go get me that house - sweetie...

last night i said to my realtor - "i want to buy this house" (but he was already asleep). so - this morning while he was in the shower - i told him again - "i want to buy this house go out & make it happen" (or i will get myself another realtor - mwahahah - he thought that was funny since my realtor is my husband)...

so anyhow - he looked at the listing made a call (we both think it must be gone already in a flurry of bids as is the custom around here...) but we are waiting for that call back... on that thought - i am having a Pieter Estersohn moment...

so - back to what i was saying earlier

Tribeca Townhouse Renovation, New York, NY; comp 2004 (seen on world-architects)

(Photo: David Allee)

lofts lofts lofts i love lofts... it seems that i am almost back in house hunting mode (did someone say bu-bye recession) - it seems apropos that i am scouring through my inspiration files & photographer sites for motivation.

i came across this photographer: david allee [David S. Allee was born in New York City in 1969 and is a former urban planner. He received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University, and his MFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts + on + on]. allee gets to see stuff i want to see & am going to share just cause white + whitish loft + artist spaces still turn me on!

seen in www.gavelle.com

(Photo: David Allee)

seen in www.nymag.com

(Photo: David Allee)

a beige rug

i am a fan of whites (you will only know this from previous posts, because in real life - tomboy that i am - i have never been able to keep anything clean). we have been searching for a livingroom area carpet for about a year - something fresh - something beige to go with the beige sofa & offset the whitey beige cabinets & the beigey latte walls... you'd think it would be simple (whatever). regardless, i think i have found it.

it matches the sofa

it matches the walls

it matches the cats

it matches the general sense of well being in our living room

i won't let anyone walk on it or touch it or eat anywhere near it - i won't even let anyone talk about it ('cept me & i'm only writing about it). it's beige; the dog is black (& has irritible bowels); the cats shed (& have dirty feet); bb baby has grimy knees (from the hardwood floors); bb daddy wears his outside shoes inside (nag); i - tomboy that i am - can't keep anything clean.

sigh

ooh la la lifestyle with beige carpet, white pants, cat butt, cat who lounges, backwards sofa cushion & nursing pillow...

how can people live like this (the lovely anthony todd):

flickr friday

oh happy day...

1. Nature story part 1 - Life, 2. evening light, 3. candle in the rain..., 4. Bestill, 5. Nature story part 1 - Happiness, 6. A trail of breadcrumbs, 7. *Necessaries of Life, 8. Away for a while......, 9. that look you give that guy, 10. summer lovin', 11. second blooming~, 12. {summer legs}, 13. still with cherries, 14. Siebe, 15. 20090705_2, 16. 7.05.09, 17. ding ding, 18. apartment of my friend Claudia, 19. Bench Monday, 20. We shot...., 21. bench monday (rainy evening edition), 22. Soul, 23. in square, 24. I love walking in the rain, 25. 6.12.09, 26. dude, 27. Untitled, 28. the four!, 29. the elegant eggplant, 30. beet love, 31. Reflejo medieval, 32. saturday morning in the kitchen, 33. 2 days in toronto, 34. Bath time ..., 35. All go, and take al walk, 36. urban jungle

flickr friday

seems as if photos have taken over my inspiration file... though i will admit to buying a decor mag this week (haven't had a chance to open it though - what DO I do during his naps?)

1. Reflejo medieval, 2. saturday morning in the kitchen, 3. 2 days in toronto, 4. Bath time ..., 5. All go, and take al walk, 6. urban jungle, 7. 20090608 159/365, 8. 266/365 Surviving Bulb at the Redemption, 9. don't give up on me: 112/365, 10. Untitled, 11. 20090605 156/365, 12. Happy Bench Monday (ttv edition), 13. Untitled, 14. looking for light.., 15. sunday art, 16. Simplexity, 17. *Old Tree, 18. da bench, 19. Untitled, 20. Untitled, 21. holy macaroniiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, 22. Varandas, 23. 85/365 - Snail away with me, honey, 24. Zurich Fun, 25. quiet moment, 26. wishful thinking, 27. free falling, 28. parade, 29. cactus at sunset, 30. Untitled

baby inspiration file

we finally vacated bb boy's room (well 75%). of course that meant completely breaking down our office & buying two new laptops (still ambivalent about this). on one hand the laptop aggravates me (smaller screen - more scrolling; shiny hd screen is too reflective; damn compact keyboard) but in other ways it is great (as i type - with my left hand only - bb boy is asleep on my lap but computer is - handily - right beside me).

we are still looking to all of the usual places for inspiration (magazines, online stores, blogs, ikea) - thankfully bb daddy & i are on the same page with everything so far (simple, nostalgic, clean). i'm finding more & more online (but of course little is available in canada) & quite frankly we don't really need anything else @ the moment. except this - we are totally getting one of these (mostly cause bb daddy loves bean bag chairs):

10 cents

part of my new inspiration file: a growing list of photographers who are designers - or is it designers who are photographers? i've searched far & wide (how wide is the internet?) & down the proverbial rabbit hole (hmm - is there a proverb about a rabbit hole?) & found the 10 cent designer. her photos kept popping out at me - making me smile & reminding me of what i still love in design: warmth, simplicity, fun, quirkiness:

laurie is talented & is canadian & she also has a fun blog  (the more i peruse creative blogs and photos - i see that people seem to know each other...) 

