Monday, January 24, 2011

Chinese Charm

Starting on the 3rd of February, every Chinese person around the world will be celebrating Chinese New Year. This is a time when families from far and near come together to celebrate the most important event of the Lunar calendar. Celebrations begin with the reunion feast on the night of the eve of the new year and the festivity goes on for the next 15 days with visits to homes of relatives and old friends.

In the weeks before Chinese New Year, homes are spring cleaned, some re-renovated and most decorated, traditionally with red lanterns, red packets hanging from plants, plum blossom trees and a red cloth above the main door symbolizing an auspicious day.

Food is also an important part of Chinese New Year. My mother lovingly cooked for our guests every year and stocked up on various types of snacks that children happily indulged in. Chinese New Year is one of the happiest times of the year as we all waft in the spirit of giving, sharing and reminiscing.

Yes, Chinese New Year decorations and Chinese food are in my mind...
Oriental decorated terrace via Maison Boheme

Oriental-Bohemian bedroom (source unknown)

Murals or Chinese pagodas via OhDeeDoh

Blue Chinese dining room (source unknown)

Birdcage mirror via Angel at my Table

Reunion dinner in 2010 cooked by my mother-in-law

* Some images are from unknown sources. Please email me if it belongs to you and I'll happily credit you for it.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Eco Chic

My article for HomePride for the months of November and December 2010 is about decorating in environmentally friendly ways. There's so much to be said about the selection of sustainable materials and so much that we take for granted that this article simply couldn't cover it all. I hope that it does in some ways help you to make more sustainable choices when you're decorating.

Iconic Designs Reviewed by How's House

A big shout-out to Adrian from How's House for the write-up on Iconic Designs webshop and Ferm Living wallpaper. Read all about it here:

If you need more convincing on why you should use wallpaper, read his article 'Why Use Wallpaper?'

Hello 2011!

Happy New Year everybody! And a belated Merry Christmas too. I hope we all had a good holiday. Ok, I'm a few days late with my greetings but there was so much to do after my holiday in Egypt so this blog had to take a back seat.

Looking back into the year 2010, we moved from our minimalist urban townhouse that my husband and I have lived in since our childless days into a larger suburban home surrounded by nature and many other families with 2.5 kids. Our kids are much happier here with more space to run free and have established friendships with neighbouring children.

2010 was also the year when I started this blog. I've never been one to enjoy writing and would prefer to sit back with a good book and sink in the story. But I needed an outlet for this insatiable curiosity for interior design, especially Scandinavian and Chinoiserie. My love for design goes all the way back to high school.  When given a book of my choice, I would ask for books on interior design. 20 years later, that pent up passion for design has finally found an escape.

Back to year 2011. The new year started with a big bang! I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and rammed into a car when the driver jam braked. Thankfully, the kids sitting at the back were safely buckled up and were uninjured. I'm very optimistic about the year 2011. Things will only go up from here on. I really believe it!

So, what's your take on the new year? From a design perspective, it has been predicted that the hue of 2011 will be honeysuckle. You're probably asking "is that a colour?" Apparently so. Honeysuckle is neither a shade that's orange, nor pink nor red. It's a blend of all three. You'd better get used to it because it will be appearing on catwalks and in homes...probably not mine though.
Claret Gold from Barneby Gates: The trend for detailed, handdrawn or hand-screen printed contemporary wallpaper only looks set to continue in 2011
Barneby Gates wallpaper via The Independent

The Pantone Colour Institute, the authority on all things colourful for
fashion and interior design, has already spoken. It predicts that next
year's hue that will be appearing on ourwalls and home accessories will be honeysuckle
Home accessory (Cuisinart blender) via The Independent

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