Round & Round The Garden

Here's another ad which shows my favourite wallpaper design Round & Round the Garden.  This ad hasn't yet been published in any magazine so this is a big sneak peek!!  You might also notice the lovely weiss bar painting by Pip Boydell hanging on the wall.  Pip painted us a few pieces especially for the photo shoot a few weeks back.

This design is available in blue and white and taupe and white and here it is in our bedroom display at Black & Spiro in the blue and white colourway.

The pattern was inspired by my days as a little girl running around mum's pretty garden beds in our old family home which I posted a picture of last week.

Talking about flowers look at these beautiful fresh Chrysanthemum's we had for sale at Black & Spiro yesterday for mother's day.  They actually remind me very much of the flowers my mum used to grow in her garden all those years ago.

Hope Everyone had a wonderful, happy Mother's Day.

xx

Anna



For all enquiries on our wallpaper contact us at Black & Spiro or any Porters Paints showroom.

Open

I'm thrilled to let you know that our back rooms at Black & Spiro re-opened late this afternoon with our new display of beautiful things.  All of the walls have been wallpapered in 3 of my new wallpaper designs for Porters and if you want to be one of the first to seem them then make sure you pop into the shop. 

We've had wonderful feedback so far and I can't wait to show you all through our new rooms.  They are truly beautiful and probably the most spectacular spaces we have ever created at the store!!

xx
Anna

And The Winner Is...

Hello!  Well, it was a very hard decision however, after much deliberation I have decided to name the trellis wallpaper - Rosey Posey Trellis which was submitted by Brooks Marshall. 

I feel that this name works perfectly with the names I have chosen for the other wallpapers in the collection.  Thank you so much for all of the amazing entries.  I never thought I would receive so many suggestions.  It was such a wonderful surprise receiving all of the emails and comments.

Just in case you are interested, below I have listed the names I narrowed it down to but Rosey Posey certainly won me over in the end!!

Ring-a-Ring-a-Rosie – Karen
Catch me if you can – Daryl Wark
Pocket full of posies – Kate
Summer House Trellis – Tenia
Garden Gate Trellis – Tenia
Trells Bells – Jordan Queen of LA
Trellis in Wonderland – Kath & others
Oh Grow my divine vines – Ana
A Tisket A Tasket – Stephanie
Bees Knees – Paddy
Sweet Pea Trellis – Jo & Sarah
Trellabella – Louise
Hide-n-Seek – Sim
Jiggley Wiggley Trellis – Anna

And in further wallpaper news we had all of our showroom display rolls of the papers delivered to the store today.  They will all be installed next week which I am very excited about.

Thank you again for all of your wonderful suggestions and for taking part in my very special wallpaper giveaway.


xx
Anna

Last Day to Enter

Today is the last day to enter the - Name My Trellis Wallpaper Competition.  If you want to make a last minute suggestion just enter it in the comments section HERE.  There certainly has been some great suggestions.

I will announce the winner here on the blog on Monday.

Have a great weekend.

x

Anna

image by sfgirlbybay.blogspot.com

Help Me Name My Trellis Wallpaper

Here's a box full of my wallpaper designs for Porters Paints.  It's getting very close with all the designs now signed off and colourways chosen.  If you have dropped into our store of late you will know that our back 2 rooms are currently closed as we are redecorating them around my new wallpaper collection.   We will also be photographing these rooms in the coming weeks as they will be used in the advertising for the new collection.  There is exciting times ahead I promise!! 

Here's a little sneak peek below of some of the designs and colourways....

It's hard to see in this picture however, I wanted the collection to have a beautiful hand-drawn look.  I didn't want it to look like it had been generated by a computer.  My favourite design is going to be called - Round and Round the Garden and it isn't in the picture above.  You will have to wait until we launch in a couple of months time to see it.  The trellis is yet to be named and the stripe is going to be called Higgledy Piggledy Stripe. 

I was thinking it might be fun for you, my readers to name the trellis!!  What do you think?  I am opening this up to you and I hope that you will leave your ideas for the trellis name here in the comments section of this post.  The person who thinks of the name I select will be sent 3 free rolls of my wallpaper in any colour/design they choose and this is open to readers anywhere in the world. 

Please make sure you leave your email address when you leave your idea in the comments section below so that I can contact you!!

