Office Closet

I have been looking into creative ways to use small spaces and the office in a closet (or armoire in some cases) is one of the best I have found yet.

Accent Wall

I am helping a friend decorate her open concept apartment. It is currently very white and I am trying to convince her to do one (or more) of the white walls a dark accent colour (grey is my favorite choice). Above are some of the inspirational photos I have found.

Anyone Shop at IKEA?

I was just browsing some IKEA products online and came across their "Wacky Wednesday" deals. Basically they have one or two items on sale for substantially less then the regular price. For example, the sale for August 24 at the Montreal IKEA store is...

The Modern Floral Sofa

My younger sister recently bought a very reasonably priced ($40!)and unique retro floral sleeper sofa in excellent condition. The fabric is in such good condition that I think it has never been used. The fabric is a mix of burnt orange, orange and yellow flowers on a cream background (see below).


I thought I would do a quick internet search and see if I could find some inspirational photos that willl help her make it work in her space. Looks like the keys to incorporating a busy fabric on such a large scale, is an overall neutral backdrop and solid coloured pillows.

Decorating Outside the Box

For those of you looking for an inexpensive island/extra storage for your kitchen or laundry room/ bathroom vanity here is an idea.

I regularly look through the flyers and always see the Home Handyman workbench from Home Hardware on sale for $69.97 (regulare price is still reasonable at $89.99). It stands at counter height, the surface is 6' long (technically 72" x 22" x 33"), it is solid wood and predrilled for easy assembly. The "backsplash" can be easily removed if it were going to be used as an island but would be a nice extra detail if it were acting as extra storage piece against a wall in a kitchen or laundry room or as a vanity in a bathroom.

For price comparison purposes, I did a quick internet search for the next best option...

It is the IKEA GROLAND kitchen island and it is $269 but not nearly as long as the first option (this one is 48" long versus 72"). Yes the wood is much thicker and it has a few more details but does that justify such a price difference? I think not.

French Bistro Kitchen

For a long time now I have loved the idea of a french bistro style kitchen. Unfortunately for me, bistro and cottage don't mix so I have been waiting (patiently) for the right house/apartment to have it. I tried to bring in the bistro style with the apartment but it is missing some of the key elements which are:

1) an old butcher block island


2) lots of copper and wood accents


3) exposed brick


4) black, wood & metal, round stool (similar to below minus the back)


5) dark coloured cabinetry


6) a large chalkboard


I have already started collecting the copper accents. At this point I have an antique kettle, watering can and candle holder. I also found an old butcher block island at a local antique store for $400... which is a good price for one in that good of condition.

One day...

Even Designers Make Mistakes

I was looking through the July issue of Country Living magazine and was delighted to see that Sarah Richardson's cottage made it in. I watched the show, Sarah's Cottage, a few years ago so it was nice to see some updated photos. Overall, not much has changed, but I did notice one unfortunate thing- the hardwood floors in the main living space have cupped due to differential humidity levels between the inside and outside (crawl space) of the house. This is the exact problem Stu and I have in our house. We installed hardwood floors throughout the house about 4 years ago. After they had been in the house for about a year we noticed that in the summer when the humidity levels are high, that the floors were cupping in response to the humidity. This does not sound like that bad of a thing but if left can really warp the floors. As a result, we have to monitor the humidity levels and have a dehumidifier running all summer in the crawl space. For the most part this has solved the problem but it was nice to see that even experienced professionals make bad decisions when it comes home renovations.