Categories
Appliances

Blitz into summer with Smeg’s retro blender and mixer

Designer style, high-end technology and a jelly-bean mix of authentic retro colour: meet Smeg’s latest retro appliances.

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Smeg’s retro style blender ($299) has been awarded the international Red Dot Design Award for 2016 and – together with their stand mixer (also a heavyweight in its own right) – creates the perfect duo for mixing up cocktails and desserts this sunny season.

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Think frozen daiquiris, coconut/mango popsicles, and chocolate vegan cheesecake – just flick through to the fitting function and let the Italian stallion do the rest (the blender will sense the consistency of the contents and adjust its speed accordingly).

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The stand mixer ($799) features an 800W high torque motor, 10-speed variable power with soft start to stop splattering, as well as a planetary planetary mixing action to ensure all areas of the bowl are reached. There is also a low speed front attachment hub for optional attachments such as pasta roller and cutters, making your culinary adventures a piece of cake!

Smeg also has a kettle and toaster to finish off the collection – colours across the range include pastel green, pastel blue, pastel pink, red, cream, black and silver.

Buy them from David Jones, Myer and Harvey Norman. Get the recipes here.

Categories
Dining Homewares

Spring/Summer 2015 collection offers more than Salt&Pepper

Where to begin? Salt&Pepper has once again produced a vast and varying collection – from watercolour to pastel, marble to metallic, Scandi to sophisticated, all tastebuds will be satisfied.

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One of my personal favourites is the indigo and pale blue of the Cumulus collection. Paired with some rose gold cutlery from the Host range and you have some majestic, yet effortlessly summery dinnerware.

blue and rose gold group shot

If you want to extend the gold theme outside the food scene, giant alarm clocks and metal-framed lamps are the way to go. They even have scented candles in rose gold containers!

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The Marble range also deserves a noteworthy mention, because who doesn’t love marble (although it isn’t real marble!)? Plus it will team perfectly with all that gold decor and cutlery.

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Other ranges include the Metro, which brings minimalist measuring spoons, mixing bowls and spice racks into the kitchen, and Loft, a mix of wood and bold graphics. There’s also Café, an understated way to enjoy your tea or coffee at home with matching block colour cups and jugs, and Pastel, which has a more high-tea-in-an-English-manor-feel to it.

For more information.

Categories
Appliances Kitchens

Smeg mixes retro design with whirling performance

Elegance, beauty, grace – there are plenty of words to describe Smeg’s new stand mixer. Throw in power, performance and Italian engineering, and you’d think I was describing a Ferrari.

Smeg Toaster4 P-Mixer R

Looking past the elegant curves and vintage styling, the new stand mixer features an 800W high-torque motor that can mix the heaviest dough or batter while remaining perfectly stationary on the workbench, with no vibrations.

Smeg Mixer Silver 2Stand out features include soft start action (to prevent flour plumes and splashes), a pouring shield, ten speeds and a concealed outlet for optional accessories such as a pasta roller. Speeds are controlled via a top-mounted gear stick, with a handy guide advising which speeds are recommended for which mixing tool.

True to Italian standards, the body is made from die-cast aluminium available in black, silver, panna, red and pastel blue, and the 4.8 litre capacity bowl is top-notch stainless steel.

Smeg Mixer S-Mixer PB-Mixer P

The Smeg Stand Mixer ($799) is available nationally from David Jones, Myer and Harvey Norman stores.

Categories
Appliances Kitchens

Blend retro style and performance with Smeg’s new blender

Smeg has added to the allure of its coveted pure retro collection of small appliances with a powerful 800W blender.

Smeg Mixer R-Blender P

The new blender’s design focuses on the same 50s-inspired vintage curves as Smeg’s existing toaster, stand mixer and kettle.

Available in in panna, black, red, silver and, my personal favourite, pastel blue, it features an enamel-coated body and Tritan BPA-free 1.5L jug.

Smeg Blender Pastel Blue

The backlit chrome control knob allows you to select from three pre-set programmes: smoothie, for dense and creamy textures; crushed ice; and pulse, which increases the speed gradually.

With four speeds, the blender has a clever smooth-start function, meaning the blades start slowly and mix all your ingredients efficiently. Perfect smoothie? I think so!

