Interiors Round-Up: Get your drape on!

Terence Conran's 'New House Book', 1985

my latest interiors collection of draping your furniture, walls and even your ceiling, is up on JB Est 1979, check out more HERE.

3 Creative ways to actually use that hammock!

Photography: Fiona Galbraith

I love thinking of creative ways to use or re-use objects, especially for the home.  Check out my latest project for JB Est 1979 and find out how you can bring your hammock indoors, HERE.

Beyond the standard gallery wall.

Photo by: Jeremy Greive 2013

check out my latest round-up of creative ways to dress up a gallery wall in your home for JB Est 1979, HERE.

5 ways to dress up your front doorway!

because this isn't the prettiest of interiors posts, I'm calling it an 'ideas post'. what can you do to jazz up your front doorway when you live in an apartment block? believe me, the first thing I would do is paint my front door if I could (I have already painted the inside half of it a buttercup yellow). I have re-arranged quite a few things in my rental, but I feel that painting the outside door would just be drawing too much attention to the many other changes I've made inside...which so far...no one has said anything about. phew! even if you have a drab coloured door that you have to live with, it doesn't mean you can't do wonderful things around it to make it more welcoming for yourself and your visitors.

daydreaming of a canopy bed.

here

check out my latest post for JB Est 1979; 6 canopy bed ideas, HERE. dream town.

Search For A Stylist contest.

well, the cat is out of the bag- I was announced last week as the WINNER of Inside Out magazine & The Home's Search For A Stylist contest!!!!  Lucky me!!  As the winner I get a job as Head Stylist at The Home, to style a real cover of Inside Out and $1000 dollars to spend at The Home, which I intend to entirely put towards french linen!!! I was very unsure when I first heard about this whole thing (I think it was shock...), but I made it through my first week of work and it was w o n d e r f u l. such a lovely team and so many creative ideas being pitched and produced on a constant basis- I am over the moon, truly. I will be sure to share some of my favourite projects on here with you all; stay tuned.

*above is the winning mock-up cover photo I styled, shot by: Guy Bailey, whom it was an absolute pleasure to work with.


pinch me.

5 ways to embrace open concept shelving in the kitchen.

here

check out my latest interiors round up for JB Est 1979 to find out how embrace the bohemian goodness of open concept shelving in the kitchen, HERE. can you handle it?

a PLANT to call home.

‘Living with Colour’, 1982 Photography: Designers Guild

check out my plantastic inspiration post HERE for JB Est 1979 and find out different ways to incorporate greenery into your interiors. woven baskets as planters, like this 80's treat above? i say 'why not!?'.

search for a stylist: the making of video.

it is the last week to vote (pour moi, s'il vous plaît) in the Search for a Stylist contest if you haven't already. also, please head to my Facebook page to check out a little 30 second clip from the day.

wardrobe makeover.

Photography: Fiona Galbraith  Production, Project & Styling: Nicole Valentine Don

check out the full before & after reveal for JB Est 1979 and how you can get the same results for your home, HERE.

stumbled upon: Seth Smoot.

the lovely, painterly quality of photographer Seth Smoot's images. i discovered him yesterday while trawling through pinterest.

speaking of Turkey...

check out 7 ways to add a bit of Turkish delight into your interiors over at JB Est 1979; don't be afraid of bold colours and a bit of creative quirky features like this boat and painted squiggly line on the wall (you can always paint over it later). with a Turkish interior, you also can't go wrong with tiles (on the walls and the floor), velvet and carpets for a start! see more HERE!

my house in YEN magazine.

@little_nicki_ on instagram

very exciting news!! my house is in the latest issue of YEN magazine (out today in Australia). i had all the rooms in my house ready to go for its close up- then Mr Jason Grant swept his keen stylist's eye over the space and made last minute adjustments to make the shots picture perfect for Lauren Bamford and her superb camera skills. i keep looking at it in awe, thinking 'i wish i could live in these pages'...then i remember...i DO! lucky me to have this A+ team help me show off the home that i love so much!

be sure to get your copy this month- the whole issue is a beauty!

inside the artist's studio.

here

i am just loving these images of artist Louise Bourgeois' home and studio in New York City; completely untouched since she passed away. i love the piles, the duck egg green and the writing on the wall. why does a mess always look so romantic and beautiful in an artist's bohemian home, but not in my own?

interiors round-up: COLLECTIONS.

‘The Way We Live with The Things We Love’, 2009 Photography: Gilles de Chabaneix

my latest round-up of inspiring interiors images is up at JB Est 1979, it's all about collections and how you display them. what do you collect? how do you show it off? click HERE to check it out.

daydream en Provence.

i'm so glad we stumbled upon this super cute, very bohemian French provencal farmhouse homestay in Provence. hanging out in this quiet little corner of the world, full of rambling wild gardens has been bliss. at least one of us has been quite content to connect with their inner little old lady; sleeping under darned french linen and such. the owners are so lovely and the breakfast is homemade and delicious- the best part is you get to enjoy it in the fresh air amongst all this natural beauty. you can stay here too at Moulin De La Croix (make sure your french is up to scratch when you arrive). 

house beautiful.

Photo by: Fiona Galbraith

this empty window which looks out onto nothing (well, a concrete wall) got dressed up 3 different ways for JB Est 1979 and was then chosen as one of the top 5 design posts for this week on the House Beautiful blog. thank you!

walls alive!

check out my latest interiors round up for JB Est 1979, HERE!

le french freak out.

ici

bonjour tout le monde! i am going un petit peu crazy trying to plan our trip to Europe next week (eep!). basically, i want an authentic city by city or region by region experience via hotels or airbnb every place i visit- is that too much to ask? i feel that if you go to Paris for instance, you should stay in a place that has a spiral staircase or an old wooden & iron gated lift, gorgeous chevron hardwood floors and a big, old, skeleton key to get in: like this dream Parisian apartment. likewise, if you were to stay by the beach in Sydney, you should get an array of colourful beach towels at your disposal, a hills hoist out the back and maybe a pair of complimentary 'thongs' (flip flops) for your stay. it's a mystery to me that most hotels are still so bland and run of the mill.

i have been desperate to find a lovely lavender filled place of perfection somewhere in Provence and stumbled upon this incredible place: D'une Ile. unfortunately it is in Normandy, so will have to wait for another time, but the owner was helpful enough to put me onto this incredible website, which i am now subscribed to and outright obsessed with. you choose which region in France you wish to stay in and what type of experience you are after, i.e. cuisine, tradition & crafts, wine, etc. i could not be happier; everything is coming up lavender!

show me the mantle!

‘The Way We Live with The Things We Love’, 2009 Photography: Gilles de Chabaneix

it's getting chilly here in Sydney (it's still snowing where my parents are in Canada even!)…what better way to stay warm, then cozying up by the fire (or space heater, if you live with me). you know i love a good mantle piece, so i've shared some fun, colourful and intriguing bohemian mantles over at JB Est 1979 today; check them out HERE!