Lovely Leura...

Thinking more about my trip to The Blue Mountains I decided to stalk around looking for properties for sale. I found this little gem in my favourite Blue Mountains suburb of Leura.

Look at the views this treasure has to offer!



What a sweet but not so small cottage.

From the realestate website - The best of both worlds, views and a garden and seldom available! One of the very few outstanding gardens with panoramic cliff edge VIEWS from the cascading waters of Wentworth Falls to Bowral Gib. Sited on over 2 ½ Acres of Paul Sorensen gardens, crammed with mountain exotics meandering gravel pathways, dry stone walls and native bushland, you can see forever from this beautifully maintained and much loved weatherboard residence. There are 3 bedrooms, a 4th or study, 3 bathrooms, formal and informal living areas plus a massive family room leading from a thoughtfully designed kitchen and super sized laundry. High ceilings, pretty picture windows with a treed backdrop and valley vistas , plus gas log fires and a bore for the garden, all add up to the ultimate in privacy, tranquillity and seclusion. Located just around the corner from the Fairmont Resort, the Golf Course and less than a 90 minute drive from the city.



I adore the colonial picture windows.



I would put a sumptuous window seat in this bay window.

If this is the formal lounge I'd paint the walls either antique white or a very soft beige. I would also perhaps add a little more plasterwork to ornate the ceilings. The slow combustion fire would either be replaced with a white version or somehow moved to the other wall and create a stone mantle fireplace. The sofa's would be white French settee's with an aubusson rug and a tufted ottoman used as a coffee table. And of course lets not forget the grand chandelier ;)

If this is the familyroom the carpet looks to be sisal which I already love. I'd have a linen couch, perhaps another large ottoman coffee table but I'm unsure of what lighting I'd use in this room.

The kitchen is small but delightful. With such a lack of storage cupboards one would hope there is a massive walk in pantry somewhere ;)

A beautiful chandelier is definitely needed in the dining room,...

as well as the bedroom. I'd have a beautiful off white French Louis bed and I'd probably place my soon to be covered aqua velvet, tufted love seat at the foot and place my French style vanity and leopard print chair in the bay window. I'd have duck egg blue silk curtains and a damask wallpaper feature wall and probably another aubusson rug.

Imagine waking up everyday looking out from your bedroom window at that view!! It may not be the ocean but still equally as beautiful.

Beautifully manicured gardens.

Unfortunately, to live this lifestyle you'll need just under two million dollars *sigh*

It's always nice to dream though ;)

http://www.domain.com.au/Public/PropertyDetails.aspx?adid=2007320729#

I also quickly wanted to mention my excitement about Jason Sullivan winning the Home Made competition. I can't wait to see his future designs!!

"Les Oliviers"

Phew! Finally finished. It took me 3 days to finish this post lol. I thought my computer had died on me, for the past 3 days it would hardly switch on. I didn't know whether I had a virus or something in the box itself had broken. Being a public holiday on monday I was going to have to wait till tuesday for a technician and we're planning to go away to the lake house on monday for a week so as you can imagine I hit the panic stations lol. It's amazing how desperate one gets when unwired. Anyhoo, I usually once in awhile take the cover off the box and give it a blowdry inside to clean the dust but this time I decided to give it a really good clean and remove the half inch thick dust with a paint brush and voila! It works! lol *blush*

Just remember friends, if you're like me and fear the worst everytime something goes wrong with your PC, it pays to give it a thorough clean first :)

OK back to the task at hand. It would seem I'm playing sales agent this week as I've found so many amazing properties for sale. Here is yet another...."Les Oliviers" is a gorgeous stone and timber cottage transformed by it's past owners and current owners to resemble those in country France and England. Situated in my usual favourite area of NSW, The Southern Highlands, this cottage it small enough for easy maintenance and large enough to be completely comfortable.

This quirky cottage was featured in the march 2007 issue of Australian Country Style magazine which just happens to be one of my mum's and my favourite issues.

