Island Queen Of Interiors - Welcome Amanda Lindroth

I just have to introduce you to Amanda Lindroth. You may have seen her work in Coastal Living magazine recently where she decorated Dunmore Beach Hotel in the Bahamas.

Amanda looking very relaxed and beachy.

Amanda is a Bahamas based interior designer and a master of the Island Style, her interiors speak volumes for themselves. They are absolutely gorgeous in every way. If you love the look of India Hicks style you really most see Amanda's work because it takes it to the very next level.

Today I'm showcasing the Club Villa that Amanda has worked her style charm on. Her interior style effortlessly crosses the bridge of past, present and future. You can see her love of the past and how respectfully she intertwines it with modern living.

This is true classic design. Design that stands the test of time because Amanda is a big believer in making things so beautiful that they will last for generations.

Mixing old world Caribbean colonial charm with a minimal modern aesthetic creates such calm and peaceful interiors.

I love the easy breezy style of the kitchen, it feels so comfortable and laid back. The directors chairs are stunning brought indoors around a simple kitchen table.

More directors chairs, this time around a larger casual dining table. Note that Amanda uses a lot of natural materials, wood, bamboo, wicker, rattan, shells etc.

Sheer elegant simplicity creates a serene bathroom space, with just a small pop of colour in the tangerine coral - simply beautiful.

Amanda likes to decorate with shells and introduces many into tablescapes.

A stunning bedroom with the quintessential four poster, again accented with tangerine to add warmth and intimacy into the space.

More bathroom details.

And finally I just wanted to show you a picture of the Old Fort Bay Amanda has completed, isn't it stunning? What a location, what a fantastic old building.

To see much, much more please visit her site and check out her stunning portfolio, I promise you'll love every single thing!

http://www.amandalindroth.com/

Have a gorgeous Saturday.

Happy Island Styling.

Pretty Birds all in a Row - Gorgeous Tropical Bird Antique Illustrations

I love antique botanics and bird illustrations. They are amazingly beautiful and fascinating to look at. This was how many a botanist or zoologist captured what they had observed on travels and expeditions.

Here are a few gorgeous Australian tropical birds illustrated by John Gould in the 19th century.

The Rosella is a beautiful tropical bird, we had 2 Crimson Rosella's in our garden in NSW, they were always happily greeted each day as they paraded up and down the fence together.

Apparently these lovely birds are now extinct in Australia, they were native to NSW.

This is a yellow Rosella, interesting because it looks like a cross between a Budgie and a Rosella.

Western Rosella's.

India Hicks bedroom with antique bird prints on the wall.

And now meet Cyril, isn't he sweet.

He's such a cute vintage inspired ceramic parrot - similar to the kind Catherine Martin used in the film Australia. Catherine loves Australiana and sparked a huge interest in Australian flora and fauna especially in its modern stylistic representations.

You can find the gorgeous Cyril at coastalhome.com.au

Happy Island Styling.

British Colonial Celebrations

My heart skipped a beat when I saw these images. Beautifully shot with a quintessential British Colonial meets Out of Africa Safari styling.

Just gorgeous, I've never seen a wedding (I'm presuming it's a wedding) styled like this - I love it.

I can easily spot key elements in these images that David Flint Wood

& India Hicks have used in their homes in a bid to capture a bygone age and give their

homes a hint of a grand historical past.

Note the silver candle sticks, elevated vase using an old book (clever styling trick if you need some height to a vignette), the silver trophy with roses and an old British Union Jack flag.

It looks like the occasion is set in an old barn, this gives the look a casual and rustic feel.

Silver trophies, old books, an old wine decanter used as a vase with roses, these little

vignettes tell a story of upper class English society that is now by and large resided to country estates and period dramas.

Besides being English myself, what I love about these images is their heady romantic and

nostalgic feel. Homage to a bygone era, re-creating the past is a little bit like dressing up for

grown ups. Such fun, such indulgence and the beauty about dressing up in this format is, that you can create and enjoy these still life wonders until you fancy dipping in again to the interiors

dressing up box.

Have to say the old leather picnic case set is divine.

Grand, yet accessible. Not pretentious at all, I love this. Simple, elegant and a little quirky of course, we English do this so well, we are indeed the original design twisters.

Note the beautiful roses in tea pots - so cute.

I can easily imagine these beautiful elements being incorporated into any tropical colonial look. Easy props to pick up at vintage stores, here's a shot of The Kings Retreat that my old friend David Flint Wood has created in the Bahamas - note the similar elements and the trade mark large palm leaves - delightful.

Happy Island Styling.

Island Style

One of my favourite stores, Alfresco Emporium, has a new catalogue out that has captured the Islander style beautifully - fantastic.

Here's just a few of their gorgeous items I'm dreaming of this Christmas...hint, hint Santa...

Beautiful burlap inspired cushions with elegant silhouetted island symbols - I love these!

I've posted this before, it's the closest version I can find to India Hicks desk.

This is such a lovely pineapple, Island Collections have similar in their range.

Rattan letter case, easy breezy correspondence.

Printers tray inspired by India Hicks.

I love these rattan steps - absolutely gorgeous.

On island time cocktails are a must and this drinks dispenser is so elegant it's made for G&T's.

(all images courtesy Alfresco Emporium)

Happy Island Styling.

Trick or Treat - Stylish Creepy Coastal

I absolutely adore styling, but unfortunately I rarely get the time to do any of this good stuff at home.
So today spurred on by my very excited 7 yr old who was dressed in pink tights with black witches on them, I indulged in some spooky styling, just in time for ye ole Hallows Eve.

