Inspiration for Casual Dining Room.

I've put together some pieces which I would love to have together for a casual dining room. The dining area would also have a corner for folks waiting for dinner to be ready, and also a console table that would also double as a bar or buffet. I have selected vintage chairs for their simplicity and beauty. The Arne Vodders would flank both sides of the length of the table and the Grant Feathersons would be at both ends of the table. Above the Concorde table would be the Nautic Portreath pendant lamp. The reason why I picked the Concorde table was that usually the casual diner would be near the kitchen and it could also double up as an extra prep/pastry table (being marble). The decanter lamps would be hung above the console table.

I think that a casual diner should always fun and different without all the chi chi stuffiness that is usually in a formal dining space. It should be a space that people want to hang out in, sometimes even do work in. Something to think about. Enjoy.

Nautic Portreath Pendant Lamp.

Poliform Concorde Table by Emmanuel Gallina.

Arne Vodder Dining Chair in Teak.

The Arne Vodders to be re-upholstered in a purple tweed.

Grant Featherson R152 Dining Chairs.

Lee Broom Decanter Lights.

Another Country's Console.

Ercol Studio Couch.

Living Room Inspiration June 2010.

Sorry for not being able to post new stuff lately. I have been busy a design project of late which I will share more with you as time goes by. I promise it to be very different and special; worth the wait.

Anyway, today I have decided to put together a couple of pieces together as a living room inspiration for those who are thinking of putting together your living room or lounge area. I thought it would be lovely to have an entertainment area where you can just have a nice group of 8 to 10 people to just sit around and chat, while waiting for dinner or even play a little after dinner games. My kind of dinner would end with some form of game like gentlemen versus the ladies in trivia, pictionary, taboo or even trivia. It is such good fun, throws in a little competition and keeps the evening light and engaged.

My kind of lounge at the moment is a tat mismatched, rather than polished, it is nicely collected and fun to look at. The two long sofas facing each other with two marble coffee tables end to end between them, on adjacent to the sofa is the circle chair and next to the quack sofa on the other side is the crate table for the magazines. Above the coffee table are a collection of different cage lamps with different bulbs. Leaning up against a wall on the far side of the room opposite the circle chair is the side board.

Cage Lamps.

De La Espada Box Sofa.

Quack Sofa by Cappellini.

Vitra Plate Table with Carrara Marble at 120cm long.

Circle Chair by Hans Wegner.

Crate Table by Jasper Morrison for Established and Sons.

Sideboard #26 by Arne Vodder.

French and Belgium Encaustic Tiles.

During my last trip to Hong Kong, I was mesmerised by the beautiful French encaustic tiles that adorned the floor of Agnes B's Le Pain Grille Cafe. It has such a lovely colour and matt finish. They add character as well as makes the room a little more special and quaint.

Encaustic tiles are tiles that have patterns on it and they are not the product of glazing but the different colours of clay that are used to make those patterns. They range from 2 to as many as 6 different colours on a single piece of tile.

I love those salvaged vintage encaustic tiles from France and Belgium for their lovely colours and patterns. Some of them are as old as 200 years. They have been lovely salvaged off the floors of old homes, restored and cleaned up. These are then ready to be re-installed in a new home. Alternatively, you can always purchase new tiles which with a little hunting, you might be able to find at your local specialised tile shop.

The Agnes B. Shop with the lovely tiles. The little shop's colour theme of white, grey and wood is so me. Love it.

A closer look at the tiles and the edge.

Another Agnes B. restaurant in HK.

A closer look at the encaustic tiles. These and those in the shop are new, not salvaged.

French Tiles c.1900. from Salvo Web.

Belgium Tiles, 1905. from Uniquities.

Belgium Tiles (1890 - 1914) from Recycling the Past.

French Tiles c.1900. from Uniquities.

A closer look at the French tiles.

Some ideas of what to use the tiles for. I would also recommend using them as a splash back for your bathroom sink or in the kitchen.

Vivienne Westwood for Cole and Son.

Vivienne Westwood, best known for her British inspired quirkiness, has collaborated with Cole and Son ( the folks who have manufactured wallpapers since 1875) to design a collection of wallpapers inspired by fashion. Personally, I love the Union Jack wall panel (270 X 150cm) and the Trompe l'oeil Drape wall panel (270 X 270cm). They are so dramatic and definitely screams Vivienne Westwood.

Inspiration Board for a Library.

Blogspot is really screwed up. Seriously. The features are missing from my compose option. Please bear with me as I try to overcome this by sending the images through email.

Anyway, I've always wanted a place with my own private sanctuary; like a library. A room without a television, just with lots of books, a writing desk and good amount of space to laze. It would be fabulous to retreat to a library to sit around, have a drink, read, and listen to some music after a day mingling among the maddening crowd. It may sound a little boring but it would also make a good space to entertain in after a nice sit down dinner. With that in mind, I've put together items that would make up my library. Throw in a hidden sound system, this would be perfect.

Joy and Lucien's House in South Africa.

I love Joy and Lucien's House. I chanced across it when I was flipping the pages of Living Etc. I love the greenery surrounding the house. I love big gardens and space. A house is pathetic if it were just to occupy the entire land on its deed and have hardly a garden. I love the attention to details like the mixture of chinois and old english. The house is a old 50s house given a 21st century revamp. It is as though it were on its own private world. Having said that, I wouldn't change a thing about it.