full room design, but maybe just some styling help, or furniture sourcing. Get in touch and see how we can work together.
