Natures Palette: Winter Magic Comes Inside

It's a snow day - last night bought us about six inches of sparkling snow, and there is more on the way.

Admiring the gorgeous contrast of the bare trees, soft greys of the sky with all this white goodness.

The sheer beauty has me longing for the serenity of these interiors.

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These spaces have such a soft feel, it's as if you could float in and out of them..

People always expect me to push bright orange walls on them :)
Although I consult about color, I embrace white walls.
Anyone who has ever painted their home white knows how difficult choosing exactly the right one is!

If that is what you love, then place it in your home.

Color comes in many strengths, and it does not always have to shout it's presence.

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til next time..

Destination Friday: Escape to Majorca

Okay, this Villa isn't for rent, it's for sale,

but a girl can dream, can't she?

I travelled to Majorca several years ago as a stop on a Mediterranean cruise.

 A majestic island tucked neatly below Spain, 

with mountainous terrain making for spectacular cliffside homes at every turn.

I think the greatest luxury a home can have is space, 

and am so impressed with the restraint practiced here. 

Instead of filling these rooms, they remain airy and spacious -

a place to breathe.

A far cry from the holiday madness upon us, yes?

til next time..

Rosemary's Kitchen - Can a White Kitchen Be Warm?

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My sister loves to cook.

We are half-Italian, half-British.

Rosemary got the Italian - she makes wonderful, savory meals out of nothing much at all.

I got the British- I love to bake goodies for tea :)

Rosemary moved into her home about ten years ago, and it had the original, 40-yr old kitchen.

Aside from changing out the knobs and a quick counter change she lived with it, waiting to remodel.

The time has come!

Really, this woman could be a chef, and spends her evenings and weekends exploring culinary delights.

  I am thrilled that she is going to have a better space to work in.

After talking to her earlier this week, we thought maybe I should head down to help her make 

a few picks on the finishes.

We are working with brand new white appliances, Rose doesn't like black or stainless.

She likes traditional. This would cause her to swoon!

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Rose said she wanted a "cream" kitchen, then told me she is considering

having the cabinetry painted with BM Ivory White - 

which is going to look quite yellow against her appliances.

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I don't particularly like that combination.

I would prefer either a grey-based white or something more saturated.

But Rosemary feels that white kitchens have a cold, sterile feeling 

and she wants a warm welcoming space.

So tomorrow I plan to show her the warm side of white.

Armed with oodles of examples, we are going to explore how a white kitchen

(with ceramic tile on the floor)

can actually feel cosy!

I'm also going to suggest that she brings in a little color - I know, you are surprised!

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I would like to end up somewhere like this.. pushing the traditional aesthetic a bit..

but I think Rosemary will be happiest here, and this is the pic I'm showing her last!

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I don't usually request before and after pics from clients, but  this one I will be able to share..

looking forward to spending a day with my sis, we don't get enough of those -

although two-hour phone marathons are quite common :)

Working on a color post to address one of my most commonly asked questions,

will try to get it up this weekend, along with pics of the living room!

Happy friday :)

til next time..

Simplicity loves Energetic Color

Right now I am completely obsessed

 with neutral spaces that use saturated color in clever and uncommon ways,

and if this home by Kay Douglas doesn't qualify, I don't know what does.

Revelling in the contrast of fabrics, finishes and accessories chosen with such restraint-

and then bursts of joyful color, splashed about with abandon.

(Thank you, Verdigris Vie, for sharing this one - I don't usually pick up a copy of Veranda,

but perhaps it's time to start!) 

Amazing how the lack of pattern and accessories can balance out the intense energy of these hues, isn't it?

Makes me want to put away half the bits and bobs around my own place!

Hope you all had a happy thanksgiving here in the north -

we survived two days of hosting huge dinners, 

(23 lbs of raast beef, two turkeys, two spiral hams, potatoes, yams, brussel sprouts,...  you get the idea!!)

and had such a fantastic weekend visiting with our families.

Topped it all off with a fall boat ride yesterday, 

touring our muskoka coastlines and admiring the gorgeous fall colors.

It left me glowing, truly, and very grateful for all that we are blessed with.

