Someone showed me the famous photo of the moment Paul the Permie met Giselle the Designer.
It was at my brother's wedding last year.
Photograpic evidence of love at first sight. You would smile if you saw it, full of sparks.
As befits Sparky, insightful and super-creative couple.
This is my first visit to their newly-decked out LoveNest, in bayside St. Kilda.
Just walking in the door, I fell in love.
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| A happy wife lights up the house |
The treasures were all discovered in kerbside hard rubbish, reclainmed, repainted.
And just as I thought, its a house that leads to healthy cooking just happens, visitors come and stay and help, housework turns into Housebeautifying, and becomes irresistable.
The world needs more of this.
I need more of this.
How do you do it?
Here are the design principles I detected, so far.
Subtlety
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| Can you see the fish who lives in the cistern? |
The whole world yells for our attention.
When things are visually quiet, yet rich when we want to look for it, we are so grateful.
Relatedness
Ah, Ikea. Bless its soul.
Asymmetry
Radiance
As you can see, they still haven't succeeded in finding a t.v. on the side of the road.
Flock
Dramatic composition
Ties to your friends
The couch coverings include a t-shirt and a t-towel.
Strange, but look what good friends the whole arrangment is with the painting.
They might just be in love.
Relatedness
Make families of colors. Put the families beside their relatives.
It turns into one big happy family.
A Rainbow of books above, Yin and Yang books below.
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| Yang and Yin bunnies, on the fridge |
Under the pallet table is one of the few bought-new things - a rug from the hardware store Bunnings. The table gets trundled away for meditation sessions
Ah, Ikea. Bless its soul.
Asymmetry
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| Asymmetry forgives many quirks |
Japanese gardens use assymetry to create intrigue.
Formal Power-gardens use symmetry to bore us into submission.
Symmetry generally requires perfect ingredients.
Balance is something we ourselves must bring to Asymmetry
That makes asymmetry fun.
Redemption
"Why did she fall in love with me? I have no idea"
Paul, you are gorgeous!
Radiance
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| A happy wife lights up the house |
Tiny Surprises
Ongoing Drama
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| "Oh, poor little sheep stuck on the ledge! We must save her!' |
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| "Were off to the city to celebrate! The little sheep is safe!" |
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| The city. Actually, offcuts salvaged just yesterday |
As you can see, they still haven't succeeded in finding a t.v. on the side of the road.
Refuge
They put me out on the doorstep, like a cat, while they clattered around cooking breakfast
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| Paul washed the windows acrobatically, while a washing-scape was created |
Balconies are usually the place we pretend these things are meant to live: ripped open bags of potting mix, cobwebby BBQs that never get invited to parties, broken pots we don't want to make decisions about.
Not in this house.
A fold-out desk is where guest can go for quiet work and reflection, as they gaze at the bay.
Edible plants grow, and houseplants get sent here for a weekly dose of sunshine.
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| Parsley and the St. Kilda Bay |
Contained Chaos
Right mess in the right place.
Before an outing and when you come home, everything you might need is ready to be grabbed.
No storage or homelessness on this tray, its in the attention hotspot, and everything is current - wallet, keys, reminders.
The Power of Three
Op shop paintings with the painting removed, salvaged mirrors put in, with love
Findability
Stacked, flat, wide, square, and see-through.
Thats how you design to find the things that you own.
Cooking breakfast tortillas from scratch.
This doesn't happen in houses where finding things is a battle you always loose.
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| Family of items, hovering above the stove |
Enchantment
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| Lovely mammal, spotted in the bench |
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| Emu delighted to be under the bench |
Because life is what you make of it.
The gnarls and knots of life have gifts for us too.
Ties to your friends
Blessings written on Ribbon, from their ultra-unorthodox wedding.
Eccentricity
Strange, but look what good friends the whole arrangment is with the painting.
They might just be in love.
Hanging Jars at the inner window make lanterns
Yes its a weed. Its beautiful.
What do you like about the house that Paul and Giselle made?
I'd love to hear.
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