Interior Styling | Oversized Mirrors

The last time I wrote about mirrors they were of the round variety for my Circles in the Home post. Lately I've noticed that oversized mirrors have been grabbing my attention, for all the right reasons. Perfect for adding scale, I love the drama and illusion of space that they create. If you have room for one, then I say go for it. Living rooms, hallways or bedrooms provide the ideal place, and the bigger the better! Leaned up against the wall in a casual style, that mirror will shine! 

For classic Scandinavian styling, you can't go wrong with simple frames in black or white. Pretty detailing like on the one above stands out against the white-washed background and minimalist surroundings. 

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For a vintage look or shabby chic style, rustic gold, metallic silver or distressed frames are perfect. 

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Natural wood frames are also lovely, and the one above is my favourite. Photographed for the February 2013 issue of Elle Decoration UK, the London home belongs to Karine Kong who runs the online store and blog Bodie and Fou. I'm a big fan of Karine's gorgeous styling and this is why. I love what she has done where with her oversized mirror, layering a couple of empty frames in front, adding the 'Sweet Dream' on top and hanging the chunky rosary beads and cross from the corner. 

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A great way to add a pop of bright colour to your interior, and an easy DIY project, paint the frame or the edge of the mirror. Notice how in the one above they've also painted the top of the skirting board in orange neon. What a cool idea! 

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Pinterest | Picks & Peeks

What I love about Pinterest is that it opens your eyes up to new things. Take me for example. I love interiors and design, but since I've been on Pinterest I've been able to expand on that, and find inspiration in other areas like graphic design and photography. Whenever I grab a dose of Pinterest I find something that takes my breath away, and what can be better than that? 

Curating these moodboards is an extension of pinning, and I love the process of choosing images around a theme, across different categories. Of course there are no rules, but it usually starts with a colour or an image and from there I generally choose from a selection of pins: interiors, flowers, graphic design, fashion and accessories, quotes and  photography.

Here are my latest moodboards. 

This moodboard was inspired by my recent birthday! 

This one started with a colour theme and words to live by: love what you do, do what you love. 

A motivating moodboard for a Monday morning! 

There was such a great response to this interview with Lindi Kingi, and my neon moodboard on Facebook, that I decided to team up with Lindi and run a little giveaway! 

If you're on Facebook and haven't yet checked out The Design Chaser page, pop over and click on 'like' to receive daily blog updates as well as additional design news and inspiration. 

To enter the competition you must live in NZ (sorry to my overseas readers - I promise I will do something for you soon). Pop over here to choose your favourite neon moodboard and go in the draw to win one of two Lindi Kingi Design Neon Swarovski Pearl and Sliver Bracelets! 

Make sure you've 'liked' both The Design Chaser and Lindi Kingi Design Facebook pages to be eligible! 

If you're not on Facebook, there will be another give away coming up very soon for those of you who follow the blog, so stay tuned! 

Neon yellow and grey is such a great combo!

Neon pink is currently in the lead! Which is your favourite? 

All mood board images via my Pinterest Boards.

Today's pinning princess is Deborah Moir, who I discovered fairly recently. You may know her from Instagram, where she has a huge following due to a constant stream of lovely photos, featuring her gorgeous home in Scotland. Luckily for us Pinterest addicts, Deborah is also now a pinner, and a very good one at that!

Here a couple of pins from Deborah's interior boards.


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Judging by her personal style and collection of boards on Pinterest, you'd be forgiven for thinking Deborah was Scandinavian. She has completely mastered the art of achieving this aesthetic in her own home, which I find so inspiring. I can't get enough of the neutral palette, white painted floors and impeccable styling. The fact that she can maintain this incredible look with two young boys is even more astounding. I am in awe!

These pins are photos of Deborah's home. 

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I was delighted to hear that Deborah has a blog in the works. Due to launch soon, I'm sure it will be an instant hit! In the meantime, you can check out her Guest Posts on one of my favourite blogs A Merry Mishap.

