My pins over the year...

Hi! I'm back with a short update :-)

It's probably been more than a year since I joined Pinterest, and I was looking at my pins back then to see how my preference for decor has changed over the year. You know how when you keep a diary and read back to the days when you were younger, and thought, "really? I wrote that?"

Well, in this case, it would be, "really? I pinned that?"

Okay, my pins from last year were not bad at all. Let's take a look at a few of them, shall we?

Source here

I'm still into neutrals and blues and browns like in the photo above. This room is still pretty - clean and modern.

Elle Decor

I like the herringbone floor and again - clean and modern.

Rue

At the time, I was sourcing for inspiration to decorate my sister's bedroom. I like the image of this room. I particularly love the patterns on the bed sheet and the texture from the grey-blue velvet pillow.

Houzz

This is a nice dining room - and I've always loved lanterns. Loved and still love white upholstered dining chairs, too.

Source here

Another handsome living room made of greys, blues and browns - my favourite colours.

Though all photos above are beautiful in their own ways, I now find myself gravitating towards rooms that look less than perfect, lived-in and maybe a little under decorated?

Let me share with you some of my recent pins to show you what I mean.

Source here

This is what I call an effortlessly beautiful room. It just doesn't look decorated - the rumpled bedsheets, the aged wood of the side tables, the 'real' reading books in the niches and a cute personal photo of a baby. This could be anybody's room - and it just happens to be beautiful.

Source unknown

I love the relaxed look of this area. The patina on the frames of the two identical mirrors makes a beautiful contrast to the reflection of a more modern chandelier.

Taken from here

Another undecorated room - wouldn't you just love sitting here, doing mundane daily stuff, but it wouldn't be so mundane because everything around you is so pretty. The bookshelves are messy - but that's what brings character to the whole room. It looks like a real room.

Barefoot Contessa

The use of natural materials - the rug, the basket under the desk, the wooden stool and painted desk, brings the warmth into this little hallway. It looks so inviting, doesn't it?

From here

And this kitchen, although the cabinets are modern with no handles and a clean, streamlined look, the use of wooden countertops, antique trays and aged wooden beam just brings the kitchen back down to earth that I love.

So as you can see, after a year of collecting images on the internet, my preferences have changed from that clean, modern look to a more lived-in, undecorated look.

Have you found that your preferences have changed over the years? 

Orange

If you had asked me, what is my least favourite colour, I would have said "orange".

Without a doubt.

But.... I find that orange works great as an accent colour to add life to any setting. I mean, even Blogger is using orange as the accent colour for their theme! :-)

When you feel like your home is lacking in colour, throw in some orange!

Orange and blue looks great together. Here, the orange place mats bring zest in to this neutral coloured room.

House Beautiful

Or, how about some orange trinkets styled on your shelves in the kitchen? I absolutely love this kitchen and the deep blue colour with the bright orangey-red.

Helen Norman Photography

Even an orange book in a bedroom would do. Love the little birdie on it.

via The Pink Pagoda

I love the texture and look of this single vibrant orange cushion in this grey-toned sitting room. This is such a beautifully-styled room.

via Belgian Pearls

Or you can go bolder by throwing an orange cloth over your dining table like this one. I love the velvet texture of this fabric. It looks so rich.

via Belgian Pearls

This beautiful room by John Saladino uses orange and green - colours that complement each other well. Don't you just feel like hanging out here all day?

Veranda

This room, decorated by Giannetti Home uses orange cushions as an accent.

Velvet & Linen

Orange-coloured flowers brighten up this pretty little breakfast nook.

BHG

Or, you can just use oranges - and I mean the fruit - in a bowl to brighten up your kitchen!

Martha Stewart

So how would you use orange in your home?

Have a great week!

my recent pins on pinterest...

When I'm feeling a little bit stressed, I like to indulge in some eye candy and the best place to go for that lately is Pinterest. Most of the time I'm repinning what other pinners are pinning so I can find inspiration on what I can write on this blog.

Just thought I'd share with you my 10 most recent pins on Pinterest and call this a post. Can I get away with that? :-)

via Cote de Texas - one of my favourite design blogs

I love those lovely blue lamps, all the textures used on the bedding and overstuffed pillows. Come on, don't tell me you haven't fallen in love yet?

msn real estate

I would love to have an outdoor room one day. And it would probably look like this. Loving blues, greens, browns and beiges. And those white fans. Where can I get those kind of fans here, huh? I want them for all my rooms.

via My French Country Home

My dream is to one day live on a farm and have a beautiful, big country kitchen. It wouldn't be so bad if it was in France, either I guess. I envy the owner of this kitchen.

via Boxwood Terrace

I love the clean look of this room. It has a modern feel to it, but the addition of that rustic coffee table keeps it grounded. Simply gorgeous.

Veranda - Interior Design by Richard Hallberg. Photograph by Miguel Flores-Vianna.

I love this kitchen. It's so clean and simple and modern without being cold. I love the use of textures on the wall of the stove and the ceiling. The ceiling is also curved, I love those arches.  I think I've overused the word 'love' here.

Country Home

White ironstone and fresh green herbs make a beautiful collaboration.

Skonahem

This is a beautiful boys' bedroom. Clean and simple. How cute are those flags, huh?

La Brocanteuse: L'Orangerie

Burlap and stripes on an antique chair. Pretty.

