Every NO brings you closer to a YES

So i'm sorta getting there on the kitchen .. it's getting darker earlier now, so by the time
the builders leave I am playing with stuff in minimal light and the kids are whining for food.

Happy Space.






Pic 1.

Love the uneven tiling, and the colour is perfect.  Unfortunately, the finish I want doesn't come
in the colour I want, and the colour I want has a weird finish.  Working on it.






Pic 2.

Whever I see silver travertine in store, I drool over it.  Can also get my random lines of
thick/thin and differing lengths .. but when I get it home I think it's too wishy-washy and I
really need the darker contrast of above. 

Trying to source something similar in bluestone .. in a semi-polished finish. 
Have a sample of a ceramic that works to LOOK like bluestone, but the fakeness annoys me....






This is a perfect colour.  It's Graphite from Southern Splashbacks, in their Matrix range.
BUT, i've discovered I don't like the uber-reflectability of glass, and the tile patterns
are all uniform.


So .. where i'm at now:


- looking for an afforable stepped stone with a uniform profile
( not that jutty-out stacked stone you see in landscaping .. the ones above are flat-fronted )
and a polished front ( shiny, but not too shiny )

- the brushed steel under-island kicker is gone .. apparently you can do painted kraftboard
under the kicker, which means I can paint it whatever I like, and when I want to change it,
I simply do that. 
I freaking heart paint  ♥

- the pendants.  Which I love, but, depending on the splashie, may be wrongtown in tone. 
However, I figured I could make up a watery dye solution to darker/lighten/colour them
if needed.. which appeals because that also means I could colour them yellow or teal or red
if I freaking wanted, and it wouldn't matter, because hello .. paint! ..

Paint has always been my saviour..

The husbo would be horrified probably .. but hey, i'm not in love with many pendants
out there atm, and if I got ( for eg ) non-offensive, safe neutral white glass .. then that's it
for 10years or so, because changing kitchen pendants = at least $300 for new lights
+ a sparkie to change them.  That aint going to happen. 

I do like the simple 'nude' glass pendants out there atm, but know a few people that wished
they didn't due to kitchen steam/dust and they get incredibly grotty. 
Plus, you can't paint glass, can you.  No. 
So I think my concrete is more enduring.  For me. 

Even if you're horrified I might paint them..





Finally, it's a big splasie - vast .. needs breaking up.  I've *always* installed a rail or two
in every kitchen i've ever had, and this one will be no different.  I bought a couple of these
cute pots from IKEA yesterday to hang off them, like you can see in the pics above. 
I love fresh herbs and I love the pop of green.  I'll take them down when cooking,
but I like the thought of natural stone with natural living herbs.

Oh - and Tolix stools .. yeah .. dunno .. i'm unsure what all the hype is about?  
I don't mind the one I used above, and i'm not anti-Tolix .. I just think they're a little bit
overtrending atm?  A lot of people are suggesting them to me :)

I quite like these though:






I found them on Houzz. 
Love.

It's all about the Journey..

The problem with liking so much STUFF and having so much style on offer and at
your fingertips is that you could go one of many, many ways and still be completely happy. 

Or I could.

We could be Provincial .. we love that store .. wing chairs, whites and heshians,
crates and rustic things.  Beautiful. 
If i'd retained a shaker profile in my cupboards and dressed them with black knobs or pulls,
I probably wouldn't have had to return these beauties to Schots:




Nice, huh?  I told them if I bought another house and did another kitchen,
I would come back and buy them in a flash. 
I love black & white & beige.  Classic tones, sophisticated elegance..



But I went handle-less and clean lines..  that's considered rather modern. 
Am I modern? 
Did I think that far ahead? 

No, not really.. I kinda just .. do stuff .. and make things work. 
I'm more adept at *fixing* things and making bad spaces good than I am at planning
things from scratch I think. 

More experience, I suppose ;)






So it happened with the carcass went in, I realised the large black domes were not going to work.
Plus I selected a large black light for my bedroom and large black drums to go down the hall.

Overload. 


They also impeded my sightline when I entered the living area from the hall.  Too much.

So they went back. 

Look at these pics I took on my iphone throughout the day:






Unintentional, but it seems I have a mustard/grey thing going on. 
You can get all snobby and say that look was sooooo a few years ago, but then, i'm not here
to impress you, am I?  No I am not.  Besides, my mustard chairs are still going strong. 

The funny thing is, I wouldn't say I am really a fan of either mustard OR grey. 
But some things simply beckon...



So I went to Beacon on the way home and picked up the pendants 2nd on my list. 

They are made of *concrete*.  I love concrete.  I love the colour and texture and variations. 
As soon as I brought them home, I realised they were *perfect*. 
My house is starting to dress itself..







My tiles have all been wrong too.  I've got a stainless steel kicker under the island bench,
and I needed to tie them in.  Or change the kicker, which I could probably still do...
( pretty sure I can )

But I think i'm getting closer.  I decided again I needed a more matt look, some texture,
so the glass tiles, as beautiful as they were, are out.  I'm looking at stones now ..
and see that stepped stone thing my husband is holding up below?






Well, that was a bit awkward to carry, so the tile lady gave me a big tile to carry them on. 
I laughed and said 'wouldn't it be funny if this helper tile was the right tile?' .. and you know what? ..
it actually doesn't look bad in tone ( see above ).  It's semi-gloss, but it's BEIGE, pretty much
the same colour as the walls will be ( White Duck Half ) .. so that's boring ..
but it's also pretty and light.  I could add interest via tile shape maybe ...

