Basement Makeover: The Vision

These past few weeks I've been itching to spruce up our basement living area. Every time I go down to look for tool or sort through my holiday decor, I remember why I don't like to hang out there...DRAB.  We have furniture from a past life (and not in a chic vintage way) that I can't get rid of fast enough. 

Here's what it looks like now.

I started to think about just how much I would love one of those sofas with a chaise lounge attached...and it all spiraled from there.  I whipped up a little inspiration board, these are just my fave things ever to make!  According to hubs, I'm "allowed" to redo the space on the condition that we add some colour - he's a bit sick of my usual black, white and grey palette. Pourquoi? Anyhoo... I went WILD and landed on blue, lol, I don't know...it just felt right. 

The existing items I own and need to work with are the ever-glorious Eames lounge and ottoman, industrial-ish side table and black lamp and that's about it, it's open season on the rest! I felt this space should be a bit more comfy than the rest of the house, so I toned down the glam a wee bit and tried to keep it a bit masculine, because let's be honest, I send hubs down there most of the time to watch sports...although...the chaise lounge may change that?!

The wall colour is still settling with me, but never fear, of course I managed to squeeze some black and white elements in :) 

Glamping Style Weekend Getaway

This weekend was the hub's 30th birthday, woohoo! In honour of this milestone we set out to arrange a fun filled "Glamping" theme weekend and invited some of our closest friends. We headed in to the deep woods for this one, and there we uncovered a glorious gem. I took a few shots of the place we stayed in, I simply HAVE to share because well...this may be the prettiest "cottage" I've ever seen!  I'm less of a camper, more of a glam gal, but I could def get down with this woodland masterpiece. 

The space was designed to be modern, yet they respected the natural elements that make this land special. Everything started with douglas fir beams, doors and mouldings, but finished with modern industrial details such as this fireplace - with cool storage compartments for wood, and (heated) concrete floors throughout.

The kitchen was a complete dream! High end appliance, a HUGE island and definitely the place where we all ended up gathering most of the weekend.

Move now to the master bathroom, and it gets even more exciting! A stunning view of the great outdoors that can be enjoyed as you shower in a fully exposed area, no glass! It took a bit of bravery to indulge in this amenity, but once I did it was very freeing.

Other than the beautiful setting, modern design and luxurious details, this weekend wouldn't have been complete without the best set of friends anyone could ask for. We gathered by the fire at water's edge and had many laughs over roasted hot dogs and inside jokes, which for us made this weekend very special. 

My Master Bedroom Inspiration: Pink, gold and fowl all over

My, my, my....talk about silence over the airways, sorry about that. I've been busy at work and the change in the weather/pitch black darkness by 6pm, has lead me to lots of -feeling sorry for myself-couch surfing-snacking situations at the end of the day.

Anyhow, I'm climbing outta my funk and have managed to think a bit about our master bedroom project, I've ordered the wallpaper, step one, and now I've finally finished a vision board for how I'd like it to go down.

I was inspired in Paris by all of the beautiful shades of pink, gold details, busy wall coverings and of course by Versailles! I want a girly space, but I have to keep the hubs happy, so I tried to keep the basics neutral and used pink just for accessories.

Not all of this furniture, nor the art piece, will be placed against this one wall - was hard to show.

I own most of the items in the room already, bed, curtains, dresser, mirror, chandelier, rug and side table, I got a bit hasty when we moved in and bought all kinds of stuff without a plan (as you know), so I'm working with it and I think it's going to be ok. P.S. stay tuned for my DIY gold leaf ceiling medallion project, WOWSA, it really turned out well!

This wallpaper for me will hopefully be the biggest payoff, it's SOOO dramatic and I'm hoping to direct all of the focus to that wall. I've mentioned this before but Lowe's wallpaperstudio.com is awesome! I ordered 2 rolls of this for $120, which certainly beats the $1000 I paid for the hallway wallpaper (that's including designer discount), so let's see when it gets here if my selection was the right one.

