Monthly Archives: November 2011

In Remembrance

Posted on by
1

Regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century, Sir Winston Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) inspired a nation, “I was not the lion, but it fell to me to give the lion’s roar”, outlined a nations aim “You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory.”, and defined a nation’s belief, “Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”  Best known for his leadership of the U.K. during WWII, Churchill was also a noted statesman, orator, historian and writer.  He is the only British Prime Minister to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature and was the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States.  Although unknown to many, Winston Churchill was also a talented artist and took great pleasure in painting.  Churchill suffered spells of depression, “Black Dog” as he termed it, throughout his life of which his painting was a haven from.  He was taught to paint by his artist friend, Paul Maze, whom he met during WWI and was a great influence.  Many of Churchill’s paintings were oil-based and feature impressionist scenes of landscapes of the South of France, Egypt and Morocco but he also did a number of portraits and interior scenes.  He continued his hobby throughout his life and painted hundreds of paintings, many of which are still on display in his studio at Chartwell, the home he bought in 1922 with his wife, Clementine after the birth of their 5th child. 

“We shape our dwellings and afterwards our dwellings shape us.” Winston Churchill

                    
                                The Victory Sign
      
                      Winston Churchill – the Painter
     
                 A View from Chartwell – 1938
    
                   A Study of Boats – 1933
     
                   A River Scene
 
  To those who fought or are fighting for our freedom and democracy, I say thank you.
 
 

Loosing 25 Pounds

Posted on by
4

I have a secret to share….. I lost 25 pounds.  But that is not the secret.  On Sunday I went to the William Ashley Warehouse Sale in Toronto and finally purchased white dinnerware for my kitchen.  I bought a 12 place setting of white bone china which included round dinner plates, sandwich plates, bowls and mugs.  I have always wanted white dinnerware for my kitchen (which to a designer is the only colour to have) but I already owned a good set of stoneware in a 12 place setting.  Although the stoneware was in a ‘colour and pattern’ that had matched a previous kitchen, I could not justify getting rid of it as it was in excellent condition.  Finally my chance to un-guiltily depart with this dinnerware came along!  My MIL (mother-in-law) needed a larger set of dinnerware for her new Condo.  Yeah.  The 3-R’s (reduce, reuse and recycle – not reading, writing and ‘arithmetic) were on my side.  I quickly packed up the stoneware and out of my kitchen it went, off to MIL.  Now don’t feel sorry for me wondering “my goodness…what will she eat off of now?”  This is where the secret comes in.  After unpacking my new, lovely, white dinnerware and wanting to place them proudly in my kitchen cupboards I removed all the other ‘extra’ dishware which amounted to 30 dinner plates, 20 bowls and 15 mugs!!   And that doesn’t include the stoneware I had already gotten rid of.  For years I have been telling clients/friends/family to get rid of clutter and to not have so much stuff, especially extra stuff in their homes.  Well I was just as guilty.  In compensation for not having white dinnerware I had so many other occasional plates, bowls, mugs that when I removed them I literally lightened my cupboards by 25 pounds.  Hubby was always worried that the cupboards were going to come crashing down off the wall because of the extreme weight.  But not now.  Now I no longer have the need for anything else but my new white set.  And oh, doesn’t my food look better now!

      

My Backyard of Colour

Posted on by
Reply

I have written about changing a room’s décor based on the change of season.  Adding layers in the cooler weather, removing layers in the warmer weather.  Fresh colours in the spring, warm colours in the fall.  In April I wrote about my fondness of the moment for bright colours – hot pinks, vivid yellows and sky blues and how these spring colours were inspiration for me to change the cushions on my sofa to match the season’s colours.  I accessorized with pink, lavender and chartreuse yellow.  In the spring I also wrote about the trees in my backyard with their creamy white petal-like flowers and bright green leaves; how my backyard was coming alive with ‘natural beauty’.  But now that fall is here the scene in my backyard is very different.  The setting is the same but the palette is very different.  Gone are the white and bright greens.  Now there is a riot of fall colours – gold, bronzes, oranges, deep yellows, greens and bright reds.  Each time I walk into my kitchen and see the view looking out the window into my backyard I am in amazement.  How Mother Nature never ceases to amaze.  Once again I have changed the cushions on my sofa and added a throw blanket to match the orange of the season.  I have accessorized with bronzes and gold.  Earlier I stated “I love spring” but with fall and its entire glorious colour I now say “I love the change of seasons”!

