building blocks

As the kids have started to settle into school for another year, I still think back on the learning experiences of this past summer. I feel that learning is not just confined to a classroom and can occur all year long from real life experiences (whether it is observing the tides on the beach or picking up rocks when on a bike trail).  However, let's face it, kids enjoy being online on their down time, and sometimes I worry about those  times when the kids are not unplugged...when they're too connected to the games that can distract them from discovering what's in the real world.

Our "unplugged" basement.

Earlier this past summer, my son and I had an interesting conversation about one of his buildings in his Minecraft game (for those who don't know, it's an online game that builds virtual worlds with virtual building blocks).  He was animated in his description, and explained that the "cornerstone blocks are always the strongest, because they are the pillars of the foundation of which you can build something strong".  (yes, his words).

I liked how that sounded.  Cornerstone. Pillars of strength.  I'm always astounded with the mature insight this young boy (so often) has and I was intrigued with what he was building in his virtual world.

A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for an old corner fireplace. We used
Benjamin Moore "Cloud White" #OC-130 for the brick, trim and lower half of
the wall, and Benjamin Moore "La Paloma Gray" #1551 for the upper wall.

I asked him how he chose what materials to use to create his "buildings".  What determines his choices? As I listen to him, so much is revealed about what he learns...not only about how to build like an engineer, but how his choices also relates to building character.   He chooses material based on strength and durability and knows that a good strong neutral floor is the foundation that makes a solid base and provides the ability to stand tall and the confidence to be flexible and add depth or "character" with details.

There were so many flooring options to choose from....it could be overwhelming,
but choosing the most classic styles and colours was the route to go for us.

It's amazing how much more upscale a room can look with a simple
update in flooring...we went from linoleum to marble-style porcelain.

He learned that the colour of the wall can play an important part of attracting visitors into the room and knows at his tender age that soft serene colours make people feel restful and peaceful while darker hues brings warmth and comfort.  A comforting space for family and friends to feel welcome.  How little decorative elements can make a plain house look "phenomenal" (his words), and you don't need a lot...sometimes it only takes a few simple details.

We wanted to choose a chair rail with a simple but detailed profile.  By painting the chair rail,
baseboard and lower wall all the same colour, the room now looks more sophisticated
for the adults but still comfortable and durable for the kids.  The room also looks larger too!

It was amazing how our "Minecraft" conversation was a foreshadow of events to come.  A few days later, our basement was flooded during a torrential rain storm.  Luckily our good friend, who owns a commercial building and renovation company, was able to fit us into their busy schedule (they don't normally do residential projects), and we had our own "pillar of strength" to help us through this unexpected situation.  They did a beautiful and professional job with our basement renovation.  Coincidentally enough, their company name is...Cornerstone.

Now we can return to our playroom, and enjoy the family activities we once enjoyed before the flood...and play some games, both old and new ones like Chess or Minecraft, and build more foundations, more pillars of strength for our family...building blocks of lifetime memories, learning and good times.


Please note:  The opinion in this post is unpaid and unsolicited, and is solely based on the quality of workmanship and service we received.  A great big thank you to our friends...Jim, Adam and the rest of the team at Cornerstone.

northern dreams

It's that time of year again...where we start heading north to enjoy nature...camping trips and visits to the in-laws cottage. 

It's also that time when I start renovating and designing...in my head at least.  I begin looking at available real estate listings of waterfront properties (very few and far between in our price range), and start decorating. My imagination usually runs wild... "If I just paint that white, or add a bunkie there..." as I fantasize of the kids playing in the water, and sun and sand inspired parties with family and friends.

The most fun part of dreaming about recreational homes, is looking at ones that are out there right now and imagining how to personalize it.  Something that represents a sophisticated point in time where you can enjoy nature and life.  A place where you can enjoy the elements of all seasons...water and snow.  I see so many designs that speak to me...appealing to my classic and sophisticated aesthetic, but comfortable and "rugged" enough to take all the skis, boots, dirt bikes, canoes and equipment that is required in a recreational home.

I stumbled upon this beautiful place.  It has a mini golf course for putting practice (for the avid golfers in the house). It also has a fresh beach feel to it...a place where you can imagine leaving flip flops and beach towels by the door. Enjoying the sand.

The wide planked floors are solid, strong, beautiful against the stone beams, and the beamed ceilings.

