New York City Inspired Office Space | Hello Monday!

I’ve always loved VISI magazine – the quirky design pieces, unique homes and style ideas are really innovative and original, always a place for inspiration! And I’ve ALWAYS loved New York City – it’s one of my favourite places and I’m aching to go back and show it off to my husband… so when I found this post on VISI, I just had to re-share it.

Megan Fasanelli of Meg Vaun Interiors was featured in the magazine and asked by her client to turn a bland boring office into an inspirational space that reflected the trendy and quirky elements of New York. And she did! Love the colour combinations of black, white and yellow – really showcasing the yellow taxis so prevalent in the city – and the clever lighting, wallpapering and reupholstered furniture just adds a classic touch. Enjoy the pics!

New York inspired Office – all photos from VISI online.

At the Fireside | Home Inspiration

I love a good fire. Cracking, roaring, glowing…whatever it does (as long as it doesn’t smoke out the house!), it’s a great addition to any home. My parents have the greatest fireplace – it’s big, draws really well and serves as such a good focal point in a room. A few years back they added a black fireplace to our games room – modern, easy to install and great for warming a bigger place – but I must say, I still love an old fashioned fireplace!

My aunt and uncle used to live in the ‘broekie lace’ part of Observatory in Cape Town, where their old, beautiful Victorian house had some great fireplaces – tiny, backed with mosaic and really attractive. I’ve also stayed on a farm in the Eastern Cape called Blanco (really great family memories) where they had HUGE roaring fireplaces – you could literally climb into the space they were so big. Friends of ours also have a great fireplace at their refurbished house in Rosebank – it separates two rooms with space on either side, so that it can warm and be attended to on both sides! love that feature.

Anyway as it appears to be raining and chilly most of the weekend (even though we’re off to Clanwilliam), this post is all about fantastic fireplaces – warming up your Friday!

Split Fireplace | source Houzz.com

Cosy Kitchen Fireplace | source Houzz.com

Fire on the Patio | source tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com

Fireplace in Monochrome | source kitkadesigntoronto.com

Fireplace in Summer | source Pinterest

Country-Style Fireplace | source Houzz.com

Safari Style | Some African Inspiration

I get a lot of decor satisfaction with looking at images of beautiful safari lodges in Africa. Yes, I work in E-Marketing, but I also work for an outbound luxury Africa tour operator, so I see images like the below ALL the time! I love the essence and elegance of superb safari style – not cheesy animal print and fur, but classic tented style glamour, old colonial elements and a clear artistic flair.

One of my absolute favourite reserves is Singita – renowned the world over for their luxurious safaris and lodges. They have five SA lodges – Ebony, Boulders & Castleton in the Sabi Sands, and Lebombo and Sweni in the Kruger. They also have one lodge in Zimbabwe – Pamushana and then four in the Grumeti Reserves in Tanzania – Sasakwa, Sabora Tented, Faru Faru and Singita Explore. All offer unique and different experiences, but ALL are sublime when it comes to decor & style. Be inspired for your own home!

All photos from Singita

Art @ Home | Everyday Inspiration

I’ve recently been inspired by a home that is filled with unique and beautiful art – some of which cost a fair bit, and others that was completely personal and hand-made. So often we decorate our walls with generic pictures – how about sprucing up your walls with some original art!?

Today’s post on The Good Girls Guide is dedicated to the celebration of Art @ Home – enjoy and be inspired 🙂

Simple Art Display | source here.

Art Deco Home | source here.

Baby Room Cuteness | source here.

Home Art Montage | source here.

Basement Jaxx Art Wowness | source here.

Make the Most of Your Feature Wall | source here.

Photo & Art Wall | source here.

For the Love of Furniture Refurbishment – DIY Inspiration

My mom has always inspired me with her creativity, refurbishment ideas and ability to turn something pretty average into something quite amazing! Recently she redid our entire kitchen – by building three stand-alone kitchen cabinets that look out of this world amazing. Picture vintage cream and green cupboards, worn-look furniture, slate grey tiles and lots of character 🙂

My husband and I have been inspired to bring on the DIY vibe into our own home – building an entire wall cabinet/bookshelf that now houses our entire book & CD & DVD collection as well as a brand-spanking new flat screen – the joy of my husband particularly when he can watch rugby games in hi-def! Plus we also refurbished an old chest of drawers from yellow pine into a cream and dark topped set with crystal handles – looks awesome!

SO, today’s post on The Good Girls Guide is all about furniture refurbishment – turning average into amazing, being bold with colours, ideas and textures and really puting effort into creating something that is entirely authentic, original and your own. Be inspired and be sure to share you DIY tips or inspirations 🙂

Refurbished Vintage Chair | source here.

1970s Cabinet Redone | source here.

Brand New Door Knob | source here.

Refurbished Window Frame into Art | source here.

Cute Blue Cabinet | source here.

New Look Caravan/Trailer | source here.

Wooden Stairs Redone | source here.

Pink-Legged Rustic Chair | source here.

I Love You! Wardrobe Makeover | source here.

The Original Russian Doll Redone | source here.

