Kitchen/Bathroom Design

Have you ever bought a kitchen/bathroom design magazine in search of ideas or inspiration and after flicking through felt like you had wasted your money? I must confess to being a design magazine collector/hoarder but the few times I have bought a kitchen/bathroom design magazine I have had no problem in throwing it away. Uninspired by pages of boring kitchens and bathrooms, it is refreshing to find images of interesting kitchens and bathrooms.....like the kitchen above.

Among other things, budget constraints can limit choices of fittings and finishes for kitchens and bathrooms so it can be hard to get these stylish looks. One way to keep costs down but still acheive an interesting space is to choose one element as the feature, to inject some wow factor. It could be a light fitting, a bath, a state of the art oven, stunning tiles, an unusual vanity or benchtop and keep other fittings and fixtures low cost.
 
 
Consider alternatives to traditional joinery....furniture looks great and can give your kitchen or bathroom a unique look. Also consider using recycled materials and mixing old and new.






A bathroom in the Rough Luxe Hotel in London where the style concept is half rough, half luxury....luxurious fittings are combined with cheaper materials and existing distressed walls.


This bathroom belongs to London based designer and shop owner, Abigail Ahern who by the way is coming to Australia in July.   Have booked my place at her seminar titled, Creating feeling and emotion in an interior.

"Celebrated for her trailblazing designs Abigail draws upon the senses to create constantly evolving emotive interiors.   This stunning, visual seminar will be jam-packed with inspiring ideas from one of the world's most exciting decorators."   Sounds interesting!!! Will keep you posted.

Sunday

Having just watched three games of football, sitting in the car in the pouring rain......wipers on, wipers off, then loading three muddy footy uniforms into the washing machine, we have to ask ourselves what more is there to Sunday and where else would we possibly want to be? 

I have a few suggestions......beside the pool at a castle overlooking San Gimignano in Tuscany.....

or waiting for sunset at Oia, Santorini.......

or exploring the beautiful villages of Provence!!!

Well I guess my mother did it, heaps of other mothers out there do it every Sunday and plenty more will do it in generations to follow. But we can still dream of past "footy seasons" spent on the other side of the world.

In store today......

Above: "Cafe Girls" -  framed photo of friends having coffee in a Paris cafe.....dreaming!!!

And one of our new Bonnie & Neil cushions of Australian wild flowers

What a miserable morning it was in Launceston this morning.....a bleak reminder that it is the second of June and we are in for short days, colder temperatures and grey skies.   For those of us who have not taken off for the school holidays we need something to cheer us up......don't we!?! 

Above: we have 30% off our organic cotton single bed sheet sets.....which by the way are devine and come with a 5 year guarantee.   We also carry a range of doona covers including the one in the photo.

A bit of retail therapy.....a great way to shrug off the winter blues!!!

We had the lovely Loz in store on Saturday showing her gorgeous grandeliers to some interstate visitors, who hope to use them in a hotel renovation.   This is the stunning "HOOP" she left behind and which is still sitting on the bed.  Before I have it wired in come and grab it......it is a stunning eco icon being snapped up by designers worldwide.

Selling quickly are the light timber picture frames which come in 3 sizes and have a double mount board.  Very reasonably priced...... good grouped together to create a photo wall.    What a great holiday project for the children!

We have the small and medium oblong vases left, as seen on top of the cupboard.

Everyone's favourite tree!

NEW NEW NEW!

New grapefruit and forest diffusers, a very well priced gift.

For the person who has everything a PC dust brush! 

The very popular chemical free lemon myrtle multi purpose spray.....made in Tasmania.  Enjoy natural products!!!

Come in and check out our new products and our specials.  We are offering up to 50% off some items.

wonki ware

via Style files

Linen and tableware photo from the style files, looks very much like gorgeous wonki ware.  Our new wonki ware should be arriving this week.....and we have one set of plain linen serviettes remaining.

via style files

Along with our new custom made clothes rack we received a new coffee table identical to the one above.   All furniture in this range is made locally, can be made to order and includes book shelves, coffee tables, side tables and sofa tables.   

The last of the autumn leaves are clinging to the trees and below is a thick carpet of  leaves......boys!!! 

We have quite a lot of olive trees which are now bearing lots of olives.  Every year I plan to pick them and do something with them.  It is not going to happen this year, so if anyone out there wants them let me know.

New wonki ware arriving soon.  Lisa has recently returned from Africa with some new goodies, will keep you posted.

Tasmanian made super fine merino wool clothing label, Smitten is proving to be a very popular choice for locals at this time of the year.

Sibella Court's new book has just arrived.  A very interesting read even if you are not planning a trip to New York. 

Recent arrivals.....Decorate has been a popular choice and my personal favourite, A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life!!!

Kow Tow Promotion

UK fashion magazine, Sublime features KowTow organic fairtrade cotton clothing in its April 2011 issue.

We have the draw string top pictured above in cream and nutmeg and the construction top below in nutmeg, black and eggshell blue.

Come in and check out our range of KowTow clothing, mention that you saw it on our blog to receive a 20% discount on any item of KowTow clothing.  This week only.

Check out http://www.kowtowclothing.com/  for information about the label and sustainability.
ecoco was featured on the kowtow facebook page recently.

Home Away From Home

After deciding a couple of weeks ago to furnish the apartment above ecoco and give the boutique accommodation market a go, we have been busy setting up house!   Last Monday in record time I bought a very comfy king size matress, white goods, a TV, kettle and toaster and had it delivered 2 hours later!!!  Amazing for me, I usually take time to research everything I buy....or at least I did when I had the luxury of time!  There are some great bargins out there when you are buying in bulk!

Furniture, art and cushions have been gathered from our home, our sheds and the shop downstairs.   Clearly there are a few new slip covers and items of furniture on the way.  We are going to create a space which feels like a home rather than a hotel room.  A home away from home! 

Emma at Life as a Bird arranged the gorgeous flowers for our drinks on Friday night.....which was heaps of fun and a great way to celebrate the end of 2 and a half years of planning and renovating.... thank you to all who came along to celebrate with us, and to all who helped in some way.

In accommodation speak this is the King Suite!  Partly furnished.

The kitchen, dining and living space.  Partly furnished..... with a few changes to be made.  During summer the doors will open onto a balcony which overlooks the rooftops, across to West Launceston.

 

This would be a great apartment for tourists looking for self catering accommodation, or a family.  Next door is Landfall, selling Tasmania's best meat, around the corner is The Old Green Grocer where fresh organic produce can be bought, a few steps on is an award winning bakery and a lovely deli.....and if the guests don't feel like cooking there are also some great eating establishments  just around the corner.  Perfect!

From the street.....

cafes and shops around the corner in Charles Street......

and just a short stroll into the city.