If you are unable to leave a comment here, then just email me - anna@blackandspiro.com.au and I will add your idea into the comment section below fo you.

The 3 free rolls will be sent out just after we launch the collection in a couple of months time.  However, I need to decide on a name in the next week so this is open until next Friday 16th March, 2012.

Hope you will join in the fun!!

Anna

xx

Merry Christmas, Thoughts, Thank you's & Wallpaper

Here we are again at the end of another busy year. As I tidy my desk and prepare for some much anticipated time away from the office, my mind reflects on the year that was.

It has been a year of setbacks, struggle, sickness and sadness for so many people I know and so many people I don’t know and to them I would like to say sorry. Sorry you had to go through so much heartache and sorrow. I hope, as the year crosses over to the next, things will improve for you all. xx

For me, I feel like I have been chasing my tail all year with to do lists the size of Mount Everest. No matter how easy it may look, nothing and I repeat, nothing comes easy.

With lots of hard work, commitment, stress, worry, exhaustion and tears comes achievement and 2011 saw the successful launch of our online store which I am looking forward to growing and developing further in 2012.

The year also brought some exciting jobs my way along with some wonderful new clients as well as old clients who are very supportive and encouraging and for that I am very thankful. I am also very thankful for the wonderful, hard-working and creative people I've had the fortune of working with this year both in-house at B&S and externally. They have all helped me more than you could ever imagine and I am truly grateful for everything they have brought to the table.

Throughout the year I was presented with some extremely exciting, yet humbling offers. One such offer is something I have been secretly working on for the most part of the second half of this year and it is something I have been dying to tell you about.

Do you want to know what it is?

Well, I am thrilled and excited to announce that earlier this year renowned Australian paint and wallpaper company, Porter’s Paints asked me to design a range of wallpaper with them and in the early part of 2012 we will be launching Anna Spiro for Porter’s Paints – a collection of wallpapers which will certainly spell my signature style . This is something I have always dreamt of doing and I would like to extend a huge thank you to Porter's Paints for this wonderful opportunity.

In the photo above and below of my inspiration board, if you look closely, you might be able to identify some of the drawings of the proposed designs. A special little sneak peek for you my loyal readers.

There will be 3 designs to start with and the collection will hopefully grow to 12 designs and maybe, just maybe, some of the designs might eventually be available in fabric too. The colour ways will be fresh and uplifting and perfect for all of you who love colour just as much as I do.

So, there are some big things in the pipeline and lots of hard work ahead in 2012. But for now, it’s off to the beach with my boys to enjoy the simple pleasures of life and just between you and me I can’t wait to spend endless days with them swimming, walking, reading, sleeping, laughing, talking, kissing and cuddling.

Thank you so much for following my blog and my journey. It’s been 5 years now since I started this blog and I can’t believe that you continue to read it. I really can’t.

I hope I can continue to fill your world with colour and inspiration in 2012.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!

Love,
Anna
xx

PS.  I'll be back sometime in January.  Not sure when. xx

Black & Spiro Today

Our new look in our back rooms at Black & Spiro is almost ready to reveal {again!!}.  The new wallpaper went in late last week and the curtains and a few other finishing off bits and pieces should be in within the next couple of weeks.  I thought I would give you a sneak peek of how it's looking...

xx

Anna

Wallpaper by Otto

I adore this wallpaper created by 8 year old Otto. What a clever boy! Click HERE for details.

KW in Australian Vogue Living

Loved the KW spread in this month's Australian Vogue Living. I am particularly taken by the amazing wallpaper she designed {middle image & bottom image} and the joyous use of colour she has employed throughout the house!!

Bright & Colourful

I love these two bright and colourful vignettes....perfect inspiration for Spring!

Top image from British Homes & Gardens and bottom image from Notebook magazine.

Also, I would like to send a huge thanks to Vera Klein for her mention of Absolutely Beautiful Things in this month's Notebook Magazine!! xx Anna

Looking Through the Windows

Some of you asked to see some more images of our new display at Black & Spiro. Well here they are. If you look closely you can see that we wallpapered the ceiling of the entry to the shop in a contrasting paper to our front wall. Sorry about the terrible photos...I haven't mastered the art of taking photos through glass yet even though some of my lovely readers have tried to offer me advice on how to do it!!

