SEGRETO VIGNETTES

Well today was a bit of a grey, rainy day and my car had to go in for repairs so I was stuck at home all day which might have been a bad thing. But then the doorbell rang - a delivery for me. My friend, Leslie Sinclair ,was kind enough to send me a copy of her new book, SEGRETO vignettes, What perfect timing!  I could spend the entire day, uninterrupted, pouring over one beautiful image after another. 

If you aren't familiar with Leslie's work, she ownes a company called Segreto Finishes which produces the most incredible decorative paint and plaster effects. The kind which can turn a newly built home into a French Chateau. I would so love her to cross the Atlantic and work some magic on my home. 

But aside from the beautiful photo's illustrating every page, the book is choc full of really useful information. If you are in the process of building or renovating, I would say this is a must have for both information and inspiration!

Or even if you just love looking at beautiful interiors, I guarantee you will revisit this book time and time again!

You can order your copy right away. Just click on the picture below.

Till next time

Sharon x

Tumblr(ing) in Bed

School holidays have begun which always means a very welcome change to my morning routine. None of that bleary-eyed stumbling out of bed, waking sleepy children and getting lunchboxes together with half-closed eyes, desperately trying to remember which child likes what on his sandwich and who doesn't eat bananas. 

The holidays mean waking at a more leisurely pace, getting a most welcome cup of coffee in bed from my sweet husband, cuddling with the dogs and browsing through Tumblr on my iPad. As much as I enjoy reading blogs and checking in on Facebook, my go-to place first thing in the morning is Tumblr. I like the fact that it is purely visual, I don't have to read or concentrate too hard, I just look at one beautiful picture after another.  The images can be anything from dogs to decor, flowers to fashion, art to animals or babies to baguettes It is like therapy for me, guaranteed to put me in a good mood.

Here is a sample of this morning's inspiration.....

 

So if you don't already... I can really recommend Tumblr(ing) in bed as a good way to start your day.

Till next time

Sharon x

My favourite Tumblr sites:

Birdcage Walk

Crush Cul de Sac

Simply Pix

Brown Dress with White Dots

Little Book of Secrets

Mix don't match!

One of my pet hates in home decor is matching furniture suites. They make a room look so bland, boring and unimaginative and should simply not be tolerated!

Probably the worst in my book are those matching bedroom suites (think Joshua Doore) where the bedside tables, match the dressing table as well as the chest of drawers and possibly the headboard. That is the biggest no-no for me. That's non-non in French, nein-nein in German and nyet-nyet in Russian, just in case there is any misunderstanding. Please people, don't go there!

 I can live with matching bedside tables at a push, although contrasting ones look so much more interesting, but that is as far as it should go. If you have matching bedside tables, then consider treating them differently to add some interest as in the photo below.

 If you are unfortunate enough to have inherited a matching bedroom suite, or bought one in a moment of extreme bad taste, you need to relocate part of this matching set to another room. Move the dressing table to your guest room and the chest of drawers to your living room. Go and do it right now...I'll wait!

There you see .... so much better.... now we can all breath easier!

Just in case you still aren't quite sure, here are some pretty mismatched bedrooms to inspire you.....

 

 

Have a lovely weekend

Till next time 

Sharon x

Images : 1 A Life of Beauty and Grace, 2. Joshua Doore 3. Elle Decor, 4. Decorpad 5. House Beautiful 6. Kevin Harris Architect 7. Vincent Wolf Blog, 8 & 9 Pinterest 10. French Provicial Furniture

South Africa on the World Map

To all my readers in the UK, you don't want to miss this....  100% Design UK, the world's biggest trade event is taking place in London from the 21st to the 24th of September.

 South Africa's fantastic online shop, NetDécor, have brought some fabulous & unique décor accessories from South Africa and would love to show them to you. They are offering you a VIP invite. All you have to do is click on this link to register.

CLICK HERE 

NetDécor will be located at the EMERGING BRAND section - STAND EB378. So why don't you pop on over, enjoy what South Africa has to offer and say hello to Miranda from me. 

And while on the subject of South Africa, I'm am very proud to tell you that the Condé Nast Readers Travel Awards 2016 chose Cape Town, my home town, as the Best Overseas City for Restaurants and Bars! This global travel magazine also voted Cape Town as the runner-up in the category of favourite overseas city! In addition, Conde Nast also rated South Africa as one of the most affordable holiday destinations in the world. 

So, to my readers all over the world....what are you waiting for? Just hop on a plane to Cape Town to enjoy the best food and drink, in the world, not to mention spectacular scenery, beautiful weather and the most wonderful people and all for next to nothing! You really can't go wrong. 

If you love food and wine, hiking or hotels, watersports or shopping, beaches or clubs, Cape Town is the place to visit ....there is something for everybody.

 I'll be waiting for you

Till next time

Sharon x

Images via Google