Beachy pastels

A pastel, beachy oasis on this Christmas Eve by the talented Mr. Waller. With a high of 16 Celsius today and no possible way we are going to have a white Christmas here in Ottawa (a rarity), we might as well be celebrating the holidays on a beach. :) And on that note, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Jo will be taking over the blogging for the next week and I will do the following week, with favourite spaces from our 2015 posts, so stay tuned for all that goodness, because we NEVER STOP! Cheers!

House in Double Bay

The face it presents to the street is quite stern. Box-like, no adornment, a little severe. The architects call it a "nod to the Victorian character of the street without any of the attendant frou frou." Open the door and the mood changes. Although still minimalist there is a warmth conveyed but the lightest of pastel shades and the extensive use of wood. The small space is enhanced by furniture and fittings that stand on narrow legs allowing longer sight lines while a double height void opens up the room. I'd love to see how this house mellows over time as the new owners put their stamp on the clean contemporary lines. House in Double Bay by Sydney-based architectural studio Tribe.

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More tumbling block inspiration

I had the day off Friday so high on my priority list (aside from taking an elderly lady's cat to the vet, because I apparently don't have enough of my own cat problems) was going to get a sample of the tumbling block tile. When I saw it in the store again I immediately started having heart palpitations. And the second I lay the sample tiles on my floor, I knew they were the ones. I am so smitten with these damn tiles. I repainted the wainscoting with some samples of Parma Grey and Off black that Farrow & Ball provided me and I am sold on black (gloss though), and had husband hold up the roll of Amime I had and I know based on my last post alot of people aren't really feeling this combo, but I think I have to go with my gut on this one. I really dig the European vibe this pairing gives, and think it is a bit more sophisticated and unexpected than my original choice. And I think this will make me happier in the long run. 

I spotted this apartment yesterday on Living and thought it would be an appropriate post today. It is the summer home of an Italian family, a joint project of Studio CaSA and Margherita Serboli Arquitectura. This 97 sq m apartment located in Eixample, Barcelona is now bright and modern, with some original details maintained such as window frames and vaulted Catalan terra cotta ceiling (soooooo gorg!!). The cement tumbling block patterned tiles in the living and dining room are a really fun way to add pattern to the apartment and break up up the expanse of white in the open space. The pastel colours aren't really my thing, but are really cute for a summer vacation pad. I would totally Airbnb this place. (Photos: Roberto Ruiz)

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Mrs. Sullivan Interiors

Victoria Sullivan is a Brooklyn-based British expat whose style is a combination of all things easy-going and eclectic, refined and charming. Victoria has an uncanny knack of transforming the ordinary and unloved to highly covetable and unique. Most of these photos are of her own home, a former dilapidated townhouse she and her husband purchased several years ago. After a gut renovation, Victoria sanded, painted, filled and fixed every element of every room, maintaining as much of the authentic architectural detailing as possible. Cool paint tones on period-detailed walls create the back-drop for key elements of furniture, artwork and lighting that Victoria finds from a combination of antique specialists and local stoop sales. She curates the spaces with carefully selected pieces from a mix of eras and sources. With a love of wallpaper, textiles and upholstery, she remodeled forlorn finds and was able to breathe life and charm into every piece of furniture that followed her home. Books, ceramics and other such collectibles are layered into every shelf and surface, making irresistible stories that lead your eye through her interiors. Victoria and her partner Sandee Edelman are out to create eclectic spaces that are a Brooklyn/British mix, and that is Mrs. Sullivan Interiors. 

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Wanda Café Optimista

This has got to be the prettiest café I have ever seen. Wanda Café Optimista is located in Madrid and was designed by Parolio. After the recent years, of recession in Madrid, Parolio wanted to design a place that communicates the opposite: projecting vitality, joy, color and a positive outlook on life. The idea is that when you enter Wanda you enter the emotional universe of vacations, summer, Surf and everything positive you feel on these fun days of the year. Inside Wanda it’s always sunny, there is always a good vibe. That description alone would have me stopping in. The pastel colours with pops of neon, all of the really cute patterned pillows and the amazing pattern on the bar make this such a happy place, where you would never want to take your last sip of coffee. (Photos: Juan Baraja)