A white pallet with a touch of blue, sand & charcoal...

I've always loved the look of blue and white or white on white for that matter. My husband, however in the recent past had a penchant for anything green.  Perhaps it comes from his Army days of camouflaged greens but his children are forever telling him 'not green again' whenever he is selecting colours of paint for a spot of renovating.

Seeing as our first house had green walls and this journey is all about changing, I have finally won him over on the colour scheme this time and as I am window shopping I am now training myself to not look at anything green but search for the 'right blues' I want in my beach retreat. That in itself is challenging as there are so many variants of hues of one colour - even white! I guess the blues which fall into my favourite list are duckegg blues, french blues and sea or charcoal greys with whites and creams. There are many other colours I can blend in with these such as sandstone, all shades of greys and browns and beiges and sandy tones.

 In fact in my mind I see lots of white and white on white which I have never decorated with before but I think it will add to the peaceful, tranquil feel of our new home. I have deliberately left behind all my dark furniture, old country style pieces and am slowly gaining a collection of more French Provincial style which I love so much. This will mean that I do include wood somewhere in the mix but it will be a lot lighter this time around. Mixing French Provincial with my new love of coastal living design might mean I make up a new style altogether! One thing I know for sure is if it takes me years I will have my beautiful shutters back for window dressings, they are the quintessential of window dressings.

So, after much thought I have decided to base my colour scheme on the blues and white pallettes you see below and will incorporate beige and wood amongst it all as well.  I am sure you will agree it is very relaxing and 'beachy. After living very practically for all of my married life I am going into the new year with a new found love of treating myself well and for me that means surrounding myself with beauty, lovely colours & furnishings with peaceful tones, beautifully decorated to lift my soul.  This is what living is all about surrounding yourself with people & things which make you smile, making sure each day you can feel good at where you are in life or where you are trying to get to.  I guess my life in many ways is moving in a different direction. My children are now adults and  I can find the time to sit here and ponder what colour I wish to decorate my house. I have a little chuckle at this as its been a long time coming but I am actually loving every minute of my life right now and cannot wait for this new year to begin.

We have placed a beautiful new sofa on layby at Freedom Furniture in a dark charcoal (The Portland) and I found some lovely blue and beige cushions recently while shopping in Yarraville a trendy little shopping strip of inner Melbourne which I think will work perfectly.

Yesterday out in amongst the Boxing Day sales, we came across a new kitchenware designer by the name of 'Claire's Kitchen' stocked in Harris Scarfe, one of Australia's oldest larger department stores.  This kitchenware was the 'perfect French blue' which I have been looking for so we stocked up on canasters, milk and cream jugs and will go back for more before the sale ends. The range was extensive including pie dishes, quiche & casserole dishes, all beautifully crafted and with 40% off full prices.  Today I also came across the most exciting furnishing website (for me) - its called 'The French Boathouse' and its Australian (cheaper shipping costs & locally supported). This online store features French and Hampton (New England) style furnishings, so perfect for the style I love - what more could a girl want to decorate her beach house? Check it out:
 http://www.thefrenchboathouse.com.au/bluecart/