Friday Flowers

It's been another big week and I am glad to be heading into a couple of days off with my boys. I am very excited about a few things I have in the pipeline which I will be sharing with you all very soon. This image above is a little sneak peek of what I am working on. Also, a reminder to anyone who may be interested in attending the seminar I am holding at the Reed Gift Fair in Brisbane this Monday at 11.00am. I hope to see some of you there.

Have a lovely weekend!!
xx
Anna


Image photographed by Elouise Van-Riet, styled by Anna Spiro

Lunch Outside

If only I had the energy to hold a beautiful Sunday lunch just like this one. I adore the concept of the floor rug on the grass and all of that wonderful upholstered furniture outside...


Image found over at M.A. Belle from Country Living

Black & Spiro Today

Some more lovely things have arrived in the shop this week. My favourite piece is the Antique chest of drawers which you can just see the top of in the picture above. I snapped this terrible hazy picture as I was racing out of the shop tonight. We also have some really beautiful blue and white and orange and white ginger jars back in stock too for those who have been enquiring.

A Collar for Ned

I just came across these very cool Mascot dog collars and leads. I think I am going to have to order one in for Ned. Only problem will be trying to decide on which colour.....probably Navy.

A Beautiful Vignette

I am in-love with this beautiful vignette in the home of Melbourne based artist John Young which was featured in the July/August 2009 issue of Inside Out Magazine. I think the composition of the simple, natural tones of the objects with the divine, earthy coloured portrait is very beautiful.

Loving Ruffled Kitchen Skirts

I love the informality of ruffled kitchen skirts. I'm thinking from a budget conscious point of view this might be a fun option when we renovate our kitchen at our Stradbroke beach cottage. Are they a pain to use and keep clean?? I would love to hear from anyone who has had these before...

image 1 - mary ruffle, image 2 - skona hem

Pretty Yellow Wattle

Whilst I have been out on my morning walks of late I have noticed the wattle trees in flower all over the place. When I went down to the park with Harry yesterday there was one large tree in flower. I picked a few branches and brought them home and then arranged them in an old crystal vase my grandmother gave me a couple of years ago. I just adore the vibrant yellow of the flowers against the grey-green of the leaves.

Saturday Vintage Shopping Trip

A friend asked me to go hunting for vintage pieces with her yesterday {Saturday}. I warned her before we left that sometimes it can be hard to find things and sometimes we can come home with no great finds. Well, didn't I eat my words. We had one of the most successful vintage hunts I have had in a long time. We filled the boot of the car and then filled the back seats with things too. We even have a few pieces which need delivering next week!! Now, that's what I call a successful day...

Friday Flowers

I was very lucky to be given these pretty mottled roses from a friend today. I arranged them in a pretty yellow vase we have at Black & Spiro. I placed them next to our beautiful vintage lamp and shade {note the beautiful embroidery on the shade} on a table in the shop and then a very lucky young lady came into the shop with her mum and her sister and they took the lamp home for her bedroom. I am sad to see this beautiful one-off vintage lamp go but I know it will be loved and cherished by it's next owner...

Happy Weekend. See you next time.

xx

Anna

Black & Spiro Today

It's been a while since I posted some pictures of the shop so I thought I would post some today. We have some lovely new pieces in at the moment including some beautiful vintage/antique pieces.

Summer on the Otherside

One of the things I love about this time of year {Winter in Australia} when it comes to my magazine subscriptions is the beautiful Summer homes featured in my favourite American magazines. Even though we are a little lighter on this year without the likes of Domino to give us our hit, this month's issue of Elle Decor looks like it's a cracker!! Loving this house belonging to Scott Currie {Elie Tahari public relations} in Southampton, New York.

The Origins of Taste

I've been talking a little bit about my mother's style in comparison to my own this week and I happened to stumble across this article by Anne E. Collins the Executive Editor over at Point Click Home in which she talks briefly about the origins of taste. I think it's a good read and applicable to my posts here this week. I hope to talk more about this topic in the coming weeks on ABT.

