A Coquitlam townhome

If this Coquitlam townhome was set up as a model home or if it was a new sale listing, it would be snapped up in an instant. Vancouver's Fox Design Studio did an incredible job here. They used the same colour palette of grey and white with black and yellow/gold accents throughout that is cohesive and flows beautifully. The bold punch of orange in the powder room is an unexpected and welcome touch. Midcentury colors, playful furniture pieces, punchy artwork and not-so-shy wall treatments give this detail heavy space a not-so-serious vibe. Think Palm Springs, but in fall-formal wear.

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The Ottawa Antique & Vintage Market is back!

It's that time of the year again! The The Ottawa Antique & Vintage Show is back at The Fieldhouse at Carleton University this weekend and my husband (Daff Design) will have a booth there again this year for his vintage updated radios (he has sooooo many this time - and I love them all!) so I will be keeping him company, taking photos and shopping my little heart out! The show was pretty rad last year, and there are some new vendors this year that I am totally stoked to scope out. 

Here are just a few of the radios my husband will be selling there (all previously non-working - he guts them and puts in really good speakers, an amp and Bluetooth for a rocking sound)

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Nyla Free (again)

I spotted a few new photos in the portfolio of Calgary interior designer Nyla Free since my last feature on her work a few years. Her spaces are bold and fun so I had to share, especially because I covet that closet at the end of this post. (Photos by Lori Andrews, Avenue Mag)

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L’après-guerre

Often times an architect's portfolio seems so unattainable. I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this project by Montreal architects L. McComber, because it appears to be a very attainable renovation - taking an older home and making it current and functional without a bunch of fancy and unnecessary detail. To conserve the best aspects of this post-war worker housing: this is what a young family asked their architect. The wood floors and almost all of the walls and original plaster mouldings have been restored. A series of targeted modifications helped to bring light and a modern feel to the home: a new pantry-wall in the kitchen, sliding doors to the hallway and a serving hatch in the dining room. The bathroom has been expanded underneath the existing skylight dividing it with the bath on one side and a large storage wall on the other. Cascading onto the natural quartz ceramic, the overhead light provides a welcoming depth in this tiny space. A small playroom in the basement covered with birch wood ceiling and fibre board walls created a pleasant refuge for the kids.

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Not your average family cottage

The folks of Toronto design firm Prototype Design Lab sent along photos of a project they recently completed that I had to share. This is a family cottage in northern Ontario (McKellar) and it is unlike any 'cottage' I have ever seen. When I think cottage I envision pine panelled walls, a rustic kitchen and some antlers on the wall. This cottage IS NOT THAT. We designed this cottage for a family that loves to entertain, cook, and eat. Their whole lifestyle is based around the kitchen, so right off the bat we knew that this space had to be functional, but incredible. The kitchen starts out like a restaurant kitchen, with durable, stainless steel surfaces, but is designed to be warm and eclectic with a great mix of modern & vintage fixtures; pendant lamps, floating shelves and stunning blackened steel-framed chalkboard panels acting as cabinet doors. Then there are some really warm elements such as a reclaimed barn wood wall & ceiling feature, marble counter tops, glass shelving & and reclaimed wine crate table. The palette of the space suggest vintage, contemporary and industrial all at the same time!

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