Powder room reveal!

I wasn't going to show you this room until it was completely finished but I can't resist. I'm so thrilled with it. The wallpaperer finally had a few hours free on Friday and managed to get over to do the bathroom. So here it is, still not quite finished, with lights etc to go in, but you get the idea.

So what do you think? Isn't the Thibaut wallpaper sheer heaven? And I think my oversized soap dish from Recollections looks pretty damn good and who knew it only cost $199! 

Hot Christmas Inspiration

Firstly, if anybody has any questions about the house, products, colours, materials etc please feel free to email me using the email contact on the sidebar. I don't mind at all and am happy to help and share my experiences and resources. I do respond in the comments section if you are anonymous and have no return email, but I'm never sure you see the reply. So don't be shy, and please write direct, then I know you'll get my response.

I am desperate to get Christmas decorating. It's my favourite time of the year and I'm usually well underway with my colour scheme selection and house decorating. I do try to hold off until 1 December to start the tree, but I'm itching to get stuck into it.

I know we all love the familiar symbols and signatures of Christmas like stockings, snowmen, snowflakes, sleighs, and everything associated with cold climates and white winter wonderlands. I'm the first to admit I favour the traditional themes, no matter how silly they look here. And to be honest I never really like the way Australian magazines do their Christmas decorating editions, because they are always so obvious and predictable.

But in Australia when it's usually stinking hot and we are swimming and sweltering on Christmas Day, I guess we have to adapt our themes to be a little more climate appropriate. Fake snow on the windows just doesn't look quite right.

So I went in search of some tasteful and elegant coastal and warm weather Christmas decorating inspiration that hopefully will look right in the Aussie Christmas setting but still be super stylish.

All photos and sources from my PINTEREST board.  Check it out for more festive inspiration.

It's still raining and the kids and I are getting cabin fever - time to get our for some fresh air. Raincoats at the ready!

House Updates - Week 22

This rain is soooo inconvenient, and of course everything we are trying to complete at the moment is outside. So today the roof restorer was due to start, but because of the rain he couldn't go up on the roof. This now pushes back the painters because they can't paint the exterior of the house with its final coats until the roof is done. Naturally the landscapers can't work in this weather either, although it's a damn shame the grass wasn't laid on Monday.

The pool has been filled with water which took 48 hours, and is now filling nicely with the leaves, pine needles and debris from those damn trees above that our neighbour gave us such grief about trimming. We are going to have to spend about $5000 on a pool cover to keep all the crap out which is already staining the newly finished pool surface! The pool cleaner can't keep up. Oh the joys of suburban life. My husband keeps reminding me that when we lived on 100 acres we didn't have to give a toss what our neighbours thought about what we did to the house or garden, and nor did they care. In the city everyone seems to feel entitled to an opinion and input into everything little thing you do.

Today I discover that my beautiful bamboo light I brought from the US at great expense to put above the bath in the kids' bathroom can't be used, because there has to be a 2m clearance from the top of the water level to the light and 600mm clearance either side. So again, all those beautiful bathrooms inspiration images I have been collecting have lead me astray as we are no able to hang lights above our baths here in Australia. Yet another example of over-regulation in this country!

Now I am thinking that instead of putting it in another room I might as well hang it without the wiring, so that I at least get the benefit of the aesthetic beauty of the light, if not the practicality of its function. Shame I spent $100 having it rewired.

Has anybody else hung lights over baths with no trouble? I seem to have a very law-abiding electrician!

Here's some house updates. Particularly delighted with my kitchen and can't wait for the marble benchtop to arrive. Probably the one thing I am more excited about than anything - other than my gorgeous wallpaper which I can't seem to get hung!

Loving the pool cabana - bring on the daybed and cocktails India Hicks style!

The pool colour is tap water colour at present and will hopefully turn bluer

Inside of pool cabana

Temporary fencing of course

This is all the crap dropped in the pool in the first few hours - staining already

This is the culprit - ugly nasty pine needle dropping casuarina

Love the profile based on a Christopher Peacock design I saw in LA

My gorgeous island end panels painted Spanish Olive

The room packed to the rafters with appliances

So love Dulux Spanish Olive

The laundry has become my onsite office

Getting rid of that nasty cupola on the ridge, which has been a nice access point for possums

Pavers going down for path

 

My husband is worried the colour is too light - what do you think?

First coat of exterior colour - Dulux Milton Moon

The inside of the front door painted Dulux Domino

You can see why we are having the roof tiles restored and repainted!

Charlie insisted on taking this shot

My taps from Overstock.

This is the bamboo lantern I bought from Shades of Light.

This was part of the inspiration for the kids' bathroom with light above bath.

And another inspiration image - why can't we do this here? How is electrocution possible?

Have to change the bath spout as it's not long enough to reach the tub safely.

Our ensuite with Schots vanity finally installed - handles to come

More lovely taps from Overstock

Charlie insisted on this self portrait - boredom rules when we visit the house.

 So that's it for now. Hopefully some more updates later in the week, if the rains stops that is.