Geraniums

My mother has always had lots of large pots of geraniums growing on her verandah. No family dinner or lunch is complete without some sort of flower arrangement on my mothers dining table and geraniums have often filled the void when other options aren't flowering in her garden. I thought I'd post a couple of her little geranium arrangements. You won't believe it when I tell you the last image is actually in her old bedroom at my grandmother's house. The black and white ticking wallpaper which you can see in the background has been on those walls for around 40 years! Mum chose the wallpaper for her room when she was a teenager. Now doesn't that spell timeless....

Alice Temperley Cushions

I am in-love with the cushions Alice Temperley has designed for The Rug Company. I would love to add the one at the top to my mismatched cushion collection. I've noticed a few fashion designers dipping into the interiors side of things lately...

Image 1 - the rug company, Image 2 - via the city sage

Elegant Tailored Style vs Eclectic Style

Following on from yesterday's post about a more simplistic, tailored, elegant look I thought these images Joni posted last week fitted right in. I know my mother loves reading Joni's blog and has probably already seen these beautiful images and saved them in her 'I love' files. I too saved them in my files as I thought they were divine.

After thinking some more about my discussion with mum yesterday I wonder whether as I grow older I will crave a more pared back classic look. I think I have developed my look of mixing styles because it is unique to me and maybe because it is a younger version of my mother's style. I certainly won't be changing my style anytime soon so don't worry but as I said yesterday I do question my look every now and then and it will be interesting to see it evolve over time. I think that's the great thing about having a blog in that it can be a record of one's personal style and it's evolution over time.

I'd be interested to know what style you love. Do you prefer an eclectic 'uniquely me' look or a more pared back elegant tailored classic look?

Conversations on Design with Mum

My mother and I often have conversations about design, usually on a Sunday sitting in her lounge room surrounded by her collections of magazines and books. Although we do share a very similar aesthetic my mother's style is a little more tailored and matching than my own.

Today we were talking about architecturally beautiful houses requiring very simple and understated decoration. It actually reminded me of this beautiful house in Maine which I've had in my files for sometime thanks to Heather. The owner of this incredibly elegant home, Gwen McCaw is quoted as saying "Because it's such an architecturally beautiful house, I felt I could decorate in a really clean way."

I suppose after talking to mum about this today and then reading this article again it makes me question my love of bright patterned fabrics and mixing furniture styles. But then again my mother always makes me question things...isn't that what mothers do? I think it's great to be able to appreciate design in all shapes and forms and certainly our conversations always keep me inspired.

Friday Flowers

Have a lovely weekend. See you next week.

Uniquely Me Chic

I really like this room with it's white painted floorboards, white walls, white painted furniture, the vintage light and the few dots of colour. I also love the mix of furniture styles. Although this room has some items which I wouldn't usually purchase myself I think it all works and looks fantastic together and certainly represents a look I love so much - Uniquely Me Chic.

Image via Desire to Inspire

Ned's Adventures

"Oh, you are such a beautiful boy Ned."



"Oh, yes you are so gorgeous!"



" NED, NO....naughty, naughty NED! "



"Ned, don't you even think about chewing that handle on my laptop bag!!"

A few readers have asked me how our little Ned is doing. He too seems to have a penchant for beautiful things as noticeable above!! He certainly has added some spark into our lives and is keeping us on our toes but I have to say that he is adorable in every single way and growing so quickly!! Since you asked, I thought I would share a few new photos of our beautiful boy.

Paper The Walls

I am particularly fond of using wallpaper in small rooms or in awkward spaces. I love wallpaper in entry foyers, hallways, powder rooms, pantries, walk-in wardrobes and installed into the backs of cupboards and bookcasing/shelving. I also think wallpaper can make a wonderful statement in a kitchen as per the examples above.

If you are a person who does tire of pattern quickly, by installing wallpaper in these smaller, less visited areas of your home you will most likely enjoy the pattern for a longer period of time.

There certainly are many papers to choose from these days and it can be overwhelming trying to make a decision on which paper to use. I often advise clients to first decide on a colour palette and then decide on a pattern.

As another note, I also tend to prefer entire rooms papered instead of feature walls.

What are your preferences when it comes to wallpaper?

