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Nostalgia

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Nostalgia is defined as ‘a sentimental longing for the past’.

At what point in our life do we start to become nostalgic; begin to feel a sentimental longing?

Curious about the logic of ‘nostalgia’ I started asking younger family members and friends what they felt about a particular antique or item from the distant past.  Did it conjure up a certain feeling or a sense of longing for them?  Would they feel a sense of yearning yet?

Ralph Lauren once said, “There is a way of living that has a certain grace and beauty.  It is not a constant race for what is next, rather, an appreciation of what has come before.”  Adding an antique or vintage item to a room can give the space a sense of history and soul.  Antiques are the signposts to our collective past.

I love visiting antique shops even though I lean more towards the contemporary when it comes to my homes décor, I find there is something sentimental about touching and seeing things from the past.  An old teacup reminds me of my Grandmother, the smell inside an antique oak hutch reminds me of my aunt’s Victorian home and a Sunbeam mixer pulls at my heartstrings reminding me of baking cakes as a child with my Mother.

So…..is it about going back and being inspired?  Or is it those who live in the past limit their future?

What makes you nostalgic??

 

 

My End of Summer Place

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This weekend I am going to take advantage of the last days of summer.  The weather forecast looks promising for spending time lounging about in the backyard reading, hanging with friends and noshing on some delicious food.  Too quickly the leaves will start falling and the snow will begin to fly so I plan on grabbing all the summer memories I can.

Whatever your weekend may bring have a great one!

My ‘end of summer’ backyard.

 

Ladies Lounge – after

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A few weeks ago I wrote about my friend SW (SuperWoman) who was in the process of transforming her old wooden garage into a ‘ladies lounge’.

One year ago SW had decided that her garage could be better used as a backyard retreat rather than a storage space for ‘extra items’.

With a lot of love and elbow grease SW has achieved what she set out to do – she has turned a sow’s ear into a silk purse!

This was the ‘before’ photo with holes in the walls, old linoleum on the floor and lots of clutter:

This is what SW’s efforts produced – the ‘after’ photo:

Bikes, tools, ladders and garden paraphernalia used to clutter the space.

Now everything is tucked away out of sight behind softly draping white curtains.

What was involved in the transformation?  The walls and ceiling were stripped back to the studs and sprayed a calming white.  An old brick fireplace chimney was removed.  The old linoleum was ripped up to reveal wood plank floors and then painted moss green.  Holes in the walls, floor and ceiling were repaired.  An old work bench was given a coat of white paint so that now it can be used as a bar and/or buffet table.  Furniture and accessories were brought in.  The orange futon provides the hit of colour in the room and a great place to take an afternoon nap.  The round teak table with inlaid mosaic top (a real score!) is a fabulous nod to mid-century modern not to mention a great surface for a game of Scrabble.  Any furniture that could was given a coat of white paint.  In the lofted ceiling a light that twinkles like the evening stars was wired in.

The lofted ceiling.

A pretty vignette.  And by the way, SW made most of the baskets in the space – yes she does basket weaving too!

So in her relentless pursuit of happiness, SuperWoman has moved mountains (and junk) to create a ‘getaway’ worthy of a super hero!!  Bravo SW.

All images via Modmissy

 

 

 

iYellow Wine Club at West Elm

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Last night I attended iYellow Wine Club Presents+Design Series by Crush VQA Wines at West Elm.  Beautiful food was provided by Mildred’s Temple.  I sipped, noshed and strolled through West Elm – fabulous way to shop!

Believing that great design should be affordable, West Elm’s furniture collection helps create living spaces that are stylish and unique.  And while searching for inspiration in far-away places, West Elm offers accessories that have an artisanal and organic flair to them.  Since I am in the middle of a cottage reno my focus was on ‘cottage style’.  It was interesting to see how West Elm’s style could be interpreted  to a lakeside, seaside, weekend space.

I thought this collection provided a contemporary spin on a nautical blue & white theme.

I loved this bedroom setting with the mix of barn board and contemporary furniture pieces with bedding in white, blue and cinnamon.

The organic blown glass pendant lights give an artisanal feel to any space.

White and muted pottery gives a relaxed vibe to a weekend space.

Red and white vases that have a resemblance to boat buoys and colourful pottery give an air of coastal charm.

Of course I found something that would be perfect in my cottage space so this weekend I shall add a little West Elm style to my lakeside retreat.

All images via Modmissy

AJ Floor Lamp

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On my wish list right now is the AJ Floor Lamp.  I recently decided that my media room would be a great spot to curl up on the sofa and read but at present the only light in the room is from ceiling pot lights.  Wanting to keep the contemporary feel of the room I knew my choice for a floor lamp had to be selective.  When I came across the AJ Lamp I fell in love.

The AJ Lamp was designed in 1960 by Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen (AJ) for the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen.  Given the opportunity to design both the hotel and the furniture within it, Jacobsen created the lamp to echo the lines of his Egg Chair and Swan Chair – design classics of the 20th century.  The heavy cast iron base allows for the lamp to have the unique tilt and angle which is what appeals to me and the rotatable shade makes the AJ Lamp perfect to read with.

Unfortunately (for me) the price tag of ~$1000 does not fit into the budget.

Enter IKEA!

Ikea’s Stockholm floor lamp designed by Ehlén Johansson is a great example of a modern design.  And fortunately the lamp was produced with powder coated steel and aluminum – not plastic. With a price tag of $110 this lamp fits very well into the budget.  The lamp is available in white which is exactly what I am looking for.

I like both lamps but if anyone has an extra $1000 to spare……..

O Canada!

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This Sunday July 1st marks the 145th birthday of Canada.  Canada Day, originally called Dominion Day, celebrates the anniversary of the July 1st, 1867 union of colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire.

