Gracefully Searching

Today I'm honoured to be guest posting over at Gracefully Searching, a new to me blogger who also lives in Toronto! We are already planning to go thrift shopping together! If that's not the start of a lifelong friendship, I'm not sure what is. While you are snooping my post, get a little nosey and check out her amazing home. Here's a sneak peek of it:

Totally magazine worthy, no? YES.
xo

A Copper Tub

Last week I dished about gold hardware, and this week, copper tubs!
I thought that the IKEA really knocked their booth at IDS Toronto last weekend out of the park. Take a look:

via IKEA Canada on Pinterest

via Sweetsuite 10

  I mean, gorgeous right? While the tub is not available at IKEA (its vintage!), most of the styling and accessory pieces are - proving that you can mix high-end show stopping glamour with affordable design.
Here is some more coppery goodness to inspire you:

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

I know I will never live in a house with the style suiting a copper tub, because honestly it's a little more formal than I am on an every day basis. But it sure is fun to look at, and drool over.
For the right client, it'd be a perfect showstopper. And the shape of these tubs? YES PLEASE.
Could you see a copper tub in your own home?
xo

ps. IMPORTANT SKIRT ALERT: You don't wanna miss out on the blush maxi I posted about yesterday!

Skirt Alert

via Bittersweet Colours

I did a post in July about trying to save money for school while being tempted by the gorgeousness of the blush maxi skirt.  Thankfully, Forever21 exists and I finally got my skirt at a great price. I seriously thought about keeping this gem all to myself, but I like you all too much....

Get it while you can. Here.

Gold Hardware

There is just something so warm about gold. I think that's why gold has made such a big come back this past year or so. And what space needs more warming up than a kitchen?
I'm currently crushing on gold hardware in the kitchen, especially when mixed with stainless steel appliances. Mixing metallics has been frowned upon in the past, but today is totally accepted and encouraged!

via Bijou and Boheme

Sarah Richardson via HGTV

via House & Home

 Would you try gold hardware in your own kitchen?

Bubble Diagrams

I'm currently planning the condo layout for a school project, which involves planning adjacency and spatial relationships. This is primarily done using an adjacency matrix and bubble diagrams.

Bubble diagrams represent rooms in approximate scaled size, but more importantly determine location with other rooms in the space. They are meant to be fast, messy, exploratory, and easy to crumple up and start over. My prof recommends completing them on trace paper for this very reason!

Bubble diagrams are on the NCIDQ exam, so if you want to be a licensed interior designer, you need to know them!
Even though they aren't intended to be pretty, I think there is something absolutely darling about these diagrams. Don't you?

Emerald Green: With Pink and Gold

We all know that Emerald Green is the 'it' colour for 2013, as named by Pantone.
I heard recently that the most common partner for this hue is blue, which totally makes sense. Sapphire and Emerald together create a regal and rich palette.

My favourite pairing for Emerald, however, is pink and gold.
Here is a mood board to show you how well this combo works:

Because red is green's compliment on the colour wheel, and pink is a tint of red, this totally works!

Erika used this colour scheme in creating her pinboard, and it looks great!:

via Small Shop Studio

 I'm channeling it in my own place with the addition of my new Kelly Wearstler Trellis Pillow in Emerald Green!!:

What do you think of this unexpected combo?

Buddha Heads & IDS Toronto

There is something so peaceful about a Buddha head. With the eyes closed in a meditative state, a Buddha head radiates a serenity and sense of calm. Also, the bump on the top of the head (or ushnisha) represents superior wisdom. How cool!
Buddha heads are a popular styling item in decor right now, and it's easy to see why. They represent a global aesthetic and bring a feeling of travel and worldliness to any space!

Meredith Heron via Style at Home

Sig Bergamin via Elle Decor

Julia Ryan via Pawleys Island Posh

Laura Collins via Gracefull Searching

Of course, here is mine, which you saw last week when I talked about my Ikea Expedit:

You guys had some great tips for my cord dilemma! Hiding those will be my next project.

Also, on Friday I went to the Interior Design Show in Toronto! It was so much fun. I even had a chance to say a quick hello to Sarah Richardson and Tommy in between takes (they were filming)! I snapped a picture of Sarah in action. It was really neat to see her in front of the camera - she is such a natural!

I didn't want to bother them for a picture together while they were working, hopefully I'll get a chance in the future! I grew up watching Sarah's shows and consider her a huge inspiration and a major influence in my decision to become an interior designer!
Were any of you at the show?!

