luxury Archives - The Curated House

Introducing Project Backyard Makeover

Backyard Makeover Fabrics

The best and most meaningful memories are made gathered around the table.

Without a doubt, some of the happiest memories I’ve ever made have been gathered around the table with my family and friends. I feel like savouring daily meals together is one of the healthiest practices we have as a family. Turns out I’m not alone. In fact, researchers are saying that eating meals together as a family improves our health and even improves our kids’ vocabularies more significantly than reading them books at bedtime! And did you know that the only thing you can do to improve on the healthy, happy habit of eating around the table together is to do it outside? That’s why this little backyard makeover is so close to my heart.

dining-area-before backyard-before-sectional backyard-before-view-from-entrance

Not totally offensive, but not exactly pretty and inviting, right? So over the next 3 weeks, our plan is to create a space worthy of making summers last as long as possible. We had Thanksgiving dinner out here a couple of years ago, and I’m hoping we can do the same thing this year but with way more comfort and style.

Here’s the plan:

Using the most stunning Sunbrella fabrics, including some delicious accent fabrics from their collection for Holly Hunt Great Outdoors, my friends at Deka Home & Patio are going to sew new seat, back and decorative cushions to bring the sectional back to life. Check out the first photo in this post for a peek at where things are headed there.
I’ve wanted a dining pergola for forever, and thanks to Toja Grid, my dreams are going to become reality. Their super deluxe easy system of brackets is going to take the stress out of creating our dining structure, and then our friends at Deka are going to create some beautiful outdoor panels to frame it in and warm it up using more Sunbrella goodness.
We’ll be painting the whole thing out with VOC-free, non-toxic Fusion Mineral Paints. We recently stucco’d the house a warm white and want the dining pergola to blend in.
We are having our friends at Dinuovo create a ridiculously gorgeous custom dining table made out of stunning natural White Cherokee marble from Polycor. I can’t wait to show you more about our plans for that next week.
To tie the dining and living spaces together, Dinuovo will be making a new cocktail table out of the same natural stone from Polycor for the seating area. (Bites lip) It’s all going to be so GORG.
That dining table will seat 10, so we’ll be selecting some new dining chairs from partner Structube as well to complete this fresh, modern classic outdoor entertaining area.
Generally tidy up, trim and refresh everything else for a truly inviting finished space for family and friends to gather.

We’ve given ourselves a rather ridiculous timeline to get all of this accomplished, in large part because summer is basically halfway done already! I do hope you’ll follow along with our progress as we transform this “almost there” outdoor living/dining area into a “we want to spend all of our time there” kind of space. While I’m definitely feeling daunted by all of the work yet to be done, I can also envision the finished product, and that is what is driving me forward.

Check in next week for the juicy details on the custom dining table, coffee table and chairs, and be sure to follow my Instastories in the meantime for some behind-the-scenes updates. Oh yes, and we will be throwing in a week and a half trip away to San Diego while we’re at it just to keep the pressure on. Because why not, right?

Looking forward to catching up with you and filling you in further next week!

Sarah-Signature

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|July 26th, 2018|0 Comments

How Reconnecting With Family Roots Can Lead To A Beautiful Product | A Gorgeous Giveaway from pamuk & co.

What do you get when you take a Canadian designer with a luxury background {think retail spaces for Gucci, Tiffany, Prada + Dior} and reconnect her with her Turkish roots? You get pamuk & co., a collection of Turkish linens that are as beautiful to use as they are beautifully made.

If like me you love a meaningful {albeit bittersweet} story, lean in. Founder Jasmine’s father emigrated to Canada from Turkey when he was very young, and remarkably didn’t return to Turkey until 2009. On that fateful trip, while visiting his birthplace, he had a heart attack in his sleep. His life came full circle in a way that suddenly connected his daughter Jasmine with her Turkish roots for the very first time.

Jasmine immediately invested in meaningful relationships with her Turkish cousins – relatives she only met after her father’s passing. She quickly absorbed all she could about Turkish culture and language. Armed with Rosetta Stone and a year’s worth of classes, Jasmine became fluent in the language and – even more importantly – steeped in the culture. On one of her visits to Turkey, Jasmine became especially taken with the history and beauty of the peshtemal {what we know here in North America as turkish towels}. Seeking out the best sources for this beautiful product in Turkey, Jasmine met a family who has been weaving these luxurious linens for 5 generations, and thus pamuk & co. was born.

