Blue Stallion Farm

Animals have been my passion for my entire life. After that came interior design. Blue Stallion Farm blends my 2 loves together into a magical place. Gany wrote to us about her farm and 3000 sq ft home in South Florida where she lives with her husband and 4 children, 6 dogs, 2 cats, 1 pig, 11 horses, 3 zebus, birds and chickens. This is every one of my dreams come true. The home is beautiful and bright and bohemian chic - pretty much one of the happiest places I have ever seen. Throw in a squishy pig face (see last photo) and I am totally dying of pure bliss. You can read the full story on Houzz.  

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Reader's home - Kiki's London home

It has been a while since we have featured a reader's home, so I am excited to share one with you today. Kiki is a Brazilian married to a Canadian (an Ottawan specifically - WOOT!) and they have been living in this Crouch End, North London home for 3 years now. They have recently done a loft conversion, adding a master bedroom ensuite, walk in wardrobe and laundry. DTI was a big source of inspiration for Kiki and I think she has done an awesome job. I love the accent walls - cool wallpapers and black always wins in my book. Fab tile choices in the bathrooms as well. This home is stunning, as all London homes seem to be. I want to hug those wood floors. Thanks Kiki!

Most of the artwork is Kiki's - she's a mixed media artist. 

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Glebe House Tour 2015 - part 2

This little office is at the top of the landing is above the mudroom in the rebuilt addition. 

I saw a before photo of the bathroom. I recall a very narrow yellow tub and really awful tile on the wall. This bathroom is a dream come true in comparison. 

I LOVE this photograph by Maureen O'Connor from the H.H Richardson Complex Asylum for the Insane in Buffalo NY

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Glebe House Tour 2015 - part 1

It is that time of year again....the Glebe House Tour is coming up September 20th. Get your tickets HERE! This is one of my favourite local events - when a select group of people in one of the coolest neighbourhoods in Ottawa open up their homes for us nosy folk. :) There's nothing like snooping through a stranger's home (it is a well guarded tour I might add) without them present so you can OH! and AH! and HUH? to your heart's content. I was given a personal tour by the owners of one of the homes on the tour (thank you Michel and Lara!, and the kids who I did not get to meet but who cleaned their rooms for me!), and I really lucked out because this house is almost identical to mine so it was really interesting to see how someone else made over the same spaces. In this case the owners have gone to town renovating what was once a very neglected home. Over the past 6 years they have worked on every single nook and cranny to restore and update to their liking. And boy do I like! I always have a hard time narrowing down the photos of these house tours so this post will be the exterior front and main level and the next post will be the second floor and backyard. (Posts from last year's tour here and here) 

 

There's a surprise behind that door :)

All of the original oak doors/trim/window frames/beams are so beautiful and OMG the time it must have taken to restore it all... That's the vestibule door in the middle, with the living room on the left and the dining room to the right.

When the homeowners first moved in things were in such rough shape the family of four all lived in one room for a while. I may not get these numbers quite right but they lived without a kitchen for 6 months and without a bathroom for 1 month. 

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Stalking a cool dude, his partner, their child and their warehouse

Once upon a time there was a cool dude who had listed his warehouse apartment for sale. I stalked him as I am prone to do. Well I stalked his apartment here. Turns out cool dude has been very busy these past three years. He has bought a new place (horribly rundown but still with warehouse proportions), become part of a cool couple (not sure of the timing of this event but I won't let it get in the way of my story), there is even a cool couple's cool child and they all lived happily ever after in their very cool, restored, ginormous new inner city Sydney warehouse. At least, that is, until they find another rough diamond to renovate. Thanks for sharing your new home Steve!

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