Architectural Allure

Most of us can appreciate interesting design when we see it - 

a beautiful building, a cool tech gadget, a streamline car, or even a sexy shoe.

I've become increasingly particular about the topic since I'm exposed to so much all the time and with the volume of fantastic online sources for interior design and architecture - I just cant get enough.

So, once my Pinterest page reached a nice critical mass, I decided to share.

Enjoy!

Grab your favourite latte here when in Japan

Can you imagine going to work in your office in Abu Dhabi?

Simple but so elegant

Right in your own backyard - love the great use of vertical lines 

in contrast to the organic shapes of trees, rocks and bushes

From the organic ... to the surreal in Japan

Train station in Lisbon, Portugal

Twin towers in Spain

Just the simple lines of wood grain

And the crazy curves ... of a rotating room!

I could go on and on...or you can visit my 

Architecture or Accents & Details boards on Pinterest

The Glamour of Art Deco

I've always had a love of the Art Deco period and the beautiful furniture

with its curved lines, waterfall trims, two-tone wood, aged brass hardware and ultimately, 

just beautiful craftsmanship and attention to detail. 

I recently watched and loved The Great Gatsby movie 

The interiors 

the clothes

the luxe

 the Leonardo...

 and those heavenly parties - so decadent!!!

It made me relook at the many Deco-inspired items I've collected over the years.  

Below are some of the treasures in my home, mixed in with contemporary pieces, 

they really bring character and warmth to any space.

This armoire houses all our extra pillows, blankets and duvet covers.  

The beautiful curves, mixed wood tones and hardware stopped me in my tracks when I saw it at an antique shop up north years ago.

The dark Asian chest on the floor next to it is going to be relocated (someday!)

aged brass door knobs up close

This lovely sideboard stores all my good table linens and sterling silver cutlery

 (lovely things that are only used 1-2 times per year, so sad).  

The bar cart was a common fixture in the party days (of the Deco period and of my youth LOL!)

This cart and chair are both finds during one of  my Antique trips.  The cart was $20!
The chair was quite scuffed up when I found it, so a quick spray spruced it right up. 

The pretty, hand-painted emerald green bottle and glasses are vintage Italian glass, given to me by my mother-in-law (one of the few items she's given me over the years that I truly cherish).

I found this vintage radio at a Church sale up in Cookstown while I was Antiquing with one of my BFF's a few years ago.  It sits on my stair landing now, surrounded by pictures of my trip to Paris, with said BFF. 

This piece has been all over the house over the years because it's compact 

and serves as a nice little surface to display things on top of.  

When I bought it, I actually wanted to put shelves in the back (its backless now) and some castors, and turn it into a bar.  Again, back to the BAR... I really don't drink much at all - 

but I do love the look of a pretty bar set up!

I actually have a second bar tray display with lovely crystal bottles and glasses that were also given to me by various friends & relatives over the years.  The tall one came from my favourite Aunt's house when she was downsizing to a condo and didn't want it anymore!

But enough about the stuff I already have... 

Here are some extravagant pieces I would love to own to add to the collection 

courtesy of 1stdibs

So beautiful...

and when I win the lottery

I will be prepared!

Finds - In the Junction

If you know me or follow me on social media, you know I love the finds.

A recently checked out a local area called The Junction; an artsy neighbourhood just west of the downtown core home to interesting shops, restaurants and markets.   More info here.

I popped into Cornerstone and found some French inspired pieces with a rustic feel that I loved.  

It can be hard to find stock cabinetry that's nice quality, has good scale and great hardware - but these would be fantastic for extra storage in a home office, living room, dining room or kitchen.

I would put some of these pretty jars and bottles in them too!

These upholstered pieces have beautiful lines that generally work well with a simple linen fabric

However, this stately, barrel-back chair is just not living up to its potential with this fabric...

it needs a PUNCH of one modern drama - perhaps with one of these fabrics

Maxwell Fabrics - top sellers for June

or a little more subdued, but nonetheless gorgeous...

Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa

Staying on the COLOUR bandwagon for the love of Summer....

