inspiration for decor

OCHRE is a British based furniture, lighting, and accessory design company and they have the light I NEED.

via OCHRE

The dining area in our new home is just begging for this lovely “Arctic Pear” chandelier.

via Pinterest and Elle Decor

via Elle Decor

I want to channel the look of Keri Russell’s laid-back but chic home but dang, the OCHRE  Arctic Pear is expensive! In the Toronto area, I sourced the OCHRE light at South Hill Home (for many, many more pennies than I have to spend), or I could get this Robert Abbey crystal drop fixture from Universal Lighting:

An excellent alternative I think.  Should I go for it?

We’ve bought our first home.  Cool.  Très excited.  Get ready for a a whole lot of idea-tossing over here as I search for inspiration for our new abode.

Starting with this bedroom – -

(image: via pinterest)

Love the neutral tones, white bedding, and the hit of black with an accent pillow. The over-sized map behind the headboard is an interesting approach. A sophisticated retreat. I could handle this.

Have you ever stood in your local hardware or paint store with a zillion paint chips in your hand and been completely overwhelmed with the options?  Ever wish you could simply replicate a colour palette you had seen in a magazine, but you could only source the colour of the walls?  I know I have.

So I was very excited when I discovered this really cool online tool called Chip It!  This tool allows you to take any image on the internet and colour match it with Sherwin Williams collection of 1,500+ paint colours. It’s as simple as dragging the Chip It! button onto your browser tool bar, then dropping it over an image you love.  Two seconds later you have the Sherwin Williams paint matches.  Sounds interesting, right?

So here’s a photo I love from Canadian House and Home:

Gorgeous spring colours, right?  But what are those colours?  Hmmm…

I drag the Chip It! button over the image and I get this:

Awesome!  Let’s do it again with one of my own photos (our bedroom):

Drumroll please….

Nice!

So here’s the thing – it is an online tool and there are only 1,500 SW colour matches so you may not get the absolute perfect match. In our bedroom, the duvet cover is really a mustard yellow and not exactly the muddy tan “Tea Chest”.  BUT I still like what the tool suggests, the palette is pleasing, and now I’m thinking that I should bring in a bit of a natural tone/texture into the bedroom to give it more of an organic feel.  See how useful this simple tool is?!

Check it out for yourself HERE – have fun!

Believe me, my son’s bedroom never really looked this neat and clean. Photos you see in magazines, on websites, and on blogs are all styled and staged.  Remember that. None of us are perfect and if you’re not obsessively organized stuff tends to get in the way.

Though my son is good about cleaning up his toys (while singing “clean up, clean up, everybody clean up!” -amazing what they learn at daycare), toddlers have way too many toys and stuffed animals which seem to spontaneously multiply.  Last weekend we reached a tipping point with stuff -he started climbing out of his crib so we had to by a bed. Now we have toys, furniture, and more furniture in the room. I think it’s time to go back to the design drawing board and come up with a plan with A LOT more storage. See for yourself:

(excuse the grainy photo – clearly not a planned photoshoot)

On the bright side, isn’t his new owl-printed fleece blanket so cute? What a great addition to his owl themed nursery. If it wasn’t for all the mess you could see all his cute owl paraphernalia. This blanket was a gift from my Mom for his second birthday and it’s from Simons.

Hey Canadians, you know Simons right? I loved shopping there while I did my undergrad in Montreal and I just found out they do online ordering (free delivery on purchases of $50 or more!). In addition to a great selection of clothes, they have some really fun home decor items. Here are a few throws that caught my eye:

I couldn’t find the owl fleece blanket online anymore but be sure to check out the Simons website anyway!

I have a soft spot in my heart for exposed brick walls.  Having lived the “loft life” for several years, I know brick can dominate the room and may dictate your decor to some extent, but I say embrace it!  While I do like the look of white painted brick, there is something edgy, rustic, and real about plain old exposed brick.

I am also a big fan of a modern take on a traditional toile de jouy fabric. Though typically used in French decor, a toile can be absolutely darling for a baby.

And with that, I share with you one of the best nurseries I’ve seen in awhile:

Brick. Pink toile. Soft grey. Seagrass baskets. Casual fun. What a sweet nursery by NYC designer Jenny Wolf.

Though you may not have the exposed brick in your own home, you can certainly pull inspiration from the traditional toile canopy, clean-lined furniture, and overall relaxed feel of the room above.

To give you an idea, I pulled together a few sources that would be a great start for a gender-neutral nursery:

Sources:

1. “Toile N Around” by Waverly, available through Tonic Living
2. Custom pillows, also through Tonic Living
3. Turning Pendant from West Elm
4. Seagrass Hamper from Restoration Hardware, Baby & Child
5. Stokke crib

(images: 1&2- jenny wolf interiors, inspiration board-dayna simpon interiors)

Today is installment #2 of my illustration of Canadian House & Home’s “Timeless Design Tips“. If you missed the recap on using bold colour in small spaces, click HERE. This was supposed to be a weekly series starting in November.  Whoops. It is a new year and I will try to post on a more regular basis!  Here we go.

