Blogging Break

You may have noticed it's really, really hard to blog when it's summer: you want to be outside in the sunshine - especially when you have beloved family visiting, whom you don't usually get to hang out with. I did my best the past few months but now I've decided to take a month off. My folks arrive in Boston tonight and I plan to have ridiculous amounts of fun with them, and share all my newly-found favourite places since last they were here (Mom was here 2 years ago with my 87 year-old Gran, which was amazing, and my Dad was last year here over 5 years ago!)

Besides that, we are moving! The huge apartment above us in our two family house has opened up and we decided to go make the move. I love, love, love our apartment but the hubster and I both have business plans (he's already off and running - anyone need SEO help? Email me! - and I hope to get mine going in the next couple of months) so we need the space. The place has been inhabited by one group of students after another so its not in great shape. I went up there yesterday morning and it really, really needs a good scrub! I think it will be a challenge to make it nice (can you say white carpet?!) but I think we are up for it. And frankly, I think the poor place will appreciate having people in it who love it.

I saw this shortly after walking through the place, and it makes me feel like we can make it a wonderful place to live.

Saw it on pinterest, of course.

"A place belongs forever to whoever claims it hardest ... wrenches it from itself, shapes it, renders it, loves it so radically that he remakes it in his image." - Joan Didion 

Enjoy your August (and maybe a bit of September) and I'll see you soon!
xoxoxo

What Inspires You?

What makes me excited is the colour in fashion right now - all the colour blocking and joyousness. Don't you think it's great? Another thing that makes me happy (and shouldn't fun things like fashion be happy?) is the profusion of African print out there. 

 For where the images came from, check out my pinterest board...

Weekend Thoughts

Just spent the most relaxing and wonderful weekend with friends down on Cape Cod. Lots of beach time, stand up paddle boarding, eating, good conversation ... just great.

This pic, although not of Cape Cod but the other Cape in my life (in South Africa) totally captures the feeling... it's Camps Bay, pic by Court at Holding Court. (click on it to see it bigger - its worth it!)

Doubles - Part 2

As I was saying yesterday, I'm enamoured with the beautiful homes of Dominique O'Connor and her daughter, Gigi Wason, who make up Dominico House in Cape Town. Yesterday I showed you Gigi's home and today I'll share Dominique's, from June 2012's House & Garden magazine.

How can you not immediately be drawn in? The house is a traditional Cape Dutch.

I think there are elements in Dominique's house that were in Gigi's, and that's why I like it. The old world feel, the textures and colours, and of course, lots of blue and white.

Doubles

Another lovely find in my new magazine stash, was a magnificent home located in Kenilworth, Cape Town, featured in June's Homes & Gardens magazine. I absorbed the images and decided to look up the blog of the owner - Dominique O'Connor. When I got to her blog, I realized that I had seen her daughter's home in another magazine a couple years ago, and I loved that house, too.

So today and tomorrow I'll share their homes. Together they form Dominico, an interiors company. Dominique's daughter, Giselle (who goes by Gigi) and her husband, live above the shop - as the saying goes - in a beautiful building in Tamboerskloof. I thought it was gorgeous.

Gigi says she is inspired by her family's heritage in Mauritius and Durban - both tropical places. And that's what I like about the decor: the bamboo, textures, built-ins, tropical fabrics and a bit of old world charm.

Or, it could just be the beagles.

Soft Stones

One of the advantages of family coming to visit is the wonderful goodies they bring from South Africa with them. In the June/July issue of Elle Decor Ronel Jordaan's work was featured.

(Pics from apartmenttherapy, Jennifer Tetlow's blog, and Designer's Block UK.)

And these cushions and things are all interesting, but my favourite? These lamps. All together now: oooh. Wish they had had more pics but they didn't, and I couldn't find anymore online. The ombre colour is just gorgeous.