Classic English bathroom style available in Tasmania!

Finally, quality English bathroom products are now available to Tasmanians through a local supplier of quality English bathroom and kitchen fittings and tapware. It is the same supplier that I bought my Nicolazzi bridge faucet kitchen tap from and I have just ordered all my bathroom tapware through. It has made planning my bathroom renovation a lot more pleasurable. This is the dreamiest copper bath I have ever seen!

This is also a fabulous bath. It looks to have a brushed finish. But for me there is something about the warmth of copper.

And speaking of warmth, I am contemplating ordering one of these radiators for my bathroom. How English would that be?

This basin with chrome legs is very smart. And the glass shelf underneath looks very useful.

And here are some more pics of other basins that are available. Donna is in the early stages of planning her bathroom renovation , she will be in heaven!

For further details, contact Heritage Sink & Tap Co. Email jpy42119@bigpond.com

Vintage Embellishments for Gifts

A collection of vintage buckles and brooches in a siver bowl. I have never thought to use jewellery to decorate gifts... This image is from BBC's Homes and Antiques magazine (Jan 2010 page 85). The paste stone buckles work well and I also like the simplicity of the mother-of-pearl buckles, especially the one in the shape of a butterfly.The buckle on the left appears to be cut steel, most likely 19th century. It is a wonderful gift in itself. It has made me look at our collection of (mostly Victorian paste) buckles in our store a whole lot differently! If you can't afford the real deal, you could always get crafty and make buckle shaped embellishments like above (photo from Stem).

And I couldn't resist adding this image above. Who wouldn't love receiving this gift? So pretty and to the point.

Classic Marble Bathrooms

As I continue to ponder my bathroom renovation (not a lot of action yet, just planning and fixture buying) I am finding the shower the hardest component to work out. I thought I would find it easy as my initial plan was to keep it simple. I am really taken by the shower above (photo from William Hefner), particularly with the shaped marble "wall". But with the French limewashed oak flooring that I am planning to have, I cannot have an open shower like this one. A frameless glass door would get around this problem as it wouldn't take away from the look.

And doesn't an antique mirror in a predominantly all white bathroom look great? This French trumeau style mirror is perfect. And lighting to the side of the mirror is a great idea, I will have to do this.

I love the use of marble in this bathroom, it doesn't really help me with my plans but it is just a lovely room I couldn't resist sharing. The stool looks great, too.

And can you believe that the bathroom in the two photos above is actually over 100 years old? It is from an American 1907 catalogue. That shower is really amazing. It really does prove that classic styles never date! I would love to have this bathroom transported through time (and continents) to my home. This would be a dream place to shop - Waterworks in New York. Check out the copper bath!

We were lucky enough to find this pedestal basin drastically reduced at a closing down sale, thanks to a tip-off from a friend. And we have decided on some Nicolazzi tapware (which is extremely good quality and classic, our kitchen tap is a bridge faucet Nicolazzi tap and we just love it) which are now being distributed in Tasmania.

If anyone has any thoughts on marble showers, I would love to hear.

Found Objects - Part II

To continue with my theme of bringing nature into the home, I have some more photos to share. Above is a beautiful French painted buffet de corps with branched coral peaking out. The colours all work so well together. I love the chairs too! (Image from Parterre, http://www.parterre.com.au/) I love this room with the open shelving displaying an extensive shell coral collection, including fan coral, which is very decorative (and fragile!). Again the natural colours complement the room. This is an example of an amethyst crytal geode in our store (with coral and a paper nautilus shell). I have a round, ring shaped piece of amethyst crystal at home that I bought in Nice (and then had to carry around all day, it weighs around 6 kgs). It is in our loungeroom and my eyes are always drawn to it. Green sea urchins look great just as they are in a jar. This picture has definitely given me some ideas. I also love Irish sea urchins, which are a deep coral colour, but they are quite scarce and more expensive. Even simple polished stones look great en masse (from the film "Something's Gotta Give").

I am sure that this chandelier is not real coral, but merely inspired by nature. I love the regency table beneath, and the chairs. And the coral colour works well with that blue, who would have thought?

Found Objects and Specimens - Part I

It was a this photo of butterflies displayed under Victorian glass domes that got me thinking...what is it about humans wanting a little bit of nature brought into the home. A quote by trend researcher Li Edelkoort "People do collect a lot. The consumer is becoming the curator of his own house, which is a museum or gallery. We are the curators of our creative life" hits the nail on the head, I think. As such, I thought I would share some pictures, to show how differently one can approach the display of found objects and specimens...

Butterflies mounted on a board behind glass and framed.

Mineral specimens, fossils, eggs and even a sea horse in this tabletop display.

I love this tabletop museum cabinet on the floor, filled with shells and the like. A talking piece, that is for sure.

In our store we have a large wooden bowl filled with a collection of shells. People are drawn to them, including children who put them to their ears to listen to the sea.

We also have this collection of polished nautilus shells. My favourite shell!

And here is my special collection of shells and stones, which I sometimes keep in a large French glass jar. At the moment they are in a crystal bowl I bought on my first trip to France.

Provence Home

This home in Provence, France was featured in the June issue of Australian Country Style (pages 57-62). I love the front of the home with the shutters, arched windows and oak trees. I like the comfy looking armchairs - both different in shape and coverings. And that fireplace! Only in France...

The galley kitchen with butler's sink looks like a pleasure to cook in. And the lime-washed beams give the area heaps of character.

And this looks like the perfect spot to rest after a busy day. The sheer curtains are devine. The chaise longue should make a come-back soon, they look very comfortable to me.

Dreamy Bathrooms

I am about to start renovating my bathroom. I love this freestanding shower (above photos). Not so rapt about the price tag though...

This is the same shower in a more informal quirky setting.

I would love a chandelier in my bathroom but my ceilings are not high enough. Sigh. And this bathtub is country and elegant. I am pretty sure I will have French lime washed oak in my bathroom. Why not?

And you can't really beat classic white, or a free standing towel heater.

And this is a girl's bathroom. The frameless shower has definitely given me some ideas. I am not so sure about the vanity though, I am hanging out for a white pedestal basin, to keep my look classic. I will post my (slow) progress.

French champagne riddling racks, armoires and garden pots

This French oak champagne riddling rack was featured in the most recent issue of Belle magazine, picked by an interior designer who took inspiration from the iconic and ultra stylish Belgium designer, Axel Vervoordt. Riddling racks, or pupitres, were originally used in the hand riddling process of making the champagne. Most wineries now use mechanized riddling equipment,however some still use the traditional approach...I know which method would look better!

They are making their way into homes, where people are using them for wine storage. Also, check out the French butcher's block in the background of the above photo.

We plan to give the riddling rack above a wax using our natural beeswax polish to enhance the oak timber, which is 19th century.

And I adore this photo, from Belle magazine June/July 2009 issue (page 95). The dress on the antique French mannequin is exquisite. I love the detail of the shoot from the globe to the Louis Vuitton trunks, and the hat box on top of the armoire. I think the armoire would look better if it had mirrored doors to reflect that beautiful dress. Just like the one below! It is a French rosewood armoire.

This photo shoot is also from Belle June/July 2009 (page 96) I like the terracotta pots strewn across the floor, and the old wheelbarrow, flowers, tin buckets etc. The terracotta pots are available in Sydney. I am not sure whether they would have any left after this photo went into publication! They would have been highly sort after.

These pots are French and are actually hand-thrown, a method they do not use anymore. Some people have bought them to cook little breads in. I will have to trial that one myself and report back.