Yes – there has been a lot of green here lately – in honour of our Irish friends and family.
I love the green – especially the green apple green – not surprised are you?
Have to say I love red too – and I came across this red kitchen – stunning – daring – wow – not sure I would have the nerve but had to share it because it is just beautiful!
St. Patrick’s Day
March 17
Everything is wearing green to celebrate!
Source – Country Living
Source – Sarah Richardson
Source – Martha Stewart
Source – Martha Stewart
I would love to have a Kitchen Aid mixer – and why not in green – green apple green!
And a matching hand mixer – green apple green!
Source – Coastal Living
I thought I would share just a few more pictures with you from Windsor Smith’s portfolio – these are pictures of rooms she has designed – and they are all so unique and very beautiful. I love them because they are traditional, and yet each have something unique and interesting about them.
I love the colour of the wall with the creamy white cupboards – but I especially LOVE the zebra print on the stool – reminds me of Africa – a very special place in my heart. And notice the butterfly light hanging from the ceiling – so unique! This is a part of her home – the silver stand on the left of the picture was in her kitchen when I visited – it is a stunning piece!
I love white kitchens – and I especially like the red accents in this one! My favourite – the lighting – especially the light over the island in the kitchen – it is fabulously eye catching!
And look at the button detailing on the end of this built in banquet sectional – stunning!
This is a Windsor Smith chair – love the tufted back – and look at the navy blue dresser – and the purple flowers – brilliant accents – even the books on the stand fit perfectly – without looking too perfect!
I love her love of colour – and how she puts the round mirror in an unexpected place – so perfectly imperfect!
And once again – the eating area – the perfect causal place for gathering – so very inviting! I love Windsor Smith’s style – and her traditional feel – but casual way to bring it all together. If you have not seen the earlier post on my visit to her home – please check it out – it was one of the most wonderful homes I have ever been in.. it was just beautiful!
I have been so very fortunate to have had so many of the experiences that i have had over the last few years! I have traveled around the world, met extremely interesting people, and learned a great deal about the way others live in so many different cultures and contexts. I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything! Most of this comes from my work in international NGO’s and my involvement in public relations and developement.
One of my favourite trips was to Los Angeles a year ago for an event at the home of Windsor Smith, who was working with Dignitas International to raise awareness and funds for our work in Malawi.
Windsor is a very well known interior designer – she calls herself a lifestyle architect – I love that – it implies so much more than decorating – it implies building a vision for surroundings that meet the needs of your lifestyle.
What an experience it was to attend an event in her home, and in addition to spend the morning with her sitting at her table over coffee and talking about Dignitas and about her beautiful home.
Although ALL of the rooms are amazing, it is really the kitchen that is the heart of the home!
This picture featured in House Beautiful is exactly how it is in reality – well maybe there is a little staging with the vegetables on the sideboard, but the table was set just like that for us! The lovely wingback chairs on each end cry out – sit here! The long country table was rustic and warm and it was clear to see that people would just naturally gather around that table to eat, drink and converse. When I commented on how much I loved the long table, Windsor told us that since everyone always ended up in the kitchen she decided to make it the main eating area – she has no formal dining room. It really works – I loved it!
Back to the entrance. On the evening of the party Windsor had those big beautiful black doors thrown wide open and you entered into this grand foyer that was elegant and yet not too large that you felt you were lost in it.
And if you look through to the living room you can see she has painted the walls a dark brown and has a ping pong table in the room. She and her husband have teenage boys so her view make it work for family living – she didn’t see the need for an additional formal living room.
Her great room is the room where the TV is and where there are big stuffed couches and cozy chairs with book shelves behind and french doors out to the back yard pool and patio. In the day the sun shines in and reflects off what I recall to be yellow grasscloth wall paper (might be wrong on this as I am going by memory) What I do remember is a full length floor to ceiling mirror leaning up against the wall with a fabulous orchid in front of it – stunning. You can see the edge of this mirror on the left side of the picture below.
