Finding Inspiration.....mind, body, soul

The past two mornings on the drive into work, Deadmau5 has come onto the radio. Yes, I love house music. So sorry to those that don’t fist pump, but that’s just who I am. And no I’m not into fried pickles, but I swear I won’t judge you if you do.

Anyways, the pounding base took me back to a vacation I took to the Cyclades in Greece many many many many years ago when I was a MUCH younger self. A single self. Do you remember your early 20’s? My early twenties were spent traveling various corners of the world, Greece, being my first victim. It was a trip of a lifetime and I feel as if a part of that trip has always stayed with me.

If you have ever been lucky enough to visit Greece, most especially this group of islands you know what I’m talking about. There is something magical about these islands that inhibit the mind, body and soul in every way imaginable. We watched the sunset in Oia on Santorini while listening to Enya. Dancing the night away at an outdoor disco on Ios. Sipping espresso at an outdoor café on Naxos. Those are all memories that I will take with me forever, and I can’t help but want to duplicate the feeling of these islands.

The first island we visited was Santorini. My girlfriend Lina and I arrived very late at night on a prop plane from Athens, and it was already dark outside. The taxi dropped us off at the end of town, Fira, and told us that we had the walk the rest of the way. My first thought was YOU HAVE NO FREAKIN CLUE WHAT’S IN THIS BACKPACK DUDE but I figured I guess I had no choice. We walked into town, and were immediately taken by the beauty of Fira. Sure it was late at night, almost midnight, yet there was this vibe that you felt as deep as your bones. And NO, I hadn’t had a shot of Ouzo yet.

We were booked into the Loucas Hotel, a recommendation from a co-worker, and we were not disappointed. Thankfully the inn-keeper was still there to check-us in. We walked down about a million steps to get to our room, dropped our bags, and crashed. The next morning, we woke up rather early, wanting to get a head start on the day. We opened our shutters, and this is what we saw.

*source*

We were in absolute AWE. I had never seen or experienced anything like it in my lifetime, I was almost in tears. We sat there and just stared out at the sea for a couple hours just to take it all in.

That is just one of the amazing experiences I had on that trip to Greece, but because of that experience, and all the others, how happy and peaceful this trip made me feel, I’m seriously considering bringing in some Mediterranean and/or Greek elements into our home. I’m not quite sure how, or what yet, due to limited expenses, but I’ve started to collect some ideas, and inspiration as to how I’d go about doing this.

Here are a couple of examples of various room-types that have been inspired by Grecian or Mediterranean décor. I’ve been saving these up for a rainy day.

*marie claire maison*

*chris barrett design*

*panta rei rooms*

*nakou traditional cottages*

Almost ever trip i've been on, no matter the country, I take away a small piece of that country home with me in my heart, and sometimes my living room!

Have a great day everyone.

Must Have!

LOOK at this bathtub. LOOK AT IT!!! OMG!!!

Truly dreamy.

photo from design*sponge

See the before/after story over at Design*Sponge

Ace Hotel's

My "day job" is in the travel industry. You can probably imagine I did jumping jacks and leaped for joy when I discovered Ace Hotels.

With locations in New York, Seattle, Portland, and Palm Springs, this chain is definitely the new "IT" hotel.

Yummy.








all images by Ace Hotels

Monaluna

I'm crushing on so many fabrics at the moment. Gone are the days where I favored french toile in red and yellow....here are the days of hand screen printed cotton.

I don't know what I'll do with all this fabric that I'm crushing on. Buy it. Look at it. Make a pillow. Make curtains. Does it matter really? I could just stack it all together and be happy with it as-is.

Every time I see a new fabric, I hunt down the designer. Don't you think these are pretty? These are from Monaluna.

images from monaluna

These are designed by Jennifer Moore, from Oakland, CA. A former employee of Pottery Barn, she is now a surface and textile designer and d.i.y. enthusiast. You can visit her website, or her blog to see more of her work!

StyleRoom

Has anyone joined StyleRoom yet? Sure, there is tons of inspiration out there already from visiting photo galleries of our favorite glossy magazines and blogs, but it's hard to find original spaces some of the time that have been decorated by real people.

This is where StyleRoom comes into play. A user-generated database of photos of interiors uploaded by everyday people. Have a problem with your room? Post a photo and ask for help! It's that easy, and so cool!

Here are some of my personal favorites. Enjoy!

Kim's Home Office

I've been reorganizing most of the weekend, and one of the hot spots in the condo is definitely our home office/dining room. It needs help. Like serious help. We have enough space, that's not a problem, but I'm finding it a challenge trying to combine the 2 spaces into one. Hence, I've been scouring various sources looking for inspiration which led me to the Desire to Inspire blog (Hi Kim!), and Kim's home office.



This is EXACTLY the feel that I'd love to have in our multi-purpose room. Eclectic, worldly, but somehow multifunctional. Won't to join me on a mini-tour of her office today?



