Watercolor

Came across these cute watercolors by Kat Macleod today...
I see them with a white mat and a simple modern white frame. Wouldn't they be cute in a girls room or even part of an art wall, a la Anna Spiro?



































How would you hang these? How about just leaning one against a wall, perhaps behind a lamp by the night stand??  Any ideas?

Natasha

Images via here

Meeting Mariska Meijers

Last Friday I drove 1 1/2 hour in rush hour traffic (no small task!), down to Miami for Art Basel (jam packed yearly art event). I had previously been invited to meet Mariska Meijers, but either she was in Europe, or I was, and we could not connect! Well, the friendly (and tall!) Eva from Interdecorations was hosting an art showing of Mariska's work, and I could NOT miss it again! Thank you Eva and Mariska, it was so much fun to finally connect, and thank you to Bobby Berk for your hospitality, it was a pleasure to meet you as well, comparing travel stories....

L to R: Eva Roepers, Natasha, Mariska Meijers, Daphne Plug

I was lucky to be out early, and was able to not only meet Mariska, but also have her tell me about what inspires her, how she works, what projects she has in the works... Turns out she was a banker in her "previous life" and also speak a small amount of Swedish, after living in Stockholm for a few years... Who knew? Mariska could not have been nicer, despite battling jet lag :) !!!! 

Mariska sitting pretty amongst her work at Bobby Berk home. 

Brightly colored art work and pillows are Mariska's trademark. There are several different fabrics for the pillow, and the workmanship is impeccable!!!

This is how I would hang Mariska's artwork, let it speak for itself!! - Don't you love the mixture of colors, with the Chinese wood console table?

I encourage you to play this You Tube video ( here), the "feeling good" music is fantastic side by side with Mariska Meijers work! You can also check out the MM website here, and if you need to know more this is the link to her colorful blog!

Natasha

Image #1 - #3 via Eva's Interdecorations, Image #4 here

I never thought...

... I would actually say this.....

 
This is the prettiest cow I have ever seen :)!!

I don't recall how I stumbled upon this image, but it's been in my "white" file for a while. The image is taken in a child's room, and the butterfly mobile is most likely what caught my attention to start with. I wonder who drew this? But in a day where everything is mass produced, it's refreshing to see something so simple and pretty.... and delicate ;) (Really, did I just say that? Can a cow be delicate...??)

Have fun today!!

Natasha

Image via Lonny 

ShopTilYouDropKellySmithAndMe

Magazine - Shop Til You Drop AUST Dec, Nov and Oct 2009
Illustrater - Kelly Smith (Birdy And Me Blog)
Scans - Myself

Some many months ago my blogger lady love and friend Kelly Smith asked if I wanted to

model for her monthly illo to feature regularly in Shop Til You Drop...
...Of course I was more than thrilled and totally flattered and jumped at the thought!
So above are the first 3 features (Dec, Nov and Oct 2009).

A little shoutout to Death Wears Diamon Jewellery who spotted me in the Dec issue :) x

Kelly is so so super talented it's scary... (obviously) ...
And it's SO great to see some of the big guns in the industry snapping up her huge talent.
I am a proud owner of some of her work...(go here to get in on the action too!)
And honestly..wish I could have an entire wall filled with her drawings.
To check out more of her work head here...you wont be let down.
Thanks again Kelly!!

HAPPY FRIDAY TO ALL!

So excited to be having a beach session with the girls tomorrow...

Perfect way to spend a few hours trying to adapt to the heatwave we are in!

It's intense...sooo hot.

Hope you all have fun weekends ahead too.

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-PS-

I am way behind on link exchange requests.

.SO.

If you would like to exchange links...

...please copy your site link directly into the comments section of this post and I will add you :)

x THANK YOU x

Shell Shock

I came across this beautiful image the other day; what caught my eye was the striking color of the Limpet shells... this fantastic turquoise color, in all the different variations. This image really show how a few simple shells can make a big impact, don't you think?

Limpets do not only come one shade, there are also White versions and Pink versions (they are sub tidal) as well as Grey and Brown versions (that are an intertidal species). And guess what... you can actually eat them! They are sought to be a delicacy in both Hawaii and Portugal! Have you ever tried one of these??

OK, so you might not want to eat these little guys, but appreciating their beauty, that we can all agree on, right? What about using the shells in artwork?

I see this as a wonderful DIY project for all you shell collectors out there!! Get your self set up with a shadow box frame, a glue gun and some of these beautiful shells and go to town. I suggest measuring out the space first and marking where to place the shells.... but that's just the designer in me :)

Depending on how may shells you have collected, or the size of them, decide on the size of your frame.

