Happy New Year!!

This is one I could absolutely not resist sharing, and it's so perfect for today! Talented bi-coastal wedding and portrait photographer Alice G Patterson is a girl after my own heart. Not only does she really love dogs, she also loves turquoise! I love how she used it in her holiday decor, but also to ring in 2014! But let's be honest...it's really the dogs that are the showstoppers here!! SOOO cute!

Happy New Year everyone!! However you plan to celebrate, be safe and have fun!


Love turquoise? Visit my shopping blog Everything Turquoise...updated several times throughout the day! Check out Decor by Color for even more color-themed shopping!

Reclaimed wood works

 Old is good. What is old can be new again with a little ingenuity, and I don't mind admitting that the art side of my brain has lots of that.   I think reclaimed wood  is beautiful, and this summer I made great finds on the beaches near our summer house.

Are you wondering how this connects to decor?  Keep reading!

Atlantic Ocean beach wood

 Storm tossed and sea sanded house/shed remnants  were dragged home against my better half's judgement. At the time I answered the strong call emitted by these materials, but  I didn't know why I needed them.  My art often begins with the call of materials rather than with sketches and preconceived notions of a final product.

Not a pretty site/sight

No this is not the home decor section!

Move over hubby,  I am taking possessions of your precious workshed and tools.  Yep!  I know my way around drills, bandsaws, chopsaws and sanders and I discovered construction adhesive will stick most everything together. Drop paintbrushes, fine papers and canvas.  I have a new palette and perhaps a new series for exhibition.

This one is my keeper.

Beach Quilt, Margaret Ryall, 2013, reclaimed wood

 And here it is in the back entry of my summer house.  I have to wait until May to see it again (and take some decent shots of it).

You've reached the home decor part

Stay tuned for more creative moments in my life.  What have you created for your home lately?

Top Ten of 2013

I always look forward to figuring out what the most popular posts were for the year! There was a lot of great turquoise to share this year....245 posts filled with beautiful interiors by some incredibly talented people! So according to my site statistics, below are the ten most visited posts of the year. If you happened to miss any, just click on over to see the full post!

#10 Sarah 101

#9 12 Oaks Bathroom

#8 Turquoise Appliances

#7 The Handmade Home Tour

#6 Desireé Ashworth

#5 Great Neighborhood Homes

#4 HGTV Smart Home 2013

#3 Liz Carroll Interiors

#2 HGTV Dream Home 2013

And drumroll for the number one most popular post....

#1 Mykonos Panormos Villas

What a great year it was!! I had a lot of fun sharing my posts on Facebook too this year. One photo in particular really went viral on there with 2,430 likes, 187 comments and 877 shares!

Most Popular Post on Facebook: Noelle Interiors

So once again, I want to thank you all for reading and celebrating turquoise along with me! I truly have a dream job and it wouldn't be possible without you!

If you want a quick flashback, check out the top ten posts for 2012 and 2011!


Love turquoise? Visit my shopping blog Everything Turquoise...updated several times throughout the day! Check out Decor by Color for even more color-themed shopping!

Elements of Scandinavian Design

 I have lots of love affairs and Scandinavian design is one of them. I developed this passion in my teenage years when I discovered a book in our local library.  Just to put you in the loop, it was a new book then.  It  is  hard to believe that one event can impact one's design aesthetic for life, but that's the case because  I've woven various elements of  mid century Scandinavian design into every home I've  had.

Here's my take on  the elements of  mid- century modern Scandinavian design and how I've interpreted it in my own home. 

Form

•  function is the priority, and then  form is pared back to its simplest statement 
• materials are chosen for their beauty and longevity
• the lines are clean and  minimal , often with sinuous curves or  very "boxy"
• craftsmanship is flawless
• 360 degree design -  looks good from every angle 
•  prominent use of wood , followed by  plastic and metals
• emphasis on nature and organic forms; bring natural materials in

Scandinavian furniture design

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Scandinavian furniture natural tones

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White furniture on light wood

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Check out  other iconic furniture designs in a previous post . So many well known furniture came from Scandinavian designers.

Colour/Light

• emphasis on magnifying natural light
• white and off- white interiors with blue or blue gray or black
• muted  tones,  restricted to neutrals 
• simple or no window treatments

Colour in Scandinavian Design

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 White colour scheme with light wood

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Neutrals with natural wood

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Shape

•  geometric  patterns, free form / organic and florals

organic patterns

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 Bold geometric patterns 

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Love the hint of blue with the black, white and gray in the  geometric rug.  The pop of blue with the throw is inviting and also creates a sense of warmth in the room. 

geometric patterns

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This is such a crisp but inviting room that is made interesting by using a range of textures and patterns.  I love how the striped rug anchors everything.

Lassen Accessories

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 Texture

• wood is highly valued and  used extensively for floors,  walls and furniture
• natural materials in textiles: linen, wool, cotton, hessian, fur (sheepskin)
• glass, pottery is used for many accessories

Texture in Scandinavian design

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This image shows a simple room with  many natural material in one small space: wool, felted wool, fur , cotton and possibly linen.  And great art to anchor the space,.  Wouldn't you love to sit on that chair?

Natural materials in textiles

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Another chair holding  a selection of cozy textiles that you can choose to cuddle up with. 

 Texture in accessories

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There's nothing like a matte inky black vase and natural elements to draw your attention to a corner or an interesting piece of furniture.  This one is so sleek next to the roughly carved  stool. A great mix. 

Knits in Scandinavian  design

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 Nothing is as inviting as knits on a bed.  All that texture, light colour and cuddle potential.

Space 

• uncluttered,  room to rest the eye
• easy to move around

Open design

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 And here's my  always in transition, uniquely Newfoundland,  mid century Scandinavian look at Christmas!

Scandinavian colour scheme

I like minimal window coverings in a south facing window when privacy isn't an issue, hints of black and natural toned birch with lots of white and gray.

Scandinavian design  with a twist

Christmas decorations without the traditional red or green and my new Kubus 4 candle holder  that is quickly becoming my favourite accessory next to  pillows from my sister who knows just what a room needs.    

Mid Century Danish modern hand crafted

Natural elements Christmas

Margaret Ryall

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What elements of Scandinavian design do you have in your home? 

Thibaut

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Best one ever here! Except for the fact that I picked up a bug and have since been stuck in bed...ugh! I'll tell you this much though, this photo has seriously brightened my mood. Pink and turquoise, fabulous wallpaper, beautiful furniture...it does not get any better than this! The image comes from Thibaut (of course!) and features their new Resort collection, their gorgeous turquoise South Sea wallpaper and fabric in particular. And I am l.o.v.i.n.g. it!

And now I'm going back to bed! Happy weekend everyone!


Love turquoise? Visit my shopping blog Everything Turquoise...updated several times throughout the day! Check out Decor by Color for even more color-themed shopping!

Merry Christmas!

Traditional Home

Can you believe it's already Christmas Eve?! Never has a year flown by so fast. Last Christmas Chris and I had just found out that I was pregnant, and here we are now with Wesley already 4 months old! What a year it's been and what a special Christmas this will be! Thank you all so much for reading my blog, and for your support, enthusiasm and friendship throughout the year! I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Love turquoise? Visit my shopping blog Everything Turquoise...updated several times throughout the day! Check out Decor by Color for even more color-themed shopping!