Back to Work



I will admit it's been a little hard getting back into work this week after such a beautiful holiday.  I always think it's so much easier once the kids go back to school and the normal routine resumes.  Maybe next week once Harry is back at school I will be able to concentrate and come out from under the lampshade so-to-speak!

Talking about lamps I had to show you this amazing lamp which is actually one of a pair of vintage lamps we received into the store just before Christmas.  You can't really tell from the picture but they are quite large and so beautiful.  I haven't decided what lampshade I am going to put on them yet but they will feature in a window display in the coming weeks...that's if they don't sell before-hand.  I envy the lucky person who will end up with this lovely unique pair of lamps!!

xx

Anna

image 1 - via pretty stuff

Hi!

Hi & Happy New Year!  How are you?  How was your Christmas?  I feel like I haven't been here in such a long time.  I actually switched myself completely off the Internet and computer for the entire holidays and I must admit I feel like a new person!! 

I'm not officially back from holidays until early next week but I thought I should pop in to say hello.  Did anyone see our special New Year window displays at Black & Spiro over the holidays?  If you haven't already seen them, make sure you take a drive passed as the talented Pip Boydell painted us the fabulous and vibrant fabric drop {as above} and the beautiful pair of big vintage pineapple lamps are a must see!!

Anyway, I'll be back with beautiful things to share next week.  Until then I'll be making the most of the last few days I have left with my boys at the beach...

xx
Anna

Happy Friday

I just had to post this beautiful vintage one-off Indian cloth box.  It is so beautiful.  It is one of 8 we just received into the store today.  I am officially in-love with all of them.  You should see inside them...they are divine!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend...not long to go now until the holidays!  I think I am counting down the minutes!!!
xx
Anna

Fab New Things

Late last week our store was starting to look a bit bare with the lead up to Christmas but this week we've had quite a few deliveries of new and exciting things.  One of my favourite things we had delivered this week were these fabulous drum side tables which also come in orange.  For under $100 they make an excellent Christmas gift but you will need to be quick as we have already sold quite a few and the numbers are limited!!

Hope you have a great weekend.  Only 2 weeks to go until the holidays.  I just can't wait to get away from it all...

xx

Anna

Cushion Central

I thought I would share a few shots of some of the fabulous cushions we have in store at Black & Spiro at the moment.  Lots of clashing colour.  Lots of mismatched patterns.  Just the way we like it. 

xx
Anna

For The Lovers of Blue & White

I emailed this picture of our new Black & Spiro window display to my mother last night.  She wanted every jar in the picture.  I think that's the thing with blue and white, it becomes an obssession. I can't count how many blue and white pieces my mum has in her collection but no matter how many she already has, she continues to collect more and more. 

I think this recent delivery of beautiful blue and white pieces is the most amazing one we've ever had.  You should come in and see the others we have placed throughout the store.  It's hard to pick a favourite!!

xx

Anna

New Things at Black & Spiro

I thought you might like to see our current front window display at Black & Spiro and also a fabulous new ikat armchair which arrived last week.  The chest of drawers in the window is a little antique French chest and the lamp is a fabulous old lamp I found.  The new shade has certainly given it a wonderful, new and uplifting look. 

xx

Anna

A Basket of Fresh Garden Flowers



Early this morning I headed out into our garden which is currently in full bloom.  I spent about 20 minutes in pure heaven collecting this basket of fresh flowers for Black & Spiro.  It has been so great having lots of vases of fresh garden flowers in the shop over these past few weeks.  As you have probably guessed I am a little bit obsessed with fresh flowers.  Maybe if I decide to give up decorating I could just grow and sell pretty bunches of fresh garden flowers...I'd really love that. 

xx

Anna

Pretty Chair

This pretty vintage armchair just came back from the upholsterer last week.  I particularly love the box pleated trim we added to the base of the chair.  We decided to keep the legs in their vintage state so as to show the age of the chair.  With Spring just around the corner this little floral chair is such a fresh addition to the shop...

xx

Anna

More Photos

I thought I would share a few more photos of our back bedroom display at Black & Spiro.  I love, love, love the embroidered cushion we just added to the bed today which arrived this morning along with a few more.  They are all one-off cushions. 

And here's a photo of the curtains in the room which we made in a blue and white lattice design fabric.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous day!!

xx

Anna

PS.  Stocks of our beautiful pink love heart cushions are going down in our online store.  We only have a few left so if you want one make sure you click HERE to purchase!  They are truly divine!!xx

Random Snippets

I arrived home last night to this arrangement of flowers from our garden on our fireplace mantel.  A little fairy had been to visit.  Gosh they were a lovely surprise.  As I've said many times before, there's nothing like flowers to bring a smile to my face...

I thought you might like to see some photos of our new bedroom display at Black & Spiro which we have just finished decorating.  It's so nice having our back rooms looking beautiful again.



We've also had an influx this week of some beautiful new cushions and a few vintage treasures which is always very exciting but they don't seem to last long!!

