Interior Design Show IDS 2014

I love the annual trek to the Interior Design Show in Toronto to see what's new in the world of interiors and what some of my favourite suppliers are showing.  This year seemed to grab me as an exceptionally creative one; maybe it's because of the long cold winter we've been having so far - but I really enjoyed the vast range of colours, the myriad of textures, and the evolving organic shapes as I moved from booth to booth. 

Here is a showcase of some of my favourite things from IDS 2014.

Beautiful photographic images on traditional furniture.

Introducing Montreal artist and furniture designer Corinne Campenio.   

Born in the South of France, Corinne's travels are the subject matter of her creative works as she transforms her images into works of art on chairs, pillows and benches.

The good news is that she has just opened a showroom in Toronto so you can see these pieces first hand.

With no need for an introduction, well established LLADRO, the Spanish luxury porcelain brand since 1953, continues to thrive on its innovative heritage by expanding into unique product lines that explore function and whimsy for a new generation.  

The matte and high gloss pieces in black, white and gold from the Naturo fantastic line would be striking statement pieces on a coffee or dinner tabletop in any home.  I love the organic shapes and fluid textures of these handcrafted pieces on their own or as a collection.  I can picture any of these pieces used in a  contemporary or traditional setting.

Naturo fantastic

Also from Lladro, I couldn't miss the striking and intriguing porcelain characters from The Guest line.  Created by Jamie Haydon for Lladro Atelier and given unique personalities by cutting-edge artists invited to make their mark, these pieces are sure to promote smiles if not curious conversation at your next dinner party.  These are designs truly fitting the mandate of  "a world of new experiences in porcelain".

The Guest

When it comes to lighting, there is always an opportunity to make a statement and elevate a space with so many creative options out there.   It's a weakness of mine when it comes to sourcing, I have to restrict the amount of time I spend because I could look at light fixtures for hours.

Two standouts at the show for me include AM Studio of Toronto

These simple glass pendants are so striking when you hang them in multiples at various heights.  This effect can be used in almost any room: in a corner over a side table, kitchen island, bedroom or dining room.

the sleek linear ceiling fixture at top of picture is called   Manhattan - Flying Lines from AM Studio

A group of 15 leading edge Quebec designers joined forces and formed a collective to exhibit their unique lighting and furnishings and QC Design was born.  Always original and often eco-friendly, some of these artists have already gained critical acclaim and continue to promote the creative culture of Quebec's product design scene.  I love to see emerging artists receive good exposure, go Canada!

via QC Design

Kitchen and Bath 

I love to design these spaces because good design can really change how people live and enjoy their homes.  Once thought of as purely functional spaces, the kitchen and bath industry has literally exploded with hundreds of vendors and products that continue to surpass our expectations of what these spaces can be. 

Cranberry Hill Kitchens caught my eye with the huge statement range hood, the interesting door treatment (intricately carved but only on the bottom third), and their use of mirrored inset panels with vintage hardware.

Blanco is always innovating and I loved their new Modex sink in Cinder Silgranit with colour-matched Blanco Alta dual spray chrome/cinder faucet (shown below).   This one also has built-in butcher block.

So chic, low maintenance, and extremely durable - everything you want in a kitchen!

via Blanco

How beautiful and sophisticated is this bathtub!  Have you ever....?   I love the contrast of the white acrylic tub against the reclaimed wood backdrop wall.  

Personally, I would love to see this tub floating in the middle of a huge luxurious bathroom,
or set against a wall of high gloss black and mirror mosaic tiles.

Tomlin Group - Acryline tub

 On the opposite spectrum, also from Tomlin, is this beauty in a stainless steel exterior with a mirror finish.

I would classify this tub as rustic-glam!  The vintage faucet is a really nice touch.

Tomlin Group - Slik Portfolio

Also in the Slik Portfolio is this beautiful vintage shower door enclosure in polished chrome, 

it really adds to the vintage vibe of the black and white space, and much more stylish than a solid glass door.

via Slik Portfolio

Another established name in bath products is Fleurco, predominantly known for their shower doors.
They recently launched an integrated shower base with seat incorporating shelves for storage inside and outside the shower. I think it's going to be a big hit with both designers and contractors because it's easy to install, it's very functional and looks great too!

via Fleurco

Sometimes you want a unique vanity for your luxe bathroom but don't want to wait the required several weeks or have the funds for a custom designed piece.  

Along comes Bloomsbury Fine Cabinetry to provide an option that gets you the best of both worlds.  

They produce limited editions of semi-custom vanities offering a custom look without the price tag.

White quartzite countertop and hand-forged iron door handles give this little vanity a luxe look for less.