Image 1 - Vogue Living, Image 2 - Domino Magazine, Image 3 - Melissa Ruffy via Style Court, Image 4 - Domino Magazine, Image 5 - via Desire to Inspire, Image 6 - Thibaut via Style Court, Image 7 - Chloe Sevigny's hallway via House & Garden, Image 8 - via Peak of Chic

Wacky Wednesday

I'm not kidding when I say that today has been extremely wacky here at Black & Spiro. The girls and I have had a few client appointments today and I'm sure each and every client we saw must have left thinking what's with those girls?! In amongst our crazy day we have had fun which I must say we do have a lot of around here. Being around beautiful fabrics, wallpapers, furniture and bits and pieces is such a joyous thing, I must admit. Anyway, I really don't have a wonderful post planned today, you will have to excuse me. I promise to have something wonderful to share with you tomorrow.

Image via - flickr

Pink Painted Stairs

Oh, I do very much love the idea of pink painted stairs.

via Mary Ruffle

News

I was recently very honored to be invited to write an article for Milieu, the Brisbane Reed Gift Fair book, as above. For anyone who might be interested I am also presenting a seminar at the upcoming Brisbane Reed Gift Fair on Monday 6th July 11am - 12pm. For registration call 02 9211 7544. A big thanks to Jaclyn Carlson for asking me to be involved.

Nb. Click on images to enlarge article.

A Beautiful Cottage

A couple of other bloggers have posted about Haskell Harris before however, I really do love her aesthetic and after looking over the pictures of her pretty cottage I have saved in my picture file I thought I could squeeze in a little post too.

Haskell is the Associate Editor of Garden & Gun and previously, she was Special Projects Editor and Assistant Homes Editor at Cottage Living magazine.

Southern Living magazine recently ran an article on Haskell's beautiful 1796 cottage located in Charleston, South Carolina. I very much adore her bedroom which is painted soft pink with white trim and grounded by beautiful Antique pieces and wood weave blinds. I covet her Hawaiian style black and white quilt and the mirror cluster wall above her dressing table is very beautiful.

Images Southern Living Magazine via Pure Style Home blog & Garden & Gun

Friday Flowers

It's been a quieter week for me this week which has been so lovely, I must say. A breather in amongst the craziness is sometimes all we need to give us a bit more energy to keep on going. I have had the chance to catch up on a few of my favourite blogs this week which has been so inspiring. One post I read by Vicki Archer on confidence really did it for me. If you haven't already read it I encourage you to do so. I have always struggled with self-confidence, like many women and it really is very inspiring what Vicki has to say on the matter.

I hope you enjoy your weekend.

Deborah's Vignette

I love receiving emails from readers. This photo which Deborah emailed me a while ago really grabbed me. I love the colours and the combination of her beautiful things...so pretty!

Loving Jamie Shelman's Work

I really like these original artworks by Jamie Shelman which I found via Chelsea over at Frolic.

Brooke's AMAZING Beach House

Brooke Giannetti has done it again. Look at her beautiful beach house which was just featured in C Magazine. It certainly is amazing what good taste, white paint and beautiful furniture can do. Congratulations Brooke on your seriously divine home and the wonderful feature in C. You are an inspiration.

Take Me To Rome

And let me stay at Portrait Suites owned by the Ferragamo family. I love the shoe artwork which hangs throughout this dreamy Italian Townhouse. Did I mention it is perfectly located right above the Ferragamo store on Via Condotti?!

I Love...

The bow detail on the sleeve of this dress.

Image - via Mary Ruffle

Friday Flowers

Here are some pretty pale pink roses which I placed on the chest of drawers in our bedroom this morning. They look so pretty with my bedroom curtains and Harry's little love heart drawing he did for me a while ago. I am looking forward to the long weekend which will hopefully be full of sleep-ins, breakfasts with my boys, videos, snuggling, morning walks, cooking, magazine reading and of course cuddles with Ned. Hope you get to do all of the things you want to do this weekend. See you next week!

Ned Update & Thank you!

I just wanted to thank you all for your lovely emails about Ned. He is doing very well and has been enjoying his visits to Black & Spiro each day this week immersing himself in fabric samples, trimmings, fabric remnants and well anything he can sink his teeth into. Thanks again for your kind thoughts and well-wishes!

Black & Spiro Today

After a few requests for some more Black & Spiro Tutu cushions, I've finally had some made. There are only 2 currently available in the shop {as per the design above} if anyone is interested.

