Mirror, mirror on the bed

It was interesting reading the comments on my last post with the turquoise bedroom. Some people loved the mirrored bed, others not so much. So I thought I’d take a look around and see if I could find some more mirrored beds that might help sway those of you who weren’t so into the mirrored bed in that room.

First up, some more takes on the mirrored four poster bed…

Martin Lawrence-Bullard Design, image via All Things Bright and Beautiful

Elie Saab via Pretty Little Green Things

The Hooker Mirrored Four Poster Bed. The mirror above the dresser is pretty cool too, and love the cubes.

The Prism Bed designed by Nancy Corzine was inspired by the Chrysler Building in New York City. This is Nancy’s bedroom – the shade of blue of the bedding and headboard is so beautiful.

 
Images via Wikipedia and Lini Home

Another bedroom designed by Nancy. I’m also diggin’ the lucite side table, which are Nancy’s design as well.

Image via Sweet Simplicity Speaks

I’m pretty sure this is the Prism bed too.

Photo by Donna Griffith, image via TheLENNOXX

If a four poster bed is too much mirror, how about just a mirrored headboard & foot board? Here’s the Temple Bed from Julian Chichester.

Or this bed from Amy Howard.

Image via Lini Home

Or how about just a headboard?

Image via Bijou Kaleidoscope

One more option – a decorative mirror behind the bed.

Image via Mirrored Dressing Table

So, what do you think – Yay or Nay to a mirrored bed?

And speaking of beds… I mentioned last week that I’m a finalist in the HomeSense Shopper Showdown contest. The Bedroom Challenge is on and voting is open. I’d REALLY appreciate all the votes I can get, so if you like my bedroom, please vote for me!

If you want your home to reflect who you are and what you love, drop me a line for an in-person or online consultation. 

Just because: Gorgeous turquoise bedroom

Oooh-la-la! Is this a gorgeous bedroom or what?!

Image via Nu Wave Home

Hello sexy mirrored bed! And check out the dark turquoise upholstered headboard. Love the turquoise bedding, and did you notice that both the colour and the pattern are replicated on the ceiling? Love it! The black night & silver night tables and crystal chandelier up the glam factor that much more. Just not so sure about the stuffed dog on the bench…

Are you feeling the turquoise bedroom love?!

If you want your home to reflect who you are and what you love, drop me a line for an in-person or online consultation.

Inspired by Big Red: A twist on equestrian chic

Last night, hubby and I watched Secretariat. OMG, what a great movie! Diane Lane is wonderful as Penny Chenery, and all the beautiful horses… *SIGH* But you don’t have to be a horse-lover to enjoy the movie – it’s as much about the strength and drive of a woman succeeding in a man’s world as it is about horses.

In case you aren’t familiar with Secretariat's story, Penny Chenery (on behalf of her dad, Christopher) won him before he was actually born in a coin flip in 1969 – although she actually lost the flip to Ogden Phipps, who at the time was the richest man in America. Too bad for Mr. Phipps, he selected the wrong foal! Ms. Chenery traveled back and forth from her home in Colorado to her family’s Meadow Stable in Virginia, living a double-life (in a good way!) as a wife & mom to four kids and the owner of a race horse.

Penny Chenery & Secretariat {image via Comfrey Cottages}

The rest, as they say, is history. Secretariat went on to be what many consider to be the greatest racehorse of all time. He won the 1973 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and then absolutely demolished the field in the Belmont, leading the race almost entirely from start to finish and winning by 31 lengths. He’s one of only 11 horses to win the Triple Crown – a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since Affirmed won it in 1978. And his winning times in the Derby and Belmont still stand as the fastest to this day, almost 40 years later.

Secretariat & Canadian jockey Ron Turcotte in the 1973 Preakness Stakes {image via Lost Past Remembered}

Sadly, Secretariat had to be put down in 1989 after a battle with a hoof disease called laminitis. Doctors performed a necropsy, and discovered that Secretariat's heart was literally twice the weight of an average horse’s heart. But then, Secretariat wasn’t an average horse :-)

Secretariat, aka Big Red, 1970 – 1989 {Image via TBO.com}

In honour of the beautiful chestnut horse they called Big Red, I’ve put together some equestrian-related interior design pictures, but with a bit of a twist. Instead of rooms that include horse art, sculptures, or memorabilia, these are rooms with design elements that to me that have the essence of the whole equestrian feel.

Sliding wood barn doors…

Image via DigsDigs

Wood-paneled rooms…

Image vie Velvet & Linen

Well-worn leather chairs…

Image via Practical Enrichment

Polished brass… 

Image via The Simply Luxurious Life

Trunks…

Image via Auction Decorating

Cast iron…  

Image via House & Home

Benches…

Image via Sense of Style Interiors

Navajo-style blankets…

Image via Kris Abshire

And a few literal takes on equestrian chic that caught my eye…

Images via Interior Design Daily, Dankton, Apartment Therapy, and Best Luxury Interior Design

 

What says equestrian chic to you?

If you want your home to reflect who you are and what you love, drop me a line for an in-person or online consultation.

