Any Given Sunday

When the weather is nice on weekends. I like to leave the house during the day. I want to make the most of the daylight and run errands, shop, etc. but in the afternoons and evenings? I like to veg out on the couch.

As winter arrives and the dark comes earlier, there will be more and more vegging out on the couch in comfy clothes, nibbling on treats, drinking sweet things, with a good book in hand. For me, the choice is a no brains needed story of romance on my trusty eReader. I still love a good paperback but sometimes you just need something a little more resistant to freshly baked double chocolate chip cookie crumbs.

Clockwise from top left:
1) Vince stretch leggings
2) Hope Grand sweater tunic
3) Reading Glasses Shop 'The Journey' faux-wood glasses
4) Homemade super yummy chocolate chip cookies
5) William-Sonoma hot chocolate and chocolate marshmallows kit
6) Amazon Kindle Wi-Fi 6" eReader
7) FAIR+true fair trade knitted chunky socks

The Thinking Room

The master bedroom is at a halt right now. It's painted and the curtains and ceiling light have been installed. But before decorations go in, we need new furniture. We currently have a queen sized IKEA Malm bed, 6-drawer Malm dresser, and 2 $10 Lack tables as our nightstands. Both were victims of our DIY move - chipped and scratched laminate, broken and crooked drawer fronts, etc. The MDF-and-laminate dresser also just isn't a match for the explosion of clothes straining to burst out (too much Winners trolling...).

To give you an idea of how dire the situation has become...I have to iron each piece of clothing pulled from that abyss several times on high heat because it is THAT wrinkled from smooshing!

The tentative idea is to install the IKEA Pax wardrobe system on one side of the room and purchase better quality (solid wood) bed and dresser.

What this means is...don't expect "Afters" from the master bedroom anytime soon. I'm instead going to focus a bit of money on finishing the powder room downstairs (will post about that soon!) and starting the office upstairs.

This is the space I will be working with. Uninspiring much?

Here are some home office spaces that have caught my eye..

The inspirational photos I have gathered come from completely different spectrums of design but there is something that draws me to each.

I think looking through these, I'm definitely not a minimalist. While I do love the use of white, black, crisp straight lines...I'm always looking for drama as well. I think these days, I'm drawn to rooms that are 1 part classic, 1 part modern, with a dash of glam.

There are also two key requirements for our office space:

1) Functionality
We have a boxy all-in-one printer, computer, router, modem, and a bunch of other unfun but neccessary office equipment. Office spaces in magazines are always so pretty and clear but once thing that's glaringly obviously in many is the lack of actual office equipment! Case in point above. This I think will be a big challenge to make sure that we have a functional office that is still esthetically pleasing.

1) Convertabilty into a nursery.
We expect to have a child in a couple years. If this happens, this room will need to be converted into a nursery (hopefully we'll have a basement finished by then!) with minimal work on our end. This means we have to consider paint color, permanent fixtures to the walls, etc.

Good thing is...I'm really looking forwards to this design challenge!

All photos via my Pinterest "Beautiful Interiors" board located here.

Reality and Fantasy. Not. The Same.

I'm not gonna lie to you guys....fantasy and reality are too very very different things. Case in point:

How I Want To Dress...
1) Fendi Belted Coat
2) LC Lauren Conrad Skinny Pointe Pants
3) Christian Louboutin New Simple Botta Boots
4) Yves Saint Lauren Leopard Scarf
5) P.A.R.O.S.H Leather Gloves
6) Little Woods Cloche Hat

How I Actually Dress!
1) Scotch & Soda Slub Knit Scarf
2) Canada Goose Victoria Parka
3) Xhilaration by Target Red Hearts Mittens
4) Oasis Ripped Skinny Jeans
5) Sorel Paid Boots

Mismatched and generally looking like a walking cocoon. If you see such a thing walking down the street....it's probably me. Call me chicken but I need warm grippy things on my feet, a blanket around my body and neck, and hot water bottles on my hands.

Fendi, Louboutin, and Saint Lauren just can't fight old man winter like Sorel and the Goose can.

Kitchen Nook Inspiration

I've been severely neglecting this blog. I have so much to post about but have just been feeling this general lack of energy in between work, running errands, puttering around the house, and dealing with the heat wave in the past couple weeks with NO AIR CONDITIONING!

