HI and...Where do you put your STUFF?!?!

Taking a quick break from the arrival of summer and the cutest guy on earth (who, PS is 8 MONTHS OLD NOW!!) to get back to my roots and post about decor..a dilemma really.

The Living Room has been on my to-do list for a loonnggg time (i.e. this post from a year and a half ago...woops). There were a lot of little bits completed here and there (gallery wall, map artwork, media stand, chair)…but the coffee table and an area rug are still the bane of my existence. The Mr. has given me a deadline of the end of my mat leave to GET.IT.DONE.

Maybe if I keep hemming and hawing I can extend my leave?!?! Kidding. 

Sort of.

First things first…the coffee table.

This is what we are living with…it came from my old apartment, to an apartment we shared, to our house. It’s beyond time to get rid of it. It’s IKEA and it’s been with us for over 7 years - definitely reaching the end of its lifespan. 

 (this is a photo before the floors were done...but sadly aside from the addition of curtains, a few playmats and a LOT of toys, the room hasn't changed)

The coffee table shelf doesn’t realllyyy stay up all the time (and it’s terrifying when it slams down)…with Owen pawing everything it’s really not safe to keep it, and it’s not right for the space. BUT it provides storage (obviously we have stuff all over the top of it too in real life).

I get that we probably won’t want open storage in a month or so when Owen is really on the move. We also need something that is friendly to his adventurous self, probably something round or an upholstered table so he doesn’t bonk his head a million times on sharp corners.

via Alanna Cavanagh (via Globe and Mail)

via Real Simple

But here's the question: If you don’t have storage in your coffee table where do you put your STUFF?? 

Where do you put mail? Bills? Things that need your attention but you’re too lazy to get to it right now? Paper and pens for writing out to do lists or sketching basement reno’s?

Where do you put all the STUFF??

Spring, where art thou?

I want Spring. Today, is not spring-y. Blustery is how I would describe today. Snowy. Windy. Cold.

It's MARCH. Yesterday and Monday were glorious days with highs not only on the plus side of the thermometer, but up to 9 yesterday. 9!!! I was way too warm in my winter coat while out for a walk. Owen and I soaked it all in yesterday because we knew today would be gross. What a tease.

Here are some images that are making me happy and willing (in my mind at least) winter to go away. Join me, will you?

Flower market in Paris (Our trip, 2011)

 Cherry blossoms in High Park (2012)

Loving how the LCBO suggest displaying tulips! (Spring 2014 issue of Food & Drink)

Project Baby Room - Moodboard

I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head of what I want the nursery to look like...I'm getting to a point where I really should get going on some of these ideas, so to help me visualize it better, I created a couple of mood boards.

 

Since we don't know whether this little baby is a boy or a girl, I want to do a gender neutral nursery without doing green & yellow or gray & yellow. I like a lot of nurseries in those tones, but I want something a bit different so I am thinking navy, gray and coral. The current walls are a green-gray and we won't be painting (there are enough other projects going on around here!), so I also wanted something that would coordinate with that.

We have all of the pieces of furniture - crib, dresser/change table, and a glider. I was debating getting a really nice glider / rocker, but I just can't picture it in an area of my house after the baby grows up. So instead, I got a great deal on a glider from craigslist and will be recovering the cushions to zhush it up.

The plans above are me playing around on the internet, so who knows what we will end up with but what do you think?

Shower curtains - bright and bold, or nice and neutral?

Hi all,

I shared my tile with you the other day (and I'm still just as excited about it), but onto the next thing. We have to find a shower curtain for the shower...this is no easy feat. There are a LOT of cheesey shower curtains out there. Seriously, google image "shower curtain" or even Pinterest it, and you get a lot of cheese factor.

The last shower curtain I had won't fly (it's brown), but I ended up buying fabric and having my mom sew it  to get the length we desired (I HATE short shower curtains). That's an option, but if we can find a pre-fab one out there it will speed up the big reveal to you guys :)

Here are some options I came across on Pinterest and in my searches.

Starting with the nice and neutral:

 (a) this is a gorgeous bathroom (b) I like the classic look of the black and white. We almost went with this floor, but once we chose a modern vanity I wanted a more linear floor...ok back to the shower curtain. The border could easily be a DIY, and having the 2 shower curtains (although I was doubtful at first) could be a great way to show off beautiful tile in the shower. Image via DesignManifest

 Another black and white option - this one from Target!

Gray Ikat Chevron - WestElm via DesignSerendipity

This one reminds me of turkish towels...via WestElm

Patterned, but neutral tie-dye vibe - Shibori via WestElm

 And now for the bright and bold:
 

 

 If I decide to go for colour in my bathroom - this is the print I want! Not sure if I would go for the coral or another colour, but I love the pattern. Diane Von Furstenburg (of course) via Refinery29

 Rainforest by West Elm

This one is funny, yet not kitchy via LivingExclusive

So, what do you think? Neutral or Colour?

