She's out of my league

I finally watched 2010 romantic comedy She's out of my league, starring Jay Baruchel, the beautiful Alice Eve and T.J. Miller.

I quite liked her bachelorette pad, set in Pittsburgh, PA ... very chic, simply decorated with shades of taupe. I normally like bright and airy spaces, but at night when these scenes were shot, the dark, moody feel added to the chic-ness of it all.



I love the purply-grey walls and darker brown architraves/trims of the apartment, only a move if your room gets plenty of light during the day. (And this apartment is, if the twinkling lights of the night is any indication - of course this is a movie-set illusion...)

The bright pink pops around the apartment makes it feminine... makes the wall darker, more romantic and the pink more... pink! I love orchids too, hey that might make a good indoor plant for my office space! *planning* Right now, I have the ONLY faux floral arrangement in the place. And it fools my flower-crazy-and-green-thumb MIL every single time!

The picture hanging next to the door (which incidentally reminded me instantly of Carrie Bradshaw's old apartment) has a subtle pink going on, which echoes the pink of the orchids in its foreground. I think it's a painting of an orchid... but could be one of my favourite flowering trees, the Luculia.

Actually the more I compare images, it does look like Luculia!



If you don't know its merits, go to a nursery, ask for it and then when it flowers, breathe in its extremely heady (and addictive) perfume! It only flowers in winter (and prefers mountainous areas) ... which make it desirable for anyone who loves colour in their garden in winter! I'm trying to grow two from cuttings.



The apartment is mostly monochromatic, and keeps it sedate... and the flowers offer a beautiful respite from the "masculinity". The pink candles again add that pop. I think the set designers wanted Alice Eve to be the focal fair maiden of this space. (And they succeed with her white frock and gloriously blond hair!)



The kitchen again is stark with its stainless steel benchtops and splashback and the dark wood cabinetry. Even the Kitchenaid mixer and blender she stands in front of is black. Softened only by Eve and the flowers and fruit.



The apartment isn't large, but the expansive flooring makes it feel spacious, whilst the furnishings and wall keep things cosy and intimate. Here you get to see that the apartment is high above, and overlooks some spectacularly beautiful gothic-style churches.

Again the very tall pink flowering spray to the left the pale pink posy on the coffee table. Everything else is kept in very earthy tones, even Baruchel's clothing. I don't normally like blinds but in this case, the open blinds frame the large windows... and it becomes a picture in itself.



The only wallpapered wall in this movie. (Notice how every recent movie has beautiful wallpaper??) The floral motif softens the rather masculine colours again. I love it.



I really loved the surprise of blush pink in Molly's bedroom. The wall really brings out her sweetness and femininity. Everything else has hard straight lines and colours. I did like the touch of the lamps against the wooden headboard though. Very chic.



And I added the above photo because I've always liked to see where designers place bedroom furniture around the room. I like that the room extends beyond our purview to reveal a dressing area (and where I assume the bathroom is). It allows the bed to be the focus of the room... and gives the feel of a walk in closet and dressing room. Nice.

All in all, a beautiful room.

Barbie art

Again, I can't say I did it first! How many times do I have to have that "hey I have a great idea! I'll do it, it'll be so cool and unusual" and find it already done.

I went through my newest collection of ideas-file collected over the last few weeks and stared at the wall of the above image and realised what I was looking at.



I was going to frame all 12 months of my Barbie 2011 wall calendar and do as above (in much less luxurious surroundings).
{If you've been reading my blog a while, you'd know I appreciate Barbie!}

Bleh. (Although I'm sure the designer/owner in the room above got the prints NOT off this calendar!)

Still going to do it anyway. One day.

Op Shop Score!

I thought I'd start doing an "Op Shop Score!" segment on my blog :)

I have been lusting after vintage 1950s Australian pottery Diana cook and bakeware. Characterised by the creamy greens, blues and yellows with white polkadots, these are so sought after on eBay and vintage/antique stores.

