WHAT'S ON MY IKEA WISHLIST

I know that Ikea is one of those places people expect you to eventually shed out of your life as you mature.  But to me, there really isn't any other furniture and homewares super store that manages to get the price AND design right. This year, I plan to move out with an entire apartment full of Ikea goods. To me, I'd rather have the whole house done rather than spending months waiting for items to arrive in strange and/or unpredictable time frames. There's nowhere where I can get everything I need, in the designs I like within the price range I can afford. Being the mega Virgo that I am, I've made a list of all the items I want for my new apartment which I've decided to share with you guys here.  

So it's pretty obvious that there will basically be no colour in my new place which goes against what I have been consistently into for my entire life. Neutral colours are popular for the reason that they're calm and versatile.  This allows me to be spontaneous with the homewares that I buy because I never have to think about whether it will match the house. I feel a slight sadness at transitioning into the whites, greys and beiges. It's an end of an era for me, for sure. Keep your eyes peeled for a home appliances wish list that's coming around the corner.

What are some things that you guys are eyeing for your house? Tell me in the comments below! 

LATEST PURCHASES : WRANGLER, COS, UNIQLO, ASOS

 Guys, I know what you're thinking. Yalei has a shopping problem. I totally don't blame you for thinking it but I wish I didn't have this feeling of needing to justify my spending but I swear that my funds are totally under control! Haha, how do I even lead on from here? I decided to go to Chadstone on the Labour day long weekend because Chadstone is seriously one of my happy places. It sounds so silly to have a shopping center as your happy place, but whenever I go there I immediately switch to Chadstone mode which is literally forget your problems, your responsibilities, your anxieties - just browse, look and shop. 

If that isn't the best PR spin then I don't know what is and the funniest thing is, it's totally true. I had one thing in mind when I went there and that was to get the Rayon blouse from uniqlo. This is my FAVOURITE item from Uniqlo. I own three of them now - the light blue, the navy blue and the white. These feel so good on, really silky and slinky and they fall on the body in the most flattering shape. Right now they're reduced to $39.90 so I knew I had to grab the light blue which I'd been coveting for a long time. 

When I find a good print that I like, usually there's a 95% chance of me purchasing. That figure ups to 100% if the cut of the top is good. Good patterns are very hard to find. Usually most of them are either too retro, too naff or just wrong in general. This one was perfect because it's modern and not retro or naff at all. I tried it on and the colour was super flattering as well. I also liked it because it's quite reminiscent of the tie dye tops that Proenza Schouler did as shown here

Although denim is worn by pretty much everybody, it's still a common complaint I hear around with women ( especially, dunno about guys too much ) that denim shopping is a pain in the ass. I get where they're coming from because jeans are very hard to work with and double so if you're trying on REAL denim. For me though, denim is my favourite item of clothing. I think I own around five or six pairs of jeans which I think is a lot but I am definitely looking to start buying more pricey denim because let me tell you, the fit and feel is SO different from regular denim. 

I bought these Wranglers yesterday from Universal store. It was so funny because I went in with no intention of buying anything and ended up leaving the store with these. I don't regret the purchase one bit though because they fit perfectly. They slim me down and make my legs look longer than they are and best of all, they're real denim. It made me see that more times than not, you get what you pay for because these are my most expensive pair ( $140 ) but they feel as if they are.

Asos is like my go to when I'm literally bored and have nothing to do and want to browse somewhere that's cheap and affordable but still has good designs that are gonna look good. I haven't bought from them in a while but its made somewhat of a resurgence for me and this top is the latest item I've bought from them. You can have a look at it here, it's still on sale. I've gotten more into wearing darker colours lately because I've actually been making myself do it. I'm more of a light colours girl - beiges, greys, whites and the like. But dark colours have that instant maturity factor and you know how I'm always on that journey of trying to look older. 

I really love this top for its flowy shape and also the embroidery detail on the front. It's a really flattering top that would suit all body shapes and sizes and looks awesome with just a simple necklace and some jeans.

Denfair design loop is officially on now and I've got some events I'm going to go to for PFF. Keep your eyes peeled next week for those entries! There'll be photos of lots of nice furniture and tapestries and textiles as well. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend

Also, if you're interested here's my latest published piece on Est about A-Place, a new concept air bnb located in Warsaw, Poland 

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SHOP VISITS : NYARY

The beautiful colour tones of the entrance way really caught my attention. I love the bright Murano glass lamp against the beige wall and the pops of colour throughout. Although I'm into colour, I think being into muted tones and quiet colours is important for eclectic enthusiasts like me because we need to find a balance 

I love the Mexican vibe of the back room. So many cute and colourful things here. It's young and bright but it's not childish and I love that kind of vibe. I live for fun in all guises and this is such a fun setting. 