“Black will make a wall recede into the distance. For a strikingly dramatic effect, use it with white trim”, (Norma King, Norma King Design, H&H October 1989)

I am taking a little liberty with this design tip, so rather than show you an array of different rooms, I’m sticking with the bedroom because there are some FANTASTIC black bedrooms out there.

Kudos to all those brave enough to swathe your walls in black. Gutsy but it pays off. Prime example: the gorgeous, sexy, masculine room of Nicole Cohen:

Even Martha does black! (left below). And loving the simplicity of J.Crew Creative Director’s  (Jenna Lyon) former bedroom (right below)… although on my screen the walls are looking more like a dark inky blue. Just pretend it’s black, ok?

More modern bedrooms with a black accent wall:

And keep in mind, black is not just for those with modern tastes, it can go traditional too:

Black walls are striking aren’t they?  Stylish in the ’80s and still going strong…

(images: 1-nicole cohen, 2-martha stewart, 3-jenna lyons via habitually chic, 4-nest instinctual interiors, 5-pinterest, 6- canadian house & home, 7-roco rennie , 8-the old painted cottage)

It’s a new year!  Hello 2012 and everything you will bring!  I’m not making any drastic resolutions since it is going to be a busy year. But I am going to try to post twice a week.  Hold me to it, ok?

I’m bringing back my [room of the week] posts.  That’s me sharing my new favourite pics with you.

To kick off 2012, here is a living room that is totally doing it for me:

Why? Gorgeous chandelier, huge amazing mirror, low marble coffee table, look at that molding!, interesting art (and placement), cozy area rug, and a cool yellow sofa (something I struggle with!).

(image: melanie acevedo)

Over the past few weeks I’ve seen a lot of beautiful gift wrapping around the web. Gorgeous Martha Stewart-like creations and lots of handmade-with-love gifts.  Inspired, I decided this year I would forgo the usual brightly coloured papers and sparkly bows in favour of a more subdued handcrafted look.  Kraft Paper, ribbon, and something….I just didn’t know what that something was.

I headed to the dollar store with my sister. She laughed at the Kraft Paper and scornfully asked if I was going to use twine too. Ha! Please. Dollarama has a lot of junk. And some really good finds.

I found these somewhat tacky tree decorations. Think lots of plastic and really fake looking leaves.  But they had potential. So I picked up a few berry sticks and a few sparkling gold sticks and took them home. Then ripped them apart.

Kraft Paper + satin ribbon + reassembled dollar store decorations =

Pretty and festive, don’t you think?!  I couldn’t find any leftover Christmas tags so I used these recycled BINGO tags I had purchased from an Etsy vendor (here). Somehow they still work.

1/2 my presents are wrapped. So much more to do tomorrow night!  In case I don’t get a chance to post again before the holidays,

Merry Christmas / Happy Hannukah / Best Wishes for 2012 to you ALL!

(images: dayna simpson)

There is nothing better than a fresh cut tree brought into the home at Christmas time. That unmistakable  scent puts you in the holiday spirit with just one whiff.  The real downside of an artificial tree in my opinion, is that you miss out on that wonderful holiday smell.  But Bath and Body Works has come to the rescue!

“Holly Wreath” smells JUST like the REAL THING!  It’s awesome.  We’ve been burning it day and night.  Faking it with a candle and my nose and spirit can’t tell the difference!

I love many of Bath and Body Works’ candles (but not all – some are just gross – I guess it depends on your taste).  Their candles, unlike many others, actually give off a strong aroma and fill your home with a lovely scent.  I buy several of their candles seasonally. “Leaves” is my #1 fav, especially through the Fall and Winter.

All candles are currently on sale at Bath & Body Works (2 for $25 CDN), so make sure to pick up a couple while you’re out doing your last minute shopping (click here for locations in Canada).  Happy Holidays everyone!

That’s right, EIVOR and VILMIE are my new friends from IKEA.  This past weekend I dropped by my local store to pick up the EIVOR throw I’ve been meaning to buy for a while now.

I originally saw it online and while I loved the graphic black and white stripe, I was a little skeptical on the quality, given the price was only $29.99. Well, let me tell you, for 100% polyester or whatever its made of (sorry, cut the tag off before checking) it is pretty darn nice. It’s cozy, it doesn’t look like it will pill, and I love the look!

And see that black and white pillow?  Also an IKEA find. It is the VILMIE FIGUR ($13.99) and I love it!  You may have noticed the corner sticking out of one of my Christmas decor shots, as I haven’t decided where I like it best – on the sofa or on my bed. What a dilemma.

(images: 1&2-IKEA, 3-me)