* in the PINK *

{a blog about inspiring design & stylish decor}

Ottawa Life Magazine: The Greatness of Great Rooms

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Take a minute to think about your idea of a fabulous room. For many, the concept of a grand room hearkens back to the romanticized ideal of great halls and chambers in medieval castles or majestic homes. Are you visualizing a large room, bustling with activity? If so, then you will likely think it’s great that since the 1990s, these grand rooms have become very popular, solving the problem of the “dead” living room and the split between the living and family rooms.

The greatness of a room of course largely depends on whether or not the lifestyle that you lead requires one. Do you entertain a lot and find that everyone always ends up jammed into one room, typically the kitchen? Is space at a premium in your home? Or maybe your home is made up of small segregated rooms. Combining functions of various rooms into one larger space can be a practical solution to allowing you to live more comfortably, especially for those with families. As featured in the photos, the clients' existing galley kitchen and dining room spaces (designated by the original ceiling beam) were expanded from their original proportions by adding onto the existing footprint. This allowed for cooking, dining and family living to coexist while at the same time maintaining the architectural integrity of the home.  

The former living room that had very narrow proportions was repurposed and became the library-conservatory area. This space affords them a quieter, cozier zone to contrast the large great room, with a wall of bookshelves installed on the wall opposite the fireplace to improve the narrow rectangular proportions. Reading chairs and a spot for the children to practice their musical instruments were all this room was ever meant to accommodate.

The key is in the planning. You need to assess how you live, the events you host, your needs for space, not to mention how your home's footprint is laid out. Perhaps you can achieve greatness by repurposing your rooms within your home's footprint. For example, turn an unused formal living and dining room space into the living/family room and the family room off the kitchen into the dining area. This allows for maximum space for cooking, dining and living while avoiding duplication of spaces that often go unused. Ultimately, the goal of a great room is to increase your quality of life rather than just quantity of space. Plan for your home's greatness today!

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Ottawa Life Magazine: Furniture Favourite - The Dresser

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January is here and thoughts may turn to ways to cut the clutter. Take a second look at how you store all of your day-to-day stuff. Perhaps the greatest, most versatile storage workhorse in your house -the dresser- can save the day. 

One of my favourite spots to locate a dresser is in a front hall. Not only is it a spot to place your keys and mail, but it is a great solution for storing all of the items you need in this cold weather, like hats, gloves, scarves and mitts. It is also the perfect place to put a hairbrush to neaten your child’s hair, stamps to mail your letters, sunglasses, a lint brush to take off those pesky hairs that always seem to accumulate on your wool coat and a shoe shine sponge to touch up your boots or shoes.

As you can see from the photos, your options are limitless. For a space expanding effect, consider a mirrored dresser. It also adds a bit of glam and who doesn't like a bit of that? A modern clean-lined dresser is a nice contrast to the rustic wood mouldings of this Craftsman home and the antique turn-of-the-century dresser adds character to the modern and graphic black and white touches seen throughout this front hall.

Consider repurposing a dresser and using it as a change table in a baby’s room. All you need to buy is a diaper changing pad ideally wrapped in white terry cloth for a neat clean aesthetic. Consider buying several for cleaning purposes. Yes white is actually the easiest to clean!!

Some of my favourite spots to buy dressers are from vintage stores found throughout the city, estate sales, and auctions. You are likely to get good quality construction made entirely of solid wood (hard to find in new products) and the price will often be less than what you would buy retail for a new piece.

This little decor tip hopefully will make your life a little less complicated and make those sunglasses easier to find. Seems like the perfect time to rethink and repurpose a dresser! 

 

 

 

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Ottawa Life: The Power of a Pillow

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When it comes to decor, the effect of a pillow or pillows is greatly underestimated. Most often, they are an afterthought. However, if you think about it, pillows are one element that can dramatically alter the overall mood in a room, not to mention increase the quality quotient. 

The pillow is to home decor as jewelry is to a fashion ensemble. It does not necessarily have to be expensive, but should pack a punch especially when placed against an otherwise neutral backdrop. Make a statement by using colour or by choosing bold oversized patterns, a designer signature fabric, a furry texture, or just plain scale - the bigger the better!

Did you ever consider investing several hundreds of dollars in a pillow? I am guessing that the answer is probably not. But did you know that placing an expensive pillow on a low quality piece of furniture can take the piece from drab to fab. This is a clever stylist trick — next time look carefully at the high-low featured rooms in many of the shelter mags. 

Perhaps you are still not convinced. Try it yourself. Use a fantastic fabric or a signature designer print. Do you have any silk scarves or fabrics that you love and never seem to use? These can quite beautifully be made into pillows
and allow you to enjoy them every day. 

Like anything, it is all in how you put items together to create an artful effect. I often use a client’s favourite colour or pattern as the starting point for approaching the design of a whole room.

The fabric, David Hicks Herbert’s Carnation Weave in red/plum, is featured above on these pillows in this Glebe home. 

Here are some other sources of inspiration. The letter pillow from Jonathon Adler is perfect for the narcissist within. It is a playful and whimsical way to make your signature known. It can be customized not only by letter but by colour as well.
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Madeline Weinrib also has an array of beautiful ethnic fabrics done up in pillows. She is one of my favourite sources. Even at $350 a pop, it can be well worth the investment. 

David Hicks Herbert’s Carnation Weave in red/plum PHOTO BY GORDON KING

Sex and the City - Chicago Style

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As a follow-up to my former blog "Fresh and Contemporary at the Crosby Street Hotel NYC", I bring you more design inspiration except this time from Chicago.   You guessed it, I am back from another amazing annual weekend get-a-way with 3 girlfriends (you know who you are) - hence the Sex and the City reference in the title :)

Leonardo Da Vinci said "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication".  To me, this quote perfectly summarizes my experience of the downtown architectural landscape of Chicago, not to mention the interior design of the Elysian Hotel and the Ralph Lauren Bar and Grill.

