blumenstudio

I wasn't sure what to blog today as it has been yet another busy Saturday. Tuesday my husband and I had taken the day off work and gone to Montreal furniture shopping where we found an awesome highboy for Jeff's dressing room and a credenza for the dining room. Yesterday we headed back to Montreal, picked up the furniture with my parent's SUV and trailer, and drove back home - in the rain. How nerve-wracking! I thought for sure the credenza was going to get soaked and ruined but luckily it survived. I will share them here soon (and the other little things I bought that day). Until then I was wondering what to blog today, when I remembered I had taken some photos the other day that I could share. I was off work Friday as well so after a trip to the dentist and the bank I took a walk down my street to the nearest coffee shop - blumenstudio. This is not your ordinary coffee shop. It also happens to be the coolest flower/plant shop around. 

Owner Kat (along with Nathan) has been a floral designer for almost 20 years. She grew up in Germany and moved to Ottawa 12 years ago, and opened this shop in 2011. She has an amazing eye for design and creates the most spectacular floral arrangements and her selection of plants is to die for. I have been in the shop a couple of times now since moving to this 'hood and each time I want to leave with...everything. I think I will be stopping in for a latte and maybe a plant on a regular basis. You should too if you are in the Parkdale/Civic Hospital area. 

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Little jewel box

Like a little indie jewel box for an indie jewellery designer. The cutest bijou shop in Melbourne by Inglis Architects for Lucy Folk. I couldn't pass by. I would just have to pop in.

Lily & Oscar

I recently started following an Instagram account which captured my attention, which lead me to an online store, and a Facebook account....and I was soon totally smitten. lointerior is the Instagram account of interior stylist Josephine Ekström, who has the most beautiful shop in Sweden called Lily & Oscar. It has a rustic French/Swedish feel with tons of neutral colours, textures and organic shapes mixed with bits of modern designs for a bit of a contemporary edge. Josephine takes photos around her glorious shop, as well as in her home....and here are some of my favourites. (Oh, how freaking stoked I would be if a store like hers opened in Ottawa!) 

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Saturday road trip

At the Ottawa Antique Show my husband and I were told by a fellow vendor that we should take a drive to Almonte, a town about 50 KM west of Ottawa. Jeff and I thought we had visited just about every town nearby as we love exploring and antiquing, but somehow we had never ended up in Almonte. Saturday morning we hopped in the car with some Tim's coffee and steeped tea and headed to this quaint town...and fell in love. It was gorgeous. Almonte is a former mill town (coincidentally, the main road is called Mill Street) with the Mississippi River running through it. Had I known how beautiful it was and how much fun I would have shopping there, I would have brought a camera and planned a blog post. Since I ended up scoring some amazing finds in almost every shop we visited I decided to do a blog post despite only having had my iPhone on hand. 

One of my favourite stores was Tin Barn Market - an ever-evolving shop concept that brings together a stylishly eclectic mix of vintage, salvage, handmade objects and handpicked items deserving of a second chance. It is owned by Errin Stone & Vicki Veenstra (it was nice chatting with you Vicki!) and if farmhouse/industrial/rustic style is your thing then you would love this place.

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The latest happenings at 47 Park Avenue

It has been ages since I featured one of my favourite blogs, 47 Park Avenue (see here and here). Michael (and his partner Jonathan) are the proud owners of my dream home, and have been renovating and decorating it with so much love, creativity and chicness that I am blown away each time I see more of their progress. Take this bathroom for example. They had not touched it since moving in and Michael finally decided to have a go at it - on the cheap. Because how long can you live with a nasty bathroom containing carpeting (GAH!) and floral chintz?!

Michael ripped out the carpet, re-faced the tub with leftover chipboard (one of my favourite materials), used leftover paint on the wall, floor and ceiling, and picked up some tile paint to paint over the ghastly flowers. All Michael ended up purchasing (aside from the paint) was the light fixture and linen basket. Gorg!!!

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