LUST LIST : AMARA, MISSONI.COM, SAFARI LIVING, YOOX & MYTHERESA

Monday's shop visit to Safari Living felt like an homage to Missoni already but today's post looks at their range of products in more detail. I haven't been so swept up in a label in ages and I feel like there's just so many beautiful things to show from their label and so here are my picks for both the home and in fashion from Amara, Missoni, YOOX and Mytheresa in today's post.

From Top going Right : Temperance Throw, Flower Bath Mat, Timothy Pillowcase, Tucumcari Cushion, Tibault Duvet Cover, Tolomeo Hooded Bathrobe

I suppose there's nothing too deep about why I love Missoni. The colours and the patterns are gorgeous and that's why I am drawn to the label. But Missoni also have an air of a perpetual holiday to its image. Their clothes and homewares are what you'd expect to see in a holiday house, not necessarily an everyday home and I am always drawn to elements of escapism in any guise.

Missoni evokes images of the desert, lush rainforests, pool side idling and beachy breezes to me. They're not the images that usually underpin my aesthetic in clothing and homewares ( I hate the beach and I hate summer! ) but despite it all, I am still drawn to Missoni's aesthetic and taste palette. Surprisingly, the things you like don't always fall into your usual safety net of preferences which is good. I think it's necessary to get beyond your experiences, sometimes. Missoni know colour and they know pattern and I value those skills.

From left to right : Left, Center, Right

How stunning are their beach and bath towels? They divide their towels into men's and women's which I thought was funny but I think it's just based on sizing. Nobody's going to know! These patterns would look so bright and beautiful under the sun against the sand on a beach, don't you think? I'm pretty sure I haven't been to the beach in about four or five years but towels are definitely staples of a comfortable and well kept home, in my opinion.

From Left to Right : Left, Center, Right

My eternal quest to look more mature dies when I see these pieces here. Their vibrancy and eye catching colours reel me in like a moth to a flame. The great thing about patterns is that they actually suit everyone. The reason being, the pattern funnily enough recedes into the background and actually brings the wearer's features, hair colour and skin tone into the foreground. Having black hair myself makes colours pop even more. Having said that, I don't really wear much colour but prefer to use it in my paintings or just in and around my home. I would absolutely make an exception for Missoni though.

Left to Right : Left, Center, Right 

Those pants are so dreamy. Perfect for parties and if you're brave enough, just everyday wear. The head band is also stunning. Having bright colour but in small, concentrated spaces allows them to stand out even more and this headband would pair perfectly with red or blonde hair ( actually with all hair colours now I think about it ). The dress is amazing, needless to say. I'd wear it with a pair of  metallic shoes or a pair of knee high black leather boots.

Left to Right : Left, Right Both Fabric Swatches by Missoni. View the full range HERE By Safari Living

Left, Right

Couldn't really pass up showing you some of the stunning Missoni fabric swatches. I think the catalogue online shows you in detail the entire rack of fabrics which I took a photo of on Monday's post about Safari Living. So much variation and inventiveness in all the different fabrics. They've got the zig zag down pat but they're not relying on that as their only tour de force. It just goes to show that there are so many ideas and combinations out there just waiting to be discovered. 

Left, Right 

Left, Right 

Full Price and Material Details HERE

In writing this blog and going on so many outings to look at shops and homewares, I am starting to be able to clearly and succinctly give an elevator pitch of what my style is centered around. Missoni is now the latest addition along with the Saint Laurent movie by Bertrand Bonello and Roger Sterlings office in Season 4 of Mad Men ( maybe it's a thoughtful idea to make a collage of all these things in the near future? ) One of the most frustrating things for me, is when people ask what things I like and I just give a really watery and vague answer when the vision is so bold and clear in my mind. You are so confident in what you think you know until you have to bring it out into the open.

Full Price and Details HERE 

What did you think about my picks? Do you have any favourite Missoni pieces? What brands are you liking this month? Tell me in the comments below!

SHOP VISITS : SAFARI LIVING

The view as you enter into the store. Immediately you are visually drawn to the explosion of patterns and colour coming from the Missoni corner, which I loved. You had the coloured patterns near the bottom and the neutrals at the top. There's definitely something for everyones home to be found here 

The zig zags, the stripes, the colours!

I've always known about Missoni but never really had that much affinity with the brand until recently. Ever since my interest for decorating and homewares have steadily grown, my eye for brands that do colour and pattern well has lead me to Missoni and their signature zig zag fiesta. Missoni OWN patterns ( which needless to say, applies to the Missoni Homewares range too ). When I found out about Safari Living and their huge collection of Missoni Home, I had to visit. I wasn't disappointed with their range and on top of that, their other stock was just as stunning too. The entire shop was a joy to photograph and very much lived up to the 'Safari' in its namesake. 

