One of the first blogs I ever started following was Anna Spiro's Absolutely Beautiful Things. If you know Anna's work, or just take a look through her gorgeous blog, you can see why I love her style - layers of colour, pattern, and interiors with depth and soul. She introduced me to ginger jars, and I fell firmly in love with them, particularly the blue and white ones. They look beautiful filled with bright flowers (especially my favourite peonies), or clustered together in a group.
In my home I am often moving things around, creating new vignettes, changing it up. Last week my black and white rug was in the kitchen, now it's at the foot of my bed. Bowls, plants, vases, decorations, cushions - they're always circulating. A change is as good as a holiday, it keeps things fresh and exciting. Norwegian blogger, Henrietta Kalbekken, takes it to a whole new level. She is so clever and creative, regularly posting photos of her beautiful, and ever-changing home on her blog, designlykke. Below you'll see six different interpretations of her living room (starting with the most recent), all from this year. She changes the wall colour, the artwork, rugs and decor, and along the way she got a new sofa.
I'm not suggesting you buy lots of new furniture pieces and paint your walls every few months (unless you want to), but try circulating existing pieces around. Have a play and see what works and what doesn't, you can always change it back. I'll leave you with some more inspirational photos from Henrietta's home. You may notice artwork and rugs moving around in these rooms too.
I have recently discovered the work of a very talented Wellington-born artist, Caz Novak. After completing a three-year course at Wellington College of Education, majoring in art, Caz went on to teach art, and for the last 17 years has been working as a full-time artist. She is well known for her vibrant use of colour, which is obviously what drew me to her work, as well as her stunning treatment of the paint. "My work is constantly evolving through my exploration of paint" Caz says. "It is an exciting medium which presents unlimited potential for development".
Living in a beautiful part of New Zealand, Caz's Taranaki home on the beach inspired her popular Pacifica series. Her two most recent series, Opulence and Flux, are a response to broader influences and a move to abstraction. The Flux series explores the fluid movement of paint, resulting in very organic and energetic pieces. Caz allows the paint to freely interact, with the colours colliding and dispersing. This gorgeous "Flux - She Like to Party" print has only just been released. I love it's playfulness and exuberance.
"Flux - Float" is a favourite of mine. You can interpret it in any way, but to me it's definitely water, and I find it both calming, and energising. Unfortunately for me, this piece has sold, but Caz is more than happy to work with clients on creating the perfect piece for their decor.
The Opulence series is strongly influenced by landscape and botanical references. Caz almost sculpts the paint to create the most divine texture, bringing each piece to life. They have a luminous quality gained from layers of the vibrant impasto paint. From a distance they are stunning, but up close they are sublime!
Caz's paintings are held in private collections around the world, with the latest Opulence piece heading to a lucky owner in Dubai. To keep up to date with all of Caz's work and see her latest available paintings, make sure you sign up to her 'Previews' mailing list. If you want to discuss a commission with Caz, or visit her home studio in Taranaki, she'd love to hear from you. Or you can check out her prints available to purchase. A Caz Novak artwork will most definitely add joy to your home.
