New designer

I recently came across the work of Catherine Brown, a talented young designer from the UK. Catherine just graduated with 1st Class Honours in surface pattern design. Think she has a bright future ahead of her as her designs are fresh and unique. Check out these eye-catching gift wrap designs!

I also love her collection of designs she did as part of her Level 3 project for furnishings and home interiors below.

Catherine also designs greeting cards for sale. Do check them out here!

New products for kitchen and bathrooms

I was doing some research on the latest trends for kitchen and bathrooms today when I came across these cool products featured at K+BB.

(above) Diamond cooker hood. Looking more like a chandelier than a cooker hood, this will be a great product to add a bit of bling-bling glamour to your kitchen. Part of the Evolution series, this stylish unit from Elica includes ventilation, filters, lighting and controls. It even doubles up as a light!

Those who appreciate good bathroom design will be pleased to hear that the Vero range, by Duravit, now includes a toilet and bidet in the same rectangular shape as their gorgeous washbasin.

Really think these modern bathroom silhouettes from Art Ceram's La Fontana toilets are quite cool. Made from clay, each toilet contains concealed storage compartments that are perfect for hiding cleaning supplies.

Retro inspired deco

I love to mix things up and have fun when I design. Usually, I like to start with a modern and neutral base and then layer it with things that I find in different places to add texture, colour and personality to a space. Recently, I have been drawn to the quirky colours and patterns of retro inspired interiors and fabrics. Check out these retro cool rooms I found!

(above) "Orla Keily classic package" by Luxe Interiors. I love the way the fresh olive green on the walls is repeated in the pattern on the rug in the living room. The warmth of the oak wood really stands out well in the sea of lively colours and retro inspired fabrics by Orla Kiely.

(above) Jon's 60's Retro Bedroom ( via Apartment Therapy). I am so drawn and inspired by the colours in this room.

If you're looking for some vintage reproduction and retro themed fabrics, you can find them at Repro Depot in the US or Pluck in Singapore. Some of the fabrics you find in these places will make wonderful wall hangings, cushions, shower curtains and upholstery. You can even snip them up and frame them in a lovely photo frame to jazz up a wall.

(above) fabrics from Repro Depot.

(above) fabrics and wallpaper from Pluck (images from Fashionisspinach)

White - the colour of the rainbow

I love white, because it contains all the colours of the rainbow and never goes out of fashion. Probably the most used and versatile color in interior design, white can accentuate a space and invoke a sense of romance, luxury and serenity. White-on white is one of my favourite combinations. There are literally hundreds of shades of whites to choose from! I also like the pairing of white with wood and concrete.

Here are some beautiful white interiors from House of Pictures, a Scandinavian company that sells top quality articles on homes and lifestyles to leading magazines and publishing houses worldwide.

Book Bags

Check out these book bags made from actual hardcover vintage books from tizrah's etsy shop. So clever and creative! (via Poppytalk)

Maggie Zanger

I am intriqued by the work of Canadian designer, Maggie Zanger. A woodworker, seamstress, and furniture designer all at once, Maggie creates her beautiful masterpieces through a blending of layers and grouping of unusual materials. Her key projects are inspired from found objects that are integrated into contemporary pieces and spaces. Below are some pictures of a room Maggie designed and constructed, in collaboration with contemporary landscape artist and theatrical scene painter Kelly Palmer, for the Come Up To My Room design event.

The gorgeous table in the room below is built from exotic Koa veneer. To give it a quirky twist, one drawer face is spray lacquered in aqua blue and the interior drawers are custom painted with a graphic design.

Bowerbird

If you are looking for a stylish gift or something special for your home, do check out Bowerbird, a exciting new home and giftware boutique that just opened recently in Holland Village (Singapore). This shop stocks products handpicked by owner Anna Miles, who travels the globe in search of exciting new items. The feeling of the shop is decadence and high fashion with an eclectic twist. It includes items such as high fashion crockery, designer cushions and unique lighting by designers such as the legendary Florence Broadhurst (whose gorgeous wallpapers and fabrics I mentioned in a previous post), Christoper Vine, Tabitha and Anna Chandler.