Favourite Furniture Fridays: LiveLaughDecorate

Hi peeps, I'm Nicole from LiveLaughDecorate and I'm thrilled as punch to be chillin here with Tiffany this morning. Let's dish shall we? Among my favorite pieces of furniture is this little Louis XV Salon chair that now holds court in my office.

This little gem once had a twin. Seven years ago, I rescued the two from a guaranteed trip to the trash. Battered, bruised and broken, they were the casualties of a bitter divorce of a dear friend. I happily took custody, knowing right away they could be things of real beauty (so, so sorry that I have no before photos).
At the time, I had a very contemporary space but I didn't care and just knew the chairs would fit in somehow. I fell in love with the purple fabric combo on a trip to the fabric store. Again, there was no purple to speak of in my condo but I didn't care. Purple it would be. I had the frames painted white for additional drama and two new beauties were born. Alas, I sold one to a client a few years ago because it blended perfectly with the bedroom I'd designed for her daughter. 
The other has been the perfect pop of color and pizazz to my home office and I happily hold court in it every day.

That's all folks. Thanks so much Tiffany for allowing me to reminisce about one of my favorite pieces. Brought back so many memories!

 Thanks so much for sharing Nicole! I've always wanted a Louis chair! Yours is so fun! Happy weekend :)

French Phrase - Forever 21

J'adore all of the sweaters I've been seeing with French phrases this season, but have been holding off because the price tags have been a little on the high side.

I love this 'Bonjour' number:

via Wendy's Lookbook

 And this 'Creme de la Creme':

via Atlantic - Pacific

The price range on these sweaters were 60-120...not completely outrageous but still out of my budget, and now all sold out (except in size 8! Hurry & you can still get the 'bonjour' sweater here, and it's on sale!).
Luckily for me, Forever 21 came through once again and I just ordered this adorable sweater for less than $30!

Love the nautical feel. Get yours here.

xox

Styling my Shelf

Since moving in, I've slowly been gathering pieces to add a little extra style to my shelf, which doubles as a TV stand in my studio apartment. Last week I promised to show you guys the entire shelf, so here it is! It's still a work in progress (I think I need a footed bowl, or something similar), and I definitely need to find a solution for those unsightly cables and wires, but I love all the bright and fun elements!

It currently houses (from top left clockwise) my design school textbooks, my dvd player and buddha head, a geometric notebook and "Good Bones Great Pieces", my agate bookends, design magazines and my pretty toile plate, more design magazines, my Audrey Hepburn coffee table books, and my dvds.

It really is no surprise to me that the EXPEDIT unit from IKEA is so popular! Its clean lines and simple shape make it easy to style and make your own. Such a versatile piece of furniture.
 Do any of you own the Expedit? I'd love to see how you have it styled! E-mail me a picture and maybe I'll do a feature!

Defending White Appliances

I grew up in a house with a country kitchen and white appliances, so I'm a bit nostalgic for them.  Don't get me wrong, I love me some stainless steel appliances. But, every now and again I feel a bit sorry for the bad rep white appliances have been stuck with over the past decade or so.  What does everyone have against white appliances anyhow? I've heard them called 'outdated'..but I'm not entirely convinced.
After all, there are also some real head turners on the market today that look contemporary due to their clean lines and design. Nowadays, white appliances can be sleek, shiny and slim, perhaps making you rethink your next appliance purchase.

via Design Maze

^ I first fell back in love with white appliances during this episode of Sarah 101, when Sarah and Tommy used white appliances to blend quietly into the cabinetry. Love the crisp lines of this oven. Can you believe that white range hood?

via Style at Home

^ White appliances seem to work best with white cabinetry, as they blend in nicely rather than stand out. Also, having the fridge 'disappear' into your cabinets allows other details to shine!

via pinterest
 
^ I'm personally not a fan of the floors in this kitchen, but I love the way the white appliances allow the room to mix metallics, both silver and gold, in an even and balanced way.

via Style at Home

^ This one might be my fave of all. The appliances look relatively standard and affordable, but don't detract from the room's beauty one bit! In fact, I think that the greys in the Carrara marble backsplash stand out more than they would against a similarly grey-toned stainless oven.

Truth be told, I'd still probably choose stainless steel nine out of ten times, but it just goes to show you that sometimes sticking to a classic is, well...classic! Poor white appliances need someone to stick up for them now and again (plus, I think finger prints might be less noticeable!).

I wonder if avocado green or harvest gold will ever make a comeback. My Babcia (Polish for Grandma) still has one of those beauties.

What do you think about white appliances?