Reason enough

I'm speechless. The fireplace is reason enough to swoon over this room. But then they go and add gorgeous detailed mouldings and a laser cut wall hanging. Yes, it's sweet (and I'm usually not so into sweet design), but this room rocks it. I can't stop applauding the fire place. Bravo!

Image photographed by Rachel Smith

Cozy Glam

I love tips! A special someone recently pointed me in the direction of Catherine Regehr's new home collection...well actually, all of her collection. L-o-v-e her Porcupine Loop duvet covers. They would be a great way to add texture in a neutral room.


Her line is sold exclusively at Provide Home in Vancouver. (Aside: I'm very glad that I don't live in Vancouver because this store looks far too appetizing for my own good). Fortunately for us, they have a few further photos of her collection. The duvet cover that they show is almost too good to be true. So romantic. And her pillows! Their texture is breathtaking.


As for her fashion...yum.



To the tip miester, keep them coming!

What a cute kids room

I know, I know. It's totally unrealistic. And yes, I'm going to be conned into a bright red plastic car bed, but we can still imagine right?

Image by Malin Ngoie

Time for some bedroom inspiration

It's 4:30am and Jordan is up barking...at iguanas? cats? random cars? the wind in the bushes? Your guess is as good as mine. I've collected a few photos of master bedrooms over the past few months in the case that I became overwhelmed with energy to complete ours. Nope, it's not going to happen at 4:30am, but then again, maybe this will be the start.

Swedeish bedroom featured on Desire to Inspire. Love the separate sitting area empahsized by the rug.

Further proof that space is nice. And how about that ceiling. Yowzers. Photo by Ken Gutmaker
and featured on Desire to Inspire

Doesn't this room just look cozy? Strangely, the fringe on the blanket and pendant really work for me
(but wouldn't for Mr. Big). Image as posted on Decor8 (originally from Living Etc. gallery).

Great natural light and wood tones in the room (featured on Decor8 and originally from Living Etc. image gallery)

Blue and white done to perfection

So my mom (decorator extraodonaire) and I worked on a cobalt blue and white theme for our future kids room and bathroom. The rooms make me happy and fit with the exterior Mediterranean theme of the house. My only concern has been that this space doesn't necessarily "flow" with the rest of the house...which is a lot of neutrals.

When I found the following images, I was struck by how well they carried off the blue and white theme, but with a neutral base. Just a few blue accents still give the same cool effect...just a bit subtler.

All images from Jodi Macklin Interior Design.

I think we've got our answer on how to tie these rooms into the rest of the house...play up the neutrals a bit more. Perfect!

More neutral masters

A visit to Living Etc. opened a treasure chest on the post below about neutral bedrooms. My two favs...

Oh that wall. (Insert sighs here). And the linens are gorge. So simple, and so breathable.

That round rug tugs at my heart. With the lacey pattern repeated in the pendant and the stunning artwork, I could move right in.

Any thoughts on where to find a similar rug to that bottom image would be greatly appreciated (not by Mr. Big of course....).... :)

Reinforcement

Just when I was thinking our master could use a little color, I ran across this gorgeous image from Gaelle Le Boulicaut that reminds me why we went this way in the first place.


So fresh and snuggly.

Cobalt blue and white

We currently have a jack-and-jill bathroom and two rooms decorated in various shades of mediteranean blue and white. Nick Olson at Dominomag's Daily Dose has highlighted a number of accessories that would work well, even in our outdoor space which we are contemplating continuing in the same theme.

Rothko print from Art.com

Garden stool from Pier 1

Tangiers rug from West Elm

Bento Storage Boxes by Pottery Barn

Best bunk beds ever

Bunk beds are seem to fall into one of two categories...adorable or abominable. Cynthia Rowley's daughters have the most adorable set I've seen.


The best part is that they are piped with bathroom caulk! Who would have thought? To see more images of her home, click here.

Bedroom inspirations

Can you imagine starting and finishing each day in one of these lovelies? Sigh.

B Five Studio

Canadian House and Home

BAMO Inc

The wood wall in the last photo is so unusual. People can come up with such creative ideas. Glam, casual, and rustic...and all fab.

Master bedroom entrance

When we designed our master bedroom, the possibilities at the entrance excited me. We've got a blank canvas at the moment, which doesn't help the wandering eyes.


This wall piece from Heather Fraizer of Fraizer and Wing is whimsical. I'm currently enjoying monotone interiors complimented with texture, but this might be slightly dull for the space. On the other hand, I can imagine it fluttering as we walk past.


Or perhaps something like Susan Woods Spring Line would be interesting.


And there's no chance that I would have looked past etsy for artwork that might be interesting. Gollybard's skirt and trousers pair have piqued my interest, as has Deb Grossfield's Knees, Image 186. Not sure why these catch my eye, ...but they are a little out of the ordinary.