I check frequently on eBay Australia for these pieces but never can justify outbidding the highest bidder for them, which is normally near the three figure mark for larger bakeware. A Diana jug can fetch up to AUD$60.

At time of writing the exchange rate is AUD1.10=US1.00.

The newer Diana (still vintage) bake-and-cook-ware had a stamp like the one below:



or



But mine is older, without a stamp, just a number impression. But I knew immediately what it was.



Being devoid of the stamp, I think the person pricing this piece at St Vinnies had no idea of the make... which means I scored this for only AUD$6.00!!



Yay! In perfect condition, no crazing, no chips, no cracks, no discolouration.

Matches my other $25 Diana baking dish (the green one on the right).

At home

What have you scored recently? Do Share! From one op-shop junkie to another!

Help wanted!

Can anyone identify this fabric?



Hopefully someone can, I LOVE IT :)

Image from Ada and Darcy

Keri Russell's home in Elle Decor

Image from Instyle Magazine January, 2009

Just last week I Googled "Keri Russell" and "home". And Nada. Keri Russell's one of my favourite actresses, owing a emphatitic feel to her biggest role, Felicity. Now I'm showing my age! :) I also liked her in August Rush and Waitress...

But today. I saw her beautiful Brownstone home featured in Elle Decor, via the citysage. Serendipitous? I'm going out to buy Elle Decor June 2011 tomorrow! :)

Image from Instyle Magazine January, 2009

I was pleasantly surprised to see that it reflected Russell's quiet, edgy character. Keri's dress sense is casual smart and her home is pretty much the same. Owing to the genius handywork of husband Shane Deary.

Craftsman and wood-genius Deary's outfitted their new home with very rustic, edgy furniture to complement the crisp walls and beautiful moldings of their 1860s Brooklyn Brownstone. Keri decided on the layout, the look, the soft furnishings... and it looks like her every decision was thoughtful to both their feminine and masculine whole.



The less-is-more Keri didn't crowd her home with trinkets and colours, but kept it simple with elegant furniture contrasted with very rustic pieces from Shane's trips into dumpsters and demolition yards. Even the piano above has been kept from looking too elegant.



The whole Brownstone has been a journey of renovation, since it was bought as do-it-upper; as says Deary, “but why buy someone else’s renovation if you’re going to redo it anyway?” I've said often enough, what I'd do for my husband to be handy-Superman!

Walls were removed, floors were pulled apart, restored and then nailed back.



I love their bedside tables, or rather, bedside blocks of wood! Deary found blocks of reclaimed pine flooring which now hold serves as a night table. Chandelier was a save from a previous renovation job (Shane Deary's a contractor and renovation carpenter).



The large ficus in their living room offers a punch of green and the planter box is made from pieces from an old desk! Deary turned pieces of discarded pine into the handsome porthole mirror that hangs over the living room mantel.

One of the things that I really loved was the bright greens throughout the home. When we can afford to buy again, I'll be getting some large indoor plants. At the moment, my African violets love their new spot (happens to be one of the only spots with plenty of morning sun and shade).

A simple lightbulb illuminates the island bench. No fancy industrial or Swarovski shade... nothing to hide husband Deary's work.

I love their sharp kitchen. Very reminiscent of Gwyneth Paltrow's back and white kitchen but with a rougher, less-refined-but-as-chic edge. (And much smaller.) Of course, Shane built his kitchen. And of course, it's reclaimed: from a demolished post-and-beam house.

I took a closer look at their kitchen. While it's not huge in any sense (the next picture shows the island bench again, so that's the limit of their kitchen), it's amazingly outfitted for most things. Even cookbooks and wine. I found their cabinets on the top rather narrow in its widths... but I'd bet less-is-more Russell does not collect china like I do! :) Her kitchen even has a cute built in bread bin above the countertop!

Check out the super rustic shelving above the wine holder to the right of the image! Below you can see more of that shelving and note that it runs along the ceiling too! Nice. Dunno about dusting though.