Bottle green is SO stunning. I love that corner on the end, just lashings of green in clear glass, terrific

Nyary was such a joy for my eyes because it was so colourful and warm. There was also an Italian and Mexican vibe throughout which I loved because both of those style influences are some of my favourites. The entire shop was gorgeous, you didn't feel like it was a shop at all but rather a well decorated home ( the owners live above the store which might have played a part in this 😉  ) I spoke to one of the owners, Jenny about what's been going on in store and she told me that she and her partner had just gotten back from a five week trip to Italy. She also showed me some of the items which she had either shipped back or bought back herself ( details in captions as you go down ). Italy is absolutely on my next destinations list. As I visit more and more shops, I see that it's a central place for home decor lovers. The craftsmanship and design of their products are just stellar and when I walked around their store, I could just feel that warm, joyous Italian easy living vibe all around.

I swear there's a special name for these chairs but it escapes me right now. Such a nice centre piece for either using or just displaying

Huge vases are such a brilliant way to add some boldness and dramatic inspiration to a space, no flowers required! 

So much joy and laughter in this table setting here

Beautiful patterned pots in their garden section out the back. Cultivating greenery is something I'd love to be able to be good at but I have to admit... everything green dies under my hand 

Loved the almond shape of these leaves and how healthy and vibrant the leaves look 

I love seeing and holding specimens. It's something about the kid in me which enjoys being able to inspect and look at things at a really close range. I think things in nature are the finest examples of 'craftsmanship' ever 💪

Mexican or Mexican inspired textiles are such a treat for the eye

This mini outdoor area is like a built in home Terrarium 

I absolutely love that star mirror here, combined with the red and pink touches from the flowers... so beautiful 

I absolutely loved this grand display table combined with the more reserved colour scheme here with the vases. It looks perfect in front of the mini outdoor window. And those candelabras are so good! 

Before... 

So I got pretty excited about this Murano glass lamp from the 60's here. When I saw it, I thought it was just a display piece that probably wasn't functioning ( Some stunning lamps from the 60's and 70's are so old that they really can't do much besides sit there and look pretty ) but Jenny clicked it on for me and there it was shining in all its glory! The colours are what draws me to this lamp the most as well as its flowy, sculptural shape.

AFTER! 

A close up of the beautiful lamp. The candy colour and melted texture pattern is brilliant

At first, I thought all these fake food items were made out of plastic for display purposes. But upon closer inspection, they're actually candles and they're all imported from Italy too. 

This hexagonal lamp stand 💙  I'm into unusual or experimental shapes in furniture 

Such a feast happening

The display value on this table is so high. There's just so many candles in sheer numbers here to create this dinner party 

John Derian glass works shipped in from New York, you can find more of his work on his website here. I like that its got a Fornasetti inspired feeling about it 

Big vases and urns add instant grandness to any space, in my opinion. It's the fastest way to add an established feeling to any room 

I like how the white vase's paint is chipping off, it adds to the entire display and ties up the browns of all the vases together 

More stunning lighting choices made by the owners here 

I loved virtually everything that Nyary had to offer. I found it really gelled with my personal sense of taste. The values were warmth, intimacy and friendliness. There was a true joie de vivre sensibility throughout. Colour and textures were not skimped upon and it bought joy to my eyes seeing so much happiness in their homewares and furniture design styles. You can bring joy and colour to a room without compromising its maturity and elegance and Nyary lead this by example seamlessly. I also felt like there was a real unifying presence in the store despite the store being very eclectic. It shows that eclectism isn't just about doing things willy-nilly. There is a force that ties it all together, it just takes a keen eye and good balance.

Green and Yellow, great colour matching with these two 

I like how these chairs which look super 80's are matched with this traditional styled table 

Such a cool cover design for this book 

Some truly stunning drapery

Real pattern party going on in the front display window! 

Looking back, I should've bought one of those eye mirrors 

If you're into eclectic decor with an Italian twist, then Nyary is definitely a must visit. Even if you're simply looking for ideas, I'd absolutely recommend coming here just to browse as the way they have displayed their objects and furniture, really contribute to its beauty. Their best items were their selection of vases, textiles as well as small knick knacks. Very glad I stopped by to visit. Thank you so much Nyary for your kind reception.

137 Victoria Ave, Albert Park
Victoria, Melbourne
( 03 ) 9699 3995
www.nyary.com.au