Tag Archives: Inspiration

The Cottage Renovation continues….

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Winter time is ski season so the cottage renovation went on hold for a few months……..

Fortunately the snow finally melted and work was back on.  Of course one thing lead to another and a small renovation became a bit larger renovation.  While moving the kitchen cabinets they literally fell apart due to age.  So we had to replace them.  While working around the kitchen window it cracked so we had to replace it.  The silver lining to all this is that it gave us the chance to re-think how we could improve the function of the kitchen/cottage.  We decided that the view was more important than storage so we opted to install a larger window over the counter and forgo the upper cabinets.

While researching new kitchen cabinets we decided that the original layout was a bit awkward with the stove blocking access to the last cupboard so we decided to design the new cabinets in an L-shape configuration.

No gut job is ever nice.

A photo from an issue of Canadian House and Home magazine featuring a space with a sloped ceiling and exposed beams with the combination of whites and wood provided some inspiration.

The renovation keeps moving along.  Stay tuned.

 

 

 

Bedroom Art

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Last week I wrote about My White Bedroom and had many inquiries from people asking about the art on the walls.

The painting above the bed was done by my son a few years ago.   Since he was quite young I enrolled him in art classes each year.  At the end of each session we had a new canvas for our walls!  This piece is titled ‘Prairie Sky”.

The other painting in the room is a large piece that I have titled,  ‘On Top of the World’.

We came to own this piece in an unusual way.  Our neighbour had this painting sitting outside their backdoor for a few weeks.  Curious as to why a nice piece of art was sitting outside in the elements we inquired – “it’s rubbish”!  The story was that this had been a wedding gift but since the marriage had ended the painting was no longer wanted.  Understandable.  So we asked if we could have it and this large, colourful piece of art became ours.  One person’s trash, another person’s treasure!  And we truly do treasure this piece of art.  My walls are painted Benjamin Moore Florentine Plaster CC-520 with the rest of the room being fairly neutral so this colourful painting provides the pop of colour.

And by the way people also asked if my space is always that tidy……YES!

All images via Modmissy

My White Bedroom

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‘Change’…..it’s time for change again.

When the weather starts getting warmer I change all the linens and accessories in my bedroom.  The room faces west and receives the hot afternoon sun so my summer bedroom gets the all-white treatment giving both a cooler look and feel.

Layers of white cotton linens on the bed give a ‘cool as cotton’ sensation.  I made the duvet cover from 2 sheets that we (hubby and I) brought back from Venice while travelling through Europe many years ago.  Hubby carried these king-sized sheets plus 2 cotton tablecloths in his knapsack for a month!  (had to throw out some of his clothing to fit them in!!)  The cotton chenille fringed bedspread is vintage and originates from the same era as my beloved orange lamps.  The cushions from West Elm provide the pop of colour on the bed.

The bergere chair is slipcovered in white cotton and the art above the dresser is exchanged for a white mirror.

My otherwise contemporary home gets a shabby chic makeover in the bedroom.  Bring on the summer!

 

Summer Porches

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Yesterday I wrote about my front porch and how in summertime it is my oasis.  Today I thought I would share some other porches.  Enjoy.

Nothing says ‘hazy, lazy days of summer’ better than a porch swing.  This one from Better Homes and Garden magazine is the ideal spot for an afternoon nap with its green and white ticking on a watermelon colour swing piled deep with vintage-inspired floral pillows.  Languor away!

Wicker, rockers and wood suggests a country cottage feel.  This porch from Canadian House and Home says “you’ve arrived”, now sit back and unwind.

Nothing says ‘calm and cool’ like a porch decorated in blue and white.  This porch’s appeal is the combination of indoor furniture – a drop leaf dining table and mirror, mixed with director’s chairs and vintage finds.  Cut flowers from the garden appeals to the senses with both beauty and scent.

A porch doesn’t have to be big to be great.  Carving out a spot needn’t be about large square footage but rather any nook can fit the bill.  This porch from Houzz shows how a small space, appropriate sized furniture and a great view is a perfect recipe for ‘drinks at five’.

While away the day drifting into a dreamy evening on this all white porch.  The mixture of a white wicker settee with an industrial-style coffee table provides a nice contrast.   But what I really loved was the unique table.  This large white table top sitting on 2 huge white bases combined with wooden benches is a fabulous update of the age-old ‘picnic’ table.

So…..where will you be spending your lazy, hazy days and relaxed evenings of summer?  Let me know.

