Florabunda - A Celebration of Colour by Laura Ashley

Apart from my interest in interior decorating, I am also an artist, my subject matter is flowers and my current works are in oil medium, however in the past I used to specialise in watercolours. Watercolours have a special place in my heart as they are what inspired me to start painting. The liquid fluidity of the medium challenged me, however suited my floral subjects perfectly. Transferring this fluid, floral look onto fabrics with digital printing is a growing trend so I have been looking around for some inspiration.

Coastal, With a Touch of Hamptons - What do you think of Laura Ashleys FRESHWATER Range?

Laura Ashley opens its doors to its 'Freshwater' collection, I'm feeling a little bit Hamptons, a little bit coastal. Laura Ashley state, "this classic decorating scheme of just two or three tonal colours is all about creating a harmonious canvas, so that touches of individuality can be added for a stylist effect. Taking inspiration from coral and plant life around the shoreline, this casual and laid back story is the bridge between inside and out. It mixes textures and finishes, wood, brick, exposed beams and nut brown leather, all working together to create interest and individual style".

Coastal themed Interiors & accessories

I'm aware Summer's long gone in NZ, but hey! the sun was shining today and I am still able to walk along the beach most mornings. One of the hardest things about returning to NZ after so many years in SE Asia and the Middle East was not having daily sunshine and that wonderful warmth I felt waking up every morning to the sun streaming through our windows.  Recently I shared a post on a lovely coastal interior which jogged my memory that I had started to draft a post in April about coastal themed interiors and had not yet finished it, so with a bit more work and a lot of searching of images I have completed the post and hope you will be inspired to bring some coastal sunshine to your home.

A simple way to incorporate a theme into your home, whatever it may be, French, Country, Contemporary, Coastal, is to take the word and then make a list of words that spring to mind, a kind of "word association" game. Taking the word "Coastal", I created a short list of words to help me with my textures, a quick and easy way to help create a mood board. 

I then created another list to help select accessories that will work with the coastal theme...

seagulls
sand

driftwood

stripes
coral

wicker/rattan

shells

glass

waves

sun
starfish

More inspiration...

The coastal lamp above and below is a smart idea from Laura Ashley. Fill your jar with shells, pebbles or whatever little treasures you have to add some interest and texture. You could even place a faux nest and eggs inside.

The  items above are from Laura Ashley's coastal range.

Create a nautical mirror -  link to instructions can be found at the end of this post.

Sand dollar cookies, see quick links at the end of this post for recipe and  step by step instructions.

Coastal style...

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Image Sources 1|2|3|4|5

Quick Links:
Nautical mirror instructions from Martha Stewart....Instructions here.
Cute sand dollar cookies from Sugarbelle....Recipe & instructions here.

We hope you've enjoyed our coastal inspiration. A recent post with a tour of a coastal home can be seen at the link below.

A lot of love in this coastal interior ....read more and see images here

I will be sharing this post with the following blog parties:

I should Be Mopping The Floor

Coastal Charm

Rain On A Tin Roof

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Time Travel Thursday at the Brambleberry Cottage

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Stroll Thru Life

Mix Classic, Contemporary and Rustic it works!

Although I love French interiors and clean whites, I also love eclecticism and after living as an expat in various continents you end up with quite a mix of furnishing. I'd love to have my whole house with a French feel to it, but this would mean I'd have to part with pieces I've collected and cherished for years. So for now my own living area is a mix of periods, styles, fabrics and textures not dissimilar to the image above.

The room above is an eclectic mix of contemporary, antique and rustic. The contemporary clean lines of the sofa and the stark contrast of the rustic table are balanced by the elegant wooden antique side table. The dark grey silk lampshades of the side lamps are striking and draw the eye... (Gosh the artist in me wants to go and straighten up that lampshade on the left ☺). The beautiful fretwork screen seen in the second image balances the dark tone of the lampshades. To soften the overall appearance of the room, cushions have been introduced in muted tones. I think the silver cushion enhances the silver lamp stands, personally, however, I would have brought in another silver cushion instead of the green one as I am a bit of stickler for balance. There is a lot of texture going on in this room (so important), from the velvet of the cushions, slubby linen of the sofa to the rustic wood grain of the coffee table with it's heavy studs around its perimeter.

Overall I think this room is inviting and comfortable. I love the original shutters framing the exterior view of perfectly clipped hedges and topiary. I like that the owners are not afraid to display their collection of interesting ornaments. Sometimes we are looking for the "perfect look" and get rid of our ornaments but this is the difference between a "home" and a "showhome". I also enjoy the brave way they have introduced an assortment of cushions in differing sizes, colours and textures.  

I wonder what you think about this room, I love to read your comments.

 Images are reproduced with permission from jj Locations

The image is the living room of a Regency ground floor apartment in Battersea, London. The apartment is available for film and photo shoots, please visit jj Locations if you wish to see more of this apartment or contact jj Location them with regards to this property.  

I've been inspired and definitely

heading to Laura Ashley's sale this weekend  to

check out their cushions.

