The Colour in My Life

/ Garrulous Gwendoline

My previous post (https://garrulousgwendoline.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/international-day-of-older-persons/ ) heavily referenced the place I now call home, so I thought I would share a little more of it with you.

Bill and I moved here five years ago. It is a wonderful sensation, to move into an apartment that is brand new, all appliances gleaming and fresh. A few cooking adventures soon took care of that.

All the walls were gleaming and fresh also. In brilliant white, the colour of the decade. Many people here have successfully decorated their apartments in neutrals: creams with a touch of silver for example. The result is fantastic. Their homes have a clean, expansive, smart, modern look. I wish I could mimic that, but I have an allergy to white. I need colour in my life.

So I called on Penny Magro, of Style by Penelope:

https://www.facebook.com/InteriorDesignWollongong,  http://stylebypenelope.com.au/

We started with a piece of artwork that had caught my eye in 2007, when Bill and I were on a trip to China.  Regular readers will know that I consider myself an art cretin, so it is quite something for me to form an instant attachment to a piece of art.  We were in Chongqing, at the General Joseph W. Stilwell Museum, aka, The Flying Tigers museum.  (The Flying Tigers was a volunteer air force of American pilots who charged themselves with the task of protecting Chongqing from Burmese and Japanese air raids during World War II).  For some unknown reason, there is an art gallery in the rear.  It is there that I fell in love with a depiction of a Miao woman on her way to be married.
China Print 001

Even though I bargained aggressively, I probably still paid much more than I should have. However, that is not the point in this instance. I loved it, and I could afford it. I was emotionally engaged, and there is not much art that I feel that way about.

A couple of years later, and my Miao women formed the basis of the decoration of our new apartment.  Under Penny’s guidance, we went for an ‘Asian Inspired’ theme.  This is what one solitary piece of artwork has spawned:

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17 thoughts on “The Colour in My Life”

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  4. The Asian theme is awesome. The pieces of artwork really pull everything together. In my opinion it’s worth paying a little more, if necessary, to get art that really resonates.

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    • I was so lucky with the artwork Sheryl. The Miao women was the original purchase, and I have never regretted it. The crane embroidery came cheaply from an antique stall and I had it re-framed. The Asian flower/symbol is a cross-stitch done by a friend. It was a complete surprise – she had even had it framed and had matched my existing frames! The other pieces all have a story and were very affordable. Lucky me.

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  5. Hi Gwen, it has been good to catch up with your blog again 🙂 It has been a busy few months for us both. It was great to read through the posts on your European adventure.

    I just love the colours that you have used in your apartment as I find bold colours entrancing. Your rug would look just peachy in my flat with my sparkly pink bedroom wall.

    If I am lucky enough to get out to Australia I must check the area south of Sydney as it looks beautiful.

    You never know one day I may get to sing at the Opera House 🙂

    Warmest wishes
    Charlotte

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    • Glad you had a chance to catch up with my blog. I know how busy you are yourself, so it gives me great pleasure to know I am writing something that is of interest. As you can see – I love colour 🙂 We hope to see you in Australia some day. Warm regards, Gwen

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    • Thanks Julia! It is a special place. If you have time, you might care to read one of my older posts which talks more about it. It is called “Reflections on the Tapestry of Life” and was posted back in May, when I just started blogging. You might also have noted that red is one of my favourite colours. The decorating look is all down to the effort of Penny. I can’t take much credit for it 🙂

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    • Yes it certainly is something special. We arranged the lounge on the far wall so we could look out at the view, even though the room is designed to be set up differently. We are getting good use of the balcony at this time of the year, and it will only get better the closer to December. GG

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