Cupboard Makeover

I have an old cupboard at home just like this one however, at the moment mine certainly isn't looking as chic as this one.

At the shop I have lots of bits of left over wallpaper from displays we have done. I'm thinking I might use some of these bits to paper the back of my cupboard door.

My little cupboard is in a hallway near our kitchen and currently it is bursting at the seams with sheets and towels. I think I should move the sheets and towels into my larger laundry cupboard and fill this little one with some of my special pieces of china.

This pretty image has inspired me.

Image - Vogue Living

Geraniums

My mother has always had lots of large pots of geraniums growing on her verandah. No family dinner or lunch is complete without some sort of flower arrangement on my mothers dining table and geraniums have often filled the void when other options aren't flowering in her garden. I thought I'd post a couple of her little geranium arrangements. You won't believe it when I tell you the last image is actually in her old bedroom at my grandmother's house. The black and white ticking wallpaper which you can see in the background has been on those walls for around 40 years! Mum chose the wallpaper for her room when she was a teenager. Now doesn't that spell timeless....

Paper The Walls

I am particularly fond of using wallpaper in small rooms or in awkward spaces. I love wallpaper in entry foyers, hallways, powder rooms, pantries, walk-in wardrobes and installed into the backs of cupboards and bookcasing/shelving. I also think wallpaper can make a wonderful statement in a kitchen as per the examples above.

If you are a person who does tire of pattern quickly, by installing wallpaper in these smaller, less visited areas of your home you will most likely enjoy the pattern for a longer period of time.

There certainly are many papers to choose from these days and it can be overwhelming trying to make a decision on which paper to use. I often advise clients to first decide on a colour palette and then decide on a pattern.

As another note, I also tend to prefer entire rooms papered instead of feature walls.

What are your preferences when it comes to wallpaper?

Image 1 - Vogue Living, Image 2 - Domino Magazine, Image 3 - Melissa Ruffy via Style Court, Image 4 - Domino Magazine, Image 5 - via Desire to Inspire, Image 6 - Thibaut via Style Court, Image 7 - Chloe Sevigny's hallway via House & Garden, Image 8 - via Peak of Chic

Still Loving...

It seems I still adore Kelly Wearstler's trellis wallpaper. My heart skipped a beat when I stumbled across this gorgeous, understated stairwell {belonging to Beautiful Living}covered in KW's well known paper.

Gumdale House Update

It's been another busy week in my little world. Apologies for my lack of posting. This week we started installing the wallpaper and window coverings at the Gumdale house which I have been working on for over a year now. Next week we are installing all the furniture which is very exciting. I thought I'd post a few little snippets to get you excited. This certainly is one of the most beautiful houses I have ever had the pleasure of working on. I'll hopefully have more photos for you next week. Until then I hope you have a great weekend!

Pretty

I love this beautiful image styled by Australian Stylist Sibella Court which I found over at Wisteria. I'm particularly taken with that gorgeous vintage {??} {correct me if I'm wrong} wallpaper!! BTW - The Design Files has done a wonderful interview with Sibella Court HERE...

Charlotte Street Hotel

Loving the pretty blue and white colour scheme chosen for this guest room at Charlotte Street Hotel in London!!

My Office Sneak Peek

A little while ago, well no ages ago I told you all that I was re-decorating my office at Black & Spiro. Well of course it has taken longer than I had anticipated. Client work has had to take priority of course and that meant my office project was put on the back burner!! Well, I am thrilled to say that my little project is almost complete with the last piece (being my desk) due in by the end of this week. I am so happy with the way it's looking and I just couldn't wait to show you some pics of my artwork cluster wall as above. I will of course post pictures of the entire room hopefully by next week but here is a sneak peak. Hope you like it!!

NB. I would like to give credit to artists/crafters Anne Harwell, Samantha Hahn, Variegated Inc. as some of their pieces are included in this wall.

Absolutely Loving...

I've been obsessing over Pippa Holt's London apartment since it appeared in the March/April 2008 issue of Australian Vogue Living. I know you've all probably seen it but I just love how she has mixed modern with old and thrown in collections of treasured things including some Australiana to remind her of home. This image above is currently on my inspiration board for my new kitchen as I am going to have a wall in the new kitchen wallpapered in this paper. If you haven't already seen this article click HERE as there are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure!!