ROOM WITH A VIEW - KITCHEN WINDOW

Today's room with a room comes via my kitchen window!  Two weeks till winter and Autumn is doing her final coat of colours dance like a very proud peacock.  Last week it snowed only 30kms from my house but this morning the air has a warm tinge like an early breath of Spring.  Mother Nature confused? Well is was meant to be 'Rapture' yesterday, so a little weather hangover is understandable.  If this is Mother Nature's hangover I don't even need to take an asprin with this to cope with something so beautiful.
What is your favourite view from your home?  I would love to hear about yours.
Shaynna

PS The colours were not enhanced for this photo - it really is that stunning!

THE CIRCLE & DESIGNEX AWARDS WINNERS

I travelled to Sydney in April to attend DesignEX 2010 and saw so many wonderful products and displays that truly inspired me. So today (May 21st) on The Circle Ch 10 I shared with the girls (and the rest of Australia!) a couple of award winners that truly caught my eye.



Caesarstone -Motiva
Winner Category - Internal Surface Finishes
First company to use a quartz surface with laser technology. The design is lasered into the surface then sandblasted in the grooves. It can be used for a walls, furniture, benches and of course kitchens. When using in kitchens it must comply with the Building Code of Australian Standards. At this time it comes in the Black Crocodile design and the White Lace design.

Skape Tub by Karim Rashid for Xflo
Winner Category - Bathrooms
The tub is made of a Liquid Acrylic Resin tub to help create perfectly shaped curves and its unique seamless finish. The Skape Tub is stain resistant, antibacterial and it is designed to look like the base is growing out of the main surface.

Liquid Tiles for Academy Tiles
Winner category - flooring
These tiles are made from non-slip tempered glass and have been created using high tech-Aerospace technology! Like a surface Lava lamp with colour changing LED's, these tiles are perfect to walk, jump, or bust a move on the dance floor.


Now DesignEX isn't just about the awards, there are some off-the-wall installations (I will be posting soon a brilliant video and pics of one of the design areas soon) and other products.
Here are just a few of interest.

Real Feather wallpaper and rusted mirror
www.gardenlife.com.au
www.att-rotex.com.tw
Not all serious business! Gnomes with attitude. www.gardenlife.com.au
Catching up with 'friends' (I wish!) Jamie Durie
Custom design rugs by Hip Home. Perfect "splat"s to hide the mess in life! Nothing like 'Designer-splat'!!

RECYCLED KITCHEN

When renovating a kitchen for the first time it can be daunting looking at the price tag. The cost of benches, cupboards, applicances, electrics, plumbing can literally blow your budget out of the water. Anywhere you can save money has got to be a bonus. Look at these 'clever' ways to save a bit of money. and by using recycled timbers or gaining a kitchen that otherwise would end in land fill you are doing your bit for the environment.
Rupert Blanchard is doing some works for a large 3 story Victorian conversion and well - they obviously are going for the quirky angle.

If you are looking for a more finished and upmarket look you can buy and sell online. Get rid of your kitchen and buy some one else's, or buy ex-showroom displays. Yes a bit like e-bay except they specalise just in kitchens. One such company is secondhandkitchens.com.au. If this isnt in your country I am sure you can find one on a google searchNow this is recycling your kitchen in a whole new way. Built by 2012 Architechten in cooperation with Jeanne van Heeswijks of Jeanworks, the structure is a modern statement alongside the traditional architecture of Utrecht, Vlaardingen and Amsterdam. The Sustainable Sky Box serves as a multi-purpose space for cultural activities
And when you are de-cluttering why not give your utensils, pots and pans to an artist and see what they come up with! London Artist Subodh Gupta, created this skull sculpture for the Frieze art fair in London but is just one of his large collection
And for that touch of elegance there is alwasy the wine glass chandelier. Glasklasen is a genuine product of Swedish art industry, designed by a team of two architects - Gunnar Cedervall and Björn Stillefors - and an industrial designer - Jörgen Pudeck. The wine glasses are to to be used, then washed and put back - a certain conversation piece!

RESURFACE YOUR KITCHEN BENCHTOP

Bring your kitchen to the next level with granite. Cant afford it? Then look at this. A tired old kitchen updated on Selling Houses Australia series two, for half the price of a new kitchen. New doors and a granite resurface got this house sold in two weeks!

See premier of Series two tonight as 7.30pm, Foxtel, Lifestyle Channel and see how this kitchen is transformed.

ONE DRAWER FRIDGE TO MATCH YOUR DISWASHER

Small flats, apartments and hotels will love this new one-drawer fridge from Fisher and Paykel. I can already find a few spaces in my home. The outdoor bar, the powder room (to store the champers for a de-stress bath) even the home gym. I dont have one of those yet, or the space but I'm reading the Law of Attraction, so........

UGLY KITCHEN OR DYSFUNCTIONAL

Some people brand their kitchen's "the ugliest in the world (see more), I've seen worse, but to me this kitchen isn't so much as ugly and tired but cramped, unfunctional and in desperate need of some good design. We sometimes have to work with the space we have and introduce clever design and materials. See this low budget before and after for an episode on my show of Selling Houses Australia, Series two. By updating most of the surfaces and changing the island bench we made this room brighter and a lot more fucntional.