Interior Styling Workshop

Interior Designer and Eco Chic founder Cris Bucknall and her team will join you for a three hour seminar where she will offer expert tips and a healthy lunch to broaden your creative horizons.

• Eco Friendly Choices • Styling your Accessories • Mixing furniture genres • The Healthy Home • Colour Trends • Art and Lighting • Do's & Don’ts for Decorating • Champagne lunch

BSKT Café Nobbys Beach - Gold Coast February 21st, 2015 $150 per head 10.30-2pm

For all you style hunters out there, we are here to help you pull it all together

Limited space so reserve now !

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1300 897 715

How To Organise A Vintage Wedding - guest post by Lara Anderson

If you want your wedding to encapsulate the beauty and class of time gone by, why not incorporate a vintage theme into your big day? There’s plenty that can be done to ensure you tie the knot in style, so take a look at these top tips and be inspired.

Choose an era
To get the ball rolling, choose an era you feel most comfortable with be it the swinging sixties or the groovy seventies and use this to inspire all aspects of your wedding. With sites like Pinterest offering a wide range of vintage wedding tips, tutorials and visual stimuli you won’t be short of ideas and can even suss out vintage venues from wedding experts Bride Online.

Once you’ve chosen a theme, however, try to be as consistent as possible to avoid confusing your guests. After all, bridesmaids with flapper dresses on might look slightly strange next to guys wearing psychedelic print shirts and flares.

Find the right dress
Vintage wedding dress shopping is not only fun it also provides the perfect opportunity to rummage through second hand and charity shops. You never know what you might find, so keep an eye out for old-school wedding gowns, beautiful tiaras and even some retro jewellery to complete your bridal outfit. Of course, shopping this way can be hit or miss, so if you don’t find anything how about adding a personal touch by slipping into your mum’s old wedding frock?

Perfect your hair
These days, many celebrities are rocking the retro curls – after all, they’re the epitome of old Hollywood glamour. So whether you want loose waves like Veronica Lake or tighter curls like Marilyn Monroe, get practicing now for your big day or arrange a trial hair do with a professional stylist. If your theme is more 1920s, however, you could even rock the flapper girl bob or combine a pixie haircut with some pretty dapper accessories.

Make a vintage brooch bouquet
If fresh flowers are far too modern for your vintage ceremony, why not learn how to make a delightful brooch bouquet? Sure, you’ll need a bit of patience to get this right but with a little determination you could transform some old-school, sentimental jewellery into a special keepsake. If you don’t own any brooches don’t panic as they can be bought relatively cheaply from op shops or jewellery and clothes stores.

Dress the tables in vintage chic
For proper attention to detail with a vintage wedding, don't overlook the little touches - sometimes it's the minor elements which make a major impact. To bring a bit of vintage chic to proceedings, dress the tables appropriately. Eco Chic's vintage soy candles would work brilliantly as a centrepiece to the table - and lovely keepsake mementos for guests to take home afterwards. Tall, elegant candlestick holders work equally well too. Another nice gesture is to have a different picture of bride and groom (random photos of the couple's life together so far, holidays, Christmas, etc) on each table in a distressed frame.

Hire a car
Leave your old banger in the garage and make a grand entrance in a beautiful vintage car. The Cadillac has plenty of retro charm or you could head to your chosen venue in a Mercedes Benz or Rolls Royce. There are many companies that will hire you one of their vehicles for the day, so see what you can find. Tie some empty tin cans to the back for a rustic 'just married' feel and you’ll be good to go.

Retro weddings are extremely exciting to prepare so put your thinking cap and enjoy piecing together your big day.

Strike a Light...

Sharing some tips and tricks from www.freshome.com  that should convert your home into an oasis of relaxation for both you and your guests.
We often neglect the magical effects lighting can have on a room.
With just a few fixtures in the right place, a room can easily appear bigger, taller, longer or… cosier.
So what is it about lighting that can make a place more inviting than the next?

It all breaks down to the simple act of repetition.

In order to reduce the scale of a room, consider placing several table lamps around, for an intimate atmosphere.
You should only use a ceiling light for larger gatherings or formal events.
Floor lamps are ideal for an awkward corner, shining on a sofa in the living room or library or brightening an entry hall.
When entertaining, small things like adding candles, dim lighting from various sources, a glowing fireplace mean your place is ready for a perfect convivial evening.
 