Spoilt for choice. What will it be? Towels, cushion covers, throws?

The whole store was visually merchandised very, very well. A really cohesive choice of items were stocked 

So many good things for the home. Coming here makes you want to deck out your entire house in neutrals so you can dress it up with all the homewares that they have! 

Safari Living totally captures the beauty and pattern that is associated with tribal and African inspired designs. In their about page, it mentions that sharing unique finds from across the globe is a key point which went into making Safari Living the store it is today. You all know my love of browsing markets but browsing markets overseas is just a whole new level of excitement.

There is something special about having things from overseas in your home. The more exotic, the better. Maybe it's just me imbuing significance but things that are bought overseas seem to always be better somehow. They use different materials, maybe the designs are just nothing you'd find back home, they have things which you can only get there... it's bringing part of that trip back for life.

The best kinds of overseas shopping experiences for me are ones where I'm interacting with products that are un-mistakably OF that particular place. The items have to be things which take on a new level of personality that can't be found back at home. That's why you travel, to see and be a part of a whole new world. 

Last year, I featured these jars on my Christmas wish list here. It was cool to be able to see them in real life. It really is just as beautiful as it is on the screen as it is in reality. Love the beautiful scale-like pattern and colours. 

Terrific Shelf game right here. They manage to balance out the colour and patterns with just the right amount of muted tones and colour 

You can definitely say that Missoni claimed the zig zag pattern. It's amazing how a brand can take a pattern so seemingly simple and one dimensional and really claim it as theirs. Zig zags are truly the mark of Missoni's branding and signature which just goes to show that simple really is just the surface. You can check out some of Missoni's clothing here. I'm especially into the cardigans, head wraps and pants. You know you're probably into a label if you like more than three or four of their items which definitely puts Missoni in one of my favourites for me! 

Safari had a rack of textile patterns in their store and I managed to capture some of them here. Sometimes I'll be sitting down to paint and will have a really hard time trying to come up with new ideas. But when i see the sheer amount of variation in colours, dimensions and shapes that was on this rack, it made me feel like I wasn't broadening my scope enough and really tapping into the possibilities out there, creatively. Seeing beautiful colours and patterns put together makes me want to be more thoughtful at it. It feels as if there are no possibilities when you have no ideas but when you do, they really just flood in. 

What are some possibilities with this bit of fabric? Upholstery for an arm chair? A cushion cover? Maybe a table throw? All I know is that if fabric is made well and in a beautiful pattern, people will want to use it for any surface. I'm into the idea of framing certain fabrics too. I remember I did this when I was living by myself before I moved to Japan and it was actually such a good idea because from far away ( and even up close ) they just look like paper prints. The frames elevate the fabric into a worthy for display quality. People won't know where you got the fabric from, all they'll see is a gorgeous piece of textile that's worthy of showing off. 

Pretty crazy about the flowers that are made up of multi-coloured dots right here! So good! Very intricate and detailed

Wish I could've gotten out every single pattern and looked at all of them in detail, there's just so many here 

I love embroidery and feel naturally drawn to their folksy style. I've said before that things which are made by hand are deigned with a natural respect from people who handle them because we all know how painstaking it is to make things with our hands

The colour palette of the entire store was great. It was earthy, metallic but also with bright pinks and blues thrown in here and there 

There are a lot of sales going on right now in many homewares stores I've visited. It's a good time to pick up a bargain if you're needing some extra bits and pieces for yourself 

Really beautiful blue cushion right here. I'm into floral and plant-life prints a lot and this colour combination is really eye-popping

The neutrals corner

Patterns for days 

Enjoying all the soft, muted tones of the kitchenware shelf 

I love the blue and white pattern on the bottom, right hand stack 

Going into stores and seeing how everything is visually merchandised, you sometimes wonder how many different ways they tried displaying things before they settled on the style that they chose. The difficult thing for me about making a home look good and presentable, is the fact that there really are so many ways of displaying and making the home 'yours'. I wouldn't say that some ways are wrong, maybe things could've been done differently but the vast amount of possibilities can make simply beginning a bit of a daunting place. 

When you take into account how dramatically different spaces can feel when you simply move some furniture around, change the colour scheme or even add an ornamental piece, you start to realise that small decisions do make a big impact. It sounds like I'm talking about a life or death situation here 😣  but I suppose for people who take furnishing their homes seriously, it can be a little bit!  

