Sarah Walker The Curated House, Author at The Curated House

An International Story | Canada’s Love Affair with bluebellgray

Paris truly is the city of love, so it’s only apropos that Canada’s love affair with bluebellgray should begin there. Arren Williams of Hudson’s Bay made the home-textiles-love connection with Fiona Douglas when they met at Maison et Objet, and her vibrant and joyful collection of home textiles and furnishings has now launched here in Canada this Fall.

In a home décor category filled with endless whites and neutrals, Fiona Douglas’ handpainted bluebellgray collection of home textiles fairly sings with joie de vivre. And there is a freedom to Fiona’s collection that belies her story.

Coming from a family that was quite clearly either artistically or medically minded, Fi fell to the artistic side of the family tree right from the start. Inspired by children’s illustrator Quentin Blake and her Mum’s use of colour, flowers and beautiful books in the house, Fiona pursued her love of beauty when she enrolled in the prestigious Glasgow School of Art’s fine art program.

While Fiona enjoyed the opportunity to hone and refine her skills in Glasgow, she found that the fine arts program and it’s classical roots felt somehow restrictive. She was soon to discover – through the nudgings of a good friend – that the real problem was quite simply that the canvas was too small for Fiona’s expansive imagination.

Fiona made the switch to textile design on the promptings of a friend in the program who saw the freedom Fi needed and encouraged her to embrace it via a slight change in medium and a broadening of her canvas and her horizons. As I’m sure you would agree, the results are truly beautiful and offer us the opportunity to dream watercolour dreams filled with vibrant colour and unrestricted imagination as we tuck ourselves into bed each night.

Image via Hudson’s Bay

I confess I am already designing a heart-happy guest room in my imagination, all centred around the Glasgow Queen Headboard {pictured above} from the bluebellgray furniture collection that is exclusive to Hudson’s Bay. And I’m doing so with a clean conscience. Fiona shares my passion for the process behind the product, so much so that her company is both completely carbon neutral and diligently ensuring that the craftspeople making the linens and furniture for bluebellgray are treated fairly and ethically at every step along the way.

All of the furniture pieces in the collection for Hudson’s Bay are not only exclusive, but also made right here in Toronto at a small father-daughter studio. She’s my kind of girl, that Fi, as she truly believes in supporting the local economy and local artisans as she shares her inspiration with the world. Integrity and human kindness really are two of the most profound forms of beauty, after all.

I hope Fiona’s beautiful, handpainted bluebellgray collection has inspired you to follow your dreams, expand your canvas, and leave your own unique mark of beauty on the world. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Fi! I look forward to tea together again the next time you are this side of the pond.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 3rd, 2014|0 Comments

2014 Brian Gluckstein Princess Margaret Lotto Showhome | PART THREE

So without further ado, let me share my favourite space in the Princess Margaret Lotto Showhome. It is – in one sense – the simplest space in the house.

A desk.

Two chairs.

A tree.

That’s it.

Well, unless you count the endless windows and decadent abundance of natural light. At the end of the day, that’s all I really need. NATURAL LIGHT. In fact, it’s my favourite Designer luxury.

Turns out, the chairs were scooped up at a thrift store and reupholstered. My kind of find!

And have I mentioned those windows?! 16 feet high and capped off with a skylight above to basically make this as outdoors as you can possibly get while still being inside the house. The third wall is mirrored so that it feels like a glass box and just reflects the light even further into the space, and the fourth wall is just open to the house. THIS is the sightline at the end of the hallway from the entrance you would use daily as a family. Can you say inspired? Talk about a welcome home for the senses.

L O V E.

I don’t know about you, but I think a lot of dreaming and planning and world dominating {in the most feminine, kick-ass way possible, of course} could happen in this space. Sign. Me. Up.

What do you think? What’s your favourite space in this house?

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 2nd, 2014|0 Comments

2014 Brian Gluckstein Princess Margaret Lotto Showhome | PART TWO

So yesterday I shared with you some of my favourite design features from this beautiful home through the lens of my personal Dream House Wish List. I think I’m going to have to make this a regular feature as the list of dream details keeps growing, and they are far too delicious to keep to myself! For now, more design love from the 2014 Princess Margaret Lotto Showhome designed by Brian Gluckstein.

A GREAT KITCHEN

The heart of every dream home is truly the kitchen. This is where family and friends gather, where meals are prepared and shared and where some of the most meaningful conversations of the day often take place. There should be a simpatico in the kitchen – a welcoming of the ebb and flow of people who make a house a home – matched with a comfortable calm that invites creativity and connection.

I love the high gloss black lacquer on the island cabinetry, which serves as a nice punch of contrast to the clean and serene waterfall countertop made of Cambria quartz.

The satin brass cabinetry hardware is a modern twist on a classic. I also love the retro feel of the brass and frosted glass pendants over the island {below}.

The Le Cornue range and hood vent offer a dramatic focal point, adding more contrast and a touch of French decadence to this kitchen.

And the collection of toasters from the 1930’s and ’40’s adds just the sense of quirky personality this kitchen needs!

A PLAYFUL SPIRIT

For me, every dream house absolutely has to have a sense of whimsy. We should never take ourselves too seriously, but especially not at home. After all, how can we have a house filled with laughter if we lose our playful spirit? Laughter is a must in my world! And in this house, the whimsy and lightheartedness I look for are best seen in the art found in the children’s bedrooms, all from Art Interiors. I love how the artwork plays off of the colourful bedding from the Gluckstein Home collection. Bright, cheerful colours for a bright and cheerful little life! It doesn’t hurt that navy and orange happens to be one of my favourite colour combinations.

Creamsicle anyone?

The effortless drape of the bouquet of tulips over the bed creates a casual beauty that’s perfect for this room!

I’m also in love with the GENIUS way that Brian concealed an awkward bulkhead in one of the bedrooms by creating this nautical-inspired built-in bunk bed {below}. Rumour has it the ladder was tucked away for safe keeping before the house was opened to guests because the adults on the team “may or may not” have been climbing up it and playing on the bunk beds themselves. That’s a good sign in my book! It’s all about keeping a childlike spirit alive.

How much is that doggy in the window? Love him!

Isn’t the craft room adorable? That whimsical dalmatian totally sets the tone!

DRAMA

To juxtapose that playful whit and lightheartedness, every dream home should have at least one moment of drama. Take, for example, the the theatre room on the lower level of this house. The dark walls, masculine furnishings, gallery wall of photography and eclectic, well-traveled spirit of the styling of the accessories all tell an interesting story and set the stage for the drama and intrigue that make for a perfect movie viewing room.

INGENUITY

One of the things I love most about being an interior designer is the opportunity to use my strategy gene to turn problems into solutions and even design features. Brian Gluckstein is the absolute master of this very brand of design magic. I love how he used his ingenuity to solve the problem of a home gym that was totally lacking in natural light. Not one to settle, Brian got creative and thought – what if one of the walls was “see through?” Literally! By encasing the wine cellar in glass instead of drywall and suspending the racking between the floor and ceiling so that it didn’t require a wall to anchor it, Brian created a giant window into the home gym that welcomes in a wash of natural light to keep the fitness buffs in this household feeling fresh and inspired. Genius!