I have a hard time describing my design aesthetic mainly due to the fact that it's several styles merged together. I love a global, Bohemian vibe, with a touch of luxe, a bit of Zen, and a tiny bit of traditional influence. When I came across the beautiful home of LA interior designer Katie Hodges recently it made me smile - "Modern Bohème" is what she calls her style. She likes to mix contemporary design elements with her love of vintage, Bohemian textiles. I think that fits me well too.
When you're an interior designer, you work on lots of clients' homes, all with differing aesthetics and lifestyles. Your own home is the truest representation of you, and the key is to create a home that makes you happy. "There's no better feeling than waking up every morning being surrounded by things you love," says Katie.
Katie's aim was to create a space that was inviting and warm, layered and collected, yet modern and clean. She truly is a girl after my own heart!
Even though she is only renting this one bedroom apartment, Katie plans to be here a while so she decided to have a dining banquette built-in. Although she won't be able to take it with her when she moves, she enjoys every single day that she gets to sit at it.
The little dining area is the space that really epitomises her - cushions covered in vintage textiles sit happily with the clean, modern lines of the Tulip table and Bertoia chairs.
With no wardrobe in her bedroom, Katie has cleverly installed an Ikea wall unit to house her shoes and accessories. It's slim form and white cupboards means it disappears into the wall and allows the shoe collection to shine.
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| photos by Amy Bartlam |
If you'd like to see more of Katie's home pop over to My Domaine. In the meantime let me leave you with more of her wise words... "When you truly love the foundation pieces you own, the rest comes naturally".
It's been a while since I've featured a home tour on the blog, but I've been searching for one that just blows my socks off. To do that it has to be unique and quirky, and chocka full of personality. I found that in this cool Los Angeles loft, the shared home of Olivia Lopez, Erin Dennison, and Doug Emmett.
The natural light that all those beautiful windows allow, the space and the industrial nature of the building is a fabulous base to start with. The layers of texture and cool furniture complete the look. I love the wood and the worn leather with touches of metal.
With three cool creatives living here it was bound to be a stylish abode. I love the main colour palette of indigo blue, brown and white. I'm not usually a big fan of red, but in this case the small pops of red throughout are really cool.
Pop over to My Domaine to see more of this amazing home.
I love working with small spaces and often feature them on the blog and Facebook page. There are some fantastic and creative ways to furnish and decorate them, and they definitely encourage you to only have those possession that you love, and to avoid clutter. With the price of houses these days becoming increasingly unaffordable, smaller homes could arguably be more affordable too.
Some others who agree with this are the owners of the exciting new business, Square Inch. Susan and John Frear think it makes sense to live in smaller spaces as the quarter acre dream becomes an unrealistic goal for many New Zealanders. Living in tiny flats in London and Tokyo didn't affect the couple's quality of life. Their spaces were well thought out and designed to squeeze a lot of living into little space, and they were filled with functional furniture that made the size of the space irrelevant.
Back in New Zealand, Susan and John decided it was time to reframe what comfortable living looks like, and in the process take some of the financial pressure off home owners. They wanted to bring multifunctional furniture pieces to the New Zealand market that would address our basic living needs - comfort, safety, plenty of storage, pieces that would allow us to work, sleep, eat, and entertain, all while looking stylish.
The first Square Inch product range is from young New York designer, Efe Kababulut, who previously worked for BoConcept. When furnishing his first New York apartment Efe was underwhelmed by his options, so decided to design his own range. The range includes sofa beds that are stylish as a sofa, comfortable as a bed (no hard metal bars to interrupt sleep), and offer additional storage.
As interior designers, Dael and I (Bibby + Brady) are always looking for good looking sofa beds, and in the past have struggled to find any that are comfortable and look good, so we are thrilled with the Square Inch range. A lot of our clients have spare rooms that work as offices or media rooms, but need to function as spare rooms when guests stay overnight, and the Square Inch sofa beds are also perfect for holiday homes.
It's not just sofa beds on offer, there are chaises and chairs that fold down to single beds; side tables that can turn into shelving units; entertainment units that can double as a desk... and many of the pieces are designed to work together. Various wood finishes and fabric options are available so you can customise your furniture to suit your home.
The Square Inch vision is to help everyone live large, no matter what space they have. All their products are stored in Auckland and can be delivered nationwide within 2-10 days. The products are flatpacked which makes delivery easier, and allows installation in the room they're destined for - no more nasty surprises when you can't get the furniture through the door!
While most of us are accustomed to internet shopping, if you find buying online a challenge or have any questions Susan is more than happy to answer them. To find out more visit the Square Inch website, and keep up to date with all the news on their Facebook and Instagram pages. If you're quick you can take advantage of the special offer - 15% OFF ALL SOFA BEDS - which runs until 19th July 2015. Go on... think smart and make the most of every square inch you have!
I have a soft spot for small spaces and I actually think it can be a great way to live as you're forced to eliminate clutter and have only what you need and love around you. If you've seen any of my "Nook of the Month" columns in Your Home & Garden magazine, you'll already have picked up some great decorating tips, but I've selected some of my favourite methods for working with small spaces...
Utilise as much vertical space as possible. Built-in bookshelves are fantastic for storage and display purposes, and take up very little floor space. Hooks and wall-mounted shelves are a clever storage tool also.
Furniture that is off the ground and has light, elegant legs suits a smaller room. I would advise against solid, heavy pieces. If you can, knock out walls and have a larger open plan space, rather than two smaller rooms. Then use rugs to differentiate areas - they are the perfect zoning tool. A low hung light over a dining table also anchors the table in place.
Take it one step further with your furniture by using Lucite or transparent pieces, they take up very little visual space. Mirrors are your best friend when it comes to decorating a small space. They reflect light and brighten a room and create an illusion of space.
Furniture that is multi-functional is brilliant! Add a bench seat to your built-in bookshelf for a cosy reading nook; or add a chair and turn one shelf into a work space. Don't forget that space under your bench seat - maximise the space by using it for storage, either open or enclosed.
Don't feel like you need to have small art in your small space. To the contrary... a large piece of art and a large rug will help fool the eye into thinking the room is bigger than it is.
I always like to have floor to ceiling curtains wherever possible. They look elegant and add height to a room. The more natural light you can have, the more spacious it will feel.
We Kiwis love our outdoor living, and by blurring the lines between outside and in will greatly increase the sense of space in your home.
So, don't you agree that living small has many benefits?! They're more economical to build and to maintain, and they encourage us keep (and acquire) possessions that really matter and really work. If you're having any trouble with your space, or would like help to maximise it's potential, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