This is the beautiful family room from the kitchen. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

From the property listing - A Piece of French Style with Seclusion and AmbienceFeaturing:* 2 Double bedrooms* Study or 3rd bedroom* Living room with open fire* Dining with timber floors and slow combustion fire* Country style kitchen with timber cupboards, porcelain sink and island bench* Bathroom with claw bath, shower, w.c. and vanity* Family room with north facing French doors to terrace* Loft/Studio with bathroom and kitchenette* 9ft ceilings* Laundry* Garage* Olive grove and vegetable patchA stone cottage full of charm - You will easily fall in love with this one.

This is the loft. I spy a GORGEOUS iron daybed and chandelier!

One of the bathrooms. So rustic, so cute!

Looking at the kitchen from the dining room. The doors to the family room on the left and stove to the right. I adore the sink with the blue and white check curtains beneath.

(All images via realestate.com.au)


There are so many lovely features to this cottage. I love the stonework, the exposed beams, timber floors and the charming rusty iron stair railing. I'm sure the new owners will love and cherish this property as much as the last two have.

Above are two more images I scanned from the magazine.

As I mentioned we are skooting off to the lake house for the second week of the kids spring break. I can't wait, it's been weeks and weeks since I was there last. I'll be signing off till friday. Have a great week friends, stay safe and enjoy life!

Anna xox.

No details spared!

Imagine having your very own mini French Chateau right on the beachfront of Manly Cove, Sydney Harbour.

This 2 storey apartment almost has to be seen to believed. It's small but it's perfectly detailed.

From the property listing - gorgeous antique french theme described as a "french chateau". High ceilings with tiered cornices, french doors, Parisian-style oak parquetry, limestone floors, and mahogany kitchen.

All the boxes are ticked!

The bed is not quite my style but the room itself is SPECTACULAR! OMG I could live in just the bedroom. The walk-in-robe leading to the ensuite even comes with a minibar.


Now check out this bathroom! The ceiling is definately something special, you'll either love it or hate it.... I'm undecided.... I think if the mirror and vanity were cream or gold I might like it more. LOVE the window though.


The outside is extremely disappointing. Not what I expected at all. I would love to see the whole place rendered. That would be the icing on the cake. Also depending on council regulations, as it's on the street corner, to deter graffiti and add security I would add some kind of tall fencing down the side, preferably wrought iron.


Water views just don't get much better than this.



This glorious home boasts 4 bedrooms however the other 3 are small. I believe this home would be best suited to a single, couple or couple + 1. I also think it would make a superb investment as a holiday rental. I have no idea of the price but I'm guessing at least 3 mill. If I fell into any of these categories and had the spare cash (HA!) I'd snap it up in an instant!

Before you go you MUST take a peek at the video tour of this Parisian paradise to see more of it's divine and impeccable qualities. Enjoy!


All images are courtesy of Belle Property.

Happiness is....

Winning another Ebay auction!

I've been looking for the perfect French bakers stand for my kitchen for years. Naturally, the style that was my favourite was indeed the most expensive kind. An authentic Provincial stand or forged iron made from Le Forge. These unfortunately were a little out of my reach so I then turned to trusty Ebay. As they say, good things come to those who wait.... With perseverance, patience and damn good luck I found and won my ultimate prize at a bargin price.

The Lyon galvanized iron bakers stand retails for $1795. I won my baby for $188.50!!!

She is more beautiful than I could imagine and is quite the show stopper in my home. I almost felt guilty when I went to pick it up cause I'd won it so cheaply. The previous owners said they were sad to see it go but were excited as they were remodelling their kitchen. Well it certainly has come to a new loving home :)

I'm still trialling ways of display but I really like my fruit and veg baskets at the bottom. I am thinking I need Judy from Lily G to hook a sister up with some blue and white ginger jars ;) Can anyone else make any suggestions?

btw we just finished repainting the kitchen ( it's a little hard to tell with my poor photography skills) with the colour Beige Chalk by Taubmans. Thank you Haley from Porchlight Interiors for the inspiration! I LOVE IT!