I then popped into a shop called Haveli Home and was greeted by a cute little bulldog 

(I didn't get his picture because he was too busy licking my ankle at the time!) 

 but he looked a bit like this

source

They had lots of beautifully carved furniture from India, but what caught my eye was these colourful blankets in a lightweight cotton that's perfect for summer bedding or an evening lounging outdoors with a nightcap.

Haveli Home

Next, I wandered a bit down the road and came across a couple of little vintage shops and picked up a sweet little hand-painted green vase from Italy that will get some freshly blossomed pink peonies and go straight to Mom's house this weekend - she'll love them!

Antique Shop & my backyard peonies

There were some great cafes and restaurants, but I didn't have the time (aka anyone to drink with) so I headed back to the office to get some work done.  

At least I got some fresh air, sunshine and the inspiration I needed!

More Masculine Chic - For the Office

I have to admit that as much as I love doing glamorous spaces for the ladies, a cool and chic masculine space  is not only a welcome challenge, but a blast for the senses.  

The trick, as with all well designed spaces, is to balance the textures, styles and shapes in the space so that although it's being designed for a man, anyone can feel welcome being there.  

My new clients are sophisticated, well traveled executives who appreciate good design, great quality and the quiet luxuries they've come to enjoy.  For the man of the house, his frequently used work space does double duty as the guest room - so the trick is making it functional for use on a regular basis, yet inviting enough to share with overnight guests while not making them feel like they are invading your work place.

This room was the inspiration for the "office" side of the space

Contemporary, sophisticated, dark walls, large area rug, 

shelving for display with closed storage for the not so attractive essentials.

We also have a cathedral ceiling that will get a paint treatment, not so bold as this gold metallic paint!

We were working with a much loved, recently purchased desk in a reclaimed wood top (shown below)  with rusted iron base.  This desk is a  key feature in the room - not to dictate a "rustic" scheme, but to be a nice contrast to the more sophisticated ambiance of the rest of the space.

We also had this clean-lined Mitchell Gold - Bob Williams sleeper sofa 

in a lovely, neutral linen fabric to work with

Here's the floor plan so you can get an appreciation for the space.  

The room is 16' wide by 13' deep with windows along the entire north wall.

The left side of the room is the sleeping space and to the right, the office space 

with access to the closet and ensuite bathroom down the hall.

Placing the desk against the wall allows for good flow even if the sofa bed is opened.

Book cases flank either side of the desk.

The red "X" in the middle is the existing stainless steel ceiling fan light fixture.

This large framed world map was a special piece the couple picked up in Italy and contributes nicely to the well traveled aesthetic - we just need to lighten the frame to work with our colour palette.

So I picked up on the blue as an accent colour - using navy for the pillows and a pale, grey blue for the ceiling.  Benjamin Moore Mount Rainier Gray to contrast with Kendall Charcoal for the walls.

I added a beautiful silvery grass-cloth wallpaper from Joanne Fabrics behind the sofa to ground the space and make it more cozy for guests.  It would be a good balance for the tall, grey bookcases that will flank the desk on the other side of the room.  

Elegant wood sconces with nickle tips and linen shades add softness the space while freeing up the side tables for guests to place their personal items on.

Client's wood floor is a cherry colour, so we downplay it by placing a neutral light/silver grey wool rug with a diamond Moroccan pattern - so beautiful and luxe!

Based on the preferred layout for the room, I designed a custom built unit to maximize on storage space, while allowing the desk to remain in the same spot when the sleeper sofa was open for guests.

The client actually has some vintage luggage and globes that we'll use to accessorize later.

The wall mounted, swing-arm sconce will keep the space below open for leather filing trays.

Although we looked at some beautiful leather executive chairs, the client decided he wanted 

a Herman Miller Aeron chair for maximum comfort!  We're going with this Smoke colour.

We've also selected horizontal window shades to add some light control when needed.

The existing custom drapery is a bit "delicate" for the look that's coming together, so once some of the bigger pieces are in, we may decide to have some new panels made in this fabric.  

This fabric would be gorgeous against the grasscloth wallpaper and the dark walls while keeping the softer organic feeling of the existing drape fabric, but having a bit more weight and a masculine slant.

Can't wait to see it all pulled together!