Have I mentioned how tired I am of plain white tiles?
Or worse… plain taupe, putty or any other boring boring boring tile???
Make a splash baby!! There are so many gorgeous patterned tiles out there. And not only do they look a whole lot better, groovier, and more individual…. they’re a whole lot easier to live with!!




















Images from pinterest
At the risk of repeating myself (!) don’t be scared things won’t “work” together.
Find a tile you love then work around it. Depending on the tile… you can cover the floor with it, use it as a detail or contrast it with other patterns.
Whichever way you go… at least it won’t be a carbon copy of everybody else’s bathroom. Down with taupe tiles!!!!!!
(Check out www.kasbahimports.com.au for beautiful hand painted fez tiles … utterly gorgeous! )
For an at hone or on-line consultation email me at ria@iwantiwantiwant.com.au

Image from my scandinavian home
Mood boards are collections of things that inspire you…and as such crucial!!! If an image, colour, fabric, shape or texture grabs the attention of the right hand side of your brain… don’t put it in a drawer! Nurture it… add to it. Put in a drawer and your right side will never think of it again, and the left side will ignore it or file it further away. If you don’t like a loose relaxed look…. give it some order, place it inside a frame or on a straight line. You’ll find it automatically colour co-ordinates itself anyway. However you do it… do it. For without inspiration, ideas and dreams, our homes and ourselves stagnate and wither.

Image from pinterest

Image from the design files

Image from pinterest

Image from pinterest

Image from pinterest

Image from cushlagreen

Image fro cushlagreen

Image from cushlagreen

Image from pintrest

Image from cushlagreen

Image from wanderlust and stardust

Image from petitvanou

Image from bungalow 5

Image from pinterest

Image from pinterest

Image from the design maker
It’s very easy for a home office to be an array of uninteresting black and white … fight against this! Think brightly coloured art that draws the eye up and away from the desk mess.

Image from apartment therapy
Or play with your furniture… a desk chair in a vibrant colour changes the look immediately… and opens up the opportunity for other colours to be introduced.
btw… how fab is that pink pig??

Image from design mum
Even your very practical storage pieces can be focal pieces with some well chosen colour.

Image from design sponge
Loving the red trim and multi coloured labels on this bureau!

Image from pinterest
While full bookshelves can be given new life with coloured folders

Image from pinterest
Then you can have a purely aesthetic colour injection like these great letters.

Image from mimi and meg blog
Or.. my personal favourite… bombard your space with colour!

Image from a delightful design
Finally, flowers aren’t only for the front hall or dining table. Bring in some fresh bunches of loveliness to brighten up your work space.
So…if you don’t have fabulous windows, and you want to be inspired when you sit at your desk… the answer, as always, is ART!

It’s diversity that makes this look work. Different shapes, different mediums, different colours. Unless you’re a minimalist, (and let’s face it.. if you’re reading my blog, you’re not), you need multiple focal points. Activity ( by that I mean art in all it’s shapes and forms) at eye level, means activity (and by that I mean your everyday bits and pieces -read mess ) on your desk and other surface areas doesn’t strike a visually discordant note. To put it simply.. if you’re a messy worker… make sure you have a really diverse galleria above the desk to balance it all out! ps. loving the extended light cord swung across the room.

If you’re not messy something like this can look amazing. What I love about this is the inherent symmetry of the “squares within a square”, beautifully contrasting with an offset image.

I love vintage signs in an office….such a sense of history and a cool re-purposing.

By incorporating the wood storage (love it) and using a smattering / scattering of cool art the result is confidently quirky … a very relaxed feel without any sense of clutter.

Clever styling. Note how the desk gathering on the left, and draped pom poms (who doesn’t love a pom pom?) balances the offset collage on the wall.

Another cool re-purposing. An old bed spring base works brilliantly within its own frame to hold any number of focal pieces.

I love this in so many ways… The beautiful symmetry of the pendants with the art, the pop of orange and yellow in an otherwise totally monochromatic setting, the lightness of the wire chair, the trestle table desk….

And I love this for just as many opposing reasons! Such a generous splash of loved images… the randomness of this look belies a beautifully considered layout.

Fabulous! I am in love with that fox print and the winged sheep! The beads on the round hook mix the overall look beautifully… the visible brown tape just works, and every office should have a feather quill.

Making your view an extension of your practical needs is always a cool and clever approach.

This is so beautiful! I may never be able to live with such a controlled look… but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it! That artwork is amazing.




Great vintage sign.





