Exactly a year ago, I had the fantastic opportunity to visit Belgium. With so many cultures (Belgium has three official languages; Dutch, French and German), history and undeniable character it was overwhelmingly beautiful. Above is a picture I took of an ornate passage way we went through while walking from our hotel to the Grand-Palace in Brussels. I travelled with a group of buyers from Canada to see a few flooring manufacturers. It was quite apparent that the quality and pride Belgians have for their country is well reflected in their products. In the evenings they were our hosts, taking us to all the places we just had to see, giving us an intimate view of the cities like Brussels and Ghent from an insider.

The Connaught Hotel is located in the fashionable district of Mayfair Village in London. The penthouse suite is The Apartment, an airy and inviting design by David Collins. The ombre curtains direct your eyes from the white painted cathedral ceilings to the comforts below like the indigo velvet sofa that anchors the room. Ombre allows you to pull from all the colors in between without having to add anything else. Gold accents polish this fabulous look.

How fun is this?! The Flower Power Deco Vase comes comes with three fruit cutters, a melon baller and vase with eleven stems to skewer your tasty design. This would be great for children's parties, or any casual fete that could use a bit of whimsy. Available here.

SieMatic Kitchens have raised a very good proposition with this kitchen design; why choose one type of cabinet for the entire kitchen? All other rooms in a home are filled with coordinating pieces of differing styles, textures and colors to reach your desired effect, so why not in the kitchen? See the glossy ebony walnut of the fridge/ pantry, the matte lacquered finish of the lower cabinets, and then the polished chrome framed uppers. This kitchen is from their Beau Arts line.

You have to hand it to Resource Furniture for their innovative spirit. Focusing on multi-functional furniture pieces that can be transformed quite easily, they have built their business on our need for function where space cannot provide; in small lofts for example. See the stealthily hidden bunk bed called Lollisoft above.

What do you think of when you hear beach home? Do you imagine organic shapes? Linen fabrics and sisal carpets? Natural stone in the form of tiling or accessories? There are so many fun textures you can play up in this style; like the Large Napoleon knot mat, or pebble mosaic tiles in a shower floor. Small details like an agate stone lamp finial really play up the cool inviting tones of this serene look.  

A color I am hoping to see more of this year is the wonderful citrus hue: yellow! There is a progression of more gold used in interior design, and the warmth of lemon adds a youthful vibrancy that nicely balances the maturity and glamorousness of gold. Aren't those just the happiest colors you have seen today? The lucite tray can be found here at Etsy, the lamp is the same one shown above by Jan Showers, and the Montecito Yellow Embroidered cushion is by Layla Grace.

"Thierry Vaissiere has only a single objective: build a mythical and inescapable place, with a modern and creative cuisine which invites the client to travel..." ~maisonblanche.ma

If you like polished chrome but want something unique for your bath, get the eye bending wall mount faucet by Brizo. The Virage family has a 90 degree spin that takes on a fluid and modern flare.