Lee oxo

&

Poppy

Christmas Tablesetting - Mauve and Silver

Christmas by tradition is Red and green but times have been a changing  and the modern Christmas can be almost any theme or colour. The traditional Christmas Angel atop the tree has flown her wings in many houses and now flowers/butterflies and bows can be seen, even the Eiffel tower is not amiss on top of a tree. There seems to be no right or wrong. So, with this in mind my Christmas table  follows my Purple/Mauve and silver theme and my Christmas tree has sprigs of mauve hydrangea amongst its decorations.

I used vintage silver cutlery and serving ware and combined with some gorgeous Laura Ashley glasses and two beautiful hurricane lamps, also from Laura Ashley. A simple setting for six. I used little silver stars and some mauve crystals to decorate the table. The small tree was from the Christmas Heirloom Company and decorated by myself.

 A cosy setting for 6

The little purple & silver boxes will hold some Rocky Road Bark for my guests. I love the fine gauzy linen tablecloth, purchased from a little shop in St Heliers called "Distinctive Linens."

Instead of using serviette rings I used two organza ribbons and tied a bow to soften the look of the table.

These exquisite glasses are from Laura Ashley - Wide platinum band optic 

wine glass - NZD54.00 each

small white rose in mercury glass from Laura Ashley - NZD39.00

A close up of this gorgeous glass -  I scattered little silver stars on the table. I also scattered some purple crystals

Gosford Cushion as previously seen "here" - Laura Ashley NZD209.00 

Silver and glass hurricane lamp from Laura Ashley - NZD179.00.  A classic looking piece, silver is fast becoming popular again. The other pieces of silver on my table are pieces passed down through our family.

These sweet "Merry Xmas" silver metal tags from Le Monde NZD$12 for 6 (great to tie to gifts/crackers or serviettes)

Zzzzz...says Poppy who was quite put out by the lack of attention during the photo shoot.

I hope you found some inspiration 

for your own Christmas table setting.

Lee oxo

&
Poppy

Lilac Inspiration, My living Room & Laura Ashley

A little while ago I came across a beautiful mauve themed room (also featured in "It's a Purple Christmas this year),  I love the richness of the velvet sofa, the fabric's soft, subtle sheen against areas of matte velvet, similar to the patina of a worn antique mirror. I was immediately reminded of a beautiful Laura Ashley cushion I spotted a few weeks ago in their Newmarket store.

Laura Ashley have always been a part of my life, when I was living in York in the UK I could walk to my nearest Laura Ashley store and often popped down to see what new items had arrived and keep an eye on their trends. In fact I remember my kitchen in the UK had a little cherry patterned Laura Ashley paper in red and I had a small floral print in my bathroom in blue... gosh that was almost 31 years ago! Now I'm living in New Zealand and my nearest store is a car drive away but I still visit regularly to see what's new in their beautiful homeware.  Laura Ashley have kindly loaned some products for my mauve inspiration and today I'm sharing them with you. Friday I'm featuring a Christmas table setting in purple and silver and some beautiful glassware from Laura Ashley so please visit again and be inspired.

Image from Architectural Digest

The Laura Ashley products featured below are available from their stores throughout Australia and New Zealand.  If you are in the UK, contact your local store for availability of products. 

What a lift the colour of these cushions gave to this corner of my room which was previously very neutral with beige and black cushions. I love the soft texture of the Eden throw and it's long silky tassel's

Nigella velvet cushion in grape NZD129.00

Gosford embroidered cushion Plum/prune floral NZD209.00

Eden Throw in amethyst - NZD99.00

Plum silk rose in white pot NZD29.00

All from Laura Ashley, see website for nearest store.

A close up showing the gorgeous embroidery detail in this beautiful Gosford Cushion from Laura Ashley


Laura Ashley also have an in-home design service available. For more information or to book an appointment please contact your local store or email: customer.service@laura-ashley.com.au 

Poppy insisted in being in the last shot! She does look a bit miffed at being ignored most of the afternoon.

Please come back Friday (Saturday in the Antipodes) when

I'll be sharing a mauve/silver Christmas table setting

and some more gorgeous Laura Ashley products.
Also coming up soon step by step instructions to make some pretty
Christmas crackers to decorate your Christmas table and lots more Christmas inspiration.

Lee oxo

&

Poppy

Roses - Nancy Steen garden and Laura Ashley

A couple of weekends ago was the Parnell Rose Festival at the Dove Myer Robins Park, unfortunately the sun decided to hide it's face and it was wet and miserable. I stayed home telling myself I would pop up there at the first chance of the sun appearing to take some shots before the first flush of roses began to wither and last Monday was the perfect chance, a glorious day!

I'm a great believer in being in the right place at the right time and meeting people for a purpose.  Within the Rose Gardens is a smaller garden called "Nancy Steen", while wandering through this garden I was approached by a lovely woman called Sarah who was delicately attending to her job of  deadheading the first flush of roses. Sarah informed me that Nancy Steen was actually her grandmother and the Nancy Steen gardens had been dedicated to her grandmother by Mrs Toni Silvester who originally formed "Heritage Roses" in 1980 with the late Mr Ken Nobbs.  

