Opposites attract me

A big thank you to Aubrey at All Things Bright and Beautiful for asking me to participate in her How To Make Your Home Your Own series last week. I was so overwhelmed and touched by all the positive comments about my home, and I discovered so many wonderful blogs I didn’t know about as I made the blog rounds to thank everyone.

Whew, that was an action-packed week! I was on holiday last week and spent most of it at the cottage. We had a little family reunion on Saturday with way too much food and lots of chatting and laughs :-) Between the partying and the swimming and kayaking and everything else going on, I managed to squeeze in a little bit of magazine reading. I came across two totally different bedrooms that I really adore. First, this bedroom designed by Bories and Shearron is featured in the July/August 2011 issue of House Beautiful:

How yummy is that glossy dark blue ceiling? It’s painted Hague Blue from Farrow & Ball, and it just lifts the room to a whole different level. It gives the room a cozy feel, and love how it reflects the mirror and artwork behind the bed. The shade of red on the red blanket is perfect – a real, true, gorgeous red. And the artwork above the side table is great, especially the photo of the plane.

And then in the June 2011 issue of Livingetc, I saw this bedroom:

I cannot begin to tell you how much I LOVE that bed! I’m a big fan of upholstered beds, and this one is just so gorgeous. The big & bold floral fabric is fantastic, and I love the shape of the headboard. Like sleeping in a big hug :-) And the colour palette is just so pretty and relaxing – well, except for the bright yellow curtains. They kinda work, though.

Which bedroom do you prefer?

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.

Lovingetc: January 2011

Sorry I’m late with my Sarah 101 recap – I’ll have it for you soon!

I fell a bit behind with my magazine reading over the holidays – actually, I was already behind before the holidays, and now I’m even more behind! But here it is, the January 2011 installment of Lovingetc.

If you’re new to JAX does design, Lovingetc is a once-a-month feature where I post about  some of my favourite things from the UK home decor magazine, Livingetc. Sources and prices are included wherever possible, although I don’t know if all companies ship to North America. But Lovingetc is as much about inspiration as it is about shopping :-)

I have to start by saying that I LOVE the cover of the January 2011 issue (click the image for a larger version). The architectural detailing and herringbone flooring in the room are fabulous, and love the colours – can’t go wrong with grey, purple, and chartreuse!

OK, so here we go…

1. I am TOTALLY diggin’ Mrs. Murphy’s Tatto’d Sailor – it’s such a fun & cheeky pattern :-) It comes in either a white or grey colourway, and is available as fabric, cushions, various kitchen items, and even a lamp shade. You can learn more about Mrs. Murphy here. The product line is carried by Mairo in Sweden. “A Sailor is not a Sailor, til a Sailor’s been tatto’d”. 

2. Is this not the cutest nutcracker ever?! It’s the Scoiattolo from Alessi and is the creation of Italian designer Andrea Branzi. If you want to buy him, he’ll cost you a lot more than peanuts – he’s $120.00 US at Unica Home.   

3. And what goes better with a squirrel nutcracker than an acorn card placeholder? It’s available from Habitat in the UK, although I can’t find it on their web site. They do have a matching acorn napkin ring, though – set of 4 on sale for £6.00.

 

4.  Smile! It’s the Happy Happy Bow, designed by Stephen Johnson! I love this description of the Happy Happy line of products:

The new ‘Happy Happy’ range continues his interest in designing products of no physical use-value. The range is about design's ability to exist purely for the psychological, aside to our more commonly perceived physical needs. ‘Happy Happy’ is a range of products designed to make you happy, and it’s as simple as that!

And also designed to make quite a hole in your pocket. This big aluminium metal bow {it’s 80cm / 31.5”} comes with a big price tag – a whopping £1,840.00 from Shop at the Savoy.

5. This is such a great look. The Edland linen cabinet from Ikea is painted a brilliant blue, and the interior is covered with bright green flocking. Now THAT is a seriously cool & colourful Ikea hack! {Edland linen cabinet is $499.00 CAD}

6. The London Shade from Lush Designs is £48.00 and comes in a variety of colours and two design options – with or without a drowned lady. Seriously – read about it here. Corpse aside, it’s a fun and funky design, and a great way to inject a touch of whimsy into a room.

I absolutely love letters and words used in interior design. Here are four fantastic ways to add both functional and decorative word art to your home…

7. From Andrew Martin in the UK come these super-cool alphabet side tables. There’s one for every letter, and all are about 18” high and 20” deep. Depending on how many side tables you need in a room, you could have a really fun game of Scrabble or that game where you shake up a bunch of letter dice and spell words that I can’t for the life of me remember! If you know the game I’m talking about, please leave a comment and tell me!8. Speaking of Scrabble, check out these fun Scrabble Cushions by the letteroom and available at Not on the High Street. {Added bonus that they’re displayed on a purple sofa!} They’re made from unbleached organic cream cotton, and are available individually or in sets that spell PEACE, DREAM LOVE, HOPE, and HOME. {£17.50 each}

9. I don’t know how comfortable the Dharma Lounge is, but it definitely makes a statement in a room – literally! STAND FORGE BREATHE ACKNOWLEDGE OBSERVE. And may I just toot my patriotic horn here and say YEAH CANADA, because these super-cool chairs are the creation of Palette Industries in Calgary, Alberta. WOOT! According to their web site, they’ve completed their limited run of their studio edition of the Dharma Lounge, and are looking for manufacturers to bring it to a larger audience. Fingers crossed someone picks it up!

