Black Beauty- Beach cottage

A beautiful little black (or is it navy?) beach cottage perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean, white trim, tongue and groove vertical paneling indoors, beautiful decor...sigh...


all images via sanctuary

Something's gotta give- Hamptons Chic

images 1-5 via CocoMale

image via Cote de Texas

image via Silver screen surroundings

Two of my all time favourite movies also feature my all time favourite set designs that interior designer James Radin as had input with -"The Holiday" (cosy cottage charm) previously posted about here and here and "Somethings gotta give" (fabulous Hampton's chic styling).

Besides the fact that I simply adore Dianne Keaton (cue totally hysterical over the top dramatic crying whilst furiously typing a screenplay) and most movies she has been in, the movie is totally hilarious and Jack Nicholson - AKA Harry- is a riot (awkward).

But, back to the decor...

I sooo love the neutral colour palette-the whites, creams, taupes and blue accents...right up my alley as other colour favourites come and go but white and blue have always been my constant- they just look so fresh together.

Love the deck chairs with blue and white striped cushions, the blue and white striped rugs in the lounge and that stunning hutch displaying the various plates in the dining room- heaven!

If only I had a house with the architecture to match the Somethings gotta give Hampton's house- oh how my life would be complete.

The Bliss/Exhaustion that is Camping Part 2

Image by Geoff Hale

And now for the good stuff...

Why do we simply adore camping at Yamba each Easter?

• spending time with our very close extended family & childhood friends.
• the finale photo- we take a group photo every year after we have packed up and are ready to leave...and each year we swear that next year we will take it on the first day when everyone is there and we are not going a little insane. It is great to watch the familes grow and change change over the years and the crazy (not on purpose) expressions and poses on some faces.
• the boys Saturday night out- the boys go to the pub every Easter Saturday afternoon and as each one returns from the showers we all whoop and applaud and tease them for getting all dolled up and pretend we are the paparazzi and take photos of them- they make out they hate it but we know they secretly love having their ego stroked.
• lazing around (where possible) reading magazines, eating hot cross buns and raisin toast with butter like slices of cheese.
• spending time at the beach with the kiddies (weather permitting of course).
• a visit to the blue pools at Angourie.
• dinner at the bowling club # see note
• afternoon drinks every day (and not feeling guilty as you are on holiday).
• the sound of rain pitter pattering on the roof of your tent as you snuggle down under the doona to go to sleep.
• having girly time checking out the gorgeous little stores and stunning beach houses.

The below pics are of one such beach house - maybe we should stay here next year?? Loving the beachy white and neutral decor and the all white exterior- who doesn't love a white house?

Yamba Beach House pics from SM3 DESIGN

You know, even as gorgeous as this beach house is I, and I am sure the rest of the camping gang would agree with me, would much prefer to go camping- even with all its blood and gore: that and the fact that we probably couldn't afford the damage bill after we and our 9 children inhabited it for a week!

# side note: this years dinner at the bowling club was more hilarious than usual! lets set the scene: 11 adults, 9 children, we had to go inside as everyone was being bitten by millions of crazy demon mozzies, a hoard of people ordering dinner as soon as the kitchen opened, rude bar staff, broken glass, each child proceeding to put on a lovely tantrum one after the other, baby E screeching happily in the background (her screeches have to be heard to be believed! -lets just say we nicknamed her after a raptor as on Jurassic Park- so ear piercing but she is so adorable!), toddlers falling asleep sitting up after they had exhausted themselves from tantruming, tired adults and tired children, missing children- you just had to laugh at the situation. Not so sure the other patrons were laughing at our groups unruliness though...