A Rainy Weekend with Books

I hope you all had a fun Valentine's Day!

This past weekend was a rainy one, so it was a perfect excuse to pour through some wallpaper and design books to get some inspiration. I find it a little difficult to make a final decision when it comes to wallpaper. What if I put it up and it looks hideous?

Here are a few of my rainy weekend reads. They're not brand new so many of you may know of them, but for those of you that don't, I highly recommend them!

Pattern by Orla Kiely 2010

I was given this book by my friend, Nikki, who knows how much I love this woman. Orla Kiely designs everything from handbags, to furniture and bed linen. It's a good insight into how she works. This book is filled with beautiful images, and fits the bill if you love pattern, mid-century design and fashion.

Wallpaper by Charlotte Abrahams 2009


Page after page of stunning wallpapered rooms, unique ways to use wallpaper and samples of different styles of paper. Fantastic to flip through on a rainy day...or any day for that matter!

Florence Broadhurst  Her Secret and Extraordinary Lives by Helen O'Neill 2006

I've been obsessed with this woman for years. She was all shades of eccentric, and I think that's why I love her.  This book covers her life, from the early days as a singer, then to her days as a wallpaper designer to her murder in 1977. Her killer has never been found. Nothing like some design inspiration mixed with a little intrigue.

That's it for now! Have a lovely day.
janis

Bedroom Make-over. Well, it's a start.

Slowly but surely, a "make-over" is beginning. I won't say how long ago I got the mirrors and glass top cut, but it was awhile ago. I got tired of stepping around all the glass leaning up against our bedroom wall, so I finally busted out the drill and did something about it.

Before - A very plain little inset with built-in drawers. 

Tools of the trade. I only drilled 4 holes that were of no use. ;)

After - a much perkier little nook. I changed up the drawer pulls, and slipped some wallpaper underneath the glass. I like the glass top, as now the look can be changed up just by changing what's underneath.

Now, we have to work on ripping out the bunk carpet and replacing it with hardwood, new light fixtures and blinds. Slow and steady. I don't want to get ahead of myself.

Have a lovely Wednesday! Back on Friday.

I'd like a new kitchen, please.

I really would, and I'm sure my husband would too, he just doesn't obsess like I do (it's kind of maddening, actually). The topic of kitchens has been on my mind since chatting about kitchens and  renos, with a friend of mine (Jan, a.k.a. Poppytalk!) yesterday.

As a home and garden photographer, I see many different types of kitchens, and there is always at least one or two things in these kitchens that I'd like to transport to mine (ours). Sometimes I'm just completely impressed by the fact that the homeowners renovated their kitchen all on their own. How? How do you do that? Please tell me.

Thought I'd share three very different kitchens with you. Take a look at the before and after of this kitchen. Completely transformed by the homeowners, Adele and Iain. This was originally shot for House and Home magazine.

The Before. Wow.

Well done, Adele and Iain!

Some happy details.

The new home office and weekend cocktail bar. They now have heaps of storage.

The kitchen below was built by Viewpoint Construction, not sure who designed it though. It features an induction oven, lots of storage, state of the art everything, really. 

The kitchen, below, was shot for Chatelaine magazine, earlier this year.

I love the little inset, and stools. Lots of fabulous natural light in this room. Love that.

As for our kitchen (snippet of it in top pic), it really needs to lighten up (too dark), get a fantastic backsplash (I'm thinking wallpaper covered by glass), a bit more storage and some green chalkboard paint...somewhere.  I've got to get on this. It's a 10 years old now. Anyone else out there in need of a new kitchen? 

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend. Back on Monday with something for Thanksgiving. 

IdsWest Media Lounge - sneak peek

Hi Everyone! Thought I'd share a sneak peek of the media lounge for the IDSwest show with you. The show takes place October 14th to 17th, here in Vancouver. There's a great variety of guest speakers including Sarah Richardson and Karim Rashid.

The fabulous team of Peter Wilds and Joanna Howard, designers at The Cross, created both the media lounge for the show as well as The Cross' own booth. Both are a big departure from what they did last year. Huge. I'm not a real girly girl, so this year's media lounge suits me just fine.

Patchwork seems to be the theme for The Cross' booth at the IDSwest show this year.

The Cross is now carrying the line of Timorous Beasties wallpaper, and are the only shop in Vancouver that does. Pretty cool. These are all snippets of what will be on view in the media lounge.

From what Peter and Joanna have told me, there will be lots of custom designed furniture for the media lounge. The colours will be purples, greens, gold, and black. Looking forward to seeing it all come together.

If you're in the Vancouver area, definitely give the IDSwest show a look around. It's getting better every year.

Bye for now!

There is no such thing as an upholstery fairy

I've been thinking of painting the living/kitchen area of our home. I say this, but I probably won't get around to it until the new year, at the earliest.  This is the frustrating part of my job as a lifestyle and interiors photographer.  Too many options and sensory overload, so it's difficult (for a person like me) to make that final decision. Yikes.

This problem has really been driven home by a few items languishing in our garage. One of the many items is a chair (above) that I've been wanting to reupholster for over a year. Unfortunately, I've learned that there is no upholstery fairy that will take care of this for me. Dreams shattered. Same goes for the shadeless vintage lamp (below), and the piles of fabric that I've collected. You never know when you might want to make a cushion or a sweet bistro curtain. I have never made either. 

I almost forgot all the wallpaper (see some of the "collection" below). Speaking of wallpaper. Is it too hideous to paper a wall that is dangerously close to a toilet? When boys pee.... well, you know. I would love to cover one tiny wall, in our powder room, with vintage Japanese wallpaper. Hmmm.

To wrap up, I'm hoping that now that I've put it out there, I will have to tackle these little projects. Fingers crossed.  

Shadeless lamp.

Dust covered, new and vintage wallpaper.

A Sneak Peek at the Cross

I just got home from another fantastic shoot with the gang at The Cross, a beautiful home store here in Vancouver.  We were working on their new website to be launched very soon.  

Darci and Stephanie just returned from a buying trip in NYC.  Boxes are now arriving daily, it seems. Lots of fabulous new stock…can’t wait until it’s all unpacked. 

The Cross will be taking part in the IDSwest show September 17 -  20.   They’ve been asked to do the media lounge as well.  Very exciting.  Stephanie Vogler took me to the old car repair shop, where the media lounge and their own show space are being created.  Roxanne was just pasting up another strip of wallpaper.  I can't wait to see the final result....it will be stunning!

If you’re in Vancouver, don’t miss the IDSwest show.  It’s gets better every year.