moving to a new web address!
Dear friends, family, and followers alike,
I hope you all had a great Easter / Passover / long weekend and are ready to take on spring!
Today is an exciting day – I am ready to announce my move over to a new web address and the debut of a new header design. I hope you like it as much as I do!
Please join me at my new web address (http://inspirationfordecor.ca)
If you were already a follower, or want to be a new follower, make sure to click on the SUBSCRIBE ME! button in the top right-hand corner of my new page (or the RSS button if you prefer blog readers). Even if you don’t visit my blog on a regular basis, this will ensure the latest posts are delivered right to you.
So just to re-cap: this blog site will no longer be updated. Instead, please follow me over at http://inspirationfordecor.ca where I will continue to share my inspiration with you.
See you there!
(image: via pinterest)
[room of the week] the ultimate kitchen
I fell in love today. Head over heels in love with this: the ultimate kitchen. This divine creation combines my two obsessions -white cabinetry and exposed brick. H-e-l-l-o.
The cabinetry is very modern but the scuffed wide plank floor, industrial stools, and chalky brick really tone it down. And if you didn’t examine it closely already, take a look at that gorgeous chandelier!
This is definitely my favourite kitchen to date, but if you need more of a kitchen fix you can look at my previous kitchen round-ups here and here.
(image: house to home via the fabulous design file)
spring colours
We had a blizzard today! Spring where are you? We are in serious need of sunshine and warmth ’round these parts. It’s time to do away with the winter blahs and give us a little more of this:
(images: 1-here, 2-marimekko, 3-cb2 , 4-here , 5-here , 6-cb2 )
[room of the week] pure style bedroom
I love this bedroom by Lauren Liess. What is so great about this Room of the Week? White on white, just enough brass accents, chic chandelier, sisal carpet, casual bedding, perfect body/accent pillow, cute dog, and she keeps it real with Ikea side tables and a West Elm duvet. Whole room decorated for under $1000.
You should see the ‘Before’ picture of this bedroom – total ’70s, paneling, and very uninspiring. In fact, you should take a peek at all the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ pictures of her amazing home. This girl has serious talent.
(image: design by Lauren Liess, photograph by Helen Norman)
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1. [room of the week] refined elegance
clean up that bedside table!
This past week I was seriously inspired by two blog posts. The first was the brilliant entryway by Emma over at the Marion House Book. Both the console table and oculus (which she then turned into a mirror) were found at an architectural salvage store here in Toronto (!). Totally laid back but with loads of personality and style.
Isn’t it lovely? So welcoming. I also really liked how she styled her console table. It’s too easy to junk up your console with all those things you walk into the house with and drop on the first horizontal surface.
Then I read this post over on Decor by Christine, where she gave a rundown on how to create a beautiful tablescape or vignette. So that got me thinking about all the junk that gets piled up on our entryway console and on our bedside tables. Especially on our bedside tables.
Exhibit A:
I would like to point out this isn’t my side of the bed. That said, I will take full blame for leaving that frame picture-less. As you know, our bedroom is a work in progress but that is no excuse to ignore the piles of junk as they grow and grow. Please tell me this isn’t just us – you have junk on your bedside table too, right?
Anyway, as I said I was inspired to clean things up and now I’m proud to say, this is my side of the bed-
Exhibit B:
Honestly, I am almost certain I’m going to be able to keep my bedside table this nice and tidy. The key is this lovely tray I picked up at West Elm – because what you can’t see is a bunch of little items sitting inside the tray (necklace, rings, chapstick, nail file, some change, etc.) Not only does the tray corral those books and mags I’m so inclined to keep on hand, but it also nicely hides all those random items you toss off at the end of the day.
Ok – time to go tidy up your bedside table and try your hand at an attractive vignette.
(images: 1-the marion house book, 2-me, 3-me)
[etsy] decor ideas for nurseries and little kid’s rooms
Hey Moms. I know time is precious when you have one or more lil’ munchkins running around so I thought I’d save you some time and do a round-up of some super cute and affordable decor items for the kiddos.
Etsy is such an excellent source for access to fresh, creative, inspiring, handmade items and art. If you aren’t a regular already, I hope this post will inspire you to browse the online market-space and sign up for an account.
First I’ll start with all things girly:
1. Wall decal – Windy Tree Fabric Reusable Decal ($87.00 USD) by trendypeasdecals
2. Print – Small Map of Canada ($20.00 USD) by englishmuffinshop
3. Pillow – Baby Pink and White Zebra Print ($35.00 USD) by MiCasaBella
4. Print – You are so loved ($8.00 USD) by jessgonacha
5. Pom poms – ($4.00 USD) by orangekisses …..(psst- you can totally make these yourself, just Google it!)
And for the little men in our lives:
1. Mobile – Nova Baby Mobile, in Spectrum ($68.00 USD), by thewonderlandstudio
2. Prints (set of 4) – Royal Safari Nursery Print Set – Unframed ($92.00 USD) by LeoLittleLion
3. Bunting – Vintage Little Golden Book Bunting ($30.00 USD), by collectingfeathers
4. Wall decal – Baby Zoo Lion King ($49.00 USD), by LeoLittleLion
5. Print – Personalized ‘Big Deal’ 11.5 x 11.5 Size ($25.00 USD), by pennypeople
And for you parents who want to keep things strictly gender neutral, I’ll have a post next week just for you.
