apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Despite best efforts to keep your home clean and tidy, accidents happen. We had a semi-spectacular spill last night, after misjudging the hand’s multiple-container-holding capacity the above jar jumped from our grasp and within seconds the kitchen floor was covered in itsy bitsy sesame seeds. After the initial shock we realised it could have been worse, at least the glass jar didn’t break. So for a bit of fun, we thought we’d ask – what’s the worst thing you’ve spilled and where?

Budget’s may be tight, but we still want to make our homes happy, inspiring places to be in. All we need is a little creative thinking and a willingness to DIY. New furniture can be expensive, so look to your walls – they are great areas to play with cost effective ideas that create visual impact within your space. Inside Out’s March/April issue featured 4 DIY ideas to spruce up tired walls. Details below.

Following on from some recent indoor plant life posts here & here, we found these enchanting vases from Sydney homewares company, ‘Have you met Miss Jones’. They immediately made us feel all whimsical with their enchanted forest vibe. We love the sculptural forms and think they look great on their own. Instead of flowers, you could pop a seagull feather in one for a nautical feel. More on Miss Jones bone china objects below.

This lovely Elwood apartment featured on The Design Files is a great example of how a consistent colour theme can bring your home together. Orange highlights are used throughout in the form of furniture and personal objects, while green creates a complimentary backdrop colour. The owner is based in Melbourne, but her style influences come from her New Zealand home and the ‘Pacificana’ aesthetic of the islands around NZ. See below for more images.

Ok we’re not feng shui masters and certainly haven’t ‘feng shui-ed’ our home, but due to adolescent dabbling, our bedrooms have always followed a few key points like bed positioning and avoiding pet fish in the bedroom (trust us, bad feng shui). So in the spirit of bedroom month, we’d like to share some advice on creating a calm, positive atmosphere for the room in which you rest, let go of the past day and start a new one in. Read the tips below.

Small space living is a relatively new phenomena in Australia, with most of us growing up in the suburbs (think: big front and back yards). But as more people opt for smaller, inner city living, its refreshing to see a big newspaper like The Age put out an article dealing with compact spaces. For simple, solid advice particularly useful to those just starting out in their small space, check out the main points below.
[ Image: Tony and Hilary's 3 in 1 Studio]

One of the more unexpected gifts we received this Christmas was a body pillow.
We usually sleep with just one head pillow, a very minimal requirement according to this AT survey on how many pillows people sleep with. However the bf does like a few pillows to hug, hence the body pillow gift. After stealing it for a try, we’re now hooked on this odd looking, huggable pillow. More after the jump.

Our family’s Christmas lunch is a case of too many cooks somehow not spoiling the broth, and with 21 people coming, this year is going to be a big one. As we all converge at our grandparents house, there is an atmosphere of organised chaos fine tuned over time into layers of tradition. Beyond gifts and spiked punch, it’s the happy chaos of our family celebrations that makes us smile at Christmas. More after the jump.

The serene, sun drenched apartment of Sydneysider Juliette Arent, nearly had this Melbournian consider decamping to the sunny city. Juliette is an interior designer of Arent & Pyke, and her own apartment is a testament to their style – clean, with personal touches that tell a story. It’s reconfirms what a classic base white walls and ceilings with dark wooden floorboards are to work up from. It’s also a nice change to see a minimal approach to hanging artworks. More great photos after the jump.

What do you get when an ex editor of Australian Vogue Living and a prominent fashion retailer partner up in business? A whimsical home wares and furniture collection based around mixing vintage pieces to create unexpected results. What we particularly like about Edit is their playful approach. There are some great ideas sure to inspire thrift store addicts wishing to give new life to vintage items. More images and ideas after the jump.

We think it’s important to support up and coming local designers. It encourages the creative community and spending your dollars on locally made produce makes environmental sense too. They’re also great places to buy unique gifts for friends, family, and even yourself. Jump below for details on the Young Blood: Designers Market in Sydney, Market 3031 and the Design Market in Melbourne, all coming up in the next 2 months.

You know the silly season is just around the corner when well organised relatives start asking what you want for Christmas. We like a mix of practical and whimsical presents, that are easy for those that ask to find – books are perfect. We thought we’d share the start of our design book wishlist and would love to hear what books are on yours. More below.

To add to yesterday’s pillow round up, we found these cute cushions by Pippijoe. They’re handmade in Melbourne and are silkcreen printed using environmentally friendly inks. More below.

Well this is timely, we were just looking at our walls wishing we had some new artwork to spruce them up, and what do know, SF based design/illustration team Lab Partners are heading down under for an exhibition of new work titled HUNT & GATHER at Outre Gallery, opening this week. Very exciting. Details and more pictures below.