Bowerbird is now offering Laissezfaire blog readers 10% off all purchases made in the month of August. Just mention Laissezfaire to the lady at the checkout counter to get your discount. Thanks Anna!

(above) Black Chandelier espresso set from Christopher Vine

(above) Latest range of Florence Broadhurst cushions

Paper flowers

I used to make tons of paper flowers when I was growing up. Our school principal had this grand utopic vision of transforming the whole school into a garden of sorts. To achieve this, the entire school (including parents and teachers) was mobilised to make tons of paper bouquets. We had to surrender our paper flowers to our arts and crafts teacher each week for grading and decorating purposes. I somehow forgot all about this, until I saw these beautiful handmade tissue flowers at Martha Stewart Crafts! I really think they are gorgeous and my hands are itching again to make some for my dressing table and a friend who is getting married soon.

If you are interested in learning how to make these, you can actually purchase the starter kits. One is for smaller, delicate tissue flowers, while the other is for larger hanging versions.

Paper fans

Brilliant paper wall art at The NieNie Dialogues. These paper fans were DIY-ed to add colour and personalise a rented space. (via Bluelines)

Adding colours to walls

When it comes to decorating, white and neutral palettes are safe ways to go. However, they are not always the bext. Sometimes bold, vibrant colors are just what a room needs. But before you rush to slap a layer of paint onto your wall , do take some time to consider some of these details.

1. Lighting. Can't stress how important good lighting is in ones perception of a room. Where you can, take advantage of natural lighting to cast light and shade onto your walls and add visual depth to your room.

2. Mix and match similar colour tones on doors, walls and different surfaces in the same room to accentuate certain unique features. However, don't get too carried away with this. Usually, I will play with not more than 3 different colours on any major surface in the same room.

3. Use your wall as a backdrop for your artwork!

4. Pay attention to wall textures, especially if you have a simple room and are going for the sparse look.

5. Vary the colour intensity to create visual definition and depth.

6. Take extra care in selecting fabrics for your bedding, curtains, carpets etc. Use colours and prints that will go well with your wall colour.

For more tips on how to use colour for your rooms, click here.

(pics from Marie Claire Maison)

Inspirational dining rooms

Perhaps the biggest trend in design for entertaining today is the return of the dining room. These are separate dining rooms, not the kitchen/all-purpose room that was common for many years. With getting together with friends and family at home becoming more popular than ever, architects and home designers increasingly find themselves designing for people who love to entertain with food.

Here are some design ideas taken from the dining rooms I like from LivingEtc...

(above) I love the way this dining room is anchored by the bold coloured carpet with a touch of green to soften the look of the room.
(above) The use of bright upholstery really gives a modern and glamorous touch to the period furniture. Wonderful eclectic mix of lighting.
(above) Wonderful contrast here.
(above) I like the way the outdoors is integrated with the interior space here. Beautiful backdrop!
(above) A homely relaxed feel is achieved by mixing and matching chairs to a simple pine table.
(above) A dining room(or any room for that matter) is never quite finished without fresh flowers.

Neat Recharge Station

Loose wires round the house always drive me crazy. Just thought that this Bedford Smart Recharge Station is a really neat idea to recharge all your gadgets in one place. And it doesn't look that difficult to DIY it yourself too! Here is one more project on my list! For those who want it NOW, it is available at Pottery Barn. (via Oh Happy Day)

The Home Rejuvenation

Many thanks to The Home Rejuvenation for recently highlighting Laissezfaire as a design blog to visit! Thought I will take this opportunity as well to introduce our readers to them.

Run by Stan and Kus of KNQ Associates, The Home Rejuvenation regularly provides inspiring ideas on interior design. They recently introduced a useful resource on their blog for home owners entitled "Shops to visit ". These guys really spent quite a considerable amount of time consolidating a comprehensive list of furniture and home accessory shops in Singapore under this new 'Shops To Visit' section. Do check them out as well as read their link to this blog post 'How to Give Your Home a Makeover - 8 Easy Steps'.

(image from boostle.com)