DesireToInspire

Easter Reading Guide 4

Almost there! Last day of reading guides and thank goodness because my chocolate stash is almost gone. Painting is stalled as I head out to lunch with friends. There is definitely a Scandinavian bent with todays blog list. Not all though .... just to keep it mixed up. Have a wonderful day and enjoy the last of your long weekend.

Freedom giveaway

Welcome to the first ever Desire to Inspire giveaway. We never have competitions on the blog, ever ... until now. I just couldn't resist when Freedom offered 2 gift vouchers to give to our readers. First prize is a $750 voucher to use in store and second prize $250. If you remember I skipped down to Sydney a couple of months ago to see the launch of Freedom's new Autumn range. I was blown away by the direction that Freedom was taking. Now Freedom wants to give our Australian and New Zealand readers the chance to experience Freedom's fab new range themselves!!! All you have to do is :

- Visit the Freedom website here.

- Find the piece that speaks to you the most, the one you just have to have in your home from their Autumn 2011 collection.

- Leave a comment here on the blog, telling us in 25 words or less "What is your favourite piece from the Freedom New Autumn 2011 Collection and why".

We'll read every one and choose the two winners. The competition starts today Monday 04/04/11 and ends at 11:59pm AEST on Friday 08/04/11 . The winners will be announced the next day. Remember this competition is open to only Australian and New Zealand residents. (I know, apologies to all our other readers but it is so seldom that great competitions like this come up on Aussie blogs. I just couldn't say no.) Please read the terms and conditions here.  You can enter more than once but each entry must be substantially unique and each entry must be submitted separately and in accordance with entry requirements. Get cracking! Start dreaming and start commenting!

Leave you wanting more

Dear Real Estate Agent,

I am writing to bring to your attention a short falling in your internet advertising I feel you may wish to address. Although I know that the pictures you upload to the real estate websites you use are only meant as a teaser, something to compel me to ring you, give you all my personal details, sell my soul to you and as well of those of my family just so I can trapped alone with you at a house viewing and under your hypnotic spell sign a contract there and then at full asking price, I wonder if just a few more pictures at the very beginning is too much to ask for. (Particularly for this lovely Darlinghurst, Sydney home.) I promise I will still be compelled to ring and give you my heart and soul. I promise I am not just real estate stalking. Pinky swear I promise.

Kind regards,

Jo

Design crew

Got a problem? Need some help? Just stand there shaking your head? Don't know what to do? You're not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you .... that's you lot ... the readers .... get to it! I have a Saturday to enjoy.

"I have a bit of an issue. I've just found the perfect apartment, except for one detail. My new bedroom features only one wall for my bed to go. And not only does that wall have an off centered window, but that window is very low. About a foot off the ground. I'm really hesitant to but my bed up against it when my mattress will cover part of the glass. Is there a rule about this? How can I make design sense of an off center window cut off at the bottom by a centered bed?" - Kayla

Behold the bits of Kayla's new apartment she is not having problems with ....

And now the horror that is Kayla's bedroom ....the listing photo ....

And the truth ....

"Here are the new pictures of the room. I apologize for the blurriness.  Also, the window is weird. It opens on a hinge, and its close to the ground. I put the mattresses in there just for size illustration purposes." - Kayla

Come on readers. Let's help Kayla out. We know you are a super talented and opinionated bunch. Don't prove me wrong! (If you have a problem contact me with a link to your photos here.)

Return of the stalker

Stalking! Oh how I have missed stalking. Truth be told I have actually been trawling through page after page, suburb after suburb of Australian homes but no rewards. Christmas leading into January is the quiet time for real estate in Australia. Coupled with a stagnant market and banks that are so tight with their money I haven't found a home that took my fancy. Until today. How about this St Kilda, Melbourne home? Clean, contemporary lines, interesting art (wish I could see into the room downstairs with the baby grand and the gallery wall) and privacy ... definitely needed with a bathroom like that one. I know all the lights have to be on for the real estate photos but wouldn't you like to see this place with a little less overhead light and a lot more table and floor light. Once again the price will make you shake your head. Link here while it lasts.

Dreaming…

Pinch me. I'm dreaming. Dreaming of slow, warm summers in the south of France. Of family times, olive trees and a converted barn. I'm dreaming and I don't want to wake up. This stunning feature is from Vårtnya Hem. An incredibly tasty site. Check it out.

A castle in Denmark

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away a castle awoke from its slumber, shook its traditional roots and decided it wanted to be thoroughly modern. Well almost. A fairytale castle always has to be just a little bit fairytale. I love this modern take on a traditional home. Katrine Martensen-Larsen of KML Design always finds the most wonderful places.

