Apologies everyone! New computer issues and internet problems stopped me from posting most of last week….. Back on track now!
Image from www.housetohome.co.uk
My mum had a beautiful old dressing table …. bagged by an older, faster sister who also nabbed the dining table. I loved it with its gorgeous triptych of oval mirrors, ornate legs and the general vibe of grown upedness that it gave off. But what I mainly love about dressing tables is that they not only condone sitting in front of a mirror to do your make up and hair…they kind of demand it. And if you have to sit down to do it the whole feeling of getting ready changes. I mean if we are going to go through the whole ritual of make up…then why not make it a really nice ritual?
Image from www.housetohome.co.uk
A dressing table also gives you a surface to both order and display all your pretty girly stuff…love ‘em! Vintage cups and saucers, boxes an bowls are wonderful receptacles and help give you the layers of prettiness a dressing table should have.
Image from www.cafofofino.blogspot.com
And it doesn’t have to be an expensive original dressing table…an old desk here gets a new lease on life.
Image from www.livingetc.com
And this dining table makes a fabulous dressing table. A few images of non-dressing table tables to inspire…
Image from www.livingetc.com
Image from www.johanna-vintage.blogspot.com
Image from www.passiondecor.blogspot
Image from www.livingetc.com
Image from www.pinterest.com
I love this so very very much….
Image from www.homefurnituremag.com
Or, you can make it all about the mirror….
Image from www.funkybeardecor.com
Stunning deco wing mirrors!
Image from www.idealhomemagazine.com
Beautiful!
Image from www.housetohome.co.uk
So if leaning over your bathroom sink isn’t doing it of for you anymore then nab yourself a wee nook , it doesn’t have to be big, and make it your own.
Image from www.google.com
Love the colours and the mannequin!
Visit our online shop http://www.iwanthomewares.com.au/
For an at home or online consultation email me at mailto:ria@iwantiwantiwant.com.au
I want I want I want! on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/iwantiwantiwant
Image from www.thirddrawerdown.com
Yippee!!! I’ve finally got my facebook page properly up and running!
Image from www.tomkelleystudio.com
Which means you can access all the videos I’ve been making ( …yes, the making of them look just like this ) that I can’t upload on the blog. Finally! The videos are a fun mix of gorgeous images and tips…and so far we have…
Chalkboard walls
Multiple mirrors in bathrooms
Trunks and old suitcases
Stencilled floorboards
Decorative ladders
Quirky bedside tables
Pendants in bedrooms
Organised hallways
Hanging a wall gallery (very handy tips!!!)
Not hanging prints
White painted floorboards
Image from www.google.com
So… to follow me on facebook all you need to do is click on this link
http://www.facebook.com/iwantiwantiwant
Click on the “Like” tab underneath the main photo. Then click on the “Mailing List Sign-up” and enter your details.
Easy peasy!
Don’t forget to click on the “like” tab!
Image from www.google.com
This means not only can you see all existing videos, but I can also let you know when there are new ones to see, and even when I’ve posted a blog and what it’s about (to save you from going to the blog when I’ve been lazy and not posted!).
I’ve also been able to load up on Facebook lots of photo albums I’ve compiled…
21 so far and counting! …including room makeovers.
So yay! I’m looking forward to having you all join me on FB x
Image from www.google.com
That link once more….!!!
http://www.facebook.com/iwantiwantiwant
Image from www.iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Keep an eye out for this month’s Home Beautiful…I want I want I want! has three features in it.
Before……….
This wee room (page 220) went from being really drab and unwelcoming to a gorgeous retreat for guests.
Image from www.iwantiwantiwant.com.au
My favorite bits….
Shutter doors! I love shutter doors, and as the existing cupboard doors were the only redeeming feature in the room… I decided to capitalise on it and reclaim two more as a bedhead. Looks amazing!
The decorative ladder. This is a great piece for any room really. Adds great visual interest above eye level and gives guests a cool way to hang their towels etc. Sadly, since doing this makeover, Carina Sherlock, my suppliers for the ladders have gone out of business. I’m searching for a good replacement…but in the interim, Provincial Home Living have a range . They are a lot smaller and have more of a vintage feel to them…but they’re very sweet.
The vintage dragon fly hooks. So so cute, and way practical.
The vintage mirror. If you have a small room…mirrors are your solution. This gorgeous (huge!) mirror virtually doubles the sense of space in the room…and looks incredible doing it. No photo of it here…my skills aren’t up to scratch…check the feature and the online shop. www.iwanthomewares.com.au
Image from www.iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Total cost for the makeover came to $1939, plus $300 for the styling consultation and followup.
Nursery makeover. (Page 230)
Before….
Image from www.iwantiwantiwant.com.au
After….
Image from www.iwantiwantiwant.com.au
A new baby meant big changes for this room. From dark and cluttered to bright, light and organised.
Image from www.iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Favourite bits….
Vintage wicker cot. So much nicer than big planks of wood. I’d much rather be looking at dappled light as I lay in my bed than bars!