If you’d like some help decorating your nursery/child’s room or want more decor advice, feel free to contact me!
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prepping the balcony for summer 2011
I am going to ignore the fact that there was snow on the ground yesterday morning. La la la la la. It didn’t happen.
It’s time to start planning for summer 2011! Our condo balcony has space for exactly two medium size chairs and one side table -small but just enough room to sit out on a warm summer night to watch the sunset and have a glass of wine. I’ve been scouring the internet for an affordable but stylish set available in Canada (sigh, the selection is so much better in the US), but I came up empty-handed because all ‘sets’ are very traditional and usually pretty ugly. So instead, I did some picking and choosing from a few different sources and came up with three options.
There is a fairly big price difference between these sets but before you look at the prices, what do you think?
Option 1: $647.00 CAD
(1) Outdoor rug by Martha Stewart available at Home Depot, $119 CAD, (2) Garden stool available at Target, $169.99 USD (this will require a trip over to Buffalo), (3) Mojito rocker by CB2, $179 CAD (we don’t have a store yet but CB2 now ships to Canada!)
Option 2: $349.95 CAD
(1) Outdoor casbah rug by CB2, $ 99.95 CAD, (2) Nordano armchair by IKEA, $85.00 CAD, (3) Stool/table by Tikki Offi available at Modern Karibou, $79.99 CAD
Option 3: $758.00 CAD
(1) Linear outdoor rug available at Costco, $79.99 CAD, (2) Sawyer chair by CB2, $299.99 CAD, (3) Stool/table by Tikki Offi available at Modern Karibou, $79.99 CAD
Which would you choose?
[room of the week] refined elegance
My March 2011 issue of Architectural Digest has sat on my bedside table for a month now (read weeks ago of course!). Today I asked myself, why had another mag, or book ,or receipt, or random piece of clutter not landed on top? Why have I kept that issue in clear sight? The answer is the cover. What a gorgeous room. What a delicate palette. What refined taste.
(image: Architectural Digest, March 2011, design by Michael S. Smith)
another online mag to bookmark: est
Est: Global Living with an Australian Twist launched this month. And with the birth of another hot online magazine, you have to wonder – how long will our beloved glossies last? Love them or hate them, online magazines are a trend that is here to stay.
Here is a sneak peek of the relaxed yet stylish, trendy yet casual, vintage yet new, Australian yet global vibe of the mag:
So set aside a few minutes and peruse the first issue {here}.
And then go out and buy an Eames chair. Yes or no?
(images: est, Issue #1)
more white kitchen inspiration
I continuously save inspirational photos of kitchens I love. And usually, those are white kitchens. You may recall from my last kitchen post, I am enamored with the clean and classic look of the white kitchen. Today I am sharing a few of my recent finds which are mostly white but there are a few new elements thrown in. Take a look!
Absolutely love the white on white. Understated but elegant chandelier. Contrasting wooden stools.
This looks like a comfortable family kitchen. I especially love the modern lines of the island to contrast the traditional white cabinetry. I’m not sold on the cream back splash and paint, I would prefer to see white subway tile or marble.
Simple but lovely pendants over the island. Amazing dark floors to ground the space (what is that wood?!). Love that marble back splash.
This back splash uses marble tiles. Less $$ than the solid sheets but just as much style. The lower cabinetry is looking good in grey.
And finally, moving away from all white I had to include Tommy Smythe’s kitchen. The black lowers and trim are working for me. I usually gravitate towards wood flooring but this herringbone tile looks fantastic in this kitchen.
(images: 1-julian wass, 2-buttrick wong , 3&4-style at home , 5- tommy smythe on Facebook )
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decorating a small rental bedroom
Decorating a rental space can be a real challenge for many reasons. Among other annoyances, not being able to change any physical features like flooring, carpeting, built-in storage, counter-tops, and large fixtures are among my top peeves. That said, if you are able to paint, know how to change a light fixture, can maximize or create storage, and have a wee bit of a vision, there is hope.
We recently moved into a rental condo with the plan of staying here 18 months. Tops. We are very lucky because the building is brand new and we are the first tenants. Additionally, the flooring (albeit laminate) is a nice dark wood and the kitchen and bathrooms have fantastic cupboards and counter tops. But then there are the things we cannot change: the lack of storage space and the horrible vertical blinds in every room. Eeek.
