I had a fantastic Friday last week, catching up with my friend Julie at NGV International.

Great Hall, NGV International

After a short pause to stick my finger in the water wall (very important), and gawk at the Great Hall's beautiful stained glass ceiling, we headed to the NGV cafe for a cuppa and a chat. We went to the fancy one upstairs, which is a bit quieter than the ground level cafe, so we had a lovely long chat :) The drinks (tea and hot chocolate) were lovely, and generous.

Stained glass ceiling of the Great Hall, NGV International

We visited the NGV to see the Exquisite Threads English Embroidery 1600s-1900s exhibition, which is on display until 12 July 2015. I didn't take any photos due to the age and fragility of the materials, but there is a photo gallery at the link - if you're not in Melbourne to get to the exhibition, check out the photos online to see some of the stunning works. There were samplers, clothing, wall hangings, aprons, purses, a writing box and more. So beautiful. Although now I really feel like I need to put more effort into my bed linen!

After a quick detour to Southbank for lunch, we returned to the gallery to check out the Nordic Cool Modernist Design exhibition, currently showing in the Decorative Arts Passage on Level 2. I especially loved the designer chairs.

Finally (after another cuppa and chat stop), we had a good look at Rock Melt by Jamie North in Federation Court, which is located on the ground level in front of the Great Hall. Very striking, and worked beautifully with the space.

Rock Melt by Jamie North

A really lovely and inspiring day :)