IDS West :: favourite booths from local shops

saturday was pretty packed for me this weekend! after morning family activities {soccer and such}, I managed to get to IDS West for a few hours, followed by a short-but-sweet visit to anthropologie for the design*sponge book tour {fun!}. i capped off the night with a really great event at the loden hotel, an ikea canada sponsored party for the canadian design & lifestyle bloggers west. an inspiring but jam-packed saturday!

there were a lot of great things to see at IDS, but i will start off with a few pics from three local retailers' booths that made a real impression on me.

the colour scheme at parliament was bold + fresh. vibrant navy blue mixed with pops of lemon yellow, all set against a pure white backdrop with the odd hit of chrome. it was absolutely fantastic, i loved it.

i'm afraid i didn't get the name of the artist for the piece in the top photo. it's a giclee with glass-coat finish, and the colour and luminescence was amazing. {if you know the artist's name please let me know!}

i loved the layered look at the booth by provide. the colours were subtle but rich -- think navy, eggplant, fuchsia with an awesome array of textures and finishes. the missoni throw + cushion {directly above} were possibly the softest knits i've ever felt. bliss! love that chevron, on the pillow especially. i'm also a huge fan of the felt vessels and bags, simple + industrial + perfect.

if you live in vancouver and haven't been to provide, you must. it's a beautiful shop filled with a well-appointed collection of pottery, textiles, furniture, and housewares. bonus, you can ogle heath ceramics' amazing dishes there, too!

last but not least, orling & wu had a simple but striking booth showcasing some of their amazing wallpaper offerings, as well as textiles and hand-painted dishware. incredible! that metropolis wallpaper {top pic} is just stunning. i can imagine a feature wall in a future house, somewhere. i also love the look of the industrial farmhouse lighting paired with the wallpaper. the subtle colours here were perfect for an autumnal display.

i'll be back later in the week with a peek at some of my favourite artists + designers + displays from the show, some i knew and some that were new to me. please excuse the poorly-lit iphone pics, i didn't have my camera with me, so the phone had to do!

bc home + garden show :: part 2

another great exhibit at the bc home + garden show was a collaborative effort between langley-based cedarshed industries and several businesses from around town. with laneway housing and high-density living becoming a growing trend in vancouver, the folks at cedarshed thought to market their gorgeous sheds as additional indoor spaces -- think backyard offices + guest rooms + playrooms. the possibilities are endless.

i particularly liked the chic shed, above, designed by local shop villa beau interiors. classically beautiful, french-vintage style with a touch of glam. what a fabulous retreat for the backyard! forget the ubiquitous 'man-shed', how about a perfectly pretty space for the ladies to unwind after a day at the office or running around with the kids? love it.

my other fave was the backyard office, designed by nood. sleek + simple, with a modern lean that is nood's signature style [they make reproductions of high-profile furniture designs]. with many people choosing to work from home, or take the entrepreneurial route, this seems like a great way to acquire the space + privacy needed for a home office, when interior square-footage is limited.

the best part of these sheds, in my opinion? the incredible aroma of freshly sawn western red cedar. west coast perfection.

bc home + garden show :: part 1

heading over to the bc home + garden show this past weekend, the exhibit i was most looking forward to was the karocabin. touted as the best in new innovation of prefab housing, karoleena homes are modular, fully customizable, eco-friendly, and completely gorgeous. using efficient building practices and environmentally conscious materials, karoleena is breaking ground with their green initiatives. i especially love the options to add solar panels or geothermal heating, as well as many other green choices above + beyond the already efficient building model.

i have always had a thing for prefab homes. typically sleek + modern, compact, and pared down to essentials, they just seem to me like the ideal way to get your dream vacation home. karoleena takes it one step further.

i was totally blown away by how spacious this tiny home seemed. it all came down to great interior design with a smartly planned layout. the interior-exterior fireplace adds coziness to the living room, and makes the deck feel more like an outside room.