chick pea

i was pleased to find some sweet pictures of a sweet local baby store called chick pea (yay they've opened on 1st & commercial too). they've described themselves as a european style baby store (i'm not sure what that is - i guess i will have to wait till after my next trip to europe to comment on that). but trevor brady's photos caught my eye & everyone know how i love beige (or white on white).

this is not an ad...

eeny meeny miny moe

 

growing up in a small town too many hours on a northern highway from any decent shopping, had us waiting impatiently for the arrival of each seasonal sears catalog! it arrived in brown paper packaging (wow that is a little weird) and once stripped of it's cover - my sister and i would sit close together in the middle of the couch with the hallowed pages opened on our eager laps. we used to play a game, like eeny meeny miny moe: "which one is your favorite?" on each page a new and different selection of coats, or bedding, or bikes, or cutlery etc... 

the now sadly defunct upcountry made me crazy with eeny meeny miny moe happiness

to this day when i see an article that lays out design elements: rows of couches or antique cabinets or lamps or cribs i cannot help but play that same game (my husband humours me on occasion - but i am not adverse to playing by myself). we have learned a little bit more about each other in this way: taste, style and sometimes what makes us laugh. 

 

chocolat

i was just end dating some magazines in my current mag stack & found the premier issue of chocolat 'canada's shopping magazine for the home' (yes it was dated september 2006 but i find premier issues extra special for some reason)... i perused each page looking for any good & current canadian suppliers, designers, photographers etc. the main article featured photographer tracy shumate's loft in toronto (another great loft). when i was finished reading i had to wonder:

• why is it that photographers have such cool homes? (if i were a photographer would i have a cool home or do you have to be cool first to be a photographer?)
• why is it that we can't support more than one canadian design magazine? (or two if you count 'style at home')

open minded

i found it! i've been thinking about this place lately - i scoured the file folder a couple times before i found it right @ the front (argh mommy brain makes everything take twice as long)! it was originally in wish magazine september 2004 & now that i look back @ the article i find it apropos that the key to the story was decorating for baby (not your average baby room) - i say forget bows & bunnies too.

space

i am not obsessed but i must say i am preocuppied with space these days. i'm guessing that's because i/we (me home on mat leave for 257 more days, husband who works @ home, baby boy who seems vastly bigger than his 14.5lbs, big black dog and two terroist cats) have none. we have been looking for a bigger home - not huge - just with enough room for each of us. baby boy is moving out of our room & into our office any day now (begs the question where will the office go?)... i've always been big on white space while doing graphic design and i am a huge fan of the oversized white mat on a small piece of art... should that mean that i need white space in my life? i've been collecting white spaces from the inspiration file:




i just need to find something in my price range in this insane economy.

flipping superstar

my cousin david is a flipping superstar in my books! he started his new career with this project in east vancouver in 2007 [quickly turning an tiny hovel into an absolutely gorgeous little gem]. he has one of those great imaginations - he is able to see the finished product through all the grit & grime. to top that - he has amazing talent with tile & drywall & he has remarkable finishing skills [the restoration & renovation trifecta]. a few trips to the re-store & demo sites & home depot & viola! he can turn this:

into this:

but this is old news... the newest project (ready for sale this week) is in vancouver's westend & it makes me want to bring him over to my place for a little re & re pep talk. i have saved you from the nasty grime shots but i think you get the picture:

magically:

beige me

there has been not so subtle and persistent maligning of beige lately - i keep standing up for it - am i the only fan?

beige
1858, "fine woolen fabric," from Fr. dialectal "yellowish-grey," from O.Fr. bege "the natural color of wool and cotton," origin obscure. As a shade of color, it is attested from 1879.

this is my idea of beige:

originally from Marie Claire Maison - found in the [inspiration file].

a stack of magazines

for years i was obsessed with decor magazines; i would buy 3 or 4 or sometimes 7 per month with little regard to their actual content. i might, for example, purchase a magazine for a single photo of, say, julianne moore's new york bathroom. i bought country living, canadian house & home and country home; then i became slightly more contemporary, hording metropolitan home and collecting north american or french or uk elle; more recently i have taken to domino and living etc... i never thought twice about the cost; i even packed up several boxes of them when i moved to my current home.

i am a collector by nature - some say pack rat (potatoe, potato). it became ridiculous though - not wanting to break up stacks because the spines lined up so neatly and so colourfully together. three years ago i had had enough! it would have been impossible to use them as a reference for any project and the shear weight of them likely broke some city bylaw...

i started to believe in the idea of inspiration walls - collect images of what you would like your environment to be, the style you want to surround you: a kind of see them & be them attitude...

so i made a new rule: no magazines over 2 years old were allowed to stay intact in my home. the stack (many small stacks gathered together for the occasion), crept up from the floor to my chest (i wish i had taken the photo). i flipped through each mag for the last time clipping out any item of current or timeless interest and put them in my [inspiration file] : home, kitchen, bath, bedroom, storage, art + furniture, projects, recipes & garden. i even used the file on my latest reno projects (though many would still say my style is haphazard at best).
my current magazine stack is barely knee deep.

btw
stack height = 142cm
mag height avg = .7cm
mag cost average = 8$cdn
cost of stack = 1622$ (not including tax)