From the Autumn Garden

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With the coming of winter, the ground gets hard and the autumn leaves flame red and amber. Everything starts to get ready for hibernation. A natural retreat to the interior.

Found: heart shaped rock

An evening sky – like a pearl

But still the garden at the old schoolmasters house is producing flowers and vegetables from its fertile, gold enriched soil. Surprising really. The colours of the flowers are rich and deep: Autumnal colours distinct from the pale freshness of spring. The front garden has seen a late blooming of echinops – the spiky architectural blue globes that seem to shoot off sparks of energy, beautiful against a background of mauves and yellows.

making a Spinach pie from a hand written recipe from Greece


Out the back the spinach has colonised the courtyard – spilling over its boundaries with a life force of its own. When I cook it up into a spinach pie, the taste is softer than commercially bought spinach yet fuller and deeper. You can feel the energy going into you, straight from the earth.

the draft catcher snake in place

Early morning garden


Inside the house, I put in place the snake draft-catcher I made several weeks ago. In a strange twist the colours, just left over scraps of fabric, seem to echo the colours in the garden. Home made + from the garden – that’s how I want things to be in this house.

Echinops, Agastache Sweet Lili and autumn leaves

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Morning Mists

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Back from Europe, under big skies again. A walk to the look out through the thick morning mist, a sense of space reverberating. The closeness of the natural world in the country: the turning of the leaves, a pack of wild goats startled and running, the odd kangaroo watching intently from beside the path.

sunrise through the mist

the miniature horses

The mist flattens the landscape, turning it into a Japanese painting. The world seems more like poetry at this early hour. Ethereal and mysterious. One of my favourite poems – ‘Cold Mountain’ – a hai ku of Han Shan’s by way of Jack Kerouac comes to mind.

through autumn trees

from the top of the mountain

‘Climbing up Cold Mountain path, Cold Mountain path goes on and on, long gorge choked with scree and boulders, wide creek and mist-blurred grass, moss slippery though there’s been no rain, pine sings but there’s no wind, who can leap the world’s ties and sit with me among white clouds?’

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Home Again

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Back from Istanbul and London; fresh on inspiration, creative batteries recharged. Can’t wait to get started again on the old schoolmasters house. Pulling out little bits and pieces gathered on travels. Nothing major just a few garnishes here and there…

Cushion from Folklore in London

Swan on Hamsptead Heath


In London visiting a friend in Islington, I passed a design shop window with striking Navaho style cushions. Going in the name of the shop ‘Folklore‘ seemed familiar- I realised I was following it on Pinterest! Surreal case of the real world intersecting with Internet land.

Bird cup from Lana & Curious in Shoreditch


A big movement in London for products made in England. Very noticeable at Luna & Curious; an inspired design collective shop in Shoreditch with a small barber shop attached. A British sensibility pervades their ceramics with woodland birds peaking out of cups and the “Steady as she goes” nautical collection. If I lived in London, this is the shop I would buy all my presents in. So refreshing to be among handmade and whimsical things.

Ikat cushion from Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar

Foam flower garland from Istanbul street vendor


At the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul I had to admit defeat on the first day I visited. Discombobulated by the charming but insistent vendors, the labyrinthine covered streets and the vast array of goods, I retreated into a non buying mode. Just too overwhelmed. The second time was easier. I learnt to keep my head down and move differently. When it came to bargaining – a tougher stance. Some wonderful Ikat cushions to bring home. One day I hope to return; armed with a rug buying budget and time for long negotiations and many, many cups of apple tea.

magnetised birds from a street vendor in Istanbul

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Inspiration from Istanbul: in the Harem

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Visiting the Harem at the Topkapi Palace is like stepping into another world – light seems to change; become softer, bluer. The patterns that spread over the tiles seem an alternate form of plant life. Thoughts of what the concept of the Harem actually means are overwhelmed by a masterpiece of design- from the great Ottomon architect Sinan.

fireplace in the harem

tiles as a kind of wallpaper

Trying to capture little details & ideas to take home seems like jotting in a notebook while hearing a great symphony. But things do emerge. Because of the lack of furniture the space feels light, not heavy and oppressive like in those palaces designed to impress. There’s no clutter. Even though the designs on the tiles are intricate, the limited colour palette and the repetition keep it calm. The accents of gold add gleam and lustre.

always brass taps

stone pattern on path – an idea to copy

Picasso once said that purpose of art was to “wipe the dust of daily life off our soul”. Walking through room after magic room you can feel it happening…

Turkish tulip with the pointed petals

inviting seating

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London Inspiration: A Study in Cosiness

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There’s a certain sort of cosiness found in the best British interiors. A sense of ease and comfort, induced by traditional design elements. A feeling that you could stay a while, linger over a drink & let everything slow down a bit.

