Sarah Walker The Curated House, Author at The Curated House

Project: Kitchen Refresh | Lighting Option #1

OK, so I’ve started sourcing for my little Kitchen Refresh project and have the first lighting option for us to mull over together today. It is truly classic – a bit formal, sophisticated and more than a little bit glamorous in a refined and restrained sort of way.

I found the Cole Polished Nickel + Glass Rod Pendant at LampsPlus for less than I could find it anywhere else. A good place to start. I even found an image of it installed in a creamy kitchen so you could get an idea of how it might look!

{source}

I love the jewelry-like quality of the chain links and the warmth of the polished nickel. It really does feel like the kind of light fixture that cries out for a pair topiaries flanking the sink, doesn’t it? Perhaps also an “upgraded” tea + coffee service to something like this dashing duo:

{spheres tea pot}

{tintin coffee pot}

And maybe a canister or two like this one from One King’s Lane?

I’m thinking this fixture might point things in a direction that is a bit formal for me. I love the sophistication but am wavering on scale and price point {my kitchen is not as large nor as glamorous as the one above}, so I’m going to follow up with another option next week. I must admit that I’m already dreaming up other applications for this Cole Pendant if I don’t choose it for the kitchen. It is a whole lot of pretty in one little pendant… Decisions, decisions.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|January 16th, 2013|1 Comment

Design Find | Six Hands Australia Wallpaper

I have a confession to make. I kind of have a thing for peacocks. This latent love was no doubt revived on my recent visit to the spectacular Coup d’Etat showroom in San Francisco, but it dates back to my childhood and the peacocks that roamed the grassy hills of Storybook Gardens in London, Ontario.

To my childlike imagination, Storybook Gardens was a magical place where anything was possible – and the peacocks became a symbol of that to me – so there is a heartstring that is always pulled upon whenever we cross paths in my grown-up life.

It should come as no surprise, then, that it was love at first sight when I recently stumbled upon this beautiful wallpaper from Australia’s Sixhands.

The hand-painted, fresco-style of Sixhands’ Eden Ming Wallpaper brings these peacocks to life with highly saturated, inky colour and painterly whimsy. This modern take on traditional embroidery, folk art and watercolour painting marries classical artistic techniques with cutting edge digital printing technology to spectacular results.

Sixhands’ fashion roots show clearly, so it should come as no surprise that they started out working with an extensive portfolio of designers creating exclusive artwork for the fashion industry. As their work became increasingly coveted on the international design scene, it became clear that they should launch their trademark creative and avant-garde line which has now been available since 2006. The bridge to interior textiles was a natural progression into high quality, locally made décor and lifestyle products for the home. I love them all the more for their commitment to sustainability.

Here are a few more of my favourites from their line of wall coverings:

I’m definitely itching to use some gorgeous and decadent wallpaper on a project soon. Hmmm…

{fingers drumming on desk}

Let the scheming and dreaming begin…

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|January 15th, 2013|0 Comments

The Curated Collection | Janna Watson

What’s in a line? According to Janna Watson, a great deal. And as a long-time appreciator of her artwork, I agree unswervingly. At least when it comes to Janna’s gestural, exuberant, expressive lines. If you are not yet a fan of abstract art, this may be your conversion experience.

{photo: rene johnston}

“heart beats you”

As intriguing as the work she creates, Janna’s thoughts on her latest collection have me utterly enrapt:

How do I go about making a line that isn’t stupid? This is one of the things I have considered for the resulting aesthetics of my work. As one who desires to keep my perception and awareness in my process honest, I have found my answer to be this: To become childlike again; the line has a mind of it’s own. Through seemingly non-sensical mark making movements, action becomes visible. The childlike chromatic amusement turns everything weightless. Suspended space. Even the lines are floating. Like stilettos dancing in the clouds. It is the space between everything.

“caterpillar cave”

“ferris wheel”

“koolaid lips”

The night turns on its tap and I drink it through multi-coloured straws. Soul is the place. I want spirit more than anything. It is not about making a picture in a painting, it is about having an experience. The lighter I become with the weight of colour, line and space, the less gravity matters and all these things being created float up into the sky; the place you might call in between everything. My biggest reluctance in all of this is to not make a stupid line. When I reach the desired childlike space between everything, I remember that a line has a mind of it’s own, and I must not try to possess it, lest I do, and it becomes stupid.

“when I think of Paris I want to wrap my legs around it”

“irony is fun, fake and true”

I think it is the childlike weightlessness and freedom to Janna’s work that so compels me. I want to enter into that kind of joy and dwell comfortably in the tension of chaos and colour, order and form. And I think that means I want to dwell comfortably in my own skin. I want to experience the joy of living unfettered by fear.

For those of you in Toronto, Janna’s latest show just opened this past Friday at Bau-Xi Gallery and will be open until January 26th. Be sure to stop by and drink in life {in line and colour} through the multi-coloured straws of Janna’s work.

Happy Monday!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|January 14th, 2013|0 Comments