So many lust worthy items ! If you're around chapel street, it's just a five minute tram ride down High street 

These woven light shades are so fun! 

Some close up shots of the Missoni home range. You can tell the amount of work that's gone into them. The colours flow so thoughtfully into each other, the weave is really fine, they really are almost too good to use 

So beautiful! 💛 💛 💛 💛 

Colour pop soap packaging 

Some stunning wallpaper here as the backdrop for these woven baskets 

Next door was a rugs and textiles shop which I really wanted to visit but was strapped for time due to an appointment 

Safari Living is a must visit if you're looking for patterns, colour and good textile furnishings. The selection of items is really impressive and to be honest, I didn't see one thing I wouldn't of loved to have owned. If you're looking for a splurge, I definitely recommend some of their Missoni things. They have the largest stock I've seen in Melbourne. Thank you Safari Living for allowing me to come and share your shop on my blog!

xx

Safari Living
579 High Street,
Prahran
9510 4500 

FRIDAY BOOK STACK : VOGUE LIVING AUSTRALIA

LIVING for this 70's house. Love the winding stair case, the art on the wall and how the art and the finishings of the room match 

I'm sitting here writing this, exhausted from a whole day of visiting new furniture shops and getting to know the people who work there and what their whole decorating and design stories are. It's the best kind of exhaustion though because the most rewarding part of any project is literally the people you meet and seeing the bigger picture of what you're into. All the photos will be spread out over three entries for next week, so keep your eyes peeled. An advanced thank you to all of the shop staff ( if they're reading this! ) for letting me take photos!

I think I've basically cleaned out the entire interior decorating section of my local library so I'm gonna head over to some other libraries soon to get more lust worthy photos. I have to admit, doing the Friday bookstack is one of my favourite parts of running this blog ( and from the looks of things, it's also your favourite part too ) There's no other way you can get so many beautiful colours, items and furniture together in one place.

My fascination and obsession with the Warhol gang / Studio 54 gang will last forever. There's never been a whole group of people more gorgeous, talented, well-dressed and eccentric 

Came across this couch in the Saint Laurent movie ( I'm always referring back to that movie because it's a staple to me ) and I love it. It's a historical furniture piece called the DS-600 System Sofa

White minimalism done well 

Black furnishings and walls bring a depth of luxury into the space 

These dark, moody rooms belong to the interior designer, Abigail Ahern who discovered the inky goodness of dark tones and colours when she painted a small alcove of her home. " I was amazed by how it transformed the way a little table with a vase on top really popped out against it". Before she knew it, she painted the entire room and then another and then another. Ahern keeps it balanced by adding feminine touches such as faux flowers and curved accents. I'm very much a fan of what she's created and I hope those who don't believe black can be great for a home can see that it's actually really lovely by these photos. 

I really enjoy her bravery in doing this because I used to not be able to imagine dark colours being useable and gorgeous but now,  I'm a total convert. I think the idea of having a dark wall in a bedroom is appropriate. Your bedroom is the space to retire, to wind down and having a dark wall ( or even room, for that matter ) aids in that process of winding down. It's lights out, literally. Also on top of that, I find black to be a warm tone, funnily enough. It's warm because the black forces the dimensions of the room onto/into itself. White is more cold than black because it creates more space that goes outwards, rather than inwards like black does. Black also absorbs heat, which creates warmth physically.

Snapshots from the Missoni Exhibition

I LOVE stars! I recently bought a new star shirt which I'll be sharing with you guys soon. 

Wanted to include this for the ornate prints. William Morris ( who does designs super similar to what you're seeing here ) is one of my favourite artists for his classical drawings of flowers and plant life. I love intricate designs and I love old school prints just like the ones featured here. It's very lush and old world, vintage luxury ( both great things in my books ). I also wanted to point out that the woman on that out of this world sofa with the out of this world tapestries / textiles is Jackie O's sister, Lee Radziwill who I actually think has way better taste than the original O of the family. Her book " Happy Times " ( check it out here ) is on my wish list.

🌟🌟 More stars! 🌟🌟

So, I found a copy of the famous Panthella lamp on Ebay. The seller was in Singapore and I'm pretty sure they had a few of these stocked somewhere in their warehouse. It was also the cheapest knock off I had seen because even the knock offs can range anywhere between 400-600 dollars. I was really tempted to buy it, but I thought that the price they were asking ( $300AU ) was still too expensive for me but NOT in general. $300AU is a steal for a Panthella copy. If only I were more cashed up to purchase this because it really was an excellent find. The shape is beautiful. I'm a big fan of curved designs with soft or no edges at all. It's also very space age which is a theme that I am very drawn to. I follow the panthella hash tag on Instagram and these lamps look so beautiful in any space that you place them in. 