People with meaningful stories usually have generous hearts, and Jasmine is no exception. One of you lucky lovers will win a set of 2 pamuk & co. towels for yourself! How you ask? Easy peasy.

G I V E A W A Y D E T A I L S

1. Follow @thecuratedhouse and @pamuk_and_co on Instagram
2. Like the photo I’ve posted from the pamuk & co. collection
3. Tag two friends in the comments

For a second entry, just share the photo on your Instagram account including all the details on the giveaway. {Don’t forget to tag Jasmine and me in your post so we know about it!}

The winner will be announced on August 11th on Instagram. Best of luck to all you beautiful people!

xx
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|August 4th, 2015|0 Comments

Family-Friendly Luxurious Living | An Interview with Brian Gluckstein

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Brian Gluckstein for the first time at a special evening for designers and media at the beautiful Princess Margaret Showhome.

Having been a fan of his work for many years, it was a delight to have the opportunity to chat with Brian about trends and traditions alike. The conversation was so interesting that I just knew I had to share some of Brian’s thoughts and insights with you via this interview. Brian is {not surprisingly} a very busy man, traveling constantly amidst working with his busy roster of design clients, so I’m very grateful he’s taken the time to share with us today.

Brian, you are known internationally for designing elegant and luxurious homes exquisitely detailed for entertaining. What is the number one request you get from clients who are designing grand yet child-friendly homes?

The number one request I receive is a designated playroom so toys and games can be stored and used in a specific space, minimizing clutter throughout the house.

What are your favourite choices for floors and countertops in a family-friendly yet glamorous environment?

I love hardwood floors and I’m using a lot of reclaimed and distressed flooring in projects. This works really well with children because it’s beautiful and so forgiving to wear. I do use natural stone in family homes but I also introduce man-made materials like Caesarstone because it’s impervious to stains.

What about fabrics? What are some creative applications you recommend to your clients where small and sticky fingers might be a part of everyday life?

We often use outdoor fabrics in kitchens and playrooms. They wear so well. The outdoor fabrics currently on the market come in beautiful colours and patterns – you’d never guess they were designed for outdoor applications!

Where do families designing homes have to compromise luxury for practicality, and where should they never compromise?

Never compromise on quality. For example, you can look to a luxuriously built sofa but incorporate wearable, user-friendly textiles.

What trends do you see for interior design as you look ahead into 2014?

We’re going to see a lot of antiqued brass in homes, wood grain patterns on everything from dinnerware to textiles and the integration of antiques into contemporary spaces.

Antiqued brass and mirror Greek Key Serving Tray from The Gluckstein Home Collection, available at The Bay.

Soap dispenser from the Gluckstein Home Briar Collection, available at The Bay.

Towel from the Gluckstein Home Briar Collection, available at The Bay.

In a world where high-end designs and products are being knocked off at the speed of light, how do you offer your clientele customized and bespoke spaces that don’t look like “what everyone else has?” How is this trend of luxury design product “dopplegängers” changing the industry and your approach to designing homes for your luxury clients?

We do a lot of custom designed furniture and particularly in luxurious materials like aged metals, cashmeres and silks. We’re even using cashmere for carpets and upholstery. The use of antiques mixed into contemporary spaces really gives the home an identity that can’t be reproduced.

What is the number one “must have” that you believe every family home should not be without?

A library.

Given my love of reading, it isn’t hard for me to take Brian’s advice to heart by adding a library to my dream house wish list! More than anything, I love his approach to designing family-friendly homes without compromising on quality. Elegance can be attainable through any phase of life with smart choices on finishes and textiles, and a truly fabulous designer can help you make that dream a reality!

Thank you so much, Brian, for taking the time to share your insights with us. You are as lovely a man as you are a brilliant designer, and it was such a joy to meet you! I sincerely hope our paths will cross again soon.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|December 12th, 2013|0 Comments