This vintage blue and white lamp is one of my favourite pieces at Black & Spiro at the moment.  I found it covered in dirt at an auction a few months ago.  You couldn't even see that it was blue and white.  We wiped it back to reveal this beautiful vintage lamp base...divine!

Black & Spiro Today

Here are a few snapshots of some of our new things at Black & Spiro.  Lots of great things including beautiful table linen, cushions, ginger jars, trays, rugs and fabrics.  It's almost like Christmas here at the moment with things arriving daily.

Black & Spiro Today

I was up early this morning as my brother Sam came home from Western Australia and couldn't wait to come to see the boys.  He has been away living and working over there for the last couple of months and our entire family is just so excited about him being home for the next 2 weeks.  After his visit I went to see my friend Phoebe and collected some fresh flowers for the shop.  It really makes all the difference having beautiful fresh flowers in the shop.  Actually we've got lots of new things in as well which is very exciting...here's a little photo to whet your appetite! 


Hope everyone has a great weekend!!
xx
Anna

Fresh Tulips Fresh Window

It's always like a breath of fresh air when we install a new window display at Black & Spiro.  To celebrate our new window I bought some pretty fresh tulips which we have placed into one of a pair of blue and white vases we have on the table with a beautiful pair of lamps.  Good old Chiang Mai in blue and white makes a big appearance in the background.  I will try to post a picture from the outside of the shop too as the antique table which you can't really see in this photo is absolutely divine!!

Fabric Loving

I took this photo at Black & Spiro before our sale last month.  The reason I am posting it is because I love the fabric we used on the antique chair pictured.  It's always so exciting stumbling across a fabric I haven't seen before.  It inspires me and gets me thinking about the possibilities of what I can do with it and what other fabrics I can mix with it.  Even though this chair has now sold I think I might need to have something else covered in this fabric...

Black & Spiro Today

I quickly snapped this photo as I was leaving the shop tonight of our front desk.  Today we replaced the black and white ikat desk skirt, which we've had on the desk since our re-opening last year, with a new gathered navy and white ticking skirt.  This photo gives a very small indication of our new look for the entire shop which will hopefully be in place within the next 3 weeks.  There is going to be lots of red {I am very into red}, navy, pale blue, green, yellow and a softer/warmer pink than the one I am normally known for. 

I wish that all of our lovely new things would arrive sooner as the shop is a little bit empty due to our recent annual sale.  However, as I keep telling myself - beautiful things take time to come to fruition and as my mother always says - good things come to those who wait!!

What's Next

For me, creating a home with soul is the most important thing I hope to achieve for my clients and myself. 

No matter what colour or style preference you have, it's about selecting furniture, fabrics and pieces which strike a chord with you.  It's also about having your children's artwork on your walls and your grandmother's vase on your fireplace mantel.  It's about personal preference and the use of items which have personal meaning.

I have found that it's the most unusual pieces which stay within the walls of our family home.  For example the Antique Dining table we purchased just before we got married will never be replaced or sent to the shop to be sold.  Collecting Antique furniture does take time and money but I think it's worth waiting for the perfect piece and collecting pieces over time certainly helps when it comes to funding such items. 

Over the coming weeks we will be taking delivery of lots of wonderful new things at Black & Spiro including numerous Antique pieces which I have been collecting over the last few months from far afield.  There will be new fabrics and a wonderful new colour palette which I think will be fresh and exciting. 

I continue to put all my effort into sourcing and creating inimitable things for Black & Spiro and I am sure you will all be very inspired and excited by our new offerings...

I look forward to sharing photos in the coming weeks.

New Things

We've had another influx of new things at Black & Spiro this week.  The new blue and white inlay chest of drawers which we have placed in our front window with the butterfly fabric is very beautiful.  We also have new pale pink cockatoo lamps which we've had custom made for our store, lots of new cushions in fabrics I bought when we were overseas earlier this year, a pair of antique armchairs and yet another delivery of our special blue and white ginger jars. 

It certainly has been a busy week getting all of our new things into the shop.  Here are a couple of photos I thought you might like to see.  The colourful, mismatched and at times very wild style we seem to be known for is very noticeable in these pictures.

I can't believe it's Friday tomorrow already and another long weekend.  I don't know about you but I'm finding it hard to fit everything I need to do into these short weeks!!

Today

I think these lilies which we have in the shop at the moment are the prettiest lilies I have ever seen.

I am smitten with our new hot pink {well it's actually fluoro/neon pink} love heart fabric which just arrived onto my desk this morning.

This vintage rug in my office keeps me smiling all day.  I love it.

And these new baskets in the shop are calling out to me - "take me home".....

New Things

New Tables

New Paintings

New Blue and White Bone Inlay Boxes and Pink Inlay boxes too...

Another new painting

And another fabulous and very reasonably priced table

It really is like Christmas at Black & Spiro lately with all of the beautiful new things we have arriving from our overseas suppliers and also our wonderful Australian suppliers too.  Here are a few things which just arrived in this week.  I am finding it hard not to take things home.  I whisked one of the new pink inlaid trays home with me yesterday and I am obsessed with it...almost as much as my garden!!!