The Glamour of Art Deco

I've always had a love of the Art Deco period and the beautiful furniture

with its curved lines, waterfall trims, two-tone wood, aged brass hardware and ultimately, 

just beautiful craftsmanship and attention to detail. 

I recently watched and loved The Great Gatsby movie 

The interiors 

the clothes

the luxe

 the Leonardo...

 and those heavenly parties - so decadent!!!

It made me relook at the many Deco-inspired items I've collected over the years.  

Below are some of the treasures in my home, mixed in with contemporary pieces, 

they really bring character and warmth to any space.

This armoire houses all our extra pillows, blankets and duvet covers.  

The beautiful curves, mixed wood tones and hardware stopped me in my tracks when I saw it at an antique shop up north years ago.

The dark Asian chest on the floor next to it is going to be relocated (someday!)

aged brass door knobs up close

This lovely sideboard stores all my good table linens and sterling silver cutlery

 (lovely things that are only used 1-2 times per year, so sad).  

The bar cart was a common fixture in the party days (of the Deco period and of my youth LOL!)

This cart and chair are both finds during one of  my Antique trips.  The cart was $20!
The chair was quite scuffed up when I found it, so a quick spray spruced it right up. 

The pretty, hand-painted emerald green bottle and glasses are vintage Italian glass, given to me by my mother-in-law (one of the few items she's given me over the years that I truly cherish).

I found this vintage radio at a Church sale up in Cookstown while I was Antiquing with one of my BFF's a few years ago.  It sits on my stair landing now, surrounded by pictures of my trip to Paris, with said BFF. 

This piece has been all over the house over the years because it's compact 

and serves as a nice little surface to display things on top of.  

When I bought it, I actually wanted to put shelves in the back (its backless now) and some castors, and turn it into a bar.  Again, back to the BAR... I really don't drink much at all - 

but I do love the look of a pretty bar set up!

I actually have a second bar tray display with lovely crystal bottles and glasses that were also given to me by various friends & relatives over the years.  The tall one came from my favourite Aunt's house when she was downsizing to a condo and didn't want it anymore!

But enough about the stuff I already have... 

Here are some extravagant pieces I would love to own to add to the collection 

courtesy of 1stdibs

So beautiful...

and when I win the lottery

I will be prepared!

Style Files

This was a crazy week for me - crazy good, though!

Things are getting quite busy around here, as they do when Spring is near.  

I've had to wear many hats lately working on projects with vastly different needs and aesthetics.   

This is why designers need true vision, an open mind, a great ear, and a ton of patience...

plus the ability to shift gears on a dime as the need arises!

Here's a look at some of the projects we're working on.

Classic Glamour

An empty-nester's luxe dream bathroom

One wall came down and we almost doubled the space of the original bathroom.  

A glamorous, contemporary sanctuary for the lady of the house, please.

The tiles in the pictures are more gray then they appear here.

Earthy Chic Dining & Living Room

custom details with an elegant and modern edge for young family with two kids

This elegant living & dining room is coming together (more info here and the before pic here) 

with the final accessories being selected shortly it should be ready for a close-up very soon.

Cool Contemporary Media Room 

on a tight budget for a young adult getaway in the basement of a classic home

The "grown" children in this house needed a space of their own and the main floor's elegant style just cramps their style!  A fresh & fun colour palate, solid furniture, and durable fabrics were the objectives here.  

Who says you can't have great style on a budget? 

Traditional Arts & Crafts Living Room

for an established writer living with beautiful antiques

Refreshing a dated living & dining room by replacing period wallpaper with historic paint colours, reframing art, reupholstering furniture and adding a couple of new pieces for modern living.

Just another week of 

breathing new life into tired spaces!

Curated Interiors: The Art of the Mix

I find the rooms I gravitate towards the most have a common thread - a mix of seemingly disparate elements creating an interesting story board that invites you to explore the vignettes further.

Bunny Williams

"mixing things allows each piece to stand out on its own and become very special...yin-yang, something complicated next to something simple".  Bunny Williams 

explaining to a group of design students why the pairing of a Venetian mirror above a stone sink in a farmhouse powder room works well together.

Bunny Williams

Rooms that offer a wonderful melange of furniture styles and periods, finishes in glimmer and patina, colour that is intense against soft creams, whites and greys; organic patterns with bold geometrics... 

that interplay on "yin-yang" as stated above works because creating tension in a room is far more interesting than having everything MATCH!  

{Please don't ever buy the sofa, love seat, chair combo - EVER!}

John Saladino

"if you walk into a room, and your blood pressure doesn't go up, its a failure" John Saladino 

says in a 1st Dibs interview.  He is one of the legends of the mix and has been creating dramatic and beautiful rooms filled with "ethereal light" for 35 years.   

John Saladino

He also encourages bringing drama into a space like the dining room as 

"the last place we have theatre in our lives".  

Here are some more of my favourite spaces and designers that do it so well

Eric Cohler

Thom Filicia

Mary McDonald

Ryan Korban

Ramon Garcia Jurado

Some basic guidelines for creating a great mix:

Learn from the best - visit high end auction houses and furniture stores to see what great furniture looks like and it will teach you how to buy better at thrift shops and eBay 

Don't be afraid to mix woods or paint wood if the quality isn't great

Add  interest and dimension to a space by varying the height of your pieces, and bring in a variety of textures, colours and finishes 

Always have more light sources than you think you need because it gives you the option to create different moods based on how you are using a space

Have fun with your decor and buy things you love, eventually they will find a place that makes the most use of their function

And finally, take your time to put the space together - 

it's an evolution not a race to the finish line!