Smeg Mixer P-Kettle P-Blender P-Toaster4 P

Smeg’s latest creation, along with the rest of its small appliances, is available at David Jones, Myer and Harvey Norman stores.

For more information.

Categories
Interiors Addict

The perfect carpet colours to warm you up this winter

Sponsored by Choices Flooring

Now in the second week of June there’s no denying the fact… winter is here! So this season, make sure your home is a cosy haven and a beautiful space to retreat from the unwelcoming elements of the outdoors!

One of the best ways to make your home warm is by investing in flooring, especially carpet and rugs. Because sure, concrete, tiles and timber look great, but the comfort and warmth of carpet really can’t be beaten! So to update your home this winter consider these gorgeous on-trend colours.

Marsala

Choice Flooring's TruSoft Escada Hue
Choices Floorings’ entrend Escada carpet in Hue

Deep, rich colours like Pantone’s colour of the year, Marsala, are a sure-fire way to warm up a space. Like it’s sister colour burgundy, the timeless hue is perfect for creating a regal and classic room. Ideal for a living room, man cave or office, use it as a show stopping carpet or as rug to make the space warm and welcoming.

Navy

Choice Flooring's Evolve rug in navy
Choices Flooring’s Evolve Navy Blue rug

Very versatile, the classic and enduring colour can work with all colour palettes and styles. Able to make a room feel cosy with sophistication, navy flooring works well as a backdrop, allowing the furnishings to be the focus. If you’ve already done black and charcoal, deep blues like navy and indigo are ideal for giving a room drama and a sense of richness.

Pastel

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Choices Floorings’ entrend Escada carpet in Riche

Perfect for opening up a dark room and creating a spacious and airy effect, the softness of pastels allows you to mix and match colours without being over the top. Working beautifully with light colours and white, it creates a soft, organic and warm space.

Grey

Buchan in Spectacular_Plantino-Wideboard-Calabria
Choices Floorings’ STAINMASTER®EverSoft® Buchan carpet in Spectacular

For adding a touch of elegance to your space grey is the perfect choice. Seen as this year’s ‘neutral’ the subdued and earthy tones create a quieter, cosier mood. The perfect companion for deep winter hues, whilst also working well with white and pops of colour, grey is another shade of flooring that really lets your furnishings do the talking.

For more information visit Choices Flooring.

Categories
Appliances Kitchens

Smeg small appliances finally available in Australia

In this job, you get pretty good at spotting what’s going to be popular and I’m convinced these new Smeg small appliances are going to FLY off the shelves. I was lucky enough to attend the launch of these in Milan last year and have been waiting (im)patiently for them to land in Australia. Last week, Olivia attended a glamorous launch in Sydney and ever since we shared pictures on Instagram, our readers have been going mad for them!

Smeg Kettle PG-Toaster P

Smeg say Italian design, award-winning style and enduring performance are the trademark features of the new collection of small appliances – the latest extension to the brand’s iconic FAB retro refrigerators. While we would all love a FAB fridge (I’ve been obsessing over the thought since I was a teenager and still don’t know which colour I’d choose but it WILL happen one day!), they aren’t the cheapest out there. Now, there’s an entry level Smeg option with a two-slice toaster ($179 to $199) through to the space age looking signature kitchen mixer at $799.

Designed in collaboration with Matteo Bazzicalupo and Raffaella Mangiarotti of Deep Design Studio, there’s also a kettle ($199) and a four-slice toaster ($199 to $219). Each retro style appliance pays homage to the Golden Age of the fifties while showcasing Smeg’s signature elegance and sophistication. Indeed, the aesthetics of the stand mixer and toaster have already received the GOOD DESIGN Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design plus the prestigious international iF Design Award for 2015.

Smeg Mixer R-Kettle C-2-2

There are up to seven colours — silver, black, red, panna and pastel blue across the range — plus pastel green and pink for the kettles and two-slice toaster.

