On repeat

Amulette by Annie Legault

A few weekends ago the husband and I took a little day trip to Montreal to check out a show I had never been to before: souk @ sat, featuring creations from Montreal's most creative contemporary artisans. I thought I would feature a few of my favourites. One of them being Annie Legault's handcrafted woven light fixtures...they were absolutely stunning in person. I was SO BUMMED I don't really have the perfect spot for one (being the lighting whore that I am). She also has the most beautiful and soft round rugs (which can never exist in my house full of cats), large knit blankets and plant holders. OMG all of it is gorgeous. 

Dossofiorito

OMG. These pots are so freaking incredible. Given my love for plants, I am always on the hunt for cool pots as they seem to be really hard to find. By Dossofiorito (via Milk Decoration)

The Phytophiler: a series of hand-thrown terracotta pots on which functional appendices are installed, suggesting possible gestures and daily care for the plants that inhabit our living spaces.

These additional elements represent attempts to interact with the domestic world of plants, through methods and sensibilities that are typical human acts.
Gestures that improve our relationship with plants, and that are important evidence of a new widespread attitude towards nature and of an established awareness of finding ourselves in front of sensitive beings that belong to an "other" world that completes us.

Epiphytes is a collection of suspended vases in white ceramic, offering an alternative to the potted cultivation of epiphytic houseplants, leaving on sight not only the plant aerial part but also its rootage. With this system, in fact, the plant roots are not contained in the vase, but they envelop it as they would do with a tree branch in the forest. It is possible in this way to observe in full the plant and to admire entirely its growth.

Thanks to the alternation of porous and glazed areas, filing the vase regularly with water will be enough to provide the hosted plant with humidity and water for several days.

In a tropical forests on a single tree is possible to find hundred of different epiphytic plants. In the same way, sustaining several plants with similar light and watering needs, a single vase could give life to a little ecosystem.

What are Epiphyte plants?

Epiphytes are all those plants that in the wild, instead of rooting in the soil, grow seizing on branches or leaves of other plants and trees.They are not parasite, as they don’t take away nourishment from the hosting plant, only using it as support.

Rick Owens - the obsession continues

The other day a thought randomly came to mind - what celebrity would I love my shit over if I ever got to meet them? And in the 5 seconds before I went on to other thoughts, I could not come up with an answer. When I saw these photos on Dorota's (The Divinitus) Facebook I realized the answer is Rick Owens. Via Hypebeast.

Supply and Demand

Last night Jeff and I decided to try out a new restaurant that has been on our must-try for quite a while now (embarrassing as it has been open since 2013). Supply + Demand Foods & Raw Bar, owned by Steve and Jennifer Wall, was incredible and is now fighting for top spot as my favourite restaurant in Ottawa. Located on Wellington St and about a 4 minute drive from my house (handy!), I am going to go out on a limb and say that this is the best decorated restaurant in this entire city (I found out it's by Shannon Gay of One80 Design - which figures because she's decorated all the decent looking restaurants in the city). I am SO freaking tired of everyone doing the reclaimed wood/industrial vibe. This place is French bistro chic - seahorse wallpaper, white subway tile with black grout (always works), tiny white hex tile floor with black border and random black flowers (ALWAYS WORKS!), black Thonet chairs, a wall of gold mirrors and shelves, dark green tufted leather banquette....I seriously wanted to pass out when I walked in. This is everything I have been wishing each new restaurant I have tried would look like. (Pardon my crap iPhone pics - had I known I would love this place so much I would have lugged by Nikon DSLR there and been THAT NERD who spends half the evening trying to take decent pics of everything).

OK - WILL YOU LOOK AT THESE FLOORS! I am seriously reconsidering doing this in my vestibule/foyer/kitchen instead of the tumbling block tile I was finally set on. AGH! I thought there would be a durability/cleanliness factor against this but if a restaurant can do it why can't I?! (UPDATE: Was talking to Shannon on FB and I think I'm going with hex tile - WOOT!!!! I swear this will be the last time I change my mind LOL)

I could not get a decent shot to show the colour of this banquette but I have been into very dark green lately and this is AWESOME instead of black. 

I always need to start out with a cocktail. This is The Rum One = Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum ~ Sortilege Maple Whisky ~ pumpkin purée ~ cinnamon ~ nutmeg ~ pickled raisins. SO GOOD (and strong!)

I even took a photo of the bread because BACON FAT BUTTER! Oh YEESSSSSS!

Ottawa foodie Anne Waters raves about the kale salad (caper vinaigrette, crotonese cheese and bacon) all the time on IG so we had to try - and they kindly separated it into 2 portions for us. We were both blown away. Who knew kale could taste so good?! 

We also shared Albacore tuna crudo with lemon, truffle oil, puffed rice and cilantro. Raw fish like I have never had before.

My main was pasta because I am Italian and that's what's up, and from what I have seen on IG these guys do pasta SO WELL. Pumpkin scarpinocc with fried brussel sprout leaves, walnuts and brown butter. This was ridiculous. 

Jeff of course had a meat main because he is a guy and that's what they do. Roasted half chicken with fried potatoes, pickled fennel and preserved lemon. He devoured it and offered me none so I take it this was a winner. 

I keep seeing photos of this on IG and had to try. Eton mess. Basically chunks of meringue smothered is creamy goodness and bit of fruit buried near the bottom. Awesome and soon to leave the menu for the season. I should have just tried some of Jeff's and gotten the deep fried pumpkin pie to round out my pumpkin meal DAMMIT but we will just have to go back soon!

(I wore something kinda cute - I'll get some pics up on The Mourning Cloak shortly)