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Interview | Lindi Kingi

Lindi Kingi Design is a gorgeous collection of jewellery 'born of a love for the eclectic, the exotic and the precious'. Hand made in New Zealand and distributed worldwide, I've been a fan for a while now so when a friend mentioned she knew Lindi I jumped at the chance of interviewing her. After exchanging a few emails and phone calls with Lindi's lovely sales agent Vanessa, the three of us ended up meeting earlier this week. Over a glass of red wine we chatted away like old friends, talking about kids and life but mostly the world of Lindi Kingi Design.

One of the first things I noticed about Lindi, besides an innate sense of style and the gorgeous jewellery she was wearing, was how down to earth she is. Incredibly modest, Lindi confesses to being shy, preferring anonymity over being recognised, yet in person she is bubbly and chatty and talks enthusiastically about the business. 

Having always been artistic, Lindi lived on Waiheke for ten years where she used to create and sell artworks and paintings. A move towards designing jewellery started out with a few bracelets for friends and family. Now Lindi Kingi Design is stocked in stores through NZ, and is available from international online retailers. She is the only NZ designer to have been invited to sell her products on ASOS Marketplace, the boutique division of the UK's largest independent online fashion and beauty retailer and they have just signed up with SurfStitch.com, Australia's leading online surf and fashion store and recent winner of the 2012 online retailer of the year! 

Having come a long way since those early days on Waiheke, Lindi laughs as she recalls how excited she was the first time she saw someone wearing a piece of her jewellery - that wasn't a friend or relative! She still gets a buzz from seeing people wear her designs, and due to the brand's rising popularity, that's now a common occurrence! 

Lindi makes all of her jewellery by hand, often working in her Auckland studio until the small hours of the morning. She has taken on several staff to help with the day to day running of the business but still does the bulk of the work herself. Pretty impressive, especially considering she has three school-age daughters! Having just launched the Summer 13 range, I'm really excited to be sharing some of the new pieces with you today, along with the interview.

First I'd like to say a massive thank you to Lindi for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer these questions. Make sure you check out the links that follow... there are a number of places to buy from. 

Neon Tassel Earrings in Pink

I had some serious style envy seeing Lindi and Vanessa adorned in their range of stunning jewellery when we met up. Vanessa was sporting the new Neon Tassel Earrings and they look phenomenal!

Can you tell us a little bit about your background - how did you end up becoming a jewellery designer?

I started making jewellery by accident really; I made a wooden bracelet for myself and had so many people ask me to make them one, I thought perhaps I could make a business from it! After moving to the city from Waiheke, Rickie from Superette gave me an opportunity to stock their stores and it went crazy from there!

Your jewellery is handmade here in New Zealand. What materials do you use and where do you source them from? 

The materials I use tend to be natural ones…wood, leather, lava and the materials I use come from wherever I can get them…Korea, Thailand, Bali, China!


Wooden Tassel Bracelet in Brown + Gold

 
Swarovski Glass Pearl Bracelets in Vintage Blue or Duck Egg + Silver

Wooden Howlite Necklace in Tan + Cream

Charm Earrings in Silver | Howlite Necklace in Turquoise + Silver | Howlite Necklace in Cream + Silver 

Creative people often love the creative side of their work but dislike the business side (paperwork, marketing etc). How do you manage these two sides and/or what advice would you give to aspiring designers wanting to start their own business?

I’m at bit of a financial spastic, so learning the paperwork side of the business was a little difficult, but really empowering once I got the hang of it…nothing like being in control of your money!

Hmmm….paperwork advice…well, I guess the main thing is to be organised…don’t leave things in a big jumbled mess till the last minute and get a great accountant and accounting system. I use Enable Business and Xero…both of them are fantastic!

Your designs are described as being 'romantic with a touch of darkness.' Can you tell us a bit more about this?

Romantic with a touch of darkness is about not being predictable…wearing your gorgeous pearls, that look so pretty…but on closer inspection have a wee skull dangling from them…I guess it’s about contrast!