Lovingetc: February 2011

Extreme Makeover: Kindness Edition is a wrap – it was a HUGE success! I can’t wait to show you the before and after pictures – once I get the pictures from the photographer, Danielle Lynn Photography, I’ll be posting them here.

It was so heart-warming to watch the seniors walk into The Good Companions on Saturday and see their eyes light up as they took in all the changes that we made. One member commented that the center is a home now, which is exactly what we were striving for – to make the center’s lobby a warm and welcoming place, just like a room in a house. There were a few tears (of joy!) and lots of cheers, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat :-) In fact, our whole design team is in a serious state of withdrawal right now – we need another project to work on together!

So much stuff going on this month, I barely had time to read the February 2011 issue of Livingetc! Here’s a round-up of what caught my eye…

1. Stop the presses – look at this HUGE book! It’s a Vivienne Westwood Opus Book, and weighs in at a whopping 90cm x 64cm and 25kgs (that’s over 50 pounds!). There are nine different cover designs, with a limited edition of 100 copies of each cover being printed (total of 900 books).

2. Doesn’t this chair look like a shirt collar? It’s the ARA chair from Porada. Available from Urban Suite for about  £2000.00.

 

3. The Bau Pendant light by Normann Copenhagen is so colourful and fun :-) It has a retro look and feel to it, but it’s fresh and modern too. It makes me think of The Jetsons for some reason :-) Available in two sizes from Nova 68. {Small: $256.00  Large: $308.00}

4. The BLOW glass table is designed by Konstantin Gcric, made by Venini, and is available through Established & Sons. The main body of the tables is a free form mouth-blown glass balloon and the top is a hand-made sheet glass. Love the cobalt blue.

5. How cool is this word art on a mirror? Two of my favourite things in one! It’s just vinyl stickers adhered to a mirror to create a fun & functional piece of art.

6. Love the look of this grouping of George Nelson Bubble pendants. Available at Y Lighting {prices start at $269.00}.

7. Wrap yourself in a room-sized snuggly sweater! Dress up your room in a snuggly sweater with this fab wall mural designed by Chae Young Kim. Available from Surface View for £300.00 for a 94” x 94” mural. The bed is pretty cool too – it’s designed by Angeletti Ruzza and is available at Poltrona Frau for £4,450.00

8. I definitely want to go back to Belgium one day, and when I do, I have to check out the Pantone Hotel in Brussels, Belgium. How yummy are all these bright, juicy colours?! Mind you, the chairs don’t look too comfortable… ;-)

9. Not only is the Puzzleboard perfect for cutting bread (got a long baguette? Attach a few boards together!)…

…it also makes a great hors d-oeuvre & wine holder at parties!

The Puzzleboard is made from beech wood and measures approx. 11” x 6.75” x 0,75”. It’s available from OOOMS for 19.95 Euros. And they ship worldwide for a flat fee of 7.50 Euros per order.

Remember I told you about Spineless Classics in my last edition of Lovingetc? Well, I ordered The Hound of the Baskervilles, and it traveled from the UK to Ottawa in four days! Easy & smooth ordering process, super-fast shipping, and the poster looks great. It’s currently hanging in the hallway, but I think I need to find a different home for it. I’ll post a pic soon.

If you want your home to reflect who you are and what you love, drop me a line for an in-person or online consultation.

3-2-1: Countdown to Kindness!

In less than 12 hours, our Extreme Makeover: Kindness Edition design team descends upon The Good Companions in downtown Ottawa to perform some serious design magic!

And it DOES feel like we’ve been performing tricks (no, not that kind!) to get to this point, because we’ve been working with a budget of $0. Yep, NO budget at all! Hmmm, maybe we SHOULD have considered those kinds of tricks after all ;-)

Thanks to an amazing group of individuals and companies, we were able to secure everything we need to perform the makeover, from construction to painting to furniture to artwork to flowers. They embraced the kindness concept and made everything we’re about to do possible. Without them, we literally would not be on the verge of creating a beautiful place where seniors and adults with disabilities can keep active and spend time learning and crafting and socializing with friends.

All the members of our team who have blogs will be blogging about everyone who’s helped us out on this project. So for the next couple of weeks, please be sure to check out our blogs and help us acknowledge the amazing generosity and skills of these fantastic people:

• D.E. Kinkade Konstruction LTD – All construction and materials
• Tamarack Developments – All paint
• Matt LeBlanc, Matt LeBlanc Art – Custom abstract painting
• The Upper Room – Furniture
• The Ottawa International Airport Authority – Furniture
• Floor Coverings International – Area carpet for reception area
• Brent Kelly Painting – Painting entire space
• Danielle Lynn Photography – Photography for entire event
• La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries Ottawa – Furniture
• Premiere Executive Suites Ottawa – Furniture
• Rockland Textiles – Foam for bench seat
• Michelle VandenBosch, Permanent Petals – All floral arrangements
• Kravet Canada – Fabric for window treatment, pillows, and bench seat
• Mr. Duguay – Lettering for sign above the reception desk

And of course, I have to mention the awesome TBBs once again for donating their time to design and plan the space, as well as hit up everyone they could think of for donations! Plus an extra thank you to Maureen, Mary Anne, and Lisa who have created some beautiful cushions and window treatments using their super sewing skills :-) The TBBs are…

• Sonya Kinkade, Sonya Kinkade Design
• Donna Hargrove, dh designs
• Lisa Goulet, Lisa Goulet Design
• Maureen Coates, MODECOR
• Mary Anne van Gaal, Otta Decorate!
• Nicole Duguay, Solace Interiors
• And me, Kelly James, JAX Decor & Design

And also thank you to The United Way Ottawa and Yummy Mummy Club (Toronto) for spearheading this project.

