My New Blog - Coastal Style

 

 

 

 

I'm pretty excited today because I am launching my new blog on Coastal Style. I have been collecting images of my favourite beach houses, great outdoor entertaining ideas, summer beauty, resort fashion, beachy accessories and amazing places I'd like to visit on the coast for years now. At the end of the day there were just too many things that inspired me so I decided to create another blog just to celebrate coastal living. If you love the beach, summer and holidays on the coast I am sure you will enjoy this new blog. Click on this link Coastal Style for a little 'beachy' inspiration!

Melissah xox

Images via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Bonjour Paris!

 

 

 

One of the things I love about trips to Paris is sitting at an outdoor table of a Parisienne cafe watching the world go by. The women are so chic and elegant - always classic and understated and the men look so sophisticated in their summer linen suits - even the dogs are well groomed and stylish!

Melissah xox

Images via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6   

Colour Me Happy

 

 

I am passionate about colour and I love every colour under the sun. Strangely, as an interior designer you would think I would be working with lots of colour but all of my clients want timeless, neutral schemes so unless I am designing a school or a kindergarten my work sadly lacks colour. Decorating with colour turns houses into fun, happy, vibrant spaces which is why my house has lots of bright colours in every room. I love lots of white with strong colours in artwork, bedlinen, scatter cushions and accessories. So go on, be bold and splash a little colour around!

   

Melissah xox

Images via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Images via Korean Vogue Girl

What a magical, ethereal, modern day take on Alice in Wonderland this is. Everything about this shoot for Teen Vogue is sweet, pretty and romantic from the model, to the cakes, to the table settings and the candy coloured shoes. Now I would love to throw an afternoon tea party that looked like this one!

Melissah xox

Chanel Ski

 

 

I am heading off to the snow tomorrow so you can imagine how excited I was when I saw all the Chanel ski gear at the new Chanel store. I'm a mad keen skier and where I lack skill I hope to make up in the style stakes! I literally went to every ski shop in Melbourne to choose my ski gear and outfit. I horrified all the sales staff by picking everything by colour with no regards to my ability, comfort or warmth! Anyway, thank goodness I ignored all of their efforts because I am now totally co-ordinated from head to toe in white, silver and a very unusual shade of a pinky red - the teenage girls love it!  

Melissah xox

Images via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Coastal Style - My New Blog

Upcoming Blog Launch - Sunday 31st July

Since setting up a blog six months ago I have become totally addicted to blogging. (I would seriously consider joining 'Bloggers Anonymous'...if there was such a thing!) It has opened up a whole new world of creativity that takes me to beautiful places, gorgeous images and lovely, thoughtful people. I love putting together the stories and searching for inspiring images. It has lead me to some incredibly talented people with amazing blogs. Well anyway I can't seem to get enough so I have set up another blog on all things 'seaside and summery'. Hopefully popping by Coastal Style will feel like a mini vacation. There will be lots of inspiration on beach house interiors, food, fashion and travel destinations by the water. Everything will have a coastal feel to reflect my love of being a designer living in a small, coastal town. For a sneak peek of some 'beachy' stories that have previously posted on Scrapbook click on this link Coastal Style. I hope you enjoy it!

Melissah xox

Images via 1, 2, 3, 4

A Weekend Bike Ride

There is big excitement in Australia as fellow Aussie Cadel Evans is set to win the 'Tour de France' today. He has unofficially won but the final ride back to Paris today seals the deal. I am even more excited because he comes from a seaside town just a hop, skip and a jump from where we live on the coast. I've never met him but he mixes in the same circle of friends...so that makes me almost famous! Anyway I feel very inspired to get on my bike, get out in the fresh air and go out on a long bike ride. If the weather was a bit nicer I would pack a picnic and find a nice shady tree to sit under and enjoy my lunch!

Melissah xox

Images via 1, 2, 3, 4

Happy Birthday

 

 

To my dear, funny, handsome, sweet, loving husband 'Happy Birthday' I hope you have a lovely day!

Our dinner party last night was a great hit with friends leaving very late at night. Things are a bit slow and fuzzy this morning but I'm quietly working my way through the chaos I managed to create in the kitchen last night. For me, cooking with a glass of champagne in hand is the sure way to end up with mass destruction so I have a lot of cleaning up to do today. However, everything turned out beautifully and a good time was had by all!    

Melissah xox

Images via 1, 2, 3

Tropical Party

I am just about to make a mad dash to the kitchen and start preparing for tonight's dinner party. I've decided on a tropical theme after being inspired by these gorgeous images of a beach wedding. It's bright and colourful and will put everyone in the mood for having a good time especially after a cocktail or two! I'm planning on serving tequila sunrises on arrival with spicy nuts in cones (as above) followed by seared scallops in their shells and smoked salmon canapes. Main course is linguine with chilli prawns and there's mango tartlets for dessert. The table will be set with linen napkins, candles and tropical flowers for a beachy feel. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

Melissah xox

Images via 1 - 2

Shopping in Style

This is me tomorrow.... a wild dash between supermarket, greengrocer, baker, butcher, florist and cake shop. I am throwing what I hope to be an elegant dinner party for my husbands birthday so it will be a mad cap day of shopping, cleaning, arranging flowers and setting tables. I love entertaining and cooking so I am in my element playing party hostess. Being a designer, the more 'over-the-top' it is the more fun I have putting it together. My biggest problem is friends never invite us back because it's all too hard to match the effort. But the good thing is they love coming here so we are never short of eager guests to invite!

Melissah xox

Images via Olivia Graham Photographer