Happy Valentine's Day

Office Redux

My office is finally back to being an office/craft room.  It had become a dumping ground for school projects, storage boxes and miscellaneous "nowhere else to store this" stuff.  I took a couple of days to re-paint the space, including painting all the trim white.  I went with Stonington Grey by Benjamin Moorie which is the same colour I used in my living/dining room.  The space feels so much lighter and with a few changes in furniture placement (plus re-organizing the basement to get the storage boxes down there) it feels fresher and ultimately, a more inspiring space to work in.

Before - Shoppy's checking out the view

After - Painted all the trim white

Before - too much stuff!

After - moved around the furniture to open up a space for storage boxes

After - everything has its place

After - storage bags for my growing fabric collection (purchased from the One of a Kind Show)

IDS 12 and Metropolis Living



Great display at IDS 12 - I fell in love with the drafting table

 Metropolis Living is a great store in The Junction (2989 Dundas St. W).  I've visited it a few times and was thoroughly impressed by their display at IDS 12.  They carry a lot of unique vintage pieces and have certainly captured the industrial trend.

Industrial piece with lots of storage options

IDS 12 and Elte

What is not to love about this

I have always been a big fan of Elte (80 Ronald Ave.) and the first time I entered their store it was like I could hear angel's singing (not an exaggeration).  Their display at IDS 12 was a feast for the senses with lovely little vignettes throughout the space. 

Their booth had lovely little "rooms" throughout it

One of the big features of their booth was their new Silk Orchid collection of rugs.  These rugs are made from recycled sari silk dresses that are unravelled and then hand knotted into beautiful works of art.

Inspired by antique ikat fabrics



The rugs come in an array of colours and patterns



IDS 12 and IZM

Eyeful Coffee Table

I featured this piece of furniture, the Eyeful coffee table, from IZM in my post "IDS 12 - Design Stalking" and was really excited to see their booth.  When I discovered that they were located in Edmonton, I was even more excited as I'm often out there visiting my parents. 

Some other pieces from their furniture line that caught my eye include:

Iconoclast Table



HIs and LOs Dresser System



IDS 12 and Brooke Batchelor Design

Studio North had some fantastic designers this year and Brooke Batchelor stood out to me.  I have never thought of "nails" as a beautiful design element but she incorporated them so seamlessly into her pieces and in such a unique way that they complimented the wood rather than fought it.


Nails embedded into the wood add a unique design element



Look at those fantastic industrial-style candleholders

IDS 12 and BlogPodium



My fabulous "Media" pass

 Had a fantastic time at IDS 12 this year.  Working on my Interior Decorating accreditation has certainly given me an enhanced appreciation for design and reinforced  my decision to try out this new career path. 

I started out the day by attending a seminar organized by BlogPodium.  I had discovered it as one of the founders is the author of a design blog I already follow (Little House Blog) and when I saw her post on the upcoming seminar I knew I had to attend.  The concept of BlogPodium is to bring about conversations with bloggers, social media and industry experts. This particular seminar included Margot Austin, Senior Design Editor for House & Home Magazine, Kimberley Seldon Editor and Chief of Dabble Magazine, Kate Moore - Cityline Producer, Jennifer Flores (Rambling Renovators) and Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault as the moderator.
 
It was a extremely insightful and I'm certainly looking forward to the next conference which is expected to be held in May.  I encourage you to check out photos from the event as I was too intent on taking notes to stop for photos (Jason Hudson was also on hand and I certainly can't compete with his talent).

Awaiting the start of the seminar

Contents of my BlogPodium swag bag - Thank you!

More IDS 12 posts to come!