Tag Archives: style

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……..

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!

Our Cottage Renovation – half way there!

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If I haven’t said it before, I’ll say it now “I love windows”!!  Especially new and larger ones.  During our recent cottage renovation the decision to remove the upper kitchen cabinets allowed for the kitchen window to get doubled in size.  This enlarged window now makes a dark corner much brighter and gives an even better view to the lake.

The drywall finally goes up.  I love new drywall too!

The 2 beams, necessary to hold the roof up will be clad in rough-hewn pine to give the appearance of logs for a more natural look.

As July draws nearer with cottage season swinging into full gear the push is on to complete this renovation.  So stay tuned.

 

Vondom

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With the warm weather now here the majority of us will be heading to a ‘big box’ store to purchase our outdoor furniture but Vondom, a manufacturer of outdoor furniture, lighting and flowerpots takes the experience to a whole new level. Vondom collaborates with the most prestigious designers and architects of the world to create a new form of understanding in outdoor decoration. “VONDOM works to create art, always in search of the natural beauty of the product, giving them their own personality, always bearing in mind the vanguard of contemporary design, simply and balance.” Here are a few pieces from the vast collection of Vondom. Enjoy!

The Pillow Collection

The Rest Collection

The Stones Collection

The Vertex Collection

The Faz Collection – used indoors here.

The Vela Collection – lit by LED lights

The Quadrat Collection

All images Vondom.com

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

My Front Porch – Summertime

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I love going to fabric stores.  It is like an overload on the senses – looking, touching and imagining.  As I walk amongst the bolts of fabric, admiring the many beautiful fabrics, running my hands along them to feel them, my mind starts racing trying to envision where I could use them all.  So many gorgeous fabrics – not enough projects!

On a recent fabric store adventure I came across this fabulous orange/white fabric that I fell in love with – I bought 2 yards.

I decided to use the fabric for seat cushions on the chairs in my enclosed front porch.  My sewing skills gained from grade 7/8 Home Ec. are fairly rudimentary but I can sew cushion covers.

My front porch spring/summer cushions were looking faded and boring so the new orange/white gives the needed punch.  The patterned pillows which coordinated perfectly came from HomeSense thanks to a good friend who found them for me!  The twig furniture (hubby and I made many years ago), lots of potted flowers, good lighting to read with and candles in the evening makes this porch my summer oasis.

All Images via Modmissy