Hotel to Home: Cobblers Cove, Barbados

I’ve only been to the Caribbean once on a cruise a few years ago. It was a glorious week-long vacation where my hardest decision was about what bikini I should wear. The trip was wonderful, and I’d definitely be open to cruisin’ again. Our itinerary on that trip led us to various places in the Caribbean – St. Lucia, Aruba, St. Kitts, and Curacao – which gave me a glimpse into the Caribbean way of island life.

Thinking about that part of the world, I have decided to take us to Cobblers Cove, which is a Relais & Chateaux hotel on the island of Barbados.

Cobblers Cove’s ocean-front suites look to be rich without being stuffy. As the hotel website announces, Cobblers Cove is where “cool colonial style meets gracious Caribbean living”. I mean, doesn’t that sound ideal? You wouldn’t have to twist my arm to have me stay in any of the rooms, but the Colleton at the Great House is my preferred suite, design-wise.

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Colleton suite, Cobblers Cove, Barbados

Using the Colleton suite as inspiration, here’s the room that I’ve put together for today’s hotel-to-home.

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bed, chaise, lamp, mirror, desk, chair, pineapple pillow, pineapple pillow, green pillow, plant, pineapple, rug, art, bed linens

Putting this room together has reminded me that I think I need a pineapple somewhere in my home.

Hotel to Home: Macalister Mansion in Malaysia

Let’s jet off to Malaysia today, shall we?

Today, I’m bringing you to the Macalister Mansion in Georgetown, Penang. Condé Nast put this hotel on its 2013 hot list, and it only takes a moment to discover why. This restored colonial mansion (built in the early 1900s) is luxurious and charming. The eight rooms are individually designed and feature beautiful furnishings and art.

Room 6 caught my attention because of the art above the bed. It is a commissioned piece by Indonesian artist Albert Yonathan called “Sailing the Celestial Sea”. Oooh…I love all the “s” sounds in that title! The porcelain ship pieces were hand cast, and the work was inspired by the sea voyages of Sir Norman Macalister who was one of the first British Governors of Penang from 1808-1810 (when Penang was known as Prince of Wales Island).

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Macalister Mansion

If I were to infuse the feeling of Room 6 into a new space, here’s what I might include:

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bed, nightstand, table, armchair, hangers, sheet set, art, rug, speaker, lamp

Uptown: Working with Pink in my Basement

I didn’t intend to inject my basement with shades of pink, but some things were just meant to be. I couldn’t fight it. I didn’t want to fight it.

After I wrote about Minted’s collection of large-scale art, I was just about certain I was going to get a black and white piece for over my day bed. Instead, I was mesmerized by this piece, and I couldn’t say no. Minted generously sent over the gorgeous abstract art, and it hung vertically above my day bed for many months as I made progress on my fireplace redo.

*** Warning: Pink is about to make a brief appearance on White Cabana. ***

Holly-Katie-Craig-MintedHolly by Katie Craig

Once my fireplace makeover was complete, I turned my attention back to the daybed area of my space. I opted to rehang Katie Craig’s print horizontally, and I think it works much better in my space.

White-Cabana-Katie-Craig-Minted-artI adore the large-scale version of Katie Craig’s print. It’s bright and dramatic and bring a whole lot of interest to my space. As you can see, the room is still very much dominated by black and white even though there’s colourful art on the main wall. The addition of  fuchsia brings me joy, so I think I’ll keep it.

Here’s what (most) of the room looks like now:

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I painted the Fjellse bed frame (made from two twins that came with my house) high gloss blackWhite-Cabana-home-1

(I’m still on the lookout for two side tables of the same height)

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(featuring my most recent Alessi addition – Karim Rashid’s Hellraiser tray for Alessi)

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see how I transformed my old 80s fireplace into this beauty

I have recently published this makeover on Domino. If you click here, you’ll see a couple of before photos.

Many thanks to Minted for sponsoring this post.

Sources: art – c/o Minted; day bed (two Fjellse singles joined and painted high gloss black) – Ikea; wall paint – c/o CIL; white tray – Style at Home; black side cart – Market Road Antiques in St. Jacobs; chevron pillow cases – Target; bicycle pillow case – Urban Barn; coffee and side tables – Kijiji; shag rug, lamps – vintage; silver tray – Alessi; fireplace mantle – vintage; bamboo ladder painted high gloss black – garage sale; ceiling light – Ikea; art on fireplace – Janet Hill Studio, Chapters Indigo (tea towel); hex fireplace tiles – Twin City Tile

20 Below: Pop the Champagne

The holidays are definitely a time for socializing with family and friends, and what’s better to include on your menu than some bubbly? Don’t have glasses? Not to worry as these ones from Ikea are up for the job!

hederlig champagne ikeaHederlig champagne glass, $2.24, Ikea

If you’re looking for a cocktail to serve at your next gathering, you might want to consider the Kentucky Bonfire from the Holiday issue of LCBO’s Food & Drink. It’s delicious!

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