2013 Colour of the Year

It’s with great excitement that I found out about Pantone’s 2013 Colour of the Year being (drum roll please…) EMERALD! 

Pantone, an authority on colour in all things design and interior, polls numerous designers and brands on strong trends for the coming year. This year, the people have spoken and Emerald will be everywhere.

Image Source: plentyofcolour.com

Well, this just happens to be my favourite colour AND my birthstone. I’m not usually a believer of signs, however, I’ve decided that this means 2013 is my year!

I’m also pretty excited that I will be able to feature numerous emerald accented interiors on this here blog. You lucky readers, you! 

Also it may just be a coincidence but I found it funny that Emerald is the colour of the year when ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ is being released…  maybe that’s just my tangential thought patterns though?!  

Head on through to Pantone to see more about the 2013 Colour of the Year! 

The Importance of Interiors

Many people think that interior design is a topic that only a select group of people can afford or relate to. This may have something to do with the idea of it being a luxury, especially when you see many of the publicized aspects of the industry.

We all know the way interior design is portrayed in the media. Three hundred dollar cushions, one of a kind pieces flown in from far away places and costly hiring of polished and uppity designers who have endless budgets.

Image Source: Natural Modern Interiors

While these aspects are of course alive and well, there are many more interesting and important factors in interior design affecting a large proportion of the world. Maybe without them even knowing.

From basic utensils or furniture we use in our house, to the ways in which our surroundings affect our moods and productivity. Interiors are an important part of life for people on all areas of the economic spectrum.

The growth in recent years of DIY and a resurgence of socializing in the home has brought interior design into a wide and varied audience as an industry that is available to everyone.

Yet there are aspects of interior design that are more than aesthetics and creating social spaces. The field also plays a role in moods and actions of people. Everyone from sociologists to psychologists’ to childcare workers use tools of interior and design to affect the way people act, interact and feel. 

Most well known for its ability to alter people’s mood is colour therapy in interiors. Studies have tied strong links to colour particularly in ways to relax or energise individuals through use of bright or even subtle room dressings.

The use of space and furnishings in public and commercial interiors and designs can also be a powerful way to impact peoples movement and interactions with others. Creating spaces that control the flow of crowds in particular are put to use in areas like galleries and shopping centers.

With all of these aspects, it is easy to see why interior design has such an impact on our day to day lives. But we can’t also discount the fact that it’s a nice way to make things pretty! 

Check out this infographic on the use of colours and the ways in which they can affect our moods and habits - 

Image Source: inspiredm.com

A Little Bit of Art

This work caught my eye on my trip home on the bus. I was so intrigued I jumped off at the next stop to take a picture.

The sculptures which were in a fenced in front yard in Lilyfield, Sydney created the most colourful garden. I am yet to discover who the artist is, though I will keep looking.

Why Interiors and Design?

So why do I like interiors and design SO much that I am starting a whole damn blog about it? 

Well, I’m a homebody for starters. Some would even describe me as an extroverted introvert and because of that I NEED a place that is my own. In other words, I draw energy and comfort and relaxation from being in my home.

I also find it as a place of function, memories, shelter, socialisation and personality. Put simply I love to create spaces which feel good and make you feel great.  

Image Source: Sophie's Fashion

The conundrum is that I also love to travel and as such, I draw much of my inspiration from worldly design and far away places. This means that my homebody status when in Sydney is very much aided by the memories of my travels and the sights, colours and textures of other worlds.

Looking even further back however, my unrequited love of furniture, interiors and design probably stems from my Dad, a devoted antiques dealer. From the age of 5, I could spout off names of all kinds of furniture, from Chippendales chairs to a Chesterfield chaise. So this interiors caper has been a natural progression.

Team my Dad’s love of furniture with my Mum’s insistence that we experience different cultures and wammo, you have this here blog, thanks for that parents!

While interiors can be a broad topic in and of itself, design fits snugly in there as well. In the last few years I have increasingly become obsessed with innovations from people who are making the home experience streamlined, cohesive and damn good looking!

It is a love/hate relationship with design however, alternating between awe and then jealous due to the fact that I cannot think of something as cool as A Very Slim Table by Nilly Landao… seriously! I’d even be pretty happy if I was the person who thought to use a pasta strainer as a lampshade! 

Image Source: mocoloco.com

The Print Society

Image Source: The Print Society 

Have a look at these fantastic ‘Colour Collector’ double sided cushion from The Print Society.

Born from Sydney designer, Karen Johnston, the collection consists of dramatic yet simple constructions of colour, style and pattern. They are eco friendly designs with materials of hemp and yak, each pillow is individually hand printed. Starting from $60.

