CELEB STUFF: BEST CELEBRITY ROOMS FEATURED IN 2011

Check out some of my favorite Celebrity spaces featured this past year. All are super cozy, comfortable and make for a relaxed environment. Hopefully I'll be working on some exciting spaces like these in the coming year!

Nate Burkus - Dining Room

Kerri Russell - Living Room

- Elle Decor

Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux - Great Room

Ralph Lauren - Montauk Bedroom

- Elle Decor

Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi - Eating Area

- Architectural Digest 

Barefoot Contessa  - Barn Kitchen  

- House Beautiful

PIZZA LIBRETTO: ON THE DANFORTH

I just came from dining with my 2 best friends and the best friends BF at Pizza Libretto on the Danforth. It reminded me of The Meatball Shop in NY with it's simple but delicious menu, friendly wait staff and raw interior. I wasn't a fan of the light fixtures they chose, - thought they were a little too childlike and random, but overall liked the rest of the decor. Thoughts?

DIY : KITCHEN UPDATES

Inspired by many DIY projects I see online, I talked my sister into updating her nice, but outdated kitchen over the holidays. Luckily, she moved into a house with pretty decent bones so the updates while time ocnsuming wont be too hell-ish. We wanted to keep the kitchen light and contemporary, which is exactly what we did.
It began with a few trips to the paint store, but we finally landed on a colour. Since the cupboards are white laminate with wood trim, we dedided to keep the laminate as is (too daunting a DIY) and update the    trim. So we chose a nice soft grey - far away enough from the white so it didnt look like we were trying to match, but soft enough that there wasn't too much contrast. We landed on Benjamins Moores ...
For all you DIYers who are dying for an inexpensive kitchen update, follow these simple instructions, and you'll be fine.

1. remove all drawers and cupboards that are being painted
2. sand surface enough so that the surface is raw - then clean the surface with a damp cloth to ensure no dust particles are left to be painted on top of.
3. prime surface -my container said the leave the primer to dry for approx. 45 mins
4. paint - definitely 2 coats

Some nice and handy tips to note during the process:
- do not test paint colours on the actual cabinets. If you do, you'll spend a ton of unnecessary time sanding off the test colours before you start the project (once colour has been decided)
- be open to talking to more than 1 person in the paint store.. they all know different information
- its worth buying samples. Although the cost and countless trips are super annoying, its well worth finding the right colour. Colour ALWAYS changes in your light.
- remove all knobs and handles before painting

... have fun and play music. It'll make the time pass much quicker!! Any other tips and/or questions, let me know!!

INSPIRATION: Best Travel Pictures of 2011 Named

I was just sent the link to National Geographic's Best Travel Pictures of 2011. Have a look for yourself and let me know which inspired you the most. 


And the winner is...

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, USA

WINTER SALES

Check out some of Toronto's best sales.. Hoping to find a good ottoman and art for my sisters pad. What are you hoping to find?
Happy sale shopping!


PUTTI FINE FURNISHINGS: 
WHEN? December 26th at 10:00 till 5:00 and continues through the rest of the week
WHAT? 25% to 50% off all Christmas decorations

ELTE: 

WHEN? NOW 

WHAT? 30% to 50% off all Christmas decorations

Know of any other sales? Let us know.

HOW TO: DESIGN A GALLERY WALL

Who doesn't love a gallery wall. It's the perfect way to fill a wall.. and it doesn't have to cost a lot. For my "Great Room" I decided to gather pictures from mine and Lisa's travels and put them on display for my guests to see. There are so many ways to design a gallery wall.

Here are my tips on doing it right and making it your own.

1. Decide what kinds of frames you want to use. You can go with a variety or different styles to give it an eclectic feel, or stick to the same frame for all pictures. 
2. What pictures are you going to include? If you don't have any pictures of your own, a great idea is to go to a used book store, pick a book with some great pictures that match your taste or interests, and frame the images. 
3. Frame it. I played around on iphoto with the colouring. Once I was happy with it, I went to the local print shop to have them printed to size.
4. Finally - it took some patience, but I framed the images myself. Try your best to center and tape the photos to the frame so they don't move around. 
5. Lay the pictures out on the floor - feel comfortable with the layout before you start making holes in your wall. 
6. Mount! 

INSPIRATION: HOLIDAY DECOR

I am a huge fan of table setting decor. It's simple, easy and unforgettable. For as long as I can remember, I've been in charge of the centrepieces for all my parents dinner parties. What's most important to me is that they're simple, relatively inexpensive and creative. Here are some of my favorites for the upcoming holidays to include Christmas, Chanukah and New Years. (not) shockingly, most of them came from The Martha Stewart. If you've got any others, send them my way!

SCHOOL STUFF: DESIGNING A PENTHOUSE

I started thinking about how I’m going to lay out the Central Park Penthouse I’m designing… for my Basic Planning course final project. Before getting started, I thought it would be great to analyze my favorite Hollywood sets. Lucky for me, I stumbled upon a great site who laid it all out for me.

I think every person loves Diane Keatans home in Somethings Gotta Give, or Maryl Streep’s in It’s Complicated.. but have you stumbled on my new favorite home (and show) of the season? The Grayson’s Hamptons mansion on the set of Revenge is definitely one to admire and take note of when thinking of how I want to lay out my clients Penthouse. Do you die for it as much as I? 

DROOL WORTHY: ESKAYEL

I recently stumbled upon a fantastic line that I cannot wait to use one day. ESKAYEL, based out of Brooklyn, New York is simply gorgeous. Specializing in wallpaper, textiles, and now rugs, their patterns look almost hand done, adding light colour and interesting design to any space.

Most of these patterns come as both wallpaper and fabric - it's the perfect way to add some design and colour through either an accent wall or toss cushions. Or, if you're looking for some art to frame, why not order a strike off of wallpaper or fabric? For a small price, you can order a sample, 25" x 25" which could definitely add spunk to any space.  I'm still figuring out which pattern I want to order.

What's your favorite?

WEEKEND FIND: THE FUTURE PERFECT

I stumbled upon an incredible store today while on my way to Soho. THE FUTURE PERFECT, located on Great Jones Street is exactly that... perfect. Every item is so crafty and unique - most of which I've never spotted in any other store. If you're looking for one of a kind pieces, this is the place. While the furniture is priced quite high, the chachkas are totally affordable.

STUFF IN NY : THE NATE BERKUS SHOW

Living in NY, I have to take advantage of show tapings. So, I got tickets and went with a friend to The Nate Show. Nevermind the fact that he’s stunners, I love his decor ideas. He is constantly looking for ways to inspire and better yet - provides affordable creative solutions that anyone can do. Check me out on set.

STUFF IN NY : BROOKLYN FLEA

I somehow managed to drag my friend to the Brooklyn Flea with me this past weekend. Whoever thinks Brooklyn is far, guess again. It's a short subway ride away and oh so lovely! These are some of the amazing pieces I found while snooping around, all sourced by local artisans. There's something to say about owning a unique piece instead of store bought.

If you're interested in seeing it for yourself, check out flea hours here - Brooklyn Flea.

STUFF IN NY: MISSONI FOR TARGET

Somehow I convinced my best friend visiting from Toronto to visit the Missoni for Target pop up store during Fashion Week. Obv, it was well worth it. 6am wakeup left us first in line and able to grab all of our favorite things. I’m pretty sure I got every single item I could. Oh.. did I mention I took off my heels before dashing into the store to ensure I grabbed as much as I could carry?