Spring Antique Fair

Twice per year I venture out for a day of treasure hunting in the park at Christie's Antique Fair in Dundas, Ontario where over 300 vendors from across North America come for one big day of vintage amusement. Although it started off as a foggy, wet day, it couldn't dampen our spirits.  The next one is September 10th in case you missed the Spring session.

It used to be an annual mom and daughter outing until my mother decided she can't take the 4 hour walking stint anymore, so the last couple of years I've been going with my French antique loving friend, Roxane.
Here are some of the things that caught my eye this time - both fabulous and freakish!

I couldn't get enough of all the cool lamps in so many shapes and colours

I love this sleek, Lucite beauty - maybe with a silver or black shade?

 These coloured glass sconces were over $1000 - so nice to look at...just don't touch!

These guys were close to 4 feet tall - Las Vegas lobby in the 50's perhaps?

This bronze statue with a fringe topper is another 4 foot mega-lamp.
I can see this as a floor lamp in a  hallway - maybe painted a high gloss black for extra drama!

These pin-up girl posters were a hit with the military men way back when.

These shellacked ladies just made me laugh!
looks like someone I know...Before and After a few drinks.

There was a great selection of interesting furniture pieces - many of them sold within the first hour of opening.
Early Bird gets the worm for sure when it comes to treasure hunting.

The intricate hand-carved work on these next few pieces is a craft that although not mainstream anymore, can still be appreciated as unique accent pieces today.

And as for my score for the day, just this necklace.  

Green is not typically my go-to colour for jewellery but something about the various shades and shapes of green baubles with a hint of iridescent purple thrown in just made me say "Gotta have it!"

Do you likey?

Eclectic Living Room

One thing I've learned over the years decorating spaces is that people put too many labels on themselves and that it makes even less sense to label your style at home.  I find that most people like a mix of old and new, classic with some modern elements, and varying degrees of colour and pattern throughout their homes depending on how they use the space.  I truly believe the label doesn't matter as long as it "feels" right for you.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been putting together some inspiration images for an "eclectic" living room project I'm working on.  The clients have two young children, including a toddler who's toys have taken over their very small living/dining room and they are in desperate need of good storage, seating for entertaining and a more grown up space overall.  They want the space to feel curated and are considering both refurbished/recycled items as well as new items.  With several projects around the house needing attention, we have a very limited budget and a short timeline to get this space done.

We have a very narrow hallway with no closet that opens up to the entire main floor with only a 4'x4' knee wall for delineation.  So, with limited space for furniture I'm looking for an interesting wallpaper to help make a bold statement when you first enter the home.  I love this Thibault wallpaper and gorgeous chest and vintage sconces.

Thibaut cork metallic wallpaper - stunning!

cork metallic paper up close

Since all of the living room furniture is to be replaced, and we didn't have any existing artwork to draw inspiration from, I decided that we would start with a gorgeous over sized rug to both delineate the living and dining room as well as become the foundation for the colour scheme for the room.  My client wanted something traditional in style but was open to bringing in a mix of patterns and colours.  I found this rug from Hellenic called "the Tree of Life" and the client loved it.  It's herbal dyed wool and hand made in India and has all the earthy colours we were looking for with pops of red and pink that really adds to the lively essence of space.  

The client likes earth tones and wanted a traditional space but with a bit of cultured, Asian-Ethnic touches.  I selected some fabrics with traditional motifs but more interesting colour combinations.  The patterned fabric for the chairs was chosen in muted tones to let the rug take center stage.  The drapery fabric is fab and will work very nicely with the darker wood tones of the existing dining room furniture. 

Fabrics & Rug

I'm also sourcing cabinetry for the dining room and living room.  We are playing around with a mix of purchased credenza's and built in book shelves.  Here are some ideas:

living room option via

dining room option via

living room option via

For the extremely narrow hallway our options are a narrow bench or console.  I love this hand-made beauty, from Urban Tree Salvage made of Manitoba maple, which I featured in my IDS post here.

