Fez...Morocco

Somehow I had a feeling it was going to take an entire day to collect yesterday's purchases from the tannery and take them to the post office!!!

Ahmed from the tannery who was entrusted with my care, and was to take me to the post office somehow managed to drag me first to his "brother's" then his "uncle's" then his "cousin's" carpet shops, during which I had to endure numerous carpet shows, cups of mint tea and even a free lunch of which I could not bring myself to touch (with the exception of the bread) for fear of food poisoning!!!

When Ahmed had exhausted all prospects of a commission or sale he then left me at his wife's herb and spice shop and said he would send someone to show me back to my riad.    After an hour or so of chatting to Ahmed's wife about everything from contraception to spices I produced a 50dh note and persuaded her to take me back to my riad!!!  

Lesson 101 in travelling Morocco as a solo female, have the number of your riad with you at all times!!!  Now safely back by the pool where I clearly belong!!!

Medical Drama!

Excited to share with you photos from today's road trip which lead us right to the very stylish entrance of a medical clinic in a North West Tasmanian coastal town.  Looking more like something from the pages of a magazine, this amazing medical clinic is a project that we had the privilege to assist with in 2012, consulting  with the project manager on interior colour, wall finishes, lighting and soft furnishings.  The creative lady behind this project has pulled together the most amazing collection of wares from some of Tasmania's most interesting shops.  I think you will agree the result is nothing short of spectacular!  

Two thirds of the medical centre is new, an original old home with timber floorboards sits comfortably between the concrete floor extensions at it's rear and front.  

Behind the antique french doors...

the entrance foyer....concrete floor, industrial pendants, chair and work bench softened with natives, candles and books....

the walls and ceilings throughout most of the interior are painted in Murobond Syrup, creating a dramatic backdrop for the collections and colourful curios...

behind the reception desk the filing cabinets are faced with panels of recycled timber and finished with some of our quirky little door knobs...

there are collections of some of our favourite cushions

books abound to keep patients occupied in the waiting room...

our large black dome pendant, looks at home above the meeting table and against the backdrop of bookshelf wallpaper...

our vintage kantha covered chairs in the waiting room

        office or meeting room

student training room

one of the 9 consulting rooms

entrance

staff room and kitchen

staff room/kitchen

staff room

waiting room

We'd love to know your thoughts, leave a comment!!!

Di x

Hi there blogging friends,

It's been a while, and wow do we have a back log of material!!!

June was catch up month after our trip, July a busy month with visits to Decoration and Design and  in August, the gift fairs.  Throw in a family of 3 growing boys who eat mountains of food and create mountains of washing and a shop to run and all of a sudden we have a blogging break!!!

If you are wondering about our website, it is under going maintenance and will be back up soon with some of our favourite products from the store.

We are very excited about the new home wares and furniture we have on the way.  Above is a sneak peak at some of the goodies we have coming soon.  

D

x

Hi there.....

In the window this week....

Hi there,

It's been a busy few weeks since returning from my trip, with lots of things on the horizon it is an exciting time at ecoco.   If you receive our newsletter, you'll already know that we've been having a sale to clear space for some of the new product lines and one off items we found while travelling through Europe, as well new products are still arriving from our Australian suppliers....sooo many possibilities my mind runs overtime with what to do next!!!  Anyway, starting with the here and now, the following images show some of the products we have in store now and they are rather lovely.

x

Reversible quilt in store now....

a Bameleke stool/table from South Africa in one of H&G 50 best rooms

we currently have 2 in natural timber ...

chairs currently in store

stools currently in store

and more of Emma's gorgeous cushions.

Bonjour

Bonjour,  

My last post from Paris, getting ready for the long flight home!

Have had the best time over the last few weeks, met some amazing people and found some amazing things.  Now looking forward to getting back to my gorgeous boys, my home and work!!!

x

Merci

In the city that keeps on giving!  

My travelling companion Antoine has been doing a little Paris research on his lonely planet app while waiting  for our washing at the launderette.  His research has revealed that Paris is called the city that keeps on giving because even if you are second timers to this beautiful city there is always more discover...how true!

As second timers we have skipped all of the famous Parisian sites in preference for discovering more of the secret wonders this city has to offer and for me that would include fabulous retail spaces.

Our bicycle journey yesterday took us right to the very stylish doors of Merci, the fabulous shop that sells just about everything and includes three cafes.   We managed to spend a few hours here, first shopping then taking a coffee break in one cafe, more browsing then lunch in the second cafe, a theatre cafe, screening old movies on one wall! 

If you would like to see more images of this amazing store visit our facebook page ecocolaunceston and like/share this post or even better like our page...thanks! x

Market Day

Just for a moment imagine how lovely it would be to hop on your bike, ride over the bridge and into the town square to gather your goodies on market day!

Wednesday is market day in Brugge, Belgium.  The produce including food, plants and fresh flowers are to die for!   As I sat eating my breakfast I watched a lady carefully select a beautiful rose for her garden and head off on her bike to gather more fresh produce or home to the garden?  Oh for a simple life!!! x