Home Tour

Showhouse created by Stanton Home Furnishings via Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine.  Photography by Erica George Dines.

I spy the amazing chevron fabric I went insane over on that settee yesterday.

Lots of neutral texture with a bold, graphic fabric for punch.

Killer kitchen with chunky open shelving and zinc accents.  Those light fixtures are to die for.  And the bar stools.  Notice the little collection of turquoise Ball Mason jars on the top shelf?  My fave!

This home reminds me a lot of my inspiration home.  I love the neutral textures each room has and the restrained use of colour and pattern.  You know how everyone is in love with that Resortation Hardware look?  Well, to me this is similar but more liveable and interesting. A little more colour and pattern, a little more personality.   

Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend.  I'm heading out to Halloween in the Village.  Our little community is having a Fair and Parade to celebrate Halloween and I'm so looking forward to hanging with friends in our village.  

xo Meg

Dream Study

Oh, thank goodness it's Friday.  Really.  I don't know how much more of this week I could take.  

    In an effort to put my 'blogger' face forward (you know, the one where everything is roses and perfect vignettes all the time?), I found this stunner of a study to show you.  

    Gorgeous: muted palate, coffered ceiling, delicate light fixture, CHEVRON SETTEE!!!!!  I would probably never leave this room.  Ever.  Best thing I've seen in a while.

I honestly have no words.

Except awesome.  

Designed by Jamie Beckwith.  View her site here.


Hope you all have a fantastic weekend.

xo Meg

Designer Crush: Massuco Warner Miller

I first discovered Massucco Warner Miller when I searched the source of this photo:

I'm sure you've all seen it, since it's typically all over blogland and is the inspiration for many little girl's rooms.  I love this room - it's fresh and classic, graphic and colourful.  But it's not over the top.  It strikes a perfect balance.

There are so many beautiful spaces on the MSW site.  They are all so well decorated. But what is it that I love so much about them that keeps me coming back?   I'm always trying to pin down my own decorating taste and define my style.  

I think some of it lies in the details.  There is no design element left undone. 

I'm not sure this room really reflects my style but I love the repetition: pairs of mirrors, lamps, consoles, stools, chairs...etc.  The symmetry is really remarkable.  The fabrics are also stunning.  

Maybe for this one, it's the simplicity that gets me.  Or the pairing of rust and aqua, which is always a favourite of mine.

This is just a dream girls bedroom.  I love the lines of those sculptural side tables and the unexpected pop of mustardy yellow.  It keeps it from being too saccharine.  Also, the white painted stone is killer.

In all these spaces, the firm has used really fine fabrics.  I'm interested to see if I can create a 'look for less' version of this homework room for my own office.

Here's a more formal dining space with unbelievable wallpaper and chocolate ruffle curtains.  

 Just so good.  

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the MSW portfolio.  You should really go to their site and check out all the homes featured.  They are pretty remarkable.  

xo Meg

Note:  All photos via Massucco Warner Miller.   

Catch Up

I'm playing catch up this morning.

    I've been working at a lovely old home with a lovely young couple and their family.  Jay has nearly completed the reno to their main floor and I am now working with them on their kitchen.  It's starting to look pretty good.

    But now I need to find a way to catch up on my regular life.  I need to find some time to photograph and share some projects with you.  I need to find some time to read all my favourite blogs and get inspired again.

Speaking of my favourite blogs...

Ashlyn, over at Pinecone, has awarded me the Versatile blogger award!  I really enjoy Ashlyn's blog.  She's really crafty and is always coming up with a DIY version of something cool.

  To accept this award you must thank the person who awarded it to you and include a link to their blog. Then choose 15 fellow bloggers that you've recently discovered or follow regularly to pass the award along to and share 7 things about yourself.

OK, So the 7 things about myself that you may or may not know:

1.  I don't watch television - with the exception of Hockey Night in Canada.

2.  I am totally and completely addicted to coffee.  I mean, wacky-on-the-junk.  I try to restrain myself and only drink it in the morning but most often I fail and need one more in the afternoon.

3.  I collect turquoise Mason Jars.

4.  I find traffic and large crowds really stressful.  I could never live in a really big city.

5.  I am dying to visit the East Coast of Canada.  Something about the maritime provinces really draws me there.  I especially want to see Nova Scotia.  We are thinking of doing a drive out there with our friends next summer.  Actually, we were thinking of doing that last summer but our big move changed the plans.  

6.  My husband and I met in high school.  We were set up by a mutual friend and have never been apart since that day.  He's my best friend and I really believe in love at first sight - 17 years later.  Pretty sappy, huh?

7.  I love to read.  On my nightstand right now is Last Night in Twisted River.  My favourite books include: Midwives by Chris Bohjalian, The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly, and Room by Emma Donoghue. I'd love to hear from you on any book recommendations since I'm always looking for great reads.

And that's it about me for today.  I'm sure it's more information than any of you needed!  I'm passing along this award to these awesome bloggers:

Modern Jane

12 Devonshire

Loft & Cottage

A Life's Design

8 Foot 6

A Thoughtful Place

Echoes of Laughter

Home and Harmony

Life Begins at Thirty, Right?

Hazardous Design

Design Indulgence

Little Orphan Aggie

Rambling Renovators

First Time Fancy

ROOST

xo Meg

Friday Favourites

 I'm so looking forward to this weekend.  Jay has been working a whole lot lately and he's actually taking the weekend off.  Shocking, I know!  We're going to take the kids to the movies and the pumpkin patch.  

Here's what's floating my boat right now:

I'm so making these for my Gilmore:

They almost look good enough for human consumption, don't they?