I really enjoyed playing around this morning creating a spooky yet stylish Halloween inspired trayscape. Trayscapes are my adopted invention, they are genius for styling in a real home, need space just move the tray off the table and your creative vignette is still intact - marvellous thing for a designer at home.

So here are the results of my spooky stylin' Sunday escapade.

My spooky inspiration was to inject some stylish and romantic Gothic elements into the mix.

I played with the images in Coral Paint shop and love this effect.

It's edgy, hard, masculine and a little eerie.

My main aim with the spooky styling was to abandon all the cheap Halloween rubbish out there, so only the stylish remained, tricky bit is to do this in a coastal setting.

I  love the way the silver pineapple has replicated in this stylised image, I think I've just invented a new twist on Halloween - Spooky Glam.

Come on girls, lets set this new trend!

This was an experiment - I have a zebra inspired rug and I quite like the contrast of the smooth white coral and black bat on the contrasting stripes, very Film Noir.

This is an overhead shot of my trayscape, I quite like the orange filter over the black and white image - very Tim Burton. 

Whilst searching around home for props I looked at the India Hicks Island Night candle I have.

How perfect it is for a coastal Halloween with its Gothic silver coral sprawling around a dark glass holder.

The final image, my stylishly spooky coastal trayscape.

Mixing Coastal and Halloween elements is not an easy thing to do, but I'm happy with the results - what do you think?

I'm very excited about this new take on Halloween decorating that a lot of you are creating and sharing online.

Let me know what cool creepy coastal creative you've styled recently in your home.

 

Happy 'Spooky' Island Styling.

 

(All images by Oceania Island Living)

 

 

Exclusive Interview - Plumeria Coastal Home

In the second part of our exclusive interview series on gorgeous Australian coastal homeware companies, we proudly introduce you to Plumeria Coastal Home.

Meet Sam the delightful and bubbly Founder and Creative Director of Plumeria Coastal Home. Sam's honourable mission when establishing Coastal Home was to bring only the very best in stylish coastal inspired homewares, particularly those that have a handcrafted artisan feel rather than mass produced items.

Sam hand selects all the items and has skillfully tailored them to key interior styles popular in Australia as well as overseas.

Right now Plumeria Coastal Home has 15% off all products until Tuesday 18th Oct, just visit Coastal Home on facebook, hit the 'like' button and enjoy online coastal shopping from your own sun lounger.

Meanwhile, we caught up with Sam were she gives all aspiring business owners some fantastic advice from her own experience, here's more;

Tell us more about Sam.

Funny, outgoing, champagne lover, determined and headstrong.

How did your career bring you to this point?

I’ve finally found my calling combining my 2 great loves, chic products and the coastal life. Growing up on Qld’s Gold Coast, I spent my youth retrieving sand from my togs and building sandcastles on Burleigh Beach.

I learnt to speak Japanese at school from the age of 13, which spring boarded me into sales roles for some of the world’s luxurious labels, Gucci, Fendi, Versace and Salvatorre Ferragamo.

My love for luxury products, living by the beach and making a house a home have all come together beautifully.

What are you most proud of?

I’ve always believed in myself and taken risks. No matter what I always give 150% commitment to whatever path I choose to take, so I’ll never be left knowing ‘what could have been’.

You may not always succeed at everything you try your hand at, but at least you had the conviction and confidence to give it a go.

Tell us what your best decision has been?

To stay true to myself and the direction I want my business to go in. As a business owner, it can be easy to be led down a path that doesn't reflect your brand ethos or direction by people who think they know better.

No-one knows your business better than you do, so stick to your guns and stand firm.

Creatively, who inspires you?

India Hicks for her idyllic island decor, Jeff Leatham for his amazing floral creations and Kelly Hoppen for pure style.

What is Sam most passionate about?

I’m a typical Taurean, so I love beautiful things and beautiful homes. A home really is your sanctuary, somewhere to retreat to and recharge.

Plumeria Coastal Home is all about sourcing quality, unique products that enhance your space so you’ll want to spend more time there.

I’m also very passionate about timeless 5 star customer service, it’s about the whole experience, which is why we have such a high return customer base.

Can you share with us your best lesson learnt?

Be prepared to put in the hard yards, don’t have instant gratification expectations and never compromise on what it is you stand for.


I’ve also learnt that having a Pinot Gris at 3:30pm after a hard day of wrapping starfish and cushions is totally acceptable.

Which person living or deceased would you most like to meet?

There’s too many ….Princess Diana, Dame Edna, India Hicks, Hugh Jackman, Lucille Ball, George Burns, oh what a dinner party that would be!

What are your future plans for Coastal Home?

To establish Coastal Home as Australia’s premier coastal/beach home wares online store.

I also dream of hating hot chips, white Tim Tams and melted cheese jaffles but that’s a work in progress.

What are you reading?

“Last night at Chateau Marmont” by Lauren Weisberger, I’m still only on page 8, as I’m always running behind on my home décor magazines. Elle Décor is my absolute fave.

How fabulous, thanks Sam it's always a delight to talk to you.

 

 

Here's Oceania Island Livings tropical pick of Coastal Homes beautiful products, they also have a lovely range based on Aussie Beach House, Coastal Home as well as the gorgeous and ever popular Island Style.

 

 

Visit www.coastalhome.com.au to see much more.

(all images courtesy of Plumeria Coastal Home)

Happy Island Styling.