Stylish Storage for Remote Controls

Let's face it, remote controls are a part of our lives. Give them a stylish container to make them more pleasant.

Mid Century Styled Office / Guest Room

Situated in a 100 year old Beach home and filled with mid century goodness, this office/guest room turned out even better than I imagined. Upon entering the space, this is the view.

The desk is a compilation of a vintage tulip table base I had in stock and a beautiful marble top from a coffee table.

The large oval surface provides more than enough work space and it looks SO good.

Off to the side, the Murphy bed is at the ready for overnight guests.

The amazingly comfortable pair of vintage lounge chairs make clients feel right at home.

The vintage walnut chest of drawers provides storage for office supplies and guest's items.

Above it all is this amazing Italian crystal chandelier designed in 1967.

Vintage accessories continue the uniqueness of this space's style.

The task light is a vintage lamp in happy orange.

A portrait created years ago by a family member hangs distinctly in an antique oak frame.

Condo Styling

Over the past month I have been helping a fabulous, young woman style her new condo. The condo had lots of light, a brilliant shade of white on all the walls, modern finishes and pretty good bones to start with. What the condo didn't have was enough of my client's personality. With some discussion and inspirational photos to uncover the end result my client was looking for, I knew I would have fun with this project.
My client had moved in recently and hadn't made too many purchases yet.
The entry was cluttered due to lack of good storage.

My client wanted interior styling for the whole condo.

I immediately thought that switching the living room layout would make a vast improvement to the condo's space limitations. The sofa awkwardly jutted out into the room because of the uneven wall. At my initial consultation I switched the sofa with the TV unit and it immediately opened the space up. There was better flow walking through the condo and the TV is still in plain view.

The dining space was far too dark. With the floor, cabinetry and furniture all being the same tone, there was no variation to add interest to the space.

The den area was also dark and under utilized. My client did not use the desk much and didn't know what purpose to give the room. I thought making it into a cozy library/den would be nice for her.

Her bedroom lacked any personality. The bedding was great however storage was an issue here as well.

After our initial meeting, my mind was swirling with the possibilities for this basically, blank canvas. I immediately began the hunt for pieces with character and style for my client.

In the living space, I added warmth with a vintage teak coffee table. I added some much needed colour in the shape of a beautiful turquoise chair. The sleek, vintage brass bar cart brilliantly serves its purpose while looking so elegant. I adore the vintage turquoise dish rimmed with gold that fits in perfectly with my client's favourite colour.

I kept the TV viewing area simple with a beautifully sculpted deer head with metallic antlers.

The dining area shows a great improvement as well. The vintage teak dining table with various, vintage dining chairs shows such character.

The library/den is a success too. Vintage teak bookshelves fill a once blank wall. My client will now have the pleasure of filling the shelves with her treasures along the way. The area rug makes the space so much more welcoming as does the yellow toned chair. The gallery wall adds interest and colour.

A fabulous, vintage mirror awaits at the entry way. I definitely believe in having a mirror here to check your look before you go out.

The bedroom showed a huge transformation as well. I think this may be my favourite space in the condo. I found an amazing, solid teak divider that I thought would make a fabulous headboard. I also painted a vintage chest of drawers in a wonderful shade of blue, leaving the original brass pulls with their lovely patina. With an inspiring piece of art on the dresser stating 'be amazing', my client will have a wonderful start to her days.

Since I also believe that every house should have a beautiful chandelier somewhere and my client wasn't able to change the lighting, I took it upon myself to create a piece of art for her bedroom space. This was my gift to her for being such a wonderful client.

My client is very happy with the finished project. It happened on time and on budget too. I simply love what I do!

The French Cabinet

I have a tendency to be on guard for vintage goodness. While at an antiques market that floors of great product, I took notice of the open door of the employee lunch room. The dull shine of a vintage chest of drawers drew me in.

 I didn't hesitate to ask an employee who I should talk to about this special piece. The business owners were found quickly. One partner was hesitant to part with the piece, one partner was quick to claim it was for sale. In a matter of minutes, the deal was struck and I am now the happy owner of this vintage furniture piece that was manufactured in Quebec. It adds such shine to our living room. 

Perfect!

Hallowe'en Mantlescape

Hallowe'en is such a fun holiday and a great opportunity for decorating in a different manner. Since our house has a great fireplace it seemed like the perfect place to start. With a backdrop of white, it's a great beginning point. I added items from my stash (in the never clear garage) and some gnarly branches from the backyard. I love the fact that all the items are vintage and well within a small budget. Enjoy!

Celebrating Spring

Since we’ve endured such a long, cold winter, I believe most of us our experiencing a strong desire for spring to finally bestow its amazing freshness upon us. Even though we have to wait a bit for spring to arrive full force, we can bring a fresh look to our homes. We can’t quite throw open the windows to let the fresh air in; however we can achieve some renewal in our homes in the form of colour.

Our home is full of colour and I can attest that it simply makes me feel happier to have this brightness in our home. Our previous home was classic in black and white with only touches of red. This time I wanted to be very brave and inject lots of vivid hues into our space.

In our living room we went with a vintage sofa and chair set with its original 1960’s orange fabric still intact. I also had another vintage chair restored in a most sumptuous shade of blue. With cheerful and comfortable cushions tossed about and original and meaningful art in our space, it just makes for a very welcoming place to come home to at the end of the day. I used a backdrop of white so that the colours really come alive.

If you want to play it a bit safer and have a neutral sofa, you can still incorporate colour with throws and pillows. I have a mixture of both homemade and store bought pillows. My pretty peacock feather pillows were once a summer dress.

 You could also have a beautiful area rug to anchor your space with colourful hues. Don’t forget the importance of art. My thought is that art should have meaning to you. Being a strong advocate for vintage, I shy away from commercially manufactured artwork and have pieces from family, friends and from our adventures at flea markets, thrift shops and travelling.

Don’t forget fabulous arrangements of flowers to set things off. I can hardly wait to cut flowers from our own garden.

Cheers to spring!

Merchandising at Ethel 20th Century Living

Some big furniture pieces at Ethel 20th Century Living have found new homes and I was fortunate to help with merchandising again. Shauntelle and I jostled lots of pieces around to give Ethel a great, new look.

There were a couple of desks stacked on top of one another.

We knew the beautiful teak desk should be a feature in the window so with some careful maneuvering, that's where it landed.

The large industrial style, metal desk can now be more of a feature on its own.

This is a warm, cosy spot that would make a fabulous reading nook at home. The restored chair is extra wide and so comfortable. Can't you picture yourself curled up with your favourite book? 

This vintage buffet looks fabulous decked out with shades of blue and green. It is in excellent condition. We brought it and its matching table and chairs to the front of the store for better window shopping viewing.

Here's the matching set of table and chairs. The chair seats have been reupholstered in classic black and white houndstooth.

Just inside the shop door is this bright and shiny vignette. The chrome topped with vintage glass will make you happy you came for a visit.

There's always lots of colour and variety at Ethel, 327 Queen Street, East, Toronto.