Renovation inspiration - living and dining

Small spaces are tricky to furnish and decorate, aren't they. For example a combined lounge and dining area that isn't entirely teeny-tiny but certainly isn't spacious, like the one in our new house... how would you fill it and make it yours in a way that worked? For us, the big challenge is designing the rooms so they look great and function practically, but don't feel overcrowded. Here are some ideas I've gleaned from the Internet so far.  

↑↑ The dining area has to visually fit in with the lounge area, so the decor needs to work on a broader scale than just "eat here." I love the pop of these yellow chairs, or this amazing cross-stitch chair (which unfortunately is a DIY, so let's face it I'm stumped). I also thought putting open shelves above the dining table was a lovely idea that was both decorative and space-saving. Meanwhile, those pendant lights? I LOVE them and think they would be perfect above our dining table. Mr B disagrees. Cue sadface.

Clockwise from top left: open shelves in the dining via Design Sponge; cross-stitch chair via My Poppet; yellow dining chairs via Living Room TV; pendant lights via Marz Designs

↑↑ In a small space, furniture that shares wall-space or serves multiple functions is great, because you get maximum use and appeal while taking up minimal space. My favourite? This stylish fold-out wall-desk. I think it would be fantastic in our hall, to dump keys and mail and Mr B's ties on as we walk in, before folding the mess up and away.

Clockwise from top-left: wall-desk via Swiss Miss; low bench and mini-gallery via Old Brand New; mid-century-modern style pet boxes (so stylish they can double as coffee tables!) via Modernist Cat on Etsy; wall-leaning side-tables via Kenyon Yeh

↑↑ We've decided to splash out on new lounge chairs to go with our new house. Our existing lounge chairs were around before Em started school (she's 15 now). They have taken a LOT of family-related love and rough and tumble and wear and tear. They're threadbare on the arms, and seem to have magical talents when it comes to collecting dirt and food and cat hair and goodness knows what else. It. Is. Time.

Clockwise from top-left: leather armchair via Design Sponge; granny-square covered mid-century couch (I love this so much!) via Zakka (originally seen on Meet Me at Mikes); the after in a 'before & after' upholstery project on a small sofa via Design Sponge; super comfy-looking antique-style sofa via Home Life

↑↑ For these small rooms, Mr B and I have somewhat reluctantly reined in our love of colour and opted for fairly neutral bones: white walls, pale floorboards (the original colour), simple sheer curtains. So we're relying on all the finishing touches to add character and interest to the rooms. Walls are a great canvas to start doing that, and I've been searching around for creative ideas.

Clockwise from top-left: gallery wall via Poppytalk (I've been thinking of these a lot lately but I'm nervous about doing it right, I'd love your tips); a classic 1950s Eames Hang It All coat rack; eclectic mix of ornaments, recycled objects and plants on the wall via Old Brand New; gilt mirror (for above the fireplace) via English Muse

What are your top tips for decorating in a confined space? What do you dream about having in your lounge room, or dining room, or both?

Want more renovation inspiration? These are my kitchen ideas.

Meals on Wheels - Round the Way Bagel Burgers

You like bagels. You like burgers. Now imagine combining the two. Genius! That's what you'll find at the Round the Way food truck: toasted bagels with a range of delicious fillings. It's breakfast, it's lunch, it's any meal you darn well want. We cruised on over to Round the Way at the farmers' market on the banks of the beautiful Lake Wendouree on the weekend, on our way to visit Sovereign Hill. I was in a brunch mood and was dreaming about a classic toasted sesame-seed bagel with cream cheese (my go-to breakfast from the Thompson Cafe downstairs in my building when I lived in SoHo).

Unfortunately the friendly Round the Way fellas were way too sophisticated for that so, instead, I 'settled' for a slightly sweet filling of orange and chia-seed cream cheese. Let the person who didn't get so stuck into her bagel that she forgot to photograph it until half way through the meal complain about that!

Other options on the menu for the day were mixed berry cream cheese; smoked salmon with capers, red onion, fresh dill, rocket and cream cheese; a good old BLAT; grilled sheep-cheese with rocket, tomato and beetroot pesto; and a grilled chicken bagel with spiced Cuban rum, lettuce, tomato and lime mayonnaise.

Oh and freshly squeezed orange juice, to perfect the breakfast experience. We took our juices and bagels down to a bridge by the lake so Madeleine could watch the swans, and I promise I didn't throw anything to the ducks. Not even a crumb.