Veranda - Interior Design by Pamela Pierce. Photograph by Peter Vitale.

Another country kitchen that I love. Great big windows, raw brick walls, pebble stone floors and antique chairs. Lovely.

Phoebe Howard

And my collection of pins would not be complete without the work of Phoebe Howard who I have long admired. I love this part of this bedroom. So fresh and clean.

Hope you've enjoyed 10 of my pins today!

an update and a beautiful entryway

This post is still going to be about my countertop dilemma that I talked about the other day.

So I asked my contractor to quote for carrara marble. Which I hope will be affordable - so wish me luck! I'm expecting the quotation to be ready for this Thursday.

My contractor also suggested Ipoh white marble which is less costly than the Carrara, but I was not convinced. It is white with a certain pinkish tinge to it. It seems to be a local, Malaysian marble so if you're not from here, you probably would never have heard of it. I couldn't find a picture of it to show you. 

From what I read on the internet, it is more porous than other marbles - I'm not sure if this is true, though.

Nevertheless, I am not making any decision until I see my final quotation. Which is getting more and more expensive each time we make changes. Sigh!

Anyway, I saw this photo of an entryway that is simply beautiful.

Atlanta Homes mag

I love the use of rich colours and textures - like the red brick herringbone floor, the turquoise blue velvet sofa, the green from the moss, the white birch logs under the pretty console. Oh, I love the lamp and the hanging pendant lamp, too.

Have a wonderful day!

Granite or marble countertops?

Help! I can't decide whether to go for granite countertops or marble countertops for my kitchen!

I wrote a post about this a while ago, and now, when it comes to making the final decision with my contractor, I can't make up my mind!

My dream kitchens have always featured white marble countertops with a simple square edge.

traditional kitchen design by burlington architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

 I love that the white marble backsplash matches the countertop. It's so simple and beautiful. The white trim above the backsplash is such an elegant detail.

Loi Thai's kitchen

I am absolutely in love with this kitchen of Loi Thai, my new blogger and Pinterest friend! Notice that the backsplash is also similar to the photo above - the same marble of the countertops.

Another view of the beautiful kitchen.

Brooke Giannetti's kitchen

This kitchen which belongs to another one of my favourite bloggers, Brooke Giannetti, also has white marble for the countertops that I fell in love with. The marble is less thicker than usual countertops which I find elegant.

House Beautiful

The kitchen in the photo above is more modern, but the white marble complements it beautifully.  I adore this kitchen and its sleek and simple lines. 

But, I also love the look of black granite countertops like these, and the cost is lower than marble.

i Gigi

Belgian Pearls

Notice that there's no backsplash in this kitchen, too? Just a trim of the black granite. Simple and elegant.

Katrin Cargill

The island has beautiful granite countertop. I love the pairing of the polished countertop with the aged wood from the console table beside the window. It's a perfect complement perfect and patina.

House Beautiful

Another kitchen with beautiful black countertops.

Timeless Living

This modern and simple kitchen is similar to the other modern kitchen I posted above, but this time with black countertops. Which one do you like better? I can't decide.

Or maybe a mix of both materials in one kitchen like this?

Cote de Texas

In terms of practicality, marble dulls and is more prone to stains. Black granite will not show stains and is stronger than marble against dents and scratches.

But at the same time, I adore the intricate grain of marble and I actually don't mind scratches and stains (okay, maybe a little bit). But I've learned to appreciate the beauty of patina.

If cost was not an issue, I would have chosen marble in the blink of an eye. So now I am weighing down the pros and cons of both of these stones.

What would your personal choice be? I really can't decide now. Help!

black accents

Today is 1st May and it's Labour Day here in Malaysia! For all Malaysians, I hope you're having a good holiday!

Just the other day, my rather opinionated sister mentioned that my blog features a lot of white and wicker and needed some variety. Of course I was indignant and said, "well, yeah, it's my blog, I'll post things that I like." Which happens to be a lot of white... and some wicker, too.

White walls and wicker chairs? Erm, I couldn't resist! Image from Country Home

So, if you're getting bored of white, I thought that this time I would write about the opposite of white... which is black of course. I've always liked rooms that are neutral in colour scheme, but I feel that a hint of black, as an accent, tends to ground the room and give it that little bit of edge.

Here are some examples.

Katrin Cargill

I love the black backsplash, the granite top, the lanterns and the black stools in this country kitchen.

My Home Ideas

Hints of black on the coffee table, black piano, iron railing and curtain rod. I love this room.

Katrin Cargill

The console table against the wall is black - adding some edge to this otherwise neutral room.

Decorpad

I love this white kitchen and the black pendant lamps to ground the room together.

All Things Stylish

I love the composition of black and white photos in black and white frames. Modern and stylish.

Eclectic Revisited

The beautiful black chandelier is a gorgeous accent in this neutral and edgy room.

Source unknown

I love this study room and the hints of black - the chair, the doors, the photos and their frames.

Elle Decor

Black and white stripes on the banquette - the other chairs and furniture are more traditional to complement the modern stripes of the banquette.

Elle Decor

I adore Meg Ryan's house featured in Elle Decor. White with dark floors and black accents. Her bedroom is gorgeous, too.

Elle Decor

And the black cabinets in her kitchen.

Elle Decor

 So what do you think of black as accents? Is it too strong, or would you consider using it in your home?