gOLd ChaLK needs you!

OK, I have THE biggest news ever - but I need your help - I am looking for a KISS ASS (excuse the language) but true!!! House to be shot for a Magazine shoot - It needs to be fantastic - lived in with great bones, the mags are fussy - they love kids, dogs, pools and definitely no cookie cutter/display homes - do you have, or do you know someone that has a brilliant house that could be featured in House and Garden or the likes of  Home Beautiful??????????? If I find the house, I get on-the job training on what it takes to style a house warts and all from a stylist currently doing great things in the industry - can you help? - please email or phone me if you have a suggestion.
HOW EXCITING!!!!!! I'm looking at houses in a whole different light........................

check out my portfolio - I have just updated it!

visit here

Chalk Talk

hi peeps, its been a big week for gOLd ChaLK, you may have noticed (or maybe NOT!) that chalk talk is a little late this week - well yesterday, I was so exhausted - I spent the afternoon at a job, tweaking a few things after all the new furniture had arrived - it really was a big day - seeing your project complete is scary, exciting and also confronting! but at the same time exhilarating!!!!!! check it out for yourself....

 original concept board

 before photo

 before

 before

 during!

 After

The Ned chair by Jardan Furniture

made-to-measure wall unit, designed by me and made here, this is the perfect addition to the school - it will showcase all of the schools trophies and memorabilia and it is fully adjustable.

 There are still a few finishing touches to be done in terms of adding a "REAL" plant in a lovely basket and some key pieces to the bookcase - all in all - really happy with the end result and so was the school!

Master Plan was also launched this week, this design kit offers prospective clients budget-savvy design solutions. It is perfect for commitment phobes and budget minders alike.  It's a great way to pull a room together without the pressure of a designer walking into your home - all details are exchanged on line and a beautiful box arrives on your doorstep in 4 weeks - priced at $149 per room it really does make interior design more affordable. Read more here.

On My Radar this week.......

hot at the moment small couches in small spaces!!!!!!!

and this sign - It's beautiful here - it sure is - available for $195 here!!!!!!

coincidently all images are  Megan Morton - who is also very hot at the moment too!

ciao for now!!!!

master plan debut

I am on a mission to make interior design/decorating more accessible and affordable, especially to those that lack the confidence to get started. With so many things to choose from in the market, its easy to get confused and just put decorating/good style into the "too hard" basket!!!

I am hoping my new kits offer a service to clients that takes the pressure out of making over a room or renovating a Kitchen or even a Bathroom, in fact any room in your home!  My design kits are beautifully put together and arrive on your doorstep all ready for you to pull the look together at your own pace, we work to a budget and with some of your favorite pieces.  You just need to follow three easy steps:

•  fill in my questionnaire/ client profile document that lists    everything we need to know about you and your space.
•  send in your measurments and digital images of the room
•  wait for the package to arrive ( usually within two- three weeks of receiving your  profile back)

everything is in the kit that you need to transform your space:

• floor plan
• mood/concept boards
• shopping lists with links back to the suppliers
• swatches of fabric and paint
• access to my supplier database through me which allows you to receive/order stock at near cost prices - much better than buying at full retail.

Master Plan is priced at $149 per room - please email or call me if you would like to start working on a kit for your space.

Sneak Peek - My First Master Plan Design Kit

the first design kit is complete and just about ready to be boxed and delivered to its new owner!

What's in the Design kit???? - I hear you asking - stay tuned I intend to explain all, later this week and a BIG give-away is planned....

luxury on a shoestring - serious!!!!

this - Freedom Furniture - Limited Edition Spaghetti Occasional table - HOT @ $129

that - add gold to the bedroom - love it mixed with grey and white - its a bit of Lux for less!!!!! Even the curtain rod is fab here.

Amy Butler = LOVE

love the new range by Amy Butler called Gypsy Caravan - one of her best yet - although I did read somewhere that it is a re- release of her first ever fabric collection - whatever, its a show stopper for me.  I was lucky enough to see Amy when she visited Australia last - she was so inspiring, she is a lover of nature.  See her home here - I love how she brings the outside in!, but be prepared to DROOL!!!!

property styling

here's a little peek at the house I did in Greensborough recently - very exciting to see all my suggestions in place. 
happy Monday all 

Friday's Chalk Talk

super crazy week, off to a 7am meeting this morning!!! What!!!! I hear you say - am I mad????- all  in the name of business building !!!!- I am super excited - as usual lots going on - had some fabulous photos taken yesterday which I hope to share with you very soon - they are going to be SOOOOO great - I completed a plan for a Living/Dining room which looks pretty good - I got a note from one of the agents I work with to say they were really happy with my first job  and they have another three more lined up for me in the next week or so!!!!! Yay !!!!!!!! I have just about finished my Master Plan Design Kits, more details about these soon! 

