A Touch of Gold

I love the warmth gold brings to a room.  It is definitely one of my favourite colours to use right now.  Each week I'll try and bring you a room that uses it well.  Today's room is from Lonny's current issue.

As usual I have a million things to do around the house.  My plans to complete the gallery wall and Thomas' picture frames this weekend did not happen.  I really need to get them done.  It's driving me nuts!  I'm a pro-procrastinator!!  

It's raining again in Toronto!  So far this spring is horrible.  I just want the sunny hot summer weather to arrive already.  I'm sick of the rain and cool temperatures.  

Off to bed

Thomas and I are still trying to find the right schedule.  Well let's be honest, I'm trying to schedule a routine and Thomas is doing the complete opposite.  Some days he will nap and other days it's like a nap would be sheer torture.  On the positive side he's a very good night sleeper.  We're down to two 5 minute feedings between 8pm and 7am. Unfortunately, this is still not providing me enough time to do everything I need to do like blog, return emails, clean, prepare meals...etc.  We're slowly getting there.

I officially became the classic over-reacting first time mom today.  My mom and the doctor basically told me in a very sweet way that he's perfectly fine and to call the doctor if he gets a fever.  Haha!

This is going to be a short post but at least I'm posting.  I found this room while browsing James Michael Howard's profile.  I thought it perfect since all I dream of these days is more sleep.  A finished bedroom like this one would be an ideal retreat.

Home Depot Headboards - Updated

Everyone says to enjoy the time before the baby arrives because life will be mayhem afterwards.  I just don't get that because my life is crazy busy already!  Maybe this means I won't find it as difficult to manage.  :) 

Any who... it's already 2:40pm on Tuesday.  I've wanted to post all day but haven't gotten around to it until now.  I'm not sure if you remember a post I did a month or so ago on headboards sold on the Home Depot website (not available in-store).  If not, here is the post.  My friend Jane ordered one of the headboards.  It has arrived and looks fantastic. 

I should mention that she has just moved into a new home and has triplets!  There isn't a lot of time for her to decorate let alone make the bed.  :)  I think it looks fabulous.  Great find Jane!  Thanks for sharing this with my readers and me. 

FYI this is the kaki fabric.  It has more of a gold undertone than a green... Just in case you want to order the same. 

Beautiful Rooms

Yeah it's Friday!!

I've been experiencing a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions this week so today I'm staying home to relax.  I'm done pushing myself to the max to try and make everyone happy and get all that is on my 'to-do' list completed.  If it gets done great, if not, oh well!  We have six weeks until my due date.  I can't believe the last 8 1/2 months have gone by so quickly.  Right now I feel ripe and ready to go but I know our little Jelly Bean isn't ready to meet us just yet.  I need to try and stay as comfortable as possible in the next six weeks to give JB the home he/she requires until ready.

I'm sure you've seen this room before designed by Diane Von Furstenberg but I thought we should take another look because it's simply gorgeous.  Her bold fabric stands out and provides a unique backdrop to the rooms design.  I love the black paint feautred on the window wall.  This is how bold fabric should be used - in conjunction with neutral walls and neutral fabric so as not to overwhelm you.

 Hello beautiful!!

It's time to relax (after I help my boss out with a proposal).  Have a great weekend!  We (Ryan) will have the baby's room a bit more complete for a post on Monday.  xo

Fresh Start - Home Depot Surprise

I know I'm hours late in posting.  It's just been one of those Mondays.  The weekend was great!  Very busy.  I did manage to purchase the nursery items off my list but nothing else was completed. 

A friend of mine (Jane) introduced me to her latest find - Home Depot headboards!  Check it out.  They looks gorgeous online.  The only down side is you cannot look at the fabric selection in person BUT if you don't like the finished product it's fully returnable!  :)  The price doesn't get much better either $279 - $519 for a king. 

Tomorrow I'll update you on the nursery.  Have a great evening! xo

Ashley Goforth Design

Yeah it's Friday!!  I have no official plans this weekend other than brunch with a friend tomorrow.  I'll shop for furniture (my place, the uncle's and P&J's), invite Ryan's sister and husband for dinner and take it easy!  And of course we can't forget handing out candy on Halloween to the adorable kids in our neighbourhood.  I can't wait to see all the costumes. 

I gave you a teaser of Ashley Goforth Design yesterday.  Today I'm featuring a selection of her work within dining, living and bedrooms.  I love her use of neutral paint, neutral fabric, down-filled cushions, comfortable furniture and modern lighting!  She knows the perfect mix of modern and classic design. 

Enjoy!  xo

Hello Gorgeous!!

