Sneak peek: Sarah Richardson's fabric collection

 

 

Now I'm anxious: when will Sarah Richardson's fabric collection for Kravet be launched? It's been announced for some time now, but we have yet to see the big release.

Curious as I am, I Googled the two names and, lo and behold, up came the site Housefabric, already selling Sarah Richardson's fabrics, especially designed for the textile brand Kravet.

Needless to say, the fabrics are gorgeous and combine perfectly. They are all natural material - heavy cotton or linen, or a mix - and can be used for upholstery, drapery panels or pillow covers. Have a look at these stylish combos:

Fall in love with orange

There's no escape: fall is here. It is surrounding us with warm reds, oranges and yellows - the same hues that we like to use as accent colours in our homes.

And while red really brings life to beige and taupe interiors, the vibrancy of orange and yellow is best appreciated when used in grey colour schemes, which are so in vogue right now. It's the contrast between warm and cool that makes the combination interesting.

Orange has been a popular accent colour for some time now. If you consider it for your home, first assess how pure or muted the other colours in the room are. Adding a vibrant orange to an otherwise muted colour scheme will not look right.



Interior decorated with pieces from Target's

Beaver Canoe collection.

I saw some neat orange pieces when visiting the Target store in North Bay last week. They were part of the Beaver Canoe collection - a collaboration between Target and Roots. Make sure to check it out! It's a contemporary, organic collection that feels warm and inviting for this fall!

Pieces from the Beaver Canoe collection

at Target's North Bay store.

Buying online - yea or nay?

Online shopping makes it possible

to sometimes find unique things

without having to battle congested

city traffic. Here mirrors from

Serena & Lily.

 

 

A client recently wanted my advice about an upholstered chair she had found online. She really liked it, but could she comfortably buy it without having seen it first hand? It was going to be used as an occasional chair in her bedroom.

My answer: "Ideally, you want to try it in person, to be sure that the comfort, quality and fabric meet your expectations. But if you trust the brand (which both of us did), and agree with the company's return policy (which was reasonable), then I would say: give it a try. Oh, and ask if you can't get a sample of the upholstery before committing."

The fact that the chair was not a key piece for the main living area, also contributed to my reply; I would never, never, buy a living room couch, for example, without having experienced it first hand. That's also true for dining room sets, antiques and anything else where the details are critical.

Baskets, hardware, mirrors and small side tables I think are fine if you are familiar with the company's finishes and you can't find what you're looking for in a nearby store.

What's your take on online shopping for the home? Is it for you? I'd love to hear your stories!

A fresh start for your home



Photo: Williams Sonoma.

Sometimes, our homes come together by chance. We have some hand-me-down items here, some “temporary-fixes-turned-into-permanent-solutions” there, and - in the best of cases - also some well-thought out, treasured pieces that we really like.

Often, because of lack of time and different priorities, things stay like that year after year…

…well, maybe not any longer! Why not try this fall to refresh your home so that it more reflects you, and the way you want to live?

Here’s what I suggest you do:

1) Focus on one room at a time.

2) Create a "blank canvas", by taking out as much as you can from the room, including wall art and rugs. Determine if there are alternative ways to place the main pieces of furniture. Small changes such as changing the orientation of a chair, or taking out a side table or excess chairs can do wonders.

3) Assess each piece that you are about to put back into the room: Do you think it is beautiful? Does it make you happy? Does it fit with the other things in the room? Does it make your life easier? If you answer “no” to these questions, ask yourself: do I really want to keep this piece at all?

4) If the previous exercise meant that you got rid of items that filled a key role, determine if you can bring in furniture from other rooms. Keep an open mind towards reinventing how you use a piece. For example, a chest can become a coffee table, an antique box can become a bookshelf, and a beautiful scarf can be framed and be put on the wall.

5) Start making a list of things you want or need for your home, prioritize, assign a budget, and start the search. Let me know how it goes!