Simple Pleasures

How was your weekend? We had a very quiet weekend at home which was so lovely. Yesterday Harry and I were in the garden and we spotted some Rainbow Lorikeet's {very colourful Australian birds} in our beautiful old tree sucking the pollen & nectar out of the newly sprouted pretty orange flowers. Another sign that Spring is here!! It was so nice to spend the weekend enjoying simple pleasures just like this. What did you get up to?

Whisk Me Away...

Yesterday I had to make a quick, over and back trip to Straddie to get the house ready for some tenants arriving. I very nearly didn't come home. The weather was perfect. The waves on the beach were glassy and rolly and I just wanted to escape and hide over there for a few days. But, I came to my senses and came back to work. On the way home I sat in the car on the barge reading some magazines and as I looked out the window this pretty little sailing boat was sailing past. I must say I am thoroughly enjoying the beautiful Spring weather here and I just can't wait to head over to Straddie again for a few days over the school holidays with my special little one. Anyway, enough of my rambling. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. See you next week!!

Black & Spiro Today

Here is a little old chair we just had recovered for a client which we received back from our upholsterer today. I couldn't help taking a photo and sharing it with you. This fabric is the same one {in a different colourway} we used to cover the Lulu 2 seater we currently have in the shop. It is certainly a favourite fabric amongst us all at Black & Spiro at the moment! I'm actually considering having a bed head made in it for home....it's those birds which keep luring me in!! Email us for fabric pricing and availability info@blackandspiro.com.au

Pia's Absolutely Favourite Things

Beautiful, talented and super kind Pia Jane Bijkerk is an inspiring Australian stylist, photographer, writer and blogger {wow she's one busy girl} currently based in Amsterdam with her 'French boy' {French for lover}. Pia and French boy live on a houseboat in one of the beautiful canals in Amsterdam - how exotic!! I was recently lucky enough to meet this talented multi-tasking woman and her French Boy in a city we both love, Paris. I'm sure our blogging friendship will endure for a very long time and I hope she finally fulfills her dream of one day returning home to Australia to live!! Let's see what Pia is absolutely crazy about!!

"I was very inspired by your request for a few of my favourite things and found myself collecting little treasures from my various travels ever since you asked me. As a stylist, I find I have phases of 'object love' and at the moment I am finding so much inspiration in handmade ceramics. As it turns out, all these pieces come from the three cities that hold my heart (and that I call home) - Paris, Amsterdam, and Sydney. And as wonderful luck would have it, today was a gorgeous sunny day here in Amsterdam,casting a lovely soft haze across my vignette and making it the perfect opportunity to capture 'a few of my absolutely favourite things'. I think it looks a bit like Polaroid which I love!

Anna, do you remember when we met in Paris a couple of months ago, I had a little parcel of handmade ceramics that I had just purchased? I found them in the quaintest little boutique in the backstreets of Le Marais, and ever since then I have had a penchant for little ceramic vessels to add to my new collection. So last week when I was in Sydney I had a chance to take a quick trip to Paddington Markets, one of my favourite market places in the world (I have a few favourite market places, but this one is definitely in my top 5!) - I spotted the stall of ceramicist Samantha Robinson. I used to use her pieces as props when I was styling in Sydney, and it was great to stumble upon her work again, I couldn't resist taking a few pieces home with me (they are the little hand printed espresso cups in the front right of the photo). And back in Amsterdam this morning I visited one of my most treasured ceramic stores, Vivian Hann's on the Harlemmerdijk. Everything here is from these special boutiques. Each piece brings a smile to my face, and I love picking them up every now and then and feeling their rough and smooth textures. And yes, every now and then, for special occasions and when we have guests, we use them. But for now, this is where they sit, on a shelf, in 'le petit bateau' in Amsterdam."

I must say I love the simplicity of these pieces so much and I do love the story behind them too! Thank you for sharing your collection of things with us Pia!

'Absolutely Favourite Things' will appear here every Thursday so stay tuned.

Simply Dramatic

I don't know about you but I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Tori Mellott's new look in her teeny weeny New York apartment and in particular I love her lounge room as above. I just can't stop looking at it in this month's Domino. In one way it's so simple and serene with its almost all natural and white colour palette but the punches of black here and there makes it strong and dramatic. I love the injection of lilac on that monogrammed cushion and I also love the colourful books in the bookcase! Oh, and of course I love that art cluster wall!! It's all divine. I'm in Love!

French & Country

If you haven't already checked out Suzie Anderson's French & Country website - an {Australian} online shop full of all things French and GORGEOUS then you must right now! I love this image which appears on the opening page of her site. It was taken at Hotel Particulier in Aix-en-Provence, France. NB. I have posted about Hotel Particulier previously HERE.

A Pretty Field of Flowers

One of my lovely clients sent me a link to Morgue File today....I think she was trying to help me out with my recent blog block! I loved this field of flowers from Jari's photos! Thanks Bridgett for the link!!

Past Inspiration

Look at these beautiful botanical watercolour flowers which date back to 1606 which BibliOdyssey recently featured from Scrapbook Florilegium. Head on over there for the full scoop. I was particularly taken with the vibrant colours. So very pretty and inspiring!!

Houses To Die For

Well it seems my blog block may have almost passed...phew! Thanks for all of your encouraging comments!! Look at these beautiful old houses captured by Erika over at Urban Grace. She and her friend Annmarie recently packed the kids in the van and went for a drive around Boston to 'stalk' some of the gorgeous houses around the place and WOW is all I can say! Here are a few which caught my eye!! The top one is my favourite!

