Balinese ladies

My friend Terry just got back from Bali and sent me through some photos, I really love the costumes in these photos, why don't we have occasions to dress up like this?He also visited a market in Nusa Dia full of beautiful fabrics, I really love this photo of the old lady carrying her beautiful fabrics, it makes the experience seem more real when you see the people behind the market stands for one captured moment.

Atlantis

Last weekend I stayed in the famous Atlantis hotel, which the week before threw a star studded party and held a firework display that lit up the entire palm and could be seen from space!!!! What can I say, the Emiratis want to have the biggest and the best of everything and they are keen to show the world how its done. The hotel is nice, it quite like a Las Vegas hotel inside and all fish themed throughout, they have an amazing aquarium complete with sharks for your viewing pleasure on the way to the restaurants. We ate in Nobu, it was my first experience there and the food lived up to its reputation, the chocolate bento box for dessert is highly recommended to a taste bud sensation. It costs around £300 per night but its definetely worth the experience once and is located at the top end of the palm so looks spectacular as the sun sets and becomes an Arabian night.
www.atlantisthepalm.com

Home sweet home

I just got back from Abu Dhabi and it's really lovely to be home at Christmas, I walked along Oxford and Regent st admiring the lights and there is a great buzz in the air despite the constant talk about economic doom and gloom!!! I am determined to enjoy this time and have been continuing to work on my parent's conservatory, it will be my very first design project and is almost finished so there will be photos appearing very soon. However, unfortunately I lost my camera last week at the Dubai rugby sevens so there has been a lack of blogging due to this I'm afraid. I have just dressed our Christmas tree in blue and silver which now looks really pretty and I've been drinking mulled wine - how lovely is that drink, I adore sangria so its the winter version for me.

Danish Design - Lene Bjerre

Scandinavians are known for their love of design, they have a unique style, most people will immediately think of IKEA but this is just the tip of the iceberg, I have recently started to discover what the Danish have to offer, there is a wonderful Christmas catalogue to get you inspired for Christmas decorating.....

Lenje Bjerre Christmas catalogue

"Lene Bjerre Design was founded by the creative Lene Bjerre, who saw the possibillities in a strong concept for the home. The trademark Lene Bjerre was founded in the mid 70’s and Lene Bjerre Design is today one of the leading companies within home and lifestyle products in Denmark.
Lene Bjerre started out making hand-pleated lampshades from beautiful, classical wallpaper remnants and gift paper. The quality and originality of the lampshades made them very saleable and hereby the foundation for the company was laid – unique products of high quality.
To preserve the dynamics and continuity of the company’s development, Lene Bjerre Design has through the years expanded the concept to cover table textiles and soft furnishings, bed and bath, decorative items and lighting. "

http://www.lenebjerre.dk/uk/

Designer's Guild Cushions

Designers Guild has some beautiful cushions to brighten up your home, I have picked out three of my favourite ones to brighten up your day. If you are interested in seeing the full collections please see the website:

http://www.designersguild.com/

New shoes

Ok so this is totally for the girls out there, I just bought a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes on ebay and I had to share them. I have always wanted a pair as I love the signature red sole and 4 inch heels. As I am working somewhere warm I decided to go for an open toed tan pair rather than the traditional black stiletto style but I love them! For the guys - these shoes are just another name for you to learn along with Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahniks!

watch out boys!

Burj Dubai

I've just been out to lunch and I wanted to share this view of the Dubai skyline which displays the prominent Burj Dubai tower in the centre of the photo, it currently stands at 688 m and is still being built. The first night we arrived in Dubai the moon was really low and as we stood on the terrace it actually appeared to be slightly taller than the moon!!
The official website has some really interesting photos of the construction phase and a comparison to other well know tall structures around the world. Once complete it will contain offices, luxury apartments and an Armani hotel amongst other facilities.
http://www.burjdubai.com/