tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68143172041388028802025-12-25T01:24:41.959+11:00interiors - design - products - trends - lifestyleBree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-27698590265315529722015-03-12T00:14:00.003+11:002015-03-12T00:14:55.906+11:00

Hi there! Ive recently moved the blog over to my website. Please come and visit i spy with my design eye at its new home :)

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-12883477213002611842013-11-23T17:14:00.004+11:002013-11-23T17:35:22.048+11:00

[above - clockwise from top left - various art on Dulux Waterworld background; Dulux Mondrian Blue features as backdrop for the Kirra Jamison feature; Dulux Companion in the lounge area with various art see here for details] I was privileged to get a preview of The Design Files Open House on Weds morning before the general public and luckily (for my husband not for me) I wasn't able to

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-8843282361091694282013-01-19T00:58:00.000+11:002013-01-19T01:04:55.314+11:00

I'm way behind in blog land and have so much to post, including my highlights from Design:Made:Trade and Decoration + Design (however long ago they were - its still too good not to share!) But I am long overdue in sharing with you one of my biggest projects from 2012 - the Dulux Colour Forecast 2013 - Colour Movement. I have been working with Dulux as their resident

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-8923633246256865862012-07-20T23:00:00.000+10:002012-07-22T11:14:12.287+10:00

How good was Design:Made:Trade & Decoration + Design/Furnitex this year? Well as good as the snippet above of Rowena Martinich's amazing artwork at Design:Made:Trade. I loved every minute of the past 2 days traipsing through the shows and listening to some amazing speakers including Genty Marshall from New Black Global Trends (really inspiring and just what I wanted to hear while I am

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-84577297285973464862011-05-30T09:00:00.016+10:002011-05-30T09:53:50.331+10:00

There were two outstanding trends this year seen in both product and stand design, here's a quick summary of what I saw... Colour, colour and just a bit more colour...Bright pops of colour ruled the show floor. Used with slick gloss surfaces in black or white or against the contrast of raw finishes such as paper and wood, colour was definitely there to emphasis the playfulness of design elements

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-71491472380095073422011-05-24T11:46:00.000+10:002011-05-29T14:47:06.960+10:00

[Urggh I must apologise for the delay on this one - Blogger & Blogo issues, and it's still not appearing the way I would like - such a time waster! Anyhow...] Here's part 2 of the DesignEx 2011 review - highlighting some products I thought were i spy worthy... [image top via ecoconstructionuk] I loved the Plumen globe - it was featured on the Tork stand [unfortunately for Tork I was only

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-50712096230933730072011-05-19T12:56:00.000+10:002011-05-19T12:56:54.678+10:00

Yes, I know - you've been waiting for it - well its always better late then never [and I'm so thankful for that saying as it too often applies to me...] the DesignEx 2011 review.I had warned that I didn't think DX this year was overly spectacular but I think the snippets I have to share are worth the wait, lets see what you think...[above: the amazing paper installation in the ceiling of the DIA/

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-82774171851202866732011-04-23T15:19:00.001+10:002011-04-23T15:20:36.184+10:00

[Image above via Down To The Woods - I love their stuff - super retro cute!!]Yes - DesignEx is still on its way to you but with the current projects I have on and Easter holidays you'll have to wait a little bit longer...So enjoy your Easter break, no matter what you decide to get up to! We're relaxing at home this year, Im reading some great design books [more on those later] and doing some

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-90177316222408484662011-04-18T16:05:00.001+10:002011-04-18T16:05:48.314+10:00

DesignEx is over for another year and it was interesting. Different in a lot of ways from previous years and some would say not as good due to the exhibitor mix [some industries were barely represented such as soft floor coverings - not great for the carpet industry seeing there was so much in the way of hard flooring] but I still came away with some inspiration and a few good things to send your

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-88297174816078924732011-04-15T08:14:00.000+10:002011-04-15T08:14:22.656+10:00

I first saw a Formosa fabric on the dining chairs at Reissued - the lovely redbacked wren & wattle design - and I needed to know more about this fabric and its story.Formosa, meaning beautiful in latin, creates handprinted textiles of Australian nature in a way that makes them covetable to any discerning fabric lover. The designs are delicate and intricate yet modern and contemporary - just

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-35224119367128226592011-04-13T10:41:00.000+10:002011-04-13T10:41:14.610+10:00

Well, thats so not true! OK sometimes it does take a big chunk out of my day, maybe out of my week - like over the last week when I was reviewing them to give you guys our fav's and now yet another charming online publication has been launched - so I have to review that one don't I? - it's only fair!Fresh in the inbox this morning was the news- Trad Home has launched! Trad Home is a collaboration

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-23967079559009479492011-04-11T17:00:00.000+10:002011-04-11T17:00:19.971+10:00

Hopefully you've had time to check out Est and loved it as much as I did. I thought you might like to know what other e-magazines i spy are perusing, heres a few of our fav's for you to click on and enjoy...[image above: one of the gorgeous pages from Adore]Adore magazine was the first of its kind for Australia. Established and edited by designer Loni Parker, it distinguishes itself with lovely

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-40493489823075847032011-04-06T07:15:00.000+10:002011-04-06T07:15:00.605+10:00

