Have you heard about Candice Olson’s new show, Candice Tells All? It debuts this coming Thursday at 8:00PM on the W Network. Here’s the show description from the W Network web site:
Candice takes viewers through the ins-and-outs of her signature makeovers while exploring a major design principle in each episode. The audience sees first-hand where Candice gets her design inspiration from and joins her as she traverses the city to see how these principles work in other mediums and art forms. Candice also gets the scoop from design industry insiders and meets up with professionals and artists doing inspiring and fabulous things beyond the world of interior design. It is a first-hand glimpse into Candice’s world, her design process and inspiration, as well as a chance to see her as we have never seen her before – up-close and personal!
And no doubt about it, Candice knows how to design a room!
Sarah Does Honeysuckle
Last night was the much-anticipated debut of Sarah 101. In case you missed it or if you don’t get Sarah 101 where you are, here’s a quick rundown (sorry about the lousy picture quality, I took pics off my TV because I couldn’t find any pics online).
Sarah and Tommy redesigned a living room/dining room in a narrow Victorian house. They started with this:
And ended up with this – COLOUR-O-RAMA! Notice that the original wood front door was painted a fabulous bright green. I wonder if the exterior side is the same colour…
The floral fabric on the two armchairs in the LR inspired the colourful palette.
The star of the living room is the bright pink sofa with contrasting piping.
Hmmmm…. did Sarah have the inside scoop on Pantone’s colour of the year for 2011, Honeysuckle 18-2120? :-)
Sarah and Tommy found the perfect dining chairs in the perfect colour:
Sarah created a wall of artwork with inexpensive plates that she arranged in a cascading layout:
A bit of equine chic on a fantastic Asian-inspired chest:
A daybed is an understated divider between the two spaces:
I want to know how Sarah can make such amazing second-hand finds. She must have come sort of sixth sense or something – I NEVER find such awesome stuff! The armchairs, side tables in the LR, chandelier, dining room table, colourful plates, Asian-inspired chest… all great second-hand scores.
So what did Sarah & Tommy teach us?
1. Buy pieces that are comfortable and the right proportions for your space.
2. For fresh, fun, and contemporary florals, go for over-scaled, bold, and graphic patterns.
3. A daybed as a room divider offers flexibility (you can sit on either side of it), and doesn’t distract from the site lines of the space.
4. How do you know what size area rug is right for your space? Make sure that at least the two front legs of every piece of furniture in the room sit on the area rug.
5. Sometimes you have to fix the framework before you can add the pretty, even it it isn’t in the original budget.
6. Layer your lighting – floor & table lamps, overhead ceiling lighting (on dimmers), and a chandelier give cozy light, functional light, and pretty light.
7. Look for dressmaking silk for curtains – it’s less expensive than drapery silk.. And keep silk away from touchable areas (no silk cushions).
8. Flooring in a mid-tone range will be timeless and is less likely to show furballs if you have a cat or dog.
9. The width of your dining table depends on how you like to entertain. Sarah likes enough room for place settings and lots of room down the center of the table.
If last night’s episode was any indication, Sarah 101 is going to rock big-time! And here’s hoping Candice Tells All is just as fun, colourful, and informative. Don’t forget to check her out on Thursday!
seals” T-shirt was the last straw for me (I later discovered that the husband is Chef Rodney from Steven & Chris). Hope this season’s couple doesn’t suck!
