Lucy Fenton

Ever imagine what it would be like living in your favourite shop? Well if the wonderland of a store Fenton & Fenton is that shop then 33 Wattle Rd, Hawthorne is where you should be living. As one of a number of creatives asked to style a display apartment last year Lucy Fenton brought her shop to life in an otherwise boring cookie cutter apartment. Colourful, quirky, beautiful her apartment showcased all that her Prahan shop has come to stand for. And now her newly launched website brings her shop to life for those who can't walk through the doors. A must see gallery if you love colour with a touch of ethnic aesthetic, vintage with midcentury re-invented and the unexpected, always the unexpected. Love!

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Quickie 2

Ever had the daydream of living in a showroom? I do and if I could I'd be moving into hunter gatherer and designer Jason Mowen's. His Redfern shop-front looks just as cool in person. Sorry Jason I was the one who left the drool on your window a month or so ago.

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A villa in Pattaya

I've said this plenty of times on the blog - I LOATHE WINTER. It's only December 17th and I don't know how I'm going to make it through the rest of the season. I wear flannel PJ's to bed, which is made up with polar fleece sheets. I could use a little vacay from this nonsense, and since I likely have to wait until February to make it south, I thought a virtual trip to a villa in Pattaya, Thailand would do for now. Chakraphan wrote us an email with some photos of this heavenly villa he designed. It's part of a grouping of 7 private villas called Villataya, each one containing 2-3 bedrooms, with 205 - 250 sq m of space and a private pool! It's beautiful, and I'm about to close my eyes and attempt to teleport myself there... 

P.S. Happy birthday Valerie!!!!!!

  
  
  

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Reader request - a modern dilemma

Today's reader request comes from Hillary: "I've recently been gifted a Corbusier chaise lounge. (I know, right?) It's fantastic, but I'm really having a hard time incorporating it into my existing surroundings. My partner and I have been living together for about 6 months now and because we're in India (not my native place) and I moved here two years ago with only a backpack and he's living on his own for the first time after college, we have no other furniture. Well, not none. We have Indian mattresses spread on the floor covered with pretty fabrics for seating, and an old door (surrounded by more mattresses) for a dining table. How can I start to meld these two seemingly polar-opposite styles? I think what will help is that soon I am inheriting an old chair and pouf from my boss that I can reupholster and paint black. Do you know of any good examples of successfully combining something so high-modern with a surrounding that is so... not high-modern?" Talk about a SWEET gift! (The first photo below is of the chaise Hillary is referring to). What I really love seeing in spaces is a mix of different styles because it's unexpected, interesting and quirky. So perhaps most people would not think to pair a Corbusier chaise lounge with Indian mattresses, but WORK IT GIRL! I would do something like this: Pick up a couple small sheepskin rugs (faux if possible) and throw one on the mattresses and one on the chaise. Stick a pile of Indian covered pillows next to the chaise, then add some simple modern side tables on either side of the mattresses (Kartell Componibili storage units would be cute). Something along those lines, where the Indian/ethnic and modern items are blended together. Based on that idea, below are some photos of spaces that made me think of your dilemma, where I can see both that chaise and Indian mattresses/fabrics working. (Hillary, do send us photos when you think you've got it figured out - we'd love to see what you come up with.)

InsideHomePage
Living Etc.
The Selby
Sköna hem
Bolig Magasinet
Jordi Canosa
Mail Online
Lonny

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Third World Bazaar

I am still a bit uncertain as to what to post on Sundays, but today I thought I'd do something different because I visited a very interesting place on Friday that I thought I'd share, since I took a ton of photos. It's called the Third World Bazaar. This bazaar happens every weekend (Fridays - Sundays) in autumn for 7 weeks, beginning Thanksgiving weekend (which is this weekend here in Canada) and ending November 21st. I've been trying to go yearly for a few years now and it's amazing. It's a huge barn filled with thousands of items from countries all over the world - clothing, purses, furniture, knick-knacks, carpets, jewelry, Christmas decor and much more. The owners buy the majority of the products directly from the artisans and craftsmen in the source countries. This means they get to travel the world seeking out these beautiful hand-crafted products including Morocco, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Guatemala, Indonesia, Cuba, Thailand and India. I always leave the bazaar with a car full of goodies, and this year was no different. Below are a few photos of my purchases and many photos taken inside the bazaar. If you're in the Ottawa area, you really must head out to Manotick and visit the Third World Bazaar....and make sure to go with an empty trunk!

I have a thing for punched tin - and Jo does too so I think some of these pieces above will be going in her parcel that I wanted to send out months ago...and maybe that Asian wall art...

I bought these on my second trip out to the bazaar. Yep, I went twice. The first time was too overwhelming and I spent most of the time snapping photos. I think the dragon will be a Christmas present for my nephew. I love the punched tin inlay in the wood vase. PRETTY!

This thing is SO RAD! It's huge, and made out of recycled tires. It's from Thailand I think, and in Thailand these bins are used to store garbage. It has holes in the bottom so it could be kept outside and used as a planter. I've heard this is also great for storing firewood. I may use mine (when I have space for it indoors) to store blankets. And now for the photos from the bazaar (which are not that great because we arrived at about 6:30/7 pm so there was no natural light)....

  
  
  

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