In the kitchen, you can see an island where you can casually entertain...the bar stools remind me of an old english pub where friends meet and everyone knows your name.  

Just beside the kitchen, you can see the dining room...a little beach inspired, with a clean aesthetic and sophisticated elements for more formal occasions.  But the rustic table suggests that formal entertaining doesn't necessarily mean stuffy...guests can be refined and sophisticated while still feeling comfortable in sandals.

Antiqued wood, seagrass elements and colour schemes suggest warmth...a place for active winter guests.

 And beautiful bright, light filled rooms with views of the water and summer breezes.

The interior designer/architect firm, Jauregui Architects designed this beautiful place.  They've appropriately called this place "Hill Country Modern".  It's a little country.  A little modern.  

It's really...simply beautiful.

{ Photo source for all pictures (except the 1st picture of the water dock):  Jauregui Architects}

clean up act

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I've noticed that there are more and more luxuriously designed laundry rooms.  Much like the spa bathroom, I think people are now focusing on making that room a little more appealing since so much time is spent there doing that "dreaded chore" (laundry is my achilles heel!).

Since I'm trying to enjoy doing the chores that I despise, I've started to re-look at our laundry area to find ways to make it more appealing...maybe it would make doing that chore a little easier.

Here are a few beautiful laundry rooms that I've been looking at.  There's some interesting designs that make the room functional as well as beautiful.

I like how the machines are hidden behind cabinets.

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The bead board softens the look of the wall here.  Simple brackets and open shelving with baskets make things easily accessible.

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The stainless steel backsplash and cabinets gives this room just enough "bling", and it's still easy to clean and maintain. 

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If I had an actual laundry room, I like the idea of shelves that hold laundry baskets like this. 

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We'll see how I feel about laundry after I've worked some design magic with ours.  Although maybe I should re-think our closet instead, to be like this...

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Now wouldn't that be clever? ;)

backyard memories

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Going through the photos of old Girl Guide cookie boxes (in Monday's post), it brought me back to an age when I used to jump over the neighbours fence, and spend almost every summer day with friends, toting magnifying glasses and butterfly nets.  We'd build little tents out of bedsheets, and pretend we were explorers, camping in the outback, examining the creatures in the backyard.


It was an oasis...a place where the world was literally at my feet, and there really weren't any strict rules except making sure I wore a sun hat and washed my hands before I ate dinner.  Ahhh....life seemed so much simpler back then.  I've always loved the idea of a tree house...where little friends can gather in a little "clubhouse" and go over their treasures that they've found in the backyard.  

Although I won't be making a treehouse anytime soon (we'd need a good tree for that!), here are a few photos I've come across that have inspired me to re-create those magical days of summer...maybe with a more sophisticated twist.

Here's some ideas...

I love the how these curtains make this space feel romantic and private...this could be easily added to our existing deck arbour....

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I can imagine many lazy summer days reading on this swing chair...

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 Although I'm not the biggest fan of camping, this "glamping" idea seems promising.

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Maybe I can convert a garden shed into something like this...

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Or maybe hang just a simple hammock between two posts...

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Or...just like when I was a kid, just put a sheet over four large poles...

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I hope I have enough bedsheets in our house, so whatever we choose, we will have our own little oasis, so we can re-create more summer memories in the backyard.

  

curated antiques

{source: Traditional Home}

I love the term curated antiques.  It's a term that is often used by interior designers or purveyors of fine furniture...and I love the fact that antiques, like fine art, are curated.  True antiques are coveted because it's worth depends on their age.  And the older they are, the more beautiful they seem.  Every detail is admired for it's craftmanship...of a time when details were carefully carved into wood, and the time spent shows patience, love for the art, and a graceful beauty that will stand the test of time.

{Source: House Beautiful}

From an interior design perspective, there is something so calming and at the same time, orderly about classic design.  It is probably because it is orderly, that we know what to expect. That there is discipline.  However, what adds texture or character to a room are the long loved treasures...something with memories or history.  And antiques are that element that tells a story.


I love how this seemingly modern space is infused with a rustic antique piece...giving this room character and dimension.

{Source: Vicente Wolfe}

Charm is created when you mix old world and modern world.  Mixing classic subway tile and marble counters with a statement piece like the antique lantern creates such a lived in, old world feeling.

{Source: Tommy Smythe}

Or sometimes all you need is just a simple antique statement piece...to place the weight of importance in this  glamourous hall.