Blog Block & Pink Vases

Well, I seem to be suffering from a little **blog block tonight so unfortunately I don't have anything very exciting to share with you except for this beautiful pair of Antique pink Bristol glass vases from Windsor Smith. Oh how I love these vases which have two major things {I am currently obsessed with} going for them - they are pink and they have birds painted on them!! Then again I have always loved pink but birds are a reasonably new {within the last 6 months} obsession!! I promise I'll be over my blog block tomorrow!!

**Blog Block Definition - Blog Block is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to begin or continue blogging usually due to lack of inspiration or creativity.

Sneaking A Peek...

Here's a little preview of a job we have all been working on lately at Black & Spiro. I should have some more pictures to share with you within the next couple of weeks but I couldn't help posting this one to whet your appetite!!

Michelle's Absolutely Favourite Things

I'm so excited to share with you today some of Michelle Adams' 'Absolutely Favourite Things'. Michelle is certainly a very talented young woman and is the founder of Rubie Green an eco-friendly textile company based in New York. Michelle's fabrics are fast becoming a favourite by designers both here and in America. I absolutely adore her fabrics and currently have two chairs covered in her East Village {raspberry chevron design} in my front window at Black & Spiro. Some of my other favourites are Tillinghurst and Portobello. Her fabrics have been seen in Domino Magazine and featured on blogs worldwide. I certainly think this inspiring woman is someone to watch and I am just so thrilled to be able to share with you today some of her most favourite things!!

"While rounding up my favorite things to shoot, I realized that many things make me very happy! So I thought it might be fun to show them both laid out flat, and also as a tablescape. I started with my favorite piece of art, which is a vintage Czech movie poster of The Knack (1966). I spotted this beauty on Kate Spade's 'Behind the Curtain' website, and hunted it down at a local vintage movie poster shop! To the right is a framed photo of my grandparents shortly after they got married. It's literally such a great photo that people always ask me whether I left the fake photo insert in my frame! (I have to laugh and explain "no, I do in fact know these people!" haha.) The rest of the pieces all have some significance in my life, such as my Rubie Green fabrics, an issue of Domino where I used to work, a subway map of New York, a small bottle of Stella McCartney perfume (I never leave home without it!), a special note from a friend, etc."

Oh my goodness, I LOVE all of her favourite things too and in actual fact I have some very similar favourite pieces of my own!! Thank you so much for showing us your beautiful things Michelle. If you want to see more you must go and check out her gorgeous blog, M.A. Belle.

'Absolutely Favourite Things' will appear here every Thursday so stay tuned!!

Inspired By Others

Gorgeous wicker verandah furniture via Nibs Blog {House & Garden}


A beautiful old white timber house from Country Living via This is Glamorous


Beautiful kitchen cabinet via Habitually Chic

Stencil Library via My Notting Hill

Felicity's little pink tutu twins - so gorgeous!!


Loved this via Urban Grace via Design Crush via ffffound


Beautiful wedding dress via {I can't remember}

I have been a bit busy this week and consequently my posts have been a bit light on so tonight {to make it up to you} I thought I'd show you some of the things I have loved lately from some of my favourite blogs. Thank you to all my favourite bloggers out there {and I have lots of favourites} for your inspiration....I am continually inspired by the beautiful things you post!!

New @ Black & Spiro

Here is the new Lulu 2 seater which just arrived at Black & Spiro this morning. I am so excited about this new Lulu which we have placed in the front entry of the shop. It looks so beautiful and fresh - perfect for Spring!! I love the bright blue and yellow birds and the bright colours in the flowers and leaves against the natural linen background - such a gorgeous fabric!! If you want to see a close up just click on the image.

Happy Spring!!

Oh, I am so glad Spring is here. The cold weather has certainly been taking its toll on our little family with the dreaded flu!! I took this pretty photo over at mum's yesterday. I purchased the little hand made blue and white owl in Aix-en-Provence for mum when I was away recently. She absolutely loves him!! He fits in so well with all her other blue and white things! Happy Spring Everyone!!

See You In The Spring...

Image - Jen Gotch

Earlier this week I posted a beautiful image by Jen Gotch which so many of you loved so to end this week I thought I would post another one I am totally in love with. I absolutely adore the collection of things in this photo and in particular I love the white background with the pops of colour. This photo pretty much sums up my own personal style. As most of you know I love to create rooms with an all white backdrop with lots of colour in the accessories and a few quirky pieces and vintage pieces thrown in. I think I need to put this picture on my inspiration board. I do hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and I look forward to sharing lots of absolutely beautiful things with you next week - the first week of Spring here in Australia!!

New @ Iomoi

I'm really loving the new collection at Iomoi...Pink, Yellow, Bamboo & Pagodas...GORGEOUS!!

My Pretty Flowers

As I have been posting lots of pretty flowers this week I thought I'd post these pretty flowers which were given to me by one of my Black & Spiro girls on Monday. They are sitting very happily on my desk at work with my glass paper weights which I recently purchased in Venice. Thanks for brightening up my week Kelly!!

Michael Devine Fabric

I viewed the {new to Australia} Michael Devine fabric collection today. All the fabrics are divine {pardon the pun} and are hand screen printed in Brooklyn, New York. A custom colour service is even available - how fantastic! This Pagoda fabric was my favourite. I ordered a few meters for some cushions for the shop but I'd love to see it made into curtains. I'll have to try and use it in an upcoming job!!

Black & Spiro Today

I thought I'd show you our gorgeous new armchair which just arrived into the shop. It is covered in one of my favourite Rubie Green fabrics. I had a client call me yesterday saying she nearly had an accident outside the front of the shop as she was driving past when she saw the chair!! How funny!!