Modern Home, Natural Christmas

Now this is my kinda home, and my kinda Christmas. Home to a family of four, it's been decked out for the holidays by interior designer, Sophie Burke. I have so much love for this home, and the pretty and low key festive decorations.

This 1920's house was was renovated by architect Elizabeth MacKenzie, and the interiors were finished by Sophie. I shot this story for the November issue of House and Home magazine. Here's a peek...

A perfectly calm and inviting bedroom. Artwork by Angela Grossmann.

I'll be keeping this bathroom in mind as inspiration for my reno. Love the pretty little wreath that Sophie created too. 

The family room is just off the kitchen. Loved everything about it. 

Speaking of the kitchen.....

....it was a pretty great one. 

Loved the mix of the comfy, classic sofa, with a Saarinen coffee table and an Eames rocker. Sprigs of fir tree, pinecones and candles are festive, without screaming Christmas. 

This really makes me want a separate dining room. Perfect backdrop for more woodsy, natural, Christmas decor. 

What do you think? Are you a nature lover when it comes to Christmas decor? Do you think you could live in a fairly minimal house? I'd love to know. 

Have a great day!

janis

Fes and the Middle Atlas

I'm wrapping up my trip to Morocco with some images of Fes and the Middle Atlas mountains. A pretty amazing experience, and a little daunting at the same time. We stayed at the beautiful Dar Roumana, right in the medina, and were well taken care of by Vincent, the chef and manager, and Mohammed, the assistant manager.

Fes is the second largest city of Morocco with a population of about a million. We stayed in the ancient medina of Fes el-Bali, a labyrinth of over 9000 streets and it's car-free. Nothing but donkeys and motorbikes. This post is picture heavy so grab a drink....

The views from our riad, Dar Romana. Perfect spot to hang out. 

I don't think I'll forget the tanneries. I will never look at leather the same way again. This really has to be one of the hardest jobs out there.

A father and daughter making bread.


Loved having the chance to see these men weave. By the way, I never just took a picture without asking. It didn't hurt to leave a few dollars as well.


One of the entrances into the medina.

Weekend Observations

I hope you had a great weekend! What did you get up to?  My weekend included a little live painting, a new "girl crush" and a touch of wild nature.....

We went for a bit of a hike at Lynn Headwaters, in North Vancouver. It's about a 25 minute drive from our home in Vancouver. Pretty stunning place. Dense, mossy, loveliness. 

I was familiar with Zoe's work, but I hadn't met her in person. She was painting all weekend at the Fours Seasons in Vancouver, so we popped down to watch. I love her. She's mom to two kids, and a full-time artist. Her paintings are beautiful. If you're in the Vancouver area, she opens her new show on May 31st. Click here for more info. Hope to see you there!

Bye for now! Back soon...

Janis

Viva Las Vegas Friday

My week has wrapped up in a haze of bright lights, smoke, hot days, red rocks and Sesame Street impostors. Oh, and a couple of cocktails. Las Vegas is an interesting place. Human nature at it's best. ;) How was your week? Hope it was a good one!

A very entertaining few days. Vegas is all shades of craziness. Have you been to Las Vegas? Would you go back? Let me know!

Have a great weekend! 

Back soon,

Janis

Weekend Observations

I hope you all had a nice weekend! It was rainy here, but we did take a little drive to this pretty spot, Deep Cove, just 20 minutes out of Vancouver. A tiny neighbourhood plunked right by the water and mountains...

Did a little shopping here...

You can check out Room 6 here. You can shop online too ;)

and I completely jumped off my healthier eating wagon for this.....

This little drive was a nice break from working on my taxes. Sob. What did you get up to this weekend?

Have a lovely day! Back soon.

Janis

Let the weekend begin

I'm wrapping up the week with a cute deer that I ran into, while on a shoot on Mayne Island. He was just about to bolt....he really didn't want to pose for me.

Have a great weekend!

Back soon.
Janis

A "Pure" Designer

Hope you're all having a good week so far. It's gone by so fast, or is it just me?

Thought I'd share a recent shoot with you. I shot the lovely Ami Mckay, of Pure Design, for Chatelaine Magazine  in this month's issue. I've had the pleasure of working with her a number of times, and it's always heaps of fun. Ami's a talented furniture designer and interior designer, and she's just about to launch her organic bedding line for Bed Bath and Beyond. Exciting times! Read more about her here.

A little look into what inspires her. She's a nature girl all the way. 

A sample of some of her new soft furnishings. 

The beautiful view from her studio. Lucky girl. 

If you recognize Ami, she was on an HGTV show with the lovely Erin Cebula, of ET Canada, a few years back. Multi-talented girl.

On a final note for today, I did a post over at one of my favourite blogs, Poppytalk, about a couple more very talented women. Girls clearly rule this week. ;) Here's a peek...

Back soon!

janis