JDArchitect

As I've mentionned a couple of times, my husband and I have been doing a bit of research looking for architects to help us plan the additions we want to make to our WAY too small and WAY too boring home. Our cat-sitter used to live on a street a few blocks from us where there was one of the coolest yet simplest homes I've ever seen around Ottawa. We recently saw the home in Ottawa Magazine and found out it was designed by local architect John Donkin. It's 1700 square feet and his client had 3 requirements: a garden, a visitors' apartment, and a strong street presence. The visitors' apartment is cantilevered sideways over the lot which creates a shaded area in summer and a covered parking spot and sheltered entrance in winter. The mix of materials on the facade is exactly what I'm looking for and the kicker is the front of the home (iron?) has rusted over time and turned the most beautiful deep orange shade (second photo found on the blog Move That Bus!!!). Check out more of his designs after the jump.

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A new shop in town

I was soooo excited to receive an email a few weeks ago from Deborah Peets, owner of a new furnishings shop here in Ottawa (who saw me in the Jan '09 issue of Canadian House & Home). We are severely lacking in decent furniture shops here - we do not have all the very reasonable priced shops like C&B, West Elm, Urban Outfitters, etc. etc. We have an Ikea. And EQ3. And that's about it. Every now and then a funky shop pops up in Westboro or downtown and I can hardly contain myself. Now, these shops are likely where you will find investment pieces that you'd want to keep for a looooong time, and Green Light District Design is one of those shops. Here is what Deborah had emailed me about her shop (www.greenlightshop.ca): "Our aesthetic is clean and contemporary; our pieces from places like Buenos Aires and Cape Town are made of natural materials - leather, wood, parchment, cord, reclaimed cotton. The best part is we get to know the designers and artisans personally, we touch and try every piece before we commit. All our furnishings and accessories come from small production, designer owned companies; all have significant hand made component and the highest level of craftsmanship." My new hubby and I were in awe right when we walked in. It's just one amazing piece after another. I managed to pick out a few small things that I HAD to have, and hopefully one day when Jeff and I are done with our house additions I'll be able to walk in there and pick out a piece of furniture (or 5) when we actually have some space. If you're strolling around downtown Ottawa, be sure to take a walk down Dalhousie St. and stop by Green Light District Design - Deborah and her husband David are super sweet, they can tell you the stories behind all their finds, you'll likely walk away with some gorgeous treasures, and while you're in there, look up. A jaw-dropping restored tin ceiling is part of the shop (pic after the jump, along with the items I picked up).

  
  

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While watching Olympic men's hockey last night...

(where Canadians kicked Russian ass I might add), I had to amuse myself in between goals so I painted my toenails for the first time since September-ish and was surfing the net a bit when I came across the site for French Canadian shelter mag Décormag, which I hadn't visited in some time. I was pleasantly surprised to find an eclectic and funky pad which is unlike the usual style of this magazine. It's the downtown Vancouver apartment of designers Chad Farquharson and Wayne McGill of We Live Like This Design and Styling. LOVE THIS.

Brandon Barré

What a pleasure it was to receive an email from Brandon Barré, a photographer from Toronto, who thought we might want to share his photography with our readers. Since his work is the SHIZNIT, I was stoked to devour his newly updated web portfolio and scoop up my favourites. Some of the spaces may be familar to those who watch a design TV show or two. Candice Olson and Colin and Justin are among his clients! (And stay tuned Monday for his entries to the Pets on Furniture post!)

  
  

More from McGill Design Group

About a year ago I blogged about Toronto-based architecture and interior design firm McGill Design Group. Their work is stunningly beautiful, and encompasses their signature style of "modern simplicity firmly grounded in the classics". I got word that they have a new Facebook page with plenty of photos of past works and works in progress. I picked out some of my favourites. The first several are some before and afters of the incredible transformation of a Victorian.

If that wasn't enough eye-candy, here are more photos from random works.