"I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul."
- Jean Cocteau

Labels: cat, grey, Jack, my new apartment, red

I took a wonder into my favourite store, William Topp, on Sunday avo and finally got an item I have had my eye on for some time, a Flensted mobile. The one I chose is called Flowing Rhythm and it really is mesmerising to watch.
I have hung it at eye level with artwork (an etching I bought in Hanoi and photos I took in Hanoi and Siem Reap) above and below it so it visually links the work.
Just the modern-retro addition I needed to add some zen to the room!

Labels: art, Cambodia, Flensted, modern, my new apartment, photography, red, retro, sculpture, Vietnam, William Topp

What it is about a fully restored cherry red typewriter from the 1950's that gets me so excited? Maybe it's the romantic ideas of click-clacking away, writing the great Australian novel or just the old technology that produces that every-letter-different, hand-done quality, even by a machine. Realistically, I am sure this typewriter would never actually get used but it sure would make a great feature piece in my lounge room and go perfectly with my retro red telephone.
The 1950's Royal Typewriter is from Three Potato Four. They have some awesome stuff there, all able to be shipped internationally so be sure to check them out.

Labels: alphabet, decor, red, retro, Three Potato Four, typewriter

Just thought I would share the way I have set up my dining setting in my new place.
Last time I didn't show you my Mart Stam chairs (bargain of the century: leather is in perfect condition, slight rust marks on the chrome but only $20 for all four on eBay!) and they are super comfortable to sit in too.
I have tied it all together with a giant fresh leaf from a tropical plant (called???) in a retro red vase and some lemons in a teak nut-shaped bowl from a second hand store. The table is the extendible Bjursta.
Behind the setting is another screen-print by The Little Friends of Printmaking called Pacific Jamzzz. This one I put in a larger Ikea frame, Ribba, and filled it out a bit with red framing card.
I really enjoy mixing old and new and I think it all comes together very nicely.

Labels: art, Bjursta, black, chair, decor, ebay, ikea, Laos, Mart Stam, my new apartment, red, retro, Ribba, screen printing, The Little Friends of Print Making, vase

Marco van Hylckama Vlieg has put together a dramatic and spectacular collection of his photographs showing mid-century signage that has seen better days.
I would love a collection of these prints framed in my hallway or perhaps this one, Fabricare, wallpapered in my bedroom.
Check out Neon Ruin.

Labels: black and white, Marco van Hylckama Vlieg, neon, photography, red, retro, sign, wallpaper

As a perpetual forgetter, this is something that I could really use and way less annoying than having a real piece of ribbon tied around my finger.
Ben Floeter's Don't Forget Chalkboard found at The Curiosity Shoppe and at his Etsy shop, is such a friendly wall feature. It would be perfect at my friend door which is also near my kitchen, it would even double as a pointer, guiding guests into the living room.
Now to find out how much postage to Australia will be...
Check out the Don't Forget Chalkboard.

Labels: art, Ben Floeter, black, black and white, decor, Etsy, kitchen, red, The Curiosity Shoppe

The Alpha Coffee Table from Crate and Barrel is inspired by a find in a Paris flea market and is carved from a single piece of wood with raised letters and numbers, protected by tempered glass.
This coffee table would certainly be a conversation started and such a great example of retro/modern, old meets new.
If only it was available in Australia, I would snap it up in an instant!
Check out the Alpha Coffee Table.

Labels: alphabet, brown, coffee, coffee table, Crate and Barrel, decor, furniture, red

The Poster List has a great selection of pop art posters all designed and produced in-house.
The artwork mostly all has a slightly grungy-textured-retro look, got to love new art that looks like it's been around for a while.
Oh, I nearly forgot to mention, two posters (12"x18") for 20 bucks, you can't go wrong!
Check out The Poster List.

