A Passion for Beach Hats

India Hicks has stacked a collection of beach hats on a shelf in her house in the Bahamas above.



Another trait my mother has passed onto me is collecting beach hats. She has always had a passion for beautiful straw/raffia beach hats. I remember her often popping on a new hat ready to head to the beach. Over the years she has collected many, many hats...favouring the designs of Helen Kaminski, Annabel Ingall & most recently Axel Mano.

In a similar way to using baskets as decoration, stacks of hats can also be a great look in a beach house. I often stack my hats on old hat blocks on tables and sideboards. I love the way India Hicks has placed her hats on a shelf in her bookcase as pictured above!!

If you look closely at the picture above you can see my small stack of hats on my sideboard at Straddie.

By incorporating usable, everyday things like hats and baskets into the decoration of our homes, whether they are at the beach, in the country or in the city, we are able to achieve a very personal, simple, cost effective yet stylish look.

Image 1 - via Shelter Blog, Image 2 - via Style Court, Image 3 - via Cote de Texas

All The Pretty Flowers...

I've been thoroughly enjoying all the gorgeous pictures Holly from Decor8 has been posting of her new abode in Germany!! In particular I really love all the pretty flower arrangements she's been creating. I think she has been very clever with using small amounts of flowers in narrow neck vases and single buds in small vases. In these tough economic times we all have to pull our heads in and this is a great way of still being able to have some pretty flowers in the house without the huge expense of lots of flowers in large arrangements.

All images & styling - Holly Becker Decor8

Mismatched Style

Peter Dunham images courtesy of Domino Magazine

The thing I really like about this room by U.S. Interior Designer Peter Dunham is that it is mismatched and looks lived in and even though he has used collections of things some people wouldn't dream of putting together it works and it creates a sense of personal style. Don't get me wrong there are some things in this room that I personally would never have in my own room but that's the point and that's what mismatched style is all about. Bringing together interesting fabrics, textures, furniture styles and accessories in one area or one room is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful and clever Interior Decorating styles. Anyone can pull together a range of plain linens and matching furniture pieces and in the right place I believe this look can be very stylish. However, bringing personality into a room and most importantly finding your client's personality and being able to create a room for your client which exudes their personal style is what only a very good Interior Designer/Decorator can do. What are your thoughts? What Interior Decorating style do you like? Who is your favourite Interior Designer/Decorator?

Windsor Smith Image Courtesy of Style Court

Another U.S. Designer who does this look so well is Windsor Smith as visable in the lounge room she created in her own home in the above image.

Layers of Pattern

Image - Anna Spiro Guest Bedroom @ Ormiston House

Image - Elle Decoration - Liza Giles' Home via This is Glamorous

Image - XT Decor Mag

Image - Chris Chen Photographer via Desire to Inspire

Image - Vogue Living Australia - Chrissie Jeffrie's Home

Pattern layering in some people's opinion is over-the-top. I on the other hand feel that with a good eye mixing patterns is both a fun and exciting way to add personality to your home. If you have a set colour palette you are working with my advice is to select patterns within those colours therefore creating a central theme to work around. There really are no rules and the look is one of mismatch and nonconformity. A question often asked by my clients about pattern and mixing patterns is - "Is this going to date?" My answer is always "It only dates if you let date ie. let the look evolve over time by adding new bits to compliment old bits." One way to be able to have this look without worrying about the expense of recovering sofas and chairs once you tire of the look is to select a simple base like a plain for your upholstery and then add the patterns into the cushions, throws and accessories. This allows you to add and take away cushions/pieces when you feel like it. I have posted some of my favourite images above which display pattern layering. The top image is the guest bedroom in my old house which I decorated with pattern on pattern. The patterned quilt is a Douglas & Hope creation which I will treasure forever! I challenge you to be excited about pattern mixing. Be confident in your selections and don't worry if it doesn't match - that's the look!!!