Brad Ford!

Interior Designer Brad Ford, really nothing else needs to be said!                                

His stunning design style is very clean, simple lines with an eclectic twist, what more needs to be said! Except that I am lovin his portfolio. My favorite things this month is definitely Brad's interiors and the furniture pieces he uses within them. Great Inspiration for all!   http://bradfordid.com/

Until next time,

w&c designer girl! 

DIY Projects with Kijiji Finds!!

Guest Post by Vicky Sanderson

vswtiter@sympatico.ca

Remember when decorating rules were carved in stone, and included the edict that one must stick to

one style or era in a room? Those days are long gone — good news for those who like to mix it up. Now, it’s all about pulling together old and new, and mashing up styles and periods to create layered, textured, eclectic spaces.

Not only does this new direction foster more individual, personalized décor, it offers another noteworthy benefit. Because you can get the look by revamping  inexpensive, unassuming pieces found on classified sites like Kijiji www.kijiji.ca, it’s also eco-friendly and highly affordable.

Recently, I created several home décor gems out of gently-used items easily found on Kijiji, which has recently added outdoor items, appliances and reno materials as distinct categories, making searching even easier. If you can’t immediately find what you’re looking for, sign up for an alert when an item that matches your search term comes online.

Here are a couple of projects that I hope inspire you to turn a second-hand find into something sensational.

Individual plates make great wall clocks.  All you need is a plate, along with clocks hands (they come in cute shapes, such as knives and forks, hammers and screwdrivers or fishing rods) and a movement, both of which are available for less than $10.

To make, slowly and carefully drill a small hole in the centre of the plate. Place a piece of tape over the drill spot to keep it from cracking and added a few drops of water as you go along to keep the drill bit cool and lubricated (mineral oil works for that, too.). Then attach the movement and hands.

Check out the fabric section, too, and don’t discount linen tablecloths just because it has a tear or stain. Use still-good stuff into pillow shams, napkins, or tea and guest towels.

Plain pillow shams can be dressed up with fabric paint. I tried two methods. One was to simply tape straight lines with Scotch Blue tape www.scotchblue.com along a pillow and paint it out in cheery colours. For another pillow, I made my own stencil by hanging a length of the tape from a doorway and, using hole-punchers with two different sizes of holes, randomly punching a pattern. You can also get special edger punches with various designs. Remember to wipe excess paint from a small brush and brush lightly on the fabric (better here to do a couple of light coats than one thick one.)The same technique works on a glass vase, which could also be easily transformed with some craft glue and a remnant of prettily patterned fabric.

Not all pieces need to be entirely made over. I had no interest in stripping or painting the ornate legs on another older end table, but the top of it was damaged. I cleaned and oiled the legs before sanding the top and smoothing out dents with wood filler. On went a coat of primer (don’t skip this step!) and then a layer of Jute from Pittsburgh Paints and a narrow trim with Farrow and Ball’s Blazer — a warm, orangey-red. (Ahem – the ScotchBlue tape came in handy here as well – because my hand is not that steady.)

I’ve since discovered that mixing original finishes with freshly painted surfaces is a trend that’s turning up in décor mags and on hip design blogs. Turns out that it’s cool to save money and decorate sustainably — music to the ears of those who frown upon throwaway design, and want to create spaces that reflect their own unique taste.

Thanks Vicky for sharing your DIY Projects!!

Until next time,
w&c designer girl!

 

Humber Design Show Off Event

March 28th Humber College had their Grand Opening for our new Design Center mixed with a art gallery style affair for students to Show Off their talent!

The evening was full of great energy, from students in Industrial Design, Interior Design, Interior Decorating, Design Foundation and Architect students proudly showing their work to Alumni, outside companies looking to hire and internal participants. Their was also a list of industries talented alumni showing their faces and support!

Design Team for the new Design Center. http://www.gowhastings.com/index.htm

Humber Alumni and industry interior design leader Anna Simone with her design team.

Humber Alumni Lauren from Gluckstein Home and myself.

Had to get in on this one, TV Landscape Guru Carson Arther and Alumni of Humber's Landscaping program.

CityLine Leigh-Ann Allure and Benjamin Moore Representative.

Andrew Bockner from Andrew Richard Design with Humber Alumni and Andrew's right hand in the office Lenna.

And we can't not forget Outgoing TV DIY'er and Alumni Nicolas Rosaci.

The event was full when on lookers were surprised with a flash mob to get the formal presentation start.

Our fabulous Industries who's who, were gracious enough to be judges for the evening and choose their top picks of the night.

Top 10 students were more then thrilled to received their awards and acknowledgement in front of their peers and outside companies. Student with Judges.

The event was a success for all who attended and I want to thank everyone who was involved and making my job that much more easier. I truly had fun working on this project with each and everyone of you. Until next year everyone . . . .

Until next time,

w&c designer girl!

Karim Rashid's New Collection at BoConcept!

BoConcept introduces their new furniture collection designed by Canadian award-winning designer Karim Rashid. I was excited to be invited to the launch party last week that introduced the inspiring collaboration with world-renowned artist and designer Karism Rashid and hear him speak about his new line and the inspiration behind his Ottawa Collection.