The Anglesea Arms in South Kensington lets you do just that. Located on a corner near a lovely London Square, now starting to blossom after a long hard winter. It’s one of the few privately owned ‘Free Houses’ in London and retains the custom of serving a small selection of real ales as well as other pub basics. Dickens and D.H. Lawrence both lived a couple of doors down and I could see them sliding through a few time frames and turning up during the day to write on their laptops, drinks by their side.

a visitor at the pub

random reading material

Breaking down the design elements that cause this pleasant reverie- the first and most noticeable has to be the wallpaper, exuberant with exotic Indiennes swirls and humming birds. It has a magic patina that can only be created after a few hundred years of tobacco smoke. It’s said that if you walk into a room and immediately feel at home in it, chances are that there is wood in it. In the Anglesea Arms it there’s an abundance; scuffed creaky floors, timber panelling and well worn tables.

It’s the layers that make the place. There are magnificent oil paintings, framed photographs & objects whose special meaning is now lost. Piles of free street magazines are stacked carelessly next to antique books. So hard for a designer doing an ‘old world’ interior to replicate this unselfconsciousness. But it is just this randomness and casualness that makes you relax and feel at home.

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Inspiration in Istanbul: Pierre Loti

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Visiting Istanbul, always on the lookout for design inspiration – the path leads to the Pierre Loti cafe; an eagles nest haunt high up on the cemetery hill in Eyub. Pierre Loti – the French author/naval captain/bohemian who was travelling in Istanbul the same year the old schoolmasters house was built; 1890. Famous like a rock star when he was alive, his reputation is much faded now, yet he lives on in Turkey, still remembered by the “proud and dreamy” people he loved so much.

getting lost in Instanbul streets

The entrance to the Pierre Loti cafe in Eyub


Reading Pierre Loti’s “Constantinople” you walk with him in the twilight through the streets of the old city; the modern layer of chaos, traffic jams, crowds and roadwork stripped back to reveal the magnificent and monumental architecture of several Empires. Yet amazingly, even then over 100 years ago he is lamenting the city’s ruin, bought on by the just finished Orient Express which “spews forth tourists” at an alarming rate.

one of the many cats of Istanbul

ahead of his time- the Pierre Loti ‘art wall’


Making the journey through little windy streets to the cafe that bears his name, you come across a couple of large terraces full of tables covered with red and white check clothes, looking over a magnificent view of the Bosphorous, the kind that should be reproduced in panoramas.

at the Pierre Loti cafe

view out over the city

The cafe building looks like it has been painted with black tar- almost Japanese like in scale and appearance. Inside, one of the loveliest rooms I have ever been in. Similar in proportion to the sunroom at the old schoolmasters house, and also with windows with small panes of coloured glass looking out over the view.

lingering over a Turkish coffee

intricate patterns and tones

Many design ideas to absorb here. An ‘art wall’ that would look good on a Pinterest board. The softly textured patterned rug, the shining pots and pans all share something common to Istanbul – beautiful craftsmanship. Thing are heavy to the touch here, made of real brass and leather. It gives a feeling of permanence & in a way a true luxury and comfort.

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Paint and Chalk

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sharing the road

image from the Holtermann collection in the State Library


It’s strange where you get inspiration. That idea that just feels right and that you want to execute straight away.

driving through the Golden Hour

testing paint samples


The dining room is at the heart of the house. My first thought was a deep rich colour, perhaps red or a wine, but that seemed a bit overwhelming so I moved to the blue/green spectrum. Setting it up for a photo for my recent Design Sponge Sneak Peek it looked effective- but when it came to do the whole room there was something forced about it.

love playing records in the dining room

The room had to retain its cosiness and the cool colours didn’t help. I can understand why people end up with white walls- in a way you keep your options open. Chalkboard paint was a brilliant suggestion. With the picture rail and the dado rail cutting the walls in thirds- if you painted the middle part, you could almost believe they were the original chalkboards of the schoolhouse. The coatings of chalk gave it a dusty look – a gentle texture.

the dark chalkboard such a good frame

the early morning mist

Seeing the magnificent Holtermann collection exhibition at the State Library was the inspiration for the chalking . In 1951 4500 glass plate negatives were discovered in a Sydney garden shed. Photos of the 19th century gold fields; they contain a roughness and authenticity. The typography on the old shops is exuberant, and multifaceted – the sign writer was an artist. Now to recreate in the old schoolmasters house… going freehand, but I can always rub it out…

starting to chalk up the signage.. more to come “Cheap Jack Fancy Goods” to go on the right.

