Sarah Walker The Curated House, Author at The Curated House

What’s Upstairs at ELTE? | Children’s Department

If you’ve been to ELTE recently, you’ll know they’ve been undergoing some major renovations. The transformation began with the second floor, which was originally opened as the updated Sale Room {a flea market of sorts filled with one-offs, returns, slightly damaged pieces and lots of great finds}. Following the second floor’s reinvention, the natural light that floods this space now shines on 3 separate and equally beautiful departments – The Children’s Department, The Linens Department and The Bed Department. Today, a few photos of some of my favourite pieces from the Children’s Department.

I simply adore the delicate, slightly retro feel to these channel-stitched quilted pieces. And who wouldn’t want to snuggle up with that sweet, sketched cat? Purrr.

These animal decals come in a roll and easily transform plain walls into a sweet dream safari.

Character stories abound in the form of stuffed creatures ready to share whispered secrets from their new little humans.

I love the sweet and somewhat French quality to these bird cage lights below. I’m particularly fond of the way the fine wire “caging” frames a filament Edison bulb, offering simple warmth and charm.

Hideouts and campouts and sleepovers galore! Just imagine the stories that might be told inside this sweet canvas tee-pee.

Oh, Pooh. We’ll always be friends, won’t we?

“I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart for so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can be together all the time.” – A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

In keeping with ELTE’s thoughtfully complete retailing, they have included a rug department specific to children on the upper level for true head-to-toe design of charming bedrooms and playrooms.

As you can see, ELTE’s second floor is well worth a visit! There’s definitely something there waiting to appeal to in the child in all of us.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 5th, 2012|0 Comments

Magnetic Wallpaper Ignites the Imagination | Sian Zeng

I have a confession to make. I am a huge fan of stories. I think storytelling is a precious art form and that children should be taught from a very young age to tell them, to listen to them, and to always create them in their imaginations. Stories are what connect us with each other and with history. Stories connect us to deeper meaning and greater thought and higher inspiration.

It is my love of story that has caused me to fall head-over-heels for this product I’m sharing with you today. Yes, the illustrations are delightful. Yes, the magnetic concept is ingenious. But it is the power to ignite the imagination that holds the key to my heart with this one. Feast your eyes {and your imaginations} on this brilliant wallpaper collection. Aptly named “Magic and Fun,” this uniquely interactive wall covering by Sian Zeng invites visual narratives that evolve through interaction.

Can’t you just picture the hours upon hours of storytelling that would take place on these walls? Friends would always want to come and play at your house so as to continue writing their scripts and plays. And bedtime stories would take on an entirely grander dimension of creativity and interplay.

A lovely stage for the imagination, it is easy to see how every fairytale ever told might come to life on the walls of a room “dressed for the theatre” in Sian Zeng‘s paper.

All images via Sian Zeng

In my imagination, the dry-erase thought bubble {shown above} would create endless opportunities for hilarious photo shoots. Wouldn’t it be fun to wallpaper a dining room with a paper from the Magic and Fun collection? Just think of how much everyone’s ribs would hurt after the laughter that would ensue from telling stories with friends over dinner, creating “thought bubbles” for each other throughout the night? Your home and hospitality would no doubt be the talk of the town.

How do you keep your imagination alive? What materials or collections have encouraged you to think outside the box lately?

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 4th, 2012|0 Comments

Powder Room Perfection

Today I thought I’d share with you one of my favourite client powder rooms. Small but sophisticated, this powder room elicits a lot of conversation when guests come for dinner. I think it’s all in the details.

There’s just no substitute for gorgeous raw materials. In this case, I chose Macassar Ebony for the floating, 2-drawer vanity and beveled mirror frame {which wraps around the vanity from floor to ceiling}. I finished it with a simple but stunning polished black granite countertop with a 5″ mitred edge. Clean, substantial, modern and gorgeous.

To continue the floating effect established by the vanity, I chose a simple and elegant Hansgrohe wall-mounted faucet, mounted on top of the mirror so that it seemingly pours out of infinity into the shimmering hand-hammered, undermounted nickel sink.

As if mimicking the waterfall from the faucet, the crystal droplets of these two sconces {elegantly framed by their black pleated shades} add sophistication and glamour. Layered on top of the stunning metallic flocked wallpaper from Kravet, they tell the story of texture upon texture and detail upon detail.

I love the femininity and simplicity of the art we chose to mount above the toilet – a gorgeous ink on mylar piece by Madeleine Lamont {via Art Interiors}. Simply floating on the matting behind, Madeleine’s piece compliments the very graphic, henna-like pattern of the wallpaper without fighting it, carving out a place of its own with it’s gestural, organic image and crisp, dark wood frame. The baseboards, crown moulding and ceiling are all painted out a dark, chocolately-charcoal grey, acting as a dramatic frame for the entire room.

The floors are once again texture upon texture and detail upon detail. A gorgeous, striated mocha limestone is inset with a beautiful mosaic tile carpet which runs underneath of both the floating vanity and the toilet to truly anchor the room and connect the elements.

The border is created with 7 rows of 5/8″x5/8″ jointless dark chocolate Emperador mosaic.

The inset of the tile carpet is comprised of this timeless and spectacular Crema Marfil mosaic, the fan motif serving as a beautiful nod to the Art Deco period.

Overall I’d have to say this is one of my all-time favourite client powder rooms, a sophisticated space for a sophisticated family. A great deal of time and attention to detail were poured into the design of this powder room, a space that is far too often overlooked for the opportunity it offers to created a style statement in a little jewel box of a room. I hope this inspires you with some ideas for what you might do with yours!

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 3rd, 2012|4 Comments