Interior Design

After being proud of myself for making all theses healthy changes to my diet without too much of a struggle (I actually felt my new way of eating was better and tastier), I was told yesterday that I had to leave dairy out for a while which really p$$&8*d me off. Luckily I received some great advices on Twitter (thanks Tina) and Instagram and managed to find some nice alternatives so I'm all set for this week before heading off to New-York (read comments here if you want more info on alternatives). To cheer myself up, I baked this gluten-free banana cake for the second time: 300 g (10 1/2 oz) smashed ripe banana3 free range / organic eggs60 g ( 2 oz / 2 tablespoons) raw honey or organic maple syrup1 teaspoon vanilla60 g (2 oz/ 1/4 cup) macadamia nut oil or cold pressed olive oilhalf teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 tsp baking soda ( bicarb soda) + 1 tbsp lemon juice200 g ( 2 cups/ 7 oz) ) almond meal (I still don't have almond meal in my panty so I've replaced it with Doves Farm gluten-free flour)25 g (1/4 cup / 3/4 oz) ground flaxseed (linseed) or chia seed. Preheat your oven to 160 C. Combine smashed banana, honey, oil, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs, bicarb and lemon. ( the lemon activates the bicarb). You can do this by hand in a large bowl or with a good blender such as a Vitamix.Add the almond meal and flaxseed and mix well.Lightly oil one loaf tin and then coat liberally with extra almond meal or desiccated coconut – this will prevent the cake from sticking. The size I used was: 10 1/2 cm wide and 26 cm long.Spoon batter into the tin and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour ( a skewer inserted into the centre should come out dry).Cover the top with foil if over-browning.Remove from the oven and allow to cool before turning out the loaf.Makes 1 loaf serves 12 (if you follow Weight Watchers Propoint, it's 4 points/serving)Keeps in the fridge covered for up to 1 week. I didn't have chia seeds the first time I made it and Mila preferred it without and I kind of agree with her.... Without chia seeds, version 1 was nicer and tastier but I have a healthy snack option for the rest of the week and if you have kids, banana cakes are a great recipe to do something with all the bananas going black that the kids won't eat! After reading It's all Good by Gwyneth Paltrow, I felt inspired to try her quinoa dish which is pretty basic (kale, salt, quinoa, garlic, fried egg) and was surprisingly very tasty! #perfectcomfortfoodforwintertimeorinMaywhenyoustillhavetowearajumper #crazyweather Great thing is that I have some quinoa left over which will be perfect to accompagny Steve's roast today. Another thing I wanted to share with you is The Kale Project (thanks Chantal for the tip) which is a page set up by an American lady who lives in Paris and is on a mission to introduce kale to the French. I couldn't find it at the street market nearby our Summer house last time we went. The guy and my mum thought I was talking of coleslaw... Kale is sold in 3 markets in Paris: the bio market in the Batignolles, the Bio Sunday market Blvd Raspail and at the market on Blvd Wilson. Kale looks like salad, a bit coarse, full of antioxidants and delicious. I mostly eat raw Kale now in my mixed salads and I can guarantee that is very tasty. Have a great, healthy Sunday xoxo http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/UxVs

Italian studio Gosplan inserted a perforated metal gate into a fifteenth century marble doorway as part of their renovation of this fashion boutique in Genoa. (more...)

Click the links below to see the listings for each house: 1. Nancy’s house in South Carolina 2. Amanda’s house in Tennessee 3. Stacie’s house in Massachusetts 4. Heidi’s house in Ohio 5. Lucy’s House in Vic, Australia 6. Janet’s house in Wisconsin 7. Amanda’s house in California Thanks to all the readers who submitted their listings on my Facebook page. I hope they sell for “top dollar” as Clive Pearse would say. If you’re selling yours, too, feel free to leave a link to your listing in the comments! -Julia // //

Wet and glistening after a spring rain. I love the giant leaves of the skunk cabbage. my iPhone photo