Hope this has inspired you to use some of those shells you have collected over the summer?!
But if you - like me - have not had a beach vacation, but want a little beach decor anyhow, a few of these beautiful Shells in Shadows can be purchased here.

Have fun!
Natasha

Image #1 & #2 via Google search, Image #3 & #4 Via Shells in Shadows

Living large in a small space!

Check out this very cool, but small home, located in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Great way to bring a little color to an all white space, and gaining valuable storage space at the same time! I really like the worn leather chairs; the warmth of the leather against the cool chrome....

This is how you do it! Art wall at it's best...
Keeping it black and white, mixing frames and sizes. Great job!!

A peak out to the small outdoor space, extending the living space.

Taking full advantage of the summer and the green space, this little oasis is living large!!

Natasha

All images via Skona Hem

Soft Blues... again

I am particularly interested in the wall art; Is it a tapestry? Is it a wooden, carved wall plaque? Does anyone know?
Either way, I think it ties the whole room together beautifully; the metal sconces, the dark floor, the lacquered coffee table, the blue walls and the neutral furniture. Do you think the room was built around this piece of artwork? It would almost be too much of a coincidence to build up the room, and then go hunting for art, that would fit the space so perfectly.... just a thought!

Have a beautiful day,

Natasha

Image via House Beautiful.

KellySmithROCEyewear

Illustration - Kelly Smith

My favourite artist Kelly Smith has done it..again!
Kelly has recently been working on some illustrations for the launch of the

ROC Eyewear Spring Summer Lookbook
And what an amazual job she has done indeed!
I can't wait to see the entire series.
On a personal note..this excites me even more so as the male model used
in this campaign, Jake Gordon (Chic), is a very good friend of mine.
So was naturally VERY excited to know Kelly was going to be drawing him!
Looking fiiiiiine Jakey Gee :)
Also to feature in the campaign are female models Victoria Lee and Lauren Esther.
Kelly - you are amazing!

Happy Monday all

XXXXXXX

-ps-

Thanks 1,000,000 for all the love you guys gave me in the last two posts.

I am without words - thank you again and again :)

Vintage Rose

While looking thru some old files, I came across these two beautiful Vintage Rose Images.



I think the photography is exquisite, and in an all white setting like this, wow, it really pops!
You can almost "dive in".... So, for all you lovers of white interiors (I'm in that group! :) ), to get a little color on the walls, this might be the way to go?!

Re-visiting the Shine by S.H.O. website, I was reminded of the very cool artwork you can find there. Check out the look book here, it is not to be missed!

T.G.I. almost F!

Natasha

Images via Shine

I found it...

I have been reading this fun blog from Sweden for about a year now, and every so often an image of H of P's home show up, and every time I see this Butterfly print, I try to find out where it's from... well, I found it!! YEAH!



I just adore how simple and clean this image looks. The black frame grounds the almost all white image, and just punches up the black outline of the butterfly.



I was finally able to, via 117 different blogs, and completely by chance, find the website that sells this print, so if anyone else out there is interested check out Rockett St. George.

I can't wait to my butterfly arrives!

Natasha

Image #1 here, Image #2 & #3 here

I spy....

.... Buttons, lots of buttons!



In fact buttons have been used for this work of art, by the British artist and sculptor Ann Carrington.

A few days ago, the striking image below appeared on Shelter , and suddenly I remembered the image above.... (It had been tucked away in one of my files; I think originally be cause of the cymbidium orchids in the glass cylinder).



Then, re-reading the Shelter post, I came across the Bungalow Hotel, and here is a wide shot of that same room, with The Pearly Queen Bow artwork by Ann Carrington, commanding your attention on the back wall.



Below, yet another image, via Brown Button.



Ann Carrington was commissioned to do this piece of artwork for Queen Elizabeth of England's 80th Birthday. The original work is made from pearls, troca and abalone shell buttons.

If you are interested, Ann sells prints from her website, exclusively, the prints are signed and numbered.



... one last, fantastic piece of work from her, hope you are inspired. Try clicking on the image to enlarge, then you really get the full effect. Amazing work!!!
Check out the other pieces of artwork she has done, they are very cool!!

Natasha

Image #1 Decorno, Image #2 here, Image #3 here, Image #4 here, Image #5 here.

Picture Perfect!

This art wall remind me of an art wall in the Flag Ship Store of Malene Birger in Copenhagen. She also uses this type of revolving art display in her home, as seen here in a previous Northern Light Blog post.

I am liking the shiny, cool Sputnik light fixture paired with the warmth of the dark wood table!

