Eichardt's Boutique Hotel, Queenstown

Hello there! Finally after many, many months away from Haven Home & Style, I'm back. I've been enjoying a few months off, and it's been a wondeful time to spend more time doing the things I enjoy not just tasks than need to be done! More time with family, friends, discovering new places, gorgeous new retail spaces & cafes, & generally just appreciating simple pleasures in day to day living without always working to timeframes and schedules.

I've loved connecting with new friends, and reconnecting with dear friends that mutually, we never have enough time to really catch up. I have loved spending more time at home, nurturing both family & our home life, having fun reorganising corners & spaces with flowers & candles, & of course always spending a moment or two doing a bit of 'remerchandising here & there". With that has come the joy of indulging in one of my great loves, magazines and design books, & reading. Coffee & wine are the perfect compliment to all of the above & although I have not been sharing my finds on my blog, I am loving sharing when I catch up with friends - new books, places to travel, weekend getaways, the latest cafes & best coffee, new season's collections, & so many more things to enjoy & I'm sure I'm all the better for it.

Alors, I'm learning French & having a ball! Investing more time in my favourite blog posts every week has brought me continued inspiration, particularly all things en francais! I love Vicki Archer's beautiful blog French Essence, www.vickiarcher.com - don't we all?!), Jane Webster's latest title, "French Ties, Love, Life & Recipes" & Janelle McCulloch's "Paris, A guide to the city's creative heart", & I collectively thank all of these fabulous women for inspiring me to study the beauty of the french language again.

I have reconnected with old friends from New Zealand, and in doing so, I am planning a return trip to one of my favourite boutique hotels, Eichardt's Hotel, situated in Queenstown on the waterfront of Lake Wakatipu, & it's absolutely sublime. The interior is by renowned New Zealand Interior Designer Virginia Fisher, & I'm sure you'll agree, the interiors are divine. Luxurious textures & rich colour palettes, complimented by unique, one off pieces, collectively make Eichardt's a warm & sophisticated interior.  

www.eichardts.com

Antique Heaven in a Hamptons Haven

Renowned antique dealers, Zoe Hoare (Appley Hoare Antiques) & Chris Mead (English Country Antiques) have created a beautiful home of this 1740's 'saltbox' cottage in the Hamptons, (built from the hulls of an old ship). With a fresh interior palette of white replacing the once dark & dingy space, & the proximity to the Ocean view, they have created a relaxed & charming haven full of their much loved antique finds & unique pieces. Every room is a story in itself with character & charm aplenty. I adore the gravel driveway, complete with the 1950s Schwinn 'Typhoon' Bicycles (discovered at a local antique fair) & my favourite of all, the divine hedge of white hydrangeas...just what I've planted in my front garden, I hope they look like this!

Coastal Living, Global Style.

Last week I spent a wonderful few days on the peninsula, amidst the sunshine & the sea air without time restraints or must do diary entries, heaven! I enjoyed coffees at leisure, walks along the beach, magazines & movies anytime of the day, & of course visiting Sorrento shopping Village, how much it has changed since Summer! New stores & cafes to sample & enjoy (Two Sisters is fabulous!), & it was fantastic to see such energy & activity mid-week & out of holiday season, but Sorrento is always a favourite regardless of the season.

One of my much loved stores is Coastal Living, & after closing briefly in July for renovations, it has reopened with a beautiful new space, fresh, uncluttered, exciting & just divine. Ross Nichols & his team have created the perfect ambience to showcase this beautiful new look, with ideas, pieces, touches & style for coastal, city & country interiors, for bed, bath & living. This is what I refer to as the retail experience, with delightful staff, space, gorgeous merchandising & excellent service.

If you're looking to renovate, decorate or wanting to invest in key piece furnishings, I would also highly recommend you visit their stunning showroom in Boneo Road, Rosebud.

Coastal Living: Sorrento & Rosebud, both open 7 days.