You can see more photos of her office at Desire To Inspire.

Happy Monday everyone! Stay tuned, the winners of DecorAddict's ad-space giveaway are coming up soon!

Twinkle Living

I've been flipping through all my decorating books over the last few days, no reason in particular, just mainly because daytime television really sucks...and I happened to pick up my Domino decorating book, which I'll admit I haven't cracked since they went under a few months ago. Yes, I'm one of those trying to preserve it for all eternity. God I miss Domino.

Any-who, for those of you that own a copy, in the back of the book, there is a resource section, which I totally forgot about, which in turn led me to Twinkle Living. Oh my goodness. Where has Twinkle been all my life? I had to share my favorite pieces with you all today. Just beautiful, don't you think?

Twinkle Living comes from Wenlan Chia, a native of Taiwan. Originally established as a women's fashion company in 1999, her original designs has impressed the fashion and design community alike, as well as her devoted customers. Feminine, yet modern pieces, both to wear, and for your home.

all images from Twinkle Living

Kindred, Summer Edition 2009

Holly and Ez have done it again! Brand new desktop wallpapers, as well as a couple of bonus items have just been released at Kindred.

My favorite(s) are below, which i've already downloaded of course. Which one is your favorite?

all images copyright Kindred

Arren Williams {stylist extraordinaire!}

You've probably heard of Arren Williams, Canadian Stylist extraordinaire? No? Well, be prepared, he's already taking the country by storm, who knows where he'll end up next.

Arren describes himself as a freelance stylist, editor and trend reporter, his work appearing in many Canadian publications such as Flare, Canadian Family, as well as being a regular guest expert on CityTV's CityLine.

His "style" is so eclectic, appealing not only to the jet-set uber crowd, but also to the more common everyday family. Here is a brief selection of some of his work below:

Magazine: Home Depot Dreambook
Art Director: Brenda Van Ginkel

Magazine: Style at Home
Art Director: Susan Rogers
Photographer: Yvonne Duivenvoorden

Magazine: Flare
Art Director: Tanya Watt
Photographer: Donna Griffith

Magazine: Home Depot Dreambook
Art Director: Brenda Van Ginkel

Magazine: Canadian House & Home
Art Director: Maarten Sluyter
Photographer: Angus Fergusson

Magazine: Chatelaine
Art Director: Caren Watkins
Photographer: Luis Albuquerque

Arren, if you're out there reading this, can you come to my house? Please? ;-)

Daily Thought

I enjoyed Real Simple's daily thought today, didn't you?



To be happy, it first takes being comfortable in your own shoes. The rest can work up from there.
―Sophia Bush

Pretty In Pink

So, i'm driving home from work today, and I Go Crazy by Flesh For Lulu came on the radio. OMG, I swear I was transported back to the 11th grade when my hair was spiky, and I desperately wanted a pair of Doc Martens (which I didn't get until I was 22).

Although this song is actually from the movie Some Kind of Wonderful (1988), I was mentally transported into another John Hughes movie, Pretty In Pink (1986). More specifically the apartment of Iona. I was just a teenager in 1986, and oh my goodness I wanted to live in that very apartment. Painted asian stencils on the walls, retro furniture, and the floor! Wow the floor.




Not sure I could live with the bee-hive hair though.

Another domino replacement? Yeah, I don’t think so.

I miss Domino. Don’t you? I’ve found myself at my local Chapter’s standing in front of the Interior Design/Decorating magazine section staring into space, totally amiss as to what is now, or might I say NOT available to us on the magazine stand anymore.

On this last trip to Chapter’s, I picked up 4 magazines. House Beautiful (Apr 2009), Canadian House and Home (Apr 2009), Ideal Home UK (March 2009), and Elle Décor (April 2009). Overall, and I hate to say it, but I’m soooo disappointed. I used to come home with the latest issue of Domino and literally spend HOURS reading it from cover to cover. When I returned home, I spent a total of 1 hour TOTAL leafing through all 4 of them. Pretty pathetic.

The one magazine I was dying to get my hands on however, either isn’t available in my local store yet, or was sold out, the April/May edition of Ready Made. I think I’m going to have to subscribe to the ReadyMade as it’s the only publication that I’ve been excited about over the past few months since the announcement of Domino’s closure.

What do these magazines (the ones that I wasn’t very happy about) have in common? It’s like I picked up the same magazine, the same issue, 4 times. Nothing stands out, nothing is remotely unique about any of them. They are just simply blah. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that everyone’s issue sucks this month, but I must say it’s very disappointing. Most notably, House Beautiful.

House Beautiful has been touted as being the next best thing to Domino by various other design bloggers, well, I have NO idea where that comes from to be honest. The cover of the April ’09 issue is even boring.