And while style is always a standout feature of any Smeg appliance, it goes hand in hand with the brand’s commitment to the very latest technology and highest performance. The kitchen mixer, for example, sets new benchmarks in terms of power and versatility. Attributes include 800W high torque motor, 10-speed variable power and the all important soft start (no more splatters when starting at a high speed) and a planetary mixing action to ensure all areas of the bowl are reached. There is also a low-speed front attachment hub for optional attachments such as pasta roller and cutters. A blender, with a capacity of 1.7 litres, an 800W motor and four speeds will be added to the range later this year.

Smeg Kettle PB-Mixer PB-Toaster P

The Smeg kettle is feature rich with quiet-boil technology, soft-opening lid, cord-free swivel base and auto shut-off when the body is lifted from the base. It also has automatic switch-off at boiling point. A variable temperature model will be added to the range later this year.

Toasters include both a two and four-slice model with extra wide slots, reheat, defrost, cancel and bagel settings plus self-centring racks, six browning levels and removable stainless steel crumb tray.

Each of the small appliances features an enamel-coated stainless steel body and has been manufactured to the highest standards. Smeg provides a 12-month replacement warranty on all kettles and toasters, a three-month replacement warranty and five-year full manufacturer’s warranty on all kitchen mixers.

The complete range of Smeg small appliances is available from electrical and appliance retailers nationally from May. The range is already available at Myer.

For more information.

Categories
Bedrooms Competitions Kids Rooms

Win a bedroom set for your little one from Cotton On KIDS

Cotton On KIDS’ latest room range – their third stylish, fun and affordable bed linen and accessories collection – is possibly their best yet, and we have a set to give away to one lucky reader’s kid!

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The collection, available now online and in selected stores, includes bed linen in a range of fresh and colourful prints and an abundance of new bedroom décor and accessories. Customers will be spoiled for choice with reversible quilt covers, matching sheet sets, decorative cushions, as well as timber wall hooks, plywood shadow boxes and cloud- shaped chalkboard wall decals.

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Little girls will be delighted by pastel hues, polka dots and watermelon cushions, while boys can steer the ship of their bedroom design with nautical-themed cushions, bold prints and bright block colours. Or you could mix it all up and be less gender typical! In fact, all styles are designed to be mixed and matched, with items from the third collection mixing in perfectly with the first and second ranges, allowing kids and parents to re-create any bedroom and style it their way.

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“The aim of the collection was to steer away from traditional girl and boy bedding options to ensure it was a combination of bright colours, fun patterns and most importantly, a collection that kids and parents will both love,” said Cotton On KIDS general manager, Natalie McLean.

The 100 percent cotton bed linen capsule is available in a range of designs suitable for single, double and queen size beds, ensuring everyone in the house, including toddlers, teens and even the big kids, can have fun revamping their bedroom.

Shop online.

WIN

We have a room set to give away including:

1 x Sweet spot doona cover

1 x Pop musk fitted sheet

1 x Sweet stop pillow case

1 x Midnight black pillow case

1 x Mike Monkey.

To enter, please complete the form below by 5pm on Sunday 11 January 2015.

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Categories
Interiors Addict

Trend for pastels extends to subway tiles

Anyone else noticed the emerging trend for pastels in interiors? What do you think? I really like these new pastel subways from Academy Tiles.

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They’re 75mm x 100mm and available in four colours. I think they’d be a nice way to add subtle colour to all kinds of kitchens. I’m already a big fan of the humble subway tile (give me a bevelled edge any day) and these are a nice take on the popular choice.

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More info.

Categories
Appliances

Bosch goes pastel with latest stand mixer

Following in the growing trend for coloured kitchen appliances and taking it pastel, this is the latest addition to Bosch’s Styline Kitchen range: the Yellow Passion MUM5 Kitchen Machine.

Bosch Yellow Passion MUM5 Kitchen Machine

It’s complemented by silver and chrome trims, appealing to both classic and contemporary kitchens. Each comes with a stainless steel bowl and accessories, including a fitted lid, continuous shredder, blender, kneading hook, beater, whisk and citrus press.

Categories
Interiors Addict

First look: New canvas designs from Urban Road

I’m a big fan of Urban Road. I have a couple of their canvases in my home and they always get comments. They’re releasing a new collection tomorrow but I have a first look at the designs for you. These lovely smudgy ikats, called Sienna and Spectrum, are my favourites.

Urban Road Sienna

Spectrum