People in glass houses ....

While the impracticalities of glass houses (as homes) are quite apparent, particularly for people familiar with the extreme heat of a Melbourne summer, my heart still skips at the idea of building such a home in a glorious wild and natural setting. It could be in a deciduous forest somewhere, near a river, overlooking a prairie, in the mountains, or near the sea perhaps ....

Phillip Johnson's acclaimed glass house and Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House are two beauties that continue to inspire, although I wouldn't choose to surround my glass home with manicured lawns and gravel paths...

I rather prefer the forest setting of this Swedish tree hotel complex, and particularly the stunning glass Mirrorcube unit* 

* (found via Jo)

Santambrogio's concept house certainly fires the imagination - glass walls, floors and furniture would challenge the senses and any desire for privacy.

Would you like a glass house?

Sunny days, happy thoughts!

I hope these cheerful links bring a smile to your day ...

- Gorgeous, elegant clothing from Nadia Izruna's recent collections

- Bright colours and naive, nostalgic tableaux from Eva Joly

- Good advice on a teatowel from Dear Colleen

- Whimsical girl-guide-style merit badges for grown-ups from Lee Meszaros
  (click here if they're no longer for sale when you visit)

- Pretty embroidered cushions and napiery from Kainkain

- A bright and cheerful peacock pillow from MiCasaBella

... and finally, a sweet little talking crow, who has not let an injury dampen his ambition! (needs sound).

Happy Tuesday everyone!


(pretty bokeh image from here)

Paper cuts

Today I found the incredibly delicate paper artworks of Hina Aoyama:

She cuts each intricate piece by hand with a small pair of scissors.
(insert enthusiastic French accent here ....) Incredible!

Gewürzhaus

A heads up for all foodies 'north of the river' in Melbourne ....

Two German mädels have opened a lovely new spice shop in Lygon St, called Gewürzhaus. As Fitzroyalty writes,

"If media about food is called food porn, then this is no ordinary shop – it’s a food brothel!"

Time to get spicy and get cooking!

(images from here and here)

The Bandit bares it

I bet Burt wears Mandom aftershave too.


(Disturbing library book cover found here)

Lena Hoschek Spring/Summer '11

I love the new collection from Austrian designer Lena Hoschek:

 Click to enlarge the pics.

(Found via Q's Daydream Vintage)

Giggle fest!

Last night we went to see Bill Bailey's live show.

I laughed so much my cheeks hurt.

Calling all chaps!

On Saturday, while we were braving the chill winter winds during our beach strolls and cosying up in front of an open fire, the good folks of London were kicking up a rumpus at the annual Chap Olympiad ...

 

What a jolly lark!

Pics from the ChapOlympiad Flickr page.

Port Fairy dreaming

We're currently on a mini-break in this beautiful little town on the Shipwreck Coast in Victoria's south-west ....



I wonder if we could live here? I've found the perfect house, close to the centre of Port Fairy, the Moyne River and (more importantly, especially for Gus) the beach!

This little town is quiet and pretty, with quite an artistic atmosphere, and it could offer us a chance to live life in the slow lane for a while.... This area of the state doesn't suffer from the water scarcity that affects so much of Australia's eastern coast - the grass is green and the volcanic soil fertile. Each year Port Fairy hosts popular music festivals, and it's also situated on the area of coastline along which Southern Right and Humpback whales migrate each winter as they travel north from the Antarctic to calve and raise their young. 

... dream dream dream!



(Images from here, here, and here)

Kitchen ponderings

We're planning a kitchen/laundry renovation, so I've been thinking about colour and style in the context of our little weatherboard house (built in the early 1920s). As G & I both love vintage industria and our architect is keen to work with some interesting reclaimed materials and finishes, I think we'll go with a muted colour palette and this kind of mood:

The images above are from here, here, here, and here, and there's plenty more inspiration to be found around the interweb.


PS - I remember seeing a feature in a home/design magazine about Australian artist David Bromley's wonderful house in Daylesford. I know it's been featured in Vogue, but I think the one I saw was a different magazine ... anyone out there have an idea? Love his style anyway - it's relaxed and classic vintage industria, all put together with a savvy editing eye.