ARTIST : Ben Quilty 

Seeing both these fluiding abstracts reminds me of why I love painting them in the first place. It's a blender of colours, forms and there are no rules to where the flow will go next.

ARTIST : Alesandro Ljubicic

Designers Draga Obradovic and Stefano Guidotti in Sicily 

Love it. Love the gold, love the spheres, love the warmth luxuriousness

I know everybody is always dying to go overseas and I'm no different right now. I know there's a barrage of amazing shops and furniture exhibitions all over Europe and parts of the States and I'm dying to go. I know one day I'll be overseas again in no time but I just can't help thinking about all the incredible things to see in terms of decorating, homewares and furniture over the pond and I just get itchy feet! 

Instagram is seriously such an important tool. Through it I've seen and even spoken to shop owners, antique dealers and decorators who haven't been scared to reach out and say Hello. You get such a global feeling of community when people who love what you do simply give you a follow or even tell you that they like what you're doing. I've always been socially awkward but my love for decorating and beautiful things has been such an encouraging force to get more connected.

Pierre Berge ( YSL's partner and manager for many years throughout his career ) has the kind of taste and decorating gusto that I envy and admire. For one, you can tell he isn't afraid. He's flamboyant in every sense of the word. You can almost imagine him throwing colour, fabrics and flowers into the air, laughing and enjoying every moment as he does it. The hydrangeas are stunning, I think they are such a choice flower for every room. The textiles... you don't even want to get me started! It's patterns, movement and drama for days which is exactly the kind of energy I want from a room. I see a lot of these kinds of rooms in French and Italian decorating which only reaffirms my yearning to be in Europe so I can unleash my wild patterned self in unabashed vigor!

It's difficult to really take the reigns of my decorating spirit when I'm still at home with my parents. But I know that once I do leave, flowers will be a huge part of my new home. 

A great example of mantle magic 

I think for shelves to show their full decorating potential, you either have to stuff it full of things or leave them relatively bare like this. I've always been a maximalist when it comes to shelves but seeing this one with only a few items here and there is making me want to try out the simple route 

I love lucite / acrylic and glass furniture. There's something instantly cool and understated chic about seeing through something. These acrylic cubes make gorgeous book cases which are both gems for display as well as functional to use. I've been eyeing some lucite side tables on Etsy which I always keep tabs on. The best thing about clear furniture is that you can really go nuts in dressing it up, adding ornaments, place mats, flowers - the works. That makes it easy for someone who's into having 'more' like me in the decorating department. 

From a Missoni exhibition celebrating the labels long years of colour and kinship to family 

A grand example of Chateaux Chic  

I'm officially into round dining tables. I've always been square as square when it comes to dining tables but if given the choice between a square dining table or a round one, I'm pretty sure I'd pick the round one for my dining area. Round looks a lot more playful, soft and less traditional but I'm not afraid of that. 

The living area of Rosita Missoni's home. I think decorating is exactly like fashion. In fact, it's fashion for your home and I like it when I go in a room and get the vibe of the people who live there immediately. I like when a person isn't scared of doing a style fully fledged and I especially love a person who uses and loves colour just like me. What I want to see most of all when I go into a space is the 'values' of the person. Do they like colour? no colour? do they like eclectic style or unified style? Are they into old items or brand new items? 

I love that bookshelf which goes right up to the very top of the ceiling! 

I like that she's using Missoni textiles in her own home ( I think... the rugs look very Missoni to me and why not use your own label when you can get it for free or at a way cheaper price? ) 

A beautiful marbled bathroom with rose gold accents 

I'm excited to share with you my photos from my day out today next week. I'm really determined to keep the blog going as is all throughout the year even though I'm going to be crazily busy in two weeks time for the next six months. I'll be studying a Cert IV in Marketing and communication to update my skills which sees me at uni three days a week from 9-5. But as I just mentioned, I am really determined to keep things going because I'm sick of ditching projects before they get to their fullest potential. I also may have some exciting news to do with decorating depending on how things go next week... so just keep your eyes and ears open ✌ ✌ ✌

Have an awesome and relaxing weekend!

Vogue Living Mar / April '16
Vogue Living May / June '17
Vogue Living Jan / Feb '18
https://www.vogue.com.au/vogue-living