house Archives - Page 46 of 61

Make Something Mondays | Lila Lewis Irving

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to a passionate abstract painter whose process is both emotional and inspiring. Starting with watercolours and woodcut prints in the 1960’s, Lila Lewis Irving’s artistic voice has evolved dramatically over the years. After thoroughly exploring literal subject matter through watercolours and printmaking for decades, Irving broke through to the adventurous world of abstract expressionism in 1990. Since then, she hasn’t looked back.

Irving’s dramatically large canvases – filled with gestural shapes, sophisticated compositions and bold colours – are the result of powerfully tapping into emotions, intuition and creativity while shutting off the “thinking brain” as much as possible. Her life-long commitment to spontaneity is inspirational.

I’ve had the joy of seeing Lila Lewis Irving’s work installed in a wonderful client’s home. Her pieces are at once bold, powerful, harmonious and deeply engaging.

Today I have a real treat for you – a beautiful mini documentary offering a rare glimpse into Lila’s deeply intuitive, private and emotional process. Lila says her greatest achievement is simply being able to paint for 50+ years. Painting for passion and not for profit has certainly served Lila well. Her work has been significantly represented in both private and public art collections.

Appassionata from Joel-Adam Powley on Vimeo.

Director + Producer – Joss Monzon
Director of Photography – Chris van Dijk
Camera + Editor – Joel-Adam Powley

Wishing you a day, an hour, or even a moment when you are able to turn off your thinking brain and immerse yourself fully in your intuition. If Lila is any example, this courageous and creative exercise can offer rather stunning results.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 22nd, 2012|0 Comments

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

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