The other option is the tiles my husband is holding up, but in a more slate colour
( these are a coffee colour I grabbed because they  were lying around as a return and
I mainly wanted to look at the shape of them ) 

I'm pretty sure this is what I will do.. ( have you heard that before? )


There will be downlights in the cupboards above to pick up colour at night etc.
What do you think?

A nice dark dramatic contrast .. or a pretty lifting palette?

Please don't think of things such as sealing or grout or oil splashes .. that's all ok..
it's more the shape of the tiles and the colour i'm interested in.. what would you do?

Also, on a final note, this is the image I have submitted for my loungeroom cabinetry/
fireplace/tele configuration.  
Again with the yellow warmth of the lighting and the painted greys ...  hmmm






I also wouldn't mind that view :)


xx
Lea

Tile, Tile Baby...

Splashback!  Holla!


I have found the most divine tiles in all of the world.

Even better, they are Australian Made & Owned .. right here in Melbourne!
So beautiful, I dream of them.

I'm down to a choice between two formats.. and a bazillion colours.

From their site:

Southern Cross Ceramics has been manufacturing designer ceramics since 1987
and leads the world with its unique solid Murano glass on porcelain technology.


Yeah, i'm impressed.



I first saw their tiles in our local tile place.  Mesmerising.
However, with limited samples etc, I called the manufacturer and they said I could pop on over.
Expecting a dingy warehouse and a surly bloke who spoke in grunts,
I was pleasantly surprised to be genuinely welcomed into their showroom..





They put on a video for the kids and I spent an HOUR there with the lovely Miranda
while we mutually admired each other's good taste, and then she sent me home with a
variety of samples, which I will now be returning and exchanging for others
( sounds like my kitchen pendants, huh ? ;)

The thing is, I chose too safe.  Besides my body screaming out for the Kiwi..
or the Barley Sugar.. or the Chilli or the Turquoise ... I took home some milder shades
that would 'blend' and 'not date'.

How boring.


Do these tiles look like they want to play safe?
No.  No they don't.




^
This is the lovely Miranda's arms as she holds up one of the formats I am debating. 
Format 10 is fine for a safer colour I think.. but I think my heart yearns for ...





Matrix Format 2.  Yes, that's right, the one with lots of grout to suck up the spills and splashes.

But you know what?  I'll deal with that for the pretty. 
Miranda even gave me information on a 100% stain proof grout they recommend,
so nice try, korma curry.. nice try spag bol, you aint got nothing on us!




If you're in the market for tiles, I totally recommend a visit to Southern Cross Splashbacks.
They have an online tile visualiser ( that I used for a couple of these pics here ), but not all
the formats and tiles are available.  However, you can get a good indication of colour,
and then go from there. 





Please note I was neither paid nor received product for this recommendation...  I just get
a bit excited sometimes and want to share the pretty.
 
However, if they do happen to read this and want to offer me free tiles and/or discounts, hell yes i'd say, thanks muchly, that would be *grand*
And I would tile the whole house.


Yes.I.would.  Well.. maybe.  ( I'd definitely add a bit of colour to my bathroom )


xx
Lea

Kitchen Tones

So since we last talked about the kitchen, I have:

- bought kitchen lights
- returned kitchen lights
- ordered new kitchen lights
- which I will probably exchange on pickup for different kitchen lights
- ordered a fridge
- cancelled a fridge
- picked a new fridge, but haven't ordered it
- gone from oiling my floorboards, to not oiling my floorboards
- changed the colour of my caesarstone



Hey, and that's only the kitchen.

Ok, so this is what's happening as of today:

Kitchen with Caesarstone NOUGAT countertops
White vinyl wrap cupboards with silver drawerpulls.  Same as my bathroom.
Platinum Micro Laminex peeking through from the laundry-slash-pantry
Beige Royal on the walls - totes boring I suppose, but we like it, and it's the colour I did in my other, finished rooms.

Appliances you can see are stainless steel.
Splashbacks are as-yet undetermined.
My overhead/overbench pendants are black, which I am considering changing to silver.  A bit of an unknown until they arrive/some cabinetry goes in and I make the sparky dangle them from the ceiling for my amusement. 

Now the underside of the island where you sit on your stools kicking the bench.  I want a contrast colour there .. which I will pickup in the splashback.  I'm thinking stainless steel ?  The sample above is something called DUROPAL, which sounds a bit like a laxative, but is more like a laminate.

But the thing is, I don't think I want a s/steel splashback.  I could tint glass I suppose, but I actually think I prefer the texture of tile over a flat smooth surface.  I went to the tile place the other day, but I hadn't looked at the below-island laminates them, so it was an aimless browse at best.  I'm pretty sure they had some tinted glass tiles that would work

As always, opinions and anecdotes appreciated! ...

Gallery Space

These pics are a little bit crunchy, but I just wanted to pump out this little mini-reveal into a space I am quite excited about.

 
 ^
the Space as it is now .. and an artist's impression ( ha! ) of future space ...


 Ok .. so this is a little alcove after you come in the front door.  it used to be the kitchen, and one day, about 5years from now, it will be an open stairwell.

I like it.  A lot. 




The amount of  perfect going into the house bothers me somewhat - sure I love clean lines and surfaces, but i'm also drawn to the quirk - textural interest .. imperfections, flaws..

Which, if homes are a reflection of their owners, then I think i'm pretty true to myself.

And I dreamed of this wall.
I trust my dreams implicitly.


Yesterday I found these metal letters.
Today I bought them.


I can't tell you how happy they make me.