Living the Art - Inspiring & intelligent design RSS



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Bizz Macfarlane here

Bizz April 2009

None of us deserve to live in a mundane environment. Everyone can aspire to creating a space which lifts their spirits and lets their imagination soar. This blog will give you an insight into the world as I see it as a lifelong lover of antiques and interior decoration. Hopefully, you can pick up some tips and tricks which help change your surroundings for the better. The rest of the links are to the best-in-show for design, style and creative visual masterpieces from around the world. Join me. Comment and contribute. Let's start the conversation now.



Archive

Aug
19th
Wed
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European Street Fashion

My stylish friend Ginna forwarded this to me. It’s inspired me to chill with the matching outfits and mix it up. I’m packing for a trip away so I’m going to try something new. Off to my cupboard now to start editing.
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Aug
12th
Wed
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Richness lies in excellence not abundance
— Joseph Joubert
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Aug
6th
Thu
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Five of my favorite shops in Melbourne town

1. Tarlo and Graham. Cool curiosities, taxidermied animals and vintage wares. Corner of Chapel and Mcllwrick Streets, Windsor. http://www.tarloandgraham.com.au
2. Geoffrey Hatty Applied Arts. Individual, interesting antique and industrial furniture, mirrors and the like. 296 Malvern Road, Prahran.
3. Hermon and Hermon. New furniture, accessories and lighting with a clever, raw and honest approach. 556 Swan Street, Richmond. http://www.hermonhermon.com.au
4. John D. Dunn Antiques. Exotic English and European antiques with nothing mundane about it. The provenance will thrill any admirer. 1431 Malvern Road, Malvern.
5. Est. A simple, down to earth little shop that smells divine because of it’s homemade soaps. Natural gifts and homely bits. 134 Auburn Road, Hawthorn.

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Aug
4th
Tue
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Ten things I can’t live without. 1. Dogs and their honesty. 2. Warmth on my back. Be it water, sun or fire. 3. Lamp light. Complimentary to both your complexion and your decor. 4. The sound of children rolling with laughter. 5. The fragrance of the Winter Sweet tree. 6. Cashmere polo neck jerseys. Once you have worn one you become allergic to anything else. 7. Georgian antique glass. Getting rolling drunk with refinement. 8. Harveys Bristol Cream sherry. Even better when served in a fine glass. 9. Patent leather shoes. Preferably red. They go with damn near everything and clean with a quick wipe. 10. My husband’s cooking. I am often disappointed when I eat anything else.

Ten things I can’t live without.
1. Dogs and their honesty.
2. Warmth on my back. Be it water, sun or fire.
3. Lamp light. Complimentary to both your complexion and your decor.
4. The sound of children rolling with laughter.
5. The fragrance of the Winter Sweet tree.
6. Cashmere polo neck jerseys. Once you have worn one you become allergic to anything else.
7. Georgian antique glass. Getting rolling drunk with refinement.
8. Harveys Bristol Cream sherry. Even better when served in a fine glass.
9. Patent leather shoes. Preferably red. They go with damn near everything and clean with a quick wipe.
10. My husband’s cooking. I am often disappointed when I eat anything else.

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Aug
2nd
Sun
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At odds with your surroundings?

Make a change.
Your home should be a place of pleasure, a place of contemplation, of rest, learning, sharing…

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Jul
23rd
Thu
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iPhone covers. Technology and style collide. Some results are startling, some swanky and some the other missing “s” word!

iPhone covers. Technology and style collide. Some results are startling, some swanky and some the other missing “s” word!

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Jul
15th
Wed
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125 design events to eat up

Victoria’s Design Festival is on now until the 25th. This years theme is Sampling the Future. There looks to be plenty for anyone interested and not just for the design industry. How about a paper plane workshop for the young and not so young at heart. “Cool. Can I go?”, said my eight-year-old son.
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I love this classic sitting room. The mossy greens are a wonderful foil against the richness of the Georgian oak furniture.

I love this classic sitting room. The mossy greens are a wonderful foil against the richness of the Georgian oak furniture.

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The joy of decorating with antiques

Antiques give immediate depth to your decor.
Antiques are both useful and beautiful.
Antiques make a personal and individual statement. They are unique and not mass-produced.
Antiques are not adding to the environmental problem - they are the ultimate in recycling.
Antiques increase in value with time.
Antiques are the opposite to contemporary and have the benefit of being timeless.
Antiques can be passed down through the generations - you might be remembered a bit longer!

Buy the best that you can afford. Get your eye in with fabulous online resources such as the Australian Antique Dealers Association, then feel the thrill of poking about in antique stores looking for treasures. They are often one-offs, so you will never find the same Ikea sofa down the street on Wisteria Lane!!

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This is a pretty amazing movie with some stunning aerial photography. It is called the Home project and was designed to be distributed free to raise our awareness of the delicate nature of our environment. Click on the pic to be taken to the video. Or go here if you want to nibble on the trailer first http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8IozVfph7I&feature=channel

This is a pretty amazing movie with some stunning aerial photography. It is called the Home project and was designed to be distributed free to raise our awareness of the delicate nature of our environment.
Click on the pic to be taken to the video. Or go here if you want to nibble on the trailer first http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8IozVfph7I&feature=channel

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