Little adjustments

Today I was happy to wear a mask, have my temperature checked, answer a questionnaire and leave my contact info to shop for lighting for a client. Glad to make these little adjustments to my reality as things start to slowly wake up.

And you know what? That’s fine by me.

Cheers, Arren


What’s cooking, Calgary? Well, apparently Jenelle Erickson and Stephanie Smith of SmithErickson definitely know their way around a fab kitchen design.

This first space is giving me all the wows, especially since its a major reno of a ho-hum 90’s home (I’m imagining a dull beige ‘before’). There’s so much great stuff going on here. Not just the colour palette of white, dove and dark grey, but just about every darned thing.

That second kitchen has all of the classics, with the white on white, shaker panels, hits of black and open shelves. But hello, the mitred tiles giving you the frame around the window? That’s the kind of attention to a simple but special design detail that I love - It takes thought, people!

Photo: Michelle Johnson

Photo: Michelle Johnson

Photo: Michelle Johnson

Photo: Michelle Johnson


Okay, so a few folks out there spotted artist Kendra Dandy’s Leopard Coat print in Seana Freeman’s interior, and dropped me a line to say they were longtime fans of Dandy’s work. So, admittedly I have obvs been under a rock!

Yep, you can def call me a new fan of her direct, vibrant and painterly style. But, did you know you can also get her work as wallpaper, too? Check out a couple of my fave florals below, available here through Surface View in the UK. They ship worldwide, so no excuses! With 40 styles on offer, I bet you’ll find one that speaks to you and, as Dandy explains on her Insta, “Getting paid is the sincerest form of flattery.”

Score the rest of her artwork through Society 6.

Image: Watercolour Floral Mural, Orange and Flowers Mural by Kendra Dandy from the Bouffants and Broken Hearts Collection at Surface View

Image: Watercolour Floral Mural, Orange and Flowers Mural by Kendra Dandy from the Bouffants and Broken Hearts Collection at Surface View

Photo: All the Flowers Mural by Kendra Dandy from the Bouffants and Broken Hearts Collection at Surface View

Photo: All the Flowers Mural by Kendra Dandy from the Bouffants and Broken Hearts Collection at Surface View


There are those that can dress a nice table, and then there’s Eric Goujou, the owner of storied tabletop retailer La Tuile à Loup in Paris. For Goujou, the shop’s collection is very much in the vein of that perfect French expression - Art de la table.

With a revolving selection from 30+ French artisans, as well as vintage finds, La Tuile à Loup is a favourite of designers far and wide, and rightly so. You’ll spot Aptware, a classic marbled faience inspired by the coloured soils of Apt, a small town not far from Marseille, as well as painted patterns and splashy, naturalistic designs. Keep an eye out for more loveliness on the store’s Insta, here, which will have you jonesing to host your next dinner party, whenever that might be. Le sigh.

Image: The eye of Tuile à Loup, Eric Goujou

Image: The eye of Tuile à Loup, Eric Goujou

Image: One of a kind marbled dishes

Image: One of a kind marbled dishes

Gone to pot (coffee and tea)

I am an inveterate collector so parting with anything is always difficult, but with an upcoming Street Sale that we're participating in, part with things I must. Unpacking boxes the other day I came across, ahem, close to a dozen coffee and tea pots that I had picked up as far afield as a car boot sale in London and the mondo Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts. Some of them, very sadly, will have to go in the sale, so discovering the beautiful coffee sets below from Sargadelos absolutely perked me up. After all, if I get rid of quite a few wouldn't we have room for one or two of these lovelies? And would it be totally off to try and convince David that we have to go on vacation to Spain just so we could at least check them out. I'm only (half) joking on that last part...

First up is Concha which has a wonderfully surreal quality, next is F-73 which has a sweet leaf motif. Monteferico feels very cool and odd with that strange bird-like handle, Portomarinica is possibly my absolute favourite (and available through the Conran Shop in NYC), and finally Pomba; which has such a sensually curved 60's vibe to it. Click here for worldwide availability, though sadly no one in Canada currently stocks the line, and click here to see the rest of the Sargadelos collections.

    

Bookmark and Share

Dishing up summer

When I first saw the Iittala Taika dishware back in '07 I was instantly drawn to the patterns and their wintry fairytale vibe. Klaus Haapaniemi, the designer behind Taika, has just had the oppurtunity to update the line and intro Satumetsä. The new line has a fresh, bright and summery feel, moving on from owls to deer as the focal point for the designs and not forgetting any of the magical influences of his original work. Lovely. Below you'll see the new 30cm dinner plate, followed along by the original Taika design. Click here to check out where Iittala products are available across Canada, Satumetsä is available from mid-April until the end of '09.

 

Bookmark and Share

You wash, I'll...

To quote Liz Lemon from 30 Rock - Blurgh! Just when I thought I'd gotten the teatowel collecting monkey off my back (I have, ummm, lots) I find a whole website dedicated to selling the darned things with oodles of fab ones to choose from, not to mention, my sister-in-law has just arrived back from the UK with a cute towel for me that celebrates the beauty of Tunbridge Wells. Maybe I can find a Teatowels Anonymous chapter to join. Oy, read more about my 'problem' and see more teatowels here...

Anyhoo, below are a few of my favs from ToDryFor. I've always have a thing for the firm People Will Always Need Plates, and now I know they do teatowels too, well, we're solid (they're the top 2, Kensal Green and Trellick Tower). And a new line totally worth checking is Mr PS (the bottom 2, Big Breakfast and Cafe Culture) who are way into vintage British caff signage (looove the towel that extoles the joys of a fried breakfast!). ToDryFor happily ships worldwide, just in case you need a teatowel fix as much as I do (lol).

  

    

It takes a sledgehammer

First thing this morning a skip showed up at the new place for the beginning of de-construction. Graham Kaye (our intrepid real estate guy) showed up to help - so much nicer than a bottle of plonk - and he and David went at the back deck with hammer and tong, well, actually sledgehammer and chainsaw. Then the gas powered weed whacker was put to work, with David at the helm, to clear cut the urban jungle of a yard. Honestly, I couldn't be there for the bulk of the work (deadlines) and showed up to lug the remains into the now full skip. I'll post pics tomorrow.

I was re-visiting a bunch of favourite online resources to come up with cool products to feature in the National Post for an upcoming Post Homes Magazine and re-discovered Christpher Jagmin. I like his gear, I've featured his dishware in Flare before, but the graphically etched glasses below are a snappy new addition to his line.

Hot plate

Apologies for not posting yesterday - We had to spend time at the lawerys signing multiple bits of paper for the new house and then I headed off to the airport for a press trip to NY. After an eventful flight (delays, bumps and then a slight near miss) we finally landed and headed in to the city, checked in and immediately went, ummm, shopping. lol

I dragged a few of the gals along with me, and, with an hour to spare before a scheduled meeting, we got a fair bit done. Uniqlo for a bit of affordable fashion, Japanese style, CB2 for a cool slice of modern housewares and furniture, and then one swift aperitif at Balthazar.

CB2 is right up there for me for well-priced gear for the home (and yes, they can ship internationally) - It's always stylish, on-trend and directional. I thought the plates below were hilarious, and at $2.95 would make for a witty and affordable touch mixed with all-white dinnerware. Good thing I'm here with a small overnight bag, otherwise there'd be a ceiling fixture coming home with me too...

   

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.