Displaying posts from April, 2023

More cocktails by the pool

Posted on Wed, 12 Apr 2023 by midcenturyjo

“The curb appeal of this home mesmerizes those lucky enough to see this house in person.  And the outdoor dining space would impress any would be chef or hostess.  A comfortable pool invites summertime lounging and no one would turn down a cocktail at the cozy firepit seating area.”

As summer disappears in the rearview mirror of my imagination it’s no surprise I’m fixated on cocktails by the pool and this poolside spot in California is a perfect placeholder in my design files until next summer. Port Streets by Garden Studio Design.

“As soon as you walk into this home you feel at ease. Every surface tells a subtle story and goes beyond the norm of a traditional home. The warmth of the exposed brick, Blackbutt timber joinery, textured rendered walls and the array of handmade tiles makes the home feel heavily considered and undoubtedly harmonious. We drew inspiration from Spanish villas and farmhouses; the raw materiality, the minimalistic nature of them and the saturation of texture and fluidity of indoor/outdoor living.”

Warm, and contemporary with a timeless twist in the Sydney beachside suburb of Curl Curl by Folk Studio.

Photography by Jacqui Turk

Perfectly imperfect

Posted on Tue, 11 Apr 2023 by KiM

Perfectly imperfect, disordered to perfection, expertly curated and delightfully haphazard… this is absolutely wonderful Kensington flat of Swiss decorator Christophe Gollut. Via Cabana Magazine, photos by Emma Lewis.


My new modular sofa from Expand Furniture

Posted on Tue, 11 Apr 2023 by KiM

The lovely folks of Expand Furniture reached out to me recently about their products and I have to say after all of these years of blogging not much surprises me anymore…but this company sure did. As their name may suggest, their specialty is space saving, multi-functional furniture, and creating space in your home that you did not know you had. And they have such unique ways of saving space that my mind is literally blown. I could not get over the options they offer. How about the Wall bed Revolving Bookcase Table – a bookcase that hides a dining table and revolves to uncover a murphy bed! WHAT?!?! A mirror that stores your dining table extensions! A bunkbed couch transformer! A sofa bookcase murphy bed combo! A wall desk that converts into bunk beds! An ottoman that stashes away stools! One that I think is super-handy in this era of working from home is the coffee table that converts into a desk so you can work from the sofa. I could go on and on they have so many unique options. It’s really incredible what they have come up with and the multi-functional needs they service. Such amazing small space furniture options.

With just my husband and I in a reasonable sized 4 bedroom house and with a staircase with a 180 degree corner that makes bulky/long items near impossible to get up the stairs, I opted to go simple and try out one of Expand Furniture’s modular sofas. I chose the Migliore modular love seat with an ottoman for our tiny media room that we have created out of one of our spare bedrooms.



When they arrived I got a little nervous about the size of the boxes but fear not! Everything made it up the stairs easily. This was one of the most exciting unboxings I’ve done in a long time 🙂


I also need to commend them on great packaging. Thick boxes (that I of course recycled), then tightly wrapped in bubble wrap with the sharp leg edges covered in fabric and taped up (the legs were removed and packaged up in bundles).


With a house filled with cats I was ecstatic over this grey fabric I chose. It’s really thick and durable and a gorgeous shade of grey. The weight of the cushions are substantial and they’re memory foam topped with goose feathers. It is so freaking comfortable that even my husband has been commenting how much he loves it. And I love knowing that in the future if we move it to the much bigger living room we can purchase additional pieces from this line to suit the space. It’s a winner!



I love that for each major cushion there’s velcro and a sort of microfibre panel so you can put each cushion exactly where you want them and nothing slides around.



I took out the old sofa, put in the new, and tried it out for a week or so and fell in love with it. But the room needing a makeover. The blue and white walls weren’t living up to the expectations the new sofa now set. So I went to work on a little project.



The Farrow & Ball Inchyra Blue is such a unique colour and I really love it so I decided to wrap the room in stripes in that colour as well as Drop Cloth. And despite it being a pain in the butt and time consuming I love how it turned out and I could not love the room more. It really makes the new sofa pop.


Cocktails by the pool

Posted on Mon, 10 Apr 2023 by midcenturyjo

LAHAUS has taken a terrace house in the Perth suburb of Cottesloe and created a coastal home for family and friends that feels like being on holiday all the time. Stylish indoor and outdoor entertaining areas, relaxing yet chic spaces and lush landscaping. You’ll find me by the pool, cocktail in hand.

Photography by Jack Lovel