Farm Style Country Decor | Home Inspiration

I’ve always loved the pale colours and rough edges of traditional farm kitchens – and while achieving that look as a decor style around your entire home can be a little difficult, a country-style effect is really quite achievable!

Today on The Good Girls Guide I’ve sourced some amazing ideas and inspiration on how to create country-style goodness in your home – from the kitchen to the loft bedrooms to the little touches 🙂 It’s amazing what rough wood painted white, a few overflowing vases of soft flowers and some vintage touches can do!

Remember, it’s often ALL about the accessories. If you can add little bits of inspiration to your home, you can easily add a country-style look that’s not hard, inexpensive and just looks like you’re a vintage queen 🙂 Enjoy!

A Bucket of Flowers | source here.

A Country Cupboard | source here.

A Country-Style Loft Bedroom | source here.

A Gorgeous Country Kitchen | source here.

Sleeping in the Barn | source here.

Scaffolding Coffee Table | source here.

Traditional Farm Kitchen | source here.

Vintage Farm Kitchen | source here.

Sunshine in the Home: Summer Celebration

Today Cape Town is awash with colour, light and fragrance – it’s undeniably the beginning of Summer. While 1 September went by with a classic downpour and 17degree weather, Spring has finally arrived and everyone’s out in cute outfits, smiles and drinking smoothies!

To celebrate the start of our gorgeous Summer season, I’ve put together a yellow-sunshine-inspired blog post entitled: Sunshine in the Home! Bring the light in with bigger windows (or better placed ones), brighter, lighter colours, flowers and open doors! No reason why Winter has to remain indoors when outdoors looks so HOT. THat’s why I love DIY and easy-to-update decor: you can do it in a heartbeat, and all it requires is a good idea and some inspiration.

Celebrate the start of Summer with me! Happy days 🙂

It’s a Yellow Summer! | source here.

Summer in the Kitchen | source here.

A Room That Smells of Summer | source here.

Sleeping in the Summer Light | source here.

Bright as a Button | source here.

Sunshine Cleaning | source here.

Let the Light In | source here.

Wall Art | Make Your House POP!

Do you ever look up at your lounge/bedroom wall and see a big blank space that stares at you? And all you want to do is try make it less…glaring?! welcome to the idea of WALL ART, or feature spaces or whatever you’d like to call them – basically it’s creating a space that can be admired, while fitting in with the rest of your room decor.

Today’s lazy Saturday post on The Good Girls Guide is dedicated to a bunch of fun, crazy, beautiful, elegant and out there ideas to create a feature wall (of sorts). From embroidered hangings, to colourful wallpaper, word art to hanging vases – it’s all about making your wall POP! enjoy…

Wall to Wall Classics | source here.

Pretty Frames on Candy Stripes | source here.

Keeping it in the Family | source here.

Chicken Wire & Beautiful Vases | source here.

Black, White, PINK | source here.

Putting Words on the Wall | source here.

A Birdcage to Sing Along With | source here.

A Quilted Bedroom Wall | source here.

Rocking Out the Music Room | source here.

Black & White Trends | Decor Inspiration

Glorious in Black and White. You could be talking about a monocromatic colour-themed house, a gorgeous evening outfit or a pair of to-die-for heels… let’s face it, while black and white can be thought of as stark, logical and unemotional, it’s also exceptionally elegant, crisp and focused.

Today’s post on The Good Girls Guide is all about how you can use Black and White trends as decor inspiration. Using black and white doesn’t mean you conform your living space into something cold = not at all. By bringing in key features, clear bolts of appropriate colour and a variety of textures, a black and white decor palette can look incredibly sophisticated, inviting and even, homey!

Check out the gorgeous inspirational pics below for ideas on how to make a black and white colour theme POP.

A Kitchen in Black and White | source here.

Colourless Collectables | source here.

Stark and Striking | source here.

Mono-Chromatic Coloured Bedroom | source here.

Oversized and Dramatic | source here.

Baby, You’ve Been Framed | source here.

A Chandelier of Contrasts | source here.

Darkness & Light Under the Eaves | source here.

Vintage Mood Board | Sunday Loveliness

Creative mood boards are an excellent way of finding a new style or look for your wardrobe or room makeover, decor, design inspiration or more. It’s also a brilliant tool for brides when deciding on a look and feel for their weddings!

Today’s lazy Sunday post (well, before  I got for a run at least!) is a vintage inspired moodboard – gathering the look and feel of a yesteryear era. I love the big curls, big lashes, colours of the photos, pearls, lace and silver jewellery, the old-fashioned swimsuits, the big cars, old typewriter and faded books…it just says Vintage!

Imagine taking this into a room into your home – a redone wardrobe, a photo feature on the wall, an old-fashioned dressing table…or imagine making it your wedding theme: dusty pink and lace, soft roses, books and silver goblets on the tables, ribbons of satin and crepe…

So be inspired! Make your own mood board! Create on online with a Pinterest board, or simply get some relevant magazines and create your own. Have a super Sunday 🙂

Vintage Inspiration | All photos taken from Pinterest.