I'm eating my way through the wares of all the food trucks in Melbourne. Here's where I'm up to so far. The things I do for you guys.

Have sketchbook, will travel

I’ve mentioned before about the road-trip I took across the USA before I moved from New York to Australia. I was blown away by the diversity - of culture, of geography, of architecture, of food - that revealed how little I'd known about the American story. Turns out the story of the USA is way bigger than the life I knew in New York or what you see of Middle America on TV. Who knew?

A couple of months ago I came across Drawn the Road Again, a blog by artist Chandler O'Leary, and, more than anything else, it made me incredibly nostalgic for that perspective-challenging journey.

Chandler shares little snippets of her adventures and discoveries on the road, through thoughtful words and stunning illustrations.

I reckon I could spend years browsing through her travel journals. They are the roadside scrapbooks of my dreams.

Chandler kindly gave me permission to share her illustrations with you on here. Take a look over on Drawn the Road Again for many more. They are incredible. You can also like Chandler on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

Victorian dispatch - Sovereign Hill

It was a pivotal moment in time for Victoria. In 1851, gold was discovered in the area we now know as Ballarat. Thousands of adventurers and risk-takers rushed to the region and turned the muddy goldfields into a bustling town, all-but overnight. Within two years, there were more than 20,000 miners of countless nationalities working on the field. Visit Ballarat today and you can still see grand Victorian architecture everywhere, all built on gold. (Not literally you understand. At least probably not).

And just around the corner you will find Sovereign Hill, a place that recreates the atmosphere and events that existed in the 10 years following that momentous first discovery of gold.

I love a good historical tourist-attraction, I really do.

{Side note: when I was little I loved to visit Old Sydney Town and imagine myself travelling back in time. There was a "Time Tunnel" that you walked through to get from the place where you bought the tickets to the actual town. Eight-year-old Naomi harboured fantasies that she could do this MUCH better. For example, I would have built the Time Tunnel so that you couldn't see one end from the other. And I would have had swirling coloured lights (something like the ones on the cover of 'A Wrinkle in Time' which I was totally into at the time) throughout, deliberately creating a disorienting experience as you walked through the tunnel. Half way into the Time Tunnel, when you could no longer see the entry or exit points, there would be change rooms and the biggest dress-up box you had ever seen, with enough clothes to fit everyone. And you would have to get changed into period costume so that when you emerged in Old Sydney Town, you and everyone around you would look the part. That way, nobody (let alone a very romantically-minded eight-year-old girl), would need to suspend their disbelief. Pretty cool huh?}

Back to Ballarat...

At some point during Primary School, everyone in Australia learns about the Eureka Stockade, which happened on the Ballarat goldfields in 1854. It was a rebellion, and the most significant of its kind in Victoria's history. The rebels objected to the imposition of a Miner's License, an exorbitant form of taxation on their gold findings, and at least 28 men died, with many more wounded. It was a classic (and in this case tragic) Australian story of the common man standing up against an abuse of authority, despite the odds and regardless of the consequences.

So this is Sovereign Hill, circa last Saturday:

One of the handy things about being the mother of a toddler is that you can go to these kinds of places and pretend you are doing it for your child, when really it is all about you.

Actually Madeleine could not have cared less about where we were or the cool costumes people were wearing or the historical significance of the town. Her key interests were: climbing up and down muddy steps; looking at turkeys in a sheep paddock; imitating the calls of the crows flying above us; licking my toffee-apple and then smearing sticky, red, stains all over her face. Most of these (minus the turkeys in the sheep paddock) we could have done at home, without the entry fee.

We tried to interest Madeleine in panning for gold, but she was more interested in walking at top speed into the creek, completely oblivious to her inability to swim or the sudden-return-to-winter climate of the day.

For my part, I loved the whole shebang. In particular, the toffee apple was the first I'd had since I was about 10. It was really REALLY good. Better than I remembered the toffee apples of my childhood being. And I went home with a red, sticky face, too.

Junior fashion notes: Madeleine's adorable, furry vest was a gift from Target Australia. I must thank them (again) because it kept her warm and cosy on a very cold day, she LOVED wearing it, and I think she looked cute as pie in it, especially when teamed with skinny jeans and little love-heart sneakers (also from Target, purchased by me).

Please don't blame me for the non-matching hat (knitted by a kind volunteer at Mr B's work). Madeleine loves her hats, and she chose that one all by herself before we left the house.

