My NOVICA Tunic

 I've been wanting a cute tunic for awhile now, so when NOVICA contacted me a few months ago offering to send me a gift from their lovely site, I knew exactly what to choose. They have a variety of gorgeous, handmade, hand blocked tunics. I ended up going with this gorgeous hot pink one with turquoise detailing, and I can't wait to wear it to the beach! Hurry up warm weather!

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 NOVICA is one of the leading fair trade artisan websites. They work with National Geographic to give talented artisans around the world a place to express their artistic talents and provide access to the world market. I'm a huge fan of anything fair trade, and the tunic was sent to me beautifully wrapped all the way from India, with a picture of the artisan and a personalized note. So sweet. The quality of the tunic is great and it's so lightweight and perfect for summer.

I also seriously considered getting these tortoise shell glasses for my bar cart:

They remind me of this shot of one of my favourite dining rooms ever:

via The Long and Short of it

NOVICA truly has a site full of wonderful treasures. I encourage you to check it out and support fair trade! My one word of caution is that shipping on some of these items will cost you a fair amount (although this is UPS brokerage fees.. not Novica's fault) , but prices on the objects themselves are very reasonable and, in my opinion, 100% worth it!
Right now they've got some great gift ideas for mother's day!:

Unique Gifts for Mom
Jewelry Gifts for Mom 
Necklace Gifts for Mom

Sculpture Gifts for Mom     

Thank you so much NOVICA for my beautiful tunic.

Stylish Coffee Table Books

I'm a total sucker for coffee table books. I love to read them, I love how they make a space look styled, and they truly make the perfect gift for any occasion. Here is a list of a few of the many books I'd love to add to my slowly growing collection:

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Here is a look at my current collection:

I've received each one of these as a gift (excpet for GBGP which I won in a giveaway!) and I love each and every one.  Thank you to my brothers and their beautiful girlfriends, my godmother Aunt Trish, my darling friends Bre and Mike, and my loving Boyfriend for these beautiful books!
xox
To end off today, I'd like to send my thoughts and prayers to all those affected by the horrible events that took place in Boston yesterday. I am filled with sadness for all those who lost lives and limbs and loved ones. My heart goes out to you.

All things Belgian

 

To start this new week I am pleased to share with you some Belgian outdoor and indoor furniture pieces as other interior design accessories I came across lately.

 

Garden tool storage cabinet, traditonally made by Dirk Mortier.

Mortier Vlaamse Stijl – Bijgebouwen

For more information, please visit http://www.mortier.eu

 

Gorgeous bench, outdoor collection of the Belgian company St-Paul-Home.

Source St-Paul-Home

For more information, please visit http://www.home-st-paul.com

 

Dining table and chairs, collection of our Belgian furniture company Viktor & Sander.

Source Viktor & Sander

For more information, please visit http://www.viktor-sander.com

 

Wicker chairs spotted on the website of the Belgian company Sempre.

Source Sempre

For more information, please visit http://www.sempre.be

 

The Adante Bed Box Basic with dress found at the Belgian company Styldecor.

Source Styldecor

For more information, please visit http://www.styldecor.be

 

Summerly Belgian bed linen from Scapa Home.

Source Scapa Home

For more information, please visit http://www.scapahome.eu

 

Table linen from the Belgian company Verilin

Source Verilin

For more information, please visit http://www.verilin.be

 

Penny Lane carpet collection of the Belgian linen company Libeco.

Source Libeco Home

For more information, please visit http://www.libeco.com

 

I wish you all a wonderful new week!

xx

Greet

Client Patio: Beginning Stages

My newest client (and best friend) Laura has recruited my help in designing the itty bitty patio attached to the condo that she shares with her boyfriend Greg. These are the requirements for the space:
-keep their current barbeque
-comfortable seating for two
-furniture that will not take up much space when stored during the winter
-entertaining style
-keep on tight budget

After sending them a few mood boards, Laura and Greg knew one thing for sure: they wanted a garden stool. These can be quite pricey, so I was a little concerned we wouldn't be able to find one that suited their budget, but good old Home Sense came through again with this beautiful piece:

Only $60!
The direction we are currently taking it is somewhat of a Hampton's beach house vibe, a la Victoria Hagan:

via Victoria Hagan

BUT we are adding in gold accents to amp up the glam factor. Here is a look at our plan right now:

 This mood board demonstrates a good balance of masculine and feminine - perfect for a young couple just navigating eachothers' design sensibilities.
I think it also works well because the chairs and little foot stools easily fold up and can be stored in the closet during the winter. Other pieces like the bar cart and the garden stool can be repurposed inside during the cold months.
I can't wait for the warm weather to get it all put together! Seriously though, what is up with ice storms mid-April?
xo

Term 3 Classes

I'm officially done my first week of Term 3 and I am really excited about all of my courses this term (and happy to be done with manual drafting!). I'm kind of jealous of all my friends on summer break now. I didn't give much thought to how tiring three straight years of schooling might be!
Here is what I'm taking this term:

1. AutoCAD 1
Woooo finally learning AutoCAD! I couldn't be more excited, I think it will make the whole process so much easier....once I get the hang of it that is. We spent our first five hour class just learning different ways to draw lines. Going to be many hours on the computer this term!

via

2. Design Studio 2
In term two we designed a condo for Design Studio 1. This term, we are designing a 9000 square foot corporate office for a company of our choosing. The space is to include (among other things) a kitchenette, lounge, conference room, office spaces, meeting rooms, training room, reception, mail room and file room. Quite the leap! I think I am going to design a PR office for Kate Spade New York. I love the playful colors and bold patterns used in their retail stores, and I think it would be fun to interpret that into a corporate setting.
Some Kate Spade Shop Eye Candy &Inspiration:

via Toronto Life

via Contract Magazine

via

1. Rendering 2:
Similarly, for rendering 2, we need to draw up a reception and waiting area for a different company's office space. For this one, I've chosen to go in a bit of a different direction. While Kate Spade is trendy, flashy and eclectic, Tiffany & Co. is classic, traditional and glamorous. Again, interesting to conceptualize into an office environment. Lots of architectural detailing which should make for an nice (and challenging) rendering...and I will have to find a Tiffany Blue Prismacolor marker!

via Architectural Digest

via Architectural Digest

Our final project is to render a hotel lobby, but I haven't thought that far in advance yet. I will probably try my hand at something tailored and masculine. I figure school is a good time to try out all different styles.

3. Building Systems
This is probably the least exciting of my classes. It will be a lot of pragmatic and technical information about heating and cooling, fire code, building code, etc. These are the less glamorous parts of the job, but some of the most important to know. (No fun picture for this one...although I could show you guys some air return vents).
 xox

Wicker decoration ideas

 

Today another post about inspirational decoration.

How to decorate with wicker baskets ?

Fill the wicker baskets with plants, hang them on the ceiling of your kitchen, use them to store your bread boards, decorate your bedroom wall with wicker baskets, turn the baskets into a piece of art,…

 

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White Rooms in Bruges    Photo credit Natalie Haegeman

 

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Source here

 

Source here

 

Source here

 

White Rooms in Bruges    Photo credit Claude Smekens

 

White Rooms in Bruges   Photo credit Claude Smekens

 

Source here

 

Source here

 

Source here

 

Are you inspired ?

 

xx

Greet

Making the Case

I began term 3 at school on Monday. While walking to my class, I was stopped in my tracks by something pretty exciting. My school is very small, but we have a hallway leading to all of the studio classes that features a row of built in glass display case units. This case is where only the best student work gets featured to excite potential new students during tours, as well to inspire current students.

My term 2 final project made the case!!!

 I remember my first tour of the school, looking at the drawings and boards displayed in this case and thinking "wow, I could never draw like that...but I want to learn how". Then, when I was accepted to the school, I made it a secret goal of mine to get my work displayed in the case before I graduated. I never would have thought that by term two, my goal would be achieved. So honoured!
If you missed the details of my final project, you can check them out here.
I hope you are all having a lovely week!