Daydreaming of Istanbul

Since seeing this exquisite jewel of a home, a couple of days ago, I have been daydreaming about it, letting my mind wander through every embroidery and pattern-bedecked room, having a little mental holiday in Istanbul. 

Built for an exiled Hungarian pasha in the 1850s, as a hunting lodge, Macar Feyzullah Pasha, in Istanbul, Turkey, this is now the home of revered antiques dealer and decorator Serdar Gülgün (shown above, with his niece and nephew). His unerring eye for beauty has allowed him to restore and reinvent the home to become this magical oasis. Filled with his own antiques collection, arrayed with jewel-hued silks, velvets, and other luxurious textiles, patterned walls, and just the right touch of quirkiness, like not-too-perfect hand-painted details, the rooms of the pasha are utterly captivating. 

To me, this place seems like something out of a Wes Anderson film, a delicious fairy tale, where the most intriguing sorts of people must surely be having fabulous conversations, as they sip rich coffees and nibble on delicately spiced pastries, while elegant harp music wafts from unseen sources. Is this place real, or a fantasy? It is truly magnificent. 

What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall, at one of the famed dinner parties hosted here! How about you?

{All images via Town & Country; click on images to see larger versions}

blue mood

It is winter here now, when the cooler, cloudier days bring on blue moods...

So I'm in the mood to look at some beautiful blue rooms. 

I hope you are, too.

anthropologie

 Vogue Living Australia

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 Suzanne Kasler

 bar designed by Ashley Whittaker

 House Beautiful

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Veranda

 zuniga interiors

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 AD

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(source unknown)

Room Love: Blue

I'm in a blue mood today...

Jeanette Whitson's library painted Farrow Ball’s Hague Blue

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 Shangri La Hotel, Paris

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Glam Furniture

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 Living etc

Study designed byThom Filicia

I've been daydreaming about the Dream House again. I'm picturing blue design elements being used throughout the house. I'm envisioning the front door being painted a beautiful blue (the same colour as the one shown above), and the study being painted a gorgeous blue hue (much like Jeanette Whitson's library painted Farrow Ball’s Hague Blue, top image, shown above)--actually, they seem to be nearly the same shade. I have always loved blues, from light to dark, cool to warm, I love them all.

Maybe the reason I'm in the mood for the colour blue today is because, two days ago, Glen and I found out that we are having a baby boy. I'm 20 weeks along, which means that I'm halfway through my pregnancy. It's so exciting to imagine our life with this new little person. As much as I'm a girly girl, and I adore all things pink and pretty and feminine, I will certainly love this boy of ours.

Lovely Textiles by Imogen Heath

When I first saw British textile designer Imogen Heath's lovely cushions and bedding, while perusing this blog, I knew I had to learn more about her wares. Heath draws inspiration for her fabric designs from her everyday life, and from her journeys between her home in Brighton and the English countryside.

 ‘My design process is all about retaining the same feeling of excitement and Joy that comes to me when I have an idea for a pattern, or when I draw something for the first time. I hope that by successfully taking these feelings through to the finished piece I can somehow bring that same delight into people’s surroundings.’ - Imogen Heath

You can find Imogen Heath's beautiful range of textiles here.