Guest Bathroom Inspiration

I always think that you need some sort of inspiration before you decorate a room. If you haven't found that "something" yet, then I believe you don't really know what you want to do with the space and chances are you'll never be quite as satisfied with your room than if you had something that inspired you. The inspiration can be anything from a picture to a piece of clothing or artwork and having something that inspires you does not mean that your space should look just like it in the end, it should only serve to give you direction as to what it is you want from the space and what feeling or atmosphere you want to create.

As our project is moving along we are now getting closer to the time where we need to pick our finishes, so it was time to get inspired and get decorating ... or shall I say - shopping for finishes!

Here is the photo I used for my inspiration for our guest bathroom:

I love the wooden paneling painted in a powder blue and the mosaic tiles on the floor. For me the overall feeling of this bathroom is one of opulence and relaxation.

Keeping in mind that it's a french country estate, we have picked the following sanitary ware for the guest bathroom:

York bath by Victoria and Albert

Duravit: Starck D with hidden fixtures

Bathroom Accessories by Burlington at Victorian Bathrooms

Tap by Hansgrohe: Metris and 5 bar heated towel rail.

Globe Light by Victorian Bathrooms

Picking the vanity was a bit more difficult - there are just so many nice options. But in the end we decided to keep it quite simple. I wanted the vanity to have a clean and open feeling, but enough space for guests to put their toiletries as well as enough space to display a few pretty things for a spa like feeling. Here is what I picked ...

Vegetable garden ideas

Whether you are keen on cooking or not, we all like the idea of growing our own herbs and/or veggies ...
I do find that more often than not a veggie garden is not the "prettiest thing" in the yard as it can look messy quickly - so I quite like the idea of creating your veggie garden in planter-boxes to give it a more structured and maintained look.

Here are some ideas ...

Woven oversized baskets adds texture and interest to this garden.

Wooden boxes placed on fine gravel-beds have a structured and neat appearance.

My favourite: The smaller wooden crates creates an interesting display and allows for easy handling.

A house by Louis Phillips Architects

As I've mentioned before, we have recently bought a plot in Val de Vie Wine and Polo Estate so it was time to find an architect to design our new home.

A few months earlier I came across the work of a local architect, Louis Phillips, and I just loved it! After doing some more homework it was clear that Louis Phillips Architects had to be the one - his work is so dynamic - it's visually interesting without overdoing it on detail and the way he makes use of different materials and textures just really spoke to us!

Looking back we are very happy we chose Louis Phillips as it's been a pleasure throughout the entire process. We didn't have to spend a lot of time explaining what we were looking for with a lot of back and forth between ideas and draft designs; from the first meeting Louis interpreted what we were looking for perfectly from the long list of specific requirements we had given him and our initial plan was already 80% correct. Each time we had a concern or wanted a change, we were happy with his solution as it was functional and never deviated from the initial brief - he would never just accommodate a request or requirement without ensuring that it was visually pleasing and in line with his signature style.

Two months into the design phase and after our plans were successfully approved by the Val de Vie Home Owners Association we look back knowing me made the right decision to use Louis Phillips Architects - it's been such a pleasure working with his team and we would gladly recommend Louis Phillips Architects to anyone!


Here are some photos of our plot and of the house elevations:

View from the road to the plot. The plot is south entry, north facing.

Another view from the road to the back of the plot. As you can see on the right hand side of this photo construction on our neighbours house have already started.

Taken from the back of the plot to the front.

Elevations:

Front Elevation

West Side Elevation

Back Elevation

East Side Elevation

For more information of Louis Phillips Architects visit their website: www.louisphillips.co.za
(Also see Dream Home in Cape Town for more of their work)

Let the games begin...

Ok so what have I been up to the last few months ... the single biggest thing is that we've decided to make a change in lifestyle... to move more to the "Platteland" (specifically the Cape Winelands area) to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle away from our busy city careers.

How did we come to this decision... well it was simple - my husband and I decided to go see the Val de Vie Wine and Polo Estate outside Paarl, that everyone is talking about, one sunny Saturday morning. And yes 45 min later we were driving home planning our new home and imagining our new lifestyle.

Main Entrance to the Estate.

