Karlovy Vary - A wedding cake vista in Bohemia

Karlovy Vary - or King Charles waters is the beautiful Bohemian town situated on hot springs which is now the holiday destination for the rich and famous - of Russia.  Famous for being visited by Mozart, Bach and now MOI from Australia - does that make me a Bohemian?  I think not.  But here I am sashaying around partaking of the 'waters' to cure 'diabeets' (as it is pronounced here! lol)

Spa 11 - my lucky number!

Spa number 12

Those pesky Ruskies in my photo shot!

The Colonnade - where most of the spa fonts are

The beauty is in the detail - how beautiful is this interior of a spa rotunda?

The main geyser

Facade of one of KV's hotels

Yours truly taking the waters

An entry way is a even a study in design

Urban Lace - eco-chic jewellery

Urban Lace has launched a fantastic range of jewellery and belts made from all things - recycled from bicycle inner tubes! 

The five-year old label started in the garage of designer Barbi Touron in Portland Oregon.  She would cut out the inner tubes of bicycles into interesting shapes.  Urban Lace also has a shop on ETSY.

Kim Chi Korea!

My last two weeks were spent in Seoul Korea, undertaking an assignment for work.  For those who haven't been to Korea you'll find it quite a surprise.  Sophisticated, calm and wordly.  This time of year is Cherry Blossom season, so I'll let the photo below speak for itself.

Cherry Blossoms come to life - how beautiful!

Koreans love colour - this garden is typical

How cute is this?  My host Myunghee's nephew...posing as a bug

One thing I couldn't get enough of is coffee shops!  There is one on every street corner - Caffe Bene, Five Monkeys, Starbucks however my favourite was Paris Croissant.  Beautiful ambience, food and coffee.  The popularity of the "Paris Baguette" brand reflects the high level of food manufacturing companies in South Korea. The country has the highest level of the most select levels of Korean fusion baguette, croissant, cakes, bread and confectionary.

The other thing I enjoyed were the windows in stores as my taxi zoomed past them.  One store - called Bean Pole - had the most interesting window display.  I had to get photos...!

Green Mid-Century Modern - my sister's moodboard!

Soothing peaceful green

I've convinced my sister that the Hollywood Regency style would suit her and the way she likes to entertain - casual, comfortable elegance.  So Susan - here you are...now all that's left is the buying!


Also - how could I forget Florence Broadhurst prints which she covets.

Circles & squares - Florence Broadhurst

Love the chair in Schumacher's Imperial Trellis

Imperial look coffee table

Florence Broadhurst

Zebra skin rug - sublime

Fabulous skins in all hues of blue

Florence Broadhurst print

She already has this geometric green fabric

Black,white,orange & turquoise with a twist

This stairwell is magnificent - alive with pattern & colour

Cherry red and tangerine

The ultimate must have chandelier

Chinese motif chandelier

Animal print feature chair

Orange fretwork carpet

Mosaics - picture of colored pieces paints a thousand words

I love mosaics.  Maybe because I grew up in old fashioned pubs with tiled bar counters, floors...it was the high traffic answer to decor back in the Victorian era - tessalated tiles and ceramic mosaics.

Although I have a definite leaning to the clean look of black and white I also appreciate and covet the colourful porcelain and glass mosaics made famous in the Roman bathhouses and Grecian courts.

The tiny coin tiles which remind me of an Australian 50 cent piece are just so.  Very dinky, although I believe much harder to keep clean.

Don't you just LOVE grecian key?

This is like checkerboard with a floral motif

Good old no nonsense checkerboard

Moroccan mosaic

Greco Roman mosaic

Simple floral motif is really effective