Last Project in Dream Homes of Canada

As I mentioned earlier this year, our last project is featured in the BC Edition of Dream Homes of Canada!!.  Read it online by clicking here and looking at pages 28-31.

{ shameless self promo }

IDS West Quick Report

I had a wonderfully good time at IDS West this year.  I brought along a few friends & they made it much more fun.   We spent a good few hours at the Cactus Club Coal Harbour:

{ Alix & Kylie = cutie pies }

I didn't get to see inside the Laneway House because the lineup was ridiculous: 

{ me no likey queues & the prosecco was calling me }

I met a few interesting vendors.  One was Vin de Gard.  I loved the simplicity of their racking systems which allows the wine to really shine. Here are some of the cellars they have been involved with:

{ I love the feature wall at the end of this cellar }

{ the light bouncing off the wall of wine is mesmerizing }

I also met an artist, Shakun Jhangiani.  Her work is linear; however the textural qualities manage to imbue her canvases with a feeling of movement.  See some of my favourites here:  

{ reminiscent of low tide at our cabin}

{ a slightly more tropical feel }

All in all I think IDS West was a success.  I came away with my head a-swirl with plenty of fodder for our new build.

Till next time...

xxo J

Hammer & Spear, LA

In the latest issue of Lonny Magazine, I read about an LA store called Hammer & Spear.

{ looks good from the outside }

 The store is named after the couple who own it (Kristan Cunninham & Scott Jarrell).  "Hammer" is Jarrell's unique nickname for Cunningham & Jarrell translates to "brave with Spear".  Cool, huh?  Their 'how we met' story is fun & sweet & all online on Lonny.  Not only do they seem like friends you'd want to have, they have lots of new & vintage stuff on site & online... Check it out!

We are heading to LA soon so this is a place on my must visit list.

 

Lonny October 2013

I'm excited to delve into the latest online issue of Lonny Magazine.  It features Jessica Alba's office space.

{ love the turquoise wall }

If I get all my work done today I'll indulge tonight... can't wait!!  

xx J

IDS West

I'm baaack...

Having taken an unannounced hiatus over the summer, I'm excited to be back at the drawing board, working on our new build.  

This weekend I'll be attending IDS West (the Interior Design Show for western Canada).  I always enjoy seeing familiar exhibitors & discovering exciting new ones.  Plus I am going with some fun girlfriends & we plan to lunch afterwards which (to me, who loves food) is as thrilling as being at the show.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new laneway house that is being auctioned off for charity:

{ I love spaces with history, but I think I could live here among these contemporary clean lines }

I love the idea of living well AND efficiently in a small space.  I don't believe they are mutually exclusive.  This is just over 500 square feet of high end design.  I'd love to plunk it down as a recreational property in Osoyoos or environs & enjoy warm summer desert living in a cool concrete cocoon.

What do you think of the plywood exterior cladding?  Love it or leave it??

Wondering about Windows

As we prepare to submit our architectural drawings to the powers that be, we are thinking more & more about the bones of this house.  Where will the plumbing stacks go, whether we will go with radiant or forced air to heat the house, will we have air conditioning,  how thick the walls will have be to accomplish the look of deeply reset windows that I love... I could go on & on.

So today I've been wondering about windows.  Obsessing a bit, to be honest.  How many mullions should they have?  I want them to be recessed into the facade but not at great expense to the floor space inside.  To follow are some images of windows that I love.  This next one is from Kolbe Windows:

{ many mullion-ed splendour }

I come back again and again to this Bristol Circle home by William Hefner.  While parts of the interior are a little more traditional than we want I am drawn to the wall of windows in the rear of the home:

 { beautiful way to let in light }

The tranquility of this space by Paul Raeside is incredibly appealing to a busy mama of three:

{ clean lined & cozy isn't a contradiction in terms }

{ same space from another angle }

And finally these windows & this space designed by Reese Roberts seems like an appealing spot to land at the end of the day:

{ more mullions... can you see a pattern developing? }

So window selections feel more defined than they did a month ago.  What's next?  Doors??

Best, blog-world...

xx 

J

Maui Memories

We just returned from a short trip away to Maui.  It was adults only so while we missed our kids, we didn't.  {Does that make any sense??!}  I have yet to download my pictures (& I didn't take a ton) but this image from a VRBO rental has me Hawaii day-dreaming on a wet Vancouver day:

{ ahhhhhhhh... }

Say no more, right??!!

xxo J

Dream Homes Canada

Exciting news!  Our last project is featured in the latest edition of Dream Homes Canada:

{ lovely evening view }

We got our copies hot off the press.  It's not up online yet but I will post the link when it is.

Design Mom's Flying Houses

One of my fave~fave~fave blogs is Design Mom, written by Gabrielle Blair who is fun, smart, pretty & self-effacing.  I think we could be good friends.  IF she lived nearby & didn't already have a million followers just like me who would like to be her friend.  Wink.

She posted today about flying houses by Laurent Chehere.  It was just what I needed.  Today has been a regular day & also a day full of sorrow.  A dear friend's child is really ill.  While he & his brave wife & their awesome son continue to valiantly battle with their war cry of "Onwards We Go" it does not look good.  We need a miracle.  So these flying houses brought some levity & magic & a touch of the miraculous to my day.

{ circus tent a-float }

{ why stay inside when you have a roof? }

Thanks Gabrielle.  You were a blessing to me today.

Exterior Facades Take III

Finishing my focus on exteriors today I am posting a few shots of boardform concrete.  It is not often used with more traditional homes but I do love the look of it.  The concrete is poured into rough wood forms so that the wood pattern transfers to the concrete as it hardens.  Here is an example from Architectural Digest's feature on an LA home:

{ this fireplace is useable from inside & outside }

This next home I found on Houzz has traditional roof lines, but the board form in the front contemporizes it.  I'm not sure about all the little itty bitty windows but I do love the concrete:

And finally this gorgeous entryway which guides you nicely into the home:

{ love the window/doorway treatment }

I think board form concrete adds clean lines but allows for an organic feel & some rusticity which sets it apart a little bit.

Exterior Facades Take II

Having just returned from a fantastic meeting with our architects, I'm excited about the design direction our new home is taking.  I love the lines of this home by William Hefner Architects in California:

{ classic yet clean lined }

This is how it looks from the inside looking out:

{ lovely light-filled window wall }

While one never wants to copy something or someone's work; having a visual point of reference is always helpful.  On our last house I had a few dog eared images & a grab bag of tactile 'things' that I would use when stumped on a design decision.  Sounds a bit strange, but it worked!!

Exterior Facades

With a new house project in the works, I've been revisiting exterior looks I love.  I'll post those here this week.

Here's one of my faves from a few years back:

Stella McCartney's Flagship Store

Love the awnings, the shutters, the mullions on the windows, the font she's used for her signage & established feel of the place with all that ivy & greenery softening the stuccoed walls.  LOVE LOVE LOVE. 

Spring has sprung

Spring always encourages me to clean out the cobwebs & start afresh.  I've been negligent with this little blog lately.  It always brings me such pleasure to post here so I will try to be more regular with my posts.

I do love spring.  All my babies were born in April & May.  I really have a fondness for the fresh blossoms, new life & green shoots.  The promise of summer is here but it's just giving us a taste.

Cherry blossoms

Has spring sprung where you are??