/Project Ugly Duckling

THE REVEAL! | PROJECT UGLY DUCKLING FINALLY BECOMES A SWAN

If you’ve been following along for awhile, you’ll know this reveal has been a long time coming. I was keeping it under wraps so that I could share it with you designer style, in PRINT no less in Style At Home magazine!

Having kept it from you for so long, I was thrilled to open this month’s beautiful issue of Canadian shelter mag Style At Home to see Noah’s artful, handsome bathroom on its glossy pages. In case you missed it, here it is in all its glory:

Clearly the Fornasetti Nuvolette wallpaper by Cole & Son {available through Kravet to the design trade only} is the star of this show, but I love how the custom wood vanity sits in modern relief against the slightly traditional dreaminess of those etched clouds. The custom chevron floor {for which my husband will forever win the Husband Of The Year Award after installing said custom pattern} just adds another layer of detail and warmth, bringing this quiet colour palette to life with texture and modern sophistication. Noah is officially the luckiest kid on the block!

I’m in Vegas this week checking out the latest innovations and design trends in the Kitchen and Bath industry as a part of the Modenus BlogTourKBIS, and I promise to share all my juiciest finds with you very soon. It’s bound to be an adventure-packed, design find kind of week! Keep an eye on my Instagram and follow the hashtags #designhounds, #BlogTourKBIS and #KBIS2016 for a behind-the-scenes look at all the fun. Can’t wait to share more with you soon!

xx
s.

By |January 18th, 2016|1 Comment

Project Debonaire Young Sir | Hallway Reveal

I am so excited to be sharing the beginnings of the reveal on all of Graham’s hard work in what we are now affectionately calling Noah’s pied-à-terre. Between the gorgeous bathroom {which is nearly done!}, his delicious bedroom {which is about 60-75% complete!} and this delightfully simple yet sophisticated hallway which connects the two, he might just be moving into the nicest part of the house when it’s all said and done!

I’ve trained him into understanding how lucky he is by saying, “Noah, repeat after me…I am spoiled” such that now all I have to say is “Noah, repeat after me…” and he replies with “I know, I know! I’m totally spoiled!”

It really does make my heart happy to be giving him such a beautiful space to move into now that we are taking over his old room for the new nursery. He’s a visual kid and is really into details {no idea where he gets it from!} so this feels like we are speaking his love-language in a really special way.

One more thing before I get to the photos: as a designer, I often find that hallways are overlooked opportunities in many homes, feeling more like wasted space or simply traffic areas rather than design moments given thoughtful attention to detail. I wanted to avoid that sense of visual neglect in this little hallway, and I think I can safely say “mission accomplished.” It’s clean, simple and classy, and the truth is, I rather love it.

The success of this space is really about 3 things: Pattern, Dimension and Colour.

PATTERN

The sense of pattern and texture is derived from the simple but decadent herringbone pattern of the floor. Using a simple striated porcelain tile {still can’t get over how much it looks like natural stone!}, we created this pattern out of about a thousand off-cuts and a lot of hard work on Graham’s part, and it was SO worth the effort. The floor is subtle and yet a total statement-maker. {Have I mentioned he is my own personal super-hero?}

DIMENSION

The dimension for this hallway is all about the paneling. Simple applied moulding can totally transform a space from yawn-worthy to yes! Adding architectural detailing is one of my favourite things to do in my clients’ spaces, and this is really the poor man’s version of the high-end custom raised paneling I often design for luxury homes. That said, it still creates major impact and takes the look from flat to fabulous, turning a small and boring hallway into an interesting experience.

COLOUR

I am a huge lover of a cream and dove grey colour palette. There’s something very elegant and soothing about this combination, and the French and Scandinavian references in this palette are truly classic. So taking my cues from the tile floor, I chose the gorgeous Pavillion Gray from Farrow + Ball for the baseboard, walls, applied moulding and crown moulding. With floor-to-ceiling dove grey gorgeousness, the feeling is one of being enveloped in quiet sophistication. I literally exhale and feel calmer just looking at it!

One quick designer’s side note: If you are going to use applied moulding to create paneling, please, please, please don’t paint it out a contrasting colour. It should be the same colour as the wall. Always. Some rules are made to be broken. This one is not.

I can’t thank Farrow + Ball enough for generously providing the paint for this project. I have used Farrow + Ball for many years on my design projects and love their amazing, historically-referenced colour palette. The saturation and sophistication of colour is like no other line out there. The truth is, I am not usually the one doing the painting on my design projects, so I’ve always chosen them for their premium quality, VOC-free healthy status and their gorgeous colour palette. But can I tell you, the paint applies like a dream? We chose semi-gloss for everything, which could have been a bit of a risk when painting it over old plaster rather than properly wood-panelled walls. Not with Farrow + Ball. This clay-based paint adheres beautifully and was very forgiving of our less-than-perfect plaster, as well as the old wood door at the end of the hall.

The only thing left to do for this hallway is replace the light fixture, which is on my to-do list for the New Year.

For now, though, the bathroom {the door on the left}, Noah’s room {the door on the right} and the nursery take top priority. It’s starting to feel like we are in the home stretch, and with 6 weeks left until my due date, that feels just about right!

Wishing all of my American friends an amazing Thanksgiving today, brimming with gratitude and gorgeous food, good conversation, enough laughter to make your ribs hurt, and memories made to carry with you into the next year.

xo
s.

By |November 28th, 2013|1 Comment

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 |October 17th, 2013|0 Comments