Inspiration for a home

I recently stumbled across my old 'renovation inspiration' folder (the old fashioned kind, not electronic) and was pleased by how consistent the images were with the feel developing in the house. Farmer Joe and I had lots of time to talk about the look and feel we wanted to create for the Chambers house - settlement took more than six months, so almost the whole renovation was planned before we moved in. So, I thought this would be a good time to walk you through our thoughts on what sort of home we want to create...


Image House & Garden

 First, we wanted to create a simple and understated Australian farmhouse, with references to traditional country style.


Image House & Garden

It needed to sit comfortably in the landscape, and be in sympathy with its surrounds.


Image House & Garden


The interior needed to be light and airy with a neutral colour scheme. We wanted a space that gives you room to breathe.


Image Home Beautiful


We wanted a subtle Hamptons influence (and a white kitchen with shaker-style cabinetry, of course).


'Visual Harvest' by Stephen Trebilcock. Image by Frances Keevil Gallery

The house needed to be a space to display art by local and Australian artists, depicting elements of nature. (Note: Owning a Stephen Trebilcock is in my 'maybe/oneday/fantasy' file).


Image Max Azria Home

Our home needed to reflect the value of knowledge and learning, with a library of books and a comfortable chair for reading. (And a white bookshelf with a ladder - I'm saving my pennies).


Image by House & Garden

We wanted unexpected and historical touches.


Image by House & Garden

And a casual outdoor entertaining area to spend time with friends.

We wanted animals to bring life to our home... dogs, cats and chickens.

Image by ifood.tv

And a kitchen garden and orchard, to supply us with organic, homegrown produce.
But most importantly, when we tried to sum up the feeling we wanted for our home, we came to this...


Source unknown

We wanted a home where every evening captured a little of the warmth and richness of Christmas Eve. A home that gave the comfort and security of childhood, everyday.

B.x

Meanwhile, on the farm...

Farmers are burning their crop stubble before seeding... eerily beautiful.

B.x

The 1st Annual Chambers Easter Egg Hunt

Yesterday saw the launch of the first ever Chambers Easter Egg Hunt! With guests staying with us over the long weekend, I took the opportunity to put some good-old childish fun back into the holiday. The hunters awoke to the first clue, an empty market basket, and a farm map (the hunt covered 600 acres, so this was essential!).

Brightly coloured flags held the next clue (and made the egg parcels easier to find). After finding eggs in the haystack, creek bed, clay pit, pump shed, and various paddocks, the hunters were led to the shearing shed where a lovely bottle of sparkling wine awaited, along with instructions to hurry home for a champagne Easter breakfast. (Unexpectedly, they were also greeted by an enormous rat guarding the bottle of champers. Not ideal, but that's farm life...).

Who says Easter is just for the kids? Have a great long weekend!

B.x

Art... Trudi Last Nest

Image Altenburg Gallery

Hugely excited about my latest art purchase! I have been stalking this piece by Trudi Last on the Altenburg Gallery website for months. In an effort to convince Farmer Joe that we absolutely could not live without this painting in our living room, I printed a copy from my home printer and stuck in on the wall for a fortnight. This seemed to be long enough for him to get used to having it around, and now it's ours! Now, just a very long Easter break to wait for it to be delivered...

B.x

Pumpkin harvest

Despite several weeks of total neglect, the vegetable garden has delivered a wonderful crop of butternut pumpkins. We got a dozen, and the mice, rabbits and chooks ate six (not such a bad deal). The pumpkin vine is still flowering due to the strange weather lately, but it has to come out to make way for the winter crop. Heirloom broccoli, cauliflower, peas, rocket, lettuce and more to go in next. Happy Gardening!

B.x

To the folks at Sapling Press...

Image by Sapling Press

Thank you for making me laugh out loud at work this morning! I spotted this letterpress print on the Beau Lifestyle blog and instantly logged on to buy it (Etsy is becoming dangerous for high frequency impulse buys). I think I'll frame it and put it on our buffet in the dining room. The Sapling Press Etsy store is well worth visiting. Very funny...

B.x

Etsy buy... Cottage Home Couture cushions

Image by Cottage Home Couture

When one makes a public declaration to seek colour, there is a certain pressure to follow through. So today, in an impulsive Etsy buy, I purchased a pair of these decorative cushions from Cottage Home Couture. The colours pick up those in two miniature butterfly paintings we purchased in India and will help to brighten the guest bedroom. Okay.. I know that 'colouring' the guest bedroom is a bit of a cop-out (we can always close the door if it gets too much), but it's a start!

B.x

Blog love... Bright.Bazaar

My friends will laugh when they read the subheading for this blog, because they have teased me for years for being addicted to beige. The best cure I can imagine is this fabulous blog by Mr Bazaar (aka Will), a twenty-something from the UK with an amazing talent for bright interiors. A must-see is Mr. Bazaar's regular Colour Cocktail posts, which pair gorgeous colour combinations to inspire the most hardened beige addict!





Images by Bright.Bazaar


Public declaration to self: I will include more colour in my home!

B.x

Great Food

Images by Penguin


Instant love for the new Great Food series to be release by Penguin next month (and many thanks to Amanda at Oliveaux for blogging about it!). The series includes the best of culinary writing for the past 400 years. The cover art is beautiful and the titles are charming (yes, A Dissertation Upon Roast Pig was written by Charles Lamb. Love it!).

I love to cook and will buy the series to read, but they have also solved my dilemma about art for the kitchen. A small empty space on the wall needed something colourful, quirky, and culinary. While I would never normally consider book breaking, I think in this instance I'll buy one extra copy of my favourite, and have the cover framed. The only question now is, which one do I choose?

Image by Penguin

B.x