Design Boards | Bibby + Brady

I remember when I used to blog five days a week. Heck, when I first started this blog I used to post seven days a week! A blog is a huge commitment and takes hours and hours of work and planning. I love blogging, but as my interior design business, Bibby + Brady, has grown, the amount of time I've had to dedicate to blogging has diminished.

I thought you guys might like to see just a tiny bit of what I've been doing that has left me less time to write posts. One of the things we do at Bibby + Brady is to create design concept boards for our clients that are tailor made for their wants, needs, and budget. We spend a lot of time finding out what they are hoping to achieve, who will use the space and what it will be used for. We include paint colours, fabric for curtains, blinds, and cushions, flooring, furniture, wallpaper, art, accessories, as well as inspirational imagery. Other than the inspirational images, we can supply everything we put on our boards, and pass on discounts wherever possible.

We love working on the exteriors of homes as well as the interiors. It's great to make an impression right from the start.

These are just a few of our boards, and I've chosen ones that give a bit of a cross section of our work.

If you would like to hire Bibby + Brady to help with your home or workplace, don't hesitate to get in touch. Dael and I work with clients from all around New Zealand with our e-design service, as well as local Hawke's Bay clients. We can help you with jobs as small as making a roman blind for your bedroom, and as big as designing every room in your house. Our aim is to create beautiful, unique spaces that reflect their owners.

Monday Inspiration

Let's kick this week off with a super cool house tour to inspire you, and hopefully encourage you to push the boundaries a bit. If you've been thinking about a new paint colour in your home, maybe this post will spur you on to embrace the dark side, and/or make a statement with some amazing art.

It's the holiday retreat of designer and entrepreneur, Terry Kaljo, situated in Sydney's Darling Point. I love the drama and the elegance she has created in this home.

The downstairs floor was designed for guests and has quite a different, more contemporary, Pacifica feel.

To read more about this amazing home, pop over to Vogue Living. (Photos by Prue Ruscoe)

Portrait of a Lady

I am often drawn to portraits of women, and I love seeing them used in interiors. It doesn't have to be (and more often is not) someone you know, just an image that "speaks" to you. A vintage painting is always nice, I think, to contrast the more modern elements that a lot of us have in our homes.

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Although he is a contemporary artist, David Bromley's "Nudes" series is a favourite of mine.

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And Tretchikoff is another favourite, especially Miss Wong.

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Anna Spiro created one of her famous picture walls, featuring mostly women, at the Halcyon House restaurant. I sometimes think I should do that with my collection.

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Photographs can also be really striking, especially if they're larger than life.

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Do you share my love of lady portraits? Which is your fave from the selection above?

Favourite Space | Florence Charvin

Dael & I are really excited to be bringing you a new series of blog posts called "Favourite Spaces". We are surrounded by amazing, clever people and we wanted to share these people with you, and show you the places they love the most. You'll usually find creative people in cool surroundings, and that's definitely the case with the lovely Florence Charvin.

Florence is an amazing photographer, and will be our photographer for all of our Fave Spaces posts. I've featured her on the blog before here and here. Originally from France, she's now a true blue Hawke's Bay-ite and has recently moved into a cute wee cottage in Clive with her three young children.

Florence's favourite space is her dining nook and kitchen. When she moved into the house the kitchen was very old and dated. Although she couldn't afford a super flash kitchen, she has managed to create a beautiful space on a tiny budget. The old cupboard doors and bench top have been replaced with plywood and cut-away detailing instead of handles. Planks of wood on metal braces provide more storage, and the wall hung cupboards were kept, but with the fronts removed.

The open storage means all of Florence's beautiful pieces are on display. Gorgeous pottery and old tins collected over the years, and jars filled with kitchen staples.

The bench seats in the dining nook are made from concrete blocks, topped with a wooden seat and layered with cosy throws - ingenious! So simple, really comfy, and in keeping with Florence's style.

Each "Favourite Spaces" post will have a wee Q&A so we can get to know our creative peeps a bit better...

What do you love about this space?
I love the fact that it's where we all meet to have our meals and be together, work, do homework, play games...

Who helped with your renovation?
I loved that space from the moment we moved in, and I knew I wanted it to look clean, open and cosy. So I painted it myself straight away in black and white, and my friend Rowe provided the plywood that replaced all the old surfaces and cupboards doors. My sister-n-law, Megan, was great with advice, like keeping the cupboard on the wall but getting rid of the doors so they look like modern shelves; and I also wanted comfortable window seats to go around the kitchen table, and she suggested using those concrete blocks, which were really cheap and really useful for storing my cookbooks.

Do you have any advice for people decorating on a budget?
Just work with what you've got and improve it with paint in a colour that's really you. Bring in some fun and modern items (like the concrete blocks, a nice table, plants etc).

Getting to know you better:
What's you favourite time of day?
When the light is soft and beautiful, either early morning or late at night.

Who or what inspires you?
There are a lot of clever, interesting people around, but I am the most inspired by people who are excited about life and it's possibilities.

What are you reading at the moment?
I love reading, in particular French writers. I am reading Marcel Proust's "In Search of Lost Time" (Swann's Way).

Sweet or savoury?
Savoury!! Even when I was little I would ask for cheese and olives as a treat rather than chocolate or cake.

Favourite drink?
Chai tea, and Champagne for special occasions.

Favourite thing in your home?
My vintage mirror collection. I have loads of them, I love their various shapes and the light they reflect back in the house.

Top of your wish list for your home?
A beautiful industrial lamp to go above my kitchen table and a large vintage Cathrineholm enamel bowl in black or yellow.

Thank you so much Florence for inviting us into your home, and for joining us on this journey of favourite spaces. I think you'll agree Florence has a beautiful style and you can see that reflected in her work - Fotographie by Florence Charvin. I hope you come along on the journey as well, and meet all of the clever and interesting people we know.

Jen Sievers | Artist

It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to my old mate, Jen Sievers. Jen and I worked together in a design and marketing firm back in the day. I knew she was a super talented graphic designer, but what I've recently discovered is that she is an amazing artist too.

From a young age Jen always loved to paint and draw. She started her career with a fine arts degree, and went on to work for 15 years as a graphic designer. Jen's 'Big Magic' moment happened when she and her husband moved out to a semi-rural house in the foothills of the Waitakeres. It was spring time and the beauty of her surroundings inspired Jen to pick up her paintbrush again. Working four days a week as a designer, Jen spends as much time as possible in her studio on Friday through Sunday, and in the evenings (when she's not chasing her beautiful wee toddler around).

Jen paints contemporary abstracts that are fresh, whimsical and drenched in colour. Her aim is to capture movement, draw the viewer in and evoke joy and emotion. I think it's safe to say that she has achieved that, don't you?

You can find some of Jen's acrylic on large canvases at Endemic World, and she may be introducing some of her work in print form too in the near future.

She also has a number of her pieces available on Society6, from prints to tote bags to cushions, and more.

As well as her large canvases, Jen creates small wood blocks that can sit on a bookshelf or be hung on the wall. For more details and to keep up with all the happenings and new work, make sure you follow Jen on Facebook and Instagram. I know I'm excited to see what's next for this fantastic artist.