Sunday 17 May 2015

Doll House Renno

I was given my old dollhouse back from my sister after her two kids had enjoyed the house too, and decided to give it a much needed upgrade to 2015 after seeing over 30 years of wear and tear.... I'm not going to lie, the house was a shambles, windows all busted, floors all cracked the roof collapsing it was the ghetto of doll houses. It needed a facelift and it needed it yesterday and hey we had the dough to do it (how I wish the same could be said of our actual home hehe!)


This is the original house:
I told you it was a mess.....


First stop was to take apart the whole house and rebuild the window frames and eaves and then give the poor house a big sand down:


Once this had happened we were able to select the colour palette I opted for grey, white and aqua on the exterior and white and wallpaper on the interior. I was so stoked to be able to use this roll of wallpaper from Pulp Creative Paper I had been holding on to for years that I loved but could never find a home for!
with spray painted the shutters, front door and decrotive eave mouldings (god i love spray paint!)



We then sanded back all the inside of the house and stained the wooden floors a darker tone, in a gloss stain which gave the interior a real boost and we knew would also protect the house for many more years of playing to come.

Tah-Dah! I brand new bitching house:












The house keeps getting filled with random hobos we pick up along the way and is greatly aided by my dear friend who happens to work for Sylvanian Families (totally connected!) I freaking love how excited Sophia is to play with it everyday, she sits and imagines all kinds of dramas going on in her little house just like i did and her niece and nephew too- so cute to carry something special like a dollhouse on through generations. Who knows what it'll look like in another 30 years, maybe flat screens and hover beds?! 

Long live the awesome power of the imagination xx



Monday 4 May 2015

Illuminating Phoebe Lamps



If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you may have seen some recent photos of a lovely watermelon lamp I received from Phoebe Lamps. My daughter loved it but I was also excited by the prospect of being able to change the lining of the lampshade whenever we like due to it's cool design!



 I had a little chat to Åsa one of the founders to get a bigger picture of what they are all about.

What inspired you to start Phoebe Lamps and what were you doing prior?

We were design graduates back then (Peter, Architecture and Åsa, Product Design) and we had already begun collaborating on design projects The Phoebe lamp concept was inspired by ideas around adaptable lighting and at the time we were playing around with lighting using various materials readily available to us. The lamp started selling, first at a design shop in Brisbane where we were living at the time, and then it just gained momentum. We knew early on that we wanted to have our own creative studio and Phoebe Lamps was our first step towards that. Today Phoebe Lamps is part of our multidisciplinary studio Where North Meets South, based in Adelaide.




What has been the biggest challenge in beginning your business?

As we started it out as recent graduates we knew very little about business in general but it has been a great learning experience. Being involved in every step of the business as we both still are; from design to manufacture to marketing and sales, was probably the biggest challenge.

Who is your biggest influence in the design world?

We would say Marimekko with their strong pattern based product ranges; elegant and vibrant at the same time. The dual heritage (Scandinavia and further East) is represented and brings a difference to their work, which we as an Australian/Swedish duo can relate to. Their commitment to sustainable values is also inspiring.



What are your dreams for Phoebe Lamps?

We would with our collaborations with designers, artists and illustrators to continue to push the boundaries for what a lamp is or can be. And to one day expand internationally as we do believe there is a huge potential for the product also outside Australia.

What’s the one thing you can’t live without?

The ocean!


Check out their cool collection and see why they'd make an awesome addition to your home. They just happen to be having a huge 20% off Mothers Day sale for another 2 days!! Wooohooo! Better be quick......

http://www.phoebelamps.com

xxx