High Fashion Home

We've got a new sponsor in the house, by the name of High Fashion Home. It's another I could not help but get excited about because they have some reeeeeally hot furniture. I found at least 10 pieces I adore within the first couple minutes on their website. Yeah, it's yummy. They have a huge 125,000 sq ft location in Houston, TX, that looks like a playground for interior design enthusiasts. And you can shop online, and they currently ship only to destinations within the 48 contiguous states, so some of us (like Jo and I) will have to love from afar. They cater to all sorts of styles, as you will see below: Earthy Modern, Industrial Countryside Chic, French Gothic Arboretum, Rustic Zen Ranch, Boutique Hotel, Traditional Glam and Office Vintage Chic. (P.S. They have jumped on the blog bandwagon - check it out here.)

Blue blue days

One of our favourite interior designers Jason Martin (his DIY+ series for Desire to Inspire is here) is now the design director at Kristen Buckingham (see Kim's post on Kristen here). He emailed to let us know the website has been recently updated and to share a few photos of the new showroom on La Cienega Blvd in Los Angeles. Swoon! That blue! And I would never have thought to pair it with the strong presence of the black. The showroom looks perfect. I'd love to spend an afternoon taking a closer look. Now don't forget to send us any new work Jason ;)

Francine Turk at Buckingham ID

I love Julia Edelmann of Buckingham ID's showroom. I want to move in. Park my slippers under that Swedish couch. I'm sure Julia would let me and now is the prefect time. Works by Chicago artist Francine Turk (you may have seen pieces on the set of the Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn movie "The Break-up") are clustered salon style across the walls. Beautiful. So Julia when you least expect it you'll find a strange woman (moi) draped across a chair drinking it all in. Chill the champagne. I'll be over so.

Third World Bazaar

I am still a bit uncertain as to what to post on Sundays, but today I thought I'd do something different because I visited a very interesting place on Friday that I thought I'd share, since I took a ton of photos. It's called the Third World Bazaar. This bazaar happens every weekend (Fridays - Sundays) in autumn for 7 weeks, beginning Thanksgiving weekend (which is this weekend here in Canada) and ending November 21st. I've been trying to go yearly for a few years now and it's amazing. It's a huge barn filled with thousands of items from countries all over the world - clothing, purses, furniture, knick-knacks, carpets, jewelry, Christmas decor and much more. The owners buy the majority of the products directly from the artisans and craftsmen in the source countries. This means they get to travel the world seeking out these beautiful hand-crafted products including Morocco, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Guatemala, Indonesia, Cuba, Thailand and India. I always leave the bazaar with a car full of goodies, and this year was no different. Below are a few photos of my purchases and many photos taken inside the bazaar. If you're in the Ottawa area, you really must head out to Manotick and visit the Third World Bazaar....and make sure to go with an empty trunk!

I have a thing for punched tin - and Jo does too so I think some of these pieces above will be going in her parcel that I wanted to send out months ago...and maybe that Asian wall art...

I bought these on my second trip out to the bazaar. Yep, I went twice. The first time was too overwhelming and I spent most of the time snapping photos. I think the dragon will be a Christmas present for my nephew. I love the punched tin inlay in the wood vase. PRETTY!

This thing is SO RAD! It's huge, and made out of recycled tires. It's from Thailand I think, and in Thailand these bins are used to store garbage. It has holes in the bottom so it could be kept outside and used as a planter. I've heard this is also great for storing firewood. I may use mine (when I have space for it indoors) to store blankets. And now for the photos from the bazaar (which are not that great because we arrived at about 6:30/7 pm so there was no natural light)....

  
  
  

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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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