Yesterday was a busy day at work.  One of these days I will get my act together and finish posts ahead of time.  Although, with all that I have taken on - pregnancy, prepping babies room, finishing house tasks, decorating P&J's place, decorating my uncle's loft, day job which includes longer hours now and the blog - it's probably not going to happen anytime soon.  Ryan says I should give something up but I just can't imagine doing so.  I'm just meant to be very busy.  It feels like a lot right now but it also makes me feel really good!  Especially decorating my friends and uncle's place.  It's so rewarding to see a room come together and a house become a home. 

Ok, not sure where I'm going with this post today...

I came across Ashley Goforth on DecorPad.  She is incredibly talented!  So far I've only had a chance to look at her bedroom designs.  I've fallen in love with this one.  One day I would like our master bedroom to look similar to what Ashley has accomplished in her rooms - elegant, cozy and classic. 

I'm having computer issues and can't seem to load any other pictures.  I will be back with more of her work tomorrow. 

Have a great day!!  xo

A Desireable Bedroom

Yeah it's Friday and sunny!!!  I'm working from home today as our office is under renovations.  It will be a busy day of getting ideas out to my clients, revising proposals and setting up a few meetings for next week.  I'm also going to stop by my sister-in-laws for lunch to snuggle my new nephew who is 3 weeks old.  I can't wait to see how much he has grown.  This weekend Ryan is off to Michigan with 50 golf pros from around Toronto to watch the college football game tomorrow.  I'm on my own so it's time for some girlie time.  Tonight, dinner with a very good friend. My sister Katie is coming for a visit tomorrow.  We'll shop, eat and have some one-on-one time together.  I'm really looking forward to it.

Now for my post.  Today I wanted to show you a simple bedroom by Pamplemousse Design.  Here is what I love - the cubes at the bottom of the bed in purple and orange, the bright pink throw, the column of art above the tulip table and the unexpected placement of such a large sconce.  Very cool!

Have a great weekend!! xo

Modern Girlie bedroom & Little Boys bedroom with an update from Moi and Baby.

Morning!  Sorry about yesterday.  I had many plans to post and work on all my postings for the week but then I went through a huge dizzy spell, felt like I was going to faint so I took it easy and rested in bed.  Looking at the computer screen was not an option as it only made me feel more light headed.  I hear this is normal during the third tri but I'm still going to talk to my doctor about it this afternoon.  It was a bit scary.  Luckily Jelly Bean made me fully aware that he was ok by moving around jabbing mom a few times.  :)  (so odd to call myself mom).

Monday afternoon I spent running errands for the house.  We are almost done (for now).  I purchased drapes for the kitchen which Ryan put up last night.  It was quite the difficult task and a good lesson on patience for both of us.  My uncle started to trim out the walls in the nursery.  First coat of paint goes on tonight.  We are using Behr Ultra White.  After trying BM and Para my uncle (the painter of our house) prefers Behr.  I'm going to add a horizontal strip of colour and want a sharp contrast.  If anyone has tips on how to create large horizontal stripes throughout the room please let me know. 

I have rugs for the living room and master bedroom on order from Mat King.  Other than that I just need to hang pictures, put up the bathroom hardware in the powder room, paint the trim in the powder room (not me of course) and maybe buy a plant for the living room.  Then that's it for the down stairs.  I hope to paint our bedroom before Christmas to freshen it up but that's it. 

Today I'm featuring two beautiful bedrooms, one for a modern little girl and the other for a modern little boy.  The first bedroom was featured in Elle Decor.  I think it's absolutely spectacular!  I've always loved grey and pink together but never thought to add yellow (drapes) or green (side tables).  It's so sharp!  Seeing this room makes me want to add grey to our nursery.  Maybe in the rug and glider?  We'll see...

This is the room that made me consider adding horizontal stripes to our nursery.  I will only add one colour to make it as simple and sharp as possible.  The decor is a real contrast between a little boys bed set paired with such dark romans and rug.  The decor will grow with him as he gets older. 

Cookie Kids

I have a busy day (half day) at work and then I'm off to the doctors.  The appointments have increased to every two weeks now.  Today I get tested for diabetes.  Fingers crossed that I'm all good. 

Have a great day!

A Beautiful Nest!

I came across these images from Nest Dallas Design.  I love the feel of each room.  Clean lines, neutral with hits of colour hear and there, great lighting, simple roman shades, not a lot of trinkets lying around.  It's exactly how I like to live.  The prints on the wall of the first room are from the Crate & Barrel.  They work really well against the grey paint.  The colours in this room are not what I would normally think to pair but they work really well together.  The floor lamps remind me of my grandparents old lamps with the tray attached.  I love how they have been modernized with a large barrel shade featuring silver metallic inside.

This is one of my favourite bedrooms.  It has character without the fuss - clean lines, neutral backdrop, pops of green and purple (my favourite fall colour).  I could easily do this in our bedroom.  Now I just have to convince Ryan that puple isn't too girlie (even though he already cut it from the choice). 