the home is flooded with light from large windows + sliding doors, and transom windows right up to the ceiling. one whole half of the back wall is lined with floor-to-ceiling cabinets to maximize storage. the frosted glass sliding doors are a smart choice, from both a practical and style-savvy point of view. they take up very little space, allow light to flow through the entire home, and they look great, adding an industrial edge to the design.

i'm really looking forward to seeing what else is in store from this innovative calgary-based company. i love seeing the little guy succeed in a big marketplace, and this small team is well on their way to making a huge impact on the prefab home market. that they are a team of canadians makes it even sweeter for me.

check out the karoleena website for more information.

pics were taken by me. please excuse the poor lighting + composition, it was extremely busy and hard to get a good shot!

modern lace

this gorgeous rug makes me think of modern lace, like an contemporary updated doily. so perfect! i'd love it in my little girl's room.

stella rug in cream :: by michelle mason, available at bodie and fou

a finnish lakeside getaway.

nestled into it's rocky surroundings, this angular finnish lakehouse is the perfect minimalist retreat. i love that the exterior materials were left untreated, to weather to a worn grey, further blending into the natural landscape.

the interior is finished with warm natural wood panelling and white paint + cabinets, with just enough space for a cozy family getaway. i think the hidden fire pit on the huge front deck is simply brilliant. who wouldn't want to roast marshmallows by the fire, gazing out at the sun setting over the lake? with views like this, there'd be nothing on my mind but pure relaxation + enjoyment.

i asked a couple of friends yesterday, if i were to move to scandinavia, would i just instantly become this stylish? i wouldn't mind finding out.

this ideal lakeside getaway was designed by huttunen-lipasti-pakkanen architects. all images are courtesy of their site. found via trendir.

sleek + warm, LAXseries furniture

i am completely over the moon for this beautiful LAXseries furniture coming from santa monica design firm MASHstudios. with a focus on quality, sustainability, and responsible manufacturing, the LAXseries is built to last. using high-grade materials, recyclable aluminum, low-voc + natural oil finishes, this furniture is made to last a lifetime while leaving the smallest footprint possible.

looking beyond the environmentally responsible production, these pieces have style to spare. i love the warmth of the natural english walnut paired with crisp white powder-coated aluminum. minimal styling, modern sensibility, it's picture perfect.

i think my favourite is the platform bed, above. i'd like to climb right in. oh, and that room is pretty fantastic, too. love that exposed concrete wall. pure bliss.

all images via LAXseries.com

let there be light

gorgeous, light-filled, minimal living. while it is doubtful i could live in a space like this [i have two kids, and a lot of stuff], i sure do love looking at it. this london apartment is a recent addition to the locations being showcased on shootfactory, a uk site for film + tv rentals. loads of eye-candy there, it's one of my fave places to browse when i find myself with a spare moment.

and those stunning greystone eames chairs? a very very close runner up in colour to these beauties, which we just recently received, and love very very much.

yes, another chair.

images via inoda + sveje.

it is a thing of beauty. the delicate curves, sleek shape. seriously gorgeous.

this is the dc09, by milan-based design duo inoda + sveje. clearly, they have got impeccable style.

found here via the cool hunter, which is another fun site to lose yourself in for hours...

sightlines

if you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know i love a good architectural sightline. acclaimed local architects + designers battersby howat have a portfolio of work that makes me swoon. divine staircases and sightlines to die for. i'll share more of their work again soon, i can't help myself. it is westcoast design at it's finest.

images via battersby howat

shanna murray

artist - stylist - optimist. i love shanna murray's tagline, isn't it divine? i have always been an optimist, i just believe that things will work out in the end. i'm not saying i don't have thoughts of doubt, insecurity, and occasional hopelessness. who doesn't have those moments? but i do tend to look at the bright side over all. life just feels better that way.

anyhow, tangent aside, i just wanted to share the amazing wall decals by shanna murray. i know these have made the design blog rounds, but i've had decorating on my mind since our little one got into a big girl bed a couple weeks back. i want to finalize choices for her wall art. i've collected a couple of prints from etsy, and am on the hunt for a couple more. i will also be hanging julie morstad's alphabet cards, with baker's twine + mini clothes pegs. i feel like one of shanna's wall decals would be just right. i'm thinking this one, shown above, in charcoal. [her walls are palest greige, called dove wing]

though i also really love the sentiment here. i love you more than all the stars. isn't it true? sigh, so sweet. the garlands are awesome, too. i think it would be great to frame a whole wall of photos in these decals, like you see below. fun!

images via shanna murray on big cartel.