Ok, time to get off the couch and make this happen....

DIY PAINTED PICTURE FRAME MAT

So, I got up to some major DIYing this weekend, how about you?  I painted my fall pumpkins gold, gold leafed a ceiling medallion AND spruced up an old picture frame mat to give it some much needed colour. Because I knew it would take me another year to decide on a new piece of art that was a bit more colourful, I decided to go about it in a different way; I painted the mat.

The blase before...

Before

The tools were as simple as craft paint, mini roller and IKEA picture frame (I experimented with an inexpensive frame just in case it didn't turn out the way I wanted).

And the process was even simpler, dip roller in paint and roll on the mat (making sure to get the inside edges so you don't see any white).

After it dried, I popped it back in to the frame and found it a new home.

After

Instant facelift! Love.

CHIC, BUDGET FRIENDLY THANKSGIVING TABLESCAPE

It's amazing what kind of decorating goodness you can find around the house when you put your mind to it. I wanted to whip up a budget friendly, but still ultra gorg, tablescape for our Thanksgiving festivities, using items I already owned.

On hand; our wedding china (always use it when I can), white cloth napkins (an absolute staple when it comes to entertaining), fancy gold glassware (you can never have too many glasses), mason jars (if you don't own a few, stop reading this and go out and buy them right now!) and good old kraft paper (so many uses).

I filled in the gaps with some seasonal foliage (only $10.99) and spiced them up (pun intended) with some cinnamon sticks - these normally just sit in my cupboard because I generally have absolutely no idea what to do with them!?

The cinnamon sticks made another appearance as a decorative place setting detail on the napkins; simply wrap 3 sticks with twine, and place, that's it.

I scattered the table with mini white pumpkins ($3) and a couple candles to add sparkle. I got really adventurous (not) and painted a bit of gold on a green gourd ($5); gold is my world!

And there you have it, for approximately $20 out of pocket, I made a pretty, seasonal tablescape out of items I already own.  Try it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

HOW TO MAKE A QUICK DIY VASE IN A PICKLE...JAR

Hello!!! I know it's been a while, I've been busy getting my life back on track after my loooong vacation; laundry piles, bills and fallen leaves have been top priority; however I did mange to get away for a weekend with friends (they come before laundry).

Last weekend we made the trek up north to a friends cottage to celebrate two birthdays, an anniversary and one engagement! I was in charge of the flowers for the bride-to-be and in my post vacay daze I didn't even think to bring a container to put them in for her to transport back on the 4 hour drive home. Yikes!  

One of my super crafty girlfriends came to the rescue, she spotted a pickle jar in the fridge and decided we could make something pretty to keep these flowers perky.  

We emptied the pickles into Tupperware, washed the vase,  arranged the flowers (not sure why we did this before we wrapped it) and wrapped in twine (taping the first end down and the last end as well).

Ta da...make-shift pickle jar vase!  It turned out beautifully, very rustic-chic.

When you get desperate, your get creative; think beyond the everyday use for items you have on hand...it just might get you out of a pickle.

CHIC SHACK || master bedroom design, or lack thereof...

Hellooooo! I'm back from vacation, ahhhhh what a glorious trip of a lifetime indeed. As you can imagine a 19 day tour with 4 major destinations has left me wiped. Quite honestly, I'm not organized enough to show you some of the awe inspiring things I came across in my travels, so instead I'm going to complain about my unfinished bedroom!

This new motivation to finish what I started in our master is driven by all of the wonderful ideas and inspiration I soaked in while gallivanting around the globe.

This is what the bedroom looked like when we bought the house.

And here we are now, as you can see not much has changed. We've moved the bed out from under the window, bought curtains, a rug, side table, dresser and a lamp. Why you ask would someone purchase these items without a bigger plan or vision for the space? Who knows?! I was excited when we moved in to fully complete every space, I was on a buying frenzy, but a couple of months ago I realized, I don't have a plan!

Note the many paint testers on the wall, like I said, no plan.