Well you've heard me rattle on about Lonny - online mag launched last year - and now you'll have to put up with me raving on about another. This time it's an Australian mag, so I may go on even more...Est [as in loveliEST, greatEST, bestEST - Ok that's not a word really but you get the drift!] is a new e-magazine launched just this week. I'm not only excited that it's produced here in Melbourne [

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-18876773814834265052011-04-04T11:47:00.001+10:002011-04-04T12:04:10.892+10:00

Watching Grand Designs this week I fell in love with the amazing scandinavian inspired home designed [and project managed] by interior designer Kathryn Tyler. I just had to share some of it with you here. Its simplicity together with the amazing treasure trove of homewares & furniture Kathryn has curated create that perfect combination of old, new, rescued and vintage. My heart aches to build

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-57118978798733592942011-04-01T12:54:00.000+11:002011-04-01T12:55:21.726+11:00

Theres nothing like original and unique stationary and receiving a hand written note from someone can really make your day - I know it makes my heart melt! Which is why I was drawn to Magnolia Square find no. 2 - Boutique stationary creators Write To Me. Write To Me has that vintage feel with simple retro style illustrations on notebooks, cards, wrapping paper, invitations, postcards and even

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-73006652728890892892011-03-28T16:36:00.000+11:002011-03-28T16:36:18.604+11:00

I like a clever name and I think Reissued is up there. One of the discoveries I made at Magnolia Square, Reissued takes retro furniture pieces and rediscovers their beauty 'reissuing' them with new skins. The very clever Jacqui Porter uses Australian sourced fabrics that are enviro friendly (either sustainable new or vintage) which makes these one off pieces even more covetable. The retro

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-57228909924231206552011-03-24T15:49:00.000+11:002011-03-24T15:49:48.008+11:00

I took a trip to Magnolia Square a couple of weeks ago, it's a boutique market that I found had predominantly children's products with a few others such as jewellery, stationary and homewares sprinkled through. Whilst a small market, I have to say though it was a really nice experience. The atmosphere of St Kilda town hall was the perfect setting and of course I wasn't at all influenced by being

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-34006369999844442422011-03-10T17:02:00.000+11:002011-03-10T17:02:19.615+11:00

Don't you just love that image - I'm inspired by it without even knowing what I am looking at, I love the combination of the colours and the natural timber and even the cardboard. I just want to get in there and do something with it all. Well, lucky for me that's exactly what Aker Collective want - for you to complete the creative vision that is their Take 'n' Make series of lights.Aker

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-6470149608560965222011-03-09T14:04:00.000+11:002011-03-09T14:04:30.901+11:00

OK, Im just going to jump right back into it and hope you never even realised I was gone [actually that wouldn't be good, I would prefer it if you had noticed a little]! Lately Ive been busy planning my business - well trying to work out how to write a business plan anyway - have you ever had to do it? It's really quite daunting but it does make you focus on questions you probably hadn't had to

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-26291040084323098612010-07-30T15:11:00.000+10:002010-07-30T15:11:44.377+10:00

Have you missed me? Well, it's already been a monster of a year and I know I have been neglecting you but there have been other priorities - noisy ones that demand a lot of attention and messy ones that require a lot of cleaning - suffice to say other than a rather large project [which I will share with you in this post] its been all babies and toddlers at this end [well one of each anyway]. I

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-15711322219391499832010-05-23T15:01:00.000+10:002010-05-23T15:01:24.970+10:00

Some of you may have realised that I do have a bit of a thing for layering white on white [my very basic attempt shown here from my last homes dining room - not quite anywhere near what I would really love to do...]. I also predicted it in trends for 2009-10 and have since seen lots of lovely examples but these images were spot on. I happened upon this collection from Jotun on Emmas designblogg

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-30576882948672814902010-04-01T23:36:00.000+11:002010-04-01T23:36:58.132+11:00

By Guest Blogger Daniella Kilov...This European genius (based in Denmark) has taken paper and textile and created some gorgeous designs for the home. I love the hand made quality of the work and the uniqueness of each piece of paper work… this is definitely one for the books!Not only are the products gorgeous but the styling is just as inspirational….please excuse the inundation of images in this

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-18513207702152488162010-03-11T16:50:00.000+11:002010-03-11T16:54:32.345+11:00

By Guest Blogger Daniella Kilov...While traveling the States I was definitely on the look out for anything in design, but when I fell upon Cyrus Company in Mercer Street Soho - it was love at first sight. The Italian Company exudes the epitome of what true European craftsmanship and design means to the styling enthusiast….Each piece varies slightly due to the intricacy of detail and attention to

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-77894407922351667062010-03-04T12:50:00.000+11:002010-03-04T12:50:16.003+11:00

By Guest Blogger Daniella Kilov.. Just proves your creativity is only limited by your imagination...Isn’t it amazing how something so simple can create something so wonderful… a rainbow of tussled and layered fabrics.Of course the clothes are as intriguing as the styling.

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814317204138802880.post-14537944939657222082010-03-01T15:23:00.000+11:002010-03-01T15:23:58.092+11:00

By Guest Blogger Daniella Kilov.. Not only is Madeline Weinrib Atelier in New York known for their sumptuous, deliciously, lavish fabrics, rugs and furniture but they are the sponsors of Project Marala - A non profit organisation founded in the late 1980’s. Its goal and purpose is to eliminate child labour within the carpet weaving industry in India. The organization has set up a school

Bree Leechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16462005342935815653noreply@blogger.com0