yay or nay: deconstructed seating

Hello lovelies! A huge mwah to all the amazing women who shared their colour crushes the past two weeks - I loved seeing what inspired each of you. Thank you so much for filling10 Rooms with beauty in my absence.



We generally don't take too many photos on vacation, but I did manage a few good ones - will share in a few days. The highlight of the trip was our time in St Thomas - it's our second time there and it may just be my favourite place on earth.

I'm not sure if everyone experiences this, but getting away from our everyday life allows me to come back and look at everything with fresh eyes. We were living in a much smaller space while we were away, with so few "things" around us, and coming home and seeing all this excess makes me realize we need to simplify here. Since the kids have nixed moving again (hunger strikes were threatened at the very mention, lol!), I guess that means doing some serious spring cleaning. Time to clean out the house, again :) Where does it all come from?!!

So thinking about re-purposing and up cycling have produced this post - I am interested in your take on the deconstructed furniture trend that keeps popping up...

first saw this from Dan Marty via House Beautiful in May 2010. He said he felt the backs of his dining chairs were too pretty to cover up - note the armchair in the foreground - it's upholstery is missing a few elements as well.

I'm sure that you've seen Restoration Hardware's take on the look in their spring collection....

I didn't think this look would really catch on as a trend, but I keep bumping into it everywhere....

So what do you think? Ready to undress your furniture?!!








photo links:  chair  striped setees  flag chair  office  linen chair 

yay or nay: a different kind of kitchen

While I'll always be a sucker for white cabinetry and carrera marble... there seems to be a growing movement toward kitchens with a touch of tattered soul. I'm seeing more and more wood countertops (scratches be damned!), unfitted cabinetry and retro-styled appliances.

This one in particular captures the look I am talking about - almost feels like an old deli, doesn't it?

Loving the hits of copper, vintage fridge and scale, and all that gorgeous rich wood - although balancing my dish ware atop crates may be taking "unfitted" a bit too far :) Now, what do you suppose that saw is for?!!

yay or nay: mixing metals

With gold back, and black always en vogue,

it's becoming more and more common to see a mix of metals in interiors.

(apologizing now for the irregular sizing ahead, but I really wanted you to be able to see the details, 
and they were all strangely sized today!)

Kitchens, in particular, are veering away from all stainless.
I know I'm feeling tired of it - you?

both of these dining room have got a splash of gold warming up these grey metals.

Black, white, and gold - need I say more.....

but wait, maybe black, white, gold AND silver?!!

here gold and grey tones form the basis for the palette....

and several layers of metals are seamlessly incorporated into this space.

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I'm wondering if this is more common because
 people are slowly switching over from cool to warm metals,
 they are just adding hits around the home (as an easily removed trendy item),
or it's just become more modern to mix finishes, just like we do furnishings.


what do you think -
is mixing metals something you do in your own home?
Is it a look that's here to stay?

yay or nay: vintage lucite chandeliers

Received an email from Pieces over the weekend,

linking over to the newest fab finds on their site,

(oh, how I'd like to go on a shopping spree over there - 

have you seen their burled wood and lucite desk? Love.)

and this chandelier really caught my attention.

It's lucite. Not lucite trying to be crystal or glass, but lucite reveling in being lucite.

Lucite doing things that glass and crystal cannot easily do, massive arcs sweeping in perfect curves...

massive arcs that are lightweight enough to be hung from a standard receptacle.

Want some of this clean-lined glam vibe? Check out 1st Dibs here and here.

What about the classic waterfall or tiered styles?

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You can find them on 1st Dibs as well,

 but a quick kijiji search almost always reveals one around here...

and way below budget.

(right now you could pick this one up 15 minutes from my place for $50!)

With all the seventies/eighties swish happening right now, 

is a lucite chandy on your wish list?

Are you feeling the love? Yay or nay?

Yay or Nay: leaning a mirror behind a console table...

