Displaying posts from August, 2010

Such beautiful soft light. I feel like I could dive in and swim through it. The light in Australia is so harsh and bright that photos like this are like a glass of cool water. So calm and revitalising. (OK the bright pink wall can hardly be called calm but you know what I mean.) New Orleans based photographer Sara Essex Bradley is like the eye of a cyclone. She stands in a room with her camera and all around her is calm. The kids may be running through, the cats are clawing at the rug, life goes on and the telephone is ringing but where Sara stands and aims her camera life stands still and beauty is what results.

Dana Wolter is a designer in Birmingham, Al whose website recently went live and she wanted to share it with us. This is a synopsis of what her firm is all about: “Known for custom interiors that blend comfort and elegance into one, Dana and her team create clean-lined spaces that feel as though they have evolved over time. Through the art of layering the various textures of fabric and wood, contrasting hard and soft surfaces against one another, using light to affect how a space is perceived, and combining modern, antique, and classical elements in a room, Dana Wolter Interiors designs spaces that are naturally sophisticated yet truly functional.” Her living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms and bathrooms are classically beautiful, but she also has a way with creating wonderful children’s rooms that are classic in their own right, yet perfect for a youngster.

One moment it’s OTT, the next it’s cool, calm and minimal. It’s mix and match combining to make a stylish whole. Interior designer Brett Mickan uses colour passionately and his monochromatic spaces are just as strong as his bold colour combinations. Sydney based, he has worked in Florida and this influence shows in his work. There is an Australian sensibility but a Miami bite to the execution. Whether it’s audacious or refined Mickan has it covered. Think serious fun more than just serious.

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If you’d like to send us photos to include in next week’s “pets on furniture” post, please ensure your photos follow our basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so it takes center stage rather than your pet. (Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture that you want to show off…and your pet happens to be sitting on it). And second, the photo must be of decent quality. If it’s dark or fuzzy (from a camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Thanks! (Photos, your name, location and a brief description can be sent to desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com and PLEASE don’t send me closeups of your pet!)

“Attached is a photo of our 100 lb Lab, Hawk on our leather sofa!  Before Hawk, dogs were not allowed in my house, but this big lovable sweetie showed me the err of my ways.”
– Heidi (Peachtree City, Georgia)

“I’m sending a picture of Glico, who loves to sit on this ikea chair, in our parisian apartment. He’s a really sweet dog, who loves playing and eating!”
– Amy

“This is Mel (Honey in Portuguese), my lovely golden retriever! On the first one she on my Sergio Rodrigues chair (Poltrona Mole) and the second is at my porch (on a wood couch with futons and pillows).”
– Patricia (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

“Scout on Japanese camping chair”
– Caitlin

“The first photo is my boxer in college on a great leather chair that he claimed almost immediately as his own. The second is a bullmastiff, too lazy to get his back legs up on the bed.”
– Stacey

“Play date Tuesday went awry.  This is Sugar Baby, my best friends mothers dog on my dining room table.”
– Leah

“My friend Meg’s beloved dogs – Iggy and Cha Cha”
– Karen

“Attached are 2 photos of my baby Lucille. She is about 3 years old (but looks really little still) and she, like most cats, sleeps all day long on various pieces of furniture. I’m pretty sure she was raised by a dog since I frequently catch her drinking out of the toilet bowl and begging for (and stealing) food from the dinner table. Needless to say she is a character. The first picture is her curled up on the couch with remote in hand. Not really showcasing the furniture but you can see her face well, and the second is her on what she would probably refer to as her bed, where she sleeps for about 8 hours a day.”
– Sarah (New York City)

“i send you my lovely cat LEON. first with habitat apperture lamp:) second on my project son- chair”
– Ann (Poland)

“This is Buddy sleeping on the new couch he knows he shouldn’t be on.  The smile says it all…”
– Christina

“I would like to submit this picture of our Lhasa who loves looking out the window!”
– Joan

If you’d like to send us photos to include in next week’s “pets on furniture” post, please ensure your photos follow our basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so it takes center stage rather than your pet. (Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture that you want to show off…and your pet happens to be sitting on it). And second, the photo must be of decent quality. If it’s dark or fuzzy (from a camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Thanks! (Photos, your name, location and a brief description can be sent to desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com and PLEASE don’t send me closeups of your pet!)

“This is 3 month old Bentley taking a break on my living room sectional.”
– Almendra

“So here are the photos all the way from Wasserburg am Inn in Germany (Bavaria) of an appartment which remembers the  18th Century, somewhat newer chair and a completely new cat: Harry Bertoia’s Bird chair and Darwin the Devon Rex cat. As to the photos of ‘pets next to the furniture” I’m attaching a picture of Darwin in his rare thinking moment; with the Random bookcase as a fitting background.”
– Maya

“This is Bella, our French Bulldog, she insists on being everywhere I am! Which I don’t mind since I love her sweet face.”
– Emily (Bloomfield, NY)

“Murphy is a female Scottish Fold with upright ears.”
– Maureen

“Here are Ramush, Olive, and Mirabel on a bench our friends Chuck and Tamara made, and generously gave to us when they moved to Tokyo recently. You pictured their cat in their new Japanese house a couple of weeks ago–I was checking out desire to inspire and thought: that looks like Tamera’s cat! It was. 🙂 Hi Tam!”
– Rachel (Maine)

“This is my 2 year old Border Collie, Umbrella. She uses just about every piece of furniture as a bed, but fits just perfect in our Joe Colombo chairs.”
– Saga (Los Angeles, CA)

“This is Jackson on the bed in my husband and I’s bedroom. He is only allowed on the there at night to snuggle before bedtime, but somehow he made it up there in the middle of the day and was just too cute to resist.”
– Jennifer (Corpus Christi, TX)

“Here’s my stubborn Russian Blue, Bear, sitting on my one and only eBay purchase just after I finished re-arranging the living room. I’ve been meaning to recover this chair for years, and I even have one new cushion just about finished. I know Bear with be devastated!”
– Brigitte (Chicago)

“These pics are of my best friend Shawna’s dog that comes over to hang out all the time. Her name is Petunia or as we like to call her Pootie. She is a corgie/chihuaua mix that kind of looks like a little fox. She is the sweetest little dog. We were having dinner and we just happened to look over and she was perched on top of the leather sofa.”
– Michelle (Austin, TX)

“Didn’t realize cat and living room were so ‘matchy matchy’ til she jumped into this shot. My husband named it ‘Lulu Superstar’.”
– Tracy (Dallas)

“Our newly adopted beagle/cattle dog mix taking a snooze in one of my favorite spots in the house. He has definitely made himself right at home!”
– Megan (Madison, WI)