Home inspiration: Hanging bulb

Oh my goodness, I'm in love with this beautiful room. Everything from the vintage frames to the topiary to the flickering candles are just gorgeous, don't you think? But most of all, I adore that hanging bulb. Any idea where you might find one?

Update: Here's the rest of the house. It's from a real-estate listing in Sweden, believe it or not!

(Photo by Alvhem, via Abbey)

Master Bedroom: Rad Cover and Sconces

A few more bits and pieces of the master bedroom to show you...

Here's the radiator cover HandyMan made. This is the third one he's made and I think its the best one yet. He tried to complement the style of the paneling we have in the bedroom by using similar trims. I especially like the look of the feet... the cutouts near the base make the cover look a little less heavy and massive in the space.

And a few photos of the one bedside sconce (Wyatt sconce from Pottery Barn) we have installed. My American cousin finally came for a visit and dropped it off. It was worth the wait :)

Luckily the scale and size of the sconce was just as I hoped. It looks good on the little platform thingy we added in the paneling. I really like the warm dark metal against the creamy wall. Its nice and sturdy too. On some sconces I've seen, the arms feel flimsy and the dials lose their tension and don't hold the adjustable arms in place. These ones lock nice and tight and don't seem to sag at all.

We haven't installed the second sconce yet because Chloe's crib is still in our room...and we have to dismantle it to get it out of the room... and then we can install the sconce... and then we can hang up some art... and then we can take some pictures... and then we can finally reveal the room to you all. Just in case you were wondering.

Master Bedroom: Sneak Peek

The master bedroom reno is moving very very sloooooooooowly but I thought I'd share with you a sneak peek.


The panelled wall is all done and I love love love it! This room is quickly turning into my favourite room in the house. The panels were done with mdf strips and we added some trim from Central Fairbank Lumber. I followed a tip from Tracery Interiors (love their work!) and painted everything - walls, trim, doors, ceiling - in the same paint colour, Benjamin Moore Seapearl OC-19 to really expand the space. The colour is perfect... warm white in the day, and a soft grey-oyster shade at night. It doesn't feel too cold or modern, and really brings out the details in the panels. We went all out and splurged for the Benjamin Moore zero-VOC Natura paint which had absolutely no odor and went on like a dream. Wish I could use that paint for all my projects!

We also installed my dreamy vintage flower capiz chandelier. I bought it on ebay years ago for a steal and was waiting for the perfect spot to install it in this house. I think we found the spot!! If you like the light, I've seen modern reproductions of it here and here.

So that's it for now. More peeks to come!

Light It Up

We finally have some snow on the ground. Of course we should - its winter and I live in Canada - but this winter has been surprisingly light on snowflakes. One thing I love about this time of year is seeing all of the seasonal lights on the houses, twinkling and shimmering, giving off warm glows beneath puffy mounds of snow.

HandyMan recently came home with a new light for over the new front door. I'll admit I was skeptical; the vintage bubble type light we currently had seemed fine to me. But he was right. The new light really made our snowy facade look great! Have a look:

Exterior 2008:


Exterior 2009 - old light:


Exterior 2010 - new light:


While the old light gave more overall light and highlighted the door frame, I think this new light focuses on the door and makes it really pop. Plus, it's stainless steel and works well with the stainless steel house numbers and door hardware. We'll have to change the railing to stainless as well eventually, to make the exterior cohesive.



One of our neighbours even told us our house now stands out and looks straight out of a postcard and that's pretty great considering all the houses on our street look exactly the same. Goes to show you that sometimes, all you need is some flattering lighting to bring out your best features.

Master Bedroom: Let There Be Light

Last we left the room, boxes for sconces had been put in on either side of the bed. At the same time, we had some potlights put in, one in front of the closet, another over my vanity, and two to highlight the panelled wall. A bit of lighting overkill perhaps (especially when you consider there is also a center ceiling light) but HandyMan has been hankering for potlights since the dining room reno (which I vetoed). So, I picked my battles and that's how we're left with mondo illumination decoration.

Now to find sconces to fit those boxes! Since the room will be painted white, I knew I wanted dark toned lights to balance the dark headboard. And lately, I've been really liking the whole farmhouse / new country / cottage look so I was looking for something more casual in feel. A swing-arm would be great too, since we like to read in bed. Put all those things together and these are kind of sconces that we find appealing:

1. Robert Abbey Ant Bee Pharmacy Head Swinger Wall Lamp
2. Hancock Collection Dark Bronze Hardwire Swingarm Wall Light
3. Universal Lighting Oil-Rubbed Bronze Hardwire Swing Arm Wall Lamp
4. George Kovacs P3 Plug-In Swing Arm Wall Lamp

5. Pottery Barn Wyatt Sconce

Of these, we liked the Pottery Barn one best - but found out they don't sell them in the Canadian stores and PB online doesn't ship to Canada. Ugh. So now, I'll have to find a way to get them. Don't you just hate wanting something only to learn you can't actually get it?