Nancy adored old fashioned roses, they were her passion and her own garden was a dedication to this love.  Albertine, Cecile Brunner (known as the button hole rose), Madame Alfred Carriere, the list goes on, truly heritage roses. Nancy even went to the trouble of importing some of the roses for her garden that weren't available in NZ at that time.  Nancy went on to publish her book, "The Charm of Old Roses" and Sarah informed me she also enjoyed painting Roses.  We even have a Rose in New Zealand dedicated to Nancy, appropriately named the Nancy Steen Rose, as seen below.

Thank you Susan for allowing me to use this photograph - Just our Pictures  (A site full of rose photography)

The Nancy Steen Rose garden has been lovingly maintained by a group of volunteers including Sarah, for the past 30 years. Below are some photos I took while visiting the garden this week, I have also sourced some gorgeous floral items from Laura Ashley's new range to appropriately tie in with floral theme of today.

Not a Rose, however I love the light peeking through in this shot and the pretty Queen Anne's lace below.

When we hear the words "Laura Ashley," we think romance and envision little floral prints in soft pinks and baby blues, Laura Ashley started her business designing floral prints on her kitchen table inspired by English gardens and soon her little home business grew quickly into a worldwide trend which is as popular today as ever.  Laura Ashley's designs today are not only traditional, they also include contemporary fashion and beautiful homeware and as always the brand is defined by quality.

I visited Laura Ashley's shop in Newmarket a few weeks ago which has a great range of their fashion and homeware. I love the layout of the shop, especially the colour blocking. Duck egg blue, Amethyst, Beige, gold and Grey are just some of the choice of colours available in their homeware.  Cushions, throws, accessories and gorgeous fashion is what Laura Ashley is about today and the quality and choice of  products is excellent.  With the current trend for floral both in fashion and the home, I am sharing some of Laura Ashley's new and archive designs available this season.

Garden Rose Quilt set - Queen size NZ$489.00, King size - NZ$529.00

Rose T Shirt - NZ$49.00

Dress - NZ$249

Floral cardigan - NZ$169.00

Gorgeous embroidered cushions from NZ$199.00 (currently there is a sale on in Newmarket and the cushion with lavender embroidery is on sale for NZ$59.00 and available in other colours)

A link to Laura Ashley's Australasian website is "here", although purchase on line within New Zealand is not yet available.


UK website is "here" 

This beautiful photo was taken by Robin Stubbert a fabulous photographer who has kindly allowed me to share her work on LCA. Copyright is owned by Robin.

Treat yourself to a bunch of Roses to display in your home, they will always bring a smile to your face

Lee xox

Shabby Chic Inspired

Rachel Ashwell is the creative mind behind Shabby Chic.  When we hear the word "Shabby Chic" the pictures that come to mind are time worn furnishing, ruffles, romance, roses and soft pastel colours. "Shabby Chic" a widely used word to describe a distinct style. After talking to a friend recently I realised that not everyone knows the term "Shabby Chic"is the branding of Rachel Ashwell who founded Shabby Chic in 1989 on the philosophy of beauty, comfort and function.  Rachel's brand was built around comfort, the beauty of imperfections, the allure of time-worn objects and the appeal of simple practical living. Rachel's latest book launched in late September is a beautiful book called Shabby Chic Inspirations and Beautiful Spaces.  Rachel's book is full of gorgeous photos of homes depicting her style both in the USA and the UK. From houseboat to town house to a centuries old manor house and Rachel's own London apartment. The book is available through Amazon, a link can be found on my sidebar.

Rachel's Shabby Chic empire extends 4 brands with Shabby Chic Couture flagship stores in Los Angeles, New York and London. You can read more about her brands "here".  What I love about Rachel is that although she has gone on to bigger things from her early beginnings, there is still a "personal" feeling about the brand, her website and her devotion to Shabby Chic. Rachel also has an inspiring blog, you can peruse over when you have time.

Today I am sharing my Shabby Chic finds from around the world.

Rachel's latest book - below a peek inside

Rachel Ashwell's Manoir Chandelier - US$1,595.00 This would have been perfect for my French/Mediterranean dining style post earlier this week.

Rachel Ashwell's Carmine Cabinet - US$2,600

The products above are available from Laura Ashley.  The prices quoted are from their Australian online store.

Products from Layla Grace, their "one of a kind" page. These would work great as headboards, see my previous post on inspiring headboards and the shutters I used in my French Cottage bedroom makeover.

Shabby Chic with a touch of seaside - image from bhg - This is a great idea for your beach house bathroom or any bathroom for that matter.

Romantic and truly... Shabby.. Chic - image from Country Homes



Image via Shabby Chic Decor 

Couldn't resist these pj's, they are perfectly shabby Chic colours! - La Redoute 3 piece pyjama 28.41 Euro's 

Just so you can spend some more time in the shabby chic world, this gorgeous photo is from a shabby inspired blog, Shabby Chic Girls "Simply Me". There are some really beautiful vignettes on this delightful blog so I encourage you to visit. 

Hope you got some shabby chic inspiration

Lee x