Has anyone out there seen any larger size wall artwork or sculptures that they would recommend? Any sites that I'm missing?

Slacking off

What do you do when you are at work and completely uninspired? Usually I tough through it, but on Wednesday I just couldn't do it. A simple lunch break normally snaps me back to attention. Well this day it did that and a bit more.

I have been longing to get some palms for our master bedroom for some time. And what better time to act than when you are bored at work? I came back to the office 2 hours later with a pretty impressive receipt in hand. And I anxiously worked through the rest of the day so that I could get home and see these buddies. Home purchases = productivity.


We've spent time getting most rooms in the house presentable. But we never had the energy to get to our own room. How is that?


So welcome to our new friends. With their addition, the room went from oversized dorm room to somewhat relaxing. We've got a ways to go (sitting area and rugs to come) but we can take our time now. It's in a semi-presentable state.


Has anyone else done something similar or am I the only slacker who would play hooky to decorate their room? I may need help...

Getting to decorating

Building the house has left me temporarily depleted of inspiration. Being such a long process, it seems only natural to take a few breaks here and there. In general, everything has come together very nicely, but the house is turning just a tad rustic for me. My mom and I determined that we'll need to add some more modern touches in accessories and finishings.

I've always thought that this wall piece by Wingard was fun and funky. In one of the few moments of recent enthusiasm, Mr. Big chimed in with his approval.


We ordered the same piece in graphite and it is now hanging in our guest bedroom.


I'm pretty pleased with it. Maybe this is just the thing that I need to jump start myself to get going again...

Inspiration vs. reality: master wardrobe

Mr. Big desperately wanted to order cabinets from a manufacturer from his home town. On the other hand, I desperately wanted to order cabinets from our designer. At the end of the day, there was a compromise...we split the order between the two manufacturers.

The final cabinets have arrived and they are b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. Our master wardrobe completely blew me away. First we have the inspiration image and then the real deal:


The handles went on after these photos and they make the wardrobe even better. We're chomping at the bit to get our clothes set up in there...soon come!

Two beds for five rooms?

No that really doesn't add up, does it? We're really looking forward to picking out funky bed frames as we travel over the next few years, but ultimately, we need a little something for our guests to sleep on. Room and Board offered a good solution with the Perspective queen bed and Parsons day bed.

Perspective bed from Room and Board

This bed looks like it will be used in our downstairs guest room. It's actually fairly low to the ground which will offer lots of wall space to have fun with.

Parsons day bed from Room and Board

The day bed will actually be used in the future playroom. We should be able to cover it with enough cushy pillows that it will double as seating when it's not needed for sleeping quarters.

Overall, Room and Board was really easy to deal with. They shipped to our freight forwarder for free and allow for additional items to be added onto the order over the phone. This is especially helpful when you don't have a credit card billing address in the US. So there's the update for today...we're now up to four for five rooms with sleeping arrangements. Novel idea in a home, huh?

Talk about inspiration...

...apparently The Container Store is having their annual shelving sale just in time for our project. You can enter the dimensions of your space and then call their service center to have them custom design a solution for you. But to be honest, the standard sets that they have are far beyond what we have now. My favorite has to be the garage recreation center.

Garage Recreation Center

Reach in closet in birch and white

Garage Gardening Center

Okay mom, you can stopping laughing at the gardening center now. We do fully intend to have a nice fruit garden, herb garden and overall lush Caribbean space...all cultivated in the many leisurely hours that we will have once the house is done.

Oh any by the way, how many people now want to paint their garage because of that last photo? My hand is up!

We've got a master bedroom

I've got a question for those in the construction industry...what is the difference between sheet rock and drywall? I hear (and use) both terms interchangeably so I assume that they are the same thing. ? And for fear that everyone one on our site would likely look at me like I have three heads if I asked this question, I have abstained to this point. So there you go...please accept my apologies if this post is not technically accurate. :)

On Sunday, we were ecstatic to find our master bedroom, wardrobe and bathroom virtually complete.

Master bedroom (view to canal)

Master bedroom (inside room looking back to walk-through wardrobe)

Master bedroom (inside room looking through wardrobe to master bath)

Mr. Big basking in the master bath

Don't worry, I won't actually make you look at photos of every room from every angle going forward. :) We were just so excited to feel the rooms take shape through the addition of drywall.

The entire house should be completed by next weekend. They will then start the mudding process. This is where I nod my head and pretend to understand what they are talking about. If I understand correctly, this is when the walls get rounded (yeah) and drywall lines start to disappear. In the meantime, there are huge piles of drywall like this in every room, just promising to elicit more "oohs" and "aahs" out of yours truly. This is a really exciting time!