Compact-living solutions

The classic space saver: the Murphy

bed. There were lots of them at the

show. Below you see a few more

examples.

Are you suffering from the small-space-lots-of-stuff syndrome? Then you should pay special attention to your furniture choices and how you organize your space. I attended the Interior Design Show in Toronto this past weekend and it was all about compact condo living. Obviously, northern Ontario is not Toronto, but the challenges are sometimes the same.

My best advice when space is tight is to start with your storage capabilities. If storage is scarce, you have to create space for your belongings in your present environment. Use shelving, furniture with storage, furniture that does double duty, and mobile arrangements that you can tuck away or hide behind curtains. If you can spare one entire wall of a room, you can fill it with shelves. Extend a curtain rod (or wire) the whole length of the wall and let a colourful fabric hide it all. Voilà! You've created storage and a beautiful feature wall at the same time!

Here are a few more ideas, as seen at IDS12. Watch out for my trend report from the show. Coming soon!

Let your furniture do double duty if space it tight.

These cubes actually do triple duty; as side tables,

extra seating and storage boxes. Smart!

This media centre also uses the sides

for storage.

Colourful Murphy beds.

You can actually close the doors to this kitchen

unit, hiding all the gadgets. Or, if you're organized

and have beautiful china you want to display, 

leave them open. Depending on how you display

the objects inside, the unit can act as a piece of 

art in itself.

This bookcase/room divider from cb2 is fun, 

practical and decorative. 

When white is right

White is the perfect backdrop for this

sculptural, wooden railing. The white

also makes the bright pink accessory

stand out. Use different textures and 

materials in your space, and a range 

of whites to avoid a cold, clinical

feeling.

I lived in Spain for many years, and in that country at that time, there was never any doubt about what colour to paint the walls: always white! White was a natural choice, providing coolness during hot summer months and highlighting beautiful architectural features so abundant in that part of the world.

Even if white isn't an obvious choice for us in northern Ontario, it can still be right for your space. Here are ten situations when you should consider white:

1) If your home is dark and you wish to brighten it up.
2) When you want or need a really clean space.
3) If you own a great art collection and want to show it off.
4) When you have colourful, statement pieces of furniture.
5) When your space has many textured and warm surfaces, such as a rough brick wall, wooden beams, or an impressive stone fireplace.
6) If you want a beautiful view to speak for itself.
7) When your home has many interesting architectural features.
8) If you easily get tired of colours.
9) If you have a lot of bright, colourful accessories.

10) When you're working with and are surrounded by colours in your job and want a break from colours at home.

There is a seemingly endless array of whites to choose from, so take your time. Stay away from stark, bright white. Look at other colours in your home and determine if you should have a white with a slightly grey, beige, or any other colour as undertone. Do the sample test described in my previous posting. Links to lists of best-selling whites can be your starting point. Let me know how it goes!

Trying colour options at home

How about a soft blue for your dining room? 

Whyte Blue (HC 143) was chosen Benjamin 

Moore's 2012 colour of the year. It is described 

as "a beautiful, calming blue that has an element 

of heritage and offers grounding rootedness, 

providing comfort and stability".

So you've been to the paint store. With a number of paint chips in hand, you are now ready to make the final decision. Or are you? It's not uncommon to find that colours that looked great in the store look completely different at home. The difference has to do with lighting conditions and surrounding colours. That's why I recommend that you always buy sample cans of your paint candidates before committing to a colour. Many local paint stores now offer these small cans for $5 to $8 per unit, a small investment for making an informed decision.

Try the colours at home. Paint generous samples (about 18" square) of all candidates. Repeat the procedure on different walls in the space. Live with the painted squares for a few days. How do they look at different times of the day? How do they make you feel? How do they combine with your furniture, rugs, and adjacent rooms? Hopefully, there will be a clear winner among your samples!

Choosing the right colour

To try a new colour in a room is rewarding in more than one way. Firstly, because the effect is so immediate; even the initial brush strokes give you an idea of the final result. A fresh coat of paint can also dramatically transform a space. So, big impact for a relatively low investment!

But how does one know which colour to choose? Here are a few considerations to get you started:

1) The location of the room. What direction does it face? How much, and what kind of, light does it get? North-facing rooms tend to have a bluish, cool tone. If you want to play up that feeling, opt for a hue with a cool undertone (bluish, greenish). If you want to warm up the room, choose a warmer colour (red, orange, yellow). There are also cool and warm neutrals. Taupe, for example, is warmer than grey.