After taking the 12 minutes in total it took to go through the entire magazine, I was unimpressed. There was nothing unique, nothing original, it was simply 147 pages of advertisements and editorial coverage that only embellished on their advertisements. Eesh. Give me something new people! Something that I haven’t seen before, or heard of. Every page was just fuddy-duddy traditional. Every single house tour in the issue was professionally decorated, and there was nothing REAL about them whatsoever. Over styled. Stuffy. Snobbish. EEsh. Like, do people actually live here? Or is this a model home I’m looking at. Yes, I understand that ever home is styled for a photo shoot, but NOT every home, and NOT everyone hires a designer to do so. Some of the best homes I’ve seen were designed by the homeowner over time, those are the best homes out there, and the ones that I want to see.

Do you feel the same about the existing shelter magazines available out there today? Would you like to see more REAL homes? Do you already have a source of where to find REAL homes for decorating inspiration? (please enter your suggestions, and opinions in the comments section below)

White or Colour? {Trine Thorsen}

As much as I’m a huge colour lover, I can’t help but to be continuously drawn to whites and neutrals. Yes, sure that’s a very safe choice, but it’s also a comforting one, don’t you think?



There’s something about an all white space that speaks of comfort. Almost like a day at the beach, with a cool breeze blowing in the window.



Not to say that color isn’t a part of my life, it is, but I can honestly say that sometimes I just can’t commit. I don’t trust myself that I’ll still love that shade of fuchsia in a year, which is probably why I lived in a all-white apartment for close to 4 years. Luckily, our current abode was already painted when we moved in, there isn’t a white wall in our new place, and I can’t believe the difference.



I’m sure you’re all asking yourself where these beautiful images are coming from shown above, they have all been taken by the fabulously talented Trine Thorsen, of Norway.

Trine completed a 3 year photography program at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 1994, but didn’t begin her full-time photography career until 9 years ago. These past 9 years have been very busy for Trine, her work has been published in numerous Norwegian and international interior, fashion and lifestyle magazines, not to mention several books.

What is it that you prefer? Neutrals and whites, or an all out colour splendour? Some days I just can’t decide.

Small Space Inspiration

My family is an apartment family. Both my husband and I grew up, and have always lived in an apartment, or a condo. Not that we're not the outdoorsy types, we totally are, but the idea of shovelling snow, and worrying about the water heater or the furnace busting just isn't our style. That's the huge plus of apartment or condo living, you pay your rent, or maintenance fee, and 99% of the time it's taken care of for you.

The challenge with living this way, is of course space. We don't have the 3000 square foot house with 5 bedrooms to put all our stuff, we have 1200 square feet, plus a storage locker at our current address. Trust me, it's bigger than you may think, and because our storage space is so limited, we tend to not to accumulate stuff as much, or as often. This is definitely a good thing!

Currently, our second bedroom has been a 'catch-all' of spaces since we moved in 2 months ago, BUT we need to get on that ASAP, as the little squirt is arriving in 3 months! I've concluded that at least 1/2 of what's in that room can be tossed, I haven't needed or really wanted anything in there in the past 2 months, and I'm not missing it, so why keep it, right? It feels so good to purge!

I'm continually looking online, and in shelter magazines for creative small spaces and ideas, there are so many out there!

Southern Living

This amazing workspace is created out of a 5x8 foot storage alcove. Brilliant.

Real Simple

Two or more crates stacked together look like a piece of furniture. These come is various sizes, perfect for a tiny bathroom or powder room.

Southern Living

A small closest has been converted into a powder room - petite fixtures do exist!

Better Homes & Gardens

Covering open bookshelves with curtains to create an instant storage space. It will look good anywhere in your space. Choose washable fabric that complements the decor of the room

Better Homes & Gardens

Everyone has an old ugly metal filing cabinet around, and yes it's necessary to have, most are unsightly. Cover them up with fabric, gaining a convenient sideboard in the process

Better Homes & Gardens

Choose armless seating for your sofa, and/or side chairs. This will open up the line of sight, and make any room feel larger, and open.

House Tour Love {Toni Brogan via design*sponge}

See the FULL tour here.....






all images from design*sponge

The Kindred Site {from Holly and Ez}

Spring has officially sprung, thank goodness! Is everyone else as tired of winter as I am?

Holly Becker of decor8, and Heather "Ez" Pudewa of Creature Comforts have collaborated to create and develop Kindred.

".....two passionate, prolific bloggers and friends who live thousands of miles apart and have never met in person but we share many of the same dreams and passions."
- Kindred, about us

image from Kindred


Unique desktop wallpapers, printable note cards, and gratitude notes, gotta love it!

Find them online here, and take advantage of their free stuff by registering here! Happy downloading!

Open Letter to Wisteria

Every time I visit Wisteria, I drool until i'm standing in my own puddle of spit.

Why oh WHY do you not deliver to Canada?

Sniff.

Black Forest Tray

doorknob bookends

adirondack fly swatters

flatware wall art

rustic trestle console table

all images from Wisteria