Brazilian beauty

Some of the best inspiration is coming out of retail spaces these days and one of the hottest spots for design inspiration? Hair dressing and beauty salons. This amazing urban industrial meets eco chic with a splash of venetian glass girliness is to be found in a country that is white hot with hip design ideas - Brazil. Felippe emailed these photos of his Sao Paulo salon ... "the salon is called "bob salao de beleza" (roughly "bob beauty salon"). it is named after my partner, bob toscano, the hair stylist and makeup artist that leads the team. our website is under construction. for now it features basic info such as directions, phone #s, etc: www.bobsalao.com.br. (we are currently having some problems with our web host, but that should be sorted out soon.) interiors and most of the furniture by brazilian architect marcelo escanuela (still working on his website) and photo credits to roberta dab dab."

Check out the lighting! And the cave like brutalist concrete juxtaposed with the organic feel of the timber. And that red sink! Thanks Felippe. It's a fabulous cutting edge (pun intended) salon. I'm sure your work is just as hot!

Scarlet & Violet

Charlotte sent me a beautiful bouquet via email. She sent me a link to the gorgeous London florist Scarlet & Violet. Can't you just smell the luscious perfume wafting through your screens? Vic Brotherson creates these beautiful arrangements. I just love the blowzy overabundance of blooms and the sweet vintage containers and vases. Definitely not granny. Definitely granny chic!

Edit

Witty, whimsical, quirky and pretty. It's found and fabulous, remade and remarkable. It's Edit. And who are the creators and curators of these fun finds? Sharyn Storrier Lyneham, the former editor of Vogue Entertaining & Travel and Vogue Living and Belinda Seper, Sydney fashion retailer and style leader. If you are in Sydney or just passing through this Surry Hills store is a definite stop on your shop to you drop tour.

sshhhh ..... secret

Regular readers will know that Kim and I cannot resist the hunt for secondhand bargains. We love thrift stores and junk shops, secondhand dealers and antique stores. I visited my new favourite secondhand haunt in Brisbane on the weekend and even though I want to keep it secret I just have to share. The 2 Peters run a treasure trove of a store. Stuffed to the ceilings with everything you never thought you had to have, it's an ever changing source of those finishing touches for your home. It's the sort of place that stylists and decorators love. Here are just some of the things that caught my eye.

OK so I bought the chinese garden stools, some fabulous oriental brass trays and a West German bowl but was seriously tempted by the cast iron dress rack from early last century. Wouldn't it look great in a shop window or a sewing room? I have a thing for rusty and industrial and an old hand trolley also caught my eye. I was imaging it stacked haphazardly with a couple of the old timber crates I saw filled with overflowing pots of spring flowers. Alas no room in my courtyard though. No online site yet but coming soon (and we'll let you know when). If something has caught your eye and you want to be let into the secret contact Peter here.

Buck House blues

Are you addicted to 1stdibs like I am? I wait eagerly each week for my "fix". My favourite dealer? Buck House. Deborah Buck is an artist and designer. Her Madison Ave, New York gallery is artfully crammed with treasures that make my heart sing. Her ability to source beautiful objects is uncanny and the vignettes she creates in her shop are akin to creating paintings. Am I gushing? Can't help it because I'd live in her gallery if I could. Her "sense" of blue is amazing. Enough ... enjoy the pictures.

Images from Buck House