Having Fun With Fabrics & New Friends

Today was the last workshop for Series 3, & what a fabulous time we had! Over the past 4 weeks, we have had the pleasure of meeting & mixing with another wonderful group of women, who are now rejuvenated, refocused & re-energised about their respective design & decorating projects & challenges, & I am very excited about the new opportunities on the decorating horizon!

Today we discussed new bedlinen collections, colour & texture in fabric design, & why investing in the professional services of an interior decorator & designer proves time again to be such a worthwhile investment when building, renovating & redecorating. We discussed our ideal interiors, & whilst I love inviting friends into mine, I need to move to the peninsula to create it! As a result of this, I potentially have a new client from this workshop who is just delightful & I very much look forward to helping her create hers.

As always, the mornings began with a welcome coffee & chat, with a mid morning break to follow with treats to enjoy. Today was our "Girls Morning In", our tribute to breast cancer fundraising, so to compliment our cherry pink fabric theme, we enjoyed pink smiley cupcakes (they put a smile on everyone's face), strawberries, cherryripes & melon & guava mineral water!

I would like to make special mention of one of the lovely women I have met in this group, Deb. Last week she learned that her father is very sick, & although a very challenging and worrying time for her & her family, the prognosis sounds very positive which is wonderful news in itself. Deb, your smile & nurturing nature will make an enormous difference I'm sure to your father's recovery, & my thoughts are with you:-)

Also, a very special thanks to Bronwyn Paul for her time, enthusiasm & great support behind the lens, at our workshops by very quietly but so professionally capturing the energy and essence of what designersecrets is about. She is fast becoming an invaluable member of the team, & we would highly recommend her photographic expertise to one & all!

Wishing you all a fabulous Cup Weekend, I'm off to the peninsula in search of my coastal haven!

Bronwyn Paul: rpaul1@optusnet.com.au

The 2009 finishing line...

As we gallop towards the Spring Racing Carnival and Christmas, we are running one more designersecrets workshops for 2009!

Bring your own interiors challenges to the upcoming NOVEMBER ‘designersecrets Uncovered’ workshops series.

The designersecrets workshops have been designed for people who:
- Are interested in interiors & styling
- Are renovators
- Want to design, redesign, or reinvent a room or a space
- Are moving to a new home
- Are wanting to change or expand their current home
- Love design & interiors books & magazines

We are very proud to be associated with Inform Design, a Melbourne based project design & construction company, & are very excited about running our November workshops at their latest environmentally friendly display home, "The Butterfly House"

November Workshop dates:
Tuesday November 10th, 17th, 24th & Tuesday December 1st
Times:
Morning sessions: 10.00am - 12.30pm
Evening sessions: 6.30pm - 9.00pm

Venue:
The new Inform ‘Butterfly House’ in Murrumbeena...("build green with Inform!")

Bookings close by Friday November 6th and we have limited spaces, so don’t miss out!

For more information about our workshops, please contact me at:
haven.interiors@bigpond.com

For more information on The Butterfly House, The Blade, & other Inform design projects, please go to http://www.informdesign.com.au/

Wishing you all a fabulous week!!!

Claire :-)

sharing designersecrets...

I thought you might like to see a few inside snippets of our designersecrets workshops, what fun we are having!

some of our recent designersecrets graduates...a wonderful group of enthusiastic women that we shared 4 very cold & wintery sessions with, & still they were smiling!
Our colleague Bronwyn has just joined our team to capture workshop activities & stories moving forward...no object is hidden from her lens, including the colour palette of the morning coffee!

Planning colour schemes & story boards for your perfect haven...

Enthusiasm & a passion to further develop your own interior style with like-minded women is what makes our workshops so interesting & enjoyable...

A combination of simple styling & quality bedlinen & accessories are key ingredients for how to make your bed look fabulous without fuss

Sharing & exchanging ideas, challenges & decorating tips make our workshops welcoming, interesting, interactive & informative

Hmmm, what fabrics do I like for that furniture scheme at our holiday house?

At our workshops, we share our knowledge & expertise on developing your appreciation for art as both an investment, a reflection of your interior style & your personality

Floor Rugs by Hip Home...tailor the design to your specific needs to create both another dimension of artistic expression & interest in your home or office

At designersecrets workshops, we introduce you to beautiful textiles, furniture, wallpapers & furnishing design from around the world that you may have never heard of...just what you want when you are renovating & redecorating...

Every week we introduce you to different colour schemes & furnishings...4 in total, all very different, very unique...

The day Susie & I launched designersecrets...5 months on, Series 3 underway, with Series 4 beginning on November 10th!! Join us at another fabulous Inform property for 4 consecutive Tuesdays (morning or evening) to let us help you with your interior design plans, or because you want to do some decorating for the festive season & Summer living...

COST: $440 for a 4 session workshop (each session is 2 1/2 hours)

For more information on designersecrets & our forthcoming workshops, email me at haven.interiors@bigpond.com

or contact me on 0408 363 529. Bookings close Friday November 6th!

As many of our participants have said..."this workshop could save me a lot of money!"

The Essence of LIfe in Provence

Vicki Archer's latest chapter from Provence is "French Essence", a beautiful narrative & pictorial sequel to the divine "My French Life", & will absorb you from cover to cover & everything in between. When I purchased the book, I was told to make sure upon opening the book to look inside the cover for another stunning image...(the first of so many to follow)..Vicki's magnificient property in Saint Remy-de-Provence...it takes your breath away.

When you're thoughts take you far away, to beautiful places...this is the book that will further inspire your dreams...culture, beauty, passion for enjoying life as it comes, .."French Essence" is a simply gorgeous celebration of living your dreams, living life, in Provence.

Vicki, thank you for sharing your dreams & inspiration with others.

http://frenchessence.blogspot.com

Dressing for that Special Sense of Occasion

When I had a cocktail party for a small group of clients & colleagues, it was a perfect opportunity to showcase a selection of table styling themes - classical & traditional, informal & outdoor table styling, magical treasures for children, to the timeless appeal of monochromatic tones.

The two featured were the result of several requests for accents of gold, & black & white. The gold twig was previously old pear vine, the placemats for the next, sheets of music...an interesting alternative to traditional fabric placemats

I am often asked by clients to dress their tables for special occasions...

Christmas

Spring Racing

Winter entertaining

Simply 'something special'

The tables featured have been repeated on many occasions, albeit with signature touches provided by the client

• Garden parties
• Christmas
• New Year
• Milestone events
• Winter
• Summer
• Spring
• Autumn
• Coastal
• Country
• Provincial
• Mixing old with new
• Oak & stone
• Shades of white, linen, latte & more

Haven Interiors is all about creating that perfect sense of occasion for you...

To enquire about what we can create for you email me at: haven.interiors@bigpond.com