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12 cosy nooks you will want to escape to…

It has been that kind of weather lately where my idea of heaven would be blankets, tea & a good book. Unfortunately life seems to get in the way & I find myself with a dauntingly long list of books on my Kindle, purchased with best intentions but left neglected, waiting patiently to be read.

In a hope to turn this distant well-read dream into reality I have created a cosy quiet corner in our home - a spot with no digital distractions & a plentiful supply of cushions & quilts - I have best intentions to find an hour or 2 each week to escape to this heavenly hiding spot. Below some inspiration for your very own cosy nook…

Above images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

While we are on the subject of ‘time-out’ & relaxation, I want to share something a little different - the link for Oprah & Deepak Chopra’s upcoming 21 day meditation experience - I am not affiliated, just a big fan of their mediation programs. They run a different one every few months which is free for the initial 21 days and then available to purchase if you want to own it forever. If you are curious about meditation but have never known where to start, these 21 day challenges are fantastic, they bring me a sense of peace & positivity & I am left feeling more in tune & connected to my sense of self. If this sounds like something you want more of in your life I encourage you to check them out!

COSY KANTHA QUILTS IN STORE NOW…

Click here to browse kantha quilts in store!

Live bright,
Natalie x

A stunning classic colour you might not have considered…

A colour that keeps popping up on my radar lately is this difficult to define soft grey/olive - like the silvery grey/green of a gum leaf or olive tree foliage, this colour feels quintessentially Australian, calm, grounding & sophisticated, a new classic alternative to the standard grey or navy.

I love it used in cabinetry or on the walls - a paler, chalkier shade will feel calm & soft or a choose a deeper tint for a braver, moodier feel. Just like in nature, it looks like it was made to sit beside natural timber & works really well with stone or recycled brick, looks great teamed with black, charcoal or grey tones & contrasts beautifully with orange, tan, yellow, pink & red.

Below some inspiration for a beautiful colour you might not have considered…

Above images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

NATURAL SEAGRASS BASKETS IN STORE NOW…

Click here to browse baskets in store!

Live bright, Natalie x

12 lust-worthy spaces…

While sourcing inspiration for a display home project I am working on, I have have rediscovered the gorgeous work of interior photographer Derek Swalwell.

His work has been featured in Australia’s top interior magazines & his portfolio is a treasure trove of inspiration & ideas from lustworthy Aussie homes. I thought I would simply share a few of my faves this week as a little interior eye candy escape…

Above images Derek Swalwell

COSY & COLOURFUL NEW VINTAGE KANTHA COLLECTION IN STORE NOW…

Links to browse above pieces in store - Uditi, Aalok, Riya, Tamasi, Dhara, Agrata, Aloki, Jasmit, Asmi, Jani, Sukhi, Chandika.

Live bright,
Natalie x

Dull to fun: how to make your home office inspiring…

Workspace, home office, studio or study nook - a spot for a laptop where you catch up on emails & pay the bills, a zone for the kid’s homework & crafting or a home office where you spend most of your time, regardless of how big or how it is used, a designated workspace can be clever & inspiring to bring a little fun to the mundane, my top tips below…

• 1st step in sprucing up this space is to clear clutter - the home office tends to be a breeding ground for useless bits & pieces like old school text books, pens that dont work & electricity bills from 2003, get rid of it all & already the space feels so much lighter.
• Plan storage needs carefully, if you need to invest - don’t buy a piece unless you know exactly how it will be used in your space, choose pieces that have a balance of functionality & style - Ikea is usually my go-to because they have many flexible configurations in each style.
• Open shelving is a great idea - it is practical, providing easy access to items you regularly use & allows you to inject colour/ interest with books & coordinated magazine holders, storage boxes or baskets.
• Have fun with pin up boards, use them to display inspirational quotes, family photos, kid’s drawings or beautiful images torn from your fave mag - anything that makes you happy & inspires you.
• A pot plant is a great addition, greenery never fails to uplift & make you smile.

A few inspiring workspaces below, you can find more here...

Above Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

Live bright,
Natalie x

Our beautiful new vintage kantha quilt collection…

A lovely big collection of vintage kantha quilts just landed at Bowerhouse & of course I am offering you 1st dibs on these one-off pieces before they go into store!

This collection was designed with grey days & chilly winter evenings in mind, lots of gorgeous colour & pattern to inject inspiration & joy into your day.

Truly a piece that can be used in any room in the home (I currently have 5 kanthas dotted around my house that are in constant use & rotation!) Throw one on a couch or armchair within snuggling reach for chilly evenings & they are also great for protecting your sofa from little sticky hands and dirty feet.

On a bed they instantly update the whole room - treat your bedroom to a luxe layer of colour or add one to the guest bedroom to delight & make visitors feel welcome with a bright burst of colour. They are also fantastic in kid’s rooms, a timelessly beautiful piece to be cherished now as it will be in 10 years time.