Do you prefer art walls on ledges, like here, or the art work actually hung on the wall in a collage?

Natasha

Image via Screaming Lobster on tumblr.

Blue Lady

Some of you may recognize this Blue Lady from the home of Anna Spiro. She recently featured an image from her bedroom, the post was about curtains, but what really struck me, was this artwork. I love the color, and the mix of this piece alongside the ornate, gilded mirror on the opposite side.

What's your take? Love, like or not so much??

Natasha

Image via ABT

It's the Weekend...

I first "grabbed" this image because of the Chinese Brush...

I have a few of them; one I picked up here in the states (from an Asian furniture store), a few in Denmark, and a few in Hong Kong. My latest acquisition was from a local interior design store, the handle is clear quartz, and it's just beautiful!! I love the carved handles, and also the simple beauty of the stone used.

Are they passe in the decorating world, (I don't know) but mine are often on display... :)

Secondly... the black and white drawing in the background remind me of Oscar!
My parent's dog. HI!!
Thirdly... (is that a word?) the small watercolor of the feathers... My mom often brings in feathers from her walks in the countryside. Sometimes it's a pheasant feather, sometimes it is a small vibrant feather :)

Hmmm.... It's the weekend, what will you be doing? I am having my best friend over, we are cooking for other friends, I am sure it will be fun!!
She is even sharing her secrete Lasagna recipe with me!! Ssshhhhh!

Natasha

Image unknown

Picture Perfect

Hi again, sorry for the silence.....




Thank you, to all of you who have been stopping by, I encourage you to leave me a comment, any language will do, they totally make my day!!!

I am sharing this image from Day, Birger & Mikkelsen with you, I have had it in my files for a while. I think the reason I have been hanging on to it, are the colors.... And looking a little closer I just realised I have the small silver box next to the shell necklace! You can just make out that it's a face, right? Actually, I purchased this "silver" box and also one in black. Originally I had intended to give one away to a friend of mine, but just could not split them up, once I got them back home.....

Have a wonderful week!

Natasha

New on the virtual newsstand...

Meet the new girl in town! How exciting is this... another new magazine, full of great reading material and fantastic images!!!

I am so proud to say Shari Miller of Little Blue Deer is the Art Director! I had the pleasure of working with Shari when I reached out to her to help with the Northern Light Blog header.
I could not have been happier working with her, and I am super excited to see what else she and the House of Fifty have up their sleeve.

If the first issue is any indication, let me tell you, we are all in for a treat!

Check it out here!

Happy Monday reading!!

Natasha

Cover and artwork via Hose of Fifty.

House Love

In my mailbox this past Friday was the new Elle Decor, couldn't wait to dive in, but didn't really have time until Sunday afternoon....

I now have a new House Love!



Well, to be fair, not really the house, but the interiors, the location and the view!!
The house belong to Ellen Pompeo and husband, Chris Ivery.



What a great idea to have artwork in the kitchen!

Seem like a big wall too fill, and Sebastiao Salgado black and white image of an Indian train station fits perfectly, even visually extending the room.

On a side note; the antique hexagon terracotta tile were imported just for this house, and are featured in the kitchen, on the terrace and even in the bathroom.



How about the mix of items from so many cultures; Moroccan lantern, Chinese table, African art, Indian fabric for the pillows, Afghan dhurrie, Iron sculpture with prayer beads.... all mixed in a Spanish-style house. I think it all works so beautifully, it comes across to me as sophisticated world traveler, bringing home treasures from far away places, it is what makes this house so interesting!! I would love an afternoon to really explore, what about you?



...I spy a Hermes throw, but what is even more exciting is the Nick Brandt photograph, leaning against the wall! Lately I have been spotting his images in interiors, perhaps an "I spy..."-post at a later time....

The house was decorated by Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, and the shoot was styled by Carlos Mota. I say GREAT JOB!!

You inspired me to look for more ethnic accessories, and I hope my home one day will reflect my travels.

Natasha

Images via Elle Decor

Butterflies

Time flies when you are having fun....

I have not had a second to spare in the last couple of weeks, hence my absence!

This being my first "day back", I have just spent a couple of hours traveling the many blogs and sites I have been missing. Visiting Moth Design, I found this link, and I am now dreaming of one of these fantastic installations.... Such beautiful work!



It's great to be back!

Natasha

Image #1 via Moth Design, Image #2 via Happiness Is

SarahHankinsonIllustrations

Soooo good! Love. Inspired. Talent. Beautiful ladies.

Amazing.

Check out more from Sarah Hankinson...

http://sarahhankinson.blogspot.com/

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