Shop Spotlight: CB2

Before HandyMan and I went to exhibitIKEA last week, we headed to the media preview for CB2. {Sidenote: without this blog getting me media invites, I would have no social life whatsover, lol)} This is one brand I've been waiting to see arrive in Canada for a while.

CB2 is the younger, hipper sibling to the Crate & Barrel stores. Though CB2 doesn't officially open its doors here until mid-November, they set up a temporary shop to give us a look at what will be in stores for the fall and holiday season. CB2's products are definitely more modern, but I always find something in their stores that I want to take home with me. 

 

 

I loved the bright colours they used, like this electric citron and the intense blue which were repeated throughout the collection.

 

Surprisingly, there were also some industrial, vintagey pieces which I fell in love with. This oversized pendant would look great over a dining table. I really liked the mesh bookcase and the wooden stools. The bookcase would look great as open storage in a kitchen!

There were some standout pieces that caught my eye, like this rug. Navy is hot right now and this rug would work with both traditional or modern furnishings. These fun pillows would be a great way to introduce texture and colour into a space.

How fun is this take on the edison bulb? Bent arm desk lamps seem to be popping up everywhere. I adored the muted grey colour and slim styling of this one.

But what I really liked were the smalls, little trinkets and accessories that could fit in any decor...

 

These are a few objects from the "mod market" line... petite pretties just perfect for holiday gift-giving. I want those modern Christmas trees and that adorable dollhouse cabin!

CB2 opens mid-November at 651 Queen Street West. I'll see you in the store!

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Adventures In Sewing

So I spent the weekend getting reacquainted with my sewing machine. Okay its really Mama HandyMan's old sewing machine (as in 1975 old!) so it was more like meeting a complete stranger. I tried looking on You Tube for videos to help me get started, like how to wind a bobbin and how to thread a sewing machine (can we say newbie?) - but I guess sewing machines from 1975 are a rarity because the models in the videos were nothing like mine! Good thing I managed to dig up the manual and other sewing supplies from our storage or I would have chucked that machine back into the closet.

If you follow me on Facebook you would have seen I had some issues figuring out the tension on the machine but Barbara and some other kind readers were encouraging so I kept plugging away at it. So what did I make?

I've had this box of cute fabric waiting to be sewed up for the last year. I thought making a tea towel for Chloe's play kitchen would be an easy project. I picked one fabric for the main part, hemmed it on three sides, added an accent fabric on the bottom and covered up the seam with some pom-pom fringe.

Yes, my seams don't line up. I need some practice!

But I think it turned out looking pretty cute. {Plus Chloe won't my notice my bad sewing job}

Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. Maybe I'll sew Chloe's Halloween costume!?

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4 Years

On a beautiful sunny Sunday four years ago, I married my best friend. It was amazing to me that the person who took me to a condo showroom and a lighting store on our first date, the one who shared the same interests as me, the one who made me feel the most "me" I've ever felt, was the one I got to spend the rest of my life with. And I am still as happy in love with him today as I was that day I said I Do.

HandyMan and I met on an online dating site. Does that surprise you? After a few failed long-term relationships, it took the power of the soulless internet to bring us what we were looking for all along! My profile said something like "I have an appreciation for architecture and design"... and his said "if you know who Le Corbusier is, then you know why I'll never shop at The Brick" -- it was a match made in design heaven.  But for all our design synchronicity, the thing I love most about this best-friend-of-mine is how he loves me and Chloe.

Its in the way he takes out the garbage every week or cleans the kitchen without prodding. How he makes up silly games and plays with Chloe before bedtime so she'll be tired and easier for me to put to bed. How he goes along with my ambitious decorating ideas (even though he's sometimes sure they won't work but trusts my vision anyways). How he talks glowingly about his daughter and wife to everyone he meets. Four years and one child into this marriage, I have the security and peace of knowing I have the right partner.

Happy Anniversary Sean. How very lucky I am to be your wife. xoxo.

*****

You can read more about our wedding here, here, and here.

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Design Books

 

I've been flipping through my copy of Decorate, the new design book by Holly Becker of Decor8 and Joanna Copestick. Much like her blog, Holly's book is full of visually interesting interiors, inspiring ideas, and advice from great decorators. Even though I get most of my design inspiration from blogs these days, there is nothing that compares to sitting down with a cup of tea with a magazine or book on your lap, slowly reading and examining the photos, folding down the pages to mark ideas to come back to. Pure bliss.

I love design books. I like the weight of them, the texture of their pages. The colours and images on their covers. The look of their fonts. Of the small collection I have, the Domino Book of Decorating is my favourite. Its the most "blog like" if you will, presenting particular design styles full of inspiration and giving helpful information in bite sized snippets.


Do you read design books? What do you like in a book? Lots of narrative? Lots of photos? Do you have a favourite book you'd recommend? Let's just say I'm doing a bit of research ;)


*One of these things is not like the other, one of these things doesn't belong... Did you spot the book in the photo that's not really a design how-to book? Yes, its the one HandyMan and I authored :)

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Sponsor Talk: Furnishings on Consignment

Though I'm not really in the market for any new (or old) furnishings, I can't help but poke around and see what's on offer at my favourite thrift and consignment stores. You know, just in case. My sponsor foc! Furnishings on Consignment has this pretty sideboard for sale. Its in great condition and I like the walnut stain so I probably wouldn't paint this piece.