2) What activities will take place in the room? A bathroom lends itself to a cooler colour scheme (blues, greens). Some people also prefer their bedrooms in those cooler hues for a soothing effect. For any room where social activities will take place, warmer colours are preferable.

3) What colours are present in adjacent rooms? Ideally, there should be a smooth transition between rooms.

4) What colours already exist in the room? Make sure the new colour works with the colour of the flooring, pieces of furniture, and so on.

5) If you still don't know which colour to choose, take a look at yourself. What colours do you look good in and what colours make you happy?

In my next posting I'll tell you how to try different colour options at home. Stay tuned! In the meantime, I'd love to receive your questions about colour... Do you have a painting project on the go?

A fresh start

Happy New Year! 

I’ve mentioned before how much I love fresh flowers. They are the absolutely cheapest and easiest way to instantly cheer up a space. Not only do they introduce a pop of colour, fresh flowers also fill the room with life and a subtle scent. Beauty for the senses! 

This New Years Eve I was SO excited when I entered the store to get my groceries. Why? Because in one lonely bin in the flower department stood my all-time favourite: tulips! There they were, in a range of colours, buds barely open and with light green leaves. Fragile and strong at the same time. The ultimate spring flower. With fresh tulips at home, we can trick our minds and fast forward to longer, lighter days. Needless to say, one gorgeous orange-yellow bouquet came home with me. My ideal way to begin the new year! Do you have other suggestions for a fresh start?

Last-minute Christmas fix

Happy holidays everyone! Here are a few fool-safe tricks to get into Christmas spirit.
1) Bring in the outdoors. A single branch of spruce tree in a glass vase provides instant Christmas feeling.
2) At least one scented flower. Amaryllis, paperwhites or hyacinths will make your home smell of Christmas.
3) Include food of different colours on your holiday table. Missing something green? A few decorative leaves of lettuce or a sliced avocado will do the trick.

And here's the ultimate party enhancer: candles! There is nothing more efficient for raising the holiday spirit. Enjoy!

Holiday knick knacks

A birds-only Christmas tree at Holiday Comforts.

Definitely unique and quite effective with its purely 

white and red colour scheme.

With one hour to kill in this final week before Christmas, I find myself in the Northgate Shopping Centre checking out last minute details and inspiration. The Mall is buzzling with people, lights and activity, exactly what one would expect for this time of the year. What I didn't expect though was to be greeted by chattering feathered friends in some of the Malls' Christmas trees. Take a look for yourself; these pieces are sure to  make your holiday home sing!

There is also a landing spot for multicoloured 

birds at Holiday Comforts, like this sparkling 

green friend

Glass objects, like these sculptural candleholders 

from Holiday Comforts, feel festive and reflect 

light around the room.

More glass, this time on glass plates. The plates'

fluted surface gives them an extra sparkle (see 

below). Added bonus: they are on sale at 

Vested Interest.

These shiny moose napkin rings are

one of my absolute favourites. So cute 

and what a great gift they make!

Accents by Design.

Imagine this bowl with bright, orange 

mandarines. Definitely festive! Holiday 

Comforts.

The wine will taste even better when served
from this glass decanter. Holiday Comforts.

For a rustic, genuine style, try Maxwell Pottery's 

handmade pieces on your Christmas table. The 

colour is so right!

Golden apples in a wooden bowl. Deep and rich

festive tones. Accents by Design.

These white-and-red porcelain balls will give the 

Christmas tree a beautifully simple and old-fashioned 

look. Holiday Comforts. If you prefer more colour,

you might want to go with these mini balls from 

Accents by Design (below).

Christmas vignettes

Homesense's take on a Christmas vignette.

Check out their store in Sudbury for more ideas!

Create groupings of Christmas decorations this season! A vignette, or grouping of objects, is often more impactful than placing decorations throughout the house. Why? Because many pieces together make a bigger statement. How to get it right is often a matter of trial and error.

Start with a completely empty space. It can be a sidetable, your fireplace mantel or a bookshelf. Take out your Christmas treasures and start experimenting. It helps if you mix pieces of different materials, shapes and heights. Colourwise, you can go with complementary colours, or one single colour.

Remember to stand back every so often to see how it looks.

A vignette is the perfect way

to show off your personality 

and objects you love, whatever 

your style is.

You can also follow what TV hosts Steven and Chris call the "triangle theory". Here's their step-by-step guide for decorating a fireplace mantel:

Step 1: Centre your largest piece, such as an oversized mirror, on the mantel.