So what do you do when you are faced with similar rental dilemmas? Number one priority, is find out from your landlord if there is anything you can change, such as painting the walls. A little colour can go a long way. Next, look at your furnishings and accessories: is there anything I can add/change/remove to improve the space?. Obviously the amount of money you want to invest is dependent on a few things, such as: How long will I live in the space? What do I need to change/add to make it feel ‘mine’? What do I own already? How much do I care?
In previous apartments I would say that I didn’t really care, knowing that we would be moving in a few years anyway. 7 years later I have started to care. Even though we plan on being here for only 18 months, I am tired of living in transition so I’ve decided to make a little more of an effort in this time around. Luckily, we were able to paint and my man knows how to change a light fixture. Just those two elements made a drastic change in our bedroom. As for the other stuff, here is what I am working with:
1-Duvet and shams from West Elm
2- Moroccan lantern from Home Sense (mine is silver)
3- Photograph of Paris by Peter Turnley from Belle Epoque
4- MALM dressers from IKEA (stay tuned for an Ikea Hack project!)
5- Knitted pouf from CB2
My plan is 
to purchase a few key additional pieces to pull together a complete look (as opposed to the mismatched furniture and accessories we’ve been toting along since our University days):
1- Newbury Halo Task Lamps from Pottery Barn
2- Dandypod hand-woven wall hanging by Angela Adams
3- LOVE pillowcases from Lush Designs (I’ve mentioned these before –here– and luckily my Mom is heading to London next month so I’ve placed an order for pick-up!)
4- An iconic Hudson’s Bay Company wool blanket
5- Modern Windsor chair from West Elm
6- Parsons Desk from West Elm
Combing what I have and what I want, here is what I’m going for:
Add in a few personal photographs, some plants, a small area rug (mostly for the dog), and a simple window treatment (I’m thinking something neutral with a bit of texture) and we’ll have ourselves a fine room…
Do you need help decorating your rental or small space? I can help! Click here for more information.
[room of the week] fresh design for spring
Folks, I think its finally safe to say that spring is in the air. Walking home from work today in the sunshine (yay daylight savings!), everything was starting to look a little more fresh. Even the 5 o’clock rays were giving off an energizing warmth. In celebration of the sun, double-digit temperatures, and buds to come, here is a room full of fresh inspiration:
Loving the diffused light, soft hues, relaxed linen, and natural woods. And how about that floor lamp? Great design.
Room by Katie Leeds who is also featured in my post on “New Global” decor here.
[room of the week] Spanish bohemian guest room(s)
Yesterday was a happy day – my April issue of Canadian House & Home arrived. I’ve only had a chance to do a quick flip through but this one image caught my eye:
What a charming nook! Piled high with cushy colourful pillows, this alcove is the perfect spot to curl up and read a book in this home office-turned-guest room. I love the combination of the rustic desk and the modern rolling chair. And the layered colour on pattern on colour creates a casual bohemian vibe. I thought this was the perfect room of the week.
But then I saw a second guest room in the same house:
Hello! Similar to the first guest room, this one ooozes vibrancy with a bold combination a fuchsias, greens, and pops of yellow. These gorgeous fabrics come from Kathryn Ireland‘s newest textile collection and really help the designer achieve that perfect Spanish Mexican-meets-Moroccan vibe. And look at those side table. And the art. Love.
(image: design by Kathryn M Ireland, photography by Victoria Pearson)
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[room of the week] a Victorian in Melbourne
[room of the week] by Joe Schmelzer
[room of the week] floral nursery
lighting for everyone in the family
I am supposed to be sourcing furniture, accessories, fabric, and lighting for a school project. However, I’ve been procrastinating for more than an hour by looking at way more lighting than I need to. But I can’t help it! I’ve come across too many amazing light fixtures that I can’t stop admiring. And now I’ve decided to take a full break to do a quick post on my favourite finds. I’ve chosen one for each member of my family…
For my son: Spectrum Pendant Shade from Urban Outfitters, $69
For me: Etch Pendant by Tom Dixon from Design Within Reach, $375
For my man: Chandelier by Lindsey Adelman, *$
I’m not sure he would necessarily want this pendant if he saw it in a retail store (even though I know it is amazing) BUT Lindsey Adelman provides down-loadable instructions on how to make this yourself so he did say he would be interested in making it for me! (check out a finished version over at The Brick House). *The cost is only the parts.
And finally, for our dog Lucy: Begging Buddy Lamp by Offi, available today at Zulily for $41.99
dabble……in design…travel…food
Another online magazine was launched today! This one headed up by well-known Canadian designer Kimberley Seldon as Editor-in-Chief, Dabble showcases a diverse blend of design, travel, and food. The inaugural issue features, among many other things, design tips to re-vamp your neglected hallway, an interview with Diane von Furstenberg (have you seen her new home collection? I want the gold flatware set please!), an in-depth tour of Prague, and multiple need-to-try recipes.
If you haven’t done so already, take a flip through the Dabble March/April 2011 issue here .
And for even more inspiration, go to my Home page where you can link to these other great online magazines:
(images: dabble)
~inspiration for decor~ 