Weekends like that are what it's all about....xo

Miss N's room: the reveal

If you read monday's post,

you know we've just finished Miss N's room.

This what we started with....

you can read more about that here.

It all began with a brilliant azure box Natasha found while we were out shopping one day.

She decided on a blue and white scheme.

Since she has a very dark grey leather chair, and LARGE tv in there, I suggested hits of black as well.

Done.

We (that means I, lol) painted the black walls white -

used Behr paint plus primer in Falling Snow, for the first coat.

It covered incredibly well, but the color was far too warm for a west facing room,

and the range of whites is really limited with this brand (are you listening, Behr?!!).

So, we layered 2 coats of Martha's pure white 

(no tint, straight out of the can - how's that for easy?!!) on top.

That's it, three coats, not too painful after all...

If you are looking for brilliant white walls, this is your paint -

the result was a very bright, slightly clinical space.

We color matched the box into a behr ultra base, as well.

(it's close to Brilliant Sea 520B-6)

This would do for the old cork board we planned to rescue from storage,

the existing mirror she used over her dresser, and a new long wall mirror.

We painted out a wire branch sculpture for an art/jewellry display....

Now, the palette was dynamic, 

but it needed warmth, and no ordinary canary or watermelon would do -

 so enter the fluorescents!

Yup, fluorescents.

Tash's idea :)

She's only this age once, why not let her have a little fun?

We upgraded a vintage dress form, and painted out some frames and canvasses

(I'll post more about the DIY art process tomorrow - SUPER easy)

Would you like to see how it all came together?

the view from the door...

Miss N headquarters - which is NEVER this tidy :)

We added a little zebra to the newly painted bulletin board -

looks like it's painted on, but it's actually a really heavy wrapping paper, shh, don't tell...

Ikea frames - 3 for $5.

With this price point and arrangement,

she can add to this wall whenever she likes.

Rocks and crystals.

It's a fascination, and she finds them EVERYWHERE :)

We corralled the largest and prettiest into lucite trays for display.

The bed.

Dressed with a new duvet and pillows (perfect for a constant "texter").

Framed out with our DIY art and a funny little printout that has sentimental value.

Are you wondering where all the teen "stuff" is?

Well, the dresser holds heaps of bits and bobs...

but what about the umpteen posters?

One is waiting to be hung behind the door...

and the rest live here....

Let's just keep those closed, shall we?!

That's it, the big reveal...

hope you like it, 

Miss N is over the moon, and that will do for me - x

inspired by retail design...

Sometimes I think I have a problem.

Do you ever go shopping and spend more time looking at the store display's and fixtures than the products?

One of my favourite spots to shop is Aritzia.

For those of you south of the border, you may not shop there - yet.

But I bet you will!!

Aritzia is a Canadian-based clothing store

 that mainly stocks in-house labels like A Moveable Feast, TNA and Wilfred.

 But they also cater to the high end-denim market, 

and extras include hipster essentials like Sorels, Toms shoes, 

TNA iPhone covers, Dylan's Candy Bar buckets, etc..

Whatever is of the moment.

Their aesthetic is clean and organic, yet urban.

Packaging and labels are based around specific artists each month,

and DJ's create their playlists (sometimes playing in-store),

which are available for listening on the blog.

Quite often one of these is going in the 10 Rooms "headquarters", lol.

It's polished, luxury, street style.

Their new Wilfred store in TO is no exception.

I was there recently, but my pics aren't quite a snazzy as the ones provided on the blog..

I'll take some of those windows, and the pendant, thank you.

Thinking it's a painted Restoration Hardware Polyhedron, right?

Warm white walls, filled with gorgeous mouldings,

 the raw wood floors, and graphic black metal make for a perfect backdrop.

Here it allows the product to be the star, 

but in a home this would frame out a furniture and art collection to perfection.

Loving the peacock tufted leather, overdyed orientals, art display, and panelled dressing rooms.

The cash counter, with it's inlaid marble top, before the madness.. and after!

If you know who the talent behind this is, please share.

And please, puh-lease, tell me you are out shopping and takings pics of store fixtures as well!!

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