Above two images via Decor de Provence
Image via greige
Image by Hans Zeegers Photography
Image from Hannah Simmons
Image source unknown 
Garagistes is a newly opened wine bar and restaurant serving very exciting food in Hobart. I was fortunate enough to dine there recently (and plan to go again this week!). The wine list is 46 pages long and includes carefully selected wines from all around the world. The food is based upon local fresh Tasmanian produce and brought together by head chef and part-owner Luke Burgess. Above shows the industrial style interior that has a very organic feel to it - partly from the large wooden tables but also from the gorgeous hand-made pottery plates and dishes that the food is served upon. It was formerly a garage. The conversion is great, I especially love the open kitchen (see bottom image).
We started with the salt cod fritters with celeriac leaf mayonnaise - I can't wait to have more of these. (Image from http://www.foodtourist.com/).
And we ended with the lardy cake teamed with a malt chiffon and condensed milk - yum. (Image from http://www.foodtourist.com). Of course, there were 3 or 4 more savoury dishes in between there that we all shared (sorry, I didn't take any photos). And I loved them all! 
Luke Burgess in action in the open kitchen (above, right).
For a sample menu go to http://www.garagistes.com.au/. 
Who else adores vintage eiderdown quilts? We have some in store at the moment and they are stacked in a French 19th century bibliotheque (above). I think they look great in a cupboard like this or in a French basket, as in the third photo. Oh, and I love the basket in front of the washing line in the top photo. Anyone for some Spring cleaning?
(Image from The Stamford Wife http://thestamfordwife.blogspot.com/)
His and her showers with white (or off-white?) subway tiles. I definitely do not have room for two showers! But I love simple white tiles in brick formation. (Image source unkown)
Again, the tiles struck me in this bathroom, they appear to be bevelled like our kitchen tiles. I also love the basin on chrome stand.
This bathroom looks very English with the vintage style toilet and basin. I prefer chrome legs though. I like the simplistic mirror, it looks to be from the 1930s. There is no colour in this room, it could maybe use a splash of something...
This bathroom has a near identical basin to the one I have bought for our bathroom. Rejoice, it looks great in this room, so it should work in my bathroom.
Again, the classic pedestal basin looking good. I really like the soft blue, but I may go more neutral for the wall colour. Any ideas?
Imagine having French doors leading into the bathroom...this is really gorgeous.
I think these last images decide it for me, white subway tiles it is (well, in the shower, our only tiled area at this stage). It is hard to go wrong with such a classic tile. And I love this neutral colour above. Again, if anyone has any colour suggestions, I would love to know.
Last week I had a joyful experience at the new patisserie Sweet Envy in North Hobart, Tasmania. Owned and run by ex Gordan Ramsay patissier Alistair Wise and his partner. I had a berry tart (it was very hard too choose, there were so many beautiful sweets) and a hot chocolate at a vintage painted table whilst admiring all of the beautiful cakes and pastries surrounding me. The interior is wonderfully decorated - in one window there are painted stepladders and mini-birdcages housing cupcakes (below)...so sweet!
As far as I am aware, it is Alistair's partner who is responsible for the cake decorating. She does the most amazing wedding cakes I have ever seen.
Perfectly presented cupcakes and from $3.50, they are hard to resist!
With the arrival of Spring we have introduced some new cushions to our soft-furnishing range...
I love these linen cushions with 19th century newspaper script. Perhaps my favourite.
But these cushions are quite irristable with vintage French ticking in a soft blue. They are sitting contently on our French day bed. I see them in a baby boy's nursery or in a sunroom. 
These cushions are made from vintage French linens. We will be bringing out some similar cushions made with blue detail soon.
The antique sofa in the room is a highlight! And Cote de Texas points out the Mora clock peeking in from the next room (she has great attention to detail...). A lovely room.
The French chairs with the blue monogrammed upholstery are antique, as is the Chinese coffee table. I think this room shows that you do not have to stick to one type of antique for example, French, but can mix periods and styles to create a more unique look.
Now we come to my two favourite photos which have made me walk around our store with different eyes. The two arm chairs to the left of this room have such beautiful lines and as Cote de Texas points out, how could anyone choose contemporary chairs over these?
And Donna, the lucky gal, bought this similar limed Swedish arm chair from our store earlier this year. It now sits happily in her small guest bedroom. And true to Cote de Texas' design concept, this single arm chair actually "makes" the sparingly furnished room.
Perhaps the best piece of advice we could take on board from Cote de Texas is this; when starting out, try to buy one big piece of antique furniture for each room. If money is an issue, then save up instead of settling. I waited years and years (15 to be exact) to be able to afford a Buffet a Deux for my living room. I used funds from my business to pay for it myself so that my husband couldn’t interfere!! Now that I have this piece, it will always be in my house – somewhere – and hopefully in my daughter’s house one day. And from my experience, this is spot on. It has been those antique pieces that I really had to consider, worried that I was spending too much, that I have never regretted. And these are the pieces that I am likely to admire and hold on to forever.
One of our customers is the new proud owner of one our favourite pieces from our last buying trip; this gorgeous c.1800 French Buffet a Deux. I am sure this piece will help to make her room and more importantly, be a piece that she will treasure forever!
We are making use of a few of our vintage tin flower buckets out the front of the store with some fresh flowers available for sale. We are starting with a variety of coloured tulips and also some stunning oriental lillies...
On my visit to Sydney last week, I couldn't help but be captivated by this shop window display on Queen Street Woollahra. It may bave been the carved oak angels but I think it was the French Cire Trudon candles with the famous gold labels displayed under French glass cloches. After this, I started seeing these candles everywhere! They are generally displayed under glass domes or bell jars (cloches)...
These exquisite candles are made by the oldest French candle manufacturer, Cire Trudon. Claude Trudon was a merchant who opened an apothecary in Paris in the 1600s and became the royal candlemaker. Below is the candle shop that has been in operation on rue de Seine, Paris since 1643 - now that is history!
And the ulitmate Cire Trudon candle? This 2.3kg, 700+ hour burn time La Grande Bougie candle housed in a hand blown vessel. A wicked indulgence at $695... (available at http://www.beckerminty.com/ )
But we only live once, right?
