White, no. Pink, yes.

I'm having kind of a bananas week involving styling for Harlequin romance novels, photographing weathered barnboard, sourcing vinyl banners, walking the One of A Kind show and having a slew of furniture sprayed at Beresford's - the fantastic spray shop I use. So, I've been snapping away with my phone to capture a couple of cool things as I run around. In that first pic below you can see the in-between of the two vintage chairs I'm getting re-done (here is the before) at Beresford's. I've picked a lovely dark smoky grey for them, the white is just the primer, and can't wait to see the results. Well, lovely after Tim has kindly pried off the fiddly applied carving that sits on the frame at the head and below the seat. Don't they look better already?

The other snap I took on the fly after admiring the fantastic job my friend Bev Hisey has done on her place. This is her fab looking front porch (with a bit of unseasonable snow still hanging around) that has been painted in a charcoal and gussied up with a new door - that's one of Bev's die-cut wool Botanical table runners hanging behind the glass for privacy - new numbers (from Lowe's), a new light and vintage shell chairs that were transformed from old rust buckets with a quick sandblast and a powder coat in ultra-bright bubblegum pink. Brilliant.

Lath and plaster and carpets

While this weekend is going to be bananas, it's also definitely gonna be fun. One thing that I'll for sure be doing on Saturday is checking out all the hot design openings for Do West Design that'll be happening along Dundas West between Bathurst and Grace. One must-see for me will be the collaboration between a couple o' friends of mine, Bev Hisey and Donna Griffith, that'll be happening at R.A.D. 899 Dundas West. Bev has been going through a major home reno and was so inspired by the lath and plaster discovererd during the demolition that not only did Donna capture it on film (take a look at some of the gorgeous pics here), Bev also created carpets with the same look and feel. Click here to get a Do West Design postcard and map.

There's tons more happening in the city for the IDS and the Toronto International Design Festival so I'd suggest a little pre-planning is in order. You can download a TIDF guide and discount passport here, and for more info on off-site design shenanigans (with parties, exhibits, lectures and maps) you can download a Toronto Design Offsite app for your iPhone here.

Bev Hisey dhuri and cushions {giveaway}

Happy Monday! So listen up, people - My talented good friend Bev Hisey is up for a bit of fun and has decided to offer up her new gear in a couple of different giveaways. With Grace over on Design*Sponge she's giving away one of her brand spanking new wool Dhuri rugs, the blue and green one shown below, so click here to get in on that action. And up for grabs with me are two of Bev's latest wool cushions - called Numbers - that have a sweet and modern punky/preppy vibe.

Here are the deets:

>>> The winner will receive the two cushions shown below.

>>> Contest is open to continental US and Canadian readers only.

>>> To be eligible just leave a comment below explaining why your sofa needs these pillows.

>>> Comments will be open until tomorrow night, November 23rd at 12pm EST.

>>> The winner will be announced by email and as an update this to this post on Wednesday morning, November 24th.

Good luck!

     

        

No parking allowed

Yes, our media room used to be a drive-down garage, but that all changed back in the '80's sometime (way before we bought the house) when, in a rather hare-brained scheme, the old owners bricked up the garage door and filled in the driveway to create a v. dingy basement apartment. Oh, it was a delightful surprise when we discovered that that there was only one layer of bricks and some rotten chipboard holding back all the in-fill, take a look here, which meant we had to do a major bit of re-construction.

Fast-forward to now and things are all peachy - That's a Gus* Carter sectional sofa, silk velvet pillows and woven cane hassocks from Constantine, and a fab hand-knotted floor cushion from Bev Hisey. The striped velvet curtains have been discontinued at Ikea, but you can still get your hands on the Kvartal curved curtain rail, as well as the wall-mount Besta Burs DVD storage (topped with a few of my fave collectibles). On the other side of the room you'll catch a white leather tufted chair, an end table, and more of the shaggy rayon rug, all from Elte. Then there's more of that great Ikea Besta media storage, working both as a stand for the LCD TV, and mounted on the wall (we had fun tricking it out with Dioder LED lighting strips). The paint colour is Palais Royal by the no-longer-available Ralph Lauren Paint line from Home Depot. And, thanks again to Angus Fergusson for doing such an outstanding job in shooting the house for House & Home!