With an emphasis on soft furnishings, cushions are available along side table linen and bedding. For more information and online store - theprintsociety.com.au

We live outside the touch of time...

Last night I had one of those moments where you can just exhale. When all worry and stress eases for a bit and you can breathe and be yourself.

After getting home from work, glass of wine poured, I started on what will now be known as 'The Soup to End All Problems', a hearty mixture of vegetables, lentils and chicken. Then with a knock on the door my sister was here.

Due to us living in different cities, we only get to see each other about once every three months. Also, due to my terribly hopeless phone communication we don't get to talk as much as we should.  When we do it's usually the result of one of us having a neurotic breakdown about something or alternatively, the innocent, "So, I kind of need you to transfer me some money...?" conversation.

Despite Kathleen being three years older than me, we share the advice and leadership sibling role equally. Both of us are good at being there if the other one needs a sounding board or a truthful and harsh reality check.

However, the one thing we are superb at is falling into lengthy conversations about absolutely nothing. With each of us being the person who has seen and heard more about the others life than everyone else combined, the result is an honest, embarrassing and in depth voicing of concerns or thoughts that we would NEVER say to another person.

A sibling may be the keeper of one's identity, the only person with the keys to one's unfettered, more fundamental self.  

                                                                           ~Marian Sandmaier 

And so it was with ease last night that we fell into a comfortable, no holds barred discussion about family, work, love lives, study, mortifying moments, genetic traits and those funny little things you think but should usually stay in your head.

We sat on the couch scoffing down our wine and soup, bursting into hysterical laughter and every now and again putting on the, 'ok, I'm going to give you some real life advice right now' tone.

What a warm and fuzzy feeling.

This morning I realised how incredibly lucky it is that I have someone who has seen the worst of me, the best of me and everything in between. Lucky, that despite it is sometimes tough, this person loves me unconditionally, without judgement or expectation.

So, to my sister Kathleen who shares my crazy neurotic mindset, my inappropriate humour and my genetic disadvantages - I think you're absolutely hilarious, absolutely insane and absolutely have a knack for driving me to a point of exasperation, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Moments Not Milestones

Last week was my birthday.

Another year past, but it's still just the beginning. Sometimes it's hard to remember that and the pressure of time frames and schedules can be overwhelming. 

Like Christmas, like New Years, like all the milestones we place in our lives as gauges of how and where and why we are in certain situations, a birthday is up there with the mother of all milestones.

On a birthday we tend to lose sight of the big picture and it becomes all about us. We put a magnifying glass on our highs, lows and our 'did I actually fucking do that's'. This usually (with a few drinks involved) results in the conclusion that things just aren't going the way we had anticipated they would when we did this exact same exercise 12 months ago. It is because of this we can all relate to the lyrics "It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to..." sad, but as a witness to myself and friends, true.

This year was different though.

Sure I cried about things, sure I was completely inappropriately drunk on a Wednesday, sure I woke up with mild regret (may or may not have been to do with attempting the Dirty Dancing lift in a short dress in a small bar, ahem) but I also woke up happy... at 4pm the next day.

On my birthday I was surrounded by my friends, I spoke to everyone I truly loved and I was in a better place than I had anticipated I would be 12 months ago.

Each year we lay claim that this will be our best for any number of reasons. Everything will be just hunky dory and nothing will get in our way. The last year has shown me that downfalls, loss and troubles are all a part of the intricate web that's weaved in our life.. and here's the kicker, these shit things do somehow make things better in the long run... who woulda' thought?

I'm making no grand statements about this being the best year, the chips can fall where they may. They will regardless of what I declare. I'm realising that's how life has to be, how it should be.

So, I will see where the wind and the world take me this year, to ensure that life isn't a matter of milestones but moments instead. I'm done with the pressure of expectations, from others, but mostly from myself. So it's time to enjoy and do the little things that make me happy, if that means doing revealing dance lifts in a bar, so be it, I was beyond joy.

This week I took an afternoon to lay in the sun by the water in my favourite place I have ever been. I took pictures because I like taking pictures, I patted all the dogs that were running past because they were god damn cute and I chatted and laughed with the people who would walk to the end of the jetty to see if the girl laying motionless there was alive or not. The happiness was like nothing I had felt for a while.

Also two things happened today that just made me want to smile and squeeze people's faces with joy:

Firstly, I watched a scary looking biker pull up at a red light beside a car that had a little kid marveling at him in the back. He high fived the little boy, chatted to him about his matchbox car, passed him a finger skateboard out of his pocket and then roared off while the boy was in hysterical laughter. Sweet.

Secondly, there was a man of about 70 years completely in his own world as he danced by himself to the sound of the buskers in Pitt St Mall. He just kept going and was still there when I left.

Yep, despite the downs, I think there's hope for us all yet...