MOOD BOARD | REAL ROMANCE

14 February 2014

Real Romance Valentines Day Moodboard 2014

Good morning guys and girls and Happy V-Day! I hope you weren’t expecting helium hearts or red balloons or teddy bears carrying heart shaped objects.

Honestly, is there anything more embarrassing than having a teddy bear attached to a helium heart delivered to your office!? On a par with throwing up in front of your boss at the Christmas party I guess, but really… teddy bears. How old are we? Twelve? I once actually saw a girl on the tube on her way home on Valentines Day with such a monster on her lap and blushed on her behalf. I even had to switch carriages to get away from this saccharine piece of an eye-sore. It’s not that I’m not romantic but I like a bit more thought and classiness with my Valentines gifts. So much thought in fact that I think I’m the only lifestyle blogger out there who doesn’t feature a Valentine’s gift list on the blog this week.

Wait, I’ve just thought of an even more embarrassing Valentines’… a dinner a-deux in a cheap restaurant.

OMG, isn’t it nail-curlingly painful to be taken out to a public place where you’re packed like sardines at a tiny wonky table with a red rose, or worse a red carnation (!) as the whole sale price of roses rises sharply around mid February and this being an imaginary cheap restaurant they won’t have gone to the expense of bulk buying roses. Actually, it’s probably a fake red rose. A nasty plastic one they dust off every year. Yuk!

I know I sound totally ungrateful but come on guys and girls, a little imagination goes a long way to demonstrating real romance. Personally, I’d be over the moon with some of my favourite chocolate cake and a massive hug.

Aw… there, I’m easily pleased. [Though a trip to Paris would be nice.]

 
PHOTOGRAPHY | N/K all shots found via Pinterest [If you see your shot on here please email me at annie {at} stylejuicer.com so I can add your credit.]
 
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PLACES TO GO | FATHER RABBIT, AUCKLAND

12 February 2014

Auckland, Claudia Zinzan, Father Rabbit, General Store, New Zealand, Nick Hutchinson
 

I absolutely adore this General Store in Auckland, found via Si from French By Design.

Father Rabbit is the alter ego of interiors designer Claudia Zinzan and camera operator Nick Hutchinson and their carefully curated picks of products are practical and pleasing in both form and function with an underlying sense of quality and timelessness. “Father Rabbit appreciates simplicity.” You can imagine how these words made my heart sing. Yes!

Not only is the shop design and their products totally to my taste but I had a real chuckle reading about who Father Rabbit and the team behind him is. A fabulous write-up on their website had me in stitches as they might as well have written about ME!

Here’s a little excerpt

“Father Rabbit is not about grand gestures, but elevating those mundane everyday tasks. Embracing the simple pleasure of a well made bed (with ironed pillowcases) and completing a bathroom clean with fresh cut flowers. His heart sings with the freedom of organisation. Books in line, cans facing out, drawers tidy, garden weeded, tools away. Ticking each job off. Finishing one, before starting the next. Those simple little things – individually they aren’t life changing, but the culmination of them together make your home at once a well presented, thoughtfully considered and pleasing place to be.”

But make sure you pop over to Father Rabbit to read the rest. It’s genius!
 

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Auckland, Claudia Zinzan, Father Rabbit, General Store, New Zealand, Nick Hutchinson

 
MORE INFORMATION | Father Rabbit
PHOTOGRAPHY | Kara Rosenlund
 
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SMALL SPACES | PETER FEHRENTZ BERLIN PIED-A-TERRE

11 February 2014

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Peter Fehrentz is one of these creative multi-talents who seems to produce great work whatever craft he lays his hand on – design, interiors, photography… he’s probably also very good at knitting and playing the guitar but that’s just a guess.

His latest project has already been featured all over the internet but I decided to jump on the band wagon and bring you the unique style he created for his 646 sq ft apartment in Berlin. Rather cleverly this pied-a-terre doubles up as an office and serves as a meeting place where new clients can experience his work first hand.

Peter says:

“The northern light, combined with dark colours, creates an artistic, almost dramatic atmosphere, reminiscent of the Flemish Old Masters.”

From the beginning he wanted to create a dark and moody interior, painting the wooden floors a dark eggplant colour and adding some sheer grey curtains by Ulf Moritz for Sahco. The kitchen cabinets are a custom shade of pink and add a little pop of colour in this mainly monochrome space.

Peter also came up with some clever space saving ideas by firstly removing some of the walls therefore opening up the space and then adding some room dividers and sliding doors. The bench seating at the dining table is another deliberate space saver and I adore the iconic trio of Tom Dixon lights above it. The whole place is packed with Peter’s own designs and creations from the canvas covered wardrobe to the custom made sofa and the steel-and-wood storage unit in the kitchen.

You can see more of Peter’s talents in his new book of 48 DIY projects, Made by Yourself (English edition will be published in 2014) with the copper-coloured leather pouffe being just one of the featured projects. Wow!

 

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PHOTOGRAPHY | Peter Fehrentz
 
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FOOD HEAVEN | CHOCOLATE TART RECIPE

10 February 2014

Chocolate Tart Recipe via Tartelette Blog

 

I defy anybody not to start drooling all over their keyboard when looking at the delectable chocolate tart above. Ok, I might be biased as I’m a total chocoholic (see Pinterest board), but doesn’t this look awesome?!

Helene Dujardin is a bit of an aspirational figure for me as she’s the type of homemaker that I struggle to be as she manages to use every scarp of left-over and produces wonderful meals with them. Though I doubt there are many left-overs in her house as everything she produces looks so delicious. And to give myself a break I’m totally great at building fantasy houses with every last scrap of Lego and I come up with great plot lines for Legomen role-play. Not the same thing?

Ok, I’ve got to hand it to Helene, she’s a pro as this tart came about when she played ‘dessert by association’: Banana – peanut butter – chocolate – crust. Somehow this game doesn’t work for me: Banana – bacon – cornflakes – ice-cream? I don’t think so.

Well, luckily I can refer you to her beautiful Chocolate Tart recipe which also features a gluten-free crust.

OMG, where is my chocolate when I need it.

 
MORE INFORMATION & PHOTOGRAPHY | Chocolate Caramel Banana Tart by Helene Dujardin
 

PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THE SENSES BY BROOKE HOLM

9 February 2014

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I’m a big fan of Australian design and photography and came across photographer Brooke Holm through the wonderful EST Magazine and Lucy Feagins blog The Design Files.

Her style is clean and crisp and immediately draws you in. I love her travel series to New Zealand and breathtaking shots of sweeping landscapes, majestic mountains and misty forests. If you don’t already have the travel bug her photos will make you want to quit your job and jump on a plane. Somehow she manages to capture the essence of a place and speak to all your senses. I can just smell the pine forest, feel the fresh mountain air and hear the deafening silence at the lake looking at her shots.

Another favourite subject is interior photography, often styled by the talented Marsha Golemac who knows how to add those little touches that turn a good shot into a great one.

If you like what you see check out Brooke’s blog and website and follow her on Instagram, 16k followers can’t be bad and I’m one of them.

 

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PHOTOGRAPHY | Brooke Holm
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