spring daydreams

can't focus on work today... surrounded by snow and dreaming about spring... care to join me?

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c'est fantastique, oui? xo

watercolour + walls = perfection

This one, jaw-dropping element of the space captures where I am right now perfectly. I wish I could transport this to my bedroom and wake up to it each morning.   Dreams.... have a lovely weekend, all... x am

(don't forget to enter the giveaway - fab tribal bracelet up for grabs!)

peach & the return of pastels

Packing up for a rare girls weekend away (first time using that Missoni luggage!), nothing like skiing and celebrating with old fiends, is there? I hope you all have a wonderful few days.. and here's a little pretty for you... x



We couldn't talk about orange without moving on to peach, could we? I think pastels are poised for a major comeback (but that's another post:) as we move toward blonde/greyed/limed wood tones. Defining peach is difficult - ask a thousand people to show you the colour peach, and you'll receive a thousand different colours.
But somewhere between orange and white, pink and yellow, lies your perfect peach.

We tend to think as peach a a very soft, airy hue - but as shown on these walls, an entire room of saturated peach can be fairly intense - you really have to love it! If you are going this route, an accent wall or half walls may be the best option.  (that bottom room may actually be pink, I'm realizing now, but with the lighting it appears more yellow, so I'm leaving it in, lol)

The more white you add, the more subtle the glow... a very pale peach almost reads as a neutral here.
Below, this is saturated colour well-done - painting a partial wall allows the ceiling to open up for some visual relief.

Placing any peach tone against blue-greens creates a dynamic, complementary scheme.

Here, hits of peach work well with warm-toned neutrals.

If you don't want to make a huge commitment, add just a few pieces....

When you are working with pastels, the concern is that they can look sweet very quickly, and the easiest way to keep your space looking sophisticated is to ground them with greys and blacks. 

(I discussed this in my post on mint green and black as well)

The last room, above, accomplishes this, and the last room, below, is my all-time favourite peach look.

Très chic, non? What's your take on peach?





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greyed wood + pastels = scandi beach house perfection

Cottage and wood panelling are practically synonymous here.

For some reason everyone feels the need to line their weekend retreats with copious amounts

 of sometimes-garish pine and cedar planks.

So how to keep the rustic vibe but bring the panelling up to 2011?

Grey it down by applying a "wash" to the wood.

If the wood has a pre-existing finish, it has to be sanded first,

and calling in the professionals may be your best bet.

Simply apply watered down pale grey latex onto the bare planks, 

rubbing into the boards (with the grain) as you go, 

almost like a stain.

Saw it first in this stunner

and I'm loving it here...

The floors were actually stripped and left completely unfinished, to weather naturally.

That jaw-dropping wall of tile, which was already here, 

was originally orange and so was given the same treatment as the walls. 

Love, love, love the artisan feel.

The owners of this beach house are the founders of Ochre...

look at this office they've set up -

oh, to work with the sound of crashing waves in the background!!

With all the greyed down tones in the wood, 

clean, pale tints are the perfect accent colors - 

pastels are BACK.

It's a bit like driftwood and sea glass, translated into an interior, isn't it?

The outdoor space remains as equally low-key...

a modern table tucked under a homemade roof of bamboo poles lashed together - so totally clever...

sigh. so lovely.

How was your weekend?

I made it to Kempenfest,

our local arts and crafts extravaganza down by the lake.

Picked up an adorable baby gift for a friend (you're going to want one, and she is on Etsy - yay!)

and discovered a very cool sculptor / furniture designer that works with unique upcycled bits, 

will show you the pics later this week.

Have a great monday!

Move Over Turquoise, There's A New Girl In Town!

The eighties were a bad time, fashion wise :)

I know there's a wee bit of a revival going on,

but I've got to tell you, I was there, and it wasn't pretty!

In grade eight I wore candy floss pink and mint green almost exclusively.

It made getting ready in the morning simple,

but immersing yourself in a certain color so completely requires a long break later -

turquoise is headed in this direction for many.

After a prolonged absence from popularity,

mint green is looking fresh again.

It started with the iconic Domino book cover.

I almost used mint green in my own bedroom after being entranced

 by the spectacular Portobello chinoiserie by DeGournay

(I am re-thinking this... to be continued!)

Mint green started popping up on the fashion front...

the soft version

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or the way I like it :)

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People tend to think of pastels as girly,

and paired with white they definitely exude feminine charm...

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but grounded with blacks, dark greys or browns,

mint green is sophisticated, and slightly moody.

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Trendwise, as we move from bright color and glossy finishes toward more organic based palettes,

I think pastels will be creeping in more and more.

What do you think?

Are you ready to re-visit mint green?

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