Here's a moodboard I put together around the sideboard... the colours are a bit more rich and deep than what I'm typically attracted to but I'm craving navy these days. It balances well with the cool tones of the wood. Feels more fall-like already, doesn't it? Brrrr.

Rug: Jill Rosenwald for Surya; Vases: Hive Vases - West Elm; Handle: Rock Candy Handle - Anthropologie; 

Painting - Colors 61 by Jen Ramos 

 Don't forget, foc! is offering a 15% discount to my readers until the end of August. Just mention Rambling Renovators when you shop in store.

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The Basement: Inspiration

When I need to fall asleep, instead of counting virtual sheep, I dream of virtual walk-throughs of my new rooms. What - doesn't every design-obsessed person do that? {Or maybe that's just me} Poring over the little details really helps relax my mind and sometimes even brings flashes of brilliance and ideas I need to put in the design.

Lately, I've been dreaming about what I want the new basement to feel like. Open, light, cottegey, white, nautical, Scandinavian... yes, please. A few images of inspiration...

Photo from House & Home, photographer Michael Graydon

... this basement by Meg Crossley, senior editor of House & Home is a standout. With its light and airy look, you would never guess its a basement. I love the white walls and dark floor, and the built-in storage. Check out this online video if you want to see the entire space - the robin's egg blue laundry room is adorable too!

Photo by House & Home, photography by Michael Graydon

More built-in loveliness. Storage will be a huge part of our basement plan... storage for toys, crafts, TV accessories, laundry gear, pantry. Not an inch of space is wasted in this photo. Who wouldn't love a sewing space in their laundry room?

via Inspiration for Decoration

We'll definitely be having a long, comfy banquette in the basement. This one is fabulous - I only wish we had that much natural light in our basement! Again, the white walls, the trim, and the dark floors are just the look I'm coveting.

Room design by Darryl Carter

via The Lettered Cottage

These two rooms have the warm combination of white walls and rustic, organic elements that I want to bring into our basement. I would love to have an antique harvest table for crafting though space may be an issue. The dings and scratches of old wooden pieces seem just perfect for a room that will serve as playroom and craft room and house lots of kid chaos.

Design by Urban Grace Interiors

Oh, beadboard ceiling & nautical lighting fixtures, you are dreamy. I love the crispness of the beadboard ceiling... our basement ceilings are too low to do this, only just over 7' high, but I am definitely putting beadboard somewhere, mark my words. Storage under the banquette seats is a smart idea too.

So many great ideas, so little space to implement them. What about you... what does your dream basement look like? Is it a colourful, funky family space? Or maybe a dark and moody room perfect for movie watching and hanging out?

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exhibitIKEA

I have had a love affair with IKEA for the last 30 years. You would find IKEA in every home I've ever lived in... there was the yellow and white melamine bunk beds I shared with my sister; the big wooden desk with the arm-shaped work lamp clipped to it where I would sit and write my high school assignments; the gingham sofabed that moved with me from university rental to condo to first house; the picture frames hanging in Chloe's nursery. So to change my view of a brand I've known so intimately for so long takes some doing... but exhibitIKEA did just that.

HandyMan and I were at the launch last night of exhibitIKEA, a clever collection of IKEA-inspired work by artists Bruno Billio, George Whiteside, David Dixon, and Thrush Holmes. I've had the pleasure of working with Bruno, George, and David before in the PechaKucha Night events I run so I was familiar with their styles but they really blew me away with their takes on this global brand.

Photo courtesy of IKEA Canada

Mixing various arrangements of IKEA pots and vases, vintage notebook paper, and IKEA ODBY frames, George Whiteside created a fascinating gallery room. The Morandi Notes Series, influenced by the style of Italian painter Giorgio Morandi, was quite beautiful and ethereal. I'm usually a fan of more regular and symmetrical arrangements of frames but I was quite taken by this random display.

Thrush Holmes' rustic shack was a fun interpretation. Clad in IKEA boxes on the outside and sophisticated pieces inside (did you know IKEA carried cowhide rugs? I sure didn't!), it put the product in a new context. I loved how Thrush's original artwork played against the REIDAR chairs. 

Photo courtesy of IKEA Canada

Women's clothing designer David Dixon took IKEA's upholstery fabric in a new direction by using it to create a collection of simple and clean-lined garments. Beautiful models clad in these outfits were walking around at the launch, looking as stylish as the rest of the crowd. 

And it was quite the crowd. Toronto's design glitterati were out in full force - Tommy Smythe, Peter Fallico, Scott McGillivry, Kelly Deck, Suzanne Dimma, Tracy Moore, Margot Austin, folks from Designer Guys, Style Dept., Design Inc, CityLine - enough celebrities to make this design fan's head spin! 

Photo courtesy of IKEA Canada

Bruno Billio's installation induced even more head spinning! The stack of 60 black and white REIDAR chairs was quite arresting. Can you see how the weight of the entire structure was balanced on two feet of a single chair? Amazing. Placing a mirror beneath the chairs was a brilliant idea too.

And I don't think this bench was designed by the artists but it was pretty darn comfy and too cute not to show you.

I left the party with a tummy full of Swedish meatballs, a gift bag stuffed with IKEA goodies (Thanks @IKEACanada!) and a new appreciation for one of my favourite brands. If you want to see exhibitIKEA yourself, head on over as the show is open for one weekend only:

exhibitIKEA

363 King St. W.

Aug.18th - 21st

Fri, Sat 10am-6pm

Sun 12pm-5pm

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