Category Archives: Design

A Focus on Space

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Yesterday I attended a focus group for the Brother® Business Smart™ all-in-one printer; the MFC-J4510DW. 

Brother MFC-J4510DW

 

With the ultimate combination of printer, scanner, copier, fax and wireless networking this piece of technology has it all.  Including great looks!

But while attending yesterday’s very informative event it occurred to me that I have not been using my Brother® Business Smart™ to its best capabilities.  Although it occupies valuable real estate on my desk I have been ‘under’ using this all-in-one printer.  I have since changed that.  And love it now even more!

This got me thinking about our homes.  Do we use them to their best or are there rooms/spaces that we ‘under’ use? 

I often say that space is highly overrated.  What good is having a lot of it when we don’t use it??

I like having my formal dining room but how often do I use it?  My TV is in my media room so I don’t really ‘hang’ in my living room.  The guest room is for guests.  I seem to never leave my kitchen as it is the hub of the house which means that I don’t use my other rooms. 

So I have started to re-think some of my space.

Stay tuned!    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

All images via Modmissy

Baby it’s Cold Outside!

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Brrrrrrrrrrr!  It’s cold outside.

Mother Nature seems to be confused offering 12 degree temps (54 degree Fahrenheit) in June.

So I thought it would be OK to talk about fur – mostly fun faux fur.

I have had this photo in my inspiration folder for some time, a tear-out from Style at Home magazine.  The magazine made mention of statement pieces like the well-styled bookcases, the hide rug, table and vase – which are all very lovely.  But who could ignore that outstanding/amazing flokati-covered chair.  Not Me!!!!  flokati covered chair

Another chair that caught my attention is The Cutie Chair by Munna Design of Portugal whose mission is to ‘transform emotion into products’.  The Cutie Chair with its faux fur and gold leaf legs certainly fills me with emotions of happiness!  Cutie Armchair by Munna Design

The Ciprio designed by Fernando e Humberto Campana for Edra is a wonderfully playful iconic piece.  The settee has 9 cushions fixed to an invisible metal tube frame, stuffed with Gellyfoam® and covered in ‘ecological fur ‘available in different fur lengths.  Fun, fun, fun!  Cipria for Edra.

This chair seen on houzz.com is a Mid Century Modern classic piece covered in faux fur.  Serious but not too serious.   houzz.com

So I decided to do my own version of a faux fur covered chair.  I went with yellow to give a pop of colour in a very white guest room plus it matched one of The Hudson Bay stripes in the Point Blanket.  My family have coined it the ‘Big Bird Chair’ (à la Sesame Street).

Oh well….it makes me smile!   Yellow faux fur

 

 

Inspiration Hits – My Newest DIY

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I was struck by inspiration recently.  Whomp!

I believe my setting and scenery had everything to do with my inspiration – sitting in the backyard, feet up, warm dappled sun shining through the canopy of trees and a cuppa tea by my side.  I was reading my July issue of Canadian House and Home magazine and came across a photo in an article titled Relaxed Seaside Living.   House and Home Relaxed Seaside Living

I loved this calm, neutral living room with slipcovered furniture, sculptural rope floor lamp, lots of weathered wood and organic textures.  But there was one particular detail that caught my eye.

So I was inspired to DIY.     DIY Pillow.

Canadian Maple Leaf.

 

Fringed Pillow..

 

And in the wink of a D-eye-Y this was my creation…..      Canada Flag Pillow.

My Canadian Flag pillow.  Perfect for my ‘Relaxed Lakeside Living’!

I chose to use neutral, organic fabrics for a faded, worn look but also these are the tones of my cottage interior.  See my cottage renovation here: https://modmissy.com/2012/09/12/the-cottage-renovation-the-after-photos/

Oh Canada!

All images via Modmissy

Clothing as Art

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Mark Twain once said “Clothes make the man”, which is very true but clothing, shoes and accessories make the woman!

Suffice to say, I LOVE FASHION.

Beautiful clothing hanging in my closet – fabulous!

But clothing hanging as art?

Interesting.

I’ve had this photo in my inspiration folder for some time. Torn from a past issue of Style at Home Magazine I liked this room for a few reasons (ie. furniture, windows) but it was the canvas hanging on the wall that caught my attention.  The wall hanging is a hand-painted Victorian wedding crinoline by Janis Gillan.clothing as art

This got me thinking….’clothing as art’.  So I did a little research and here are a few others I found.

