The Oasis Phuket - Photo Shoot

It is amazing how much time it takes to 'sort of' style a photo shoot! Sunday morning was spent trying to get some pictures for a resale at The Oasis.

Darling Daughter #3 was roused early from her bed and we tried to get some shots showing the changes made to the house...all a bit of a challenge. We definitely need some more props and the dining room chairs! It is looking like a bit like a bland real estate advert at the moment.

Sunday Smile - Christmas Thoughts

A fun way to spend Xmas afternoon.  Just 811 pieces!

courtesy of The Globe and Mail

Wrap it up for Christmas in Phuket!

WE Architects from Denmark have come up with this stunning design for a steep site on the west coast of Phuket. I am wondering when they will build. It is absolutely gorgeous to look at and fits neatly into the site. A gorgeous balance of three rectangles connected by fabulous circular stairways. The roof top pool would glow through the evening and provide interest when the sun goes down.

I think one might also consider an automatic window cleaning system as from April to October the onshore monsoon winds are very strong. In the model they have a wee dock and sailboat illustrated, this would be a very seasonal thing if viable at all with the winds and surf of the Andaman sea.

With the most common method of construction here being concrete this sort of design is not particularly difficult to build here and is surprisingly reasonable due to the low cost of labour.

The pool design looks very interesting with steps throughout the length.

All pictures/plans courtesy of WE Architects...I'd love to discover where this is to be built and see the finished product!

The Ultimate Contemporary Barge - The Qrooze

This is the barge design favoured by my sons, the mariners, new, sleek with all the latest gadgetry. The Qrooze does have a very bright and shiny look and is actually very good value for it's price point. There are some  gorgeous aspects to it certainly. I love it's main level and open plan layout. The makers say I could have a fireplace which would be my special addition. The bedrooms are a little too built in and shippy for my taste... making those beds too challenging, although they certainly are warm and snuggly looking. Finally I'd omit any wood due to maintenance and the way it always will darken over time. BUT.... somehow the exterior lines really take some getting used to. All photos courtesy of The Qrooze.

Could you imagine waking to a different view whenever you choose?

Clean, classic contemporary interiors.

Not too sure about this stair arrangement..... I think I might have to look at alternate flooring to suit my furry beasties.

Need to utilize some of the nooks for books but loads of room for cooking and chatting with the company.

Looks like a table that could accommodate  Thanksgiving and Xmas crowds for sure.

Lots of room in the Master to customize to suit whims and styles.

This is cute if you have kiddies on board the shutters could appeal to more than just the babes.

Very European styled hot tub on deck - Fabulous sliders for seemless indoor outdoor living.

Looks like you can party on this boat for sure!

Take your friends for a dinner cruise.

Then sail away.

Phuket Real Estate - For Sale

Here's a shameless plug for the sale of my son's lovely home here on the Phuket and another resale at

The Oasis, the wee development built here in Phuket.  Have a look at some warm, sunshine while you all are surfing the net as your turkey cooks this weekend.

This is a great small family home at a good price.  Centrally located it really is convenient for full time living here in Phuket. Very close to the largest and most prestigious school here on Phuket, The British International School, you would never miss an extra curricular activity of your child's. Conversely it is a wonderfully suited to retirement living being all one level. Clean, classic, elegant simplicity in a semi rural location.

Just outside the small development's gate is real Thailand, this aspect of our island is getting to be a real rarity as the growth on Phuket continues. Your neighbours at The Oasis are a mix of French, Kiwi, Aussie, Canadian and Russian - ages 3 to 85! I will confess the group are all animal lovers!

Globalization at its best...the village outside the gate is to your left, Buddhist - to your right Muslim....all smiling! ENJOY LIFE NOW!

Luxurious hotels in Phuket

So, finally, I am getting to some tropical hotel design right here in Phuket. We are spoiled with a plethora of some quite fabulous design here on the island.  Starting with three of my favorites...

Arguably the grandaddy of chic, smart, elegant Thai styled design is the Amanpuri [photo by Pasci_vaut and Wenn1].  It was the first resort in the Aman chain. Built in the 'Mock Wat' style it was the peak of chic in 1988.   However it is  still very much a classic and the service is superb. The  abundant use of wood through the decor is alludes to earlier days of the colonial plantation style, adopted by worldly Thais when travelling. Thailand has never been colonized by a foreign power. The midnight blue pools at the resort started a rage throughout the island copied by many developers. While lovely calm and serene in design it is no longer edgy in style and the maintenance bills must be something.

Another favorite of mine demonstrating the transitioning design styles of hotels on the island in the past ten years is Twin Palms Resort and Spa. Just down the road from the Amanpuri on Surin beach, Twin Palms was opened 5 years ago. The owners took the best of the new contemporary asian design ethos and blended it with tradition, more white, less wood. [Photos by Lisa Stegall]

Darling daughter #1 had her wedding at Twin Palms.

One of the newest resorts to open on the island is Sala Resort and Spa. Gorgeous clean contemporary architecture is a radical departure now from the Aman style. [All photos from Sala]

Dean Street Townhouse Hotel - London

Mmm.... check out these very sweet and very clever new hotel rooms in London...I know, I know, I am supposed to be posting about the Tropics but, at the moment I am immersed in the mundane finishing details of a house renovation where you wait for one trade, then wait for another then receive a bill from another. It is all dull, time consuming and a wee bit soul destroying so it sets one thinking of a bit of an escape although darling daughter #1 assures me it is very cold and she is inspired to leave London at the moment.... grass is always greener!

This sweet newly opened hotel so fabulously and centrally located in Soho is the
Dean Street Townhouse:



Located in a four story Georgian townhouse the bedrooms are sized and priced from tiny to small to medium to bigger. Starting at just 95 pounds they are kitted out with king size to super king sized beds,
free internet, flat screen TV's and Cowshed goodies in the shower.









For Joni of Cote de Texas I note what looks like one of her favorites on the floor, seagrass with a simple border, the whole room rather in the tones of Gret from Belgian Pearls or Brooke from Velvet and Linen.





Perhaps a few more of the tones that Vicki from French Essence would enjoy, while finally I could be quite happy snuggled up in the 'Tiny' room....(perhaps an idea for the barge dream).

Loving This Green Idea.... GLOVE LOVE!

As a Fab over Fifty type from a cold clime, I do not know how many pairs of mittens and gorgeous gloves I have lost just ONE of over the years.   When I was old enough to afford a nice pair of kid gloves, of course one of the first things that happened was one dropped out of my lap quietly into the snow as I popped out of a car. This is one of the saddest and most predicable things of being a Canadian. Today on Daily Candy London they came up with this very GREEN idea.... GLOVE LOVE.

Now for SOCKS!

Check below for the complete post from Daily Candy... do make sure you check the site for the Piano Glove Story narrated by Emma Thompson it's very cute and will make you save your ONE glove for sure!

No Glove Lost

Glove Love Launches

Attractive single seeks warm, cuddly and vivacious mate for hot dates, hand-holding and making sweet love.

We all deserve a perfect match. So do lonely gloves. (On their own they really are worthless.)

Which is why the lovely people at Green Thing have taken matters into their own hands. Their new initiative, Glove Love, rescues single gloves from Dumpsville, cleans them and finds them a partner, resulting in a quirky new pair. They might look mismatched, but it’s rather charming — and ecofriendly.

A mere £5 gets you a good-as-new set of hand-warmers adorned with a Green Thing label.

It’s a real glove story.

Available online at dothegreenthing.com.