{Source: Andreas Trauttmansdorff photography}

I think as time moves forward, I start to look for things that are not just pretty and new, but would also bring something into the home...a story to it.  Like beautiful, curated antiques.

white is warm

I think with design shows like on HGTV, we've become more attuned to great interior design.  There are so many more options that have the high end designer look, but can be attained for a fraction of the price with some ingenuity and vision.  However, we are inundated with so many beautiful designs and options.  And that can be overwhelming.

Before Pinterest, I used to cut out pictures out of magazines and put them in an "inspiration" folder.  When it came time to renovate our bathroom, I had inspirational photos to reference.  I began to look at how to change our bathroom from "builder model boring" to "beautiful and personal".

BATHROOM (BEFORE):
When we first moved in, we made temporary solutions to make this bathroom usable.
Tan walls.  Linoleum floors.  We painted the cabinets white.  (and clearly needed to replace the toilet!)

It doesn't take much.  You just need to know what rooms you like, and understand what makes it beautiful to you. What's great about Pinterest, is you see the common thread between all your "inspiration" photos.  Do you like classic?  Do you like modern?  Do you gravitate towards dark or light colours?  For me, it was a colour scheme and one material element that was consistent in many of the photos.  I love white.  And I love the look of marble.  

This was our bathroom inspiration photo. Julie Charbonneau hails from Montreal, Quebec
(Canada), and her aesthetic is sophisticated classic with a hint of French.

It's funny how our perception of what we like, and seeing an actual visual of what that is, can be so different.  My house used to be mostly taupe and brown, which I thought represented balance (neutral) and warmth.  But no matter what I did, it never seemed quite...right.  But after reviewing all my photos, the meaning of neutral and warm was re-defined for me.  I realized it's white.  It evokes a nostalgic feeling of warmth to me.  It reminds me summer whites (hot, lazy family days spent together) or snowy whites (winter nights spent inside by the fire).

I guess that's the key for me.  Not only do we want our homes to reflect our style, we want it to be a place for memories, those nostalgic feelings.  To create a house with warmth that you can call home.

BATHROOM (AFTER)

Sources

Vanity:  Lumberland North (I've seen similar ones at Lowes)

Mirror:  HomeSense (owned by Marshalls/TJMaxx in US)

Floors:  White, marble-look tiles, Home Depot

Towels, Counter accessories:  HomeSense (owned by Marshalls/TJMaxx in US)

Toilet:  American Standard Cadet, Home Depot

{Attending these beautiful  parties...Coastal Charm}

it's beginning to look a lot...

...like Christmas.  Ev'ry where you go.  Take a look at the five and ten glistening once again.  With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  Toys in ev'ry store.

But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be...

...on your own front door.

-Lyrics by Meredith Wilson

serving thanks

We have a lot to be thankful for.  Bounty of food.  Gathering of family and loved ones.  It's a beautiful time of year where we celebrate being grateful.

It's a special time of year where I like to appreciate the simple things, and it's evident in the table settings and decor used in our home for Thanksgiving. The beauty of something simple like an apple. A pumpkin.  Or even squash. To revel in it's colour, it's texture, it's taste.

We are all very blessed to have such abundance of beauty surrounding us this season.  A season of appreciation of all things simple, beautiful and now.


To all my Canadian friends, enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend!

{This post is linked to My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia}

A Place to Stay

One of the places I want to retire to is, in my humble opinion, one of the most picturesque places to visit in Ontario “cottage” country…Thornbury & Clarksburg. 

Clarksburg is a quaint town with beautiful art studios filled with lovely paintings by local artists, and the neighboring Thornbury is a posh yacht, beach, golf and ski town with the quaintness of upscale country (there is a yacht club, 3 to 4 private and public ski clubs in the area, as well as some very good PGA golf courses too), With some beautiful waterfront hiking and biking trails, there is plenty to satisfy those with an active lifestyle or those who enjoy fine art.

Can you imagine skipping rocks on the water..

Going for a relaxing boat ride...

Having a quick golf game...

{ source:  Lora Bay }

Then strolling to the sophisticated quaintness of the main street in town for fresh mussels, seafood, local beef or apple pie (there are an abundance of apple orchards to pick apples with the kids). 

Here is a sampling of a typical beach country house…so quaint...

In the winter, the skiing in the area is fairly good too...

What a great place to stay...