The last of up top

While the sun is beaming outside, I thought I'd let you know I've just worked on my first Holiday project (for inVU Drapery), and have been finding glitter in all sorts of odd places. Yep, it's Christmas in July in my world! Anyways, I'm still working through posting the rest of the House & Home feature, and thought it was time to flip you the last shots of the top floor.

First up is my home office which, as David would be happy to tell you, is often ignored in favour of the sofa. We had a piece of glass cut to fit the width of the room and set it on top of a pair of Ikea's Vika Lerberg trestle bases. The chair was picked out of a neighbour's garbage, the rug - look closely - is actually a macro view of botulism, from a series of rugs by Bev Hisey called Dirty Dishes, and the vintage lamp is from Zig Zag. And, honestly, it doesn't normally look as tidy as this. Then, in the second bedroom (ignoring the two smiling goofballs), between a pair of great Ikea bookshelves that have sadly been discontinued, you'll find a re-finished vintage sofa that originally looked like this, and a poster from Shelf. Oh, and that's another Bev Hisey rug on the floor, called Mommy Dearest, which has a pattern of wire coathangers woven into it. Then there's a snap of a dresser, which was a crazy-cheap Goodwill find for $15 that was refinished in white at Beresford's. It's topped with paintings by Zebedee Helm, a pair of Foo Dogs dragged home from Macao, and a print by Bold & Noble. And, as always, the talent behind all these great shots is Angus Fergusson.

Roughing it

Sometimes, in the midst of renovation hell, while you're ripping down walls and tearing out old plaster, something unexpectedly gorgeous can suddenly appear. Just check out these shots by Donna Griffith, over on my friend Bev Hisey's new blog, covering her full-on back to the studs reno. That got me thinking, about how imperfection and history in a space really can add gobs of charm. Have a look at the snaps below from Zanotta. Those rooms wouldn't look half as cool with plain old beige painted walls. But really, do you want to be brushing flakes of plaster off your shoulders every time you toss yourself into that sleek William sofa, or sit down for a bite at the Album table? Well maybe, especially if it would mean living with those vintage herringbone parquet floors...

Bright and clean

Okay, well I'm happy to drop a little taste of our completely finished house. It's the laundry room, which is in the current issue of Canadian House & Home, and to quote a 1968 cigarette slogan You've come a long way baby. To see how vile it actually looked when we first bought the house click here. Yep, that's ugly, lol. Not to mention all the weird stuff we discovered when we ripped out the old basement kitchen - Part of a garden fence was behind the wall and the ceiling was suspended with sticks from apple boxes and an old chair leg. Seriously.

Here's a quick rundown of what you're looking at: We maxed out on storage and usability with Ikea kitchen cabinets fronted in Abstrakt white hi-gloss doors and a Numerar countertop (just out of view on the left there's a Lagan sink with a slick white Ringskar faucet). Built into the cabinetry on the left are the fantabulous  GE Profile SmartDispense laundry pair, more on them here. That sweet carpet is the Spun hand-knotted runner by Bev Hisey, and the wood floor beneath is actually this TrafficMaster Allure vinyl plank from Home Depot. [Image: Angus Fergusson]

Having a flutter

Okay, I've been slightly awol due to the IDS 10 and the mega workload involved, let alone spending every day in the space too. One of the massive hits of my Ultimate space was definitely Bev Hisey's wool felt Butterfly Chairs. In fact, if I was giving out awards, her ultra-comfortable two-seaters (plus that cute wee ottoman) would definitely win 'Most Sat Upon' at the show. They were irresistible and quite a few people refused to move, lol. Check out the lovely shots below by Donna Griffith and imagine yourself sinking into them... And, because Bev is a creative genius/workaholic, she also contributed a carpet to Radiant Dark, the fab show organized by the cool folks at Made. Since I was kind of stuck at the IDS I didn't make it down, so to get more info - and to check out pics - head over and read what Kitka Design had to say about it.

