I'd like to wish everyone a happy new year and hope that 2013 is the best year yet!
I haven't been out much this winter, I'm actually not much of a winter person. I know what you're thinking - so why do you live in Canada??? Sometimes in our looooong winters I wonder that myself...
Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite outdoor photo's that I've taken from winters past. Hope you all have fun tonight, I know I will! Any new years resolutions?
Many of these were taken at beautiful Waskesiu, Saskatchewan
My intent for this blog is to keep it light hearted and fun. But I just need to take a minute to acknowledge all of the amazing people in my life. As some of you may already be aware I have been going though some major health problems over the past 2 months. I'd rather not discuss the details of my health here, those who need to know know.
I just want to send out a big fat THANK YOU to those of you who have been there for me every day when I was in hospital and now that I am back home. Those of you who have sent gifts and prayers and well wishes from home and a far. Those who've shown their support through cooking and cleaning and just being there to listen. My little sis who flew home from South Africa to be with me. My best friends and close family members who always make sure I am warm and fed and emotionally supported, even though this is so difficult for them too.
I'm facing a challenge like no other I have ever faced in my life.
Every day I have a moment where I wonder "is this really happening?",
and then I remember that it is. I guess I'm still a little in shock. And
yet despite the shock and horror of it all, I also have moments where I
forget that I am the one facing this challenge. Those are wonderful,
precious moments and they are because of your amazing support. Those are the moments that give me the
strength to keep going and to know that I'm not alone in this fight.
Most of all I need to thank my husband Ryley for his constant daily support and love. He remembers all my medications and appointments. He cooks me healthy meals and tries to make me eat even just a little. He takes me to all my appointments and writes everything down and asks the doctors a million and one questions. I don't know how I could even get through this without him. He is my constant and my angel. I love you Ryley!
So again, I just want THANK YOU!!! And send my love and good karma your way, Lindsey
Because practically all I think about is design, I perpetually have my ear to the ground so to speak. So I sometimes come across a business/designer/artist that I think do amazing, unique and creative work that is worthy of sharing.
They've been on my radar for a while, but I recently came across their work again and was re-amazed at the artistry. I'm talking about Rollout - a Canadian company that does custom wallpapers and murals. You can get any picture you want turned into wallpaper or murals. They will create custom designs for you or your company, as well as searching out local artists and commissioning them to create unique wallpaper designs for Rollout. The results are stunningly beautiful, unique and often very tongue-in-cheek. Check it:
This time of year, right now, is such a fun moment. The moment before the chaos, when we start to anticipate the fun and feeling of the holiday season. We want to start buying presents and decorating our homes. But for the minimalists, finding decorations we like is not always so easy.
Ryley & I buy a real (farm grown/sustainably harvested) tree every year and for years put nothing on it but little white lights. My reasoning was that a real tree is so beautiful on its own and really doesn't need embellishments. But after about ten years of this I have started to grow bored of it and have been looking for new ways to show my Christmas spirit.
However, the idea of cluttering up my home with trinkets and nicknacks is still unappealing to me so I put away my everyday decorative items for the season and replace them with the holiday items. Never very many, just enough to give the feeling of holidays: a wreath on the door, a lumberjack plaid throw on the couch (that my friend Nikki gave to me), maybe some candles and faux fur pillows or throws, my minimal tree and yeah, that's about it. If you're like me and looking for just a few new pieces to add to your Christmas decor, here are a few of my favorite finds so far (a lot of these are handmade items from Etsy cause I like to support small business):
Clockwise from top left: Himmeli Ornaments by AMradio at etsy.com; Christmas Tree by Cardboard Christmas at etsy.com; XL Pouf by theRemakerie at etsy.com (even a modernist can use a little bit of pattern); Elf Candleholders by CB2 at cb2.com; Fred lrg moose trophy by Cardboard Safari at cardboardsafari.com; Branch Menorah by JudaicaDesignsUSA at etsy.com; Auskin Jumbo Beanbag by Auskin Fibre at inmod.com
I'm not a big fan of trends and don't recommend that people change their style or decor based on a trend or follow them too closely. Trends are just too, well, trendy. They come and go so quickly. So why am I writing a post about trends you might ask? Well, every once in a while a trend comes along that I just love so much that it makes me want to bend my no trends rule just a little. But I have a prerequisite: it has to be something with staying power. Something that I think will remain in style for a lot longer than a single season.
Something very stylish right now that I think has some serious staying power is the trend towards raw, more natural looking wood as prominent statement pieces. I'm talking about the reclaimed wood wall, reclaimed wood furniture and live edge furniture pieces. I love this look! If you have the right space for it, it provides instant texture and character to a space and is one of a kind. What do you think, is this a trend you could get into?
Clockwise from top left: MTH Woodworks Bloom Coffee Table available at woodindesign.com, Hilla Shamia Cast Aluminum and Wood Furniture available at hillashamia.com, Reclaimed Wood Wall from brooklyntowest.blogspot.ca, Live Edge Wood Headboard, Reclaimed Wood Dining Table from brooklyntowest.blogspot.ca
So I thought it would be fun to include some design tips and tricks in this blog. You know, some rules of thumb that can help a design scheme further along the path to awesomeness. This will be a reoccurring column in which I will share some trade secrets and some need-to-knows.
An important part of design is colour. It sets the mood for a space and we all have a strong emotional connection with colour for better or worse. A good rule of thumb is to think about how you will utilize the space and how you want to feel in it before picking a colour. If you want a certain room to be a space for relaxing, don't pick a colour that you might find jarring or over stimulating (at least not as your main colour). This may seem like stating the obvious, but you'd be surprised how often this step is forgotten.
My Colour Wheel: a reference guide for colour mixing and matching
If your not sure what colours will work together and which ones just don't look quite right a good place to start is the colour wheel. I won't go through all the uses of the colour wheel in this post - that would take way too long. I will however discuss two of my favorite colour schemes which are also two of the simplest schemes (I'm a bit of a minimalist) called monochromatic and analogous.
A monochromatic scheme is, of course, a scheme based on one colour, or one piece of the colour wheel pie. Black and white can be added to the colour giving a range of tints and shades thereby making the monochromatic scheme more interesting.
An analogous scheme is similar to a monochromatic scheme but instead of using shades of one colour you use two or three colours that are adjacent to one another on the colour wheel and all their tints and shades. Simple and beautiful.
Analogous Colour Scheme
This video by OK Go is a perfect example of both monochromatic and analogous colour schemes (it also makes me want to slow dance with my hubby in matching monochromatic outfits):
I've been meaning to start a design blog for some time now. So I decided to kick this off with a personal project that my husband Ryley and I designed and built in our back yard. It's our three season room, also known as my smoking room (my vice is the occasional cigar). Essentially it is an enclosed/roofed deck that extends off the patio doors to our kitchen. I wanted something that was comfy and cozy that would extend our outdoor season and give us privacy (it's elevated 4' off the ground and if it weren't for the walls, we'd be able to see directly into the neighbors yards and they'd see us way up high - hello neighbors!) This is my favorite space in my house because it is prefect for both parties and for relaxing.
Fabric Detail: Ikat & Burlap
The seat cushions are made from mattress foam and are almost as deep as a twin mattress. Yes, I have slept out here.
All of the white & cedar panels can open or remain closed.
Horizontal cedar boards is a common theme in many of our outdoor projects. This room matches our front step which Ryley built a couple of years ago, and the backyard fence we are just putting the finishing touches on now. I will post pictures of these projects sometime soon!