Each piece is one of a kind and cannot be re-ordered again, made from vintage panels of soft printed cotton intricately handstiched together.

Quilt dimensions vary, generally all will fully cover a single bed or lay horizontally to cover a double or queen bed (the quilt will cover the bed width-ways and the bottom 2/3 of the bed lengthways)

These quilts are made from vintage material, you can expect to find patches, rough/raw edges & general imperfections in the colour & finish, adding to its unique charm.

Click HERE to browse the collection in store.

Below a selection of pieces shown laid out on a queen size bed…

Live bright,
Natalie x

How to uplift your home with indoor plants…

Heading into winter when the daylight hours are shorter & it is too chilly to keep windows open is the perfect time to freshen & uplift your home with nature & greenery. Indoor plants are not only beautiful to look at, they act as amazing natural air purifiers.

Our indoor plant family consists of a happy little maidenhair fern & a fiddle leaf fig; a few favourite, low maintenance indoor plants on my wish-list are the rubber tree, string of beads, mother in law’s tongue, aloe vera & jade plant.

Below a storyboard of beautiful ‘indoor plant moments’, if you want more, check out these exciting plant studios who offer great inspiration for all things indoor gardens;

Loose Leaf - (Melbourne)
Little Leaf Co - (Perth)
Pippis plants (Barwon Heads, Vic)Garden Life (Sydney)

On Instagram look up the lovely feeds of @aleajoy & @emily_katz who’s beautiful homes are filled with greenspiration.

Above images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7.5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

Live bright,
Natalie x

How to decorate that neglected, yet so important space in your home…

The hallway is often a neglected, uninspired part of the house but it is quite possibly a space you walk through every day & the 1st room you & your guests walk though when you arrive. A beautiful hallway can be a striking surprise & a memorable moment - simple or busy, functional or decorative, light & bright or dark & moody. Different homes & hallway types call for a different approach but a little love & thought goes a long way in this often overlooked space…

• In a character home, it can be beautiful to keep decoration & colour to a minimum, let architectural features sing - use striking pendants & perhaps a feature piece of artwork as interest.
• Make use of a vast expanse of wall & create a gallery like feel - family photographs or art - a line of pieces evenly spaced or a cluster of works in mismatched frames.
• White walls make the space feel bigger & more open, dark painted walls inject interest & personality. If your hallway lacks natural light, dark walls can make the space feel closed in - if you want bright or dark colour in a dark hallway, consider half or dado height painted colour and keep the upper section & ceiling white.
• Mirrors are a great way to reflect light into a hallway or to trick the eye into making a space feel bigger.
• A hall runner will not only protect your floors, it can add warmth, colour & life to a dark or dull hallway.
• Don’t leave a wall at the end of a hallway plain - a piece of art hung on this wall provides a focal point and draws the eye forward.
• Keep narrow, long hallways clutter free, run framed photographs/artwork along the walls, but go for fewer, larger pieces rather than lots of small works.
• Wide hallways - could the space be used as another room, rather than just a passageway? A wall of handy built in storage, a beautiful big bookshelf or even a study nook?

For extra inspiration - a few of my favourite hallway spaces below (you can find more here)...

Above Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.

Live bright,
Natalie x

My top tip to create a welcoming, warm & cosy home…

The cold weather has well & truly set in, the slow cooker has an almost permanent place out on the kitchen bench & I have sudden random urges to bake fruit crumble. At this time of year many of us spend more time indoors - entertaining at home, spending rainy Sundays indoors… board games, baking, reading, movies or Game of Thrones marathons ; )

There is something quite lovely about hunkering down on these days to enjoy simple pleasures. For me, it is a time when home becomes a cosy, welcoming shelter from the outside world, extra layers are added to beds & sofas, colours & textures are swapped in and out to create a feeling of warmth.

If I could offer 1 tip for adding cosy warmth to your home it would be texture, texture, texture!

The number one way to make a space feel cosy is to layer & mix different textures & materials - this is especially important in an all white, or neutral scheme that doesn’t rely on colour to bring in warmth.

Use materials like leather, wood, fur, linen, velvet, embroidered/hand stitched textiles & metallics, choose a few different types to layer for each space. You can do this over time, sometimes just 1 piece can make all the difference to a space - a plush rug, fur throw, velvet cushion, a hand stitched or crochet blanket. A raid of your linen cupboard could be fruitful, or you might want to add a few new special pieces to your home over time to build that luxe, layered, cosy texture.

Below some spaces that use texture in different ways to create a cosy warm vibe…

Above Images; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.

SNUGGLE UP WITH BOWERHOUSE…

Links to browse the above in store - Esha, Chapal, Dhara, Agrata, Soma, Aadrika, Bhuddana, Harita, Luna - Cutwork, Asta - Cutwork, Chrevron Shibori, Rosa - Cutwork.