IDS10: Butterflies and blurry dressers

Things are reaching boiling point in getting everything confirmed for the Ultimate space I'm working on for the IDS and, so far at least, things have been going in the right direction. Bev Hisey has come up with a brilliant prototype for something called a Butterfly Chair (there's a snap below of her playing around with the materials). All I can say right now is they're huge, cool and incredibly comfortable. Beyond that snap you'll see a couple of blurry cellphone shots of vintage furniture that is currently going from icky to spectacular at Beresford's, getting a lovely new coat of colour. McMaster by Para to be exact. Well, lol, that was the plan, until I went to actually buy them both and found that one had already sold. Blurgh. And it was that weirdly gorgeous vanity with the mirror. Double blurgh. These things are sent to try us, as someone so wisely said, so I found a pretty fair replacement. Honestly, that piece was so mine, and it was only $40 (I will now be kicking myself for the next while, and should really listen to my own rule of buy it when you see it).

Popping and shopping

Just a quickie, since I so have to be somewhere else like right this second (I'm totally in the midst of wrangling my IDS10 project). Anyhow, people have been asking whether Bev Hisey is having another of her magic sample sales, and the answer is - Yes! So, check out the cool little flyer below, and expect to find Bev's trademark pillows, throws and rugs at sweet discounts.

Oh, and talking of what's happening, it seems we are having a bit of a pop-up shop mini craze. At least two swell affairs have landed in my in-box in the last couple of days that look definitely worth a check-check-check out. Holt Renfrew is appearing at the Fashion House condo (560 King St W) with racks of fashionable must-haves from Dec 2nd to Dec 6th, and then you'll find a whole slew of folks from the worlds of fashion, beauty and design setting up for the Burroughes Designer Department Store (639 Queen St W) from Dec 3rd to Dec 6th. Happy shopping!

The forecast is grey and cool

Well looky-loo, my mate Bev Hisey has finally got with the technological times and opened the doors on her online store. It's filled with a special selection of best sellers of her handmade wool and wool blend pillows, blankets and carpets, as well as a few super snazzy web exclusives too. I'm such a fan of Bev's gear and think she has such a singular way with colour and pattern. I also know how hard she works both physically and creatively on everything she turns her hand too, and yep, of course I've posted about her before (you can see more of her stuff right here). Oh, and while you're noodling around her site be sure to check out In The Woods At Night. It's Bev's latest hand-knotted wool carpet inspired by one of her grandmother's paintings and tagged - of course - with the socially conscious RugMark label, though it's Pippin, the beyond beautiful owl, that (almost) steals the shot by photographer Donna Griffith.

Below you'll spot a few of my all-in-grey current design crushes from Bev's online store. The River Rock carpet and throw, and the slightly punky and random Flocked Letter pillow.

 

Streamlining Louis

My mate Bev Hisey has had the vintage Louis loveseat below kicking around for the last 15 years. In its last incarnation - slipcovered in white denim - it leaned definitely to the Shabby Chic side of things. Then trouble struck, when Aisha, Bev's cute yet troublesome cat, decided to use the loveseat as a litter box one too many times. The slip was dumped and the loveseat was shipped off to collect dust in storage at the upholsterer's.

A while back Bev and I had hit the road to check out a fabric outlet where she discovered a tough as nails and terribly sharp slate grey wool; perfect for a re-do for the loveseat. Bev stuck with the distressed painted finish, had the guts entirely replaced (oh, Aisha...), then went for a severe yet chic upholstery job. I think it looks rather smashing, and just goes to show that a good frame can last years, survive both cats and Shabby Chic, and still look streamlined and modern.

 

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Pretty modern

Bev Hisey is one of the craziest (in a good way, lol) friends that I have, she's also one of the most talented. Bev and I were chatting today while I was in the midst of a haircut - which prompted the barber to ask what we did, always an interesting one to answer... Most people might not realize that Bev is a one woman operation, a tough gig for sure. She's always pushing the envelope with her work and is constantly working on something new. Below are a couple of pics that Bev and I worked on together, shot by Donna Griffith. I think she's a bit of a Canadian treasure...

  

When modern meets antique

I came across these shots while noodling through files on my laptop and realised they'd never seen the light of day. Originally shot (by the wonderful Donna Griffith) for a kitchen makeover for Style at Home magazine, they unfortunately didn't make it into the final layout. I love the mix of antique and fleamarket finds set against a Bev Hisey die-cut wall hanging, but it's the porcelain figurines and lamp base - treasures handed down to Bev by her mum - that really make the shots.