Dark grey walls, a lighter grey ceiling, marble surround fireplace, medium toned wood floors - perfection!!  Seriously, if I could paint every ceiling in my house I would!  It would involve way too much work though because we have the god awful speckled ceiling. 

Honestly, the ceiling fans are awesome!  Chocolate brown, light grey and white are such a classic combination that will always remain fresh. 

Ryan is taking me away for the weekend (Sat/Sun) to a surprise destination.  I have no idea and it's very exciting!  Tonight we'll meet our nephew for the first time.  He was born this morning weighing 8lbs 12oz and a full head of hair!  I can't wait to meet this little guy. 

We hope to stop by Babies Fine Furniture on Sunday afternoon to check out some nursery furniture.  We'll see if that happens.  I think I would prefer this weekend to be free of any house duties, errands or decorating.  We need a break. 

Oh, our powder room is looking fantastic!!!  Seriously the colour is gorgeous!

Have a great weekend!  xo

Fresh Start - Margaret Bosbyshell's White & Green Atlanta Bedroom

Good morning!  It's another gorgeous autumn day in Toronto.  I love this season!!  I had a bit of a rough start to my week.  Terrible sleep and woke up with Braxton Hicks contractions for the first time.  It was painful and a bit scary but didn't last long.  So I emailed working saying I would be late, went back to bed and took my time getting ready.  I think I was worried about work which needs to stop.  Baby comes first! 

As with last Monday's post, today we'll start the blogging week off with an inspiring image - a crisp green and white bedroom by Margaret Bosbyshell of Atlanta.  I love how she paired the simple white and green bedding with the bold patterned walls, clean white drapes with a strip of green on the edge and no fuss white chandelier.  There are a few touches of glamour with the gold mirror above the bed, gold framed nightstands and large white fabric headboard that wraps around the edges of the bed.  I could easily climb into that bed and relax in this room today.  Maybe it's because I love the fresh pairing of white and green or because I'm craving/needing more sleep.  Either way, I love this room!! 

Living Room Update Part 2 & Bedroom Update

We (my uncle and Ryan) painted the living room last night.  It needs one more coat but I'm already very happy!!  It's exactly what I wanted - a soft white.  It goes well with the kitchen and hallway.

HomeSense has the best prices and a great selection of lamps and art!  I purchased this canvas on Saturday for the living room.  I'll put it above the fireplace. 

Here is a little update on the bedroom progress.  The dresser and side tables were delivered.  I love them.  Originally I didn't want to get a matching set but the price was right.  The side tables will provide a lot of storage for us.  I purchased the lamps from HomeSense on Saturday.  I love them as is but will most likely paint the base in a high gloss colour at some point - once I figure out the colour scheme and feel of the room. 

I usually like to concentrate on one room at a time because you can get it done a lot quicker and feel a sense of accomplishment.  There is so much to do in every room of our house!!  I bet the only room to be fully completed by Christmas will be the nursery.  I keep telling myself to take it one step at a time.  Once the living room furniture arrives it will make it feel more like a home and somewhere we can entertain. 

I have a busy day scheduled at work.  I must get a proposal out this afternoon and hopefully close the deal by next week.  I really want to hit my Q1 budget and I'm so close!  Wish me luck!

Green & Blue

Good Saturday morning to all of you!  It's a gorgeous sunny cool morning in Toronto.  I love it!!  Fall is my favourite season.  It gets me so energized.  I have a few things to accomplish this morning - pick up mat jeans from the tailors (yeah another outfit will be complete providing me with 7 full days of outfits), visit Home Depot to check out Behr white paint since I don't like the Navajo White from BM and I really can't afford to buy another 2 gallons of it and check out HomeSense for bedside table lamps.  Our new side tables will be delivered between 12-2pm today.  I'm so excited to have proper side tables that will hold everything we need.  I know I wasn't going to go matchy-matchy but the pair to go with the dresser went on sale from $239 to $199 and then I managed to squeeze another $20 off each.  How could I resist at that price??? This afternoon I'm going to an industrial carpet store that sells remnants to regular consumers.  A friend discovered it and purchased a beautiful 8' x 8' (aprox) sisal rug for $200.  Wish me luck!

I have been meaning to post pictures of this room for a while now but for some reason my macbook was not cooperating with me.  I put it in time out and now I have a cooperative macbook.  :)  I'm a parent in training.

This is the inspiration for our nursery.  I love how bright the room is and the mix of green and blue.  It's a little girls room but I think it will work just fine for a baby boy or girl and mostly it will suit mom very well. :)

Have a great day!!

