Just a touch of colour

I personally like a mix of neutrals and colours in a room but love to fantasize about rooms that fall a bit more on the extreme side - think all white spaces or rooms layered in saturated colours.  I've been attracted to images lately that mix those two polar opposites with loads of white space and just one bold colour.

via House to Home

by Feldman Architecture photo by Paul Dyer

via Graham & Green

styled by  Lo Bjurulf photo by Magnus Anesund

by Briony Fitzgerald Design

Window Treatments and Soft Furnishings

I just completed one of my courses last week and thought I would share my sample board.  The final project was to design a bedroom for a couple living in a traditional home but open to moving towards a more contemporary design aesthetic.  The room had one window and we needed to design a treatment that would block out light at night but wouldn't impede upon a radiator that was directly below the window (I designed a screened-in cover to hide the rad).  We also needed to design an upholstered headboard, bedding and an upholstered chair or bench.

The project involved a lot of drawings - floor plan and furniture layout, window wall elevations, drawings of the upholstered pieces to scale plus a perspective drawing which would detail our bedding choices. Using discontinued fabric samples from our instructor and my fabric fundamentals class, I was able to create a calming space and layered various creams and blues throughout the design.

 

Spring has Sprung

It is the first day of Spring and it feels like summer in the TDot.  I love having wreaths on my front door to signfify the changing seasons and the following on etsy caught my eye today:

I love this paper and felt wreath by Flighty Fleurs.  It is meant for indoor use but if you're like me with a glass window on your front door, you could easily hang it from inside.  I love the warm, rich colours she's used.

The whimsy of this yarn wreath which depicts a wee meadow with little deer makes me smile.  You can find it at knock-knocking.

I think bright yellow forsythia really says Spring to me.  Elegant Holidays has a wonderful selection of wreaths.

Here is a great felt leaf wreath from Burlap + Blue.  I like the colour selection and the shape of the leaves.

Store Love - Love the Design

We are enjoying summer-like weather here in TO, and I spent Sunday afternoon wandering around my neighbourhood.  I popped by one of my favourite shops - Love the Design (1362 Queen St. East).

The shop is full of vintage pieces and artwork and definitely has an industrial / rustic flavour.  The artwork within the store is by the owner, Christine Flynn, and includes shots of the city, maps, or nature all with a glossy coat of resin.

Artwork, industrial lighting, machinery gears and glass bottles

Beautiful baskets and bottles in the window

Industrial lights on a ladder

I found a great piece of art for myself today.  It's a vintage map of Toronto from 1894 which matches the age of my house and I couldn't resist picking it up.

Vintage map of Toronto

Its new home