textile arts

I saw this 'Iso Satakieli' wall hanging in an interior image shot in the November issue of domino magazine and loved how it looked in a room. You can't see the borders of it in this image, but it's a stretched fabric wall-hanging that is both super cool (in my opinion) and super affordable ($90). You can choose from other designs or create your own at Textile Arts online.

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New Lay Out

I've changed the look to the blog. Let me know what you think. If you like the old better, I can be talked into changing it back! Thanks!

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Pretty Dining Rooms

Although these rooms are not small small they do show how simple can be perfect for the dining room. I'm not a big fan of the table that has hardly any room for the food. I myself do not have a formal dining room, but I think a eat in kitchen can have as much style as these rooms do, just scale down to the must haves and good conversation. Do you have a formal dining room and if so do you use it everyday?

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a change of scenery

I'm moving!!! In solidarity with the line sung by Ms. Crow, "A change, a change will do you good...", I'm relocating myself! Not beyond Ottawa's borders (for now), but beyond the (lovely) brick walls I've lived in for the last year. I love change. I need change. I go batty if I stay in the same place for more than a year at a time, so...I'm moving into a new (and uber cool) living space. The move is still a month and a half away so photos are pending, but I'll leave you with these descriptors which will give you an imaginative sneak peak into my soon-to-be home:

converted armoury. loft. exposed brick walls. rooftop patio. my own washer and dryer.

*sigh*

I'm so excited!

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Fireplace Mantles

Fireplace mantels (for me anyways) are one of the hardest things to decorate. Basically a simple shelf to adorn however you see fit. Yeah, fits alright. I've gone months trying to figure out what to do with mine. For me I've found the simpler the better. I start trying to get cute and it just turns out bad. I look at pictures to inspire me. Right now I have 2 candles on holders and a long bowl between them. Come Christmas, I'll be back to the drawing board! How do you like your mantel done??

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en route

I've been on and off airplanes lately like most people go in and out of coffee shops. Lucky for me, Air Canada's en route magazine has been good at keeping me distracted from thinking about my rapidly growing ecological footprint (ugh).

The airline magazine is really impressive - good design, good interviews and stories, intriging hotel and restaurant recommendations - it really seems to have its finger on the pulse of current design trends. If, unlike me (consider yourself lucky), you aren't hopping on and off Air Canada flights fast enough to read every edition in print, you can still check it all out on their online e-zine linked above.

In addition to all the eye candy it holds this month, it also has this article which I could really relate to (and I imagine a lot of you will be able to as well).

* Image above from the magazine's recent design competition.

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The Clawfoot Tub

I don't know if the clawfoot tub is the first thing you'd think of for a small space, but it seems the trend of using this sort of tub is sticking around. I myself have never been in one, but they are so charming, I've always thought I needed one (even though I take a "bath" about once or twice a year.) Does anyone have one? What do you like and dislike about it? On a side note- sorry I have not been blogging as much. I'm hoping to pick the pace back up next week! I've been so busy with family stuff! Have a great weekend everyone!

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Heineken WOBO

How cool is this?! Featured on Inhabitat and blogged at Apartment Therapy, these Hieneken beer bottles were designed to turn waste into something useful.

Mr. Heineken’s idea came after a visit to the Caribbean where he saw two problems: beaches littered with bottles and a lack of affordable building materials. The WOBO became his vision to solve both the recycling and housing challenges that he had witnessed on the islands.

This concept was later termed upcycling by William McDonough and Michael Braungart's book Cradle to Cradle. (I actually came across this book in Alaska a couple years ago and bought and read it. It's really intriguing - I highly recommend reading it if you're interested in sustainable design).

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Pottery Barn Christmas Preview

I admit it, the first nip in the air and my thoughts turn to Christmas. Ok, just for a bit, but the older I get, the more a year feels like only a few months. Pottery Barn has a few Xmas shots out and I like what I see. Lots of red, which is always good. My favorite color combo for xmas is bright whites with green and silver. Is it time to get out the naught and nice list already?? Have a great weekend! (oh and its 52 degrees where I live right now, Christmas thoughts are aloud!)

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this ain't no disco

Okay. I just came across a very cool inventory of interior images and not just any interiors - the interiors of design agencies. Check out This Ain't No Disco and then check out their flickr stream.

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the apartment

Came across The Apartment today while flipping through an old design magazine. The Apartment is a design, architecture, branding and creative firm based in NYC. I've only just started looking at their website and am totally intrigued...there are interiors, interviews, shopping and restaurant guides, and more - all presented really well. Check it out.