The home my new baby originally came from was in another of my favourite blue ribbon suburbs of Sydney called Pymble. This is the kind of old established leafy suburb that has an eclectic mix of quiant traditional homes as well as ultra contemporary.

The home I'm featuring is just one example of the older darling residences I'd love to buy. If it were mine I'd probably try to encorporate some ornate ironwork to the panels beneath the windows and change the front steps.



Lovely entry foyer with beloved floorboards and plenty of light.


High ceilings and large rooms are something they just seem to forget about with todays building standards.



I love the built in cabinetry. I have PLENTY of nik naks to fill those shelves lol. I would rip out the carpet and replace it with parquetry hardwood floors and fill it with French treasures.



The family room is smaller but still full of light. I would replace the kitchen with antique white cupboards and stone countertop. I would perhaps replace the flooring with travertine limestone tiles.



What a sweet bedroom. I just love timber, colonial, double hung windows. Another feature you don't see often anymore.



A lovely outdoor area complete with climbers.


(pics of home via realestate.com.au)

The pool needs updating but still a relaxing spacious area.

It's not a large home with only 3 bedrooms but with a few modifications I would be quite happy living here. This house has been sold so good luck to the new owners :)

A French gem in suburban Sydney...

I'd have to say realestate stalking is an Australian national pastime and with the age of the information super highway it's taken it to a whole new level. I remember as a child it was an occasional sunday ritual to go with my parents and grandparents for a boring drive around the streets admiring all the pretty houses. Now as an adult I LOVE to do just that and I'm also a regular visitor to display home villages just for the fun of it. I too now drag my kids along lol.

I know alot of you do the same as evident in wonderful driveby posts such as this from sweet Melissa of The Inspired Room and This from lovely Joni of Cote de Texas.

I still haven't found the guts to actually photograph my drivebys but I'm sure that confidence will come soon. In the meantime my other stalking passion is via the net.

My latest find is a dream come true. This home is in a lovely old suburb of Sydney with plenty of traditional homes and only 30mins from the city centre. The land blocks are massive, well suited to a large home compared to the itty bitty size blocks of land people purchase for their McMansions today. Stunning mature gardens, large room sizes, minutes from a beautiful reserve, plenty of privacy.

I love the high pitched roof and the long pebble drive to the garage at the back, through the perfect hedging and pergola.

This formal diningroom is absolutely stunning! The only thing I would change are the lights. I'd have to hang a chandy in there. Oh and perhaps a painting over the buffet in front of the mirrored wall. The beautiful arched french doors leading out to the parterre garden are spectacular. I would host the most fabulous dinner parties in this room lol ;)

I also love the way the dining room flows through the arched walkways from the living room and as you can see, still admire the garden from within this room.

I perhaps would have kept the timber floors flowing through the living room instead of the carpet with some exquisite oversized aubusson rugs for warmth and definition. I would make the walls and ceiling a little more ornate and of course another chandelier.


My french settee sofas would be white linen and the ottoman would be tufted. My scatter cushions again would be pretty aubusson tapestries. The fireplace would be stone and I'd have venetian mirror above.


The kitchen has a great layout and lovely size, however I think it's a little overdone. Mine would be more rustic with a lighter island counter top. I'm madly in love with the windows and the french doors leading outside.



Who wouldn't want a bedroom this size? Look at those romantic doors leading out to the stunning ornate juilet balconies! Of course the walls must change to duck egg blue, perhaps a wallpaper feature wall behind the bed and where's the chandelier?! ;)

Another aubusson rug and a sumptuous sofa would look great in here at it would soak up the mass of floor space.

What an immaculate garden! Thats my dream swimming pool right there.

I could never tire from that view. what a perfect space to entertain or simply relax and forget about the world. Who'd need to go on holidays?!

And Finally, wait for it....

A spot of tennis anyone? ;)

As you can see from the floor plan this home is almost too big (well for my family anyway). Ample space yet not ridiculous. OOh I could live VERY happily here lol.




All photo's are from realestate.com