Key Note

True confessions. I have an obsession with antique keys.

{ an assortment of flat & barrel keys

from Antique Keys }

I love 'em. I have an old skeleton key from our (since sold) East 13th house & I wear it around my neck on a big long chain.

I knew my obsession had gone mainstream a little while ago when Tiffany came out with their gorgeous key necklaces (which I do love):

{ Tiffany & Co. keys on chains }

Plus I just discovered that Pottery Barn sells antique keys:

However, I think I'd prefer to discover mine on my own & I've heard mixed reviews about these.

Check out this key wallpaper from Jonathan Adler:

{ it comes in gold (shown), red or white }

or how about these fabric choices from Ink & Spindle or Nuno:

{ Ink & Spindle's version }

{ Nuno's version }

What walls would you cover with that Jonathan Adler paper? What would you use a few yards of the key fabric for??

Happy Belated Father's Day, Daddios!

In honour of my very own "Little Dad" here are few 'manly' picks for a masculine interior space...

Dad: would you like to smoke your pipe in this antique leather wingback?? (From 1st Dibs ~ search Arenskjold Antiques):

{ wingback club chair circa 1920 }

...in front of a fireplace like this:

{ photo from Ralph Lauren Paint }

...with a selection of books to choose from:

{Gianni Botsford's design for his father

featured in Wallpaper*magazine }

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you!!!

{ my Dad, Martyn John Clark with his pet monkey, Archie circa 1960 }

{ Dad with Mum, Paulina & me aboard Passat }

& Happy Father's Day, Craig!! You are best Daddy I imagine for our babies. I love you.

{ Craig & Sebastian surfing at Dana Point, Fall 2009 }

Sweetly Vintage Little Girl's Room

Putting together my last post got me thinking more in depth about each of the bedding selections. Here's a design scheme using the Pink Pagoda bedding from Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. as a jumping off point....

Pair it with a little white bed. Something vintage is always my first pick to save a bit of $money$:

{ Paulina's bed at East 13th }

Paulina's bed was a hand-me-down from my darling friend, Sam. The bed was a cream colour with funky red accents when I got it & I painted it out white. I got her bedding from HomeSense & ChickPea.

Another option could be this little number from Restoration Hardware:

{ Sloane Bed in Vintage White }

For wall paint colour I would go with a warm neutral like Warm Beige 33C2 or Euphrates 33C1 from BEHR or, if your daughter insists on pink (like mine did) Mellow Pink 2094-70 from Benjamin Moore. It's a pink that doesn't scream cotton candy too badly.

Add some personal touches such as these photos sourced on Etsy. This one is from Tina Crespo's shop:

{ Pagoda & The Sea }

or from Malleah Matthew Photography:

{ On Top of the World }

The window treatments could be white sheers if you're feeling "coloured-out" or perhaps a sweet green gingham pulling out colour from the accent pillow on the bed:

(This green gingham is reading a little bright for me. I'd make sure it was more sage vs. grass-green or age it by washing it in tea.)

On the floor I'd put a nicely worn Aubusson (or a knock-off to keep the budget down) like this one:

And no little girl's room is complete without a mirror to peer into while primping. How about one of these (which were picked up from a 2nd hand store & painted out white ~ for instructions click here):

Dinner prep calls... must run!

Anahita Rose

I have been negligent in keeping up with this blog for a VERY GOOD REASON (honestly!). We have been having oodles of fun hosting my sister, Christina, & her daughter Anahita:

{ at Maplewood Farm, North Vancouver }

They have now flown home & we miss them sooooo. Inspired by Anahita here are some bedding selections for a little girls' room...

This bedding from Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. is sweet & vintage & perfect for a girlie-girl:

{ pink pagoda bedding }

Or how about this adorable quilt set from Dwell Studio for a more modern, graphic feel:

{ gio lemon duvet set }

What do you think of this quilt from Rosenberry Rooms? Too much? or just right??

{ Gigi Bedding }

Paired with an airy iron bedframe it could work work quite well for a girl with spirit & pluck.

Room to play {update}

My niece, Maria's, playroom is complete! With a little elbow grease, creativity & repurposing items Esther already had on hand she has pulled off a lovely little retreat for sweet Maria-Leticia with minimum expense.

{ Maria-Leticia in her princess bed }

Maria's old crib was converted by Esther into a little day bed. The pillows are moai embroidery from Panama & mirrored fabric from Rajasthan that Esther picked up in her travels. Esther bought lavender tulle & sewed it onto an embroidery hoop to make the floaty hideaway & decorated it with bright fabric flowers to tie in the colours on the pillows, flooring & painted details.

Patricia Almeida (Esther's sister-in-law) painted a mural on the wall & Esther installed some brightly coloured 'puzzle' foam flooring.

{ wall mural & toy storage }

{ mural detail }

{ wall mural & foam flooring }

Esther reports that the foam flooring is ideal for the playroom. It keeps Maria's bare feet from getting too chilly & is easy to vaccum or wash with soap & water as required. You can get something similar if you click here.

Maria-Leticia's dollies are well-loved so Esther has a 'bath station' set up with Maria's old baby bath, empty soap bottles, towels, diapers, etc. She also has a basket for toys that she rotates & has used a transparent shoe holder hung behind the door to hold her stuffed animals.

{ treasured stuffies }

The bare bulb in the ceiling was covered with this shade from Ikea:

{ Ikea Kaxig Shade }

Kudos to my industrious sister, Esther!!

Rad Rads...

...and by rads I mean radiators. The weather in Vancouver this past week has been almost summer-like so it feels strange to be talking radiators. However, this radiator looks like no other I've ever seen:

{ heatwave radiator }

These amazing creations are produced by a company called Jaga (The Radiator Factory) and they make this beautiful product called The Heatwave.

A piece of art that serves a utilitarian function? Mr. Morris would be proud.

"Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." William Morris

Mother's Day Musings

Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday. I have two little treasures who qualify me to celebrate the day myself, but this blog post will be dedicated to my own amazing "Little Mum".

Margaret Ruth (Hills*) Clark is my mother & is someone who really (yes REALLY!!) can do it all but never makes you feel bad because you can't. She is beautiful:

{ my Mum; 3 years old }

{ my Mum last summer }

She is smart (graduated top of her class with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of Toronto plus has various Industrial First Aid training & a HAM radio operator's license):

{ Mum's Grad Photo }

She is creative, patient, a superb cook & hilarious. She has 5 daughters & loves us each equally but uniquely.

{ c. 1978 ~ four of the six kids in this picture are hers

& my mum still rocks it with her cool shades & bellbottoms }

Whenever I am in a parenting dilemma I think, "What would MY mum have done in this scenario?".

Happy Mother's Day, Mum. I love you!!!

{ me & mum aboard Passat }

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there! I hope you are spoiled rotten on Sunday.

{ *Note*: The name of my company, Baker Hill Homes, comes from my mother's maiden name, Hills, & my mother-in-law's maiden name, Baker. I wanted the company to represent the creativity & tenacity of both of these wonderful women who are close to my heart.}