Light Delight

When I start designing a room, I look for that "one thing", that one spark of inspiration that will ignite the whole rest of the design. It can be anything - a piece of fabric, a paint colour, a piece of art. For the dining room, it was the wallpaper. In Chloe's room, it was the curtain fabric. For the master bedroom, its the...well, I haven't found it yet. I thought maybe I would start looking at lighting and perhaps that would be the catalyst for a great design. Here's a few I found on the lampsplus.com site (have any of you purchased from them?). There are so many different directions I can go with this room. It'll be hard to pick just one!
This bamboo pendant chandelier is tranquility and contemporary cool in one. I like the mix of textures and the subtle colour. I picture it in a room with grasscloth on the wall, crisp white sheets, sheers on the window, orchids on the sidetable, and lots of glass accents.

I love swing arm lamps, one on either side of a bed, and this one is simply stunning. The chrome finish would look great in a modern or transitional setting. Think cloud white walls, a thick plush carpet underfoot, worn leather suitcases stacked for use as a side table. Maps and architectural prints adorning the walls in thin edged frames.

This pendant is from the Walt Disney lighting collection. There is something about it that is very Disney-esque, don't you think? It is so Art Deco, I love it. This would look at home in a high glam room... luxe silk draperies, a tufted headboard, sparkly accessories, panelled walls. Mmm, so divine.

This Jonathan Adler pendant seems very Kelly Wearstler to me. I see it paired with bold coloured walls, nubly textured bedding, perhaps a sisal rug underfoot. The diffused light could highlight a vibrant orange laquered dresser and dramatic art piece over the bed. An eclectic look.

A fun fresh look for the bedroom. I'd put this in a room with beadboard 2/3 up the wall, maybe the ceiling painted blue too. Mix in white sidetables with vintage handles, black & white photos mixed with etsy art, all in silver frames, a cozy window seat with coordinated cushions in shades of blue, white, and lilac. A room perfect for taking a summer afternoon nap.


How fun would this lilypad light be? Would it make you feel like you were sleeping beneath the sea? This could work with a retro look or clean Asian vibe. Think pale aqua walls, matchstick roller blinds with vintage curtain panels. A plush carpet with oversized floral pattern. A curvy vanity and lucite makeup chair. Soft and feminine.

See what I mean... decisions, decisions!

Summer Shades

We've been on the lookout for lights for the back deck since last summer and these ones we just picked up from Ikea fit the bill perfectly! The rattan shade adds to the whole breezy vibe and I love how you can see the silhouette of the lightbulbs through them. We bought the globe-shaped lightbulbs at Ikea too - they're energy efficient and should last 10,000 hours. Perfect for those long, languorous summer nights... can't you hear the crickets chirping already?

In The Home Stretch

I'm on pins and needles folks. Granite countertops are going in tomorrow (tomorrow!) and appliances will be in at the end of the week. That means we will have a functional kitchen soon. HandyMan worked his tail off to get the trims and baseboards finished. It was a bit of a hassle because our new drywall is thinner than what was there originally so the door frames sat out from the drywall. But HandyMan, being the perfectionist architect that he is, shimmed everything up and made sure all the awkward door trims lined up. I'll post some pictures of the trims and granite tomorrow, but in the mean time, here's some of my favourite details in the new kitchen...

The ribbed glass door fronts...


Full extension drawers with dovetail joints AND soft close. Plus, the cabinets are frameless construction so the doors cover the entire front of the cabinet box...


Pull out shelves in the pantry...


Pull out spice drawer...


And the pendant light over the sink.


And here's a sample of the drawer handles (though the ones we got are in a brushed finish). Don't you just love the rectangular cup pull? They tie the whole vintage/deco look of the kitchen together.


I'm so ready for this to be over -- take out food lost its appeal weeks ago, lol.

Garage Sale, you say

I guess rich folks have garage sales just like the rest of us. My friend Toni sent me this link. By the looks of the goods on sale, you won’t be finding any “2 for $1” tables anywhere. You could probably find some good deals though for high quality pieces at less than astronomical prices.


I’ve never been to an estate sale, though I always tell HandyMan we should drop by ones we’ve seen advertised in Rosedale or Bloor West Village or other hoity-toity areas of the city. I did score this chandelier though years ago on ebay. Supposedly it came from an estate sale in Kentucky. It only cost me $45 so its lofty provenance was doubtful. No matter. It looked smashing in the old condo. But with all the renos going on in the new house (and the lack of any progress in renovating the bedrooms), the chandelier currently sits wrapped in blankets in my basement. What a shame. Let’s get a move on, HandyMan… I want to hang up my pretty little light.