A brief semi-political interlude

I eased myself down into Madeleine's bean bag on Saturday night to watch the Federal election coverage. It was predictably depressing. If you were following the Australian elections at all, you'll know what I mean. I read a tweet a couple of weeks back that said choosing a Prime Minister in this election was like choosing a boyfriend in prison. That about summed it up.

There were two happy moments, however. The first was watching the Greens get up in my electorate, against the odds and against all predictions. At a time when Australia seems to be growing increasingly self-centred, I felt proud (but also a little sad) to live in the only community in the nation that succeeded in giving voice to the Greens.

And that's all I have to say about politics (on this blog).

The second happy moment was when my daughter waddled over to the bean bag for a robust series of games of Stealing Mama's Headband, followed by Bouncing on Mama's Knee and then Tickling Mama's Baby-Belly.

Of such things (complete with impressive double-chin action) are cheerful Saturday nights made.

ps. Yes, those are moving boxes in the background. So exciting!

Meals on Wheels - Trailer Made

Once upon a time a little family was driving along a drab and dreary section of Lygon Street on their way to buy groceries. Suddenly, amid the gloom of traffic and medium-rise building construction and set against the backdrop of a new and used tyre warehouse, they caught a glimpse of the shiny new Trailer Made food truck. So we parked the car and decamped for a mid-afternoon lunch.

One of Melbourne's newest food trucks, Trailer Made doesn't stick to just one style of food or any particular region, instead serving up food inspired by the owners' travels throughout Europe, China and Korea, visiting street vendors and hawkers' markets.

Case in point: on the menu today were latkes (a kind of potato cake normally enjoyed during Hanukkah) served up with smoked salt and slaw; spiced chickpeas with Turkish yoghurt and cucumber salad; Israeli chicken skewers with corn sauce and cous cous; and a beef bun that had sold out by the time we got there.

We found a grubby little park not far away, complete with a teeny-tiny playground that made my little girl very happy indeed, and turned the afternoon into a last-minute picnic.

I invite you to admire Mr B's order of Israeli chicken, smothered in a homemade chilli sauce and definitely admired by Madeleine (who later helped herself to fistfuls of corn and giant couscous). The salad was amazing too.

My potato cakes were full of crispy goodness and I had to share more than I would have liked to with a hungry and adventurous little toddler. Thanks to Baby B2 growing happily in my belly I skipped the aioli, but I'm thinking the bed of slaw under the latkes may have been even better without it. Have you ever had salty slaw? Holy moly!

And also, this was THE BEST iced tea I've ever tasted. Even including all those iced teas I downed on my road-trip through the southern states of the USA. Rose water and pomegranate were in there, I don't know what else. I'm going to start experimenting at home because I can't wait for Trailer Made to roll back my way before I have more.

Trailer Made is all about being responsible and inclusive. “Amy and I have put our heads together to come up with ideas for what we think is important for a business today," Chef Casey Norman says on the Trailer Made website.

"Biodegradable packaging, locally-sourced menu and catering for vegans, vegos, meat eaters, coeliacs and the diversity of food lovers.”

And the sprinkles on top of our impromptu foodie afternoon? My old friend the Brûlée Cart was parked right next to Trailer Made! Behold, once again, the perfect toffee-crack (and behold, one greedy baby trying to steal ALL THE BRÛLÉE from her father).

I love living in the "food truck heartland" of the Inner North. Food trucks make me so happy. Here are some more I've been sampling, if you're interested.

ps. Sorry about the slightly dodgy iPhone photography. I hadn't thought to bring my camera with me on what was meant to be a quick shopping trip to Safeway.

Renovation inspiration - the kitchen

What's in your dream kitchen? Mine* will have floorboards and white cupboards and wooden benchtops and a big, fireclay farmhouse sink. It will have a gas stove and a big oven that doesn't leak, is easy to clean, and is up high so curious little hands can't get into trouble. My new kitchen will have LOADS of storage and, even though I love the look of open shelves, everything will be closed off inside cupboards because there's nothing worse than that sticky grime-dust that gathers in cooking places over time. But all those cupboard doors will steal a lot of personality from my dream kitchen. How can I inject the character back in? Here are five ways I've been admiring from around the Internet of late.

↑↑ I think these utilitarian light fittings would be perfect for a kitchen that's a bit rustic, like mine. There are some amazing vintage and handmade light shades in this style that Mr B and I have been admiring, but those can cost thousands of dollars, and you can get something pretty similar from Ikea for $29.99. So...