Mint Home Spring/Summer 2011

Having a great appreciation for understated, relaxed contemporary style & a love for natural materials & neutral colour palettes, I was immediately drawn to the divine new Spring/Summer collection of Mint Home at Melbourne's August Trade fair. I love the combinations of textures, tones & lines of this brand. My new favourite pieces include the New York Hurricane with Candle - perfect of course for candles, ice or flowers, & the Hudson Tray for entertaining, or as a stand alone feature piece. As for the Citrus Mint story? Sublime.

http://www.minthome.com.au/

Interior House Designs

Megan Gates is an active American blogger who shares her expertise and insight on New York City Luxury Real Estate, Hamptons beachfront properties, home improvement, and the latest architecture, design and fashion, and I welcome her as a guest writer with her post on "Interior House Designs"...enjoy.

Interior Design for Manhattan Homes Currently, modern art deco design principles and Asian decor are popular in New York. Designer Donna Karan has influenced this design trend with her "Zen" Manhattan apartment design. She likes simple colors and furnishings. Many times a black and white color palette is used to give a modern, yet clean feel to the home. The minimalist decor provides a calming effect to the individuals that enter the home. Many of the modern art deco apartments use natural materials. For instance, many of the Manhattan homes feature hardwood, marble or lowpile Berber carpeting for the flooring. The paint may be a sundry of colors ranging from cool grays to complement a monochromatic room to a vibrant green, depending upon the designers and homeowner's preference.
Granite, glass, copper, bronze and masonry are also popular materials of the Manhattan designer. Many homeowners are also adding concrete floors to homes for a modern effect and durability. Colored concrete is ideal for Manhattan lofts and spaces that receive high traffic. Much of the furniture is Asian inspired with clean, perpendicular lines. Asian furniture, beds included, has a low profile and often blends into the environment as a modern piece of art. Manhattan homes have numerous unique designs.

Interior Design for Hamptons Beach HomesHamptons beach homes often feature the natural colors of the beach area. The light and cool color palettes are very popular in a Hamptons beach home. Walls are often white or some neutral color. Light blues, greens or yellows are also common.
The furniture often complements the wall color with a lighter color. The decor is casual, but remains light with linen-upholstery and the use of wicker furniture. Nautical stripes, florals, toile and gingham are common in a Hamptons beach home.
Sun-bleached hardwood aged flooring often works with the decor in these homes. Contemporary styling is common, but it is balanced with wood, period hardware and bead board walls. Rustic elements may be added to give the space an antique feel. Many people in the Hamptons do not like the contemporary feel for their Hampton beach home.
Lighter colors help to illuminate the natural lighting. Large windows are a focal point of many Hamptons beach homes to maximise the view. Many of the homes also have natural lighting as well. Plants are also used to balance the home.


General Country Homes
Country style homes are casually elegant. The designs are often simple and are esigned to provide comfort to the homeowner. The furniture is practical and sturdy. Red, beige and white are some of the most popular colors for a country home. Rocking chairs and hardwood floors are common.
Country homes are universal. Depending upon the region of the world, a country home may vary. Other than traditional country, both French country style and English country style are also popular.
French country, for instance, has a bright color palette with the use of lavender, eggplant green, yellow and blue. The fabrics for the furniture are also bright. Florals or animal patterns are often featured, as is heavy wood furniture. Lavender wreaths, roosters and lamps are often decorative items placed in the rooms.
English country style relies more on the deep red, forest greens and brown color palettes. The rooms are dark with the use of tweed, leather and other heavy wood furniture. Large mahogony bookcases and overstuffed furniture is often common in the decor. Brass is also common for door and cabinet hardware.

Eight Shades of Pink...

Following on from my last post, "Blue Monday, 7 Nearly Blue Rooms" I was approached by the American lighting company, Arcadian Lighting (www.arcadianlighting.com). The range of interiors that follow encompass their interior passion for the pink palette, in diverse furnishings, and of course lighting. My verdict? Sophisticated, stunning, exciting, ecletic & visually dazzling....


"Pink is one of those happy colors that we love in big and small doses. Like one of our favorite flowers, the peony, pinks come in shades from palest blush to deep fuchsia. Pink doesn't have to be reserved for a little girl's bedroom. Pink can be a sophisticated neutral or a bold design statement in an entry, living room, bedroom or bath.

There are plenty of furnishings and accessories which come in pink such as sofas, chairs, light fixtures and bedlinens. Inspired by the peony, here are eight pink rooms we think you'll love.