Labels: art, fish, green, lips, poster, print, red, The Poster List

Well, the big move is over and I have been loving organising and arranging my stuff in my new apartment. I have about twice as much space to work with and the original 1969 layout, kitchen and embellishments work so well with my modern/retro furnishings and collections.
As an intro to my new place I thought I would bring you one of my favourite pieces which I am using in a new way in my new place. It's a teak and leather telephone table that I picked up from a garage sale for the bargain price of $5. I have had it for a while and it's previous incarnation took the form of a bedside table. The little chair was perfect for sitting on while putting on shoes. But I don't have the space on that side of my bed here so I have used it as a side table next to my leather couch.
The red phone I also picked up from a garage sale, also for about $5 and the lamp, which glows a wonderful rich, warm orange, was made by my step-dad before it was retro. To complete the picture, the cushions I had custom-made by Jamric from Etsy. They cost way more than I had planned on spending but since everything else in the picture was such a bargain, I guess it all balances out in the end.
More snaps of my new place to come!

Labels: black, cushion, decor, Etsy, grey, interior, Jamric, lamp, leather, my new apartment, orange, red, retro, telephone, wood

I know I said I was taking a break from blogging before the big move but this gorgeous owl is a well meaning distraction from packing boxes.
It is by Abby Glassenberg, stands 12.5" tall and incorporates vintage Hawaii fabric that Abby found at a rummage sale. The owl looks like it's going to take a walk along the bench and then fly away, I love it's inquisitive character.
Abby also makes a range of other birds and animals. They are not cheap as a lot of work goes into them but definatly worth checking out to be inspired.
Go see her Abby Glassenberg's web page or her Etsy shop. Chirp chirp!

Labels: Abby Glassenberg, birds, craft, Etsy, orange, owl, red, vintage

The West Australian Symphony Orchestra, WASO, have commissioned some really wonderful artwork for their most recent series of classic performances. Among them are two of my favourites, Manfred & Mozart on the left and of course, Beethoven's 5th on the right.
I really appreciate the bold use of limited colour and striking central images used in these posters. They are reminiscent of posters for music from the past and become quite timeless looking as a result.
I have been trying to search online for where I might be able to purchase them as posters but haven't been able to come up with anything useful. If anyone knows of anything, please let me know.

Labels: art, birds, blue, illustration, music, perth, poster, red, retro, WASO

I've been looking at a lot of apartments with the intention of buying my first one in the past few months. I have mainly been looking at places built in the 60s and 70s in 'original condition'. Of course this usually means terrible kitchens that have suffered from neglect or been replaced in the early 90s with cheap peach and floral tiles. No thanks.
So, consequentially, even though I have not found the prefect original condition apartment to make my mark on, I have been looking for kitchen inspiration where ever I can find it.
And I think I have found the hottest dream kitchen ever. I stumbled onto it through Contemporist, it's a kitchen by an Austrian (sadly not Australian) company called Ewe who are a little too far away to be useful... But it's a start and certainly inspirational. It's the deep, rich, glossy red with clean white and dark wood floors, what a great combination.
Check out more kitchen Ewe.

Labels: decor, interior, kitchen, modern, red

Cypherone has shared the most amazing images of an abandoned holiday resort in Sanjhih on the north coast of Taiwan. She says:

"I don't know why it was abandoned.
"Some people do believe that it was abandoned because haunted. In some version of story, someone died in an accident, then it became a haunted building.
But there is an another version of the the story.
"Some people believe it is because the government disallow building a bathing beaches in this area. It became a holiday resort on the coast that can't play on the beach, and soon it was abandoned.
"I don't know which story is true.

I like the ghost version of the story and if you look carefully at Cypherone's flickr set, you can see them in the reflections.

Labels: architecture, flickr, ghost, photography, red, retro, taiwan

I stumbled across this flickr set put together by Splorp when looking for retro red phones.
There are some great images in here but as a collection, they look fantastic. A colour theme is a great way to collect seemingly random images. I would love to see these images printed and filling a wall.
Thanks for sharing it Splorp!
Check it out.

Labels: flickr, photography, red, retro