Puppy Love

I love this picture of Bradley Cooper sitting in front of a huge photo of his dog, Samson.

Image via The Daily Treat

Sure, Bradley Cooper is pretty cute, but the picture of Samson is what really grabs my attention. I wonder what he’s looking at… maybe he spotted a squirrel, or he’s watching another dog walk by, or he sees supper on its way… Bradley rescued Samson from a kill shelter just a few weeks before he was going to be euthanized. After Samson died last year, Bradley had this beautiful portrait hung in his home to honour his four-legged buddy. Lying under the table is Charlotte, a Chow-Retriever mix that Bradley also rescued. Gotta love guy who has a soft sport in his heart for dogs :-)

If you’re a dog lover too, here are some ways you can incorporate some puppy love into your home, starting with dog art. Diane Schuller is one of my favourite photographers, and she has a great collection of dog photos. This is one of my favourites – there’s something about the back of a dog’s head that I find so sweet.

Here’s art that you could do yourself – a dog silhouette. I like how the simple silhouette is dressed up with a bandana.

Design by Georgie Girl Design

Pablo Picasso had a Dachshund named Lump (“lump” means “rascal” in German). I’m guessing he was the inspiration for Picasso’s simple line drawing, Le Chien. I’m certainly no artist, but I’m pretty sure it would be easy enough to create a similar drawing of your own dog.

Image via Stuff I Love

If you’re interested in learning more about Picasso and Lump, check out David Douglas Duncan’s book cleverly titled Picasso & Lump: A Dachshund’s Odyssey ;-)

You can accessorize with dogs, like these white ceramic dogs by Jonathan Adler.

Image via Interior Design Hound

The super-cool silver balloon dog. {Currently out of stock, but available from Anima Causa Boutique}

Image via The Zhush

Of course, accessorizing with the real thing is easy enough!

Image and photograph by William Waldron

ELLE Decor’s web site has a collection of fifteen photos called Dog Decor that feature lots of cute pooches making themselves right at home in their owners’ abodes :-)

Romeo, Yellow Lab
Design by Delphine Krakoff, photograph by Pieter Estersohn

Nigel & Rupert, Whippets
Decorator & owner James Andrew, photograph by Simon Upton

Buda, Hungarian Vizsla
Design by Nicholas Haslam, photograph by William Waldron

Why not add some puppy love to your walls? Wallpaper on lower wall by Emily Bond, framed dog silhouettes cut out from Osborne & Little’s Best in Show.

Image via House to Home

Another take on dog wallpaper from Thibaut, also called Best in Show.

Image via Park Place Mgazine March/April 2011, photograph by Laura Moss

Why limit yourself to dogs on walls – check out this sweet dog fabric by Eric Cohler for Lee Jofa called Unleashed. Love the large-scale houndstooth fabric on the settee as well :-)

 Images via Interior Design Hound and Acanthus & Acorn

I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely feeling the Puppy Love :-)

Colour tips from Mario Buatta

Totally not my style, but I’m really diggin’ this room by designer Mario Buatta. The bright colours, the beautiful arched windows with great architectural detail, the gold accents… plus there are loads of fresh flowers, which really bring life to the room.

There’s a short article in the April 2011 issue of ELLE Decor about Mario Buatta. In it, he shares some great tips for decorating with colour.

1. Every room in your house should be a different colour. Each space should have its own mood.

Designed by Porter House Designs

2. Three perfect colours are lemon yellow, leaf green, and Prussian blue.

His suggestions for some colour combinations are… living room with yellow walls, pale blue ceiling, white woodwork.

Designed by Rebecca Robertson, image via Martha Stewart

Kitchen with off-white cabinets, robin’s egg blue interiors, and lemon yellow ceiling.

Image via Inspired Home Design

Bedroom with apricot walls, pale blue ceiling, and off-white woodwork. {Not a bedroom, but the closest example I can find!}

Designed by Martha Stewart, image via Peace Love Chandeliers

Library with red walls, squares of silver tea paper on the ceiling, and brown accents.

Image via Sara Gilbane Interiors

3. Look around a space and get a feeling for the room, the light, and air. Then start with a fabric. Look for a tiny detail in the pattern, and use that as your room colour.

 
Image via Livingetc May 2011

4. Have light rooms for day and dark rooms for night, and don’t paint  a dark room a light colour. Instead of painting a dark room apricot, paint it dark orange.

