PICASSO'S STUDIO

WHAT MAKES A BEAUTIFUL ROOM? / ' DECORATING VALUES '

Image found on Tumblr with unknown credit

Credit goes to : Abe Martinez, originally posted on Apartment Therapy here

Credit goes to : Sandra Rojo, Originally posted on Apartment Therapy here 

Image found on Tumblr with Unknown credit 

Whenever I come across a space that I love, the first thing I try to do is to ' work out ' why the place looks so good. I pick apart all the elements of that room and try to see what meaningful connections I can make to reveal the answers to why that space is so GOOD. Sometimes it's obvious why but at other times, you really just can't work it out.

Is it the choice of objects? Homewares? Furniture? Is it a matter of taste or is it a matter of space?

Beautiful spaces talk. They give us an impression of something 'living'. The space has its own life and attitude. If you're unsure what I mean, recall a time where you've been within a space that you've regarded as beautiful. Didn't it represent something bigger than simply just a room? Didn't it denote something deeper like : Luxury, Timelessness, Youth, Class, Leisure and Novelty? 

Beyond simply taste in furnishings and the period in which the space is from, beautiful spaces instill peace in us. They manage to be functional, personal as well as rejuvenating. I can only go by feeling. By intuition. Wealth and money do not always promise a beautiful space. It's about a claim to living and dominating the space using that as your guiding force. It's about staying true to ones taste but also sacrificing what ' we want to do ' in favour of what's going to be more favourable aesthetically.

Image found on Tumblr with Unknown Credit 

Jo Malone Head Offices, Credit goes to : Rose Uniacke, Originally posted here 

Credit goes to :  Tom Newton, originally posted on Into the gloss 

Credit goes to : Simon Watson, originally posted on Architectural Digest

Credit goes to : Benjamin Edwards, originally posted on My Scandinavian Home, reposted by Gravity Home Blog

For Christmas, I got a book called INTERIORS NOW published my Taschen and I wanted to include some good examples of homes which showed strong ' decorating values '. What I mean by this is that you can tell just be a glance into their rooms what the owner values aesthetically. It might be colour, lack thereof, antiques, modern furniture etc. I am a super eclectic decorator which I believe can be done well but is difficult to do, so I'm always on the lookout for tips on either how to blend eclecticism together ( I'm writing a blogpost about this really soon ) or just forthright examples of one style done full throttle.

TRANCOSCO, Bahia, Brazil - OWNER : Wilbert Das 

This entirely white room was chosen for obvious reasons. What I can't resist about doing an entire room in one theme or colour is that it makes a statement. It's a 'look' and it's the most direct and easy way of creating an atmosphere. In regards to the context of that room, it's appropriate seeing as the home was in Brazil. Having an all white room harks to its beachy roots and balmy evening nights. 

JOUARS - PONTCHARTRAIN, Ile de France, France - OWNER : Olivier Auclert 

I had to put in this home because of its unapologetically weird and true to itself nature. The rest of the house also shares this rooms vibe of seventies meets opshop cave. I'd love to experience this place for its novelty because the regular accoutrements of an average home just don't apply here and I love that for it's 'beyond-ness'.

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MILAN, Lombardy Italy - OWNER : Britt Moran & Emiliano Salci

I've always liked European style, especially the really bourgeois, old school stuff. Wall paneling, flowers, gold trimmed photos frames, tapestries and designer chairs. This is one of my absolute favourite vibes! I think not only does this style show a lot of aesthetic value, it also shows a lot of familial values as well as tradition is a big part of bourgeois style.

MIAMI, Miami Shores, Florida - OWNER : Doug Meyer 

I included this to show that bright coloured rooms is an aesthetic in itself and that the owner here really goes in for the kill in his style values. Despite the pop vinyl colours, the room still retains a mature charm thanks to the cane chair and clever use of muted blues for the bedding.

Eclecticism Done well
MELBOURNE, Victoria, Australia - OWNER : David Bromley 

This is a prime example of eclecticism done well. Nothing in the room has any direct unifying relation to each other aesthetically. There are pictures of butterflies, old school persian rugs, child-like looking diagrams and a horse on top of a crate with Asian characters. But somehow, it all makes complete sense! The eternal learning experience for me is going to be how to do a room like this one that looks more refined and grown up but still holding onto that playful eclectic quality.

I've learnt that for me, one of my values when it comes to interior decorating is tactile experience. If it doesn't feel right when I'm touching or holding it, then most likely, it won't get bought. Of course, this applies more to things like bedding and towels but similarly, I'm less convinced in ornamental decorations if they just don't feel right. What are some of the things which guides your decorating compass? Are you into colour? Textures or are you more of a minimalist? 

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Can't wait to use my new satiny pillowcases tonight 💕

I am SO happy with my new towel and pillow case from Sheridan. The prices were terrific for the quality of linen they have. The pillowcase feels amazing. In the shop they had a rack with samples of each thread count and material and I settled for the 400 thread count soft sateen 

Thought I'd share with you guys some of the things that I received ( and bought for myself ) for Christmas. My friend Margaret and I went to Chadstone yesterday to do the Boxing day sales and it was crazy. I couldn't believe how ignorant I was about how busy it was going to be and had this naively easygoing day planned. It was really chaotic and we even saw a shop lifter running mercilessly away from a shop assistant who was chasing after him. I think overall, the Chadstone boxing day sales are absolutely worth it though. The discounts weren't small. I got lots of great items for pretty heavily reduced prices. Margaret and I had a really, really fun day.

