There is an elegant monochromatic and simple yet lush feel to these rooms by Owen Design Associates but just when you think that this soothing neutral palette is their thing ODA surprise with rich colour. Love Alexandra Owen’s clean lines as much as her take on comfortable and tufted. Would kill for those silk drapes and bamboo blinds in the last room featured.

Homes and Gardens

Suze Yalof Schwartz, Executive Fashion Editor at Large for GLAMOUR had a simple request when she emailed the other day. “Can you do a curtain story? Please :)” How can we resist? I found so many great images that this may be the start of a series of curtain calls. There’s traditional. There’s modern. There’s colourful and neutral and for good luck I’ve included bamboo and roman blinds!

Elle Decor	Studio Ilse
Maura McEvoy at Judith Miller Inc	Paul Costello
Burnham design	Arbogast Design Group
Darren Chung	Palmer Weiss
Muriel Brandolini	Noel Jeffrey
Michael Smith	Jeffers Design Group
Philippe Starck	House of Pictures
Jeffers Design Group	Voon Wong & Benson Saw
Jonathan Adler	Suzanne Kasler

Thought I’d turn around and take a snap. Tidied up my office this weekend and took this picture from where my office chair is. I realised I hadn’t shown any more photos of where I slave away in my free time. Just kidding. Lousy photo but I’m actually quite proud of this small space. Everything in this room with the exception of the kilim which I have had for over 15 years was bought in a thrift shop, on eBay, Etsy, secondhand shop, fleamarket or created by me. Mind you I don’t get to sit in the Grant Featherston Numero chairs that much as I’m always over here on the computer! I had the chairs reupholstered after I found them in a thrift store – is that cheating? Anyway just thought you’d like to see. Now if I just squeeze over to the other side of the room I could take another shot. Maybe next time.

Scape Interiors is the fun and fab idea of Andrew Fedrigo. Are you one of those kids who always managed to colour outside the lines in your favourite colouring in book growing up? Scape Interiors lets you ALWAYS colour in between the lines with an interactive ‘colour your own’ contemporary canvas design system. Their new online store is a celebration of colour, pattern and typography and you can personalise and colour any of the 25 designs available online without one single colouring in boo boo. I’ve been lost in colour combos while playing on their site. Once an order is received your design is printed, framed and shipped to your front door. Love the no brand cans!

I found Megan Van Linda’s beautiful landscaping while checking participating designers’ websites at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase. Her gardens are so pretty with soft lush plantings and stylish furniture and garden “rooms”. I know what I’m doing this weekend. I’m buying succulents and moss to fill my clam shell. With such a wonderful eye and a super green thumb it’s no wonder she was asked to deign an alfresco space at the showcase.