As you walk through the great room into the kitchen you pass through a sitting room/game room – with bubble gum pink paint on the walls! Who would even dare – but it is stunning!! It is bright and cheery and warm and a bit crazy! Sitting on the couch is like sinking into a hundred feather pillows – wonderfully soft but not so much that you are not comfortable. The colour choices are so interesting- blues and golds and deep rose velvets - the look so formal in style, but the colour just makes it fun and relaxed .
I don’t know which room is the most interesting because everywhere I went I was transfixed by what I saw, and what I felt. It was calm, but not boring, cozy, but not overly casual, comfortable and warm. The house is a show piece there is no doubt about it – but you do not feel that the house can not be lived in – in fact it begs to be lived in. Who puts a ping pong table in the living room!
What room did I love the most? Well, I loved the pink room because it was so interesting, but I have to say – the kitchen was the heart of the home – it just said come on in and relax and lets be together. And at the end of the night when the party was over and there was just a few of us left – that is where we gathered to order pizza and sit around and talk and eat and it was so much fun!
Thank you Windsor for opening your home to Dignitas and to all those who joined that night. We had a great time. And your house is beautiful!
James Orbinski and James Fraser with Windsor Smith.
On the way home from work last night I stopped at the florist shop that I have mentioned in a previous post and yes you guessed it, I indulged myself with a weekend treat – fresh flowers. Yellow and red tulips and hydrangea – two of my favourite flowers! Spent too much – but it just seemed the thing to do on a very cold and grey end of February day not to mention it was Friday evening!
Beautiful!
Tulips are one of my favourites, although I have so many favourites, it is really hard to only pick one. These tulips bring together the colour of yellow and red – a theme in my living room.
And I could not resist buying one hydrangea – this just may be my favourite flower – and I love them in white, blue and pink! I have a small rose bowl that comes from my mother’s collection of cornflower crystal – and this just seemed to sit so nicely on the top of it.
And then of course the new powder room begged for some flowers as well – and once again – something from my parent’s home – a white pitcher and bowl and a tiny antique stand – a nod to my past.
It is always interesting to meet people – and when I was purchasing the flowers I talked to the owner and told her how much I enjoyed walking past every day and seeing the beauty inside – which she constantly was changing and updating and making so appealing to the eye. This is her first business and they started at this location and have been very successful. I love hearing this – I applaud those who follow their dreams and do something a bit risky – but have a passion for what they do! Way to go! I know I sure have enjoyed watching them grow! And interesting – she so appreciated that I let her know how much I noticed what she was doing – there is a lesson in that – I learned that from John Maxwell – but that is another story in itself!
These flowers, a product of their business have made my weekend just a little bit brighter! Beautiful!
Welcome to my powder room makeover! 
The powder room is just to the left of the main entryway and front hallway.
A small room can take a punch of colour – and apricot was my inspiration.
As you can see my hallway has a yellow striped wallpaper on the top half of the wall with Benjamin Moore White Down painted on the bottom half. The living room has touches of apricot red in the floral fabric on my chairs.
I wanted to have a touch of this colour showing as you sat in the living room and looked toward the front hall .
I did not take before pictures – as I began this makeover long before I thought about showing it on a blog post! However I can tell you it was a basic powder room, with builders off white paint on the walls and a pedestal sink and standard oval unframed mirror – very average and somewhat boring. The bones were good however – the room has a small round porthole window – very beach like – but other than that everything needed a good facelift.
The first decision I made was to install bead board and chair railing on the bottom half of the wall giving it that old country feel. I then chose a bold and colourful wallpaper on the top half – a Farrow & Ball paper in the colour of apricot red with a leaf pattern.
I replaced the pedestal sink with a wooden wash stand - added a marble top and a washbowl sink – all purchased for a very reasonable price at Home Depot. The faucet adds a very modern tone to what is a very old fashion country look. I love to mix old with new, contemporary with antique.
My house has a very beach cottage feel – you will notice the sea shell – I found that on the beach in Cape Code when I was very young and on holiday with my family – some things are worth keeping over the years.