         

         

 

Restoration Weekend

Posted on by
Reply

It has been such a busy week and I am looking forward to a quiet and restful weekend.  A time to re-charge and re-store.  If I could I imagine myself lounging on Restoration Hardware’s daybed sofa (Belgian Roll Arm Daybed Sofa) in front of a big television with a roaring fire at my side.  The time-worn look of the wood cabinetry and flooring will give a feeling of comfort and ease.  If the sun is not pouring in through the beautiful French doors, I will light the space with gentle lighting from the two fabulous sconces (Loire Architectural Railing Sconces) flanking the fireplace.  If I choose to read I will have light from the floor lamps (Polished Nickel Floor Lamp) on either side of the daybed sofa.  I am also envisioning some great fireside snacks.  And if you knew me well, popcorn would certainly be included.  Crunch, crunch.  I hope your weekend is great and that your space is restful.

     

        Image via Restoration Hardware

The Ball Chair

Posted on by
3

Last week I was at The Bay flagship store on Queen Street in downtown Toronto with a friend who was looking for the perfect LBD (little black dress).  As we made our way up the escalators to the 3rd floor, Ladies Fashions, I noticed that there was a hubbub of activity going on and the smell of perfume in the air.  We soon discovered that the commotion was that the man himself, Oscar De La Renta was in the store to celebrate the launch of his new fragrance ‘Live in Love’.  Sitting on a small stage in The Room (women’s couture apparel), Oscar was interviewed by none other than Jeanne Beker of Fashion Television.  There was a lot of excitement in the crowd as the legendary designer spoke about life and being in love with yourself.  Great words of wisdom but I soon broke away from the crowd of onlookers as Jeanne and Oscar continued on.  With everyone attending the presentation, the rest of the 3rd floor was mine to discover.  And what did I discover??  Outside the change rooms for ‘waiting’ friends (or husbands) to sit on was a Ball Chair.  Designed in 1966 by Eero Aarnio, the Ball Chair or the Globe Chair as it is sometimes called was an idea that Aarnio came up with when he moved into his first home and needed a proper big chair that was very unique in design.  “After some drawing I noticed that the shape of the chair had become so simple that it was merely a ball. I pinned the full-scale drawing on the wall and sat in the chair to see how my head would move when sitting inside it. Being the taller one of us I sat in the chair and my wife drew the course of my head on the wall. This is how I determined the height of the chair. Since I aimed at a ball shape, the other lines were easy to draw, just remembering that the chair would have to fit through a doorway”.  Interesting….out of necessity comes invention.  And a groovy looking one too!

            

            

                Image 1 via Modmissy    Image 2 via eero-aarnio.com

Convertable Furniture

Posted on by
2

I have been busy decorating a condo in a newly constructed building.  A 1100 sq. ft. condo may sound great and look good on paper but once a homeowner occupies the space they often realize that sometimes the square footage is not exactly in the areas where one wants it.  For example the master ensuite is very large whereas the principal room, living/dining room, could have been larger.  The key to decorating the space is all about the furniture, the lighting and the accessories.  The correct furniture will make the space appear roomier and will also make the space function well.  I love the challenge of decorating ‘small spaces’.  I know that 1100 sq. ft. may not seem small to some people but when a homeowner is downsizing from a much larger space the challenge is in ‘re-programing’ the homeowner to understand how they can still have everything they had before but just in a different way.  They can still entertain 6-8 people comfortably.  They can still have their office space, a media area, a ‘cook’s’ kitchen, a library and a reading nook.  Many times I have said “space is overrated”, it is not how much you have but how you use it.  While sourcing items for the condo I came across some items I thought I would share.  The photos show how a space can convert from an office/ library/media area into a bedroom at the touch of a fingertip, without disturbing everything in the room.  Take a look.

      

      

     

     

   Images via: 1 & 2 – Studybed.co.uk    3 & 4 – Bonbon Compact Living Solutions