Restoration Hardware amps up a neutral room with this ‘clothing as art’ above the sofa.  Restoration Hardware

This is a shot of Brooke Shields family room with portraits of herself and children and images by Annie Leibovitz and others.  Once again the piece with the gauzy lace dress on the black canvas is quite prominent.  Brooke Shields family room

In her Seams series, Jean Shin created art with clothing by cutting away the fabric of a shirt or a dress leaving behind a continuous linear band around the stitch referencing the body’s skeletal structure, proportion, gravity and gesture.   Jean Shin

Guerra de la Paz works with discarded clothing to create 3-dimensional art inspired by an essential familiarity with the ready-made and the archaeological qualities that found objects possess.  guerradelapaz

This picture is mine.  These are my childhood Barbie® doll’s clothing that I framed.  My Barbie® doll is long gone but her memories ‘hang’ on!   Barbie Clothing by Modmissy

Fence Design – Love this one!

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As previously mentioned the fence in my backyard needs replacing – 10 years ago!  And now with summer on its way decisions need to be made sooner than later.

So what’s the 10 year hold up you ask?

Design.

What should the fence look like, what style do I want?  Should I go with horizontal or vertical fence boards?  Stained or natural?  Should it have modern influences or be more traditional?  And what extra details should be incorporated into the design?

I have posted twice about fence designs. See My Fence Design Dilemma and More Fence Designs. 

Similar to a home’s interior décor I believe a fence requires as much thought to the style and design. 

Recently a neighbour of mine decided it was time to tear down their old dilapidated garage and install a parking pad and build a new privacy fence.  Yeah for me!  The [ugly] garage is now gone and there is a really nice fence to admire.  And…..I love the design.  Fabulous Fence Design

The fence boards run horizontally and are staggered in width with narrower boards at the top creating interest and a sense of design.  To break up the abundance of wood 2 panels of sand blasted glass were incorporated giving a contemporary feel to the fence.  sand blasted fence

I like the gate hardware, a black lever-style handle, a variation from the norm.  A peep-hole ‘viewing sliver’ has been built into the design also.  fence hardware and peep hole

So…..is there hope/inspiration for my fence replacement?

All images via Modmissy

 

Solair Chairs

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I have this childhood memory of sitting in the backseat of my parent’s car while on our way to someone’s cottage. (Not sure who’s cottage – my memory’s not perfect!)

The sweltering heat of July was blowing in through the open windows (non-existent air conditioning!) causing us 4 kids crammed in the back seat to stick together but it did not matter because somehow I had won the coveted position of a window seat.  I had an unimpeded view.  Happy, happy!

On our journey I remember passing by a roadside motel, with a name something like Lakeside Motel or Three Lakes Motel, and thought it funny that there was no lake in sight although there was a pool out front.  The motel was a long, 1-storey stucco building painted bright white with green roof shingles and blue painted doors.  To the side of each blue door was a very ‘mod’ looking chair in bright orange.

I have never forgotten this image – colourful yes, but it was the groovy orange chairs that I fell in love with.

Those chairs were the Solair Chair designed by Canadians, Fabio Fabiano and Michelange Panzini in 1972.   Solair Chair

The designers were recruited by an injected-molding plastics company, Industries Provinciales Ltée, of Quebec to produce a comfortable and stylish modern indoor/outdoor chair.  The chair was designed in one weekend!  The chair fell off the ‘design radar’ for a number of years but has recently made a big comeback.  The Solair chair is now in production and distribution by Industries Emile Lachance Ltée

I recently came across these chairs for sale in a rainbow of colours at The Hudson Bay Company  in downtown Toronto. Solair Chairs

A feeling of nostalgia came over me especially when I realized that my childhood memory is now an iconic piece of Canadian design.  (The chair, not my memory!)

These chairs also reminded me of these juicy colours! Juicy Fruit

 

All images via Modmissy

St Lucia

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Recently returned from a fabulous Caribbean holiday in beautiful St. Lucia – a holiday of sunshine and colour!

St Lucia

 

I hung out for a week with my teenage son and had a lot of fun.

Modmissy in St LuciaThe resort we stayed at had a very relaxed vibe and I attribute that a lot to the style of the lodgings.  All the accommodations were cabana-style with lofted ceilings, white painted bead board on the interior and a view to the garden and/or ocean.  The cabanas were colourfully painted on the outside; turquoise, orange, yellow, green and blue.

St Lucia

St Lucia is a very photographic island with beautiful topography.  One of the best ways to see the island is aboard the water so we took a ride aboard a catamaran and sailed up and down the coastline.

St Lucia catamaran

Is there anything more beautiful than a white sail against a blue sky?  Truly the reason why we try to capture the feeling of ‘nautical’ in design.

Setting sail!