1 curtain or 2?

Bathroom mood board

I finally put together a mood board for my bathroom so you guys can have a peek into what I envision for the space. Well...at this point it's more than what I invision, it's basically what's happening!

Sort of different from my initial run at it, but I'm loving it all coming together. The white subway tile will be on the shower/tub alcove wall, and the marble herringbone will be the floor tile (I will have HERRINGBONE in my house!!).

The only things I have left to decide on are a shower head and paint colour. For the paint, I don't know whether to leave it all white and air-y, or to do something a bit darker on the wall (grey)? I'm leaing towards a very light gray so it isn't white on white on the tile. I am unsureof doing something dark because we don't have any tile on the walls to break it up. I also may re-think the lighting, but will keep the same style and will have the lights on top. I like the idea of lights on the side, but since we are doing 2 separate mirrors, we would have to have 3 lights and they're pretty bulky so we opted for top lighting. We will also have 2 potlights so the over-mirror lights won't be the only light sources in the bathroom.

So far the electrician and plumber have been in (and will be back to finazlie all the hook ups), and our drywall / tile installer started today! I know that finishing takes a while...so I'm not banking on it being doing very soon, but it's still some great progress.

I did it

Good Friday morning!!

I did it.

Well, I actually did 2 things (and no. one of them wasn't "write a blog post"...although I have been slacking in that regard so if we count that I'm up to 3. Woah.).

1- very exciting...my last post was about pillows...I typically hem and haw about online purchases (ok, about most decisions), but really liked the multi-coloured pillow, which turns out was sold out. As soon as it was back in stock, Chapters/Indigo tweeted me with an update and I ordered it immediately. Well played Chapters, well played. The good news? I love said pillow. Check it out on my beautiful chair:

{iphone pic...haven't had time to play with my camera much lately!)

The second thing I did? Hit up Target. This is BIG news in Toronto. From my instagram (InteriorGroupie) and twitter (@interiorgroupie) feeds I was worried that other bloggers had already scooped everything up, but the shelves were pretty well stocked when I went on Thursday, and I ended up with this loot:

Here is a lot of other fun stuff I came across:

Aside from spending money, we're busy planning the bathroom (oh..."did it #3" ordered the vanity. Woot! Oh wait, that's just spending more money) and wishing for spring to make an appearance (I know we're not as badly off as other places...but the flakes have been a flyin' here and I'm ready for sun and green).

Have a good first weekend of "spring"!

Bathroom vanity options

With our  bathroom reno, we are crossing our fingers and hoping that we can get a double vanity. Seriously, after a pedestal sink for 3 years in a tight space, any vanity would be great...a double vanity would be complete luxury. As you can tell from my last post, I'm thinking a black and white (and in between) colour scheme for the new bathroom.

I've started looking for vanities, mainly from big box stores. I know that we could get custom, but I figured we might as well see what we can find pre-made and then decide what to do.

Hutton Double Vanity via Restoration Hardware

Really nice right? Also really expensive (would go custom instead)

Pretty much an exact copy (with hardwood construction and soft close drawers and cabinets):

What about this one? looks pretty much exactly the same...and is litterally half the price.

Studio Bathe Kalize via costco.ca

Mirrors and shipping included, hardwood solid construction, $1599.99. I pretty much fell off my chair when I saw this was from Costco. And costco.CA at that! Unfortunately it measures 62.5" wide so it is sadly too big for our space...but if you're in the market it's a great option (worth the $50 Costco membership, that's for sure!)

Chesapeake via costco.ca

I am liking the idea of a black vanity...it could be solid in the space, and we'll likely be going with white tile for the bath so it could be a nice contrast. I am not crazy about the granite on this piece, but for the price it might be worth it to buy it and put a different slab on it.

 

Naples 60" vanity via Home Depot Canada

This one comes top-less, but I like the style of it. I think however I prefer the vanities with open space at the bottom (always important in a tiny space).

A small issue with all of these is that they are online...free returns, but would have to rent a truck to bring it back if we didn't like it. Most of the stores do not carry them in stock so it's hard to know what the quality will be until you see it. We stopped in at Lowes and Home Depot and both seem to offer fairly good quality. Rona on the other hand was a no - all the display models were chipping and/or not made well.

What do you think of these options? Any suggestions for where else we should check for vanities? What about other bathroom fixtures, like tubs, faucets, etc?

My new favourite store

A couple of weeks ago I finally stopped into FOC! Furniture On Consignment.  A friend told me about this store and said that she found out about it from one of Sarah Richardson's sources lists. It's in Leaside, just down the road from the HomeSense there.

