Hello and welcome to Week Four of the One Room Challenge! If you’re just finding me for the first time, welcome! I’m thrilled you’re here and am excited to share what we’ve been up to and what is to come as I work on transforming a Natural Wellness Centre into a spa-like health retreat.

Love Is In The Details
How To Choose Paint For A Healthier Environment

It’s been a busy week this week with several exciting deliveries rolling in! Our amazing Farrow & Ball paint has arrived, and I’m so excited to see it up on the walls. I choose to work with Farrow & Ball paints not only because they offer a rich, historical palette of colours, but also because their clay-based paint is VOC-free.

farrow-and-ball-paint-can

Why does that even matter, you ask?

VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) have been proven to have a significant impact on both our indoor air quality and ultimately our health. Some of the signs that VOC’s are having a negative impact on you can include:

  • Eye, nose and throat irritation
  • headaches, loss of coordination, nausea and vomiting
  • damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system
  • allergic skin reactions
  • difficulty breathing
  • nose bleeds
  • fatigue
  • dizziness and difficulty concentrating

I know, I know. Not very pleasant to talk about! But when our goal is to create beautiful, inspiring spaces that soothe the senses, we really have to be concerned about the impact our design choices make on our environment as well. One day I dream of building a home that is as healthy as it is beautiful, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Farrow & Ball will be at the top of my list of preferred products when it comes time to make that dream a reality!

farrow-and-ball-all-white-voc-free-paint

We have chosen All White No. 2005 for this project as it is a perfect match to the modern, high gloss cabinetry going into the IV suite nurse’s station. It is crisp and fresh and the ultimate chameleon, blending in harmoniously with everything around it. We chose Farrow & Ball’s Modern Emulsion for the walls, an exceptionally velvety matte finish that is surprisingly durable and will be more forgiving of any imperfections in the commercial drywall. For the trim, we chose their Estate Eggshell which will offer a beautiful semi-gloss sheen and is ideal for the interior woodwork and the solid metal doors on the treatment rooms.

How To Use Texture To Tame Your Mood

Did you know that soft textures have been clinically proven to improve our moods? That’s right! According to Psychology Today, soft and soothing textures can actually help turn around a negative state of mind. Not only is this proof that our kids are brilliant for reaching for their favourite blanket for comfort, but it also reveals why high thread count linens are so treasured. It’s ALSO the reason why we decided to significantly up the comfort factor in the IV suite by selecting Annie Selke Nodo Shams to cover the pillows that will be used under patients’ arms as they get their IV’s. With a 500 thread count, these beauties feel more like silk than cotton, and they will add another layer of warm welcome to the senses as Amber’s patients work to reclaim their greatest health and vitality.

annie-selke-nodo-zinc-shams

The stunning pattern doesn’t hurt either! I can’t wait to see these in place (and experience them myself when I’m in for my IV infusions)!

Textured Stone For The Win

The only sad news this week was the revelation that our hopes for a book matched stone reception desk are not meant to be. Blame the B-word (budget), a real thing when investing in highly sensitive testing equipment that allows you to offer greater health insights and treatment options to your clients! That said, we are still making a huge stone statement in the reception area thanks to this stunning split face marble by ErthCoverings.

erth-coverings-white-wolf-ledgestone

Rather than using this stone on the desk, we will feature ErthCoverings’ White Wolfe Ledgestone on the wall to be erected behind the reception desk. I’m super excited as I know it is going to make a stunning vertical statement. For the sake of balance and further impact, we will also feature it on the wall opposite the reception desk against which the Ghost chairs will sit. White Wolf Ledgestone is brand new to ErthCoverings and in my opinion it’s one of the most stunning products they’ve made yet. It will offer the kind of organic, sophisticated first impression I’m looking for, and I couldn’t be happier about it!

And that, my friends, is this week’s update! The fridge has arrived from Perlick, the counters, Blanco sinks and faucets should be installed very soon, the panelling from Metrie and the ErthCoverings stone will be next on the to-do list, and then it’s on to art and styling! I can feel the momentum building, and I couldn’t be more excited for Amber and the official launch of her beautiful new natural wellness centre. Only two more weeks!

In the meantime, be sure to visit here and here to check out what all the rest of the One Room Challenge design daredevils have been up to this week, and I look forward to catching up with all of you next week!

Sarah-Signature