Wishing my amazing mother and all all other moms out there a happy Mother’s day! Your guidance, support and love mean more than you will ever know. Enjoy this beautiful sunny Sunday everyone. xo
So simple but it’s doing the trick and keeping me working on this beautiful Saturday.
Hope it does the same for you.
(images via: Lucius Art found on Etsy)
So I fell behind on the project updates in a big way, the project finished in July 2011 and it is now April 2012. Whoops!
The last month of construction was a big push to finish up the tiling, counter tops, refinishing the existing floors and all the other miscellaneous work. When the project was complete we did a walk through to look for any deficiencies and handed back the keys for client move in. After several months they were more then ready to move back into their new home. We came back a week or two later to take pictures.
** Keep in mind the client hasn’t moved or purchased all the furniture that will be going into the living area in the kitchen or the lighting in the new dining room that is in front of the stairs. The light in front of the stairs was wired but no fixture which is why it looks dark. They wanted to wait for these items and live in the space for a while to get the feel for what they needed/wanted.
Here are a few images of the new space……
Hope you enjoy!
Today’s design inspiration comes from the very talented set decorator of the show Gossip girls, Christina Tonkin. Prior to the gossip girl set she worked under production designer Jeremy Conway for 5 years on the set of Sex and City. There are so many talented set designer and decorators out there I was excited to come across her work on her website. I love her use of colour specifically her incorporation of orange and blues.
The Humphrey residence…
and the set/home of Chuck Bass…
If your in the process of renovating or have recently decided to take the next step and start planning process PLEASE don’t forget about your back splash. I lot of people are so concerned about getting their granite counter tops they forget all about the back splash and end up putting in a cheap tile as quick budget friendly fix.
Walk backwards out of your kitchen as far as you can go. What are the two main things that stand out the most? Yup, the cabinets of course and the back splash. So to make a true impact you really need to carefully concider your options and make sure you put in the same quality product as you did for the counters. This is also beneficial for resale of your home.
Below are some beautiful options I was considering for a kitchen. These are great options because they are full of pattern and texture but still soft in colour way.
Types of back splashes:
Marble, limestone, glass, slate, travertine, granite, porcelain, stainless steel, ceramic
Finishes:
Glossy, matte, honed, antiqued, sandblasted, brushed, glazed
Installation patterns:
Stacked, ashlar, brick, chevron, mosaic floral, roundels, basket weave, and so many more! (if you are going mosaic just note, install is easier when it’s on a mesh back, typically 12″x12″ or similar)
I’m always getting asked for ideas about pendant lights, where they should be placed in the room, how high, the ideal proportions and if I’ve come across any unique fixtures. So….when I was on the hunt today I thought I would do a quick post to show some unique fixtures I am considering for a client. In my case I’m looking for a light that falls under these categories:
- is a primary colour, ideally blue
- is made of glass
- has a unique one-of quality (reclaimed, vintage, handmade or found object vibe)
- has some texture (tactile or visual)
- is between 4-8″ wide and between 4-10″ high
So far I’m considering the aqua blue fixture top/middle light, and the two bottom left and right lights.
The above lights are from LBL lighting
Have you seen any interesting pendants?
As the march housing and decor issues hit the shelves it was evident the predicted “it” colour for spring was going to be green, more specifically mint green. House Beautiful showcased some beautiful interiors that captured this latest trend with lovely green walls, furniture and accessories in varying shades of mint green. I know some generation could do without its return, but done correctly it really is a lovely colour, especially as we enter into spring.
Where this trend would look best: In bright Victorian house, farm house or loft space.
Things to avoid: Adding so many pastels it looks like Easter threw up in your apartment.
Things to try: Layer mint green with various shades of off white, rustic woods, linen fabrics and other material with texture. For light fixtures and hardware do brass or oil rubbed metals with character and incorporate glass and a few reclaimed or antique pieces.
Below are a few images I found online that do a great job of showing just how lovely this colour is. I’ll also try to do something that incorporates this colour and post it in the next few weeks!
Images via: Funky junk sister, House beautiful, decorbychristine, Interiors and all things pretty
Art is always a design staple but an emerging trend for decor this year are full scale wall treatments. The designs range from paint, plaster, wood, wall covering, metals and other materials that create stunning visual affects and showcase as private installation art pieces for home owners.
One of my favourite wall applications is by Urban product and called Dune, the finishes available are gypsum, walnut and concrete and is installed as a wall tile.
Images via: Green design Girl, Contemperist, Elle Decor,Urban product
Weathered, white washed, soft, Victorian, floral, airy and romantic, are all good ways to describe the look and feel of the shabby chic style. Below are some items that can help you achieve this look and feel~ sold at Anthropologie
Above images via (the packhouse.com, shabbychicblog.com, sisterhoodfash.com)
When I saw we (Torontonians) were getting a CB2 I was pumped. Years back I was gifted birch stacking boxes from the New York Store an since then I’m always looking on the website to see what they have, hoping they will expand into Canada. I got my wish! Their new store is located on Queen Street West and Bathurst. Two full floors of furniture and other finds.
For those of you not familiar with the brand/store I would say their target market is young adults, but the pieces they sell would appeal to anyone with an urban style sense (or an urban square footage). They have larger furniture items like beds, tables, sofas and wall units to smaller items like art, vases, plates and cutlery. As far as price point goes I would say it could be along the lines of EQ3.
What I loved about their current stock is the bold pops of colour, textured fabrics and mix of concrete(like) and wood finishes.
Click on the photos for descriptions.
