Interior Design Show 2011

The annual Interior Design Show was better than ever this year and felt like a true design revival.  After a difficult year of economic slowdown it appeared that both the exhibitors and attendees were desperately awaiting this design euphoria.  You might want to grab a coffee, it's gonna be a long post!

One of the big trends this year in both furniture design and decor is reclaimed, recycled and renewed use of furniture and materials.  We've seen this look all over the magazines and it was prominent at the show as expected.

I really loved this piece made of stained ash from Toronto based Urban Tree Salvage
They create functional art pieces for the home exclusively from salvaged wood
for environmentally conscious and design-curious customers


This bench is made from Manitoba Maple and would be amazing
in a narrow condo hallway or a beatiful juxtaposition to an all white kitchen
Urban Tree Salvage



I wanted to show you the scale of this piece that can be used as a table or seating. 

UpCountry


This table and next by Metropolis Living who specialize in
 "industrial revolution...reinvented"
How eco-chic that a bike or old machine parts can be transformed into tables!



Ikea continues to dominate in the kitchen with this dramatic black and slate grey beauty
that would work in both tradtional and contemporary settings. 
It's hard to tell from this photo but the textured countertop has a natural,
hand-made look to it but for a fraction of the cost, from Ikea of course!




The handcrafted, hammered copper sink and tub from Native Trails would be the showpiece in any kitchen or bath.  This company uses recycled materials wherever possible and encourages the continuation of their artisans' cultural and family traditions. 



A big hit at the show was Edgewater Studio of Vancouver with their unique atistic tiles and mosaics made of glass, metal, wood and stone.

In an effort to raise funds for Casey House, this year's charitable partner, 20 of Canada's most celebrated designers were invited to rethink the iconic Vitra Panton Chair to be auctioned off at the show. 
These were some of my favourites.





Another feature of the show was a venue called Sibling Revelry where 4 famous siblings
in the design and architecture fields teamed up to create amazing spaces. 
I chose two of my favourites - starting with Sarah & younger brother, product designer 
Theo Richardson of Rich, Brilliant, Willing NYC.

I loved this vintage typewriter and desk paired with modern, sleek Eames chair.


Classic Sarah Richardson fresh colour palette and interesting headboard.

Mix of old and new, shiny and matte was popluar at the show.



Tommy Smythe was gracious as always and stopped to take a quick pic
as the crowds were starting to pile in.


This display was from Interior Designer Glenn & David Dixon  his fashion designer brother.
Called Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes
it was created as a space to "find solace and enjoy a time of reflection,
to dream, pray and most importantly wish"  



How heavenly is this little sleeping nook?

Here you can see the origami cranes on the ceiling

This final pic is for the wonderful ladies that made the event so much fun:




If you can't get enough of IDS, please visit their blogs for more yummy pictures.




Family Room Makeover

I recently completed a project for a client who had been renovating her main floor for some time.  After months of major renovations, this couple had run out of steam and didn't know how to pull together a cohesive decorating scheme that would make the most of their new open floor plan kitchen, dining room and living room. 


We had a long, narrow space with limited furniture, insufficient lighting and new light hardwood throughout, but it was run over by two young children's toys leaving little room for entertaining, which was long overdue now that the house was no longer under construction.




The inspiration for the room was a piece of art that the client loved.  The soft tones of this painting were the starting point for the colour scheme for the whole space. 




I worked on a floor plan that would allow for maximum seating when entertaining, additional needed storage and kid-friendly design and fabrics.  The initial presentation to the client looked like this:



We wanted to stay with a casual and earthy colour palette, but the client said "let's bring in some funky fabric somehow".  I love it when a client will take some chances!  We left the fabric showroom with the client shedding happy tears over the coordinated fabric scheme that was coming together.



For lighting, I wanted to bring in a light fixture for the dining room that would fit in with the casual mood of the home but still had some "bling" since it would be visible from the front door and throughout the space.  We brought in a modern 21 inch wide crystal and satin nickle chandelier that was hung over the dining table, centered on the main floor.  It's now the "star of the show" with matching pendants over the adjacent kitchen island.



We chose a custom, modern sofa in a tone-on-tone herringbone striped fabric and had an additional set of seat cushion covers made that can easily be replaced when one set needs cleaning (a great idea when you have small children and light fabric).









The slipper chairs are great in a small space.  We chose them in a neutral, linen fabric and made them child friendly for everyday use with slipcovers in a fun pattern that hides little messy fingerprints.  They sit on the edge of the family room rug and help delineate the two spaces without the bulk of a loveseat, and they can be easily moved into the dining room for larger dinner parties, as needed.



The window bench was constructed by the talented homeowner and I added another coordinating fabric for the custom made seat cushion. We then brought in some rectangular pillows with more pattern to make the seating extra comfy.  Large baskets under the bench and an oversized ottoman/coffee table add much needed storage.  A new larger rug pulls the scheme together while making the whole space feel bigger yet still cozy.

Here's the AFTER:


We are still looking for a dark framed picture to hang on the left of the sofa to balance off the tall shelf on the right and sconces for task lighting when reading will be added on either end of the sofa wall later on.

The room was completed just before the holidays and the clients have had four parties since then, stating "the room works just the way we envisioned it and easily accommodates 10-12 people which it didn't before". 

I love a happy client!



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