if you’re feeling any kind of wanderlust at all, i highly recommend stylist, photographer and author pia jane bijkerk’s new book, my heart wanders. What would happen if one day you decided to follow your heart? Where would it take you? Pia Jane Bijkerk takes us on her journey as she leaves behind a comfortable life in Sydney to follow, unconditionally, her instincts. Setting up home first in Paris, then on a houseboat in Amsterdam, Pia observes the serendipitous moments that present themselves when letting go and following one’s dreams. My Heart Wanders is the story of that journey, documented beautifully by pia’s own photography. ready? i’m getting packed. where would you head first?

today on unexpected guests i’m over the moon to share with you the beautiful home of alice flynn in Sydney, australia. alice is a partner with her sister at penny farthing design house, and an interior designer by trade, which may be why her home knocked my socks off.

Where do you live, and what are a few of your favorite things to do in your neighborhood?
We are in Avalon in Sydney, Australia. It is about as far north as you can get from the city, though I love to get into the centre of Sydney each week to feel the buzz, have a great coffee, and find something new there that I haven’t seen yet. Up here, it’s catching up with friends on the boat and finding a little beach to a have a beach BBQ with some seafood.

Do you have a secret spot or off the beaten path place in avalon you think we should know about?
We love taking the girls on the boat up Pittwater river and going to lunch at the boathouse at Palm beach, a little cafe on the water that serves amazing food where the sun streams in all day.

What’s your day job?
I am an Interior designer by trade, though i work day to day in the business with my sister. I often end up on my husband’s jobs (as he is builder) to help the client with the anything from layout to finishing touches. I love doing this with him as he knows exactly what I mean with very few words or descriptions. He gets it very right and I get the joy in creating someone else’s space.

What five things can’t you live without?
1. Family and our amazing friends.
2. My Ipad without a doubt. I love to sneak a quick blog read in wherever I am, and can manage the shop from anywhere we are.
3. Sunshine. it streams into the house all day where we live and I think it is the fuel we need in our family, the girls gravitate to it all afternoon.
4. Mobility — life without a drivers licence or car would be impossible for me for what we do and how we live… I love being able to pop anywhere at anytime.
5. Magazines, I love opening the letterbox to a surprise every few days with a new magazine in the post.

What is your favorite vacation destination?
We have just been to Bali, indonesia. the design in cafes and restaurants was amazing, hotels incredible. my favourite we stayed at was the Anantara in Seminyak. the food was great, shopping exciting. And sun. What more? That said, I am always pining to get to South America, which I hope to soon.

If you could go shopping with anyone in the world, who would it be?
Olivia Palermo, have always loved her style.

Do you have a favorite quote or expression?
I am loving florence and the machine at the moment, and my favourite song is “shake it out” there is a line in it about “its hard to dance with the devil on your back, shake it out”, which I love.

When you’re having guests over, do you have a signature cocktail or special snack you prepare?
A plate of fried haloumi with finely chopped mint and freshly squeezed lemon juice is always a hit, always best with a good glass of champagne.

Who’s your doppelganger (look-alike, or soul sister)?
Have to say my eldest sister Sarah here, we do get mistaken for one another sometimes, and have a very similar style (lucky, as we are in a design business together) but occasionally get caught out wearing the exact same pieces.
We do a lot together and have a room at each others house, as our houses on the opposite sides of Sydney.

What bores you to death?
Being stagnant. I wouldn’t want to rest on what I achieved yesterday, but look to what I can make out of today. And expensive candles in peoples houses that go unburnt for too long.

• all photos by Tim Pascoe; and Cathy Schusler.

whoa, nelly! look what just rode in on a pretty white horse! i love this new collection of cushion covers and wall hangings from white horse home. sydney, australian-based online shop white horse home makes home accessories from 100% linen cotton, and screen printed using non toxic waterbased inks. simply beautiful.

white horse home is made up of a husband and wife duo, Ryan and Ali Shaw, along with their 19 month old daughter, Luxe. Both having a passion for good design and everything ‘home’, they enjoyed all facets of the process, and are looking forward to expanding their range of existing products — A range of candles will be released later in the year. in the meantine, that ‘today is a good day‘ wall hanging is mine!

have you met miss jones is the brainchild of sydney australia-based Jennifer Jones. with a background in fashion, having worked in the UK and Australia for iconic brands such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike and Diesel, After 10 years in the fashion industry jennifer started her own business, Have you met Miss Jones in 2006. her beautiful online shop carries everything from homewares to jewelry, but i really fell hard for these very mid-century modern ceramic collections. Have you met Miss Jones Originally specialized in white bone china and has expanded to include clay pottery, capiz shell, metal and woodwork. go meet miss jones!

last week, i shared a round up of pia jane bijkerk’s “it list”, but i’ve also been hounding the poor girl to share some images of her new home in sydney, australia. even though pia may be delivering into the world a brand new baby this week, she was kind enough to share some little corners of her family’s home as she’s been getting it ready for the baby, and getting her home settled with their furnishings from Paris, and Amsterdam, where they once lived on a houseboat.

something else to keep in mind, Pia’s new book My Heart Wanders will be available in the united states early Spring — exact dates and shop locations to come, so check her blog for updates.

“Some things I’m loving about our new home: the garden where I’m now planting organic veggies and herbs, the front porch where the morning sun comes streaming in (my partner and I have our breakfast out there nearly every morning), and the light! There is just so much light in this house – quite a contrast to our cavernous houseboat living in Amsterdam over the past few years.”

“Some more notes about the house: it’s an old worker’s cottage in an inner west suburb of Sydney. We glimpse the famous harbour bridge from the front porch, and it’s in walking distance to some fabulous cafes, bars, farmers markets, antique shops and restaurants. We have two french patisseries only a stone’s throw away (which makes my french man very happy!), and the neighborhood is so friendly and laid back. I was at first a little concerned about moving back to my home town of Sydney, fearing I would miss the energy and eclecticism of living in Europe, but we’ve picked a great suburb and house, and I am enjoying it immensely. And it’s certainly nice to be near family and old friends at this time in my life, starting a family of my own.”

• all photos courtesy of pia jane bijkerk.

Hello everyone! I am so thrilled to be here on the amazing sfgirlbybay and honored that Victoria asked me to share some of my world with you. I’m Amanda and I author and photograph the blog, Mocking Bird. One thing I love about sfgirlbybay is how Victoria ties her love of home design, photography and lifestyle together all so beautifully.

So today I thought I’d share my love of photography with my passion for an uncomplicated and happy lifestyle. I love the simple life and the way in which I infuse simplicity into a life lived in the city is by living in a village style neighbourhood. Both in my home in Sydney and now here in Vancouver, I’ve lived in neighbourhoods that make “village” living possible. In our village life, we walk to get our groceries and buy fresh foods made by locals. Would you like to join me on my stroll?

I love spending an afternoon buying my bread from the little French bakery run by a real French couple -oui oui!

We walk to buy our groceries, but bicycles are another favored mode of transport in the village streets.

We can sample flowers from the countless florists along the street…

purchase all our fruit and vegetables from the local fruit market…

wander by the magnolia trees on our walk…

and finish up with a stop in at a local cafe.

It’s the perfect way to end a neighbourhood walk. I hope you’ve enjoyed my little village stroll and am so happy to have shared it with you. Thank you for having me, Victoria!