The elegantly edgy dining table had very un-elegant beginnings: out from a dumpster. It actually sits rather happily with the vintage Bertoia wire chairs.



I love that the Keri Russell's dressing room isn't... glamour-diva. It is really modest, very chic and showcases her outrageously high heels. Living out of suitcases, Russell now hangs her clothes on plumbing pipes Deary's fashioned.



The bathroom's walls were removed and opaque breezy fabric offer a modicum of privacy. The result is unbelievably bright and airy. It showcases the gorgeous clawfoot bath.

Regretfully, no shots of son River's room! Why not, Keri?

Images of Keri's home from Elle Decor

My Janet Hill collection (part of)

I have been enchanted with artist Janet Hill's artpieces since earlier 2009. I have since collected quite a few of her pieces and finally I got a few professionally framed for my bedroom.



I had Miss Yellow framed in something very blah and cheap previously... didn't do it justice one bit.



I never found the perfect frame for it. I knew I wanted something vintage... something extraordinary. But to find a frame... and a framer... was not easy. But I finally found a framer worthy of my patronage and shout out on the blog.

Karin in Blaxland, NSW, Australia does exquisite work because she scours the country for vintage, antique and unusual frames for framing. At very very reasonable prices too!!! If you want to contact Karin, please contact me at paperbean{at}gmail{dot}com.

It just adds a touch of elegance to my bedroom. I wish it had a more prominent wall.. but in my rental, I take what I get! Thank you landlord for letting me put nails for my three ladies!

What about four ladies, husband? :) Like Elspeth With Her Turtledove!



Image above and Janet Hill banner taken from her Etsy page.

My new dining suite

If you've been reading my blog for some time, you'd know how much I love Chippendale Chinese chairs... and bamboo (or faux bamboo) home furnishings.



I grew up with the real stuff - furniture made from actual bamboo.

The lounge suite I grew up with.

And remember my new old desk? :)

I scored again! A month ago I won a Buy It Now auction with eBay for an old dining suite. I had to sweet talk my husband into getting it from Canberra with me one Saturday recently to pick it up. The lady in a very exclusive part of Canberra was selling her very very expensive and modern home to move someplace else with a "modern house which wouldn't suit this dining suite". It left me rather flabbergasted as the house we picked the suite from was already sooooo modern! Anyway. :)

Today I finally had a free hour to set up table! :)



Set for a simple Easter lunch for six.

I love my suite so much! The upholstered suite needs a clean, and I'm waiting for my father in law to help me with that... and one day this will get a new look :)

Yes the room is tiny. This rental isn't large, but it suits most of our needs right now so it'll do. For our daily use this gets pushed to one wall and the carvers go back to their home:



Yes it gives precious added seating to our equally small living room.



One day I might even paint the table a glossy orange!

To taxidermy not or to taxidermy

We went to a new antique store in Mittagong, NSW and the store was full of very very expensive (and very very old) taxidermied beasts: birds, squirrels, bears, tigers, crocodiles...

What is your take on taxidermy?

Funky good or funky bad?

Myself, I have always found taxidermy art disturbing... And have always steered clear of them.

I'm not sure what's changed. Maybe it was seeing this stuffed pheasant in Sarah Richardson's farmhouse's beautiful, warm and fresh dining room.





Since then, stuffed pheasants have been always hanging around the back of my mind.

But maybe a different large beautiful bird: a peacock. (I'm working my way to having a few pairs as pets too, one day!)

Pic from Art of Chee

There have been a few for a couple of thousand on Australian eBay. And if I could throw money for stuffed peacocks, I'm surely the sort to have plenty of space for one....

And yet, the question begs...

To Taxidermy or not to taxidermy?

Let's be inspired!

Image from Jeffrey Bilhuber

Btw, have you seen how spectacular a white peacock is??



And in these rooms they shine!









What is your take?

To Taxidermy or not to taxidermy?