6mm Dyed Jade Bracelets

Jasper Bracelets in Seabreeze + Silver, Baby Pink + Silver, Bone + Silver 

Shell Bracelet in Sand + Gold

You have your own blog Lindi Kingi Design. Are there any online resources that you visit regularly for creative inspiration? What else inspires you - places, travel, books, magazines.. etc?

I get inspiration from everything around me…walking down Ponsonby Road, my friends, my kids, Pinterest, interior design, sportswear! I don’t think you have to travel so much anymore (although it’s nice and I love it!), with the internet you can get around the world in pictures in a morning!

What are you working on right now?

At the moment I’m working on getting Summer 13 finished. I’m always behind…I know everyone else is already finishing Winter, but I think it’s one of the advantages of being small and making everything here…I can keep creating pieces right till the last minute. Getting a feel for what people are really into and what’s selling well and building on that.

Window Bead Bracelet in Electric Blue + Silver 

Wooden Tassel Bracelets

You also design a line of jewellery for kids - Lindi Kingi Kids - and some bags and coin purses. Will you continue to expand your range of products? What does the future hold for Lindi Kingi Design?

I love the kid’s range and will definitely keep expanding it. The bags and purses are a bit trickier…I think it’s good to stick to what you know and stay focused. I have a little trouble with this! So I guess at the moment it’s more about consolidating what I’ve already built up!

Wooden Tassel Necklace in Chocolate + Neon Pink

Neon Swarovski Pearl Bracelet in Yellow + Silver, Pink + Silver, Orange + Silver

Skull Tassel Earrings

How fabulous is the new range? I'm so in love with neon right now. And you know how I feel about skulls! These pieces are just perfect for summer - the hardest thing will be deciding which ones to buy! 

Pop over here to see the full Summer 13 collection and to shop online. For stockists take a look here. You can also buy from their Facebook Store. 

All images via Lindi Kingi Design 

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Moa Basket

When I spotted this photograph on Pinterest yesterday my heart skipped a beat. I love the neon colours, the shape and materials. The way a product is styled and photographed is so important and in this case, the pared-back simplicity of the concrete background works beautifully. 

Wanting to find out more I clicked through and landed on the site Studio Besau Marguerre. Eva Marguerre and Marcel Besau are two German product designers who created the giant Moa Basket for Kkaarrlls. Made from elastic thread and resin, this amazing object is not for the faint-hearted. Thinking at first that it would make a lovely fruit bowl on a white or concrete kitchen island, I was surprised to discover it actually has a diameter of 130cm! What also blew me away was the process by with the baskets are made. 

How cool is that? As well as being extraordinarily large, the baskets are very light, flexible and basically indestructible. The design philosophy of Besau and Marguerre centres around technical innovations in materials or manufacturing. Even though this product can undoubtedly be put to many uses, this is of less importance to the design duo. What is most important is the 'fascination of the newly invented product'. I'm definitely fascinated. What about you? 

To see the complete photo shoot for the Moa basket and a couple of videos take a look here. You can see just how light and flexible it really is! 

All images via www.besau-marguerre.de

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Stylist Tina Hellberg

Colour combinations in interior design with photographer Magnus Anesund 
for Elle Interiör

Interior Stylist Tina Hellberg always uses gorgeous colour palettes and fresh ideas. Unmistakeably Scandinavian, her work is inspiring and fun. These examples show brilliant contrasts; darker, more dramatic palettes and clean fresh whites with pastels, plywood and pops of neon. I hope you enjoy the eye candy! You can see more of Tina's work here.  

For Marielle Kerber, photo by Magnus Fond

 Green Interiors with Idha Lindhag for Elle Interiör

 Green Interiors with Idha Lindhag for Elle Interiör

Fashion interior, shot by Per Ranung

Garden Furniture 2011 with Petra Bindel for Elle Interior

Garden Furniture 2011 with Petra Bindel for Elle Interior

The Collectors, photograph Magnus Anesund for Skanska Nya Hem

Scandi house with photographer Per Ranung

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