The Neverending List

The weather must be getting warmer because HandyMan and I managed to get a lot done this weekend. Pics will be posted in the next day or so of the finished home office. The room looked a little “right-side” heavy with all the bookcases on the right wall. We’ve balanced that out a bit by installing a small CD tower under the counter on the left and filling the left-side wall with frames. Add to that the graphic curtain which is just being sewn up, the turquoise office chairs that have been donated by Mama Wanderluster and we can call this room done. It is definitely the most colourful room we have ever done… which is not necessarily a bad thing…colour stimulates creativity which is great for a workspace. But I’m thinking we keep the ‘drama’ to this one room and have all the other rooms on this floor done in a more calm palette.

Silk drapes in a wheat colour have been added to the dining room. We originally thought a milk chocolate brown to pick up the brown outlines… but milk chocolate brown curtains + yellowy/green brown wallpaper = something you don’t want to see in a dining room, haha!!! So we’ve settled on wheat. There’s less of a contrast between the drapes and wallpaper which actually makes the room seem bigger. Again, pics will be up soon!

And finally, we are almost ready to start the kitchen reno! The disposal bin will be booked for this weekend and we’ve got a crew of sledgehammer-wielding friends to help us tear out our little galley kitchen. Demo should take a day and tearing up some floorboards to see what’s causing the sag in the floor should take another few hours. The drywaller and electrician are lined up and waiting and once demo is done, we’ll order the cabinets. A few other choices have been made for the kitchen. It has evolved into a black and white bistro look. Here’s the inspiration board… what do you think?

And the winner is...

A big thanks to all of you who entered my book contest! I enjoyed hearing about all the diverse places you folks come from. Boise, Ottawa, Pepperell, Cincinnati, Oakville, Seattle and many more...many places I've never been to but now know a bit more about because of you. The internet is a wonderful thing :)

I wish I could send you all a book so you could see the wonderful city I call home but there can only be one winner... and that person is... Windycindy!!! Cindi, an autographed copy of Design City Toronto should land on your doorstep soon. Congratulations!

I leave you all with a few more scenes from my Toronto. All photos by Tom Arban. Have a wonderful day!

Contest - Last chance to join!

Today's the last day to join the contest! Leave a comment along with your email address and you have a chance to win an autographed copy of Design City Toronto autographed by the authors -- HandyMan and me :)

For a sneek peek, here's some photos from our book, taken by the uber-talented Tom Arban. Toronto never looked so good ;)

Fabric fun at IKEA

When did IKEA get so good at fabrics?? HandyMan and I went to IKEA last night to return some things (and for the meatball dinner – so bad but so good) and ended up finding a great fabric for the new office space. I’ve always known IKEA to be good with prints and linens and rugs… but fabric? Not one of the top places that comes to mind. Well, that seems to have changed. We found the awesome Gunvor fabric below with a retro black and white oval print for $5.99/metre! Awesome price – and the fabric is a nice sturdy cotton. If you're looking for a broad selection of bold, graphic, colourful fabrics, those clever Swedes have got your back.

From L to R: Gunvor, Fialena, Bodil, Stockholm Blad, Katrin, Patricia, Pernilla, Fredrika, Gisela

ThisClose

I tried my hardest, but in the end it wasn’t enough. I didn’t get “the Sarah” to agree to be a speaker at my Pecha Kucha. You know Sarah Richardson right? She is arguably the most famous Canadian interior designer out there. With two hit shows (Sarah’s House and Design Inc.) to her name, an 18 episode season, a line of furnishings, private design consultations, and a toddler, I knew there was slim to no chance she’d be available for my event. And I was right – she’ll be out of town that weekend – bummmmmer.

But I am not one to let a conversation just die on the vine so I emailed Sarah back, thanked her for considering our invitation, and told her I’d send a copy of my book as my thank you for the years of design inspiration she’s given me and thousands of other homeowners. I also said I hope she designs a line of fabrics one day – a la Kelly Wearstler – because if you know Sarah, you know she is awesome at choosing and using fabrics! Every time I visit Designer Fabrics, her favourite fabric hangout, I look around to see if she’s shopping the silks or browsing the brocades. She cheerily replied “I would love to do fabrics - as well as plenty of other things”. Ambitious girl.

So that’s my brush with the famous Sarah. If you’re not familiar with her work, here’s a sample of her stunning interiors.

