Category — Design

After spending many holidays in France, either renting an apartment in Paris or a house in Provence, the owners of this magnificent farmhouse (located in Abbotsford, Johannesburg) began looking for inspiration everywhere from Paris bistros, grand chateaus or simply on the streets.  The couple read French architectural books and spoke to local interior designers, but also quizzed French friends and women she encountered laying out a table for lunch in a remote village.  ‘I scoured the quaint antique shops of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and competed with the locals on winter mornings at Vanves flea market on the south side of Paris. I became friends with all the antique dealers at Clignancourt on Paris’ northern outskirts and wherever I went I seemed to be followed by containers of authentic and original pieces, each with its unique story.’

They added three extra fireplaces and a wine cellar, French white oak floors in a reverse-herringbone pattern and a luxurious yet homely kitchen complete with a marble counter brought in from a Parisian patisserie, to the already warm and expansive house.

That’s dedication, and oh is it gorgeous.

I also love this line from Karen, one of the owners of this gorgeous home:

For me luxury means being in a position to travel; to live like a local, soak up the culture and personally search for what feeds my passion.

Via House and Leisure {Originally featured in the August 2011 issue of House and Leisure.} // Styling: Leana Schoeman // Photography: Elsa Young

Tomorrow we’re moving into our new apartment and my list of DIY’s to try for the new place is a mile long.  But alas, we’re renting, so I’m trying to reign in my DIY obsessions, targeting only those DIY’s that I can pick up and move to city number two in just under two years. I put together a list of the projects that are musts … here’s to hoping I get around to them all!

1.  Gold-dipped jars + bottles.  Really I want to gold-dip everything, but I’ve been keeping my obsession at bay in the last few months because I knew we were moving. But come summer, I’m dipping and spray-painting errythang.  {Image via Style Me Pretty}

2.  DIY Jewelry Display.  This jewelry display, created by Lulu Frost and the girls of Honestly WTF, has been on my “wtf, I must have that!” list since I spotted it back in early February.  I made a good and proper pouty face at hubby the other day, batted my eyelashes, and handed him a just-baked cookie, and voila – he promised to help me drill and glue and put one of these bad boys together for our new place.  Success!  {Step-by-step instructions via Honestly WTF}

3.  DIY White Frame Gallery Wall.  I’m dreaming of a clean space – probably on a bedroom wall – where I can fill in inspiration, shoot blog photos, and practice my spray-painting skills.  {Via Cheetah is the New Black}

4.  DIY Mix-and-Match Dining Space.  I’m dreaming of a much funkier dining area.  Though the space will be small, we love to eat and entertain, and I’d love an eating space that really represents us.  I’d love to mix-and-match the chairs and possibly re-finish our ordinary brown dining table.  {Check out more of my eclectic dining room inspiration on my Kitchens + Dining Pinterest Board; Image via Design Rulz}

5.  A well-organized entryway.  Because we’re moving to a smaller space, I want to make the most of the room that we have.  And our new place actually has a cute little entryway that we could use for storage.  {This entryway was created using products from Ikea, making it a budget-friendly design … a.k.a., my kind of project!}

What DIY projects for the home have you seen and fallen in love with as of late?  Any tips or tricks for decorating a small space?

I have high hopes for the look and feel of our new apartment ( … coming soon to a blog near you … err, this one).  Mostly, in the last few years, hubby and I have been consumed with work, and never got the chance to design the way we really had in mind.  His schedule probably won’t get much easier once he starts rotations, but I’m determined to give our new home’s look a truly “us” feel.  And, dirty little secret: the last two sets of pillows we used to decorate our sofas were the kind you buy in two-packs, two sets from Ikea and two sets from Costco (a.k.a., no real thought at all). I’m loving all of these more unique pillow options, and want to mix-and-match in a really funky way. And though I normally design in clean colors, mostly neutrals, I love the idea of decorating with pillows full of color and pattern. Any favorites?

Get the Pillows:  1. Rebecca Atwood Ripple Shibori // 2. Urban Outiftters Magical Thinking Crewel Ikat Pillow // 3. John Robshaw Peak Decorative Pillow // 4. Fine Little Day Dotty Pillow // 5. Barneys New York Argento Spot Pillow // 6. Madeline Weinrib Stripe Ikat Pillow // 7. Nate Berkus™ for Target Euro Chenille Pillow // 8. Joss & Main Ikat Pillow // 9. Proud Mary Grey Dot Pillow

From bold floral patterns on crisp white backgrounds, over-sized Chanel perfume bottle prints, to pops of fuchsia and Hermès orange in every room, Marlie Waks’s feminine bachelorette pad reflects her fabulous aesthetic along with the help of her sister and Style at Home’s design editor Jessica Waks. By the way, per Marlie, the Chanel posters were an awesome budget find scored on eBay from a seller in Paris. And the printed office wall: the graphic wallpaper was a splurge, but Jessica points out that covering only one wall in the gorgeous print helped to minimize costs. “It’s all about mixing in designer touches and not being afraid to customize big box items with your own special accents.” I love every inch of this colorful glam space.

Shop the glam bachelorette pad look:

Via Style at Home // Photography by Virginia MacDonald