I'm back now with a fresh set of eyes and a head full of ideas; I'm gettin' this room done! Stay tuned for the vision...

Hotel Chic | City vs. Country

And...I'm almost off for an 18 day European vacation extravaganza, only 1 more sleep! London, Paris, Provence and the south coast of France, it doesn't get any better IMO. I spent last night reviewing all of our hotels and making sure we got the dates right; I fell in love all over again with some of the stunning places we'll be staying.  A little bit o' city and a little bit o' country, a sweet mix that will keep me interested, yet relaxed.

Here's a peek at some of the lovely city spots we'll be staying in London and Paris.  I tried to pick places that were quintessentially true to their cultural roots.  The design details are plentiful, patterns, gold and brass, and opulence in abundance.  

And things just keep getting better as we move south to Provence and Cannes.  The design takes a bit of turn to a more relaxed and simple vibe, less colour, less fuss, equally as gorgeous but less about the details, more about the atmosphere.  

I can already predict that I'll come back inspired, and totally obsessed with all of the fabulous interior design and historical beauty I'll be feasting my eyes on; one can only hope.  

While I'm away I've left a  few fun posts for you to enjoy (didn't want to neglect you of course). Miss me, Au revoir!

BEFORE & AFTER || teak dining table transformation

Nothing excites me more than finding a diamond in the rough; a beat up, tossed aside or flat out ugly treasure that's crying out to be refinished, refurbished or even re purposed.  Our dining room table was one of these hidden gems. For a cool $350 (including delivery) this gorgeous antique Danish, teak table would become the future meeting place for dinner parties, game nights and crafting projects for many years to come.

Its unique oval shape fit well into our tight space, it had a beautiful base and an extra leaf which made this baby a done deal! I couldn't live with teak, it's nice, but not my style, so I decided I would stain it black (a choice that was NOT popular with the purist, craftsman we hired to do the dirty work).

Before: sad little fellow

Personally, I LOVE the transformation! Went from flat to glam in just a few short days and it tucked in perfectly to our petite dining area.

After: black beauty

It's a beautiful, well made vintage piece that I can keep around forever, and with a $400 stain job and a grand total of $750 all in, I feel like I won the furniture lottery!

WEEKEND GETAWAY || new york - the design

I'm back from the big apple and you better believe my socks were knocked off by all of the beauty, culture and design porn that makes New York one of the best cities on earth.  I'm going to let the pictures in this post speak for themselves, a feast for the eyes.

First stop, Tory Burch boutique on Madison Ave, the highlight of our trip. First of all, the store is a giant jewel box, brass, bold colours and shiny fixtures, stunning! Then, unexpectedly the store clerk offers us beer and champagne; we sit, we sip and simply take in this New York moment, something money couldn't buy, just us and the bevies in a glorified walk-in closet. Heaven.

Moving on to the Brooklyn Flea, so many fab finds, If I could of fit this sensational ceramic stool in my suitcase, I'd be staring at it right now.

Next, well...let's just say the "mecca", my personal holy land, Bergdorf Goodman's, Kelly Wearstler boutique.  It literally took my breath away, I was SO excited to be there, nerdy I know. What would you do for one of those funky head sculptures?! *faint*

And the Kdub party didn't stop there. I creepily peeked my head into the BG cafe on the 7th floor, that Kelly herself designed, just to get a glimpse of at least one hollywood glam detail. Hubs saw the awe in my eyes (and maybe a little tear too), and suggested we stay for a drink, yes please, 1 pink champagne coming up! 

I totally want to add this moulding detail to our guest bedroom, maybe too big of a task, but I LOVE!

On our last day just before we boarded the plane my friend suggested hitting up ABC Carpet & Home , boy was that the best idea EVER! This place was so huge and so inspiring, you need a week and a drool rag to get through it all.

Around every corner this enchanting city has something visually pleasing, from architecture to art and everything in between; I came back a better women, and no doubt a more envious one too.

