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Stepping down a sloping site in Kew, Melbourne is this extension containing kitchen, dining and living rooms with master bedroom suite above. In the transition space between the old Edwardian house and the new is the staircase, with exposed oak framing, providing areas for display in the nearby study nook and adjacent hallway. Stepped House by Rob Kennon Architects.

I was so stoked to learn the ladies of Toronto online décor magazine Covet Garden had finally launched a print edition. I have been following this magazine since day 1 (back in Sept 2010) and loved peeking into the homes of creative folks of TO. Covet Garden Home is half magazine half book and will be proudly hanging out on my coffee table for the next while so I can devour it over and over again. This book/mag showcases some homes previously featured in online issues (with updates!) along with some brand new spaces. One that knocked my socks off in particular is the gorgeous vintage-filled home of Covet Garden co-founder Lynda Felton. I snapped a couple of pics from her story below. (Buy it here) 

I also received a copy of Jan Johnsen’s book Heaven is a Garden. It’s a really touching book about designing serene outdoor spaces that evoke inspiration and reflection. Serenity by Design as Jan signed my copy. She delves into topics such as how shape, and proportion can unify a garden, deciphering the language of trees, the mystery of water and the evocative qualities of stone. I plan of devouring every word a few times over before I start thinking about landscaping my yard. Giving my outdoor spaces meaning as opposed to just being functional spaces will be that much more gratifying in the end. (You can find this book on Amazon)

If you would like to send me photos to include in next week’s pets on furniture post, please ensure your photos follow these 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, if the photo is too dark or unfocused it may not make the cut. Photos, your name, location and a brief description can be sent to kim[at]desiretoinspire[dot]net. Thanks!

This is Zoey, our beloved shih tzu/bichon mix. We live in a high rise condo in downtown Austin, TX. It sure is hard leaving this every morning to go to work! 🙂 
– Kelly

This is our cat Mandarin. On the first picture he is sitting in the hallway on the wooden cabinet (he looks a bit shocked, because he thinks that he is not allowed to sit there). On the second picture Mandarin is on my desk, and this is one of his favorite places.
– Anastasia (Tallinn, Estonia)

This is Lucy, our German Shepherd/Retriever mix, in her favorite chair.
– Dana (Shawnee, Kansas)

1&2 – took this photo yesterday as I was attempting to change the sheets on the bed…Storm [9yrs old, living in Toronto, Canada] decided it was nice of me to give him crisp white sheets to lounge on while he takes his afternoon nap, rest of bed had to wait – naps take priority! Bed from Restoration Hardware, foxed mirror side table from West Elm, French task lamp from Lowe’s, Latitude low dresser from CB2, seat cushions from IKEA
3 – Petal prefers to be “under” the furniture, in this case.  lol
4 – Petal reposing on the settee!
– Ana

While Sprockie isn’t quite on any furniture, I thought it would make you smile anyway. This is at our newly built house in Sydney’s Alexandria.
I have also attached one of Mischief last night. I was trying to take one of the bookcase my husband built over the weekend and Missie through it was going to be of her as well. 
– Nikla 

Here are a couple from me. Saturday morning I spotted Milo once again on the bench in the dining room. It is his new favourite spot. (Stick a faux sheepskin on anything and it becomes the favourite spot!)
And one I took of Phoebe Saturday night. Never a moment of peace in this house. There is always at least one cat following me. This time it was into the bathroom – my view from the toilet. LOL

I could live here from sunrise to sunset and on to sunrise again. I could watch the changes on the garden terrace from spring through to winter. I could move from light to dark and out into the light. I could delight at a different detail very day, the ribbon of steel that rises as a staircase, the inverted stair railing as I climb, the shadow art, the old sign writing on adjacent walls. I could happily spend my days in this beautiful warehouse conversion. Sunrise by Jolson.

Boy do I have decorating on the brain these days! Now that we are settled in our new house (in case you missed my posts here and here earlier this week) all I can think about is what in the hell I am going to do with this blank canvas. For the past few years I have been really excited about Scandi/industrial/modern spaces in white/grey/black and lots of wood. The more time I spend in my new house, the more I realize that I have to completely re-think how I am going to decorate. This has thrown me for a loop and while it freaked me out a bit in the beginning, is starting to become more exciting and less of a daunting task. One thing I cannot get out of my head is how beautiful dark and dramatic colours would look in this house. With lots of windows and very good light coming through, I think I could totally get away with it. And with this in mind, I immediately thought of Abigail Ahern, the queen of darkness. I love how she paints out floors, ceilings, woodwork…everything! I won’t be painting my floors (unfortunately) or the wood work anytime soon I am totally up for going to town on all the walls and ceilings. And Downpipe by Farrow & Ball seems to be the most perfect, dreamy colour. 

If anyone has any suggestions of what I should do or ideas for paint colours let me know!

Photos above: Abigail Ahern

Photos above: Michael’s 47 Park Avenue home, also a huge source of inspiration.

Milk Magazine – Jo and Graham Atkins-Hughes home

Derek Swalwell

homelife

House & Garden

House & Garden

Rue

Jessica Helgerson

Yatzer

Milk Decoration

Dwell

Eades&Bergman