Clockwise from top left: white vintage shades via Manhattan Nest; black rustic shade via Design Sponge; modern (vintage-look) red shade via Design Sponge; handmade 'tram light' via Life Space Journey

↑↑ Plants add a sense of warmth to the kitchen (as well as adding oxygen), and bring a little of the garden inside, especially if you have the light to grow edible herbs inside. My new kitchen will only have a small window, so I'm not sure how well herbs will grow in it. Alternatively, I'm also rather smitten with these dried herb posies, in the cupboard or hanging from a piece of driftwood on the ceiling.

Clockwise from top left: driftwood herb and pot rack via Poppytalk; dried herb cupboard via Bright Bazaar; garden shelves in the window via Design Sponge; plants on the wall via Old Brand New

↑↑ Because I've opted for all white cupboards and no open shelves, I was thinking a bit of wall decor might be the way to brighten up my kitchen and give it some colour and personality. I thought these were pretty cute ideas, from chalk-board 'windows' to removable wallpaper (and how cool is that brown paper shopping-list scroll?).

Clockwise from top left: renters' wallpaper via Oh Joy; chalkboard wall and 'window' via Poppytalk; neon pink cuckoo-clock via Design Sponge; shopping-list scroll via Ebb & Flow

↑↑ How fun is the pastel-and-neon phase that's going on these days? I'm also loving all the geometric shapes and patterns. And when you combine them with handmade techniques and natural elements... winning!

Clockwise from top left: many-coloured ceramic canisters via bfiess; neon-painted wooden bowls via Nicole Porter Design; colourful, geometric coasters via brika; geometric mugs via Barbara Bestor

↑↑ For the past I don't know how many years, I have been on the lookout for the perfect vintage kitchen canisters. They have to be enamel, but have good working seals still in place, no rust, and great colour. One day I will find them and they will sit happily on my kitchen bench. Meanwhile, here are some other great-looking (and brightly coloured) vintage finds I've been loving on Etsy of late.

Clockwise from top left: retro cowboy spice canisters via Tangerine Toes; vintage Dutch kitchen rack via Smeerling Antiques; polka-dot Soviet enamel milk can via Riga Vintage (more of my Soviet-era polka-dot finds here); vintage French tin canisters via Vintage French Linens

OK your turn. What would you have in your dream kitchen? What would make you happiest?

* If you're new to this blog, we are renovating our house. This is what it looks like from the outside. This is what it looked like inside, a couple of weeks ago.

Positive thinking

What a difference a day makes. 24 hours before taking these joyful snaps, I was pushing a pram along Drummond Street and wiping away tears with a paper towel (we are out of tissues). That was three for three: I had already been in tears earlier the same morning during two separate phone calls. Call it pregnancy hormones.

Or maybe they were cumulative tears. You know sometimes when you don't even realise the pressure is building up until it's too late and you're in full-on meltdown mode and it's embarrassing, because the tear-soaked paper towel is leaving little bits of paper-fluff on your face for everyone on Drummond Street to see? Maybe it was that. There has been a lot of pressure in our lives lately, and I hadn't really even given myself the opportunity to think about it all at once, so I hadn't realised it was all getting the better of me, until Meltdown Morning. I was that frog in the pot of water that didn't notice the water heating up until it reached a good, rolling boil.

But sometimes a teary meltdown is good for the soul, wouldn't you agree? I got it all out of my system (and into the paper towel). It forced me to take a look at what was going on in my life and restock. It forced me to open up to Mr B about how I (had only just discovered I) was feeling. And I remembered that it was ok to ask for help, sometimes. So I did. And I got the help I asked for. Why am I still so slow to realise these things?

To celebrate my new and improved positive outlook, not to mention the amazing spring weather, Madeleine and I took the tram out to St Kilda the next morning for a bow-legged run on the sand and a paddle in the (freezing! but she didn't seem to care) water. Madeleine toddled up and down that beach like the four-week veteran of walking she was. Or even, her proud mother could say, just like a veteran of, oooh, six weeks. (Madeleine is a very advanced child). She chased some seagulls too. Toddlers do that.

Later we shared lunch together in a grubby, nondescript cafe, and I earned my World's Worst Mother award by treating my baby to a meal of chicken nuggets, chips and cherry tomatoes. Having already completely ruined her nutrition for the day, we followed this up by sharing a choc-nilla milkshake at Crafternoon on the way home. Madeleine drank hers down to the very end, making the slurpy noises you'd expect to hear in a 1950s diner. It was all kinds of cute.