Images: 1,3,5 – Better Homes and Garden  2 – Canadian House and Home  4 – Houzz

Blog Podium 2012

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This past Saturday I attended Blog Podium “The Business of Blogging” at the newly renovated Arcadian Room at The Bay in downtown Toronto.

With over 200 bloggers in attendance it was a fun-filled, thought-provoking, information gathering event of which I gained so much great advice, knowledge and inspiration from. Phew….now to start processing it all! Blog Podium’s generous sponsors were Para Paints, EQ3, HomeSense, The Home Depot and Blurb.  Sharing her wisdom on how to successfully monetize a blog was Blog Podium’ keynote speaker Nicole Balch of Making it Lovely.  Nicole explained the options of direct sales, ad networks, text links, affiliate links, Google ads and sponsored ads.  Also, how bloggers should sell themselves to businesses and how businesses benefit from bloggers.

A panel discussion followed moderated by Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault of Benjamin Moore/Cityline TV with Christine Dovey  of Bijou and Boheme, Lindsay Stephenson of Little House Blog , Laura Muirhead of Tribal DDB and Cheryl Kozoriz of GlucksteinHome. I appreciated these bright women’s honesty and candor about the business of blogging.

Of course fabulous food had to be involved! A ‘delicious’ cocktail reception with a vendor ‘meet and greet’ took place giving everyone the chance to relax, mingle and enjoy. Lots of laughter coming from the Smilebooth where we had our photos taken by Mango Studios. That would be me in my best pose (covering my face – hate having my picture taken) with Melissa.

Also a big shout-out to Blog Podium’s creators and organizers Lindsay Stephenson and Jennifer Flores of  Rambling Renovators because if it were not for these 2 wonderful ladies I would still be trying to figure it all out on my own!

Thank you to Blog Podium Sponsors and Vendors.

Donald “Duck” Dunn

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Donald “Duck” Dunn, the legendary bass guitarist of Booker T. and the MG’s died this past weekend at the age of 70. Dunn was notable for his 1960’s recordings with Booker T and as a session bassist for Stax Records. It was Dunn’s bass lines recorded on many songs of the 1960’s that gave the world its ‘groove’; Otis Redding’s “Respect”, Sam and Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin’” and Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign”. The influence of this ‘groovy’ music also had a large impact on fashion and décor of the 1960’s as you can see in these photos.

The popular Better Homes and Garden Decorating Ideas was the magazine of the time that captured home décor as seen in this 1960 issue.

 

Colour blocking and swirls were very popular for patterns of fabrics as seen in everything from furniture to clothing. The Rive Droite chair designed by Patrick Norguet covered in Pucci fabric.

 

Airline stewardesses circa 1960.

The lava lamp was invented in 1963.

 

‘Mid-Century Modern’ furniture was in full swing with Eames, Platner, and Panton to name a few creating the design classics of the 20th century.

 

This white Panton Chair designed in the 1960’s feels very similar to these ‘mod’ Go Go Boots designed by Clark Shoes in the 1960’s.

 

Fringes on lamp shades, doorway curtains and clothing were all the rage. Tie-dye, shag carpet, peace signs were signs of the times also. As we bid a final farewell to Donald “Duck” Dunn his legacy will live on forever in the music and the ‘groovy’ influences of that music that reverberated into décor and fashion.

BHG.com/Allmodern.com/Planetlava.com/Vitra.com/Candysays.co.uk

 

 

 

Art – Wherever, Whatever

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Art.  A word that describes a diverse range of activities.  Visual art – painting, sculpture, photography, film etc.  Interactive art – music, theatre, dance, literature etc.  Sometimes it is the simplest things in life that is art.   Last year while shopping in NYC I saw this store display of all white mannequins dressed in all white clothing. (I don’t even remember what store; there were lots!)  It was the layering of white that the stylist had assembled with pops of colour which made me stop and admire.  Art – and it was not in one of the many NYC galleries either.   I took a photo and loved the result. Reminds me of a room with all the furniture slipcovered in white and the beautiful azure blue ocean just outside the window.

Photo #1 – Modmissy, Photo #2 Houzz.com

More Fence Designs

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Last fall I wrote about my fence design dilemma. https://modmissy.com/2011/10/14/my-fence-design-dilemma.  Well the dilemma is still ongoing as I have not yet decided on the design of the fence that desperately needs replacing in my backyard.  Last weekend I decided to hang out in the city or as I like to call it I was a “tourist in Toronto” and took the opportunity to visit many different neighborhoods.  No sense travelling to other world cities if I don’t know my own city!  While walking through various residential areas I made a point of looking for interesting fence designs.  This is a great time of year to do some research as the greenery that will soon hide fences has not yet started to grow.  I noticed a design theme emerging with many of the style of fences that I came across – horizontal fence boards.  With my camera in hand I took photos of my findings.