Palest of pinks on walls and upholstery act as neutrals in this simple, yet elegant, living room. Blue accents in both the art and accessories keep the room feeling crisp and not too feminine.

Pale pink walls and dustry rose accents give this room a feminine feeling. Take note of the rose painted side table - what an unusual color. The deep darm brown base and light brown shade of the table lamp complements the side table. We love it!

This warm pink entry by Mary McDonald is sophisticated with its gold mirror and console table flanked by upholstered side chairs.

A cooler pink wall color with grey trim color and grey floors give this room a vintage, antique feeling to it.

Love the rose curtains in this room. But what caught our eye was the pink bookcase with the glass doors - it's gorgeous! The pale pink area rug is lovely too. A few pink pendant lights would be dazzling in this room.

A mix of pale pink walls, rose colored accents and bright pink upholstered furniture give this room a nice balance of strong and soft hues. Everything works in a harmony of pink.

The hot pink on this entry wall makes a bold welcome to guests. The pink is nicely balanced by the white wainscoting below. The crystal chandelier also compliments the decor with its gold accents that allures the eyes.

Deep fuchsia on the walls with patterned upholstery gives this room an exotic feeling. What a nice depth of the color against the dark wood."

Content and images for this post provided by Arcadian Lighting. Founded in 2002, Arcadian Lighting started selling decorative home lighting accessories and lamps online. It has since become one of the top internet retailers for home lighting products.

For further lighting and design inspiration, go to http://www.arcadianlighting.com/

"Blue Monday: 7 Nearly Blue Rooms"

I was delighted when I was approached by the online design firm, Design Shuffle (http://www.designshuffle.com/) an American social media site filled with Interior Design Ideas from top tier design talent from around the globe. Registration to this absolutely fabulous online design resource is free, and for those of you who love the world of interior design, contemporary, classic, eclectic or otherwise, I highly recommend you register.

I hope you enjoy this post, "Blue Monday: 7 Nearly Blue Rooms" written by Lindsay, one of the Design Shuffle team, and I look forward to sharing more from them, with you, in future.

While a hint of blue Mondays may leave one down and out, blue in the home is anything but. Blue comes in a bevy of tints and shades, its effects are almost always calm, cooling and meditative. Tints of blue in Robyn's Egg, Periwinkle, Sky and Powder work beautifully in the bedroom, office or as an exercise room. Even more vibrant shades with hints of green, think Peacock and Teal, are cool and calm in the living room or den. If you're hoping to incorporate a new, versatile colour into your interior design ideas, blue is definitely a great place to start.

The above room is an example of a vibrant shade of turquoise done in the bedroom. It may be bright, but the white and gray accents of the bed, nightstands and lamps, offset the shock and it's still calming.



In the bedroom, above, pale blue walls give off a cool, calming effect and are accented by similarly tints of blue in the bed's headboard, as well as the curtains. White of course works well here, but chocolate brown offers a surprising, though understated, pop of colour.

While this sitting room, above is another 'tropical' shade of blue, its vibrancy is well-balanced by chocolate, camel and ivory.



In this Nantucket beach house, above, the designer evokes oceanic blues and white throughout, but the high ceilings and beautiful, natural light of the bathroom, together with the pale blue walls, evokes an almost airy quality.

Deep navy walls are young, fresh and feminine, thanks to french mirrors, a Phillipe Starke Ghost chair, and bright pops of lipstick red.

The above classic pairing of white and a deep shade of cobalt blue is stately, yet serene in the drawing room of this villa on the island of Capri. It's one of the easiest interior design ideas to incorporate into your home because of its simplicity.

This room is actually mostly white, but the painted wooden floors in Robyn's Egg Blue together with the sunlight, create an unbelievably serene feeling, almost like the ocean.

These rooms are proof positive that blue can be calming, cooling, even vibrant, but never sad.

Design Shuffle

http://www.designshuffle.com/

Natural Winter Warmth

Natural, neutral, white & cream together, timeless, chic, warm, always works & looks divine

Living with TOAST

I love TOAST. Whether for your home or your wardrobe, the mix of colour, layers & textures combine key pieces with simple touches to create an endless thread of inspiration...

http://www.toast.co.uk/