Design Classic Stamps

These almost make you want to send a letter instead of an email!

Charcoal Lane

We went here for coffee on the weekend and I fell in love with the interior as well as the whole concept. This restaurant/cafe on Gertrude Street Fitzroy is a social enterprise program of Mission Australia. From Mission Australia:

This program, in partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, provides the opportunity for Aboriginal and disadvantaged young people to transform their lives through traineeships and apprenticeships within the Charcoal Lane restaurant.

What a brilliant concept and a beautiful space.
Photos by Lauren

Joseph Dirand

I'm so into black and white interiors at the moment. I keep noticing black and white interiors everywhere but these interiors by Parisian designer Joseph Dirand are definitely memorable. The materials work beautifully together and the lighting is stunning, I think the photographer is to thank for that too. The website is full of inspiring images, thanks to Lauren at Catchtag for the tip!

David met Nicole

David met Nicole is such a great find! They have a store in Surry Hills and source an eclectic mix of vintage finds from around the world. They have their range online and some of the pieces are quite expensive but one can dream...

If I was in London...

I would definitely sip champagne at Kettner's in Soho. The interiors are so gorgeous, the eclectic mix of new and old with a theatrical twist so right for the location near all of those stage doors. Kettner's is a restaurant and champagne bar with lots of different spaces for private parties and events, there are some beautiful interior shots on their website. It is named after Auguste Kettner, chef to Napoleon III in 1867, interesting...

A Shopping Centre to Love

Ok, I'm not a fan of shopping centrs but I would happily wander these shops all day and even eat at the food court. In fact that is exactly what I did in December at Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherds Bush London. And it was AMAZING!

It's the first Westfield in London and the largest in-town shopping and leisure destination in Europe and the most beautiful shopping experience. An area called The Village is loaded with all of the luxury brands showing off their gorgeous wares in fresh new flagship stores. Um, I needed to calm myself down.

The spaces are organic and fluid, the lighting soft and really well integrated, the materials are a gorgeous selection of marbles, corian, timbers and stone. The ceilings are amazing too, I couldn't resist taking many photos of ceiling details, how weird...
Photos by Lauren

Beautiful Stores

Meacham Nockles McQualter, funny name but amazing work. They are based in Sydney and have designed some of my favorite shop fit-outs including Kit on Chapel Street. I have posted the Scanlan & Theodore store before, just in love with it.
Photos from Meacham Nockles McQualter

My favorite little boutique on Upper Street

So London, so chic, so fabulous. I used to walk past Atelier Abigail Ahern, a little shop on Upper Street everyday and spy on her edgy collection of lighting, mirrors and furniture to die for. I have posted about her before and I just read on her blog that she is opening up another shop at Bluebird in the Kings Road in Chelsea. I was just thinking about Bluebird today and those delicious cocktails we had after work one day...

Daydreaming of Montmartre

Yet another magical hotel in Paris, this time in the 18th arrondissement, perhaps its most romantic neighborhood. Hôtel Particulier Montmartre has only five rooms and is hidden away from all of the hustle and bustle, perfect for a romantic getaway... dream on...

For me this combines contemporary design with all of the comforts and beauty of romantic Paris, what more could a girl ask for? Designed by Moragne Rosseau with contributions from the art world each room creates a different atmosphere.

A pile of suitcases

The Pile of Suitcases was launched at Milan this year and are by Belgian designer Maarten de Ceulaer. He studied Interior Design in Brussels before focusing on product design. I like the unexpectedness of his work, it's conceptual and still functional. He says about the design:

This project tries to evoke the luxurious atmosphere of stylish leather suitcases. The cupboard is an assemblage of six “valuable building blocks”, each specifically designed and dimensioned for one type of clothing. I created a puzzle that provides a place to store your most beautiful suits or dresses, your most precious shoes, your loveliest hats, etc. But obviously, everyone is able to create his own configuration; the shoe collector might need three volumes for shoes and doesn`t require a volume for hats, or vice versa.

I wanted to design a dynamic and flexible storage system, the opposite of those big and heavy wardrobe closets, which are difficult to transport, heavy, and very static. The boxed are joined in the back with a very efficient system, that makes it easy to expand, adapt or take apart, and allows you to make various combinations and landscapes of beautiful leather boxes.

Fabulous Darling!

'Free as a Bird' made from origami cranes












'Invisible' and 'Snow Queen'












'Golden Safari'












'Cascade Longue' and 'Signature'

I was introduced to these lights by a former colleague in London who was just a beautiful and glamorous as these gorgeous pieces! They are by a London designer Eva Menz and are stocked in Liberty however EMD also design and produce site-specific installations which are amazing.