THE AQUA PALETTE

One of my favourite colours over the last couple of months is aqua and all the tones that surround this colour. It is fresh, vibrant as well as warming and pretty much the one colour I have been seeing a lot on this trip so far.

Today I wanted to share with you an inspirational palette from our trip, a colour that surround these beautiful islands. This colour can be interpreted in so many different ways and applied to many different applications in the home to create a range of styles, from beach, Hamptons, french provincial, classical to rustic and contemporary. 

You can find all these images on Pinterest and you can follow me by clicking here. 

WONDERLUST // THE INTERIOR TRAVEL DIARY

To say I am excited about my upcoming trip is an understatement. So much to do and see, I do not even know where to start. I thought I would share with you all today, what is inspiring me about going on this trip and how I am going to use it as a breath of fresh air. It will be assisting me to inject some new exciting things into the business. We are really going to be going with the flow the whole time, I am not over planning or locking things in because we really want to immerse ourselves in the cultures that we are going to experience as well as see as many authentically beautiful things as possible. I am going to be looking for great little local furniture stores, suppliers and really immerse myself into the architecture of these ancient places. I cannot think of a better way to be inspired spatially, then staying in old ruins and exploring monuments that I have studied and admired. 

Here is the start of my Travel Diary series, where I will be eventually sharing my own travel interior guides to all the places we are visiting, but first, we are to start from the beginning. What are some of the essentials a Designer takes on holiday with them... well, I am a bit of a wellness freak so of course, I wont be leaving without my own little snacks and herbal tea bags BUT most importantly, a camera, a visual diary, pencil, good tunes and pre organised meetings with suppliers that I have made contact with over the years.  You can find all the images below to where I am heading on my Pinterest. 

In no particular order, here is where I am visiting: 

Trieste, Italy

Santorini, Greece 

So much inspiration to be recorded  

Milano, Italy 

Taking our time 

The Interior Designer

Verona, Italy 

Rhodes, Kos and Kalynmos, Greece 

Lake Como, Italy 

Venice, Italy 

London Town, UK 

ALL THINGS FRENCH

Elements I love, last week had a launch and viewing party of their new French shipment that became available to the public last Thursday. It was exciting to go along and get an exclusive preview into all the treasures they have found while they were sourcing the pieces over in France. It has been a years worth of hard work and foresight but I have to say it has definitely paid off as the pieces they have in store are absolutely amazing. Think Gatsby era, think glamour, think Marie Antoinette inspired and all things really cool, retro and funky. If you are looking for a very individual and unique piece with a bit of history and culture behind it, you must head over to Elements I love in Surry Hills and get exploring and put your interiors thinking cap on.

It is so important as a designer to know what is one the market at all times because when you are working on several projects with different briefs the things you see around and know about pop into your mind as soon as you find the perfect brief for it. Having as many resources as possible and product knowledge is key when specifying, you know what will work where and who to get it from instantly.

Here are some behind the scenes shots from the evening last week, you can find a lot more about Elements I love here and by following them on Facebook & Instagram @elements_i_love.

All images taken by JDZ herself... sorry about the black doggy tag in the corner of the photos...my iphone skin is coming off. Time for a new one I think!

Have a great Wednesday,
JDZ x

FRENCH INSPIRED

Tonight I am heading to the unveiling of the new french collection and discoveries for Elements I Love.
It is everything French inspired with lots of new pieces found on their recent trip. It is sure to be a very exciting and inspiring evening.

It got me thinking about all things French and interiors related. Do you love the French Provincial look?
Do you think it is classic and elegant? Do you think it is timeless?

Take a look at these inspiring pictures I found on my Pinterest to get us ready for tonights viewing!
I will be featuring my update and sneak peek into the new Elements I Love collection next week.

JDZ x

INTERNATIONAL DESIGN: CHALLENGING THE NORM

I mentioned a while ago that in celebration of something special, which I can now reveal was my guest post on Interiors Addict earlier this week, JDZ was going international from time to time. Seeming as my post was about the UK, today I wanted to focus on something that I thought was seriously cool the moment I saw it. What I also like about it is the fact that it challenges the standard way furniture is upholstered and makes for a really ascetically interesting piece of furniture.