Need help or advice? Just hit reply to this email, I am here to answer any queries :)

Live Bright,
Natalie x

Want a peek inside my home?

I have been excited to share these images ever since our home was so beautifully styled & shot by clever friends Jo Carmichael & Jody D’Arcy for Australian Home Beautiful magazine last year. The feature was released this week in the latest issue so I finally get to share a sneaky peek with you.

We designed & built this house & I know new builds are not everyone’s cup of tea but I hope our home proves that a new build or newly renovated house does not have to be devoid of character. You can have fun, use colour, texture, pattern to add warmth & interest, display pieces you love - old & new, high end & budget to add personality & soul to make a new house feel like a warm & happy home.

The magazine feature includes the story behind our home, info on fixtures/finishes & extra images so if you are wanting to see more, be sure to pick up a copy!

Above images -
Photographed by Jody D’Arcy - @Jody_Darcy
Styled by Jo Carmichael - @jocarmichael

1. Terrance Bar Cart - natural

2. Vintage Kantha Quilt ‘Lakshman’

3. Silk Vintage Kantha Cushion ‘Kali’

4. Drum Stool - natural/marigold print

5. Kingsize Cutwork Bed Throw ‘Rosa’ - natural

6. Cutwork Cushion ‘Fae’

7. Barrel Side Table - wenge

8. Kingsize Shibori Kantha Quilt ‘Lotus’

9. Silk Vintage Kantha Cushion ‘Pele’

Live bright,

Natalie x

Decorating ideas from award winning spaces…

Nominations for the 2015 Australian Interior Design awards have been announced and I have dreamily been perusing the gallery of beautiful shortlisted homes.

These spaces represent today’s cutting edge architecture & interior design - although they might be a little daring or extravagant for the average taste or budget, they provide wonderful inspiration for layout, fixtures, finishes & colour palette ideas. I hope you find my pick of the spaces exciting & inspiring….

1. Designed by Robson Rak Architects. Photography - Lisa Cohen
2. Designed by Surroundings Architects
3. Designed by Whiting Architects. Photographey - Sharyn Cairns
4. Designed by Matt Gibson Architecture + Design. Photography - Shannon McGrath
5. Designed by Sisalla Interior Design - Photography - Eve Wilson
6. Designed by Arent & Pyke & Jason Sullivan. Photography - Felix Forest
7. Designed by Pleysier Perkins & Nexus Designs Collaboration. Photography - James Geer
8. Designed by Whiting Architects. Photography - Sharyn Cairns
9. Design by Pleysier Perkins & Nexus Designs Collaboration. Photography - James Geer
10. Designed by Jesse Bennett Architect. Photography - Sean Fennessy
11. Designed by Pleysier Perkins & Nexus Designs Collaboration. Photography - James Geer

Images via here.

JUST LANDED… COSY, WARM LAYERS FOR YOUR HOME…

A beautiful collection of quilts & throws have landed to bring warmth & colour to your home now the cold, grey weather has started to set in…

If you are chasing an understated, luxe & serene feeling in your bedroom the Kingsize Cutwork ‘Rosa’ Bed Throw is for you; a gorgeous weight, not too heavy - a cosy, breathable layer on top of your doona. Made from 2 layers of soft cotton, with an intricate cut pattern in the top layer & hand stitched. Dimensions 220 x 270cm (suitable for queen or king bed)

We rarely get larger size vintage kantha quilts suitable for king size beds, so I am thrilled to share our ‘Heema’ Kingsize Vintage Kantha Patchwork Quilt - a technicolour dream coat for your bedroom, this gorgeous piece is made to inject joy & inspiration to your home, perfect for your own bedroom sanctuary, a guest room or for draping over a lounge room sofa for a colourful layer of protection from spills/grubby hands & feet. One of a kind, made from patch-worked panels of soft vintage printed cotton intricately handstiched together. Dimensions 230 x 280cm (suitable for queen or king bed)

The Inka Indigo Kantha Quilt is a special statement piece, the perfect way to add rich colour, pattern & interest to a bedroom, or lay over a sofa for a burst of colour & protection from spills & sticky fingers. In our favourite indigo palette with touches of yellow & red, each piece is one of a kind. Dimensions 220 x 270cm (suitable for queen or king bed)

We have re-stocked the popular Indigo Shibori Kantha Throws & have welcomed a new beautiful design to the family - The ‘Lotus’ Shibori Kantha Quilt is like a work of art for your bed - featuring a gorgeous hand dyed/printed shibori design, it makes a statement in an all white bedroom or layer with other inky blue tones for a luxe, moody feeling.

Dimensions 220 x 270cm (suitable for queen or king bed)

Live bright,

Natalie x