"With offices in New York City and Amsterdam, Holland, Rashid is considered one of the most prolific designers of his generation with over 3,000 designs in production, 300 awards and work in 35 countries. His work is featured in 200 permanent collections and galleries worldwide." Needless to say it was an honour to meet such a talented and inspiring artist of our times, he is a character as well.

Make sure to check out his whole collection at BoConcept on the corner of Adelaide and Jarvis in Toronto!

http://www.boconcept.ca/

Until next time,

w&c designer girl!

Now That is a Counter!!

LOVE IT!!! Baker D. Chirico identity & interior, Carlton - Australia, NOW this is DESIGN!!

http://retaildesignblog.net/2012/01/16/baker-d-chirico-brand-identity-interior-carlton-australia/

Love the branding and the food looks amazing too!! Yum . . .

Until next time,

w&c designer girl!

Come one, come all to the Humber Event March 28th!

Looking to hire a student for the summer or needing a graduate student on a full time basis? You don't want to miss this showcase event!!! We have some interesting surprises throughout the evening as well . . . .

Eventbrite invite:

http://designshowoffs.eventbrite.com/?ref=enivtefor&invite=MTc2Mzc2Ny9TdXNhbi5LcmF1c3pAaHVtYmVyLmNhLzA%3D&utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=inviteformal&utm_term=attend

Penthouse Showcase Project

"By thinking out side of the box you can utilize your floor plan by choosing furniture pieces that will bridge two rooms together. Creating the illusion of one large entertaining space and allowing you to have more comfortable sitting options at the same time. People seem to entertain more casually these days, so formal dining rooms are some what extinct. So don’t feel like you have to have a large dining table with chairs, entertain the space with pieces that you will actually enjoy. Allowing you to use the space wisely."

"The country kitchen is famous for many reasons,the main one is the comfortable sitting area that is usually within the eating space. We know that kitchens are the heart of the home and why not have comfortable seating options for your guest to hang out in while you are preparing the meal. We can adopt this idea within any design style and create a conversational area that links all your rooms together. "

Take a peak at this Penthouse Project through the Real Estate:

http://www.venturehomes.ca/VirtualTour.asp?TourID=25831

Until next time,

w&c designer girl!

Damask& Dentelle Stops By To Talk Vintage Office Finds!

We have a special guest that will be stopping in once and while to share with us her thrifty finds and projects on the go. My vivacious Montreal friend Vanessa!

Hello hello,
My name is Vanessa and I am the creative mastermind behind the Québec décor directory Damask & Dentelle. Let’s just say that by starting D&D almost 3 years ago, I basically created my dream job! Everyday I get to meet shop owners and creators, designers & artisans, telling me about what they do and sharing with me their passion for design. How cool is that?

Through it all I basically completely forgot about my own digs. My office was a wreck!!! After almost a year of moving the Damask & Dentelle offices, I was still living in boxes and makeshift desks and storage units. Enough! January 1st I decided to attack the boxes and the lack of storage and …well 2 months later, it's done! Let me walk you through my Modern Vintage transformation.I am a firm believer in anything vintage… for 3 reasons: the craftsmanship was flawless, the design exquisite, and vintage furniture leaves no carbon footprint on our well worn Earth.

(Hayan Art Work)
So vintage it is for the office. First, I needed 2 sturdy work surfaces to be to together in a large L shape. I got 2 beautiful oak doors, one natural and one white. If the idea of doing the same pops into your head make sure you choose doors that are not warped and that have carved patterns that allow for your keyboard and screen to fit in. The natural door had just that, but the white door was too ornate, so I also bought a vintage tempered glass door panel, just the right size to fit on top of the door.

I then reused the red metal credenza that I had in my old office. It is non descript and brightly colored, so why get rid of it right? I styled it with bright pops of colour, a Jonathan Adler vase, a gorgeous butterfly lamp found at Buk & Nola in Montréal, and my faithful Charlie the cockatoo.

The mood board deserves no introduction. It is a collection of my inspirations of the moment, my friends & kids, my appointments and favorite business cards. It is not completely finished though. I have ordered some fabric remnants in bright colors and I will cover the cork surface of the board in the near future.

Storage was an issue in the office, so I went to the St-Michel Flea Market and on Etsy and found myself some of the most beautiful teacups I have ever seen. Now they house pushpins, paper clips, rubber bands and small knicks knacks. Plus they have something so feminine about them... I could not resist.

I rented a loft as an office because I love open floor plans. But open also means no hideouts. This was indeed a problem to make my ugly filing cabinet disappear. I always keep the wallpaper remnants from my different projects, the colourful rolls are attractive in themselves in a basket beside my desk, and they can come in handy from time to time.

Lastly I spoiled myself with great eye candy with a Leigh Viner fashion illustration as well as a Cozamia herringbone modern art print.

http://www.damasketdentelle.com/en/about-us/

Thanks so much Vanessa, its great to see how vintage finds can become a new idea!

Can't wait until the next guest post! xo

Until next time,

w&c designer girl!