We ate food at the food court, then got some juices and just browsed all the stores that we fancied. Margaret bought some notebooks for classes she had next year, a book and also a really nice new coat from Zara that looked great on her. I knew that I was in the market for towels, homewares and a dress. I got some of the things I wanted and some I didn't but overall, I was super happy with my purchases! I'm not sure if the sales still go on after Boxing day, but if they do then you should definitely check it out.

Margaret and I were goofing around touching all the towels and wondering if we could guess which ones were the most expensive just by feel. I felt that this one was the most fluffy feeling and my mind was made

Going by feel is the best way to decide which linen is best for you. We asked the shop assistant at Sheridan how people choose their linen and she said that that was the overriding factor.

I'll never say no to another addition to my already packed bookcase! Especially if it's an Art or photo book like this one. 

I really love this amazing book that Margaret gave me for Christmas. It's super appropriate since my love for interior decorating just grows every single day, more and more and I need photography to learn and to experience rooms and spaces that I have no way of getting to. Books by Taschen are always high quality and just stunning. In my mind they're equal to Phaidon, which is another line of books that I always obsess over! I can't wait to get more inspiration and ideas from this book. Thanks Marg! 

The lemon trees here are gorgeous! 

Finally, I got myself this top from Zara. I actually really like Zara's clothing, even if most of it is kind of overpriced. I originally wanted to get a dress for myself, but to be honest finding dresses for me is no easy feat. They don't fit properly because I'm not tall enough and because I'm small framed, I can't wear long dresses and annoyingly, that's all they seem to sell these days. I don't own much black so when I tried this on and it looked good, I had to get it just to fill that 'black' corner that's missing in my life. What kinds of things did you guys get for Christmas? 

BEECHWORTH & YACKANDANDAH

Loved the idyll setting of this house and the flower bush in front of it. This was right across the cottage my dad and I were staying in 

Some Australiana 

A shelf in " Beechworth Galleries " which is an antique / junk shop in the middle of town

An entire shop dedicated to Buddha and buddha related trinkets and goods in the neighbouring town of Yackandandah 

Carol & Carol Living in the middle of Beechworth township. Thank you so much to C&C for their permission in letting me take photos of their wonderful shop! 

Just got back today after my five day long trip away to Beechworth and Mansfield and I just want to say MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you that are reading this! I hope you guys have a really well deserved break and an awesome New years and to pat yourself on the back for working so hard this year. I'm ready for a brand new year like all of you and have lots of secret plans and projects tucked into my head that I can't wait to unleash as I'm sure you guys do too.

So my trip to Mansfield and Beechworth was so great. It was literally just the perfect amount of time away and I got so much done in terms of mentally prepping for the year to come. I also just loved the experience of staying somewhere far away from home in the peaceful countryside which was amazing. For two days, I relaxed by the lake reading my book and just enjoying the scenery before heading into town. I found this amazing textiles shop with honestly some of the best patterns I've ever seen in my life. I also enjoyed some lovely local made Jam and home grown produce. This is the best thing about country towns, their produce is literally THE BEST. 

Beautiful shelves at Carol and Carol living. Loved the unifying colour schemes throughout and its beachy vibes 

' Eva's secret ' in the middle of Beechworth township. A really great shop with beautiful displays and VM'ing 

After my stay at Mansfield, I headed into Beechworth. This was an impromptu trip since it wasn't originally in the agenda. But my dad asked me if there were any other surrounding towns I'd like to check out and I remembered ages ago someone said that Beechworth had terrific boutiques and homewares. I wasn't disappointed. They really knew how to live in Beechworth. Fresh produce, amazing homewares, good textiles and locally produced goods. The ONLY thing I would say is that I just wished that there were more shops there for me to parouse around in 👀. I bought some last minute christmas gifts at this shop called Eva's secret which is the shop just above ( They have a shop here in Melbourne's Fitzroy as well ). 

Some lovely bookends at Beechworth Galleries

' Divine Linen ' in Beechworth 

Textiles Perve : Patterns for days at ' Divine Linen ' in Beechworth 

Loved that cabinet in the front window. I don't actually think it's a cabinet but some kind shrine 

Loved all the little road side shops with their fresh fruits, vegetables and locally made jams. H-E-A-V-E-N 

The pattern selection at the Mansfield textiles shop was AMAZING and the woman who worked there was so kind and allowed me to take as many photos as I wanted to as well 

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous 

I felt so rejuvenated being amongst nature. Just seeing it around me in the car on the way there managed to get me to relax and to re-wind after so much this year. I felt cleansed just enjoying the views of the mountains, open fields and forests which made up the landscape. I got to thinking about the different types of natural landscapes that I've seen throughout my life. From Europe to Japan and China and Australia. The differing colours, forms and shapes really define the place which they grow in. 

Had to stop by the side of the road to marvel at these amazing wild flowers. Who knew they could grow so beautifully without deliberate care? I guess mother nature gives the most love sometimes 

It felt amazing to be in nature again after a long, long time 

I feel happy to be back home again and to be able to be in my 'base' place to work on Paintings, Flowers and Furniture. Let's make 2018 a year of more paintings, more flowers and more furniture to marvel and enjoy. Once again, Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to you all!