Regular readers will know that Kim and I cannot resist the hunt for secondhand bargains. We love thrift stores and junk shops, secondhand dealers and antique stores. I visited my new favourite secondhand haunt in Brisbane on the weekend and even though I want to keep it secret I just have to share. The 2 Peters run a treasure trove of a store. Stuffed to the ceilings with everything you never thought you had to have, it’s an ever changing source of those finishing touches for your home. It’s the sort of place that stylists and decorators love. Here are just some of the things that caught my eye.

OK so I bought the chinese garden stools, some fabulous oriental brass trays and a West German bowl but was seriously tempted by the cast iron dress rack from early last century. Wouldn’t it look great in a shop window or a sewing room? I have a thing for rusty and industrial and an old hand trolley also caught my eye. I was imaging it stacked haphazardly with a couple of the old timber crates I saw filled with overflowing pots of spring flowers. Alas no room in my courtyard though. No online site yet but coming soon (and we’ll let you know when). If something has caught your eye and you want to be let into the secret contact Peter here.

Think modern classic with a boho twist. L.A. interior designer Tia Zoldan creates rooms with a sophisticated yet at the same time casual appeal. Painted furniture and vivid artwork bring life into spaces while textures and colour add the bohemian flavour. It’s a laid back Californian vibe that combines classic and playful.

The north is in the last throes of summer while here in the southern hemisphere spring is pushing up its flower heads. To celebrate the warm weather that was for some and the promise of hot summer days to come for others, I’ve scanned a fabulous retro selection of swimming pools from Pools and Terraces House & Garden Guide to Landscaping and Furnishing, Gail Heathwood, Collins London and Glasgow in association with Conde Nast, 1974. Not quite warm enough to dip my toes in my pool yet. Kim on the other hand is moisturising some sunburn from a weekend swim at her parents!

So it’s Labor Day long weekend in North America. No such luck here but that won’t stop me sharing new blogs with you. Any excuse for a reading guide! You know the drill – some are new, some are new to me, some I’ve been reading for quite some time, some aren’t in English and all have loads of eye candy! I’m not jealous that it’s a long weekend in another country…. I’m still on holidays 🙂 WINKS next week I promise.

It’s a clever name, Landart Landscapes. This garden design firm creates that connection between outdoors and in that we all crave, that extra space, the outdoor room that we all covet. It helps to be based in Sydney with it’s beautiful climate and relaxed lifestyle. It also helps to have such a design connection with nature. I so want the apartment balcony with the fish tank. Come on summer! (Apologies to our Northern Hemisphere readers :P)