{ things I love } Beige Is Not Beige

{ Beige is not Beige wallpaper by Wall and Deco }

You know me – I’m a grey sort of girl. But lately I have become fascinated with all things….beige. Gasp! I know what you are thinking, but these sorts of spaces are far from boring. I promise! I think we’ve been apart from beige for so long that it’s finally okay to go there again. It seems fresh once more. And perhaps it’s related to trend of warm metals or perhaps to Pantone’s choice of tangerine for 2012. Or maybe it’s following the love for all things neutral in fashion right now. In any case, things are getting warm and cozy (and it’s just in time, as we sneak up upon gloomy January). All of these warm and sparely-designed bedrooms are making me swoony.

(And to further clarify – by beige, I mean all yummy colours of the spectrum – warm taupe, butterscotch, mushroom or tan.)

{ Aerin Lauder’s chalet in Vogue }

{ Lonny Mag }

{ Coco + Kelley | Desire To Inspire via Pinterest }

{ Remodelista }

{ Ffffound | Desire To Inspire via Pinterest }

{ Multiple kids room – Tiny White Daisies }

There are (of course) a few tricks to making beige feel light and clean:

- Keep accessories and window coverings to the minimal side – nothing fussy allowed.
- Err on the casual (and easy!) side with slightly rumpled bedlinens.
- Don’t overdose on dark espresso furniture, to avoid that suburban showroom sort of look.
- And you can never go wrong with mixing beige with lots and lots white or cream.

If you are looking to give your space a dose of style- whether you are splashing out or on a budget – drop me a line. Check out my Hire Me! page for more details.

{ things I love } Black Kitchens

I love a good black kitchen. They are just so dramatic all on their own. They need few fussy design “extras” to make them stand out (although adding in copious amounts of white subway tile, natural stone and shiny hardware will never hurt anyone). These pretty spaces just go to prove that black doesn’t have to be dark and depressing. In fact it can be soft, warm and welcoming.

{ Desire to Inspire }

{ Bodie and Fou }

{ Pinterest }

{ From Scandinavia with Love | Lystad Vingen }

{ Houzz }

{ Decoratualma }

{ Houzz }

{ Pinterest }

If you are looking to give your space a dose of style- whether you are splashing out or on a budget – drop me a line. Check out my Hire Me! page for more details.

{ design notes } A Touch of Grey

I’m still obsessing over all things grey. I know it’s still very trendy in interior design right now but I really do think grey is a classic. A pale dove grey is always chic. I also know that some people can find grey to be cold but I actually find it really cozy, especially during these darker months of the year. And I’m not just speculating about that. I painted my last two apartments grey so I like to think that I know what I’m talking about! Grey does need a little something to make it work though but that can easily be achieved with the use of lots of different textures or sheens. But my favourite way to use grey by far is liberally sprinkled with lots of bright bold accent colours. Yum.

{ The home of Abigail Ahern }

{ Houzz }

{ Love Maegan }

{ Kate Spade’s bedroom – AT }

{ Courtney Cox’s Malibu home – Elle Decor }

{ Webber + Studio Architects – Houzz }

{ Randomness }

{ MBMJ watch – Nordstrom – $150 | Cupcakes and Cashmere }

{ Room by Kelly Deck – Desire To Inspire }

If you are looking to give your space a dose of style- whether you are splashing out or on a budget – drop me a line. Check out my Hire Me! page for more details.

{ things I love } The Colour Orange

I know I did a post like this last fall, but I think it’s time for another don’t you think? Orange is one of my perennial favourite colours for interiors. It’s so happy and bright, yet still a little bit unexpected. Every fall I find myself craving just a dash of orange for my home (although I can probably blame this influence on the pumpkins that I’ve begun to see around the stores). It is a strong colour so it should be used carefully (I think an entire room painted orange is way too much) but I think all of these rooms below strike the perfect balance.

{ Kids room – Remodelista }

{Mixed with grey – Lonny mag via A Life’s Design | Bright sofa – AT }

{ Orange bar stools – HGTV }

{ Window frame – Blissful B Blog | BM Buttered Yam wall – Home by Sunset }

And if these yummy rooms have got you in the mood for a dash of orange for you own home, here are 8 pieces to get the look:

1 – Elio vase – Crate and Barrel – $15.95
2 – Capri bottle lamp – Jonathan Adler – $295
3 – Ornate chalkboard – Shabby McFabby on Etsy – $174
4 – Side table – West Elm – $
5 – Powell Street pendant by 2Thousand Degrees – Lumens – $495
6 – Balloon bookend – Chiasso – $38
7 – Suzani rug – Z Gallerie – $599.95
8 – Knitted pouf – CB2 – $89.95

If you are looking to give your space a dose of style- whether you are splashing out or on a budget – drop me a line. Check out my Hire Me! page for more details.

{ things I love } The Yellow Kitchen

I am usually pretty conservative when it comes to colour. I generally prefer ther larger (read: more expensive) items in your home to be pretty neutral. Colour is then very easy to add in with things like paint, accessories and art. But sometimes you have to colour outside of those proverbial lines. Lately I have been loving kitchens with colourful cabinetry and yellow kitchens in particular feel fun and fresh to me right now. They look great bathed in soft summer light and I imagine they would also give you a big mental lift during the dark of our northern winters. Plus Canada’s doyenne of style Linda Reeves recently selected a smoky mustard yellow colour for the cabinets in a gorgeous showhome kitchen. Where Linda goes we all follow, so I am willing to bet we’ll be see lots more yellow kitchens in the next little while.

{ Princess Margaret Oakville showhome – tickets at Help Conquer Cancer (video capture from House and Home ) }

{ Kimber Modern Hotel }

{ source unknown }

{ Bolig Mag }

{ Stellan Herner }

{ 2Modern }

{ House and Home }

The yellows here range from pale to super-saturated and I think they all really work well. I also love how yellow looks just as unexpected in both traditional and contemporary spaces. One caveat though: this is a pretty strong look so I do only recommend heading in this direction if you truly love your chosen colour and that you know it works really well with the other colours in your space.

If you are looking to give your space a dose of style- whether you are splashing out or on a budget – drop me a line. Check out my Hire Me! page for more details.