Now please, please, PLEASE watch this beautiful video – it’s 3-1/2 minutes that will make you smile and want to go out and hug everybody! Spread the kindness!

Have you hugged a stranger today? :-)

The Good Companions is located at 670 Albert Street. The big reveal is happening on Saturday, February 19th between 10:30AM-12:00PM – if you’re in Ottawa, drop by and check it out!

Happy Weekend!

My Big Fat Ottawa Design Week

OK, maybe not quite as catchy as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but it definitely describes this week in my little corner of the design world :-)

Children’s Wish | Exile Island: Outsmart, Outplay, Outpledge

Last night was the second meeting of our Exile Island team Ottawa Design Network Group: One Dude Nine Girls. We’re participating in the upcoming Children’s Wish fundraiser, Exile Island. Our goal is to raise $5,000 before the big Exile Island extravaganza on May 12th. We’ll be holding a number of events between now and then, including an art auction, a jewelry auction, and 20.4.20 4 Children’s Wish day on April 2nd. I’ll be posting more details about this event as the plans come together. Keep the date in mind if you live in the Ottawa area and want to talk to an interior decorator and other members of the design industry, donate money to a great cause, and eat scrumptious cupcakes!

You can follow our team on Twitter with the hashtag #ODNGXIsle. And if you’re an artist or jewelry maker and would like to contribute an item for the auction, send me an e-mail and let me know – we’d love to have you be a part of our fundraising efforts!

 

All For Nothing? | And the winner is…

Thursday night, the episode of All For Nothing? that I participated in is finally airing. I wrote about it here, including pictures of my staging work and the 22 paintings that I hung! It was a crazy two weeks for my friend Jill and her family, but they managed to beg, barter, and bargain labour and supplies from enough people to transform their home for a mere $300 – and they increased the value of their home by $20,000! Click here to read more about Jill’s AFN experience in the Ottawa Citizen, and click here if you happen to be looking for a house to buy in Ottawa :-)

Watch All For Nothing? on the W Network at 9:00PM on Thursday to see if Jill and her husband Jeff won the battle of the renovating homeowners. I know who wins, but I’m not telling! (It’s that whole tease thing again :-)

Image from the Ottawa Citizen

Extreme Makeover: Kindness Edition | The big reveal

Friday & Saturday are the final two big days of Extreme Makeover: Kindness Edition, a project that I’ve been helping with for the last couple of months. Sonya Kinkade of Sonya Kinkade Design was asked to make over the lobby, reception area, and in-house store at The Good Companions seniors centre in downtown Ottawa as part of Kindness Week. Sonya asked me and five other Ottawa decorators to help her out. The lovely and talented ladies working on the project are:

Sonya Kinkade, Sonya Kinkade Design Maureen Coates, Modecor Donna Hargrove, dh designs Lisa Goulet, Lisa Goulet Design

Mary Anne van Gaal, Otta Decorate! Nicole Duguay, Solace Interiors And me, Kelly at JAX Decor & Design

First official planning meeting. Left to right, Lisa, Kelly, Nicole, Donna, Mary Anne

The construction crew and painters have been hard at work at the centre since last week. Furniture and accessories from a long list of donators will be arriving on Friday, when we’ll be setting up the store and putting all the pieces into place. And Saturday will be the big reveal! I’ll be posting pictures of the project next week, as well as profiles of some of our generous donators. The rest of the team will be blogging about out donators on their blogs too, so be sure to make the rounds and read about all the fabulous people and companies who embraced the spirit of Kindness Week and contributed their products and time to the project.

Click here to read more about Extreme Makeover on the Ottawa At Home web site.

HomeSense | Shopper Showdown Contest

When I uploaded a picture of my purple guest bedroom to the HomeSense Facebook page for their Shopper Showdown Contest, I had no idea that I would be one of the six finalists. OH MY FREAKIN’ GOD. On top of everything else going on this week (did I mention classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, putting together a bathroom inspiration board for Thursday, and my day job?), I have to go on a shopping spree at HomeSense with a $500 HS gift card (I know, poor me!) and then make over my bedroom before noon on Monday. I am absolutely beside myself with excitement over this! But now I need a clone. Or an assistant. Or a Mini Me!

See, I told you it’s a big fat design week! If you want to get in on the decorating fun, I’d love to help you out with your project – drop me a line and let’s talk!

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I hope you’ll forgive me for not having the time to write a Sarah 101 round-up this week – I haven’t even had a chance to watch the episode yet! You can read all about it over at Rambling Renovators.