Sarah Walker The Curated House, Author at The Curated House

Make Something Mondays | October 15, 2012

Today I am excited to introduce you to three fascinating artists. Photographer Alicia Bock spends her days in search of light and shadows with a longing to capture photographs that evoke memories of our favourite days. This triptych below {entitled “Jewels”} transports me to my favourite summer nights on the lake in northern Ontario.

Next, meet Emily Sova. Raised on her family’s dairy farm, Emily developed a passion for the landscapes upon which her ancestors once tread and the ways in which history still has a hold on the present. Her work is most often an attempt at recreating an environment or place in a tactile yet painterly manner while exploring the memories and emotions attached. Much of her work examines our connections to the land and the process of food production {which totally fascinates me!}.

Next, meet Geninne. A passionately curious watercolour painter, Geninne’s birds tell stories and capture the imagination with their whimsical, vintage charm. I am utterly smitten by both her painting style and the characters she creates.

I hope these artists {and their unique view to the world} have left you feeling inspired and alive this Monday!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 15th, 2012|0 Comments

Upcycled Hardwood from Apalachian Woods

If you’re like me, a visit into any architectural space {home or commercial} is something of a visual scavenger hunt for beautiful materials and interesting applications. When climbing a set of rough-hewn wood beam stairs, for example, I’m usually wondering where they came from and who installed them. Everywhere I go I notice tile details and door hardware, lighting and wall finishes, and all of these details leave me curious as to the story behind each product.

That is certainly the case every time I visit a new Anthropologie store with their eclectic mix of industrial rustic, reclaimed, vintage and modern finishes. Remember my post from awhile back about the new Oakville location? Well through the magic of the interwebs, the company that supplies their hardwood found my post and asked if they could use some of my photos to show off their product in context. I of course said yes, and then also asked if I could learn more about their process {you know me!}. Turns out, these floors have a great story. Here’s what I learned.

The reason the gorgeous hardwood floors you see in the Anthro stores have such character is that they are made from upcycled wood, reclaimed from old barns in the US. Appalachian Woods {the company behind this process} has developed something of a reputation in their area. They’ve created a place where tired barns can go – not to rest, but to write an entirely new storyline for their future. Appalachian Woods is regularly contacted about local barns that need to be removed. The owner, Jonas Hochstetler, evaluates the condition of the wood and estimates the overall value and time required for demolition, and then their team dives in.

The reclaimed oak and chestnut floors they produce are most frequently upcycled from 1″ and 2″ thick barn boards with the original, time-worn faces on both sides. Once the barnboard has been checked for nails and other hardware with a metal detector, it is kiln dried and straight line ripped to the finished dimensions of the soon-to-be hardwood floors. The Antique Heart Pine is actually purchased as large timbers {just picture huge hand-hewn beams from a barn} and then taken through a similar process.

The company specializes in three main species: Antique Wormy Chestnut, Antique Heart Pine and Antique Oak.

Isn’t the application of this Antique Wormy Chestnut {above} remarkable? It reminds me of a hand-braided rug.

I love the clear grain of the Antique Heart Pine above, very different from the pine we see being harvested today. The older pine has a tighter, more linear grain as it comes from much larger trees than the ones we harvest now.

This next photo definitely defines “wood cabin” to the extreme with upcycled, vintage wood on the floors, walls and cabinets. To be honest it’s too much of a good thing for me, but it definitely showcases the many different applications possible!

I don’t know about you, but I just love knowing that the gorgeous floors I’ve long admired at Anthropologie come from a dedicated, family-run business. Appalachian Woods‘ passion to give tired barns a new life is environmentally responsible and visually inspiring, creating warm and charming environments across North America with their beautiful story. So happy to be able to share their process and product with you today!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 12th, 2012|1 Comment

Tata Harper | Morning Ritual Part 1 | Cleanser + Hydrating Mist

Good morning, lovely friends! I hope you are all happy and well on this gorgeous Autumn day. The sun is shining, the air is crisp and the colours are glorious. Makes me happy.

On days like this, I usually love to sit and sip a cup of coffee early in the morning and savour a soothing ritual before launching into the day. Thing is, I’ve all but given up coffee for the moment in deference to an anti-inflammatory diet. I know. It hurts me too. Perhaps it will come back to me in the form of the occasional cup of fresh-roasted, organic, fair-trade coffee in time. But for now, my morning ritual has changed and I have new things to look forward to instead of the aromatic goodness of my cup of coffee.

I’ve come to discover a ritual that more than satisfies my need for a soothing and rejuvenating morning routine. Washing my face. No, seriously. Remember my recent post about my change in cleanser and moisturizer? I was early into using Tata Harper‘s products when I told you about them, and now I’m hooked. Who needs coffee when you can awaken your senses and nourish your skin like this? I honestly feel like I’ve walked into a field of flowers every time I use these gorgeous, totally organic, totally results-driven products. So I’ve decided to tell you more about them, as well as introduce you to more treasures in the line up that have recently been introduced to me.

{This is seriously how my new morning routine makes me feel. Inspired, refreshed + alive. Thanks, Tata!}

OK, first the Refreshing Cleanser. Here’s why it’s incredible. First off, it’s designed for sensitive skin so it doesn’t irritate or dry out my skin by stripping it bare. Instead it preserves my natural hydration and gives me a glowy freshness while removing impurities. Here are the main active ingredients:

One of the things I love about Tata is that she doesn’t waste time with inactive ingredients or “fillers” in her formulas. Every ingredient has an active, results-driven purpose while still being totally non-toxic. All of these natural, organic ingredients also smell glorious – a veritable feast for your skin.

So, the next step in the morning ritual is the Hydrating Floral Essence. This one is new to me {thank you, Tata!} and I love it.

You will want to shake it up before using it to mix all of the ingredients together. This step is what would often be the Toner in the traditional cleansing routine, but it is very, very different. It feels like a gentle but deeply penetrating spritzing of sheer hydration that soaks into my skin and locks in balance.

I have typically struggled with combination skin and thus avoided using my moisturizer as liberally on my forehead, chin and nose. But Tata’s products are balancing me out, and it’s noticeable. My skin drinks in this step in the routine with gratitude and leaves nothing behind to sit on my skin and make it greasy. I think it’s all about the Hyaluronic Acid. Here’s the list of amazing active ingredients for this beautiful step in the ritual.

I’ve also come to discover that it makes a light and lovely refresh near the end of the day, and it can even be used over makeup to give your skin a drink. Gorgeous!

I promise to follow up with more of the beautiful steps in this routine and give you my personal play-by-play on how each product is changing my skin. Many thanks to Tata for the opportunity to experience the other products in the line and share them with you!

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 11th, 2012|1 Comment