Design: Elephants in Rooms

March 20, 2014 | Leave a Reply

Even though it’s the year of the horse, let’s talk about elephants, shall we? I see them coming up a lot lately – in a variety of forms – and I’m thinking that we’re going to see more and more of them over the next year. What do you think? Is my prediction spot on or way off?

an origami elephant (from one sheet of paper!) by Sipho Mabona

elephant walking print, art.com

via Lonny

via Pinterest

elephant teapot, $20, Urban Outfitters

eastern elephant pillowcases, $34, Urban Outfitters

Annada Hypes elephant print – Quiet Places, Minted

via Pinterest

papier mache elephant, $99, West Elm

via Pinterest

What’s your favourite elephant form – table, artwork, sculpture, bedding, ceramics? Do you already have an elephant collection?

Design: Mirrors in the Princess Margaret Home Lottery Showhome

March 13, 2014 | 3 Commentaries

What did you think of yesterday’s tour of the Princess Margaret Home Lottery Vaughan showhome? One thing I didn’t mention was that the house was full of mirrors! Just full of ’em. They were practically calling my name and screaming “selfie, selfie”. Ha ha. I couldn’t resist taking a few…

white, black, and gold in the dining room

unframed mirror in an ensuite bath

framed mirror back in the kitchen’s desk area

floating, back-to-back mirrors in the master bath

roman numeral framed mirror in the stairwell

sleek rectangle mirror & small grey tiles in the teen retreat

studs near the laundry room

I’m so bad at taking iPhone selfies (I seem to always need both hands), but I love that, with these photos, I can highlight the mirrors and show off tiles and other design details through the reflections.

Design: Princess Margaret Home Lottery – Vaughan Showhome

March 12, 2014 | 2 Commentaries

Earlier this week I was invited to attend an event at the Princess Margaret Home Lottery Vaughan showhome. The evening included a tour with designer Jack Celli of Greenpark Homes, as well as wine tasting lessons from Krystina Roman of Rosewood Estates in Beamsville/Niagara, and delicious food and cooking instruction from Steve Gonzalez of Toronto’s Valdez (and Top Chef Canada – Season 1). Laura was our happy host for the evening, and design and food bloggers mingled and ate in a $4 million home. Not bad for a Monday night, right?

The Vaughan showhome is far…in the country…north of Woodbridge…almost in Barrie? Joking…it’s just north of Woodbridge, but it’s definitely in the countryside (and just over an hour drive from Waterloo). The massive showhome is surrounded by other massive homes and a beautiful landscape. The house is full of white so, naturally, I went a overboard with the photos. Black and gold are accent colours throughout the house.

first floor hallway

details in the dining room – moulding & art

main floor family room – beside the kitchen

open concept kitchen

white bathroom ensuite – 2nd floor

the elevator (yes, an elevator!)

substantial doors throughout the home

high ceilings & crown moulding

Greenpark‘s Director of design – Jack Celli – in the master bathroom

Rosewood wines: Riesling, Semillon, Mead (honey wine)

chef Steve Gonzales in the kitchen (cooking up things like ceviche, arepa, & chorizo…yum!)

Danica (Country Chic Renovator) & me with our Rosewood honey

beautiful view from the lanai

hakwood floors & oversized armchairs in the library

winged art sculptures

one of the 2nd floor bedrooms with ensuite

master bathroom (the size of a football field – well, almost)

his & her toilet rooms in the master bathroom

door & floor details

the runway room

half a dozen switches in the master bathroom

While the house is much too fancy for my taste, it has a good layout, it’s really airy, and the lanai off of the kitchen & family rooms is a beautiful space that can be used year-round. I also quickly noticed – and liked – how substantial the doors, moulding, and trim was throughout the house.

I loved the Hakwood flooring throughout the house. My favourite room in the house was the library – it is currently set up with four large comfy chairs and shelves of vases and other interesting objects. If I lived there, I’d obviously fill those shelves with books. The room has good light from a large window, it’s near off the main foyer and living rooms, and it has a mini-kitchen beside it. How handy.

So, are you interested in this big ticket item? Have other prizes caught your eye? Have you bought your ticket?

Thanks to Laura Z. for being such a wonderful host and event coordinator.

Photos by Jordana. Additional photos here.

Design: Bed Headboards

February 5, 2014 | 1 Commentary

I’m going to need a new headboard, eventually. I am completely fine with the one that I currently have, but getting a new one has crossed my mind. But then again, what hasn’t crossed my mind in terms of home decor?!

