My powder room renovation

There is only one room in my house that had not been touched at all since I bought  this place in 2007 - and that was the powder room. And it was horrendous. 

This embarrassment of a bathroom is on the main floor of my house (and there is one full bath on the second floor), which means if any guests came over, this is the one they would use. Everything was so gross, including the worst tile job ever and a ventilation fan in the ceiling that sounded like a jet. The only good things about it are the size - 5' square, and that it has a pocket door (but with a full length mirror so you can watch yourself while you pee). Since we appear to be stuck in this house a while longer, my husband Jeff and I had talked about fixing it up on a budeget. To my complete surprise, while I was in Mexico in February, he tore everything out and started renovating it! We have been super busy so this project only saw completion yesterday. It is such a huge improvement and we are both so stoked over the transformation. YAY inexpensive reno projects!!! (Boo tiny windowless rooms! - makes for difficult photography)

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A guest house in Southern Oregon

DeWayne Lumpkin had quite a challenge put upon him. He was given $15,000 to completely furnish this 2800 sq ft guest house in the middle of southern Oregon wine country (it only had beds, a leather sofa and four wooden dining room chairs). The owners, David Gremmels & Cary Bryant who own Rogue Creamery, requested an industrial, agricultural style that could hold up to use by families, friends and even strangers through airbnb (listing here). DeWayne completed the project in 5 weeks and had to purchase EVERYTHING, from dishes, silverware, glassware, linens for bed, bath & kitchen, alarm clocks, hair dryers, etc. ...everything you need to stay and not want to leave. And it's so fantasticly vintage/industrial I would absolutely love to rent this place and never leave.  (Photos by Nikita Lee)

Several Craigslist scores in the living room - the green leatherette sofa was $150, the chrome armed settee was $100, the burl root coffee table was $150 (LOVE). 

The rolling metal warehouse ladder used as a bookcase in the corner was found in the storage sheds at the Rogue Creamery. 

 I designed and manufactured most of the lighting throughout the house using equipment & elements from the Rogue Creamery Cheese Factory (and other sources). My nephew Justin, an appliance technician helped me with all of the welding, fabrication and much of the wiring.In the living room - the two floor lamps were made from parts of a cheese press that went together to remove excess liquid from a wheel of cheese. 

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El Quiosc

It is really unfortunate that Barcelona is no where near Ottawa because I would LOVE to check out this restaurant in person (and maybe even try a burger while I'm there). Alex of Blanco Azabache Interiorismo thought we would like to share this latest project of his with you all. It is a burger joint called EL Quiosc. It is an old house in the center of the town of Mataró (Barcelona) that after abandoning the shoemaker who had his workshop there decided to rent my clients to transform into a gourmet burger, with a industrial retro aesthetics (4 rooms, entrance area + the childs playground). As an aficionado of all things industrial, I love what Alex has done with this space. Lots of rustic and industrial touches with a French and Spanish vibe make this a quirky yet fun and inviting restaurant. There are lots of elements I would love in my own home - from every bit of lighting and seating to the hanging terrariums and tile flooring (YES!). 

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A funky office

This office space of graphic design studio Mattson Creative located in Southern California makes me want to quit my government job. I'm so sick of working in a cubicle. I WANT TO WORK HERE!

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Style Labo

This past Friday my husband and I took a little road trip to Montréal so I could take advantage of some end of season clothing sales (I've got some photos of my scores on Instagram or my other blog), and at the end of the trip we stopped at a shop we've been scoping out online for a few years but have never managed to visit in person. Style Labo is now our favourite shop of all time. I'm not kidding. We were like kids in a candy store, drooling at every turn. This to-die-for store sells the most incredible vintage industrial finds you can imagine, along with some new items here and there. Lighting, lighting and more lighting (old and new, including my absolute favourite = Jieldé), ottomans/pillows/settees covered in vintage postal sacks of army canvas, lockers, marquee letters, signs etc. etc. I toured every inch of the warehouse space (gorg!!) taking photos while I went. But first, we couldn't leave without picking up a few little things...

The candle smells SO GOOD and was worth the semi-hefty price because it's a beautiful porcelain/ceramic vessel I can't wait to re-use.

My husband saw this massive pillow and immediately said he had to have it. I would have preferred it to be cream coloured instead of blue/grey but hey, we're trying to make it work on the living room sofa. Super comfy!

And now, welcome to Style Labo!

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