Alternatively, a shallow console and mirror will work nicely too.  This one picks up on the red accents we will have in the space and has an artisan quality to it. It's always practical to have storage drawers in the front hall for all the little mitts, mail & keys.

via

We'll be out looking for upholstery soon.  Although the client was hoping for a sectional sofa and they generally work well in tight spaces, this living room needs storage desperately - so we're looking at a smaller sofa and two slipper chairs to optimize the layout and get as much storage and seating as possible at the same time.  

I love this eggplant velvet beauty from Barrymore.  Although this fabric is not practical with a sticky-finger toddler running around, this is the look we are going for.  A three-seater with slim, padded arms allow us to get maximum seating without wasting any space on bulky arms.  The thin legs also add sleekness compared to a skirted sofa style.

As for chairs, we have the option of one larger chair, in a wing back or club chair style, or alternately, two smaller chairs that can also serve as extra seats for dining when entertaining larger groups.  

For a single chair I like to feature something with great lines in a solid fabric, whereas with a clean-lined chair  a bold pattern really adds interest to the room while keeping the sofa in a sold colour.

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As you can see, the range of furniture styles are very broad in an eclectic scheme, but ultimately they will all relate to each other based on the colour scheme, shapes, textures and materials.  As we add each element to the plan, we change up the mix and that's what gives it a truly curated feeling.

That's it for now, I'll be back with updates as we go.  

What I Know For Sure...A Designer's Journey

To use the famous words of Oprah, this month I hit the one year mark of having my own business and it made me ponder what I've learned about the journey and myself...these are some of the things I know for sure.

For starters, I know for sure it's damn hard work to run your own business!

Talk about wearing a ton of different hats: Interior Designer, sales rep, marketer, financial analyst, strategic planner, shopper/buyer, project manager, artist, writer, customer service agent, social media department, relationship manager, marriage counselor/mediator, therapist, showroom hostess, oh...and along the way fit in some time for wife and mother!

I know for sure that each day greets me with new challenges, opportunities, curiosities, discoveries, as well as new frustrations, angst, and a constant clock, ticking away that never seems to be on my side.

I know for sure that on any one of these days I can decide to step away from the computer and just go for a walk when the sun is shining or have an afternoon latte while perusing my latest shelter magazine in peace and no one tells me to get back to work (except that little voice inside my head, of course!).

I know for sure that at some point even in a well-planned day and despite my best intentions, there will be days that I will get distracted while sourcing fabric or furniture and fall into the blog-o-sphere filled with pretty.

I know for sure that I love to shop, and I'm a kid in a candy store at some of my favourite showrooms, but to find a great deal on a unique piece of furniture, original art or amazing accessories, now that's a real treasure.

I know for sure that I will never sell a product or service to a client that isn't the right thing for them and that they are not completely happy about.   I don't ever want them to have any regrets and I want only for them to feel joy when they come home to their beautiful space.

I know for sure that as much as I like to work independently I do miss having colleagues and (especially) staff.  However, I'm fortunate to have built a wonderful support network of business associates, industry partners, mentors and amazing friends I can contact at any time who give me honest opinions and the kick in the pants I need when I'm overwhelmed.

I know for sure that until I see the client's eyes light up and sometimes shed a tear of joy - that I am not satisfied with the results.

I know for sure that the Corporate world seems a million miles away from my lovely, well decorated home office and yet the skills acquired during the years I logged there benefit me today.

I know for sure that I have the ability to bring joy to other's through my work and yet I will still have those days when I question "Am I good enough?".  I've heard this is a common flaw in the creative field.

I guess that's what forces me to dig deep for inspiration, reach out for encouragement, search horizons I've never journeyed to, and forces me to remember why I started this in the first place... I love to create beautiful spaces that make people feel good to be in.

I know for sure that life is a journey and that if you don't try to fill it with the things you love to do, it will pass you by too quickly and you'll look back with a bunch of  "what ifs?".  I don't know for sure what the next year will bring, but whatever comes my way will help me continue to learn what I'm capable of and will be a direction I set for myself.  Right now it's okay to NOT know for sure about the next leg of my journey but I do know I have lots more to discover about ME!