The Aesthete's Alphabet - Y is for yellow

Yellow is commonly associated with gold, wealth, sunshine, reason, happiness, optimism and pleasure. In short - a happy colour. The color yellow is also the colour of the mind and the intellect. 

This colour relates to acquired knowledge. It is the colour which resonates with the left or logic side of the brain stimulating our mental faculties and creating mental agility and perception. Being the lightest hue of the spectrum, the colour psychology of yellow is uplifting and illuminating, offering hope, happiness, cheerfulness and fun. In the meaning of colours, yellow inspires original thought and inquisitiveness. Yellow is the best colour to create enthusiasm for life and can awaken greater confidence and optimism. So there you go - what's not to love about yellow!

Well, it's been a long haul, but the Aesthete's alphabet is nearly at an end. I do, however, still have "Z" to contend with and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Have a great week ahead.

Till next time

Sharon x

Images: 1. Veranda, 2. Pinterest, 3. Zsa Zsa Bellagio, 4. Searching for Style, 5. Fable and Flame, 6-7 Tumblr, 8. Elle Decor 9. Brooke Gianetti, 10-14 Pinterest 15. Casa Decorada, 16. Room Envy Blog, 17. Photo - Matthew Hunt, 18 - 26 Pinterest, 27-28. Tumblr, 29 - 33 Pinterest

NetDécor - The Way forward

I recently discovered the joys of online décor shopping! I have bought books and music online before, but I didn't think that online décor shopping would appeal to me. I tend to want to see and touch the item before I buy it. However, that is all about to change because I discovered an online décor shop that sells everything that I love. 

I chose the items I wanted (yes Niki, more baskets!), I closed the deal and paid, all done quickly and painlessly and sat back and waited. The baskets arrived at my front door in record time and they were exactly what I wanted. I think I'm hooked! I could easily furnish and accessorise my entire home this way. If you don't believe me...... just take a look! 

If I decided that I wanted my living room to have a sophisticated French flavour with an off-white and duck-egg colour scheme, this is what I would choose. 

 My dining room would be a mixture of casual and elegant with some colour introduced by the tableware. Everything you see is available from NetDécor.

Moving outdoors to my patio, wicker and rustic is the look I am going for with a garden theme. Just love that chair!

Even my boys' playroom could get a revamp. How great would these items work together!

You can almost redecorate your entire house without walking out your front door! No more driving from shop to shop, battling with traffic, having to find parking each time. You can make yourself a cup of tea, sit at your desk or relax on your sofa and browse through the variety of products at a leisurely pace. Yes, this is definitely the way forward. And if you need to make joint shopping decisions with a spouse or partner, how much more relaxed it would be doing it this way. My husband might even start to enjoy shopping - he could watch sport on TV at the same time!

Why don't you give it a try... you might become a convert like me. Although the company is based in South Africa, they do ship overseas too, so get in touch, I promise you won't be diasppointed!

www.netdecor.co.za

The link is also available on my sidebar.

Till next time

Sharon x

The Aesthete's Alphabet - X is for X-Factor

Well I finally settled on a topic for X, thanks to a reader who suggested it .... this was her input... 

"The "X" factor..the "je ne sais quoi" that distinguishes so many of your design choices from mere decor...you do it so very well. It could be your piece de resistance...those rooms or design elements that just "speak to your soul" for some inexplicable reason......"

I have to also thank Margaret from Australia for these fantastic ideas...

               xenodocheionology....... love of hotels
               xylophilous.......fond of or growing or living on or in wood

               xanthous.......yellow coloured

               xerophytic.........adapted for a hot dry environment 

 Who knew??

Onto the X-Factor - not the TV show - not a big fan of that,  but I do love "The Voice". Do you watch it? What a great show! The contestants are so talented, the banter between Adam Levine and Blake Shelton is really amusing and Pharrell Williams is just so nice, I think I would like him to be the godfather of my children. No disrespect to the current godfathers though some of them are a bit slack. (You know who you are:)) 

I seem to have gotten a little sidetracked there.... sorry! 

Looking through my mountain of photographs to determine which rooms qualified for the X-Factor seemed insurmountable, so I decided to limit it to living rooms. 

There are rooms that just have that really special something that put them into the category of extraordinary. It's not always easy to say why. The dimensions and proportions definitely have something to do with it, the finishes and architectural details are also important. My taste definitely tends towards the muted and subtle as you will see by my choices. An antique or two often helps, a beautiful fireplace or another focal point is necessary, art or accessories create interest but it is the way that the room is put together that sets it apart.

These are the rooms that "speak to my soul" as my reader so eloquently put it......

So those are my nominees for the X-Factor - what do you think? 

I'd love to know what creates the X-Factor for you.

Till next time 

Sharon x

Images via : 1. Passion Decor, 2. Fable and Flame on Tumblr, 3. Blue Room Lady on Tumblr, 4. Velvet and Linen Blog, 5 Vicky Dar blog, 6. Casa Decorada Blog, 7. mmmarly on Tumble, 8. Casa Decorada Blog, 9. Particular Poetry on Tumble, 10. Unknown, 11. Casa Decorada Blog, 12 & 13. Dying of Cute on Tumblr, 14. Charming Spaces on tumblr, 15. Unknown, 16. Ty Larkins, 17. Evelyn Moreels