Kravet Archives - Page 2 of 3 - The Curated House

Oh Baby! | A Project Nursery Update: Where To Start To Design A Nursery You’ll Love

It’s been awhile since I’ve given you an update on the design happenings around our house, mostly because real life has been trumping much of our progress on the design happenings around our house! That said, I have definitely been dreaming, scheming and planning not only for the completion of Project Ugly Duckling and Project Debonaire Young Sir, but also for Project Nursery. With 12 weeks of pregnancy left, the nesting instincts are kicking in hardcore, and this designing mama has a lot to get done! Noah’s room has to be finished before we can get to the nursery transformation as we have to move him out before we can move in and get the work done! Our marching orders are clear and these pregnancy hormones are saying it can’t happen fast enough!

WHERE TO START?

So, where to start you ask? I decided to begin where I advise all of my design clients to begin: with the rug. Rugs and art are really the two major influences I love to use as the jumping-off point because they offer so much direction on how the room design should evolve. Colour palette, pattern, mood – all of these can be established with a great rug and/or some great art. Beyond that, unless you have the time and budget to have a custom rug made, it is much easier to match fabrics to your rug than the other way around. Just think of the thousands of skews of fabric there are out there compared to the number of rugs you’ll find in your searches. If the tone is off just slightly, you can inevitably find a substitute fabric much more easily than you can find another rug that has everything you’re looking for.

So, with my mission firmly in hand, I headed off to see Allan at Kaarma, my favourite rug supplier. {He’s currently working on a new website which I will definitely share with you when it’s done!} I’ve worked with Allan for many years sourcing rugs for clients, so he knows me well and takes incredibly good care of me. {Read: Allan treats me like GOLD.} There is so much to be said for nurturing great relationships, no matter what business you are in. Taking the time to really know the people you do business with – to hear their stories and to share some of your own – makes the whole process so much richer and more meaningful. That’s definitely the kind of relationship I’ve built with Allan over the years and I’m very grateful to know him.

So, when I sat down with Allan to discuss options, I started by showing him a few pieces I had seen that caught my eye:

I knew I wanted something in the grey tones with an organic feeling to it, but perhaps not as pattern specific as the Ikat rug above and not as cream as the first one. {Baby boys, after all, have a tendency to pee rather creatively during diaper changes and a cream rug will likely not be so forgiving of such adventures!} I also loved the feeling of old-meets-new in designs like this…

…but I felt this might be a bit heavy. Simple, classic, organic and not too fussy. That’s what I was after.

THE WINNER

Naturally, Allan had just the thing and I fell instantly in love when he showed me the winner. So did Noah who was with me at the time and immediately said “I love that one, Mom.” The kid’s got great taste. I somehow think his current dream of becoming an architect might just fit him like a glove. But I digress. The winner, you ask? This beauty right here:

This silk rug is absolutely stunning in person. The “airbrush” or subtle striation through the rug creates a softness and warmth, and the perfectly imperfect trellis pattern is reminiscent of an old Moroccan Ben Ourain rug. Even better, it works brilliantly with the lovely and slightly whimsical Thom Filicia for Kravet linen fabric I’d be hoping to use for the drapery.

These photos were taken at the end of the day and I haven’t tweaked them at all, so the rug looks darker than it is in person. It is a very soft, dove grey with a slightly blue-ish undertone, and the organic pattern is a soft greyish-cream, perfect to compliment the cream base and grey watercolour birds of the Thom Filicia for Kravet linen for the drapery. The rug also has a dark and a light side {as with any high quality wool or silk rug} and I will place it so that you see the light side when you enter the room.

Folks, we’re off! Starting point established. Scratch that – super exciting, classic yet modern, last-a-million-years-and-still-look-gorgeous starting point established. Can I just say I am beyond thrilled?? Like giddy! I am going to love spending time in this room.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Up next? The search for the perfect chair. I feel a bit like Goldilocks with this one. I need something that’s not too hard, not too soft, just the right style and {most importantly} just the right price. This mama has approximately two dimes to rub together on this project! I’m headed to High Point Market for a quick weekend of inspiration overload, so perhaps I’ll spy something there? One can only hope!