Val de Vie is situated just outside Paarl with Cape Town only 40min away; it's got a wonderful air of rural tranquility and charm with leafy, wide open spaces. Spoilt for choice by the surrounding wine estates and restaurants... what's not to love! You can even stable your horses there! The Lifestyle Centre (situated in the middle of the estate) offers a fully equipped gym and tennis and squash courts, as well as a 25m heated indoor pool. To top this all, the estate produces award-winning wines at the historic wine cellar, with the 2007 Shiraz being voted as the best Shiraz at the International Wine and Spirits Fair in London.

For the outdoor lovers among us, the estate enjoys 1.8 kilometres of lush Berg River frontage – and residents have the freedom to go fly fishing, horse riding and bird watching, mountain biking, running or perhaps play a round of golf at the neighbouring Pearl Valley Golf Estates and Boschenmeer Golf Estate.

Beautiful views of the Mountains

Berg River

Homes on the estate are architecturally designed in the French Provencal and Cape Colonial style, with careful planning ensuring that each residence enjoys a sense of space and privacy.

Example of typical architectural style

Another example of the typical style of homes in the Estate.

In July we sold our house and we purchased the plot we fell in love with the first time we went through the estate. The plot is situated in the road that runs along the Polo Fields (almost in line with the polo clock tower).

Needless to say, we are very excited for our project to get under way!



Here are some more photos of the Val de Vie Wine and Polo Estate - Enjoy :)

Another view of the entrance to the Estate

Road leading into the Estate away from the main entrance.

The Lifestyle Centre

Entrance to the Lifestyle Centre.

Fully Equipped Gym

Views of the 25m Heated Indoor Pool... and views from the pool house!

Views of the Club House from the Polo Fields.

Entrance to the Club House.

Inside the Club House.

Views from the Club House to the Clock Tower.

Views of the Stables.

Stables

Views of the paddocks.

It's been a while...

It's been a while since I've blogged ... I've been so busy with so many things recently, but I'm happy to say that I'm back and I've got loads of pictures and ideas to share!

It's the perfect day in Cape Town... blue skies, hot summer weather and no wind... a typical "feel good day", so here are a few things that reminds me of summer!

Cute Accessory: Turqious Fan

This morning browsing through some of my decor folders I came accross my little collection of turquise fans and I thought I'd share these photos with you!

I absolutely adore them...

I know this is not turqious... but I thought I'd share anyways!

Decorating with accessories

For me, you only personalise your space or home once you add your accessories. I like to use accessories that mean something to me or that express pieces of who I am… I think one can learn so much of a person by looking at the accessories in their home as well as the way it’s displayed (is the person someone who loves to travel or do they like to collect things …).
There are so many types of accessories that you can use… anything from pictures on the walls, cacti in small pots on the windowsill, small collectibles on the coffee table, gorgeous books displayed on a table, table lamps, a gorgeous rug and everything else in between.

Without the use of accessories no room in the house would be complete… the furniture might be the biggest part of the room decor, but without any accessories the room will still look bare and undone.

Having said this, I just have to add that it’s not necessary to display all your accessories. Just like you won’t wear all your jewellery at once, you should not display all your accessories at once. Try to stick to your favourites only… or like some experts suggest, only display about 20 percent of your accessories at a given time.

Some pretty accessories and displays:

Colourful groupings of wall art and scatter cushions are what makes this bedroom cheerful and inviting - without it the white walls and white linen would have been really bland and boring!
Photo via: Home Magazine

Chic display of terracotta pots and greenery livens up this window.

Interesting display of many small trinkets and a large clock leaning against the wall serves as the focal point in this room.

Grouping of similar items, both in function and colour are a clever way to add a theme to a room or to display collectibles.

A display of old suitcases adds character and charm to this hallway while also hinting on what you will find in the rest of the house.

Simple use of an old reclaimed door gives this room instance appeal and charm while also adding to the french country style of the rest of the room with it's gilded furniture.

The round window is further accented by the large wooden display cabinet and all the interesting bits and pieces on display. The fridge and the display mentioned creates a relaxed country atmosphere.

The three mirrors, the middle one being casually standing on top of the vanity reflecting all the interesting glass bottles completes the shabby chic look in this bathroom.

Objects in similar colour to the bigger furniture pieces are used to create a feeling of calm and relaxation in this entrance hall. The green accents ensures that the display is not bland or boring.