One of the first fences I came across was this one and I liked it for a few reasons.  I liked the framing effect of the horizontal boards giving the appearance of panels; like a Shoji screen.  And I like the colour.  Definitely a good contender.

Next was a fence with horizontal boards that was not framed.  I really liked how the fence mirrored the design of the garage door.  Not to mention the fabulous contemporary house!  Although I thought that if it were not for the garage door this fence could have appeared less residential and more commercial-like.

 

Then I came across this unique fence that appeared both traditional and contemporary in design.  Built into a brick wall were panels with horizontal wood.  Breaking up the hardness of a solid brick wall the wood gave a soft relief to the fence.   This fence felt like English Garden meets Zen Garden.  I think this backyard would be interesting to ‘room scape’ in the summer.

Then I came across this fence that also had horizontal boards but the boards were staggered.  Being built in sections with very tall fence posts I felt that the mix of horizontal boards with prominent fence posts was a juxtaposition of styles.

So after a day of research I think I have come a little closer to solving my fence design dilemma.  Or maybe not!

All images via Modmissy

 

Liyuan Library – Stick Memories

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I came across an article in the recent Azure magazine www.azuremagazine.com titled Brand New Chapter written by Dan Levin about the new Liyuan Library in the Chinese village of Huairou located 2 hours from central Beijing.  The library, designed and built by Beijing architect Li Xiaodong, helped resurrect the once forgotten rural village into a bustling weekend retreat for city dwellers.  Upon visiting the village Li was “struck by the villagers close ties to the seasonal rhythms of nature and how natural textures define their constructed world, particularly the ritual of gathering sticks from the surrounding hills; they tie them in bundles for firewood and store outside their homes.”  In his plans for the library Li decided to convey the ‘gathering of sticks’ philosophy into his design with a 2-storey steel frame building clad in 40,000 sticks.  Nestled in a valley below the Great Wall of China, the library has become a sanctuary devoted to reading and a natural site for nesting birds.

 After reading this article I was reminded of a childhood memory of the gathering of sticks.  Seasonal rhythms are no more prevalent than here in Canada.  With the changing of seasons we learn to adapt our life to nature.  Our lifestyles change, our activities change with the changing seasons.  For example, in summer time our activities are swimming, biking etc. whereas in winter our activities are hockey, skiing etc.  When I was a kid everybody’s brother played hockey.  More brothers, more time spent at the hockey arena.  I have 2 brothers so I spent a lot of time at the hockey arena.  I remember hearing about one particular father who used his time spent at the arena in the gathering of sticks – broken, discarded hockey sticks.  Hockey sticks back then were made of hardwood, often birch, ash or maple and it was sad to think that after breaking from a hard slap shot these beautiful pieces of wood were castoffs.  But this father had a vision; a repurposing idea.  After years of collecting many sticks, this father with great pride and workmanship paneled his ‘rec room’ walls with hockey sticks!  Except they were no longer hockey sticks, they were beautiful pieces of hardwood applied to the wall vertically to create a natural wall treatment.  How very industrious and green-thinking of this father.  Bravo!

All images courtesy of Li Xiaodong

Happy Valentines Day

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I am not a ‘red’ person right now.  Meaning I am not decorating my personal space with anything that is the colour red.  Christmas ornaments – yes.  But furniture, accessories etc. – no.  I used to have a red living room sofa, my family room was red and gold and my cottage had red painted walls.  To be honest, I think I tired of red.  But in honour of Valentine’s Day I thought I would show some fabulous items that could possibly inspire me to add a little red back into my décor.   

The Eames Molded Plywood Chair. www.hermanmiller.com

 

The IPAL by Tivoli Audio www.tivoliaudio.com

 

In an ‘ode to Edison’ the Utility Red Pendant Lamp by CB2. www.cb2.com

 

The Tiuku Clock by Finnish designer Ari Kanerva.  www.arikanerva.com provides a contemporary remake of the traditional Grandfathers’ clock.

 

Kartell’s La  Bohème Stool by Phillippe Stark – cheery and fun. www.kartell.com

 

And finally if February has you feeling ‘blue’ what’s not to love about lounging on some ‘red’ – Pottery Barn Chesapeake Steamer Chaise and Cushion.  www.potterybarn.com

Happy Valentine’s Day!!