In the meantime, Graham will be painting the freshly panelled hallway and perhaps even sanding and staining Noah’s floors while I’m gone. {Let’s just say the quotes I’ve received thus far have been nuts-o for one small room – poor Graham!} Can I just tell you how incredible my man is? Loving, makes us breakfast every morning, coaches Noah’s hockey team, works with fierce determination and integrity in his incredibly busy day job AND renovates our home on weekends like a superhero. I should give this guy another baby or something. Like seriously. He’s the best.

THIS WEEKEND

I’m headed to High Point super early tomorrow morning, so I won’t be sharing anything for Foodie Friday with you, but I have no doubt I’ll have inspiration a-plenty to share when I get back! My main reason for going is to attend some amazing industry seminars on the business of design, including the ELEVATE sessions put on by my dear friend Lisa Ferguson and her Decor Mentor team. This woman is seriously amazing, and such an advocate for elevating others. I love the way she is positively influencing and transforming our industry. She inspires me beyond words, and I am so excited to learn and grow!

Wishing you an inspired and restorative weekend, friends!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|October 17th, 2013|0 Comments

Project Ugly Duckling | Update: The Wallpaper Is Up! The Wallpaper Is Up!

I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled I am that we are rounding the home stretch. As you know, with Graham’s unexpected summer of constant travel for work {he was gone more than he was home!}, progress came to a near stand-still for awhile. But this week, 3 very exciting {and very good-looking!} pieces of this pretty puzzle came together.

ONE: the ceiling, crown, casings and baseboards were painted in a GORGEOUS Farrow + Ball semigloss paint. This incredibly handsome colour is called Down Pipe, a truly classic charcoal.

You may be thinking “A dark colour on the ceiling of a small space?” Yes. And as you will see, it actually makes the ceiling feel like it might just go on forever. It’s also the perfectly dramatic contrast I was looking for to frame out the etched wallpaper, and let me tell you, Farrow + Ball‘s premium paint goes on like a dream. I cannot thank the team at Farrow + Ball enough for sponsoring the paint for this project!

The beauty of painting your trim before the wallpaper is installed is that you only have to be careful cutting-in at the floor.

TWO: THE STUNNING FORNASETTI NUVOLE WALLPAPER WAS INSTALLED!

As a designer who bridges the worlds of luxury, custom design for my clients and DIY design-on-a-budget in my own little home, I know my place. This is one project that I was not about to take on – or have Graham take on – independently. When dealing with a hand-blocked, random drop, book-matched wallpaper that requires specialty paste and a great deal of expertise to install, you call in the big guns. Enter Leo from Queen City Decorating, who has over 30 years of experience and has been installing wallpaper for some of the major Toronto interior design firms since the last time wallpaper was popular.

I loved watching Leo’s process unfold as he matched up the incredible pattern of Fornasetti’s Nuvole etched mural of clouds. He labelled the rolls meticulously, and at least half of his time was spent in planning and preparation. A lesson for all of us!

For this paper, Leo applied the paste to the walls first with a roller. Not all papers are created equal, though, so this technique doesn’t apply in every situation. I cannot say enough about knowing when to call in the professionals, friends, and this is definitely one of those times.

Because this paper is book-matched and has a random drop, the feeling in this bathroom is now one of being surrounded by an endless, custom-etched mural of clouds. Do you not LOVE it??!! I’m seriously giddy, and I cannot thank the team at Cole & Son enough for their generous sponsorship on this project. You’ve truly made this girl’s “head in the clouds” dreams come true!

THREE: The custom-made linen roman blind that has been sitting patiently waiting to find its home was also installed. The gorgeous linen we used is from Kravet, and while you can see only glimpses of it in the above two photos, I promise to take some better shots for you once the vanity is installed so you can see the whole thing come together!