Finding the mirror – the right size for a very small space proved to be difficult – I finally went to my neighbourhood framing shop and had them make a mirror made to measure -as you can see I chose a very simple metal modern look – mixing the old with the new – and matching the faucet somewhat.
I would like to replace the knobs on the washstand with glass knobs – I know that Restoration Hardware has just what I might be looking for – that is still to be accomplished.
In the past couple of years I along with my siblings have acquired a few things from the home of my mom and dad as they moved into a retirement home. The picture to the right of the washstand of sheep being herded by a modern day shepherd is from my mother – I love this piece – the size and shape of the picture, the gold antique frame - it is very meaningful to me. A home should incorporate things that have meaning – and memories – that is what makes a house a home.
This small round mirror is also from my mother – she found this frame at a garage sale and had a mirror put in it – I learned many decorating tricks from her – it is perfect for this space and not only helps to bring more light into the small room – but matches the round window perfectly.
All of my towel bars are from Restoration Hardware - very good quality – and a great look.
A small room can take a punch of colour – I am never afraid to use it- I love it – and reds/pinks/apricots and yellows are such happy colours – cheerful on a grey day – and full of life on a sunny day. Beautiful!
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love fresh flowers. There is just something beautiful about having flowers in the house that makes me smile.
And there is nothing like walking by a beautiful flower shop and seeing buckets of fresh flowers, all grouped in colour blocks that breathes fresh air into my soul.
I walk by this flower shop everyday on my way to work, and I imagine what it would be like to work in that shop surrounded by the beauty everyday, and creating works of art for a living – wow – wouldn’t that be fun. (Of course when I walked by this past Saturday and Sunday as they were preparing for Valentine’s Day and saw them madly working from early morning to late night preparing - my dream got a dose of reality – as beautiful as it is – its hard work!) You ask why was I walking by on the weekend? Well, I was downtown visiting my brother-in-law in the hospital who was recovering from bi-pass surgery – and it just so happens that he received a beautiful bouquet from his work place from this very same flower shop – I was delighted to see one of the amazing creations close-up – it was a work of art!
I think it is my love of flowers that has always attracted me to fabrics that have a floral pattern - but I have to say there are very few that I love enough to use in my home – but when I find them – I grab them. I love the look of faded linen and imperfection – I want the fabrics to look used, and tea stained – soft yet strong – beautiful but not so feminine that a man would not feel comfortable in the room.
This fabric has enough masculine colour in it that when mixed with sand coloured linen and taupe velvet and olive leather, looks soft and beautiful, but not cute and frilly.
It looks so much like these flowers …
Although I have this fabric on cushions….
I’m not afraid to cover wing back chairs – this fabric is meant to be seen!
And just in case there is not enough floral pattern in the house …..
I have found another floral pattern for the den …..
I love the rich colours and the linen look – stay tuned – I have been working on a den makeover and will share more very soon!
Flowers – in small doses and large doses – beautiful!
Winter has sure come to visit this year – not just here in Canada where we should expect it, but it seems all over North America – even in the south where snow is not a common visitor! There is something beautiful about the snow as it covers the dull earth with its clean white dusting. And outdoor snow fun and snow days are worth celebrating – more on that in another posting. But with February comes the winter blues for many – and especially this year as winter has already seemed long and hard.
It is time to let the sun shine in again – and to catch a glimpse of spring! For me – sunlight and flowers ooze the hope of spring! There is nothing like a pot of daisies to bring a breath of fresh air into your home. And I’m not known for being minimal – I always bring more than one home! I just buy them at my neighbourhood grocery store – easy and inexpensive! Its all about having something interesting to display them in – whether it is a wicker basket or a colourful pot.
This pot is sitting on an old chair that sits in my front entryway, a chair from my mom and dad’s home – an antique – not sure how old – but my mom always had this in her entryway with something interesting sitting on it – it just makes sense that I would do the same. It reminds me of home – and it adds a country lived in feel to my home – and I love that!
Mirrors always help to bring in the light as well!
And so the sun shines in my front entryway – letting me know that spring is on the way!
Need a pick me up? Go pick up some fresh flowers – a small indulgence that will lift your spirits Beautiful!