Eco Chic Suggestions

               
 Miami Shores Pendants         Norway Floor Lamp

              
  Barbarella Candle Sticks        Cheval Table Lamp

Living Rooms to Love

Sharing some of Joanna Ford's interior design tips for achieving a living room that looks good, works hard and knows how to relax!

• Create a conversation space - Ideally a U-shaped space is what you should be looking to achieve, here seating arrangements are set up in a way where everyone has eye contact creating a more intimate chatting space. Never push furniture up against walls, by pulling your seating arrangement even a few centimetres away from the wall, the space will instantly warm up and it also creates good flow.

 

• Work out your focal point – Almost every living room has at least one natural focal point. If yours has a fireplace, that will no doubt be it. Other focal points may include a window with a wonderful view, a gallery wall or a pair of French doors. Whatever the focal point of your room, be sure you arrange your furniture to take advantage of it. Often people will place furniture around the TV, sure, this is ok, but don’t forget to also angle some chairs away from the TV to create some natural conversation points.

 

 

 

·         Establish a centre point - This isn’t necessarily the middle of the room but most of the time it will be. Generally, this is where the coffee table, or centre table should sit.  If your home has a very long, or very large living room, consider having two centre points, one will be larger than the other.

 

Bold and Beautiful Bar Stools...

Give your kitchen an easy make over simply by adding some colour splash bar stools!
A plain white kitchen is the perfect backdrop for adding vitamin colour to the heart of your home.
Here, the crayon coloured stools and textural basket pendants add fun and warmth to a fairly classic kitchen.
The great thing about these accessories is that they are just that - items that can be changed around with your moods and the seasons to bring your kitchen up to date quickly and easily.
For example, you could try coloured pendants and natural wood barstools for an alternative version of this look.
Our San Vito and Maddie bar stools can be custom coloured and upholstered to your exact specifications to give your kitchen signature style.
Throw in some fruit and flowers and perhaps an artwork or feature clock and your kitchen reflects your personality - just as your favourite recipe does!

Eco Chic Suggestions

  
Dipped Basket Pendants   San Vito Bar Stool

 

                     Dakota Barstool           Raffia Chandelier                           

 

 

 

In Bloom

Sharing some House & Garden floral inspiration!

Try splitting taller varieties of flower among complementary vessels, as with these three elegant vases of delphiniums. They stand out on their side table pedestal making a singular statement. Check out http://nicolettecamille.com/ for more ideas.

Even for those who aren't keen on house plants, the glossy, shapely leaves of the humble cheese plant can look wonderful in a vase against dark, jewel-like colours. Just cut some from the garden or wayside - fabulous and free!

Nowhere are the clean, simple lines of orchids more visually effective than when they are used as a palate cleanser against rich chinoiserie pattern, such as in this dining room by Paolo Moschino.

Radiant Orchid - Friend or Foe?

Pantone's colour of the year, as you probably know, is Radiant Orchid.  A much more difficult colour to successfully use in interiors than its predecessors, Tangerine and Emerald, this colour is tricky to source and even tricker to use to good effect.

 

 

The trouble with pastels is they just remind us of girly bedrooms, and that's fine if that's the end result required, but how to use this colour in a living room, kitchen or bloke's home??  The answer is to use in moderation. 

 

 

 

 

This room works and is pleasant, but still rather over-the-top mauve/orchid.  Perhaps if the curtains had been taupe or white the effect would have been rather more sophisticated.

 







This living room by Kelly Wearstler puts the mauvey tones in the rug and anchors the scheme with darker purple/grey shades. Still feminine, but not sickly.

 

 

Here, just the rug and the pendant refer to the orchid tones, and even combined with primary yellow still manage to look sophisticated, thanks to tons of airy white and pared back accessories. 

 

 



A radiant orchid splashback!  Unusual, and because used sparingly, successful.

 

This room manages to be (almost) masculine and yet still use the purple and mauve colour family.  White, grey and natural wood really enhance the orchid tones.

 

Of course, if it all gets too hard, then the easiest way to add a touch of radiant orchid is to use the original and best - flowers!  Nature's way of safely adding colour to our living rooms!

 

Kitchen Cool

A kitchen / dining space that combines warehouse chic and safari style with magnetic results.  We'd like to hang out here! Quite unusual to have a zebra rug (oval shaped no less), provencal style chairs, off beat art and city slick pendant lighting all thrown together in a kitchen area.  But the white walls and cabinets provide a crisp backdrop to these cheeky and eclectic references and the colour family remains consistent throughout. 