Umbria

Ah Umbria! Beautiful, beautiful Umbria! If I had won the lottery last week I would be winging my way to Italy right now. Escaping the incessant torrential rain swamping Queensland. I know it is not summer over in Italy right now but I'm prepared to rough it through the winter at Castello di Reschio. That way all will be ready for your visit when the weather warms up. 5 bedrooms, might have to wheel in a few trundle beds. If I rent it from now to eternity you all might be able to make it for a week or two. Line starts on the left ;)

Resolutions

Happy New Year! 2010 was a good year for Kim and me. Kim got married. I bought a house. Our blog grew and grew. Yes it was a good year. I think 2011 will be too. I'm never one for resolutions. I last about a week if I am lucky before all my good intentions fly out the window. You too? This year though I resolve to take my time, to slow down, to enjoy. Both of us have full time jobs and the blog is almost becoming one as well. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the luxury of ditching the day job and blogging full time? A girl can dream. Kim and I are going to take the weekends off for January. We are going to relax, slow down, enjoy. More likely we are going to repair, paint, plan extensions and renovate but we'll have our weekends to ourselves .... that's the resolution. Ha! I wonder how long it will take for one of us to break it? Kim is already saying that she might do the occasional favourite blog post. I have quite a few WINK worthy products that have come in over the past few weeks. We will both be posting on our own personal pages. Come visit us there. Just click on the tabs above to take you to Kim's page or Jo's page. What resolutions have you made? More importantly how long is it before you break them?

Flickr finds – pantries

A wacky Ikea idea

Oliver just sent Jo and I this video that is such a strange idea but, hey, Ikea can do anything as they rule the world. LOL. It is a look behind the experiment of IKEA UK's release of 100 house cats into its Wembley store. You need to watch it right to the end. You really do.

My new, old house

Want to see a sneak peek at my new house? Just go to my page for the first of many posts to come. So much work to do but I am so excited!

WINKS

1875 brick and sandstone cottage we may or may not buy

because there is another, a beautiful, beautiful other ......

WINKS - weekend links. Here we list what has come in during the week, things we've found and things we think you'll want to see. If you'd like to see your blog or website featured email us and if we think it fits with our readers we'll link you. So what's in this week?

• What's the old warning in showbiz? Never work with children or animals? I'm not going to heed the advice. First up we have Modern Playhouse ... giving kids a space of their own to dream and play. Fun and stylish!

• Ok so here comes the animal part. Not quite decor in the strictest meaning but Kim and I couldn't resist these gorgeous pet portraits by Alexa Hanna of Doodlie Bop Pet Photography. I just want to rub all their bellies and crinkle up their ears. If you can hang your kids' portraits on the wall why not your fur babies?

• Grant Sonnex is a contemporary furniture maker but just saying that is doing him an injustice. He's a master craftsman and his beautiful, sustainable furniture pieces are almost sculpture. My favourite? The Yup'ik chair, his interpretation of the classic Windsor chair.

• Be still my beating heart. The Hepsi range of rugs by Loom. I will own you one day. I will. I will. Swoooooooon!!

WINKS

... waiting on house news

WINKS - weekend links. Here we list what has come in during the week, things we've found and things we think you'll want to see. If you'd like to see your blog or website featured email us and if we think it fits with our readers we'll link you. So what's in this week??

• Melbourne creative duo Nicholas Mesiano and Alistair Knight are launching their newest venture ... a showroom full of exceptional, international, original vintage furniture, decorative art and objects in a hundred-year-old warehouse on Melbourne’s city fringe. All I can say is book me a ticket I'm on my way! More must haves on their website Nicholas and Alistair.

• Sleek, sexy with striking curves. The Lorae chair by the Bright Chair Company. Sensuous lines.

• OMG! Talking about sexy ... look at these modern steel and hand-blown glass room dividers & screens by Vital Steel NYC. Elegant, graceful and definitely a statement piece.

• I'm dreaming of summer. Warm days spent poolside. Loving the stylish modern designs from Harbour Outdoor. Very cool!

Stalking on a Sunday

It's Sunday and I know that Kim does a flickr post on Sundays but she's off busily being married and I have a real hangover from the copious amount of real champagne I scoffed at my virtual wedding reception I held at my house. So please forgive me if I'm a little slack and offer just this humble stalking post. I really love this worker's cottage in Balmain in Sydney. Love the storage in the dining room, love the back yard, love the exterior colour and the white picket fence. What I'd really love though would be to see this place photographed by someone who really understood the space not just someone who wanted to show every square meter for real estate photos. Still cute though!