Meike Harde is a designer that likes to be utterly experimental is known for challenging the norm and shows much interest in textiles and it's application. She is known for studying the way materials and furniture are constructed in such a way so that she can manipulate them to be completely and utterly different and I really think she achieves this, with these amazing stools. They are made to be focusing on the ornamental nature of furniture but not within the pattern itself but it how they are constructed with a foam material that allows for manipulation to generate a modular pattern. 

Zieharsofika   is a piece of furniture that not only challenges traditional notions of furniture construction but also the way one may interact with the piece. The foam allows for a cushioning which focuses on the idea of comfort and function. They are made out of rectangular foam mats which only manipulate when they are layer together and pulled together with elastic bands to assist in generating the ornamental experience and pattern that is Zieharsofika. 

They are very forward thinking in a very simple way and are not in anyway over designed or over the top to achieve a very powerful effect. The rubber bands also allow for one to use their imagination and maybe solve the issue of where to put that magazine when I need to put it down quickly. They are interactive, super cool in look, colour and shape. 

All images sourced directly from this article about Zieharsofika. They are not on the market in Australia. 

Hope you are having a great Wednesday. 

If you have any questions at all or wanting to know more about what I do as an Interior Designer, head over to my website www.jdzdesigns.com.au or shoot me an email at info@jdzdesigns.com.au 

DONT FORGET: Head over to our facebook page to enter into our free giveaway competition. 

JDZ x

GUEST POSTING FOR THE INTERIORS ADDICT

The lovely Jen gave me the opportunity to Guest Post on Interior's Addict whilst she is away on her honeymoon. Those who follow her and her fabulous blog will know that it was a very big and exciting weekend for her and I am sure just like I was, many of you were checking instagram every so often on Saturday to see any pictures. Whilst Jen is honeymooning around different parts of the world she has a trusty mix of guest posters and a blog sitter who is making sure it is still running and the content is great. There have been already some great guest posts that I am loving and I feel very privledged to be amougst the writers chosen.

Here is a little back story: One of the destinations Jen is off to is the UK, so I wanted to focus on some great talent from Europe and talk about the inspiration that one can get from travelling and exploring different countries. London in particular is very well known for it's markets where you can find many treasures for your home, it is also produces many fabulous designers including Claire Coles, who makes amazing wallpaper. I wanted to showcase her fabulous designs but also capture and inspire the art of being able to find treasures around the globe to fill your interiors.

You know you want to know a lot more, so make sure to head over to Interiors Addict today by clicking here and having a read of my guest post. 

Go now... and get readings! Let me know what you think.

FEATURE FRIDAY: DESIGN IS EVERYWHERE

I am using Feature Friday today to introduce a new topic that I am going to be discussing on the blog over the next couple of months. JDZ is going international... talking about international design trends, inspiration, cities and history. There is so much to be said for all the different countries around the world that play a part in influencing the design world. There is a huge emphasis on environmentally friendly design as well as many new technologies that assist in creating beautiful and functional products. Just like here in Sydney with Sydney Indesign, London have their own huge design festival which promotes them as one of the leading countries to influence design globally. As part of the festival there are a series of installations and activities everyone can take part in, to educate and inform the world on new materials and design principals. The London Design Festival ran this year from mid September to the 22nd and even though it has now finished there are still serval installations that are located around the city which really demonstrates the advance nature of their design thinking and creativity. I have been to London and it was an amazing place that I fell in love with, but just like anywhere, you either love it or really hate it. For me it was not only culturally diverse but had so much creativity and inspiration to be admired. The galleries had hundreds of artworks and history that I studied all through my high school days and University which I found fascinating to see in person. The thousand year old structures, urban planning, city layout juxtaposed with modern architecture is amazing. The city itself has so much history because it is so much older than Sydney. I did however, feel like I was some what at home when I was roaming the streets of London city... no surprise really.

Over the next couple of months JDZ will be posting about international design and cities that are influencing and inspiring me through my design practice, so keep a look out. Today take some time to have a look through the videos and experience the interesting installation and information the Endless Stair has to offer outside the Tate Modern now in London. 

All images and videos have been sourced from The London Design Festival website, which you can access by clicking here. 

Have a great weekend, 

JDZ x