• Notice how the overall whiteness and colour splashes are balanced by the natural tones in the chairs, floor and rug. 
• Pendant lights over a dining table helps define a space, add workspace and meal time lighting of course but also direct our gaze upwards increasing the sense of loftiness in a room.
• Don't be afraid to re-purpose and re-home.  The ladder in the kitchen looks great, is unusual and yet very practical for reaching hard to find items.  If you have the ceiling height, try adding a long, painted ladder to your kitchen for extra style points.
• Add the unexpected and give your space the edge. Here, the strangely attractive clown art makes a talking point and adds an extra dimension.

Want to recreate? 
Eco Chic has some suggestions:  check out our Chandeliers and Pendants for dining style; our Valmont dining table would look fab in such a space; browse through our Art section for inspiration and our Rugs offer many funky options for kitchens and beyond.

Art of Living

 

Rooms that are inviting and yet still lived in are an enviable combination. This room manages to be city chic, family friendly, arty bohemian and casual cool all rolled into one.

 

The furniture pieces are all individual yet work together. This always gives a homely yet stylish feel. The pieces reference each other in tonality, however, which is important - otherwise everything can get too jumbled and messy.

Notice how neutral everything is; it is the art, the books and the flowers that give the colourfully carefree and intellectually inviting impression.

 

Like the look? Eco Chic has some suggestions: our Lily sofa is squashy and comfy and comes in any fabric you want; the Lewis upholstered ottoman works beautifully as a coffee table too; a Herringbone rug looks similar to this one; check out our Art offerings for an offbeat statement piece to add life to your living space.

Sharing Babette Hayes Styling Secrets

 We thought we'd share the practical and creative advice of designer and stylist Babette Hayes - and add a few inspirational photos to get you going!

1.     Creating zones is important so that there are defined areas for seating, TV viewing, activities, eating which have passage ways in between. So grouping is important – group the seating with coffee table, side table, lamps. Avoid matching it all so there is a sense of the unexpected. Then allow for walk through passages leading to another zone.  

 

2.     Hanging artworks, interesting objects with care, together rather than scattered – avoid hanging one picture in the middle of each wall. Collect interesting posters, images, children’s drawings, blow up family photos, frame them, group them on one or two walls in the living room, turn a corridor wall into a gallery, create a large colourful notice board on which to pin favourite photos, postcards, drawings etc.

 

  3.     In a house that’s well lived in, chaos can reign – so make sure there is one room that is tidy, organised and feels good to be in so that you have your favourite things to look at and enjoy. Here peace will reign and you will benefit. The entry point into a home is important – have a bench for shoes and boots to go under, a place for umbrellas and school bags, a box or basket in which to throw all the odd bits to keep them in one place. Keeping things in their own space – a row of hooks creates a sense of organisation, an awareness of the environment you live in.

 

 



Curiosity Chic

A history lesson or a trip down memory lane?  Neither, it’s an elegant space showcasing refined taste combined with a collector’s eye. 

Gathering together a collection is one thing, but displaying disparate items in attractive and cohesive style is a different challenge altogether.

We see shells, coral, fish and compasses. Lots of books.  Antique busts. The home of an intrepid explorer, an avid sailor or perhaps just an armchair traveller?

This corner is full of stuff, there’s plenty going on, but it actually comes across as a serene place to take a moment and savour life.  That’s because the varied elements share essential features that blend and complement each other, thus creating a pleasing, yet stimulating, experience for the eye.

The soft grey of the panelled walls provides a pleasingly neutral back drop. The pale parquet floor has detail but does not distract.  The strong black lines of the cabinet are repeated in the upholstery of the armchair, adding depth and structure.

Pale and interesting, the objects on display differ in size and scale – a very important feature. The shells wouldn’t be half as effective if they were half the size!  Slight shots of colour prevent things from becoming too bland; coral and lilac are always good options for adding uplift.

The romance of good old fashioned books will never be replaced by a Kindle, and their ability to add instant gravitas to a space can’t be underestimated.  Keep your books, gather more and most of all – read them!

Try Dulux Nolita for this shade of grey paint; our Polo armchair would work well in this space; check out our Caesar busts; try the Santa Barbara bookshelf for curiosity storage with style.