CHIC SHACK || fornasetti golden goodness

It's official, I was recently gifted one of my favourite decor pieces EVER!  And who would know exactly what would give me the ultimate design high? Yep...the hubs.  This was one of his brightest, shining moments, he presented me with the golden gift of whit and whimsy, a Fornasetti plate!  What makes this even more special is this gift was for our two year wedding anniversary; two years married symbolizes cotton or china gifts, so he went china, and totally nailed it.

I proudly hung this stunning piece of art and then died. Hubs even splurged for one of the uber glam plates in gold, it couldn't get any better.

Can you see my reflection? It's like a funhouse mirror, bleh.

The plate choices are endless, I loooove my version, but could stand to get about 30 more! This brochure came with and taunted me beyond.  The plan is to get three for the space above, stack them up vertically.

via

Haunting and innocent, these iconic eyes are now watching over our happy household, and now it's just a wee bit happier.

CHIC SHACK || upstairs hallway art project

The time has come to drag you all in to my twisted  web of indecision that is our upstairs hallway art project.  These walls couldn’t be calling out any louder for some pretty pals to join them, but thanks to my innate ability to research and mull over every option available on planet earth, they’ve been lonely for some time.

This is what the hallway looks like now, there are 2 prime spaces for some big size beauties  (the other plot is to the right of this wall, separated by a door).  Directly across the way is the staircase and my most favourite, monochromo graphic wallpaper adorning the wall leading upstairs.

So here we are...of course my natural (some may say boring) instinct is to gravitate towards something black and white, but I think I need to spice it up. Here are 3 fab options; help me pick!

 If I’ve learned anything about myself during the decorating process it’s that I’m OBSESSED with animal art, statues and accessories of all kinds, so these stunning beasts are definite contenders.

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But then there's my obsession with doors. These are colourful and glammy with their pretty accents, a pop of colour might be what the design doctor ordered?                                                                              via via

And lastly, some retro looking pics of Palm Springs (Joshua Tree Park) our honeymoon hot spot and a more natural option, these trees are soooo cool!

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So there you have it, 3 very different pairs that I totally adore, I just can't make up my mind. What do you think?

P.S Happy long weekend to my Canadian pals, enjoy!

WEDDING WEEK || modern glamour wedding decor

What a weekend, whew, celebrated two milestone birthdays with two very special people; it was delightful and all, but I'm spent.  I'm still in the milestone mood though, my two year wedding anniversary is tomorrow, so I thought I'd share some of my fave decor pics from our "Modern Glam" inspired wedding.  Black, white, gold and glamour was on the menu for our luxe meets DIY day.

We had guests sit at 25 foot long tables to encourage conversation and to create a more intimate atmosphere, oh and P.S. we ate with gold cutlery, my fave "decor" item, try convincing your future hubs that this is a pure necessity, no small feat I tell ya.

Here are just a couple of the 14 million DIY projects I did for our wedding, including painted, wooden table numbers, and personalized, hand stamped menus.

Check out the chapel we were married in; the first time I saw it took my breath away, in fact the second time, same thing, I was basically doing lamaze down the aisle. 

Can you believe how in sync we are, both cringing during my dad's speech in our plush thrones, a splurge item for sure.

Some more of my DIY handy work and my fave glittery gold bourgie lamp *swoon*

I had such a blast planning the decor for our big day, but most importantly I have a blast everyday with the love of my life who puts up with and encourages me in all of my gold and glamour antics...

LANDSCAPE CHRONICLES || urban backyard makeover

The time has finally come, yes I know you've all been waiting with bated breath - well hopefully at least some of you have!? The BIG backyard reveal!!!

I'll give you one last look at the bland before pic...

If you head back over here, this is where I ranted about my industrial glamour vision for our urban yard reno.  I think we managed to execute the essence of the vision BUT... the backyard ended up having more of a mid-century modern flava, still glam, less industrial.  Either way we LOVE! 

Drum roll please......

WHA BAM! Squealing with JOY! I didn't dare step foot outside last summer, now I can't stay away.