Weekly Inspiration (18/1/21)

Welcome back to another segment of what’s turning into my bedroom renovation series- hopefully you don’t mind. This remodel is using up a significant amount of stamina and mental energy but I’ve never felt as if I’m running on empty or dipping into my reserves. My creative endeavours in blogging and photography have always fuelled me and brought up my spirits but I’ve missed seeing a work of art come together and admiring it with all my senses. I’d say that I’m slowly but surely shifting my focus towards the realm of tangible content creation that depends not on the future of the internet. That being said, this community has held a piece of my heart for so long and nothing will change that. Anyhow, I digress.

It’s funny because this renovation was slow to kick off. As they say, starting is always the hardest part. The initial stages required a lot of in depth discussion and the development of an entire game plan and timeline. For a good month I’d say that my Grandma and I weren’t in the decluttering mood, overwhelmed by the responsibility of taking this new room to its full potential and allowing it to shine. The Christmas season saw us feasting, spending time with family and easing into a slow state of just being. Then came the New Year- it provided a much needed change, heralding in bucketloads of motivation, encouragement and drive for us to see this project through to fruition. This week we made significant progress, narrowing down the bedroom style I’m keen to emulate, picking up a variety of decor pieces and putting together my bedside table, the first of the furniture pieces to arrive.

Don’t get me wrong though, there have definitely been a variety of mishaps along the way.I haven’t yet begun culling at my apartment and originally based paint colours and decor choices off of the space I currently have. I see now that much of that won’t suit this new space, whether through differences in palette or a heavy focus on the juvenile look that I’m moving away from. I’ve decided to take down my mood boards and the various pictures of me scattered around the room. Instead, I’ll pick a couple of stand out photos and frame them above my dresser or sitting atop it. Apart from this, I had originally gone for a brighter bohemian set of cushions in blue and yellow to break out of my colour comfort zone. I’m comfortable with neutrals and tend to stick to muted colours so this proved to be a step too far. Unsurprisingly, I ended up making a return in exchange for a store credit and getting a cookbook instead. I bought Elsa’s Vegan Life and am excited to get busy in the kitchen and whip up something delicious. I did originally also buy a brushed gold wall hook, carved with flowers and leaves, that I’ve kept. It’s just so classic and adds the sort of detail that elevates a space and its quality.

At the start of the week my Grandma and I made the trip from the Parramatta apartment to her place in the Blue Mountains, first stopping into the local Homemaker shopping centre that lies between both destinations. I’ve shopped consistently at  Adair’s but hadn’t yet visited a boutique. There I fell head over heels and decided on a palette of warm, muted colours. My rattan whitewashed bedside table was deliver to the house, waiting for us as we pulled in, but we ended up choosing a few things in store. I picked up a jute/embroidered pillow from the Sicily Girls collection, a caramel brown pillow with tassels, an olive green floor cushion and a woven tassel throw for the bed in a creamy beige shade. It’s called the Marsala Natural Throw. Now I’m just waiting on the matching chest of drawers to arrive.

It’s eclectic but also an ode to my love of warm, muted colours. When it comes to greenery and plant life, I see myself buying a fiddle leaf fig sometime soon. I also neatened up my dried palm frond to make it smaller, cute and cleaner looking. I’m debating whether I should find a vase for it or cut the stem to be short enough to hang up. The paint colours I’ve decided on, a complete shift from the dusky pink and grey combo I was previously set on, are drawn directly from the cushions I’ve bought. I figure that’s a surefire way to ensure they’re complimentary and don’t clash. I’ve picked a colour best described as peach beige for the wardrobe and a lighter shade for the walls.

As you can tell, our days have been absolutely packed to the brim, something I’m not used to as such a big homebody. I have been feeling motivated to take these impromptu trips and meet people more often though. The other day my Grandma and I visited a new homeware, clothing and antique store that had popped up, then headed to my favourite florist. When I’m not buying dried floral arrangements, I’m picking out a new roll of artisan printed paper to use for posters. I enjoy putting together my own and have taken to placing them in a gold frame to prop up on my desk. After this, we visited Wentworth Falls Takeaway and had the best barbecue chicken and chips. It was incredibly affordable and would’ve made for the perfect picnic lunch along with crackers, dip and more.

On Sunday we celebrated my Grandma’s Seventieth birthday and took her to the Hydro Majestic Hotel for High Tea. To say it was an elevated, upper class experience doesn’t even brush the surface. I was in awe of what they’d managed to create whilst still maintaining the integrity and feel of the original structure. My Aunty and Uncle came along, as did my mum and brother. We were served a variety of sandwiches, roast beef and tzatziki being my favourite, closely followed by salmon and cream cheese. There were mini potato and curry pies too. Then we enjoyed tea, plain and sultana scones with jam and cream, alongside mango mousse, chocolate and raspberry ganache, shortbread, strawberry layered cake and lemon balls. There was also an option for Oriental high tea, where they served asian inspired treats of both the savoury and sweet kind. All I could recognise was dumplings and crab cakes but it was very unique. Definitely a pull for tourists who will find that to be a taste of home. I took many beautiful photos which I’ll share in an upcoming travel diary alongside the story of how the Hydro Majestic came to be. It’s quite a well connected place, linking to a huge luxe bar and lounge area, a furnace room, a restaurant called the Boiler House and more.