::::::

as an aside, i'm in the thick of the first week of kindergarten, getting used to a new, early routine and new activities. i've also volunteered to be assistant coach for said kindergartner's soccer team [i know, in all my 'spare' time]. between meetings + forms + practices on top of a more limited work schedule + starting holiday prep, i'm feeling a little swamped! i hope you understand my being a tad scarce in the parts. i promise to keep posting when i can, i am really missing the everyday...

also, i listed these hallowe'en cuties in my shop on monday. what do you think? who's your favourite spook? little o has staked his claim on frankenstein!

beautiful chaos

i am totally smitten by this photo i saw on emmas designblogg. she always find the most impeccable examples of design, but this one stole my heart today. how can someone's disorganized room, which looks to be in the midst of being unpacked, be so beautiful? maybe it's the calm that we glimpse on the near side of the photo, a comfy eames lounger to relax in to be separated from the chaos. or maybe it's those incredible herringbone floors. so good.

laura bucci :: vintage illustration series

i first met local artist + designer laura bucci last winter at the got craft holiday show. we had chatted a little back and forth prior to meeting, and it was so lovely to greet her in person. she is as warm + sweet as she is talented.

i have admired laura's work for a long time, and am super interested in her newest goodies.
laura's new series involves vintage illustrations from the 1930's, which she has reworked + enhanced, and paired with vocabulary lists to round out her story. she has put each image together with colours that perfectly suit the vintage appeal of the series. printed in an eco-friendly manner, laura is continuing with her quest to create low-impact earth-friendly designs that are also gorgeous to look at.

the series started out with a vintage spin on her already fabulous eco cup cozies. i have the aqua bicycle one shown below [and i love it], but have a look at that exhausted laundress. how fun, i can certainly relate to that!!

laura is continuing her series with these awesome textile wall art panels. she has kindly shared her process with us here on her blog. it's really great to see what exactly goes into creating a piece, from the design to the trials, to the actual production and even marketing of a new piece. definitely check it out. i love these new pieces, and can't wait to see them in person. where would you hang them? kitchen, classroom, office?

if there's one thing i know about laura's work, it's that these pieces will be just as wonderfully made + fantastic looking as all the rest. you can find laura's shop on big cartel right here.

all images via laura bucci

huset :: an ode to scandinavian lovelies

i just love scandinavian design, don't you? the sleek lines, retro motifs, and spectacular bold colours. huset is definitely my current fave spot to ogle gorgeous scandinavian offerings. i'm also smitten with their styling, they make everything look so bright + inviting. i'll take one of everything, please!

images via huset

::::

i was first introduced to huset some time ago by my good friend molly. you have probably heard me mention molly around here before, and it is because every time she recommends something, it is bang on. she has amazing taste in art, and has introduced me to many of my new favourite artists + etsy shops. a couple weeks back when she mentioned wanting this isak bread board [city version pictured above], i told her it is one i also covet for myself, and have given as a gift in the past. to this, she replied, 'we are like two peas in a pod'. i agree! if we lived closer, i know we would be fast friends.

anyhow, i mention molly today, because i haven't shared this lovely post she wrote about my goodies a while back. molly ordered a daily tote + peek-a-boo pouch from me, and was kind enough to share it with her readers. i am absolutely thrilled that she loves it [yay!] and hope it gets lots of pool-time this summer! thanks for the kind words, molly :)

concrete + wood

i'm in love with the clean look and gorgeous sightlines of this home. concrete + wood, a perfect juxtaposition. yes, please.

oh, and i really like the staircase. cause you all know how much i love a great set of stairs.

images via schola architecture. found this amazing home on contemporist.