Ightham Mote…

I am still sitting amongst piles of muddy washing but the pile is dwindling and the memories of all the mud are only mildly shuddering-inducing. I am also still trying to make sense of the photos we took over the weekend as there seems to be an alarming amount of blurry shots (see comment about vast quantities of red wine we packed here) but in the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few picturesque shots of Ightham Mote, a National Trust house we visited just outside of Sevenoaks in Kent. As it is the dead of winter, only a few rooms in the house were open but the outside shots were worth the trip alone – we were also lucky to see the house decked out for a Victorian Christmas!

All images via Wishful Thinking

No mess, no fuss…

Mud, mud and more mud… (and now that I look at it, maybe some other stuff too. YUCK)!

Since I am sitting here typing this post, you can probably guess that it means we survived our glamping trip this past weekend (in sub-zero temperatures). I’m a little cold and a lot shell shocked but we had an awesome time and I will soon regale you with all the tales when I have finally caught up with the piles of washing I now have. I can safely say that if I never saw a speck of mud in my life again, it would be too soon. So I am indulging myself by showing you some all-white bespoke cabin interiors by the very talented Dave Coote Design. Their portfolio is seriously drool-worthy but it was this crisp, beautiful beach cabin in Camber that really spoke to me.

    

All images via Dave Coote Design

Everything that glitters…

I had about 20 minutes to kill in my favourite part of town (Sloane Square) that happens to have my all-time favourite Zara shop. It was a no-brainer and I spent those 20 minutes leisurely strolling around the shop mentally adding stuff to my imaginary dream home. Minimum productivity but maximum enjoyment! I came across a whole lot of gold goodies that I normally would have shied away from but found myself fawning over. Maybe it’s because I am feeling so darn festive but I thought the goodies that caught my eye warranted being documented and of course I came across some others in my travels too…

Have a lovely weekend all and I’ll catch you Monday for some tales of my glamping adventures (think of me as the temperature dips to –4 degrees celcius tonight)!

gold side table; gold cutlery; gold slippers; gold Michael Kors phone cover; DKNY gold sequined watch; gold sparkle nail polish; brass lamp; brass tray; gold bracelets; gold eye shadow; gold glitter clutch; gold cushion; gold heart frames; skull spoon

Thinking outside the box…

Images via

Would you be tempted to fall off your chair if I told you that the restaurant above is actually a small restaurant ancillary to a commissary, serving two street taco trucks? Surprised? I was too! Now I am no expert in Mexican restaurants but this is certainly not what I expected. Designer Omer Arbel has created a space that is laid-back, bright, earthy and dare I say almost beachy? Of course the first thing that catches your eye is the incredible Arbel and Bocci chandelier made of blown glass orbs and planters of cacti suspended amidst a tangle of copper tubing. It’s definitely a conversation starter so I love that they have kept the rest of the room simple with benches made from reclaimed wood and strong clean lines.

I did a little bit of research and lost a good 30 minutes drooling over the scrumptious-looking food!

Tacofino Commissary, 2327 E Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V5L

Double or nothing…

Coffee tables. Probably not something you think about often. I bet you have a really large one in your living room that holds all manner of frivolous objects, perhaps you are even able to walk all the way around it and rest your feet on it when watching tv? Yes? Then I envy you. I’ve wanted a coffee table so much over the years but no matter how small they make them, I would still probably have to climb over it to get through the door. So the latest trend of doubling up on coffee tables has me practically weeping. I love love love it!

How about you? What’s your coffee table situation?

P.S thanks for the birthday wishes yesterday, I had a wonderful day off!

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In a perfect world…

The thing I love most about blogging is that I am my own boss. And as my own boss, I am hereby giving myself the day off. Because in a perfect world, nobody should have to work on their birthday.

That’s right people, I am one year closer to 30. See ya tomorrow, hopefully sans hangover!

Love at first sight…

I am not even sure how I came across the house that I am about to show you today. A series of clicks and browsing through various websites brought me to Koskela – a Sydney based company run by Russel Koskela and Sasha Titchkosky, who produce beautiful, functional and environmentally friendly furniture. I lost a great deal of time just ogling the goodies on their website (do yourself a favour and check them out) and then this gorgeous little cottage popped up on my screen. It’s actually a rentable holiday house located on the pretty little fishing village of Patonga. Turns out the cottage was lovingly restored by the Koskela team.

I’m not going to lie, it was love at first sight.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get more welcoming, they show you how it looks at night…

All images via Koskela