Step 2: Layer smaller pieces in front of the mirror.

Step 3: On the left side, add an object with movement. Sculptural, tall candle holders are a good option.

Step 4: Include something that shows off your personality; souvenirs from your travels, books you love, etc.

Step 5: On the right side, incorporate an element with visual weight. A vase filled with tall branches, for example, looks great.

Step 6: Finish off with accessories that vary in height. Try boxes and books.

Voilà! You have created your own, personalized vignette! What do you think, will you try it for Christmas?

Your throw will steal the show

This afghan in cool colours is part of Universal 

Yarn's afghan kit collection. The kit includes yarns 

and instructions and costs $99. Stix & Stones can 

also create kits specific to what you're looking for 

in cotton, silk, mohair or any other yarn. Start 

envisioning your perfect throw! 

Enhance your living room with a cozy throw this winter. Not only does a throw keep you warm and toasty. It's also great for pulling the colours of a room together, and for introducing an accent colour that will make your space come alive. If you can't find that perfect throw in the stores, think about making it yourself. With North Bay's Stix & Stones around it has never been easier! This downtown knitters' paradise has everything you need for the project: needles and hooks, afghan kit collections, beautiful yarns and an enthusiastic knitting community to support you in your efforts. A visit to Stix & Stones is sure to get your creative juices flowing. And if you're hesitating about taking on yet another project, you have the option to buy one of the fantastic throws displayed in the store. Just take a look at these:

This throw is knit as a square and comes

in a range of beautiful hand-died variegated 

wool yarns. You need two skeins at $16 each,

thick needles and one very bad movie night to 

complete it. The result: a gorgeous, highly 

personalized afghan. Tempting! 

Let yourself be inspired by Universal

Yarn's afghan knit collection.

This amazingly colourful afghan is 

made by Dianne Giroux and is for

sale at Stix & Stones. If you prefer 

a calmer colour scheme, the throw 

below by the same knitter could be 

an option. $295 each.

This baby blanket is also knit as a square and should

be a piece of cake (says the time optimist). It is made

out of wool yarn and requires four skeins at $9 each.

Whether it's a throw or a quilt, who doesn't want

to see our little ones warmly wrapped up and

happy? In a future blog, I'll show inspiring quilt photos

and beautiful quilts available in our local stores. 

Crafty Christmas Creations

Berries framed in ice. Pour water in a shallow pan and leave

outside in freezing conditions. Loosen carefully and stick in the 

snow. To achieve a crystal clear, transparent surface, the ice 

should form as slowly as possible, i.e. not in extremely cold 

temperatures. In the freezer, the ice often turns frosty, not 

clear.

The countdown for Christmas has begun; only a few more weeks to go! Out comes the box with decorations (it's a pretty big box), and along with it, my special collection of holiday DIY objects. These projects are all simple, unique and beautiful - exactly what I wish for the season. They often also involve an activity that can be shared with others. So, double the fun! After all, isn't that what this time of year is all about?

I'd love to hear about your favourite Christmas project! What's cooking in your own DIY workshop?

You'll need a heart-shaped cookie cutter, 

a flower bud and thin wire to make

this adorable outdoor decoration. Put the

flower bud in the cookie cutter, shape the

the wire as a loop. Add water, making

sure the wire is immersed in water. Freeze.

Hold the heart in your hands for awhile and 

it will come out from the cookie cutter and

will be ready to hang.

Who doesn't like ginger cookies?

Not only do they taste good, they 

also look fabulous in the Christmas

tree!

More ginger cookies, this time made of felted wool. 

Paperwhites are the ultimate Christmas flower. 

Delicate, proud and sweet.

Plant them in a tall glass

container to enhance the

vertical shape. The visible

root system adds texture

and interest.

A creative spin on the traditional wreath.

This one is made of recycled sweaters, 

yes sweaters, cut in squares and triangles.

I saw it in Chatelaine last year and thought

it was ingenious! You'll need thick-gauge

wire, 3 to 5 old sweaters, good fabric scissors

and ribbon. Bend the wire into the shape of a 

wreath with a loop at one end. Thread the

knitted squares onto the wire, until 1 inch of the

wire remains. Feed the wire end through the loop

and twist to close. Finish off with a large bow.

Another stunning wreath from Chatelaine, this

one made from pot scrubbers!

Apples double as candle holders. 

Natural and simple.