Dream Outdoor Space on a Dime

New Job!  Redesigning an outdoor eating area on a very limited budget. 

Here's the before:

And here's the budget:  only $2000

So we're needing to decide what stays, what goes, and what needs to be added or changed.  The conclusion is to prioritize changing the color scheme to grey/black/and white, and to beef up those tiny pillars.  After that, adding some white canvas sun drapes, seasonal flowers, some cushions, and candle urns to soften the whole look.  Then, with a good pressure wash and a coat of stain on the table set, we're thinking the deck will look a million times better and stay within the $2000 budget.

Our Inspiration

This porch found at Martha Stewart is our color inspiration of black and white.

With long flowing white grommet outdoor curtains,

and yellow and chrome accessories.

Now we're ready to go!  Results will be in later this spring.

Changing the Clocks Means Changing the Throw Pillows!

Yeah, the clocks are springing ahead this Sunday morning March 14th.  To most people this signifies longer days, but for us it means we get to change over our heavy winter throw pillows for fresh new spring ones - yippeee!  Throw pillows are one of the easiest and one of the cheapest ways to re-decorate.  We do it seasonally -it's kind of an addiction :-)))

Here on the west coast, being eco-friendly is always top of mind so we tend to re-use a lot of the same pillows but in different combinations and in different rooms or we have pillow swap parties with friends and fellow decorator's.

But of course, we're always looking for some new ideas and here are a few of our fav finds:

Clayton Gray's selection of accessory pillows are hot hot hot!  Put them all together on a nice crisp white sofa for a mod hot look!

The undeniable bold style of Marimekko fabrics would add pizazz to any room in need of a spring makeover.  We found these for a great price online at Imagine Throw Pillows.

We hope you have as much fun as we do welcoming Spring!  Enjoy. 

Olympic Inspired Canadiana Design

We are feeling inspired to decorate something, anything, with Canadian motif's after spending 17 days with our Olympic athlete's in our homes.  Whether you were watching on television, reading the newspaper, or simply walking through the streets of Vancouver, Olympic Fever was everywhere.

The competition might be over but our inspired spirit carries on with these amazing Canadiana finds:

We thought it would be fun to snuggle up in this Ouno Design bedspread in our (imaginary) Whistler ski cabin!  The designers at Ouno made this from recycled "Amik" scarves from the 1976 Montreal Olympics.  How creative is that?  Plus, they are made in our very own city of Vancouver, BC.  This is truly a marriage of ecoism and localism. 

Another local artist who's work we love is Sabina Hill because she is so conscious of our Pacific Northwest heritage.  Sabina worked with Canada's First Nation communtiy to develop her New Spirit Collection, which features the above eagle wall panel. 

A room cannot be a bonified 'Canadiana' design without this classic HBC Point Blanket.  This thing's been around forever!  Well, maybe only since 1780.  It is Canadian design staple that can work in any home, cabin, or cottage. 

O.k., we loooove this chair!  Nothing says Canadiana like a good ol'chair made from your brother's broken hockey sticks.  This creative masterpiece was found by a guy while walking through a small town after a hike and it seems we have now joined his worldwide search to find out who made it.

Who said Moose antlers had to hang in the den?  One of our fav 'go to' sites, Trendey.com, featured this melange of antlers, which was showcased in the September 2009 issue of UK's Livingetc magazine. 

And our #1 paint color choice this winter season is "Inukshuk" by Benjamin Moore, which pays tribute to one of our national Olympic emblems.  We've recently had the opportunity to use it in one of our powder room makeovers and it was smashing.