Handmade hot air balloons. Love love love them. They bring a real sense of fun into the room.
Dado wall panelling. Panelling gives square characterless boxes character and interest.
Image from www.iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Total cost for the makeover came to $1129, plus $300 for the styling consultation and followup.
Makeover your spare room feature. (Pg 193)
Great tips from both myself and editor Jane Parbury for getting the most out of your spare room. Check it out and let me know what you think!
Image from www.pinterest.com
You don’t have to have an amazing bathroom to have an amzing mirror. In fact…that’s just the way to make a boring bathroom fabulous. Go nuts on the mirror!
Image fom www.pinterest.com
Your bathroom mirror doesn’t have to be a standard glazier cut job mounted on the wall. It doesn’t even have to be mounted!
Image from www.pinterest.com
Love the soft apricot against the grey! The combination of form and colour in this mirror makes a very simple bathroom just gorgeous.
Image from www.pinterest.com
Even more dramatic…this mirror is fab with the claw foot bath and vintage kilim.
Image from www.pinterest.com
This beautiful etched mirror works perfectly in front of the window as it has no frame. Instead the delicate etching ties in sweetly with the foliage outside.
Image from www.pinterest.com
Fianlly…I can’t imagine any mirror looking better here. Just perfect. ( and the rug is a great pick too.)
So..when next you’re renovating or just sprucing up your bathroom…think outside the square. You don’t have to have a boring rectangle. And if your mirror is stunning, maybe it’ll be a visual consolation those times that you are not…
Check out our on-line shop for my absolutely favorite product…and one that looks amazing in a bathroom!
Image from www.iwanthomewares.com.au
Visit our on-line shop…click on http://www.iwanthomewares.com.au/
For an at home or on-line consultation email me at ria@iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Image from www.pinterest.com
You don’t need to have a huge room to have a huge mirror… All mirrors, and big ones particulalry, make any space look larger. So they often look best and work most effectively in a smaller room.
Image from www.pinterest.com
A walk-in-robe is one of the best places to use an oversized mirror. Not only do you get a very effective full length mirror, your walk-in looks twice as big … and it looks as though you have twice as many shoes!
Image from www.housetohome.co.uk
In a small lounge area like this, a big mirror placed behind the sizable couch proves the theory that big pieces in a small room work . Notice as well that the mirror faces the window to maximise the light in the room.
Image from www.pinterest.com
My preference for really large mirrors is to lean rather than hang. It loosens the look a little, giving what could be a pretty grand piece a touch of informality.
Image from www.pinterest.com
Image from www.pinterest.com
And, of course, the formality of the mirror can be dictated by what you surround it with.
Image from www.pinterest.com
The relaxed nature of this living area is only added to by the huge vintage mirror… not least because you’re getting double of everything!
Image from www.pinterest.com
And the same goes for this quirky bedroom.
Check out our new French vintage mirror at the online shop.
Image from www.iwanthomewares.com.au
Available in big ( 1.3m x 1.2m )and very very big ( 2.1m x 1.2m ), with delivery to Greater Melbourne and Sydney available.
Image from www.iwanthomewares.com.au
They come in the winter white as pictured above, gloss black and gloss red.
Image from www.iwanthomewares.com.au
Visit our on-line shop…click on http://www.iwanthomewares.com.au/
For an at home or on-line consultation email me at ria@iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Image from www.frenchcountry.co.nz
The style overview today on French Provincial I’m kind of doing under duress. Retailers are flogging this and it’s everywhere!! I predict that there are elements of this style that will go the way of Monet’s Waterlilies in the 80’s. Shoulder pads and perms were not the worst crimes of that decade. Impressionism is a beautiful, spontaneous style of painting and it was positively raped … remember the very stylish “block mounting”??? And it’s happening again, a beautiful style is being wrecked and diluted. Yesterday I saw an “antiqued” French Provincial wall clock in a $2 store. Now, if you think you’ve spotted a bargain with that…you’re dead wrong. Get it home, and away from the toy topped pens and feather boas and it’s going to look exactly as it is…cheap and nasty. So many shops are filled now with over sized Eiffel towers, metal bookends that spell livre and literally hundreds of candlestick holders that it’s a real turn off.
Image from www.frenchcountry.co.nz
But…ignoring the recent bastardisation of this look…when done well this is one of my favourites.
French Provincial is a style of architecture and furniture from the provinces in the 17th and 18th centuries. A rural simplification of style far from the grand and ornate designs of the French court at the time. Elements of the style can also be called rustic or named from the actual districts like Brittany or Normandy. There is a lovely informality in this look…a simple charm that is warm and welcoming.
Image from www.frenchcountry.co.nz
The furniture usually has a finish that clearly shows the grain and texture of the wood, or has a worn painted effect …in a provincial inspired house you won’t feel compelled to use coasters! Beautiful tall armoires and over stuffed couches, large ornate mirrors and gentle pretty fabrics are the better examples of the provincial style.
Image from www.frenchcounrty.co.uk
From an architectural perspective the most recognisable elements of the French Provincial style are French windows or doors where there are multiple smaller windows set into the full length of double doors.