If you want something really different, and your wallet is bulging, check out Unik Stone bathroom fixtures.

Made of one solid piece of limestone, these products are both solid and seductive - not to mention heavy!  The oak drawers add interest and warm up the sleek chrome legs while adding function.

And finally, the miles of tiles from various suppliers are always fun to check out.  

It's amazing how they can transform a space - just consider it the jewelry! Here's some of my favs.

One of the other unique features of this year's IDS was the use of experiential displays.  There were a few vendors that provided a walk-through experience of the their products in a multi-sensory and all-encompassing way, through the use of interactive product displays, mixed media presentations and with help from some very well outfitted salespeople!  

A memorable venue that stood out for me was Korhani home.  I've seen their entertaining runway shows at Fashion Week in Toronto where models strut the runway in floor coverings made into extreme fashion.  

  But this was their first time at IDS and they made it a true experience with a 3 minute walk-through with live, animated broadcasts coming from still mannequins with "digital faces" dressed in various themed rugs.  

The mannequins are wearing designer RUGS!

I always leave the show wanting more and carry off a bag full of product info that I explore later.  

The best part however, is the creative stimulation that every designer needs and being in an inspiring environment that encourages me to keep pushing the creative envelope and expanding my horizons for the next project!  

Spa Bathroom Bliss

I love redesigning bathrooms that start with the client saying 

"get rid of everything and give me a modern, spa bathroom"!  

This bachelor's bath used to look like this (more photos below) and was the main bathroom for the house.  

It was cold, dark, cramped, and just downright fugly!

So we stole some space from a linen closet in the hallway outside the bathroom, then opened up the wall where the tub used to be and found an additional 10 inches of unused space!  

Do you know how big a deal 10" in a bathroom can be when it runs the length of the whole wall? It's huge! 

Once the walls were gutted, we knew we had to invest in getting the structure right.  So we did a complete overhaul on the 1920's insulation and put in additional framing support for the floors to provide a solid foundation for the natural stone tiles and radiant floor heating to come.

The client knew he wanted dark cabinetry and light floors and that was it.  What he didn't know was that he would need to get rid of the stand alone claw-foot tub to make better use of the space with a tub and shower combination.  Not to worry, we saved the tub for another project.  

I spent quite a bit of time planning the layout of this newly enlarged space and designed a few floor plans, both with and without a separate tub to make my point! Removing the stand alone tub made a huge difference in the layout and allowed for a double-sink vanity and a free standing cabinet to replace the much needed storage with the hall closet removed.  We also added a bigger, eco-wise window to maximize the light coming in and keep the cold out.

In order to achieve that relaxed, spa feeling I wanted to keep the colour palette light and the finishes simple, so we went with 12"x24" honed ivory travertine tile for the  floors and carried it up onto the shower walls for a seamless transition.  Both were laid in a stacked pattern going in the same direction to keep the look fresh, yet refined.  We also installed radiant floor heating underneath - so nice on a cold winter morning!

We added a classic marble & travertine mosaic tile as an accent around the shower which nicely ties into the chocolate brown cabinetry.  In order to keep the classic shaker cabinetry from being too dark & heavy, we topped it with a creamy-white marble counter top with rectangular sinks for a clean, modern look and painted the walls in Benjamin Moore Vanilla Ice Cream - how yummy!

I initially proposed a large mirror for the end wall to bring in more light and open up the space further- but my single male client just didn't appreciate the need for a full length mirror in the bathroom (go figure?!).

I found this piece of art on canvas and knew it would look amazing on the end wall - so elegant and perfect for a this bathroom.  

I love to bring art into bathrooms, they really need some drama among the practicality of the space - Here's another example I wrote about here.  

I really wanted to glam up the space with unique mirrors over the vanity, but the "man" insisted on keeping it simple with dark wood framed mirrors - believe me, I tried!  

"Sorry Ana, you'll have to be dramatic with someone else.." he explained!  

Sometimes, you just gotta give in to the person paying the bill. 

So, instead of glam, we have a tailored and classic look.  

I added modern, sleek lighting in brushed nickle and frosted glass. 

A custom roman shade in linen adds softness and is totally practical in a bathroom.  

We put in new crown molding and larger baseboards to match the rest of the house.

A small, aged brass and metal side table offers just enough space for some extra towels 

and a bit of contrast in the otherwise serene space.  

Client's own art hangs above the toilet.

I had glass shower panels added with a swing-out door keeping the clean lines & airy feeling in the space.  Three new recessed light fixtures were also added for extra lighting when needed.

And finally, you gotta love this toilet by Luna Decora - it's low, sleek and eco-friendly!

Just to recap - here's the Before & After

What do you think?

Happy New Year!

