I wanted to feature this home a few months ago when its interior designer Veronica Martin had contacted me but I had to wait for its appearance in the spring issue of Ottawa magazine. Now that it has hit the streets, here it is! I love this addition and renovation of an 80 year old home in the Wellington Village neighbourhood of this fine city of Ottawa. It brings some modern amenities and sophistication to an older home (that coincidentally looks like it may have been designed by the same architect as my home!) while keeping the stunning features like leaded glass windows and curved ceilings intact. The new kitchen is an absolute gem - the simple white glossy cabinetry is taken to another level with the black hardware making a subtle graphic impact. And lawd half mursey that light fixture over the dining table! *SWOON* Fantastic job Veronica! So glad to see someone bringing style and class to this city.(Photos: Urszula Muntean Photography)
April 27, 2015
An eclectic apartment in Madrid
I have a thing for eclectic spaces, where it appears that the homeowner does alot of thrift shopping and most pieces have not originated from Ikea. This simple yet eclectic apartment in Madrid caught my attention. It has some fun, graphic art mixed with mid-century furnishings and accessories (ie. beautiful West German vases!). I personally would have maybe added some colour to a wall or 2 (maybe they aren't allowed) and I find the dining room very underwhelming. Other than that it is a wonderful, bright open space that is very inviting. Via Architectural Digest Spain, photos by Asier Rua.
My new best friend Dyson - part 3
I have one last feature to share regarding my new best friend, the Dyson V6 Absolute cordless vacuum (previous posts are here and here). This vacuum is a dream, and honestly never ceases to amaze me each time I pull it out to use it. While still wearing my little skirt and heels, I went upstairs during my initial trials to see how it would do with the mini motorized tool whose function is to remove allergens and microscopic dust from mattresses and couches. Not only that, I discovered it is a freaking beast for removing cat fur! (DISCLAIMER: Pay no attention to the room you are about to see - I have done absolutely nothing to our bedroom since buying this house. At least I made the bed!)
Here you can see another perk to this vacuum. The V6 Absolute can be either hand-held like this, or comes with a tube and a wand depending on what you are using it for. As a hand-held it is perfect for going out and cleaning up your car (I wish I had time for that). Anyhoo, I went upstairs to try it out on my mattress.
Of course, there was at least one cat who had to check things out. I love the idea of being able to get the gross little allergens and other nastiness that live in mattresses. I never used to do this - now I am going to every time I change my sheets (ok maybe every other time).
In the corner of my bedroom is a cat house scratchy thing (well, it was there until we separated Georgie from her brothers and moved it up to her room) for the herd. I almost always forget to vacuum it. When I was done with the mattress, I went over to test out this little motorized head on one of the foam-upholstered shelves.
I swear no cats were prompted to do any of these poses for these photos. I cleaned that one little shelf and nearly died at how much fur was on it and how easily this attachment was able to clean it completely.
I was so shocked I told my husband to get a close up of the canister so you could see the huge furball that materialized in literally 5 seconds. Then I told him not to get too close because it's embarrassing. LOL
Dyson, your V6 Absolute cordless vacuum is an absolute game-changer (as I keep saying). I seriously become giddy at the thought of pulling it out and vacuuming every nook and cranny. Yes, I said it. VACUMMING NOW MAKES ME GIDDY!
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This post is in collaboration with Dyson Canada. All opinions are my own and are 100% honest.
April 16, 2015
A few new things around the house
My life has been super crazy for the past couple of months and while I am trying to find time to get my kitchen redo completed (may take a while if I end up redoing the floor) I few new things have happened in other spaces. Nothing major but getting anything done around here is a miracle and I need to celebrate it. For starters, I bought a light fixture 2 months ago and it was finally hung up in my living room (that is a dig at the husband who has no excuses). I say hung instead of installed but it literally is just hung on the ceiling. Judging by the mark in the centre of the ceiling when we bought this house, it seems that in another life, there may have been a light fixture. The ceilings and walls in here are plaster, not drywall so I refuse to go tearing holes anywhere for no good reason. I don't really need a working light in the ceiling as I already have 8 lights in the room but the large expanse of ceiling looked a little bare despite me having put up a ceiling medallion when I painted the room. It was a good start but it was missing something. It was missing THIS GORGEOUS LIGHT.
I found it at my favourite vintage lighting shop - Architectural Antiques. I am so freaking happy with this light fixture. It brings some sparkle into the room, and who doesn't like sparkle?!
It is killing me that I don't have art hanging above the sofa yet. UGH!
At the same lighting store I also found this simple amber glass shade fixture for the foyer.
(I tone down the yellow and orange in my photos before posting them, that is how much I detest these floors)
My husband has gotten into woodworking so when I realized he had accumulated a decent stash of really nice wood, I asked him to replace the boring teak (?) wood top to my bench I use as a plant stand in the living room. He used a gorgeous piece of butternut.
Dream
Pinch me. I'm dreaming. What I wouldn't give to have a butler's kitchen or a mudroom except I'd use it like here for flower arranging. A little decadent to devote a small space to one of life's little pleasures? No. Life is too short. Embrace the lovely. Shortlisted in the Kitchen Design category in the Belle Coco Republic Interior Design Awards 2015, the Turramurra Residence by my new crush Design Bubble.
April 6, 2015
House of Honey update
Tamara-Kaye Honey of House of Honey has not been featured here in quite a while so I thought it was about time for an update. She continues to rock her hallmark New Vintage style, with an eclectic blend of pattern, colour and texture and furniture from different eras, creating spaces that are bold and witty. That sofa above is EVERYTHING.