Image from www.ee-houseing.com
Other elements are stone fireplaces with heavy beams above serving as a mantle, rough or distressed plaster walls, old shutters and doors full of character and history.
Image from www.rustique.com.au
As with any style…the trick is to use the elements that work for you and play well with your other pieces, rather than slavishly follow the style to the nth degree. A sweet French lantern on a vintage bedside table teamed with a pretty toile style duvet cover is a great look in a bedroom. And a gorgeous vintage armoire will look amazing in pretty much any room, whilst also giving a lot of storage. In the kitchen and the dining rooms…pewter, silver and old enamel feature prominently.
Image from www.frenchcountry.co.nz
The colour palette for provincial features blues, greys, stone, flax, pale greens, and weathered reds. More sophisticated looks focus on all whites or monocrhromatic schemes.
Image from www.shapeimage.com
For some amazing furniture and decorative pieces and not a single mass produced eiffel tower or bookend, check out www.frenchcountry.co.nz and www.rustique.com (Provincial furniture with a pulse!).
Following are a few cool images of the style…enjoy.
Image from www.frenchcountry.co.nz
Image from www.frenchcountry.co.nz
Image from www.frenchcountry.co.nz
Image from www.frenchcountry.co.nz
Image from www.katrinascottdesign.blogspot.com
Image from www.frenchcountry.co.nz
Image from www.theshootfactory.co.uk
Image from www.theshootfactory.co.uk
Image from www.rustique.com.au
Image from www.rustique.com.au
Image from www.frenchcountry.co.nz
Image from www.housetohome.co.uk
Image from www.frenchcountry.co.nz
Visit our on-line shop…click on http://www.iwanthomewares.com.au/
For an at home or on-line consultation email me at ria@iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Check out the April edition of Home Beautiful Magazine, at newsagencies now.
Page 131- 134 “Sleeping Beauties“ featuring three bedroom designs by yours truly.
Image from www.iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Number 1,… with a Provincial feel.
Image from www.iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Number 2 , ”Scarlet Sensation” features the Moroccan screen from our on-line shop as a bedhead…and looks amazing!
Image from www.iwantiwantiwant.com.au
It also features our new range of 100% organic cotton bedlinen with pom pom trim.
Image from www.iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Number 3, “Pretty in Pink” highlights the beautiful round grooved mirror also available at our on-line shop.
Image from www.iwantiwantiwant.com.au
P.s. The very talented HB photographer Shania Shegedyn did a much better job at photographing the rooms than I have here!
Visit our on-line shop…click on http://www.iwanthomewares.com.au/
For an at home or on-line consultation email me at ria@iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Image from www.lushlee.com
During the boring years of neutrals and minimalism I was dead against “dust collectors”. How things have changed! Now I firmly believe that the things you own and love should be out on display… properly reflecting your interests and personality, and making your home a canvas for the things you love.
Image from www.apartmenttherapy.com
Function is always foremost, but there is a place for pieces whose only function is to look beautiful and improve your day. This is not to say that you should go nuts collecting every form of ceramic or glass frog you can find (I once had a client who had gathered more than 200 of these….), but a small cluster of pieces of interest can add much needed character to a home.
Image from www.theshootfactory.com
Even better is to have your collection and give it a purpose…How fab and clever is the use of these vintage wooden shoe trees as necklace holders??
Image from www.theshootfactory.com
Image from www.theshootfactory.com
Beautiful perfume bottles always make an impact, and again..can actually have a function. Check out our online shop for gorgeous silver Moroccan perfume bottles.
I have scarves…many, many scarves! And however I display them, they look amazing. The trick is, I never have them all out at once.
Image from www.theshootfactory.com
If you have a bit of a fetish for…say… blue ceramic vases as above, just have a small selection on display at once. That’s what storage is for! Rotate the things you love. Then you never get bored with them, you have to dust less around them and your friends don’t think you’ve gone a little wierd.
Image from www.theshootfactory.com
Image from www.theshootfactory.com
Mirrors are great to collect and cluster together as are vintage trunks, and again they can actually both play a valid practical role. If you have a dark spot in your house, an assortment of cool mirrors will grab any available light and maximise it. Trunks can be stacked as they have below and act as either coffee or side tables.
Visit our on-line shop…click on http://www.iwanthomewares.com.au/
For an at home or on-line consultation email me at ria@iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Ria FitzGerald has worked as an interior stylist in Melbournes inner east for the past twelve years.
Now based on the Bellarine Peninsula, Ria continues to offer in-home styling consultations for both the visual and the practical elements of your home, renovation and colour consulting and event styling.
Rias work can be seen featured regularly in Home Beautiful Magazine.
\"The I want I want I want! blog is a weekday (ish!) update with reviews of the best online homewares shopping, styling tips, peeks into my favorite homes and commentary on design, interiors and art.
Hopefully you will find new products, designs and ideas to inspire you to make your home the most fabulous place it can be!\" Ria x