Tomorrow we will eat healthy food. And I will keep smiling.

Meals on wheels - the Curry Truck

This beautiful elephant is hiding something rather special: delectable curries, samosas, raita, naan bread and more. He guards the back of The Curry Truck, one of the tastiest meals on wheels you'll find cruising Melbourne's streets these days. For lunch I ordered the special, because I can never go past a surprise. The first surprise was that my meal had to be cooked from scratch, which meant a longer-than-expected wait while my tummy rumbled. But when the meal did arrive, half the people in the (ever-growing) line behind me began twitching their noses. And more than one person asked "Can I look inside? That smells amazing!" Which it did.

It was chicken drenched in tandoori-style spices, with a refreshing raita and freshly-cooked flat-bread to mop all the flavours up. It's true my lunch didn't look all that pretty, but my little disposable plate was clean when I'd finished!

What did you have for lunch this weekend?

ps. More edible goodness on the Melbourne streets

Bare feet

I had planned to bring you a Father's Day post today. I am truly blessed to have not only an amazing dad who (with my equally-amazing mum) gave me a wonderful childhood, but also a husband who is such an incredible father that he inspired I-don't-want-kids me to enter parenthood! That post is still to come. But today, I just couldn't resist bringing you this little barefoot angel. Sometimes (about two or three times a week), Mr B asks me, "Can you believe this is your life?"

He asks it when my baby throws herself backwards and upside-down into my lap and dissolves into giggles. He asks it when I slump in a chair, exhausted, wearing daggy maternity jeans from Target, stains on my shirt, and with hair looking like I've been dragged through a hedge backward. He asks it when my little girl throws a tantrum because I won't let her put her hand in the orange juice.

Then Mr B says, "When I met you in New York, you conned me!" He says this because when we met in New York I was single and fancy-free and had nice clothes and nice shoes and we had one of those first-date conversations during which you quiz one another about everything. Mr B quizzed me about children and I said "I love children but I don't want to be a mum."

I meant it. Really I did.

Last year I wrote about what changed my mind. If you're curious, you can read about it here. A week after I wrote that post, Madeleine was born.

Oh, Madeleine!

She is light and shadow.

She is willful, affectionate, funny, passionate, clever and loving.

When I carry Madeleine into the bedroom at night, she wraps her arms around my head and kisses me all over my face. When I tell her not to let the dog lick her food, she lets out a screech and tries to bang her head on the floor in fury. When I call "Bath time!" she bursts into giggles and runs away as fast as her chubby little legs will carry her. In the darkest hours of the night she wakes up and nothing - nothing - will calm her but to snuggle down in between us. If she finds one of her dad's dirty socks, nothing pleases her more than to place the sock on my knee and hear me say "Disgusting! Get it away!"

Today was the first day of spring, and the weather celebrated. There was a wind, but it was soft, balmy and floral. And for the first day in more months than I can remember, Madeleine went barefoot in the park. And for the first time in her life, she ran barefoot in the park.

Joy in my life, these days, is  bare feet. Chubby baby toes in cool green grass. It's watching Madeleine's dress billow behind her in the wind as she races, arms akimbo, toward the playground. It's shadows lengthening and sunlight, golden on my baby's eyelashes.

It's funny how life never ceases to tumble you into the unexpected, isn't it. I never would have expected motherhood to be part of my world. Yet as I type, Madeleine is sleeping beautifully in her cot after her energetic day in the wind and grass. Baby B2 is growing, waiting, dreaming, inside me.

Beside me on the couch, Mr B just pulled out his passport to make a visa application for a trip to China later this year. He is looking over all the old stamps, awash in nostalgia. Santiago. Heathrow. Addis Ababa. Rio. Seoul. Los Angeles. And so it goes. Once upon a time (for 10 years or so), Mr B travelled overseas for more than nine months of each year. Even after we met and he had left that job, he was off somewhere new in the world every few months, and travelling interstate every other week. I've talked before about how, when I came home from New York, we moved and moved and moved again, six interstate moves in just 18 months. I don't think Mr B could ever have imagined being as settled as we are now. Buying a house, renovating it, looking at schools for our children. Watching the Masterchef finale on TV (yay Emma!).

Life, you funny old trickster. I wonder what is in store next.