Moorish Love

Moorish style is an aesthetic that I am truly fascinated with. There is an attention to detail and a methodical working out of these details that I think is stunning.  The ornate aesthetic is full of colour, pattern and texture brought to life by natural materials. Whether it is with a subtle hint (the shape of a doorframe) or more obvious detailing (a mosaic wall or mashrabiya panel) there is a timeless elegance to it that I love. I have done some work in the middle east and was always fascinated by this incredible aesthetic and do hope you enjoy the selection of images below. 

Alberto Pinto

 

Elle Decor & Studio KO

Wikipedia

Almitra & Pinterest

Rue Magazine through Pinterest

Superstock

Brilliant Asylum

Inspired By

Industrial Lighting! Last weekend we made our way down to Chinatown and went to Vanessa's dumplings for a Sunday lunch (highly recommend, amazing!), and on our walk to digest after walked through the lighting district on Bowery Street. It was great to see so many incredible styles and deals all in one area, but the thing that caught my eye was the DIY section in one store. They had every brass part you could ever want and an amazing assortment of different size filament bulbs so you could design and assemble your own as the image below - Sorry I forget the name of the store but it is on the NW corner of Bowery and Broome.

The Beat that my Heart Skipped

It got me to thinking about this industrial lighting craze that has been going through the deign world and the incredible selection of shades, materials, bulbs and styles available.  The options really are endless and I do love the vintage bulbs and cage fittings. What do you think of this trend?

Pop Deco

PYNT

Atelier de Troupe

Remodelista

Pinterest

Etsy & Etsy

Siam House Design

Anthropology

Factory20

Quintessentially New York

Last night for our Friday night drinks we went to both the Peninsula and the Palace. At the Peninsula we decided to give the rooftop bar Salon de Ning a try, and although a third of it is enclosed there were people sitting outside under heaters - I know, so mild for the end of January.  The space was super dark and pretty simple and they had created a cluster of framed paintings, however instead of hanging them on the wall as one usually sees they had them hanging on the ceiling. Other than the art it wasn't our scene and left a little to be admires - we really wanted to be in the Private Members University Club next door!

Peninsula Hotel New York

After one drink at the Peninsula we decided to try somewhere else and wound up in the Gilt Bar at the Palace.  The interior of the New York Palace is much more stunning than the Peninsula with mosaic vaulted ceilings and gilded details throughout. The actual Gilt bar is a very modern structure in the centre of a classical architectural room with a barrel vaulted ceiling. We really felt like we were in a quintessential New York bar and will for sure go back.

New York Palace

Furniture Fridays

For today's Furniture Fridays I thought I would do something a little different. I am so excited by this feature and cannot wait to see all the amazing pieces that my fellow bloggers (or taste advisors) come up with.  And on a side note I think it is interesting that we have had three chairs in a row! Although my "Favourite Piece of Furniture" post will come later in the year I just couldn't help myself and I thought I would do a little post of my short list and get some advice from all of you on which piece (or pieces) you covet.  Any suggestions?  What would you include?

Le Corbusier LC4 Lounge Chair

We have one in black leather and it is so comfortable, and really like a piece of art in our living room.

Home Designing

Eileen Gray Transat Chair

Fanatique

Saarinen Oval Dining Table (with Carrara marble top)

Knoll

Polder Sofa by Hella Jongerius

Vitra

Nelson Swag Leg Desk

Apartment Therapy

Nelson & Associates CSS (Comprehensive Storage System)

Wright

Jacques Adnet Bar Carts

Wright & Art Value

Stay tuned for next week when we will be hearing from Tobe at Because It's Awesome!

Equestrian Elegance

The Equestrian world has been a part of my life since I was very small.  I started riding when I was little and right away I was hooked - weekends at the barn, riding camp, competitions, I just couldn't get enough.  I rode at many different stables and as I started to develop an eye for design was more and more fascinated by some of the lavish settings our horses live in (mine for sure didn't look like any of these!).  

I have put together a compilation of stables around the world with incredible architecture, materials and details. I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I enjoyed putting it together! Anyone else into the equine world? Are there stables you know of that should be included?

That Kind of Woman

Providence Hill Farm

Flickr

Luxist

Amazon - Ultimate Horse Barns

As we all know several Royal Families are heavily into the equestrian world. Here are a couple of images of royal stables - the first is the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, England and the second is the Royal Stables in the Netherlands (I just love those vaults!).

Sights and Culture

Flickr

How could I not include a stable made by a master of design - Leonardo da Vinci.  This is the stable he designed for Sforza Palace of Vigevano in Italy. I just love the height, the arches and the light. Stunning!

Flickr

And just to make things a little sweeter, favourite luxury brand, Hermes, has updated their  quintessential saddle.  The Talaris Saddle features carbon fiber to keep it super light, and Hermes' super subtle leather. For me this is the ultimate accessory!

Selectism

Liebster Blog Award

How Does She

I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to Katrina at Dot Dot Dash for bestowing the Liebster Blog Award on Canoe Design!. The Liebster Award (a German word meaning Dearest) is given by fellow bloggers to blogs that have less than 200 followers, and I am honoured (this is my first blog award!).

Once received there are a couple of simple rules to follow - To thank the blog that gave you the award and link back to their blog, and then to Nominate 5 fellow blogs and post a comment to each of them. While there are so many blogs I adore reading, I love the idea of bringing new readers and audiences to up and coming blogs (like me), and so my selection is as follows (in no particular order):

Share Design Inspiration

47 Park Avenue

The Modern Sybarite

Amourette

My Scandinavian Home

What a great way to start the day! Happy Reading and Thank You!

A x

Shootfactory

One of my favourite websites when I was in London was Shootfactory - a website set up as a library of locations for film, tv or photo shoots as well as party venues.  I used it as inspiration on many projects as there are really interesting, unique spaces and you can find a concept image for really anything you are looking for.  Wouldn't you imagine my surprise when I discovered that one of my favorite newly discovered blogs 47 Park Avenue is written by the key creative minds of Shootfactory!  He has been posting on his home transformation (see post on his hall here, reception room here and en-suite here) which as you will see is an incredible representation of his stunning aesthetic.

As a result of this "small world" discovery I thought I would post some of my favorite spaces from Shootfactory for you all to drool over too. What do you think? Has anyone used one of their locations? I recognised the apartment from the movie Closer here.

London Apartment - Clapham Studio

London Apartment - Air

London House - Cadogan

London House - Hammersmith

Other House - Rochester Kent

Other House - Henley on Thames

Venues - Carousel

International Location - Stefan Antoni House, Cape Town

International Location - Ibiza 3