Oh yes, I nearly forgot! The custom vanity I designed is going in sometime in the next two days and the toilet has already been re-installed, so I do believe we will have a functioning bathroom by the weekend, folks! Lord have mercy, I’m so excited! I have definitely reached my quota of the use of exclamation marks here, but can you blame a girl?

There is definitely something inexplicably delicious about seeing a project come together, especially one you’ve been waiting for with longing, anticipation and a heaping dose of delayed gratification. While I hope Graham never has to travel that much ever again – because I miss him, not just because of project delays! – hitting the pause button may have made the final stages of this transformation even more satisfying. Hmmm. Feels like a life lesson, doesn’t it?

I know I’ve promised you a couple of recipes and I will follow up with one of two tomorrow! Tonight, I’m off to learn from the president of Hearst Publications about the world of design + lifestyle magazines {think ELLE Decor, House Beautiful, Harper’s Bazaar, Veranda} thanks to the kind invitation of my dear friend Lisa Ferguson. Feels like a bit of a “pinch me” week, really, as I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Brian Gluckstein last night! I’ll be posting an interview with him soon, so stay tuned!

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|September 26th, 2013|3 Comments

Brunschwig & Fils | Re-inventing Tradition

On my recent trip to New York City, I had the privilege and delight of visiting the creative design studio for Brunschwig & Fils. Recently purchased by Kravet, Brunschwig & Fils is one of the most renowned textile décor companies in the world. Their fabrics, wall coverings and furnishings have been used for generations in spaces as diverse as The White House and the Palace at Versailles to lovely English cottages and newly designed modern traditional homes. I was truly honoured to get a sneak peak behind the scenes of the Brunschwig & Fils design process and learn more about the future direction of this iconic company.

In purchasing Brunschwig & Fils, Kravet has truly maintained the integrity and history of the company while providing the infrastructure necessary for the countless historical documents within the collection to be revived and reinvented.

It is a delicate balance between honouring the history steeped into the prints themselves and the adventure of reinventing the fabrics in new colour ways, textures and weaves that will appeal to a modern clientele. The results are rather stunning, and in my opinion they are swinging the doors wide open to a much younger audience with their new collection.

I fell instantly head-over-heels for this gorgeous faux bois chenille in salmon {above}. Upholstered on an ottoman, a headboard or used as accent cushions {or for the bold and daring, upholstered on a sofa}, this would enrich and enliven any space, from modern to traditional.

I love this reinterpretation of the classic “Le Lac” chinoiserie – softer and more modern on linen rather than the traditional glazed chintz. This particular print dates all the way back to a 1775 French document, a decidedly European, romanticized portrait of life in China. The new modern colour way and weave speak to the longevity that is woven into the fabric of Brunschwig & Fils, right down to their motto: “Good design is forever.”

I hope you’ll indulge me with a decidedly un-designer reference on this next fabric, but the moment I laid eyes upon it I thought of Mary Poppins and her magical carpet bag. I would love to see this lucious weave combined with a distressed olive green leather – perhaps on a wingback chair similar to the one we all feel in love with from Coup D’Etat?

I wish you could feel the hand on this modern reinvention of the classic animal skin {above}. The weight and rich softness of the velvet are nothing short of luxurious.

From the fabrics being created to the work space itself, my visit to the design studios was nothing short of inspiring! My most sincere thanks to David, Jennifer, and the team at Brunschwig & Fils for your gracious hospitality.

For all of my designer friends who are in the Toronto area, you will definitely want to make it out to tomorrow night’s soirée at the Brunschwig & Fils showroom at 320 Davenport in Designer’s Walk. The doors open at 6pm for designers and architects to get an insider’s view to the stunning new collection over drinks, appetizers and the kind of hospitality for which the Kravet family are known. This event is not open to the public but is exclusive to the design trade.

Today I’ll be thinking about how I can honour history while embracing a spirit of adventure and possibility, weaving together the past and the present into a beautiful tapestry of self-expression. Thank you to the creative minds behind Brunschwig & Fils for inspiring this exploration!

Wishing you all a happy and inspired Tuesday!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|November 27th, 2012|1 Comment