The start of the new school year always feels like the re-start of the year for me.  Back to routine, back to more structured days and in the design world, the start of the big push to get things done for the holidays!

This summer was busy with work (thankfully) and at the same time trying to keep my son entertained for part of the summer that he wasn't at camp.  He was forced to accompany me to furniture showrooms, tile stores, and a kitchen and bath demo - which he thought was cool.  He's now actually considering a career in Architecture and likes the idea of one day having a family business!
Of course, this got me thinking...we would definitely need larger office space, maybe something like this

via

However, my sweet boy is only 10 - let's see how long this dream lasts...for me!

I've also branched out into new projects and styles that I haven't done before, which is always exciting as well as a challenge but, I'm lucky enough to be working with some fabulous clients that enjoy the process and are willing to take the journey down winding paths of design discovery.

A busy bachelor in Bloor West wanted a spa getaway bathroom.
Given the dated fixtures, poor lighting, non-existent insulation and an unpractical layout we gutted the entire space then stole some square footage from a small linen closet in the hallway -  it started off as this

We chose a warm palette of walnut cabinetry,  ivory travertine floors and two-tone, chocolate & cream marble accent tiles .  The whole space was opened up and lightened up, making a big difference in the look and feel of the space.  More details and final reveal coming soon!

Another project just starting is an eclectic living & dining room for an antiques and vintage furniture collector who has some treasured pieces, purchased while living in Asia & Europe, that we'll incorporate into the new space.  It's always helpful to have beautiful inspiration pieces to build around, but the trick is getting the mix of old and new, shiny and worn, bold and background pieces just right.

I'm also working with a client that recently moved to a new home with her husband and two young children.  The house has unique architectural features, soaring windows and lots of light.  But with an awkward layout without dividing walls and a poorly placed corner fireplace, its been an intriguing creative challenge to design an elegant yet casual  living space adjacent to a dining space that must accommodate 8-10 people for frequent entertaining.

The living room is a nice size but just lacks some pizazz.  This space has the potential to be spectacular with the right designer touches!

More to come on these and other projects.

Powder Room Makeover

I've been wanting to change up my powder room for a while but a renovation was not in the budget - the tiny pedestal sink and toilet were staying, so this was purely a decorating gig.

I knew I wanted a gray/black/white colour scheme with some pop of colour (the colour to be determined at some point later on).  Given that I had very dramatic red & gold walls for the last 9 years, it was time to head in the opposite direction with something more soothing and refined, so I chose Benjamin Moore's Stonington Gray.

Here are some of the inspiration shots for the space:

Fornasetti Wallpaper 

Traditional Home

Roman Bath Center

Just Kidding!

Artistic Tile

It started with this light fixture which I found on sale at a local hardware store when I wasn't even looking for it.  However, when we pulled down the old ugly light track we found that the builder did not include a light box behind the drywall which is both unsafe and inconvenient for me.  I sent the hubs out to Home Depot to purchase said light box and proceed to install it (when he felt like it) before I could continue my work!

Before the pretty could begin, my work included learning how to cover up the holes... my first patch job, a new skill for my resume.

Back to the pretty... I wanted to match the deco vibe of the light fixture with the faucet and found this perfect little number the Dryden faucet from Delta - with similar clean lines and great shape it was a fantastic jewel for my tiny pedestal sink.  I love the sleek handles and curved spout...so modern.

Next came the mirror - when I stumbled upon this little number at one of my wholesale shops I knew it had to come home with me (even though it made me think of my friend @GlamaMama).  It's black velvet with chunky crystals encrusted all around - so luxe!

Then I found a sweet little capiz shell fixture and knew they were a match made in heaven - she had to come join her friend, the luxe mirror, in my petite WC.

Once the necessities were in place all I needed was some art.  I'm a big fan of art in bathrooms because even the tiniest rooms need some drama.  I knew I was going for black & white images and found one beautiful print on Etsy (center wall below) called Dreamscape by Imaginestudio.  The other items were two small art tiles (top)  from a 2008 Paris trip, a couple of canvases covered in floral wallpaper samples, and various photos/prints I had stashed in my office waiting for the perfect frame to adorn them.  A collage was born...

Dreamscape #2 by Imaginestudio on Etsy
Love it!!

Lastly, for the sake of coordinating, I had to change the towel bar and paper holder, which then meant changing out the light & electrical switch plates and floor vent cover too!  Lastly, I added a vintage wrought iron magazine rack to store extra TP and a couple of decor mags, of course.

So much for a budget makeover!  But, as far as makeovers go a powder room is a reasonable spend, albeit still a lot of sourcing to get it just right, and... I loved every minute of it.  Now the ensuite bath is calling...yikes!

What do you think?