Designed by Jane Lockhart, photograph by Brandon Barré

5. Draw a floor plan and attach the fabrics that you want to use to it. This allows you to see if the colours work together.

Image via Homes and Property

6. Paint your ceiling – pale blue brings in the sky, yellow adds sunshine.

Image vie Cococozy

Designed by Allison Caccoma, image via House Beautiful

7. If a room has bad bones, paint them out the same colour as the walls to make them disappear.

Image via Apartment Therapy

How do you incorporate colour into your home? Do you go bright and bold, or soft & subtle?

What do I like about this bathroom?

Room designed by Atelier Interior Design in Denver, Colorado.

• The fresh green wallpaper and the way it’s framed by the trim rather than going all the way up to the ceiling.
• The switch plate cover painted the same colour as the paper so it doesn’t distract from the wallpaper pattern. Nice little touch.
• The thick countertop – looks really solid and substantial.
• The wood grain on the vanity, although not sure what kind of wood it is.
• The cluster of pendant lights. And love the round crystal hanging from each of them.

Happy weekend!

Holy Skinny Cow!

Even though it’s still feeling like winter around here, summer is just a few months away. And what goes better with summer than ice cream!

Mmmmmm! One of my favourite ice cream flavours is Ben & Jerry’s If I Had 1,000,000 Flavours – it’s filled with all sorts of yummy bits of chocolate and white chocolate and peanut butter cups and caramel, and it’s oh-so-decadent!But sadly, eating If I Had A 1,000,000 Flavours every day would stick at least 1,000,000 fat cells on your booty. But never fear, Skinny Cow is here! I heard about Skinny Cow ice cream last week, and had to check it out. It comes in cute little 1 cup containers, and I have to say, it’s pretty good ice cream – and without the fat & calories of the ultra-premium stuff.

I don’t know how they do it, but Skinny Cow ice cream has the taste and texture of a rich premium ice cream. And the best thing about Skinny Cow ice cream is that it DOESN’T contain any kind of fake sugar – I really hate the aftertaste from Aspartame and Splenda. And it’s made with skim milk. These cute little cups aren’t going to bust the calorie bank.

Here’s the nutritional value for a 1 cup serving of If I Had 1,000,00 Flavours vs. Skinny Cow Chocolate Fudge Brownie.

	Ben & Jerry’s	Skinny Cow
Calories	300	150 (20 from fat)
Total fat	18g	2g
Saturated fat	12g	1g
Sodium	80mg	70mg
Carbohydrates	31g	29g
Dietary fiber	1g	4g
Sugars	27g	17g
Protein	5g	5g
Vitamin A	N/A	2%
Calcium	N/A	10%
Iron	N/A	6%

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with indulging in a bowl of premium ice cream every now and then. But if you’re looking for a good tasting, healthier alternative, check out Skinny Cow.

A toast to Roast

Some of the most beautiful light fixtures I’ve come across are made by Roast Designs in the UK. Take a look and see if you agree…

            

20.4.20 4 Children’s Wish

This Saturday, April 2nd, One Dude Nine Girls is holding a fundraising event for Children’s Wish. 20.4.20 4 Children’s Wish is a great opportunity to get design advice from landscapers, decorators, kitchen designers, and other industry professionals. Book a 20 minute consultation with one of our home reno experts for only $20, with all money raised going to Children’s Wish.

Sweets by Karen is going to be there selling delicious cupcakes (I had a couple of samples today – trust me when I say DELICIOUS!), and we’ll be selling raffle tickets for amazing prizes like original art by Matt LeBlanc and Fifi Flowers, jewellery by Nami Jewellery and Me-bijoux, a gift certificate from OR DESIGN glassworks, a gift basket from Bark & Fitz… and lots more goodies! And there’s going to be coffee from Starbucks too :-)

Here are the details:

• Who: Hosted by One Dude Nine Girls
• What:  20 minute home reno & design consultations for $20
• When:  Saturday, April 2nd, 10:00AM – 4:00PM
• Where:  Custom Home Interiors, 2202 Thurston Drive, 613-248-1244
• Why:  To raise $5,000 and help grant a sick child’s wish

To book a consultation, please visit our online booking system.

Can’t make it on Saturday? You can still help us raise money by writing reviews on participating consultants or other home renovators on the HomeStars web site. HomeStars is donating $5 for every review added between now and May 12th – plus another $5 for sharing your review on Facebook.

And you can also make a donation through my page on the Children’s Wish Exile Island web site.

Hope to see you on Saturday!