I have however, been keeping up with my favourite blogs and today I came across this photo on Young House Love's blog (originally from House Beautiful).




via
I am in love! 1) I have that mirror (or at least, a cheaper version of it) and have yet to find a place for it. 2) The accent "wall" looks to be panelling which is a great idea as I'm not sure about doing such a dark color permanently. 2) The panel color is similar to our old living room accent wall, which I adored.

It's funny. Seems like I have a real weakness for this type of palette. Here's the photo that inspired our living room years ago (see Home Tour section of my blog):




via

Similar, no?

Now I'm really tempted to make a weekend project out of doing something similar in our kitchen nook.

A Little World

via redoitdesign.wordpress.com

Terrariums have always fascinated me. There is something so magical about them, as if you're looking into a utopian little world inside the glass. You can almost believe each tiny plant is a giant tree providing canopy for the forest floor.

I don't know about you, but I find them so beautiful. I can't wait to create my own! The local Canadian Tire sells 3 sizes of succulents. The smallest one just a few centimeters tall. The dollar store across the street sells glass bowls and vases perfected suited to the task of a terrarium. I hope to get one going soon - this would be a perfect weekend project.

Here are some photos from my inspiration folder. I've been collecting these to get an idea of which plants to gather for mine and how to place them within their glass house.

via www.bornrich.com


via notmomscrafts.blogspot.com


via botanyfactory.com


via homehow.net


via www.spoon-tamago.com


via www.floragrubb.com


via abbeymckennasucculentdesigns.files.wordpress.com

Guest Bathroom Update & Storage Solution

I've been busy with the guest bathroom and can't wait to reveal it. All the painting is now done but I have a number of little tweaks - lighting, storage, decor - to finish up before I post the pics.

This is a "working" bathroom in that I use it to store all my toiletries/cosmetics and use it to get ready in the mornings. So the challenge is in finding some way to make the space look hotel-like while still allowing me easy access to the products I use daily. 99% of the time, this bathroom is used by me so I don't want to have to move out everytime a guest comes to visit.

I got an email from Kitchen Stuff Plus today and one of this week's deals is a ladder shelving unit that comes in black or white. Here's the online product photo:



via kitchenstuffplus.com

I had considered building shelves into one corner of the bathroom but I much prefer this idea. It's not permanent and the ladder does not visually shrink the space like a closed cabinet or built in shelves would.

My only concern with the above is the styling - the photos seem to imply a more industrial look with the metal screws. But it might be an easy fix with black or white spray paint. I'm going to check it out this week.

You may or may not see this piece in the final reveal!

Before I purchased the piece, I also wanted to get an idea how it would look. So I found a few inspiration photos online:

via housetohome.com


via decorpad.com


via housetohome.com

Make a Statement

I love the look of large scale art on the wall. Whether muted or bright, it always makes a statement.

I find that it can really bring a room together and do wonders for spaces both large and small. In a small room, oversized art takes on this "so what?!" attitude and embraces the coziness of the space. In a large room, it grounds the space and combats that lost, empty feeling a grand space is often prone to.

It can also act as a focal point or a backdrop for pops of colors or interesting little tchotchkes displayed within the space.

Here are some perfect examples of how larger pieces can do wonders within a wide array of palettes, styles, room sizes, and layouts.




















all images via decorpad.com

With all these great inspirations in my head, I've been scouring Etsy, Craigslist, and local print shops for the perfect piece(s) to fill our space. It's not as easy as I thought on a budget! I tried to look up local student art shows but came up blank.

Any recommendations for other budget-friendly places I can look?

Christian Louboutin Fall 2011 Lookbook by Peter Lippman

Christian Louboutin teamed up once again with photographer Peter Lippman for the Fall 2011 lookbook and the results were stunning.

However, the talented set stylist Catherine Gorne deserves just as much if not more credit for the meticulously styled settings made to replicate the classics. Every little detail was taken into account and a quick glance may not even reveal that this is re-creation of the real thing.

Whistler’s Mother by James McNeill displays a rock and roll ankle boot complete with studs and feather fringe, Francisco De Zurbaran’s Saint Dorothy serves up a platter of delicious fruit and sky high purple suede, and Francois Clouet's Elizabeth of Austria displays an opulent golden heel fit for an empress.

What an incredibly creative and beautiful project.

Friday Inspirations

Happy Friday! Another morning started off with sunshine out the window. Can't wait until this is a (somewhat) daily occurrence.

Once again feeling inspirational from the beautiful view out our window so I did some Googling and website browsing. Look at these beautiful interiors!