Remember the fashion/accessory/jewellery maxim of removing one piece before you leave the house? It sprang to mind as I landed at these house while real estate stalking. Bold use of colour and interesting art. High end furniture and fabulous finishes. Is it just me though or does this house need to “take a few pieces off”? Perhaps it just highlights how a professional photographer could have us all swooning about this home while a real estate agent just needs to fit it all in. What do you think?

Something a little different this week. The David Hicks Book of Flower Arranging, Introduction by Julia Clements, Marshall Cavendish Publications, 1976. By this stage, according to the dust cover, David had written at least 5 of this style of little book on everything from decoration to “living with taste”. A superstar of 60s and 70s design cashing in on his fame? Is nothing new? The book is full of not only lovely and often not so dated flower arrangements but also Hick’s beautiful tablescapes. In the middle of winter here I am dreaming of spring!

I swear I was writing a WINKS today. I had sorted through the emails. I had decided what images to use. I had even decided who was going to be the first WINK. That was the problem. The first WINK was going to be a wonderful new blog. The second WINK was yet another great new blog. Then I realised I’d been to a lot of new (to me) blogs recently. Light bulb moment! Time for the next installment in our growing tradition of reading guides. And it’s not even a long weekend… well maybe it is somewhere in the world. Make yourself a coffee, pour yourself a wine. Settle in and explore. I promise WINKS next weekend 😉

Scott Laslie’s design philosophy is simple. “I work to enhance space with proven design expertise and by adding a bit of the unexpected.” Whether it’s traditional or contemporary there is a glam vibe to his rooms. They’re sophisticated and luxe with plenty of personality. I would kill for those dining chairs in the lead photo. Hey I’d sell my soul for the banquette and metal chair dining with or without the zebra hide.

I just had to round out the week with another great photographer, J. Savage Gibson. Kim and I go on and on about lighting and composition and angles and colour but when you see beautiful photos it’s those things that are so apparent. Josh’s work is subtle. These aren’t pictures that scream “look at me look at me”. Instead they draw you in with their order, refinement and relevance. Don’t miss his b&w portfolio…. lovely!