So…go big go small… go multiples with symmetry or multiples with asymmetry. Find a piece that you love, it could be a drawing, a saying, a print or a book cover. Start with that and group around it to make a view for yourself of things you love. Images that lift your spirit or quotes that inspire you. Whatever you do… don’t leave the wall blank. That’s catching that is…. your mind will be next…
Image from www.designsponge.com
For those contemplating a bathroom or kitchen update…have a think about decorative tiles. White is handy…but boring. Find tiles that you love…and make the space yours, not anyone’s. Don’t be scared about “matching”…matching is probably the worst thing you could do for any room. Instead surround yourself with pieces and designs that you love…and it will always look amazing.
Image from www.ahappyhabitat.blogspot.com
Image from www.apartmenttherapy.com
Image from www.everythingfab.com
Image from www.fireclaytile.com
Image from www.flickr.com
Image from www.flickr.com
Image from www.housebeautiful.com
Image from www.isabellaandmaxrooms.blogspot.com
Yummmmm
Image from www.ishtar.com
Image from www.lesapea.tumblr.com
Image from www.picasaweb.google.com
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
Image from www.re-nest.com
And these!
Image from www.shabbysugarpinkboutique.blogspot.com
If you’re too nervous to commit to a full pattern then consider sweet cameos. Just a couple of hand painted tiles like the gorgeous Marie Antoinette tile above or the sweet floral ones below will add so much to an all white or all neutral wet area.
For an on-line or at-home home consultation email me at ria@iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Don’t forget to check out our online store and our new range of fab statement furniture!
www.iwanthomewares.com.au
Such a well named business!
Image from www.thedivinechair.com
This is a bit of a tease for Aussie followers I’m afraid, with The Divine Chair being based in the States… but the “bold and bodacious” designs of owner Kitty McBride are inspirational for anyone out there on the hunt for the perfect chair.
Image frfom www.thedivinechair.com
With a talented designer eye, Kitty pairs vintage chairs with stunning fabric creating one of a kind art works.
Image from www.thedivinechair.com
I love that beautiful, or quirky, but dated pieces of furniture are given a whole new lease on life. These dusty antiques have been funked up to shine in any contemporary setting…and it’s been done with style, respect for the original piece and a sense of fun.
Image from www.thedivinechair.com
Like me, Kitty names all her pieces … which I also love.
If you’re thinking of indulging in a bit of upholstery..or just want to be wowed…check out www.thedivinechair.com
For an at home or on-line consult email me at ria@iwantiwwantiwantcom.au
Visit our on-line shop www.iwanthomewares.com.au
It’s just a fact that the best designers are in the UK. Must be the cold weather… or the lack of daylight. Whatever it is, if ever I find a fabric or design that grabs me…you can lay money on the designer being British.
Which brings me to one of my biggest crushes….Andrew Martin.
I love the nostalgia element that runs through his work. And that Brit pop coolness. He’s not cheap..but he’s vibrant and unique. Some more images to inspire…
Not that I don’t like The Beatles music..but I’ve never bought one of their albums. Their album designs… different story…
The new I want THAT! statement pieces range from I want I want I want! will have a number of stunning upholstered pieces featuring Andrew Martin’s designs. Can’t wait!
If you want to tease yourself and have a look at his furniture and other designs go to www.andrewmartin.co.uk
Don’t forget to check out our homewares site www.iwanthomewares.com.au
A Suzani is an embroidered tribal textile made in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries.
Traditionally they were embroidered by Central Asian brides to present to their husbands on their wedding day.
So, basically a dowry…but a whole lot more beautiful than stinking camels with bad attitudes. I wonder what he got her…
Suzani is a Persian word for needle, and the art of making textiles like this is called Suzankari as silk or cotton thread is hand embroidered onto a cotton base in a variety of stitch styles.
Often you’ll find they’re made in two or more pieces and then sewn together.
I love them! I love how they bring a good punch of colours, textures and patterns into a room with just one piece.. You see a lot of sun and moon motifs , tulips, carnations and irises, leaves and vines, fruits…gorgeous stuff!
Beware over usage though! With something as strong as a Suzani there is such a thing as too much. But used well…. Stunning!
Suzanis really lend themselves to upholstery too…


How fantastic does this one look as a bedhead…. stunning…
Check out http://www.uzbek-craft.com/ for online suzanis…but also keep an eye out on Ebay.
Visit our online shop http://www.iwanthomewares.com.au/
For an at home or online consultation email me at
mailto:ria@iwantiwantiwant.com.au
Images from
yurden.com
style-files.com
pinterest.com
therapybycharlotte.com
rachaelleonard.com
hamptonhostess.blogspot.com
moderncraft.blogspot.com
anniesage.com
calicocorners.com
nicholestakerstyle.blogspot.com
etsy.com
conspicuousstyle.com
myhomeideas.com
buddhainteriors.tumblr.com