Kim's personal links
MY FAVOURITE DECOR SHOPS IN OTTAWA
***
kitchen remodel in my last house
***
my twin sister's mostly kid's rooms decor blog
It's all in the details. Two stylish kitchens by Workstead. The first defined by tailored cabinetry with highlights of rich timber and brass accents. The second plays with ideas of storage . Beautiful timber boxes tumble across the kitchen walls while kitchen cabinets are rich and warm but still subtle in their finish. Not your everyday high gloss, over designed McMansion kitchens. Simple, restrained, delicate.
"You spin me right round, baby right round like a record ... "
Apologies to Dead or Alive but how cool is this rotating shelving wall, the UnWaste bookcase, a collaboration between architect Ben Milbourne (Bild Architecture), eco-designer Leyla Acaroglu (Eco Innovators) and specialist furniture designer David Waterworth (Against the Grain). (Photography by TM PHOTO.) It divides the open space into living and sleeping areas while allowing light and airflow between the spaces and providing much needed storage in a warehouse conversion. The bookcase is built from reclaimed plywood from construction site hoardings providing surface design interest through the remains of old advertising posters and stencils.
I have been on holidays these past 2 weeks and dear gawd did I need this break (at least from one of my jobs). Since Tuesday I've been pretty much stuck at home during the day which I welcomed, because it meant getting lots of things done I have been putting off - including several tasks involving organzing something or other. Yesterday, after walking to the post office to pick up some hot boots, it was time to organize the bookshelves in my bedroom. I really don't like having all this book storage in my bedroom (to me it's like bad feng shui - too much visual stimulation for a room that's supposed to give me tranquility), but it was the only free wall in my tiny house that could house my magazine collection and some books. I threw some of the older magazines out because holy smokes I have far too many, and made the piles neat again. Once the contents were organized (and shrunk down a bit) I went out to the storage shed and dug out some apple baskets and a couple wooden crates I had purchased some time ago at an antique shop out in the boonies. I am a FREAK for rustic/industrial storage options, and these, along with my vintage metal locker baskets, helped in the wrangling of my crap. I'm a happy camper now, and I think I can sleep a little better tonight knowing it's not a disaster. (P.S. Before the hubby moved in, the shelves looked like this, and after when I de-feminized the space, the room looked more like this).
I love books and magazines. I have a pretty healthy collection, especially of decor magazines (although on black box recycle days I am slowly getting rid of old ones as I don't think I'll be referring to decor mags from 2004 anytime). Right now I have a couple of Ikea Expedit shelving units in my bedroom but I have come to the conclusion that I don't want all that visual clutter and stimulation in a space I am supposed to use to relax in. My favourite book storage area is the dining room - I love how it can look like a library one minute and a dining space the next. Where do you guys store your books?
Book storage always catches my eye when I'm doing blog research and because I haven't done a themed post in a while I thought I'd find some book storage/shelving photos. (I did a post on this topic a while ago here).
New from Irish interior designer Gail Wall Morris of Wall Morris Design. (See my previous post here.) A beautiful renovation and of course it's all in the detail. I'll let Gail explain.
It's my own home, a 100 year-old, renovated workman's cottage, in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
When I bought the house, it needed complete renovation and rebuild, in order to re-layout and optimize the space, raise ceiling heights up to the roof line. The new extension is clad in the original bricks, taken from the demolished interior walls. I allocated budget on designing an interior joinery package, so that all the detailing matched: ie - the kitchen , the external and interior doors, the trim work and architraves all tie in together. Most of the furniture I also designed. Everything is bespoke. The interior layout is built in a 'U' Shape and surrounds a courtyard, so that the sunlight comes into the house all day long. The colour scheme is tone-on tone caramel with accents in black glass, black granite and black-stained furniture.
Photography Derek Robinson.
Thu, 17 Jan 2013
