rustic earthy orange

orange, slate gray, dark brown, taupe and de Gournay... how i love thee!
{pictures from Massucco Warner Miller via coco+kelly}

feeling feminine

{plate and tumblers by Bongenre }

tulip

E thinks I spend too much on this blog - which is probably the same as saying that I spend too much thinking about decor... so I'm cutting down the time I'm killing mulling over ideas... I'm officially approaching diminishing marginal utility...as a series of swan songs (to purge images from my hard disk)... here we go...



{the tulip table}

blooming dining

charming dining spaces from elle decor

cloudberry

i'm not a mom but i'm surrounded by moms - for many years, way before i even thought i would ever have a husband, my friends were busy sprouting offsprings. and then, our conversations would become monotopic monologues of kids, childcare, baby video cds (dvds were deemed too expensive and cost-inefficient) and the occasional mom-in-laws-collective.

don't get me wrong, i like to listen. problem is i like to think too - and i would be like "what's up with that?" so, when i obsess about cinnamon, i do ask myself... "dude, what's up with THAT?!?!" so, thank you for reading and listening; i'm happy to be surrounded by doggie-lovers :) aaaahhhh, i feel safe.

anyhoo, enough with the rant and on to more fun stuff, such as, obsessing about home furnishings. stumbled across this online shop, Cloudberry - i love names like this :)




Isak trays designed by Sandra Isaksson, tempting enough to start a nudie camp at home, though i doubt i would look as cute.



Ceramic reindeer mugs and bat and angel mugs from Sami Rinne Design, conversation-starters so I don't have to do the talking (hey, i'm quite a recluse, you know *wink wink*)

{all images above from cloudberry}

and while surfing flickr yesterday, i saw this image below and went "holy molly!"



of course, i should have said "holy cow."

image from smosch. (a funny thing just happened, i was trying to create a hyperlink here and noticed that smosch's flickr address was actually "cloudberryterrier!")

xo,
exp

Not Neutral

Saturday nights at home are always best to ogle (via the silicon highway) at things/works/designs I've come across the past week.

These from notNeutral are the creation of Rios Clementi Hale Studios a multi-disciplinary design firm based in Los Angeles - simply brilliant! ~ Inspira

(Images courtesy of notNeutral)

Nadia Sparham

I fell in love with ceramic homeware by Nadia Sparham whilst out walking along Tottenham Court Road in London.

(Images courtesy of Nadia Sparham)

If not for the luggage bursting at the seams and already overweight luggage, I would have lugged (pun fully intented) a few of these plates. ~ Inspira

spoons

all recycled wood spoons from greener grass designs ~exp~

simrim

beautiful surya collection from Simrim.

"Inspired by vintage fabrics, organic forms in nature, and algorithmic patterns"

~exp~

Rock, Scissor, Paper

I waited with baited breath for Rock Scissor Paper to come up with a homeware collection, after falling in love with their cards and stationery.

(Images courtesy of Rock Scissor Paper)

I'm falling in love all over again. ~ Inspira

(a)Bod(e)

Our home is a mish mash of styles - contemporary meets asian meets kitsch.

I've learned that building a home together is really a unification of two people with two very different styles : M is very modern. He loves the transparency in glass and the sophisticated lines steel exudes. I love the understated hue of grey in a home way before it became the IT interior colour. That and coupled with a splash of colour and that's my style.

Through the renovation process M and I have a decidedly similar streak in interior decorating - we both love textures and flow of lines. The use of steel and glass and grey takes precendence in our living room. A perfect backdrop for the paintings we are housing. The transparency is carried to our dining room with the learned purchase of our dining table - structurally simple to enhance the textural interest of our dining chairs.

To keep the flow of transparency, our tableware from Ikea is perfect! Bargain prices, work well and look good - what could be better? I'm still on a lookout for a teapot and cups and saucers and I think I found these perfect ones from Bodum. ~ Inspira

(Images courtesy of Bodum)

dreaming spring

'allo inspira,

how was your weekend? mine was spent dreaming of spring - dogwoods, cherry blossoms, lilacs, lilies of the valley, walking cinnamon with E and marvelling at how pretty c-ville can be. we are going to europe in about 3 weeks - a little impulse purchase - i know... i'm not sure if i can help you find a letterpress, but if you have any idea where to look, i might snoop a little on your behalf.

i just received a request to take on a writing stint for a corporate newsletter - no tangible returns, but does keep me on my toes and increase my "exposure" to some folks that's worth schmoozing. non-obligatory and totally voluntary. i'm not sure if i want to do it - i've just received news on my workload for the second half of the year, it has doubled! i realize i'm keeping tabs: two columns - push factors, pull factors. guess which side is pulling more weight.

in blogland, someone has been doing a great job for me - keeping a lookout for pantons - i'm swayed to get these as dining chairs. Harborfront's McDonald's have these - perhaps, I'll have a french-fries galore while my test-driving them one day.

~exp~

Lacey Ambitions

I never thought I would ever admit to secretly loving anything lace. But these from Rockett St George are just delicately beautiful! ~ Inspira

Ps. The girls of Rockett St George also have a blog.

Pss. I sooo want the lace tape!

craving tea

still craving tea + scones... i won't be dropping by anytime soon, i'm trying this new routine ... taking walks, writing with a pen, writing letters, thinking (and sometimes dreaming).

left: tea cosy from couverture ; right: teapot from terra keramik (via apartment therapy)

~exp~

Peek-A-Boo

I'm in love with these etched glasses, raised prints and casted porcelain ware all found at Peek Keep. ~ Inspira

a blessing - my sister

i'm working hard, my mind is aflamed with ideas and i need time to categorize and work them out calmly - i've got a 'meeting' with my clients 15 mins from now - it's the in-between, don't know what better way to spend this 15 mins.

i'm feeling good about work. part of the reason: i see myself leaving this place of employment. ironic? or not. i'm trying to get my ideas out there and am trying to simply bite the bullet and not take criticisms too personally. i've sent one of my ideas out to the wind and am hoping to send out 2 more. they will *hopefully* result in conferences in netherlands and new orleans. i'm hoping this will be a fruitful year for me.

my sweet sweet sister serene, knowing that E has left this morning, called up and suggested a tete-a-tete. i can't do it - i got to work till 10 pm today. too bad. oh i miss her and can't wait to have tea with her :) (despite having had dinner with her and my brother-in-law last night with E). ~exp.

(tea set and linens from wrapables)

Rehabilitated

Rehabilitate seems to be the word of the day. Britney Spears (according to reports) has checked herself into an LA Rehabilitation Centre after a wild weekend which saw her shaving her head and getting a tattoo (--> don't we all just secretly love our Hollywood trashy gossip?).

(Pictures courtesy of Sarah Cihat)

Sarah Cihat scours and buys from second-hand shops, thrift stores and Salvation Army and such, old dishware. She rescues them by redesigning these dishware then reglazing and refiring them. These renewed dishware are then presented as new collections - Rehabilitated Dishware.

That's rehabilitation at its artistic peak. ~ Inspira

spoon

Mario Batali Spoons US$36.95 for a set from Popeil Family Store

i miss E a lot and am missing cooking for two - Mario Batali ain't Nigella Lawson but these spoons are super sexy - or maybe, I just miss spooning... ~ exp

new

inspira - do you like the new banner? does it look terribly familiar?
chinoiserie love: left from anthropologie, right... i forgot where i got that picture from....~exp.