The majestic twin Peaks ‘The Pitons’ are amazing and not only is the local beer named in their honour but the St Lucia flag is designed with them in mind. Pitons St Lucia

During the day if we weren’t bobbing in one of the 7 pools the resort had to offer we were lounging on the beach.  St Lucia beach

The affinity pool with the swim-up bar was the place to be at cocktail hour!  Infinity Pool

And nothing like water and palm trees to make for the most outstanding sunsets!  St Lucia sunset

 

All images via Modmissy

A Day at the Spa

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Do you like going to the spa?

Being personally pampered and indulged in all things comforting, calming and relaxing.  Totally therapeutic – right?

I had a few girlfriends ask if I would like to join them for a day at the spa during my week of ‘stay-cation’.

I declined.

I am not a spa girl.

A Day at the Spa

For me my ‘therapy’ is visual.  I would rather spend a day strolling about just looking and seeing.

Often that ‘looking’ involves retail, admiring window displays and set designs that constantly change to reflect colour and trends.  I love to visit art galleries and see the beauty there.  I like to walk about different neighborhoods admiring homes.  I enjoy walking around downtown viewing the architecture of commercial buildings, skyscrapers – both historical and modern. 

I have come to realize that I am not a ‘spa’ girl but rather I am a ‘spatial’ girl! 

Here is what I saw while on my stay-cation. 

An early morning walk to Lake Ontario revealed a scene of tranquil beauty. 

Lake Ontario Toronto

This home renovation made me smile with its colourful plywood framing.

Plywood stained boards

The beautiful blue skies made St James Cathedral seem even more magnificent.

St James Cathedral

I thought this was really cool how the glass building seemed to disappear into the blue sky!

Clouds reflecting in window

Of course a visit to the AGO is always a must even if it was to just appreciate the Henry Moore sculpture on the outside of the gallery.

Henry Moore AGO

The cantilevered portion of the OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design) building in downtown Toronto always makes me pause.  And look….there’s the CN Tower peeking through!

OCAD

The view from the floor to ceiling windows atop the Sheraton Centre is a great place to get a view of downtown Toronto.

Sheraton Centre, Toronto

Last week I had a wonderful stay-cation in Toronto seeing all the sites and visiting with family and friends.

All images via Modmissy excluding spa photo: www.blog.invitationbox.com

 

 

 

A Heavenly Home

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Continuing on the theme of religion in décor I thought I would share another transformation of church to home.

The former St. Jakobus Church located in Utrecht, Netherlands originally built in 1870 was converted into a beautiful modern townhouse in 2009.

With almost 5000 sq. ft. of living space and ceilings that soar to 14 metres (46 ft.) high the Utrecht-based firm of ZECC Architects undertook the transformation from church to home with a great attention to light, space and functionality.

Converted Church Utrecht

Converted Church

Converted Church interior

Converted Church interior

Converted Church interior

Converted Church interior

Converted Church bathroomTruly a ‘heavenly’ transformation!

Images via ZECC Architects

Religion in Décor

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Tomorrow, February 28th, Pope Benedict XVI officially retires.  Since his surprise announcement to the world indicating he would be the first Pope in 6 centuries to retire the world has been in a bit of a ‘holy mess’!

I can’t say that I blame him; Pope Benedict is 85 years old!  I think the man must be feeling a little weary.  While the rest of us are hoping to retire at 65 years old or ‘freedom 55’ (if we are lucky enough) still working as an octogenarian must be exhausting.

Today in honour of His Papal-ness I thought religion in décor would be fitting.

The focal point in this room is a very large Buddha.  Fortunately it is seated upon the window seat as I read that inappropriate placement of the Buddha i.e. on the floor, is considered a sign of disrespect in many Buddhist cultures.

Buddha

 

In this photo religion in décor is taken one step further!

religious stairs

 

The Moravian Star has become a popular décor feature.  Originating in the 1830’s at the Moravian Boys’ School in Germany (possibly from a geometry lesson) the star was adopted by the Moravian Church as an Advent Symbol and also now commonly used in light fixtures.

Moravian Star Light

 

Often used interchangeably due to the fact that the population of Morocco is almost 99% Muslim is Moroccan-inspired/Islamic-inspired décor.  Seen in everything from wallpaper (1st photo) to furniture and light fixtures (2nd photo) to leather poufs (3rd photo).

Moroccan-inspired decor

 

Belief in angels is fundamental to many religions.

Angel wings in decor

And what better way to incorporate religion into décor than converting a church into a residence.  This photo is a converted church in Utrecht, Netherlands.

Church as residence

 

Images via: 1,2,5,7 www.houzz.com 3 www.shadesoflight.com; 4 www.phillipjeffries.com 6 www.thecrossdesign.com 8 www.zecc.nl