Monday's pets on furniture

If you'd like to send me photos to include in next week's "pets on furniture" post, please ensure your photos follow my basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so it takes center stage rather than your pet. Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture that you want to show off...and your pet happens to be sitting on it. And second, the photo must be of decent quality. If it's dark or fuzzy (from a camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Photos, your name, location and a brief description can be sent to desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com and PLEASE don't send closeups of your pet! Thanks!

This is our puppy Kiwi. Anytime I photograph our home she insists on being in the picture. The first photo is her in her early morning spot atop my favorite plaid blanket which she believes belongs to her. The second was taken in our living room.
- Samantha

Hi! Here is my cute little Parson Russell Terrier randomly chilling on my new storage unit.
- Mette (Telemark, Norway)

This is Moleca, mongrel 7-year-old rescued from the streets. Now she is the queen of the house. Moleca loves the company of pillows made by myself. Every afternoon she takes a nice nap in between.
- Jon, Mariana and Moleca (Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil)

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Craving green

I look out at my garden and I see brown. A long dry winter without a hint of good rain and brutal frosts have seen my garden curl up its roots and almost give up. I cajole and threaten but spring is looking lorn at the new old house. For a little fantasy on a dry brown day I have turned to Sydney landscape designer Anthony Wyer. Verdant green and fantasy shapes. Cloud trees and bamboo, pools and spreading canopies of green. I close my eyes and all is beautiful and lush and green. Aaahhhhhh ......

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Antonio Virga

Essence of form and function. Beauty in the purity of design. Pared back and understated but high on style and impact. Minimalist in a rustic context. Clean lined and spare within the historic. It is about domesticity distilled to its simplest essence and placed carefully within the existing character of the building. Italian born, Paris based architect Antonio Virga.

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My new sofa

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned on my page that I bought a new sofa, because my husband and I were sick and tired of the DIY sofa he built that we've been using for the last few years. I think the new sofa is pretty funky and will go with the theme I want for the new house we are hoping to build next year. Here is the photo I snapped at the store.

I LOVE brown leather that looks better with age, and this one I hope will age beautifully. We had it delivered a few days after purchasing it, and I had Friday off so I prettied up the living room and took some photos. Now, it's a bit of a large sofa for our tiny living room but I don't care, as we hope to not be in this house much longer, and it's SO much more comfortable than the last one. I re-decorated the space with items I had around the house, because I don't want to purchase any more stuff (I have too much crap!) until the new house. I thought the space above the sofa, while empty all this time, kind of looked bare (maybe I'm just tiring of my forest mural) so I found 2 pieces to hang there. Not ideal but the wall was making me crazy sans art. Eventually I'd love maybe some Australian aboriginal art (in black and white) above it. Anyhoo, here it is. 

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Happy birthday Kim! I bought you a house.

Just kidding ... about the house that is ... and your birthday is the 24th and I'm a day late but nice house eh? Historic stables with modern extension in East Melbourne. Just a few hundred meters and you are in the CBD of Melbourne, one of the most amazing cities in the world. Bluestone, brick, timber, steel and glass. Yum! Needs a little touch of Kim style here and there (ditch that wallpaper, move in your new leather sofa and please do something with that bedroom) but the bones are fabulous. Happy belated birthday buddy!

P.S. If someone really does want to buy this house for Kim you can find it for sale here.

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