It’s the day when Canadians don their red and white, fly the flag and celebrate with parades and parties.  The Canadian flag adopted in 1965 is a red flag with a white square in the centre with an 11-point red maple leaf.  I like the design of the Canadian flag; there is a balance to the flag that gives a sense of stability and reassurance.  Good qualities for a country.

And just as important in the world of interior design is the scheme of balance.  A room in our home that is in harmony gives a balanced approach to everyday living.

This seating arrangement, mirroring the design of the Canadian flag, has a balance to it that indicates comfort and reassurance – a sense of welcome.

Whether you are celebrating Canada Day or not may your weekend be full of harmony and happiness.

Cheers!

Images: Flag via Modmissy,  West Elm Sweep Arm Chair, Eero Saarinen Tulip Side Table

Inspiration Board – or not!

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I always get ahead of myself or rather get ahead of the project.  Whenever my husband and I renovate (and we have been doing that for over 20 years!) he is still in the ‘bust and build’ state while I am already decorating the space.

We are on track renovating our cottage, the drywall is up and the new window is in, the kitchen cabinets are assembled and the countertop is ordered.  But way before all this I have been buying fabric, rugs, furniture accessories etc. all the little touches that will coordinate the final presentation.  Make the finished space just ‘right’.

I pulled together my inspiration board which is always helpful to visualize the space.

I pictured our cottage done in white, warm wood, sisal and hits of blue to give a pop of colour to the space.  I choose Benjamin Moore Oxford White CC-30 for the walls (new drywall) which is a nice bright white.  The long wall across from the windows is paneled in pine.   The sofa is an existing Bauhaus sectional that we have had for years and works really well in the space.  The sectional is in a neutral weave fabric of which I replaced the back cushion covers with natural canvas.  I bought a new area carpet – IKEA Tårnby, a natural fibre carpet that has a great textural appeal giving the room a warm organic look.

To keep the room bright I bought 3 coordinating fabrics that I will sew into cushions for the sofa.  Crisp blue and white fabrics with lots of white accessories in the room will give a fresh, lakeside feel to the cottage interior.  I decided to replace the existing large upholstered (red) chair as its size was not appropriate for the space.  I wanted something light coloured and airier in appearance.  On Craigslist I found a leather IKEA Poäng chair (wish it was an Alvar Aalto Lounge Chair! – check out my previous  post here) which I thought would be perfect for the room.  Gotta love Craigslist!

Ok…..so I had it all figured out.  I knew exactly in my mind how this space was going to look.  WRONG!!!!

This past weekend when we started to put the furniture, carpet, etc. back into the cottage I realized the room looked nothing like my inspiration board.  I think my biggest miscalculation was the light.  The natural light that floods the room from all the windows changes the sense of the room.  The colours – paint and fabric, the furniture etc. all read very different.

And I love it!

So stay tuned……….

 

Relax!

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It has been a crazy, busy week.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

And if you can, take time to unwind and relax.

Image via CB2

 

Choosing the Right White

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Once upon a time………the decision of choosing the ‘right’ white was no problem.  Actually it never even occurred to me that more than one shade of white paint even existed!

But now I pain myself over deciding the correct shade of white paint for my walls and trim.  And there are hundreds to choose from.  Dover White by Sherwin-Williams, Cloud White by Benjamin Moore, Cottage White by Behr, Natural White by Sico, Cameo White by Para; the list goes on and on.

When I bought my first home years ago and had to paint the walls there was only once choice of white paint – ‘D.J. Beige’.  Let me explain.  I had an uncle, Donald Joseph, affectionately known as D.J., who kindly offered his painting skills to each of us when we bought our first home.  D.J. would show up with his brushes, rollers, trays and gallons of paint.  I never knew the name of the paint D.J. had brought or even thought to ask.  It was just a ‘good’ colour that worked in all our homes.  It was D.J. Beige!

But now as I try to decide on the right white to paint the new walls of our cottage renovation I am puzzled.  What white will create that perfect feeling of relaxed calm lending itself to a weekend retreat that soothes the soul?  (That’s a lot of pressure on a paint colour!) I think I have my colour choices narrowed down so stay tuned.

PS.  Sometimes climbing a mountain is easier than choosing a paint colour!

That’s me – Mount Cascade, Alberta, Canada

 

The Ladies’ Lounge

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I live in a neighborhood close to downtown Toronto nestled on Lake Ontario.  In the early 1900’s the neighborhood was used as a summer retreat for Toronto residents less than 10 miles away.  Large private homes and ‘cottages’ sprang up in the area which still remain standing today.  Many of the homes originally built were never intended to last 100 years – but they have.  Garages constructed to originally house buggies or Model T’s were narrow wooden structures built apart from the house.  One of these old wooden garages belongs to a friend of mine who I have named ‘Superwoman’.  Superwoman (SW) is capable of anything – she can leap tall buildings if she puts her mind to it.  SW has transformed her old wooden garage into a ‘ladies lounge’ – the female version of a ‘man cave’.  What SW started with was this:

And this.

At some point in the history of this garage a former owner had built a chimney and drywall the inside. (I suppose to use as a workshop.)  There were remnants of old linoleum on the floor and many, many holes where raccoons and squirrels entered to take up residence.  Of course SW had a lot of her own ‘junk’ in there too.  But once SW decided that this valuable piece of real estate could be better used there was no stopping her.  Out went the junk, the drywall was ripped down, the chimney was dismantled, the numerous holes were covered, the linoleum was pulled up etc. etc. etc.  SW had her work cut out for her.

But after many months of hard work the Ladies’ Lounge is finally ready.  Stay tuned for the reveal!