The headboard below is actually a pegboard. A super easy DIY that makes for a really modern and interesting backdrop.

pegboard DIY headboard

This next bed is sans headboard and it still looks like a completely finished bed. The paintings over the bed add interest and focus to the space. While I love the crispness of this space, I much prefer a bed with a real headboard.

South Kensington home, London, UK

The headboard below has such a low profile. You can barely see it, but it’s definitely there. The gallery wall above the bed is so interesting and colourful. I love it. I probably wouldn’t put a full gallery wall over my bed though, because I’d be too scared that something would fall on top of me.

Manhattan apartment, Flatiron District

I love the detail of the headboard below. It’s like a piece of art and serves as a nice focal point in this minimalist space.

apartment in Tribeca, Manhattan

I can’t quite tell if the headboard in the room below is made out of wood or metal, but I like it. It’s a classic.

via

Ah – simple, simple, simple. An upholstered bed frame is so comfortable to lean against. Love it.

upholstered headboard, Greece home

Reading in bed would be so easy with the headboard below. This DIY appears to be an easy and inexpensive one.

DIY headboard of books, Design Every Day

The final headboard is classic carved wood. There are a lot of these – in wood – on places like Kijiji and Craigslist, but they’d be easy enough to paint. All of my bedroom furniture is painted wood so something like this would completely fit in.

Simply White Style

Do any of these headboards stand out to you? What’s calling your name?

Design: Big Bathrooms

January 16, 2014 | Leave a Reply

I’m curious – do you prefer a small, cozy, and efficient bathroom, or one that is spacious enough for a dance party?

I am lucky to have 3 bathrooms in my house (1 full size bath and 2 half-baths). When my water mysteriously (or because of the Polar Vortex) stopped working in my big bathroom and powder room last week, I felt really fortunate to have a third bathroom in working order. My powder room is a sweet little space that I love. I put thought into every element of the small space and the result makes me proud. My second half-bath is a mess of pink rosy wallpaper that I’m too scared to touch at the moment. My third bath – The Big Bath – is big. And grey. It used to be grey and shiny on account of the 80s wallpaper and the smoky grey mirror. What a mess. If I win the lottery, I’ll certainly rip the bathroom out and start from scratch, but in the meantime, I have to make do. Here’s what the room used to look like:

Since moving in, I tore the wallpaper to shreds (did I really have a choice?), patched the heck out of the walls, primed & painted (Chantilly Lace, of course), removed all the heavy mirrors, took down/replaced the lighting fixtures, painted the wood trim on the vanity, removed old towel bars (I think there were about 6 mismatched bars around the room), and installed new towel bars (this set). The vanity and toilet are white/cream, the floor is grey/cream, and the rest of the space (including the massive jacuzzi tub) is grey. A new white counter top, sink, and faucet will be going in soon and the combo is sure to brighten up the space. But there’s still a problem.

My bathroom echoes. And I don’t like it.

Does anyone else have this issue? Some friends have suggested I load up the space with towels, but how many “just for show” towels do I really need? Others have suggested that I put some furniture in the space. I had a bookcase in there at one point but it got moved during the painting process. I thought about putting in a chaise lounge or a desk just for laughs. Perhaps artwork and a gorgeous rug will help with the echo issue while prettying up the space at the same time. All this to say that, because of The Big Bath situation, today’s post is all about massive bathrooms.

The space in this big bath allows for a stand alone tub and gorgeous faucet. The extra-long vanity ensures that nobody is stepping on anyone else’s toes while in the process of teeth-brushing. I am pretty sure that the three towels on the heater do not reduce the echoes in this full marble bathroom.

via

There’s a decent chance that the grey tufted bench in this marble bathroom might reduce the noise and the bathmat looks to be extra long at the entry way of the double-shower head shower.

via

I could easily put a vintage hutch in my bathroom as in the photo below. I see that this one is filled with towels, blankets, and maybe even a pillow or two. The rug and various pieces of furniture really camouflage the fact that this space is actually a bathroom and not a living room. I hate that there are no mirrors over the sinks though.

via

The mirror that used to be in the Big Bath reminds me of the one below. The view looks to be lovely. An upholstered chair and some flowers and tables at the end of this room might help the sound travel in this expansive room.

via

Similar to some of the other bathrooms, the one below has included several pieces of furniture and art which fills up the space. The fireplace and TV are okay additions, I guess, but I would never put a TV in my bathroom.

via

I think I’m more of a luxurious kitchen kind of person rather than a luxurious bathroom kind of person. Maybe I’ll change my mind after I make some more changes in the Big Bath. If you have any advice, I’d love to hear it.

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