10.  And finally, my very favourite item from the January 2011 issue. I absolutely LOVE the concept behind this artwork from Spineless Classics in the UK. They take a literary classic and print the entire book, from first word to last, on a poster. Beyond cool! Prices range from £24.99 for a single page poster, to £219.99 for the five-page The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. I’m seriously considering buying The Hound of the Baskervilles {fingers crossed they ship to Canada}:

Can you guess what book this is?

Did you see anything here that inspired a design project? Leave a comment and let me know! The next installment of Lovingetc will be in early February :-)

Lovingetc: December 2010

I’m Vanessa’s guest blogger today for her “Work in progress Wednesday” blog series. If you want to see my perpetual work-in-progress dining room, click here to check it out!

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Due to the Bake-N-Blog party on December 1st, and my Mé-bijoux jewelry giveaway on December 2nd (don’t forget to enter!), and Part 2 of The Engraved house tour on Monday, and yesterday’s impromptu trip to a desert island, this month’s Lovingetc installment is a bit late. But worth the wait, because the December 2010 issue of Livingetc has some really cool Christmas ideas, as well as some great must-have decor items. Here’s what caught my eye…

{Some items may only be available in the UK, but I think being inspired by them is just as important as being able to buy them.}

1. I love the outdoorsy look of this Pine Forest cushion cover from By Nord in Copenhagen, Denmark. Cushion cover is 60cm x 60cm and costs £77.00 at Skandivis. I’m thinking you could probably create a similar cushion cover with a photograph and iron-on transfer paper.

2. This cushion is for the person who has everything and more money than they know what to do with! The Hummingbird cushion by Alexander McQueen is handmade using traditional tapestry & needlepoint techniques, and incorporates wool & metallic thread. 22” x 22”, and you don’t want to know the price {OK, if you insist – about $1,000.00}. Available from The Rug Company in Toronto (416-548-7788).

3. Louis XV Upholstered Chair from Heals (£1,250.00). This chair is handcrafted in Northern Italy and can be made with any fabric – I LOVE this beautiful blue & white silk. To quote the Black Eyed Peas, I got a feeling that navy blue is going to be a hot colour in 2011. I’m sure you could find a similar chair on Kijiji or Craigslist that you could make over to look like this one.

4. The Vulcan Fire bio-fireplace from Indian Ocean (£995.00). It’s electro-zinc plated steel and then painted either black, white, or green. It uses bio-ethanol fuel, no installation or chimney is required, and burn time is six hours. It’s like your own little personal forest fire! ;-)

5. River pebble cupboard pulls from Chloe Alberry are a fun take on traditional cabinet hardware. Maybe a bit kitschy, but wouldn’t they be perfect in a beach-themed kitchen or bathroom?

6. I couldn’t find these marbleized chocolates from Paul A. Young online… …but I did come across these similar marbleized chocolates from Patrick Roger on Luxist. What girl doesn’t want to receive a Christmas gift in a little blue box? ;-) The two very exotic flavours are Amazone {green – caramel and acidulous lime from Brazil} and  Savage {blue – caramel scented with vervain and yuzu}. Patrick Roger’s web site is like a piece of chocolate art – be sure to check it out!

7. And now for some Christmas inspiration… this isn’t particularly practical, but wouldn’t you love to have this pretty winter wonderland in your living room? {Custom wallpaper from 55 Max}

8. Love this look with the grouping of hanging stars…

9. What could be more perfect to hang above your dinner table than festive Christmas cookies!? A fun spin on hanging ornaments or snowflakes from a chandelier – as long as you don’t mind your decorations being eaten ;-)

10. I love this festive hallway – it looks like it’s raining stars :-) And how cute are the two little reindeer? :-)

11. This project would be better-suited to a home with trees or a pretty landscape view outside the window. Although it could be interesting with a more industrial vibe if you live in the city with a view of an apartment building or skyscraper. Frost the window around some circles, stick ribbon and a tiny bow to the top of the circle, and voila, Christmas ornaments!

12. And finally, here’s a recipe you might want to try out – White Chocolate and Vanilla Fudge Cakes. OK, this is a recipe I might want to try out!

Hope you found some inspiration here for both your home and your Christmas decorating. Next installment of Lovingetc will be early January – be sure to check it out!