Breakfast Inspiration

If you haven't already seen this blog, Simply Breakfast written by photographer Jennifer Causey, then you must right now. I adore her recent Paris Breakfast. Such a simple yet beautiful pleasure to enjoy and yet if you're anything like me in the mornings I just don't spend the time. Jennifer has inspired me. Maybe I should prepare a special breakfast for my boys this Sunday morning.

Another Job In Progress

Here is another little job I have been working on. I will post more pictures of this one as it evolves also. I found these vintage lamps and had the orange and white patterned shades made to work with the client's existing Karlee Rawkins painting....a completely different look to the job in progress I posted yesterday.

Job In Progress

I thought I would show you my new Annabel Sofa with a box pleated skirt which I had made based on an old style for a client's beach house I am working on at the moment. I am teaming the sofa with these navy and white stripe frilled cushions I've just received back from our cushion workroom. I can't wait to see this house come together. The fabric on the sofa is one of my favourite Ralph Lauren fabrics. I'll post photos once the job is completed, I promise!!

Home Work

Over the last couple of weeks I have been doing a few little finishing touches at home. Last week I collected together some paintings I have and had them hung in a cluster on a wall in our kitchen. There are a couple of drawings Harry has done for me, a painting which I picked up down in Bangalow last weekend and a few other special things I have collected over the years. The trick with cluster walls is laying the paintings down on the floor in a layout you like first and then hanging them. I always have a professional picture hanger hang them for me, after I have laid out the design, as my husband is {unfortunately} hopeless with a hammer.

Sunday Lunch

I love the idea of a Sunday lunch like this with family and friends around a beautiful old table with lots of flowers, wine and great food. Now that Winter is almost here I think I need to plan a lunch like this out on the grass in our garden under our big old tree around our old French dining table.

Image - via Interior Divine Blog

A Bed for Ned

Ideally it would have been great to have had a bed built for Ned just like this one above when we were renovating last year however, we weren't considering a new puppy at that time. So, after all my thoughts of where or what Ned will sleep in it seems he has opted for the easiest option of all. He loves to sleep on a towel, albeit an Ralph Lauren towel, on the floor right next to my side of our bed....yes I know I am a softie letting him sleep inside but that's just the way I am. I couldn't sleep knowing he was outside all on his own. He has found his resting spot and I'm thrilled.

Image 1 - via Brabourne Farm Blog

Friday Flowers & Ned

It's been kind of a crazy week in our household. Yesterday I went to the airport to pick up our new little family member, Ned an 8 week old Golden Retriever puppy. He is divine. I thought I would take a photo of him with my Friday Flowers. He really didn't want to sit on the chair, hence the not-so-great photo. I hope you have a great weekend wherever you are, whatever you do. See you next week!

More Pretty Vintage Style

Another great example of pretty vintage style above. So many lovely things in this photo. I adore the red and white stripe armchair with the floral cushions and the white cane table displaying lots of gorgeous things is divine.


Image - Country Homes & Interiors via Brambourne Farm

Pretty Vintage Style

I love this pretty vintage style room. It's amazing how inexpensive it is creating a room using vintage pieces. My friend Simone recently started a great blog called Beach Vintage where she shares her passion for vintage finds and how to create a great vintage look on a budget. I can't believe some of the gorgeous things she has collected and created and she always does it so inexpensively!!

Image 1 & 2 via House of Bliss

Today I Love...

Today I love this gorgeous clipping of a Tiffany & Co. advertisement which Emily posted last week. Some lovely reminders don't you think?! Click on image to supersize.

Painting Treasured Things

My mum's friend who has been painting some paintings for me at Black & Spiro has a very talented son. He is actually studying to be an Architect but thought he would pick up a brush and paint one of my vignettes. I love it so much I can't bear to sell it. Isn't he talented?! He obviously takes after his mother!! The crystal vase is one which my grandmother gave me and the colourful box is one I picked up a few years ago which continues to be one of my most favourite things. If anyone would like a painting done of their treasured things just let me know as Tom or Diana could certainly create something wonderful for you...

From The Files

I have had this house on file for quite sometime. I re-discovered it the other day when I was hunting for something to show a client in one of my many magazine tear out files. It belongs to Danish jewellery designer Marlene Juhl-Jorgensen. I adore her collections which she has featured against an all-white background. In my opinion this house seems so glamorous yet so simple and family friendly at the same time.

All images via - Interiors Magazine