white fan

You don't really see ceiling fans in interior photos, but when they do, I'll be among the first to notice. Why? Because having a ceiling fan in this hot humid weather of Malaysia is compulsory. Every room must have one. And I like to see the kind of fans decorators use for their homes so that I can make the right choices for my own.

Well, some people go for air conditioning sans the ceiling fan, but I've always preferred the good old ceiling fan. Mostly because air conditioners makes my skin dry. 

Anyways... we have to start looking for fans in our new house. And I'm digging white ceiling fans. Not those contractor-chosen white fans (that is being used in my current apartment) we see often.

But something like the one in this photo. 

via Elements of Style Blog

Okay, too bad that we can only see like, three fourths of the fan... well, I did tell you ceiling fans rarely show up in photos of beautiful rooms. And, might I say, this room is beautiful. Loving the window seat and the collection of blue and beige pillows. 

So, if you're a Malaysian, please tell me where I can find a white fan similar to the one in this photo! 

Much appreciated! Have a lovely week ahead!

desk dilemma

Hey there, it's been so long since I last wrote! More than 3 weeks, I think. Life has been rather hectic for the past few weeks with family weddings, a huge launch that my department had to prepare for (yes, I have a 9 to 6 job. I wish my job was just decorating and blogging all day, but that will have to wait for now).

Anyways... now that life has gone back to normal again, I thought I'd just catch up with a short post of what's on my mind right now.

I'm supposed to be decorating my brother's room and he has this desk in there that looks like this.

I have been contemplating on painting this little desk - but what colour?

I'm really liking the blues on these wood pieces...

via Polish & Patina

I really like the worn look of the two chests flanking the door. I'm seeing this worn chalky blue almost everywhere...

via Roses and Rust

A Swedish chest of drawers is stained in blue. Isn't it pretty?

via Desde My Ventana

The bright chalky blue of the buffet table stands out in this neutral dining area.

Tim Clarke

And I adore the blue cabinet in the photo above.

Or maybe we should paint it chalky white like this Swedish desk in the photo below?

a Swedish white desk from Tone on Tone

Any ideas?

Have a great weekend!

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!

stripes!

If there was one pattern that I had to choose among all patterns, it would be stripes.

I am loving this pattern that never goes out of style - be it on furniture, walls or floors.

image from Ikea Family Live

This room has gone all out with beautiful grey stripes on the bed, the floors and even on the clothes hanging on those hooks. I love the beachy relaxed feel of this bedroom.

House Beautiful

I like large stripes on the walls - the stripes used in this room brings out a modern edge to this otherwise feminine room. I'm loving the colour palette of blues, greys and light browns.

HGTV

How about horizontal stripes on the wall? I love this bold and beautiful dining room.

la Brocanteuse: L'Orangerie

Stripes look great on upholstered pieces too. I adore this combination of a striped sofa and burlap pillows for an authentic and rustic feel.

Better Homes & Gardens

Colourful stripes look great on these wing chairs!

If you're not that bold to go big on stripes...

Washington School House

... they make a great pattern on throw pillows when paired together with plain ones.

via Luxe + Lillies

I love this breakfast nook overlooking a great view. Stripes on the throw pillows looks great.

Or you can bring in some stripes on your floors from rugs...

Tim Clarke inc

Ellen Pompeo's kitchen from Elle Decor

Ellen Pompeo's house from Elle Decor. Isn't that just gorgeous?

So what do you think of stripes? I would like mine on throw pillows and smaller pieces of furniture like a wing chair or a one-seater.

And I would totally consider using stripes in a kids' room!

Source unknown

Have a wonderful weekend!

So my style is...?

The best thing about having a new home is the ideas and inspiration we can find online as we dream of how the home will be decorated.

Even though renovation has not even started yet, there are days when I'm dreaming away of what my living room would look like.

If I were to define what style I would go for, I don't think I can put my finger on it.

It's a mixture of beachy decor made of blues, greens and greys...

Velvet & Linen

I am also inspired by the use of simple lines and natural materials, and darker, accent colours like the vases in this room...

via Mark D. Sikes

I love neutral-themed rooms too...

Curated Style

My Notting Hill

And some modern elements to spice it up a little bit!

Cote de Texas

I think I will use a mixture of all the features I love in each of the photos above to decorate my living room!

Have a wonderful day! 

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?

kitchen crush

I saw this beautiful kitchen on Houzz and thought I'd share it with you here. Take a look!

traditional kitchen design by burlington architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

I'm really liking the off-white cabinets, the marble countertops and the backsplash. I also love that open shelf showing a collection of books and mixing bowls. 

traditional kitchen design by burlington architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

 The kitchen has a great view to a green garden. The windows open up like french doors. Check out the huge farmhouse sink. 

traditional kitchen design by burlington architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

And lets look at the details a little bit closer, shall we? 

traditional kitchen design by burlington architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

traditional kitchen design by burlington architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

I love the glass pendant lamps, the simple cabinetry and a mix of hardware used. And a kitchen can never have enough drawers!

Have a great Tuesday!