The chalked writing gives an informality to the room. I like some roughness in here- the cut wood, the record table made from old bricks the candles going. And people coming together to sit around a table, eat and listen to music…

signage still in the village, I don’t think it is original though

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The Little House in the Woods

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inside the abandoned house in the woods

a neighbouring alpaca… or is that lama?

There’s a little abandoned house in the woods on the edge of the village that I like to visit with friends. A walk with a destination, not that far away.

going through the village

early morning mist


In the country it’s easy to step into a time warp – layers of history can get stripped back pretty fast- there’s no context of modernity to hold onto. Pushing through the creaky door to go into the shell of the old house is like stepping into a ghost version of early settler life. The old house has perfectly art directed distressed walls, layers of wallpaper and exposed bricks. If it could somehow be transported back to the city it would make a perfect backdrop for a hipster café.

the old house, outdoor toilet on left

nice spot for a latte


But the decay is really too far gone- it’s nearly beyond being salvageable. So much human energy and money would have to be poured into it. I would love to see it happen, in a sensitive way – the character and textures maintained, complimented with a spareness of furnishing; some colourful crocheted blankets, a vase of wildflowers on a simple paint stripped table. It may happen some time in the future. Or it may just stay here, a little vessel of the past floating in the woods on the outskirts of town.

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Happy Easter Eggs

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An egg’s a beautiful shape; simple, curving, perfect. I wanted to decorate up a few for Easter, using a technique taught to me by my mother when I was little girl.

the eggs all ready to go

the little horses in the village


First making a hole in each end, lightly tapped out with a hammer and nail, then the yolk and white blown out into a bowl. Putting them on skewers, secured with Blu-Tack, before they’re dunked into some creamy white paint. After they are dry, wetting them with water and doing another dunking – halfway into some coloured paint this time. The water makes the paint coating a little irregular – giving a softer, less perfect look.

Happy Easter!

looking for the mob


Lightly attaching a length of twine to the tip of a skewer with Blu-Tack, using it to push through the two holes. Removing the skewer & tying a little bow at the bottom to secure. Another bow hot glued onto the top of the egg. The finishing touch- a friend’s name written on with marker pen. Happy Easter!

Gold Rush mine shaft in the village

the Easter Egg tree – let the festivities begin

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An Artist’s House near the Beach

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cabin in the back yard


You never forget going into a unique house. Visiting Bruce and Katie Goold’s place up on the Peninsula north of Sydney is to go into one of those rare worlds.

Nearly everything in the house Bruce had found or made himself. An artist who works in linocuts and woodblock prints, he has also designed fabrics for furniture & clothing. His work is full of magpies and kangaroos and bogong moths- waratahs, canna lilies and more – a full spectrum of the Australian bush.

in the studio; a cushion with Bruce’s wood cut


Bruce has long been part of Sydney’s artistic life – in the early seventies he was involved with the Yellow House, an art project that has attained near legendary status in Sydney. Inspired by Van Gogh, the Yellow House was canvas in itself- nearly every wall, floor and ceiling was painted and worked upon.

filing case from a demolished petrol station

I like the sad dog’s head cane


I want to make more things for the old schoolmasters house – and here there is so much inspiration to be found. I love the apple shaped clock that Bruce made out of a pizza tin – a ‘Big Apple’ set to New York time, where his daughter Nancy is currently living.

clock made by Bruce out of a pizza tin, set to NY time; ‘ the Big Apple”


I especially like how he customizes lights – making them into real features in the room by dressing them up, adding to them with shells, nets or raffia. Need to think up a country interpretation of this…

light enhanced with a belt bought by daughter Nancy

Bruce’s writing desk


Another thing you get with the house is how strongly it relates to the setting – things from the beach; fishing nets, driftwood and sharks eggs make their ways into the house, assembled in unexpected ways, including once a year as a Christmas tree.

lounge covered in Bruce’s fabric

view over Pittwater


Bruce’s father and grandfather had shops selling furniture and he has inherited some amazing pieces. But most other things were salvaged from council throw outs. The overlooked object is placed in a setting where it makes sense and its beauty revealed by the artist’s eye.

through to the studio

Bruce in a gilt mirror that was headed for a dumpster

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