(All images from DesignInc.ca)

Musical Interlude

A brief divergence from the path of home and reno blogging. Saw these guys perform in person and they're amazing. Even on a Paris subway. Wish I was back there.

It's All In The Timing

Sometimes, my timing sucks. Case in point: here is my old 'makeup vanity'. Yes, its a computer desk. I tried to turn it into a vanity by putting my brushes in a cup in the cubby hole, stacking my hairbrushes and curling irons on the keyboard shelf, and affixing a mirror to the back, but in the end... it was just a computer desk. So for the last few months I've been on the hunt for a new vanity. I wanted something pretty and full of storage and narrow enough to fit in the niche in our bedroom. I'd seen the mirrored vanities that are becoming the rage now, but thought the look was too 'done', too common. I wanted something different. I scoured craiglist hoping to find something I could reinvent with a bit of paint and elbow grease.

Then I found this. On our trip to scout office stuff at Ikea, this little pretty was calling my name. So I moved my brushes and blushes in and made her mine. She came with the striped yellow and white panel in the drawer but I added a swath of wallpaper under the glass. And I was happy.


But this is where my timing failed me. No sooner had I become accustomed to starting my morning routine seated at my new vanity, than I came across this. And this, and this, and this.



What are these? These are desks being sold by a hotel liquidator. As these pieces were made to survive the wear and tear of hotel guests, they have sturdy construction. And since they were designed for small hotel rooms, they are narrow in size. In other words, they would have been perfect to use as a makeup vanity! Argh!! Oh - and did I mention that all of these cost less than $100? Yes, even the cream one with the real marble top.

To score a deal like this, google 'hotel liquidator' and your city. Here's an article which lists some of the biggest liquidators in the US. Hmmm, I am still on the lookout for a nightstand so all may not be all lost :)

Lazy Day

Feeling a bit under the weather today so will start the morning with a good cup of coffee and the weekend paper. Wish I had a kitchen this lovely to lounge in.

There's still a few days left to join the contest... leave a comment and let me know what you love about the place you live in.

Office Progress

Who knew that installing two bookcases and two countertops would turn into a full day's work. It did... but our end product makes it all worth it. We finally have an office space for two. With digs this nice, maybe its time to start up a new home business!

We started the day with some of the 'behind the scenes' support done. HandyMan had run a support strip of MDF around the perimeter of the room upon which the countertop would sit. He also installed one on the wall for the horizontal bookcase. We painted it out to match the wall and eventually plan to hide it with cork board. The two file cabinets which support one end of the countertop had been built. We did switch out the castors for stainless steel feet 'coz we liked the look better.

Next step was to mount the bookcase. We don't think the bookcase was meant to be mounted on the wall... they didn't have any examples in the IKEA showroom and the salesguy wasn't too sure. But we figured with enough brackets and support the bookcase won't come crashing down on top of our heads. First, Handyman had to find the studs in the wall. Then we had to figure out where those studs fell on the bookcase and put brackets there. Here's a tip: HandyMan wanted to make sure he didn't drill too deep (IKEA products typically are only reinforced around the edges and are particleboard otherwise). So, he measured up the screw size and put a piece of masking tape around the drill bit. He'd stop drilling once the tape hit the top of the hole.




With the bookcase up (after a few missed studs, ahem), we moved on to attaching the countertops to the wall. The first went in easily, again with supporting brackets underneath. The second, which sits under a window, was a bit more difficult. We had to notch it out bit by bit (not easy when the thing weighs 100 pounds). We decided to use the $5 seam cover to hide the chipped end where the countertops meet.

All that was left then was a bit of dressing. We installed a curtain rod, and some of the pre-made drawers and doors that you can buy for the bookcase. All that's left is a bit of finishing touches- curtains, paint out the rad, install filler panel behind the file cabinets, prints on the wall, new lighting fixture. Oh, and a few grommet holes so we can rid of the mess of cords sitting on the countertop.




Shopping list for this room: 2x expedit bookcases, 2x Mikael file cabinets, 2 -4pk capita legs, 2 Numerar countertops (double sided, aluminum & white, 96"). All from Ikea.

Colour Me Easter

Happy Easter to those of you celebrating this weekend. This time of year always makes me think of birds and eggs and pretty pastels.

From L to R: Pigeon vase from ThreePotatoFour, egg birdhouse from J Schatz; Martha Stewart bluebird cupcakes; Little Hop canvas by CuriousZoo; Perch necklace by sudlow; Thomas Paul Kelly II lamp