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wow hugo!

Wow! GREAT deal on right now at EQ3 - Hugo couch and chair for $999! Very tempting...

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A Soft Place to Fall

I'm such a sucker for a comfy bed. I've posted about this before and I will probably post about it again. I love something about all 3 of these rooms. I've never been one for a overly dressed bed. Too fancy makes me nervous!!

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my first visit to washington, dc

I'm going to Washington, DC this week for work (which includes attending a dinner that this man is speaking at), and, more importantly, getting in a visit with my dear friend Annie (yes, Annie trumps Ki Moon). Because of my work schedule, our only free time will be in the evenings which probably means limited store-hopping BUT I was still stoked to see d*s' decor store guide to DC on her blog today. Talk about perfect timing!

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umsteigen

I bought this hoodie (above) today which led me to http://www.iloveumsteigen.com/ which led me to a whole collection of fun wardrobe pieces...

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dining room inspiration

I found this great image on coco+kelley's blog this morning and had to document it to go back to later for decorating ideas. I really like the look of this room: the plum walls, the curtains, the stools around the table, the lamp, the raw wood floor. It looks really inviting to me - chic and laid-back at the same time, with an emphasis on a sense of the organic (at least I think so) - the flooring as well as the woven(?) stools...

I also really like the look produced by leaving the walls beneath the windows white instead of painting everything but the window frames plum. It lengthens the look of the windows - at first glance it looks like the windows could be floor-to-ceiling in length - and it really brightens up the room.

The plum paint does seem to stop short of the ceiling in an 'unfinished' look. I'm not sure if that was on purpose or if the room really was unfinished when this shot was taken, but regardless, this 'look' is going in my database of design ideas to potentially attempt to recreate at some point...

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boston seaport district loft

Another great craigslist find! More photos on flickr.

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craigslist

I'm a craigslist junkie. It's true. I'm always scanning apartments and furniture (and occassionally the pet section if I feel like I need a cute, cuddly visual pick-me-up). I'm such a craiglist junkie that I don't even confine myself to my own city. I check stuff out everywhere and every once in a while I actually come across apartment photos that showcase good decorating (most of them are horrifying or just plain boring). I came across these images from a 2 bedroom apartment for rent in Toronto this morning and wanted to document them. The space itself is great, but the way it's been decorated makes it really stand out. I love the cluster of framed photographs/ prints in the image above and the wooden wardrobes(?) in the photo below are also pretty intriguing (not to mention the wooden wall separating the kitchen from the living room).

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bollamp

This lamp is seriously lust-worthy.

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vtwonen

I'm so glad decor8 linked to vtwonen's online magazine. I can't understand a thing on it because it's all in dutch (?), but I can certainly understand the visual images and they are YUMMY. Mmmmm...mmmm...mmm... Make sure you check out their paint colour page - it allows you to click on the paint chip you're interested in and shows you an interior using that colour - visual FEAST!

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design*sponge and 'home'

I imagine everyone has already seen design*sponge's updated decorating blog. I know that posting about a new blog as popular as hers two days after it's already gone live is really old news. But, because I enjoyed it so much, I just wanted to highlight the sneak peak into her own home. Her home is beautiful. She's done a great job of decorating it. But what stood out to me the most was the image of her family (pictured above) that makes up her great home. Because, at the end of the day, our homes are really a reflection of the people and relationships living, breathing, laughing, crying (and meowing) within them. We can fill them with all kinds of cool furniture and stuff, but when all is said and done, it's the love inside 4 walls that make it a home. This was really evident to me when I looked at this photo and it made me happy. And reassured. And hopeful.

Life is a blessed thing.

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great colour and design

My favorite entry so far in Apartment Therapy's I've Got Colour! contest is Heather's home in Austin, Texas. I love her use of colour and her decorating scheme. Some of the other entries use great colour, but the overall feel of the home isn't as well pulled together as this one (in my opinion). I especially love the dining room (pictured above). That colour and those photos on the wall are intriguing and look really great. Check out the other entries here.

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From Around Blog World

After a long weekend of surrendering to fall (we put the pool cover on...sigh) Whats a blogger to do? Be lazy and show you some really pretty pictures from other blogs. From top to bottom these shots are from Girl Meets Glamour, Dream House, and Bueller Designs. Great work ladies!

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zoe pawlak

My dear friend Zoe finally got her website up and running to showcase her art. Check it out: http://www.zoepawlak.com/

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