Sarah Walker The Curated House, Author at The Curated House

Polart Furniture | Traditional Meets Modern

I recently stumbled upon a furniture collection that made my jaw drop a little and I just had to share it with you today. In interior design we are often trying to find our place on the spectrum of traditional to modern, and that spectrum leaves a lot of room for interpretation. With the evolution of design, extremes are now less frequently the hard-and-fast rule. Purists still exist, but design styles and periods are more commonly being knit together into very personalized interiors.

Capitalizing on this shift in the design industry, Polart has created a collection of furniture that offers statement pieces that boldly bridge the spectrum of traditional to modern. It was this bookcase that first captured my attention.

I simply adore the whit and whimsy this piece evokes. Fresh and modern while offering a respectful bow to tradition, this bookcase has my number.

My other favourite from this collection is the grandfather clock {shown above}, such a brilliantly fresh and modern interpretation of a traditional heirloom classic.

My jaw dropped a little further when I discovered Polart also offers an incredibly unique outdoor collection.

Polart‘s artistic use of polymers results in an outdoor collection that stands above the crowd as utterly unique and bursting with personality. From bergére chairs to dining chairs and fainting sofas, the one-piece plastic frames {available in black, white and several pop colours} can be upholstered in Sunbrella’s canvas fabric, making them entirely resistant {frame-to-fabric} to humidity, corrosion, extreme temperatures, light and weathering. They are even members of the Sustainable Furnishings Council!

I’m sure you would agree that this outdoor collection is most definitely 50% tradition, 50% modernity and 100% STATEMENT. I can picture everything from elegant and easy gatherings to Mad-hatter, madcap tea parties taking place on these stunning pieces. They are clearly just a cast of fascinating characters awaiting new stories to be written around them. Oh the stories they are waiting to tell!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 18th, 2012|3 Comments

Creature Feature | Halloween Masks to Delight + Inspire

I have a good friend who hates candy. Yep. In fact, she pretty much hates all sweet things except honey and maple syrup in judicious doses. Yes, I do think she was dropped on her head as a baby. She also hates costumes, making Halloween pretty much her worst nightmare. This post is not for her.

For the rest of us who still get giddy at the thought of strangers filling pillowcases with a year’s supply of candy {read: those of us who are parents of small children}, this post might just offer some inspiration. And for anyone planning to attend a fun or frightening costume party, your creative costume dilemma is solved!

I stumbled upon Mary’s woodland creatures on Etsy last week and couldn’t help but share her wonderfully realistic and imaginative masks with you today.

Purchase yours by the 19th of October to get it shipped in time for Halloween! What are you going as this year?

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 17th, 2012|0 Comments

House & Home | Princess Margaret Showhome 2012

I just love it when visual beauty is woven together with a beautiful cause. There are few ways to imbue deeper meaning to architectural and interior design than to offer those gifts as a means of raising funds for cancer research. That’s just what Lynda Reeves and her incredible design team do each year with the Princess Margaret Showhome. The Showhome is just one of several prizes available in this luxury sweepstakes, and the funds raised support Toronto’s incredible Princess Margaret Hospital in their fight to conquer cancer. The House & Home team – under Lynda’s deft design direction – have been building spectacular homes in Oakville for several years now as a part of the Welcome Home Sweepstakes. These beautifully designed luxury dwellings are no doubt the coveted prize each year, and this year’s $4.3 million home is no exception.

One of the things Lynda and her team do so well is re-interpret classic concepts with a decidedly modern flair. This year’s modern farmhouse style offers a wonderful mix of charm and warmth on a grand scale, brought to life on a very clean canvas of restrained colours and textures. The stone exterior and white interior walls are both graphically punctuated by the stunning black metal-framed windows and doors, creating a satisfying rhythm throughout the home. The design choice is brilliant as these doors and windows nod at both classic French design and an industrial loft style simultaneously.

There is an undercurrent of global influence throughout the space with rugs, textiles and objets which suggest a well-traveled aesthetic. The pops of pattern and colour that punctuate the home make a bold statement against the quiet backdrop of calming neutrals.

The vista down the hallway to the lounge – framed by the black metal and glass doors and textured by the stacked wood and rough-hewn shelves beyond – is my favourite view in the house. Architect Ray Murakami of Murakami Design clearly speaks the love language of sight-lines, beckoning inhabitants to nestle in and recharge in this seemingly secret room tucked away in a quiet corner of the house.

The kitchen is a visual stunner, and the island {decadently panelled in Bianco Carerra marble} is the piece de resistance in my opinion. The dramatic black Grange pantry cabinet is a strong visual anchor, and the clean lines and simplicity of the main wall of cabinets is quite calming. My only tweak to this kitchen {were it mine} would be to add more refrigeration as my family eats so many veggies that we require more than your average drawer and shelf space! I think customizing each end of the Grange pantry {disguising a full-length fridge on one end and a full-length freezer on the other} would serve the purpose without disturbing the aesthetic. The doors could be panelled in the same style and mirrored where there is currently glass to maintain the open feel I so adore in this kitchen’s design.

The house is elegantly outfitted head-to-toe in Hansgrohe plumbing fixtures {my favourite!}. With flat screens and a washer/dryer from LG, this luxury residence is definitely equipped with the latest and best in home electronics and appliances.

You can visit the Showhome in person at 220 Pinehurst Drive in Oakville weekdays between 4-8pm and weekends noon-5pm. Tickets can be purchased on site and are also available here.

I hope Lynda Reeves and her team have inspired you, not only with their design prowess but more importantly with their charitable spirit in leveraging their gifts for a greater cause.

xo
s.

All photos by Michael Graydon

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 16th, 2012|0 Comments