Lucky with Irish Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Whether it's an Asian-inspired decor, Eco-decorating, or retro, green is lucky today.

Ballard Designs hit a homerun with this easy-on-the-eye way to introduce green to a room.

Sarah Richardson of Design Inc. in Toronto, Ontario somehow has this way of taking a piece of used furniture, slapping a coat of paint on it, adding a little bit of bling, et voila!  She does it again.  No one can pull off a green bathroom like Sarah.  We love it!

Add these cute little accessories to finish off the look. Plates can be found at Anthropologie and this adorable sticker wall clock was found at Dutch By Design.

Switching gears to a retro look.  This Ascaso Dream retro green coffee/espresso machine should jazz up your morning.

Going Green is unquestionably here to stay.  The below "Living Wall" is a great way to not only be green but also to bring the outdoors in.  Green Over Grey is a local Vancouver company reducing the footprint of design on the earth.  We can't wait to install one of these.

Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day!

The Winter Entrance

Winter can be a bit of a slump season when it comes to decorating your front door. The holiday season is over so your holly wreath and cedar garland have made their way to the compost but it's too early to plant spring flowers in your urns. So we've generated a few ideas for you to bring life to your front entrance over these cold dark months. Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of fellow blogger Diane Carnevale.

Diane added life to these birch logs with winterberry branches.

This winter boxwood wreath from Terrain will last all winter long and bring a little green to an otherwise bare branch season.

On the other hand, you could embrace winters' starkness with this grey birch twig wreath from Lovegrass Farm.

Or how about an Amish Barn Star...did you know that each color has its own meaning? This black one signifies protection - perfect for a front door.

Itsy Bits and Pieces went beyond creative with this front door display!

So have a little fun and don't be afraid to go a little off-piste with your front door this winter. Happy Decorating!

Scandinavian Design +

Marimekko design has always been a favourite, but what if there was a shop that went beyond? Introducing Huset, a Scandinavian design shop that carries a multitude of uniquely and distinctly Scan housewares, furniture, and clothing.

Huset is defined as "The House" in Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian and they define themselves as being able to "bring together the rare and unusual of today`s visionaries plus the time-tested Scandinavian icons of design, directly to your door". And yes, they deliver internationally.

Here`s a sneak peek into the colourful world of their shop...

Bird on a Wire Coat Rack by JBA

Rice dk Melamine Side Plates

The Swedese Tree Coat Rack

Krone Hanssen`s Wood Stubbe Poufs

bObles Elna Elephant Tumbling Animal

Rice dk Birdhouse Kitchen Egg Timer

You can visit Huset.com directly for more great finds.

In a Girls World

Yesterday, I found a beautiful photo of what  was clearly a girls room and I was instantly reminded of the fact that I would never have a room like it with a husband and 2 growing boys at home. Of course I'd never trade in my fab family for the sake of decor but I refuse to give up being inspired by the delicacy of white linen, lace, and toile!

For everyone who dreams of exploring the more feminine side of decorating, these are for you:

Inspiration Shot from Style at Home magazine (online)

Boys could absolutley not resist dropping food or rubbing mud on these white chairs!

Elle Decor.com

Oooh, white, pink satin, and glass - all no no's in a house of boys!

DecorPad.com

I'll keep dreaming...and living vicariously through my clients and magazines!

I woke up to the thunder of rain rushing down my downspouts today. Yuck! It was dark, cold, wet, and down right depressing. COFFEE was a requirement - pronto. Reading through some tweets I saw that House and Home had featured a textile designer named, Bev Hisey. Click click and voila, a little sunshine appeared in my miserable day. Hisey is based out of Toronto (my old stomping grounds) and her textile works include rugs, pillows, blankets, panels, and handbags. Yummy yum, they're so colorful they electrify. Her creativity is genuine; anyone who can turn botulism into a floor mat deserves to be recognized. Here's a sampling of her work:

Dirty Dishes Carpets in the Medical Series. From the top L to R: Anthrax, SARS, E. coli, Cholera, HIV, Influenza, Botulism, Streptococcus, Acinetobacter

Moroccan Hand Tufted Wool Carpet

O.K. maybe not the most colorful but Bev definitely had a colorful mind when she created this one! The "Mommy Dearest".