When we sold our last home, 

I leaned an extra floor length mirror behind a console table for staging purposes.

It was a quick and easy solution to dress and brighten our upstairs hallway.

(We normally had nothing there, 

as it was commonly used for impromptu hockey tournaments and tea parties :)

Everyone commented on it.

I've bumped into it a few times lately, 

and I'm wondering what you think of this look?

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I'm thinking the more sparkle, the better!

And it highlights a pair of sexy legs so well...

You? Is it a Yay or Nay?

Yay or Nay: Asian-inspired textiles

Interesting color combinations and stellar patterns have

Asian and Asian-inspired textiles climbing my love list.

And what better way to bring in a bit of fun than a pillow?

One-of-a-kind accessories are always better -

none of us want the same pillows as their neighbour, do we? The horror!!

so here's what Etsy has to offer....

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What do you think? 

Are you feeling the love?

Happy weekend! How did we get to friday so fast?!!
I will be working with a local builder all weekend -
but hope you all manage a bit of time to relax and enjoy the last days of summer...
will catch up next week... xo

Yay or Nay: Natural Swimming Pools

After growing up in Ontario, where getting to the lake is THE summer ritual,

I'm always shocked at how many people don't like to swim in lake water.

(although I won't go into the ocean, at least not past my knees - blame Jaws :)

And that has me wondering how many of you would venture into one of these:

a natural swimming pool, or swimming pond.

The whole bonus here is that your water will not be chemically treated, 

nor will your pool require cleaning (and if you've ever had a pool, you know that's a BIG bonus!)

but a carefully selected complement of plants will clean the water, 

creating a self-sustaining swimming pool.

I have a preference for more formal, classic pools,

and so really like this one -

a chlorine to natural pool conversion.

source 1 2

Although natural pools are relatively new here,

they're quite popular in Europe already.

Have to admit, when I first heard about them, 

images of overgrown, lilypad-filled ponds surrounded by copious amounts of boulders sprung to mind....

and some are!

But they can also be quite sleek and unobtrusive.

 If you're wondering what the cost of these pools is...

Toronto locals Ponds in the City say a 20' x 25' swimming pond starts around $25,000,

which is comparable to a regular pool of the same size.

What do you think?

A yay or a nay in your books?

yay or nay: turtle shells

I love Bunny Williams.

Like, L O V E.

She's up there with Murial Brandolini, Kelly Wearstler and Suzanne Dimma...

 This one vignette from her Dominican Republic home haunts me...

Now that's a beach house!

I want those leopard chairs.

I love the size and presence of the mirror, 

perfectly juxtaposed with the delicate side chair.

but most of all, it's that giant turtle shell I think about...

tortoiseshell is one of my all-time faves for fashion

(this springs latest sunglasses and watch purchase speak for themselves, and I'm eyeing that bracelet..)

but while I appreciate the patina and sculptural beauty of actual shells -

 do they veer too closely to the creepy world of taxidermy?

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What do you all think?

yay or nay?

(and ps. if you are a yay, you can buy one here or here)

Yea or Nay: Coasters

So recently some people were over for dinner.

We're still in the getting-to-know-you stage,

and so we were on our best behaviour :)

When they came in, and beverages had been made,

we all settled into the living room.

And then it happened. 

Drinks on the coffee and end tables, sans coasters.

Now, if cold drinks sweat and hot drinks leave rings,

why do people refuse to use coasters?

I keep them here and there around the room, 

everywhere a drink was sat, a coaster rested nearby.

If I am at someone's home, and they have coasters I always use them,

a result of a Mum who never had a huge budget, but always had a beautiful home,

and insisted we respect the furniture that she had pulled together..

So I sat. 

Pondering exactly how type-a I am,

watching water linger in puddles on my favourite end tables.!

We're about to embark on the process of a major shuffle on the homefront,

and this room is going to be re-purposed.

The side tables will be moved to another room, and the coffee table re-thought....

and the next tables I buy may be glass.!

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