This week I thought I would share some groovy images I've found on the net and tell you why they stand out from the crowd for me! 

 floating wooden bedhead and great lighting = very stylish - simple but stylish, notice the contrast here - you must mix dark with light for harmony and balance.

 love a crucifix in the home, again quite a neutral background and furnishings with some highlight elements, and a little dash of colour on the lamp and a tiny bit of the same color on the cushion - this is a very pretty room with quite a calming restful feel.

lots of natural light, great side table, in fact perfect height for that bed, available here in a huge range of colours and sizes! There's that picture of that lady again - love her in this palette too.

 

 lots of pops of colour - white base mixed with some colour and texture = fantastic - its all about layering up the colour and keeping it to about 3 colours - any more can look a bit busy I think.  

 bold statement = fab feature for the kitchen - love the mix of pendant lights (Tom Dixon) and down lights - layer up your lighting - not all about down lights - pendants = personality!!! The Green wall of cupboards in this kitchen is a real winner for me - The other common feature in all these pics is huge amounts of natural light - If you are going to do white and colour, make sure your room can carry it off!

I think my favorite thing to do with interiors is to keep the shell neutral and play with colour to add personality and a bit of quirk! Natural light is so important to me - it really is mood effecting - I love bringing the outside in, so where ever possible, bring some leaves/branches/flowers or even twigs into your mix for guaranteed loveliness. 

thank you for taking the time to stop by - I really appreciate it - I love sharing my week with you all. xx

Moss Interiors - keeping an eye on the market.

Last weekend - I went to meet a girlfriend for Brunch in Gardenvale! that is miles from my place, but what a great opportunity to visit some of the interiors stores that have been on my must see list!  

Moss Interiors is on Fitzroy Street in St Kilda, and I saw a write up about this store some time ago in Home Beautiful Magazine - It's a great store with lots of funky homewares - mainly accessories - It has a huge range of Armadillo rug samples and it also stocks Designers Guild fabric - my idea of a little bit of heaven! I love getting out and about, it one of gOLd ChaLK's favorite past times. I also dropped into Est and Scarlet Jones in Hawthorn - another two of my favorite places to visit for inspiration!!I really dropped into Scarlet Jones to find some pillow cases that I have been quietly obsessed with - but no luck! I will keep my eye open!!

Chalk Talk

OK, today we are going to get straight into it with this must have item for your home office, not only is it affordable & chic, it's practical!!!!! - my other half loves practical!! - I have seen it popping up everywhere and it is my product of the week!!!!

priced at $279 - available at IKEA

 it looks fabulous and two side by side would be ideal! It also comes in Black, but for me, I much prefer the white.
Most of this week I have spent working on my Master Plan concept - I have asked a friend of a friend to trial the concept for me and in return I have offered her a free Master Plan kit on a room of her choice in her home.  She has chosen her Living/dining room.  She has filled out my detailed questionnaire and we have conversed via email several times getting all the details together.  Mind you, I have never seen her house, I am not sure of her style - in fact I really do not know a lot about her on a personal level at all! The whole process has been fabulous and I have enjoyed every minute of it (hope she has too!!) but there is one problem.......after completing her proposed floor plan (to scale) and her concept boards - which I am truly in love with!!! and compiling her shopping list, I cant stop looking at them - I really do not want to part with them! But of course I will and I will move on to my next project and fall madly deeply in love with that one too! It's a tough job but somebody has to do it!!!
Next week my I am getting my Master Plan kit professionally photographed - with all the details - may even be a little (or big!) give away on the BLOG soon - stay tuned.......very exciting!
This week I also got to re-visit a home that I had completed a colour plan on earlier in the year - It looks amazing,  not everything is completely finished yet but what has been done is super impressive, this lady had a very keen eye for detail although she does not give herself much credit for it.  It has been so lovely working with her and her husband, they really should be congratulated, its not easy living through a major renovation, is it!!!!

On my Radar this week......

 these beautiful cushions from Lumiere Art + Co

lovely colours in this print - would love this in my home!

more wonderful office spaces - I love the "K" space with the Tom Dixon Copper Lights - a real winner for me.

Love love love

apparently - this is the new craze in photography of interiors - shot from above?????

lastly, I am super jealous of this stylist who is making her dream come true - actually I say, good on her! Everyone knows my favorite designer is Abigail Ahern, she is based in the UK and has just started taking design classes - Jane Frosh who is a super stylist in her own right wants to get to one of her Master Classes badly, so badly that she has started an on line campaign - you can read about it here and donate - its all about following your dreams, isn't it, I bet she gets there.................good luck Jane xx


hope you all enjoy your weekend xx

Freedom Furniture

I think I may have found it! the perfect chair in the most perfect colour, for my Bay Window - this is a perfectly classic piece in a punchy colour that screams look at me!! Perfect for a reading nook or teamed back with white bedlinen in a bedroom. This is a new piece available at Freedom Furniture soonish.

this room has not even been styled but it still feels good to me......

beautifully un-edited, not even styled - this is my room and I love the way it makes me feel......happy!