I'm going to dream about buying this coach bag.  Not that I can afford it right now.  All my extra dollars are going into decorating Audrey's room.  But it really is rather perfect, isn't it?

Did you see this colour story from Benjamin Moore? 

  It's called 'Earth & Sky' and I love the mix of colours.  Some of the colours are actually similar to what we have going on around here.  We have a little rusty orange, though.   To me, the whole colour combination feels like an update for our home's scheme.  I think the addition of the mustardy Fresh Olive would really freshen things up around here.  

I am loving the colour of the year, Wythe Blue (HC-143).  It's in the running for Audrey's room paint colour.  I ran across the BM Colour Story on House of Turquoise.  These are some of the Wythe Blue images featured there.

This whole house couldn't be any better.

warning:  free range children.  Ha!  And that chest? Playroom awesomeness.

I especially love Wythe Blue in a bathroom.  Clean and fresh.

But my whole weekend is inspired by this post by Trina about living in the now.   Sometimes, the speed of life just kills me!  We're always running to the next thing and it seems like some of the real stuff gets lost in the hustle around here sometimes.  I'm going to snuggle in with my kids and hubby and pay attention to what they're like right now.  And they are awesome.  

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  I am hoping to get a few things done around here so I can post about reality, rather than just inspiration.  

xo Meg

Kitchen Obsession

I am obsessed with this Alice Lane kitchen.  I have never seen a kitchen with finishes that reflect my own tastes and styles as much as this one does.

via

  Things I love about it:

• big fat wood plank floors in medium stain
• sisal runner underfoot
• quality cabinetry - with inset doors and perfect pulls
• farmhouse sink
• thick slab of Carrera
• shiny glass backsplash with greys, taupes and greens
• open shelving with casual, rounded brackets
• all that lined up pretty dish and glassware
• turned legs on the island
• wooden beams
• stunning chandelier

The raw wooden beams in this kitchen are beautiful, but I'm not sure they would fit with the style of our home.  Instead, we are considering a coffered ceiling that would be painted.

It's still a while before I can really plan my own kitchen makeover.  If you recall, I spruced it up a little in order to make it habitable for us until we can do the big reno.  But I'll be frank, I don't really like it.

Technically, it is better than this though....

  I'm looking forward to removing the wall on the left side of the above photo.  On the other side is the butler's pantry and dining room.  We are planning to open the space up to create better flow for the way we live.

So, for now, I will continue to plan and dream.  But I'll also keep being patient (which is not my strength).  And I'll remember how grateful I am for this beautiful old house with the sun streaming in the windows and the soaring ceilings.  

xo Meg

Our First Home

I was searching through my image files to show you guys the kitchen in our last home and I ran across some photos I wanted to share.  

We've lived in several homes over the last 8 years.  Some were really ours and others were projects we flipped.  

Our first home was definitely a 'starter home'. It was on the very edge of the neighbourhood we really wanted to live in.  And it was in really bad shape when we bought it - needed some serious love.  In fact, it was filled with grad students and, looking back, I'm not sure how we saw past all the dishes and mess everywhere!

We lived in this teensy bungalow for 6 years.  I still think it is so pretty. We bought it while we were still in university - so our reno budget was non-existent.  We did the home on elbow grease, garage sales and Ikea hacks.  But we loved it so.  It was ours and we were really proud of it.  Of course, we outgrew it quickly.  But it will always have a special place in my heart.  

Entrance and Living Room

Dining Room

We did this tiny kitchen reno near the end of living in the house.  I was sad we hadn't done it sooner.  We essentially finished the kitchen in order to sell the house.  For most of the time we lived there, we used the original 1940's cabinetry and laminate counter-top.  This kitchen was small - but the reno used up every possible bit of space.  

Here are the three bedrooms:

I still love the fabric we used on the curtains and throw pillows in our master bedroom.  In fact, I am currently using those pillows in our living room!

The only tiny bath in the house!

Basement Family Room 

 Office

   When I look back on these photos, I'm sentimental, of course.  But what really strikes me is how done everything was.  Especially now, looking around this big, old, disaster of a house.  There is just so much work to do.  Top to bottom, outside and in.  I feel frustrated at the slow pace of things and overwhelmed at the sheer amount of work.  

   I have to remember to be grateful for this house.  For the perfect size of it and the generous yard.  For the location we have always wanted (it's prime in our neighbourhood).  Grateful.  And happy for the things I have, rather than envious of the things I don't have.  That's a hard one for me right now.  

We'll slowly get things done here, just like we have at all our other houses.  The difference is, we're here to stay.  

xo Meg

The big 8!

     It's little miss Audrey's big 8th Birthday this weekend.  She is such a special girl.   I don't know if I've posted much about her here but, like most Moms, I could ramble about my kid for hours.  

You know we're in the process of working on her bedroom.  And that she definitely has an opinion about the design process, as well as everything else!  She determined her colour scheme, picked her fabrics and has been casing garage sales for vintage frames for a project we're doing (more on that next week).  

She's such a special girl, she gets two birthday parties.  She does competitive gymnastics and has some really close friendships with the girls she trains with.  She's been working out with them since she was just 3 and she's up to 9 hours a week now so she spends a lot of time with them.  So tonight, after gym, we're having a Pancakes & Pyjamas party! 

Then, tomorrow afternoon, all her school friends will be coming over to Peace Out & Party.  We're making tie dye shirts and eating a rainbow cake I found here. 

Mine looks like this so far:

   I know this post has nothing to do with design but I've been a little preoccupied with getting things around here ready for the party weekend.  I'll be back to my regularly scheduled programming next week! 

    I'll leave you with this image, which is similar to the treatment we're working on for Audrey's new room:

via

xo Meg