Martensen-Jones Interiors

Monday Blues

It's a grey afternoon in Toronto.  Thought I would share a bright girlie bedroom with you all.  Love the flowers, drapes and wall sconces!

What to do???

Hi dear readers. Are you still there? If so, I apologize for the lack of posts due to a serious lack of inspiration. The last month has been intense for us! There is a lot going on at work and personally. I also need to confess that with the move and all the expenses of it decorating my house seems like a daunting and expensive task. I feel like there is just so much to do but I haven't had the energy to get started. And where do I get started? Which room do I focus on? At this point I'm not sure it's just one room since I need to furnish more than just one room. I also don't want to disappoint you. I feel like there is a big expectation of me. I know I can put together a beautiful room I'm just not sure it will be as fast as everyone might hope (including me).  I also need to watch how much money I spend on items.  It's adding up very quickly!  I think I might have put this pressure on myself.  I have spent the last year pouring over magazines, researching designers and reading many wonderful blogs on design.  Each of them has given me so many ideas.  Ideas that would cost a lot of money!  I have stopped looking online over the last month in order to get back in my own head and budget.  :)  Sometimes the inspiring photos on blogs and magazines cause too many high expectations.  It's the same when you look at skinny air-brushed models on magazines and actors on TV and the big screen.  Most of the time it's unobtainable.  We need to find an element that we like and make it ours.  Easier said than done. 

At the moment, I'm trying to find various pieces for the house and pick out paint. I've made progress in purchasing a dresser for our master. I opted against purchasing the matching bedside tables at this point. I think the room will look too cramped for this and I like the look of different pieces speaking to one another in a room. It adds character. No idea when I'll find the right bedside tables but it will happen in time. We have also hired a painter to coat the hallway, stairway and upstairs hallway in a beautiful BM colour that I have yet to pick out. Haha! My lunch hour will be spent at the paint store today.

Here is the dresser. It's from GH Johnson. The floor model is completely beat up. Don't judge it's scratches because I'll be getting a fresh one. :)

I rambled on... If you're still reading, bless you! xo

Grey or Gray?

What's the difference between grey and gray?  I've read that 'grey' has more of a yellow undertone and 'gray' has more of a pink undertone.  The difference could just be British vs. American.  I'm not sure.  Either way, it's the colour I'm planning on using in our bedroom to cozy it up.  The room is large.  The largest bedroom I've ever had! :)

I'm loving these rooms.  Especially grey paired with gold!  Hopefully we'll test colours on the wall soon.  The room that needs to be painted the most though is the kitchen.  The colour is horrible!  One step at a time, right?

All images from Decorpad

I'm back to work today.  It was a very busy day.  Luckily my accounts are very active at the moment.  Fingers crossed that this will turn into sales! :)  

Neutral is Soothing

Morning lovely readers!  I'm back at work today after spending the majority of yesterday on my back with a heating pad.  I pulled a muscle getting ready for the gym.  (Do you think that's a sign that I shouldn't go to the gym in the morning or is it a sign that I should go more???)  Any how, I'm feeling a bit better today.  I can finally take a deeper breath.  The chiropracter should help me a lot at lunch today. 

In the meantime, does everyone find this bedroom as soothing and lovely as I do?  I could easily end my days relaxing in this bed.  I love the shape of the headboard.  I would like to attempt making my own headboard this summer.  Once I'm in the house I will get started. 

Better Homes and Gardens

A hit of Blue and White

Loving this room by Timothy Mather.  Blue and white is definitely a classic and a favourite combo of mine.  I can't wait to incorporate it in our new bedroom.  42 days until we're in the new house!!  :)

I'm IN-LOVE with the double panel silk drapes and fabric headboard.  They are so luxurious.

A Modern Kids Room

Busy day!!  The sun is shining and I'm about to go eat my lunch on a sunny park bench. :)  Bring on the summer!

While perusing the website of Rees Roberts yesterday I saw this modern kids room.  I thought it was a great example of how crisp white walls (my FAV!!!) can make colour pop!  Turquoise always looks brighter next to neutral walls and furnishings.  Check out the very colourful chandelier!  It would not stand out as much as it does with colour on the walls.  I love it! 

Rees Roberts & Partners LLC

Benjamin Moore Newburg Green

While browsing Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle yesterday I noticed the most beautiful blue green walls.  They completely caught my attention!  The colour is called Newburg Green by Benjamin Moore.  I immediately starting thinking about where I could use this colour in our new house.  Look how it makes the white fabric and orange throw pop!  It would be a very cool colour in a nursery or maybe I'll use it in the guest bedroom.  It would look great next to our duvet and pillows from Restoration Hardware's white Italian bedding with brown satin stitch collection. 

Loving the mix of old and new in this nook so much!!  Where can I get that lamp for less then $70?