"In The Woods I"

"In The Woods I"

"Butterflies" and "Ants"

Hand Screened "Squiggles" and "Die Cuts"

Visit Bev Hisey.com to perk up your gloomy day! ...and for more details.

Eclectic Modern With a Bit of Soul

Last spring I met the coolest lady who needed help refurbishing her sofa. To say the sofa was eclectic would have been a wee bit of an understatement. However, it held many memories and was fundamentally an interesting piece. So I took some photos, we picked some fabric and paint, and we were off.

But this wasn't the last of the design; the room needed some soul after she had gone through the process of de-cluttering and removing several pieces of furniture. My client was so funky it was a welcome challenge to try to marry her eclectic style of travel chachkas with her desire for a "really modern" room with “lots of colour”!

The turning point for the design was when it came out that my client had a hobby - she was an amateur photographer! We went straight to her computer and low and behold, before me were hundreds of editorial and gallery quality images!! I knew I was in for an interesting ride. I immediately paired her with my dear friend (also a photographic artist) who happens to have a Giclée printing machine in his basement.

With art as our inspiration we moved forward with re-hauling this room into an accurate reflection of my clients character; eclectic modern with soul. Following are the results:

Before De-Cluttering & Furniture Removal

Before Room Design

After



The Art is in the Hanging

Last week we had the task of hanging art for a discerning client.  Many people think there are rules you must follow; however, when it comes to hanging art, rules are made to be broken. 
To take on the task, we knew that our not-so-skilled hands could not meet the challenge.  So, we called in an expert.  We called in Kent Southwell of Kent Picture Framing here in Vancouver.  He was up for the challenge!

His easy going professional manner was met with quick and expertise hanging.  This guy knows his stuff. 

If you're ever in the market for hanging art - he's your guy.  We will no longer go anywhere else!

Thanks Kent!

We're currently scheduled to take professional photographs of the results...stay tuned...

Bastille Day, July 14, 2011

Whether you are a Francophone or just someone with Joie de Vivre, today is the 222nd anniversary of the troop invasion of the French prison in Bastille that was pivotal in ending the French Revolution in 1789. But is it acceptable to say, "Happy Bastille Day"? Well, to some descendants of the French Imperial Court that would be like saying, "Happy day your ancestors were caught and beheaded".

In France, it is actually not customary to give any salutation on this day. But if you find yourself wishing to cheer something aloud, a "Joyeux le quatorze juillet", which translates to "Happy Fourteenth of July!", would be a safe bet. Or even better, a simple “Bonne fête!” will suffice.

Regardless, today is a day of celebrating! Here's our take on some fun and delicious french must-haves:

Best Indoor/Outdoor Chairs

The Designer Bar: Best Indoor/Outdoor Chairs: "Oooooh laaalaaa! It's so exciting out there. So many cool outdoor chairs this year that are equally as functional indoors. The colours ar..."

Finding Glynda

Wondering through Ambleside, a seaside community in West Vancouver, a little shop dressed in white came into view.  Intrigued...we went in.  Little did we know that Glynda, who's apparently a good witch, had opened a shop breathing new life into a tired static string of street side shops.  The shop is called Glynda (the good witch) and it's white meets black, shabby chic meets bling, spiritual artist meets girly bliss interior is just what we needed on a rainy Vancouver day. 

The artists name is Glynda Fitzgerald and she's been an artist her whole life.  She now creates canvas art and greeting cards that will blow your mind.  We thank you for having the courage to open up a shop and expose yourself to the world.  Good luck from Northshore Interiors.

Here are some samples of her work:

Canvas Art

Card Art