I popped in and loved a LOT of what I saw. Unfortunately not a lot of it has a place in my home, but there were some incredible pieces that I have to share with you.

 This goldleaf and glass desk is GORGEOUS. Asking price: $550...aka...quite the deal.

And now for the absolute steal...this is Ethan Allan...and was listed at $400. $400!! I can't even find a coffee table I like for $400. If I had a dressing room (or a house big enough for a dressing room) this would be going in it. For. Sure.

This was a very cool coffee table, but has a green leather inset on the top of it (and is too solid for my living room) but it could look fantastic in the right spot.

Are you going to go and check it out? I'll definitely be going back regularly!

IDS 2013 - Recap

This past weekend was the Interior Design Show (IDS) in Toronto...if your twitter or instagram feed is anything like me, it was probably blowing up with #IDS info. I went to the opening gala on Thursday night and snapped some shots of the things that grabbed my attention.

Metropolis

Para Paints

This was hilarious...just a couple of models in bed...got our attention!

Everyone was swooning over this copper tub...sorry folks - for display only, not for sale.

What caught your attention?

IKEA does it again

I'm on a mailing list for IKEA product launches and am always surprised with at least a few things that pop up! They've done it again with some amazing products coming out in February. I love how they're pushing some of the usual IKEA style boundaries, including putting in DIY tips in their catalogue, and taking some IKEA hack ideas and turning them into products they sell for customers who aren't so crafty. (PS - I'm not paid or otherwise compensated for this...I just really think these products are cool).

Here are some new products that caught my eye:

 PROMENAD designed by Malin Åkerblom
I love blue and white dishes...and will definitely have to check these out

BILLY bookcase with OpenBooks pattern (limited edition) 

This is a great reminder that you can completely change a bookcase by adding fabric, wallpaper, or paint to the inside of it (or just go to IKEA to buy one done for you!)

 PALLRA boxes - patterned on the inside, fabric covered on the outside. I LOVE these.

KVITTRA boxes, designed by: Anna Salander.

Start the car, Start the car!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday faves - my fave five projects of 2012

I have been visiting, lounging, EATING, and all around taking in the holidays this year. The Mr. and I are currently on a little getaway enjoying some extra holiday time, but new year's is coming up which means it's almost countdown time! Amongst the million countdowns there are this time of year I am counting down my five favourite projects of the year. Speaking of countdowns...remember sitting by your tape recorder to tape  favourite songs from the RADIO every new year's eve?? ohhh life before iTunes.

 {via}

Here are my fave five for 2012:


Kitchen Reveal - we were SO excited to get this project done, and are loving every little bit of it. We are currently working on a little extra project for this space (to be revealed in 2013).

 --

DIY Doormat - this was a fun and easy project, with a lot of impact. Hard to believe I did it almost a year ago!

--

 
Cast-iron pan makeover - This was the Mr's project through and through - super rewarding to get an old cast iron pan from an antique market and fix it up! (we use it ALL the time).

--

DIY cakestand - what do you get when you stick a bowl to a plate? This...

--

 Curb-find stool make over - these were a great and free find...add some spray paint and cushions and voila!

There were many other fun projects over the year, and I'm sure many more to come in 2013!

Exciting finds at Homesense

When I went shopping for the bags I mentioned in my last post, I also popped into Homesense and was floored by some of the amazing stuff in stores right now. All of this was found at the Leaside location in Toronto, and I am seriously drooling over some of this stuff.

What do you think?

That royal blue velvet settee is just gorgeous! At $550 it doesn't seem like a total bargain, but when you consider that is cheaper than most chairs, it's a great deal. I think it would look amazing against a marble or penny tile floor of a foyer (that is, if I had a house that could make room for a foyer to fit a settee :) ). The little chevron poofs and stool were just adorable for student living or a kids playroom, and the Ikat pillows were large, and down-filled for $40. You couldn't make them and buy the inserts for that price!

Homesense has really stepped it up in the lighting department in my opinion. They have so many reasonable and trendy options, including a good number of hanging pendants, drum shades, and chandeliers.

 

This is just a mish mash of cool stuff. The equestrian influence was loud and clear with the artwork, and a black horse head lamp below it (see what I mean about lighting??). The orange and white duvet cover could really punch up a room, and the mustard yellow and gray apron brings an old school 50's vibe back to your kitchen. Finally, the rug at the bottom is a great find for $199 - I think it would look perfect in a modern living room or in a nursery.

 

Sadly none of these things made it home with me this trip, but I kept wishing I had a place to put them all!

 

 

Full disclosure: This post just represents my inner love for HomeSense - I can spend hours in there! I was not compensated for this post (I wish).