French designer Mathieu Lehanneur has created the Cloudy, a glass-blown lamp for Fabbian. From Fabbian Normally, when we look at clouds, we seek organic shapes, similar to objects of living beings. In this case, the creative process has been reversed: this is a special object which, during its creation, revealed all its potential. “Cloudy is a paradox! – explains young designer, Mathieu Lehanneur – This lamp has been created using extremely complex steel moulds, which have given it an almost magical lightness, a glass cloud floating in the air”. An object-lamp therefore which, from the pencil of the designer to its engineering and manufacture, has taken on the shape of a light and evanescent cloud. “By mixing together clear white glass with high-luminosity LEDs – explains Mathieu – Cloudy is a ray of sun after the rain!” The Cloudy “cloud”, when switched on, thus reveals all its luminosity and evokes sunlight after the rain. A design lamp containing in itself a positive sign of hope and optimism. Cloudy, available as a suspension lamp or light fitting, features gradient white blown glass and die-cast aluminium structure. It is lit by high-power LED lamps. Designer: Mathieu Lehanneur Manufacturer: Fabbian

Consoles with a midcentury feel from Blu Dot. More

Read the rest of The Best Green Designs from ICFF 2013 Day One! Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: "green furniture", design show, eco furniture, energy efficient lighting, green design, Green Design Events, green interiors, green lighting, green products, ICFF, icff 2013, International Contemporary Furniture Fair, new york design week, New York Design Week 2013, nydw, Recycled Materials, sustainable design, Sustainable Interiors

Guest Blogger #962, Entry #2431, May 18, 2013 If you come from the school of thought that says only those parts of the home should be designed which are in view of others, then we can counter that idea by asking why people design their personal spaces, including office desks and bathrooms. The idea of design is to create a mood you like and it also applies to doors that are not out at the front entrance. Even the door that leads to your basement can have design appeal and it’s time you exploit that. The main hindrance when it comes to getting people to buy interior designer doors is the belief that doors are permanent. They are not. They need to be sturdy but you don’t need to get stuck with one design. What type of door is perfect for your interiors? All images via: 27 estore Doors with fashionable finishes and wood grains There are many new designs for doors available if you’re interested. One of the recent trends points towards getting doors with fashionable finishes and wood grains. But do not let trends limit your imagination. Designers today are not afraid to challenge the norms. Depending on your budget, or in certain cases, depending on the budget’s limitation, you can adjust the style for your door. The good news is designer doors are getting more affordable every day. But whatever you do, ensure that design-wise, you aren’t making a faux pas by getting the finish done wrong. Choose doors that blend beautifully with your home So how do you choose a door? Well, the first thing to ask yourself is – do I want the door to match the setting of the room or do I want to risk a contrast of styles? In the first case, pick a design that compliments the texture of your room. For example, if your home has brick or stone on the walls, an earthy/dirty color would complement it better than something too bright. But if you’re looking for a contrast, you can choose a bright color. Just make sure that the color of furniture or upholstery in that room matches that of your bright new door. If it’s a front door you’re looking for, try avoiding the same color scheme of your neighbor. Your unique choice is your design definition. Sometimes, when you want to change the color of your door from a dark to a lighter shade, you might get tempted to save time by blowing off the primer. Do not do that, for the more solid your primer coating is, the finer the final opaque color will be. Choose from a variety of colors and wood grains Customize your door with decoration For those who want to go a little crazy with ideas, there’s also this new option of having artwork on the door that creates an illusion of depth, especially if it’s viewed from a certain angle. Or if you’re young at heart and want a punk theme, you could also choose a door with graffiti on it. These are merely recommendations that we have seen around. There are no restrictions when it comes to designing your own home. For more home ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Hope you have a happy restful weekend! This bedroom is simple bliss. A striped bed spread, diaphanous white drapes, a decorative mirror, pitched ceilings with exposed beams, lots of light... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

A really clever detail on a chair from Loll Designs. And it's made from recycled milk jugs! More