The docent for the Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise gave us a fantastic overview of over 50 buildings erected in less than 100 years, prompting us to enjoy cocktails and the panoramic view at one of these, the Hancock Tower, prior to our dinner reservation at "GT Fish and Oyster", one of the hottest restos in the US founded by the Boka Restaurant Group (http://bokagrp.com/).   I would be remiss not to mention the iconic nature of the Tower with its Mies van der Rohe "less is more" aesthetic.   External X-bracing, pictured below, is a pioneering system allowing greater usable floor space by virtually eliminating the need for interior columns.  Love it when interior load bearing walls are not required!

In reference to the first photo, the interior design of the Elysian Hotel (http://elysianhotels.com/) found in the affluent downtown Goldcoaster neighborhood of Chicago is no exception to sophistication with its simple color palette and beautiful materials.  Note how the palette is consistent using only tones of grey, black and white - could be the makings of what might otherwise be an austere hotel lobby however with the clever choice of finishes and balance of materials, it is perfectly conceived.  Let me take you through some of the details: Carerra marble, characterized by grey veining atop a white background, one of my all-time favorite hardscaping materials, crisp white architectural wood mouldings in an understated profile, Dior grey colored walls done in grasscloth for texture, hits of black in the revolving doors and reception desk for punctuation, scroll patterning both in the flooring and in the iron work for detailing, the glamorous chandelier for sparkle and the oversized sculptures not only for drama but to add a human element.  Sublime!

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In contrast to this cooler interior color palette, I also had the pleasure of lounging in the Ralph Lauren (RL) Bar and Grill, RL's first restaurant venture.  As one of my favorite all time designers for his expert ability to layer different textures and materials, this resto is not only a feast for the senses but a hallmark of his warm and luxurious styling.  As quoted from the RL web-site (http://www.rlrestaurant.com/), the bar/grill is "very British, very swanky, very posh. It begins with the small bar at the front, with its black marble fireplace, mahogany paneling and brass and ebony cocktail tables.  The dining room beyond completes the image. Its navy blue walls, interspersed with more mahogany, are covered with artwork from Lauren's private collection. Herringbone hardwood floors lead to plush, caramel leather-upholstered chairs and banquettes.”  

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Whether or not you are design-inclined, inspiration is abound in downtown Chicago -  check it out!

 

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Ottawa Life Magazine: Baby, Bedroom & Beyond...

 

Got a baby on the way?  If so, then there is no doubt that images of creating a baby’s bedroom are probably dancing in your head.  You will want to design something that will grow with that child beyond the baby stage. Potentially, this could be viewed as a gargantuan task, an insurmountable challenge. However, I think that there is a universal formula that works.

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Home Decor for the Fashionista

One of my favorite fabric and wallpaper companies, Quadrille Home Couture based out of New York is worthy of mention especially as Fashion Week gets underway here in Ottawa.  Quadrille has exquisite patterns, typically large in scale and bold in color not to mention are hand-printed so are of exceptional quality and truly unique.  For those who are not familiar with this company, perhaps you might remember the sofa from the movie "The Devil Wears Prada".  The Melinda pattern in black and white linen is very fashion forward!!

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The photo of the chair below highlights another of Quadrille's fantastic fabrics - Island Ikat in Royal Blue.  Much to my surprise and delight, Quadrille has chosen to feature my work, the playroom of the Colonel By residence, in their editorial portfolio!

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For the full link click on:

Are you wondering how this playroom came together?  Let me step you through the decorating process.  The client's bookcases and drapery were existing and slated to stay while an antique Louis Style daybed used in another part of the house was repurposed for this room.  The client was originally inspired by Quadrille's Ikat fabric after seeing it in Elle Decor magazine and since we both loved it, decided that it would be the jumping off point for the whole color palette.  I sourced out, re-upholstered and re-shaped 2 vintage swivel tub chairs wanting to juxtapose furniture pieces that were more retro, curvy, and modern in styling with the client's traditional and clean lined Louis-style daybed.  The daybed was re-upholstered in indigo velvet with contrast piping in vanilla velvet to complement the royal blue ikat.  This is an example of mixing furniture pieces together of varying periods.  It also illustrates how one bold printed fabric can add drama and impact to what would otherwise be a conventional room.  The playroom walls were painted an "unexpected" shade of purple to honor the two girls who spend the most time in this room (purple being one of their favorite colors) not to mention to continue the chic yet bold styling consistent through the rest of the house.  Gold floor lamps designed by Jonathan Adler for Robert Abbey were added to warm up the cool tones.

I happen to be using Quadrille's hand-printed wallpaper in the Java Java pattern in yellow in a powder room in one of my latest projects.  Stay tuned!  For those of you interested in purchasing Quadrille's fabrics or wallpapers here in Ottawa, you can check out their collections from my shop page at:

Ottawa Life Magazine: Wallpaper is Back, Baby!

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Actually to be accurate, wallpaper is not back, it has always been around, just reinvented over time like the trends in fashion. With new technologies, wallpaper is now washable, long lasting, pre-pasted, and easy to remove. Patterns can be reproduced in any style from any period quite affordably too unlike fresco paintings, tapestries and hand-painted papers of the past.

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Ottawa Life Magazine: Transforming Vintage Furniture = Personality

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Now that spring is in bloom, it seems like a great time to inject new life into your old-fashioned hand-me-downs or uninspired vintage finds.  The question is, how to do it?  

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