Dining Area
So back to Brian's condo........aside from a few finishing touches like getting some artwork framed and waiting for an unfortunate 'delayed' delivery of a club chair for the living room,,,Brian's condo is about 95% done! I'm still searching for just the right night tables for his bedroom as I'm determined to find something interesting and unique - they're such a focal point in his layout but the budget is small and my time is limited. Its pieces like these, ones that need to 'find you' and are often discovered when you're not looking that can take the most amount of time to find but its the difference between your space looking cold and catalogue or looking personal and original. I'm all about your space evolving over time, mixing old with new and don't believe in an everything new and off the shelf solution, so completely furnishing this condo from scratch in 2 months has truly been a challenge. Its hard to find unique and vintage on a deadline. So I'll keep searching for some interesting night tables as long as Brian is willing to be patient,,,, I know he's anxious to cross everything off the list and be done so we may have to make a compromise soon. ; )
I've been taking photos of the condo along the way but most of the time i've spent there has been during the evening or during times when there was no lighting installed so having proper lighting for half decent photos has been a challenge too. Until I have time to post in more detail about the design concept for the Living Room and Master Bedroom I thought I'd post a bit of a teaser of the nearly finished spaces as they've looked over the past couple weeks.
The dining area (photo above) has been in the same unfinished state for some time now,,,,you'll notice the table is actually assembled now - personally I was ready to throw it off the balcony but Brian geniously, single handedly managed to solve this geometric puzzle and get it standing on all three criss-crossed legs, despite the instructions. The large photo canvas has been hung since this photo was taken but we're still waiting on the globe pendant fixture which has been on back-order forEVER.
A new light fixture updates the guest bathroom.
Some cool finds and a framed personal photo accessorize one of the floating shelves in the front entry.
Living Room with custom subway sign art. Accessories still to come....
Wide slat 'cherry like' blinds and grey flannel pin-stripe grommet header drapery panels were a great find at Home Depot, in-stock and inexpensive but they've transformed the space. Paired together they're really tailored and handsome looking.
Speaking of tailored and handsome,,,,,,the bedding in the master bedroom was one of my favorite finds and was really key in pulling the entire room together. You wouldn't believe the steal of a deal I found on this, and I'll admit I have no shame and will shop anywhere for a deal. And this time I have to say I hit the jackpot! In a warehouse, behind a car rental shop, behind a used car lot, under a highway overpass, in an industrial unit with no signage, I discovered duvet covers for $19.99, the same duvet covers I had just seen in a store at a mall a few blocks away for $200!! I'm not embarassed to say I bought multiples, and then went back for more. : )
Black & White Toronto Photo prints from an 1898 publication, $45 ea.
Antique Canadian landscape prints, vintage 1807, $15 ea.
As I mentioned in my previous post about the Guest Bedroom/Office,,one of the challenges for first time or new home owners is finding the budget for artwork for your walls. With so many bare walls, it certainly doesn't' take much to add up fast yet your home will never seem complete or lived in with bare walls. It would have been so easy to go into a store and buy ready-framed decorator art but it would have no significance to Brian whatsoever and just look staged. So two weekends ago I managed to convince Brian into attending an antique show at Sherway Gardens with me. This was no small feat,,,,trying to talk the bachelor into spending a Sunday afternoon antiquing........in a MALL,,,let's just say it was a first for him (and likely a last). But he was a trooper, he managed to hang in there for almost an hour and it was just long enough for us to find a few potential treasures. I had scoped out the show a couple days earlier and saw some things I thought he might like but I wanted him to be involved in making the selections as I just don't believe in picking out artwork for clients. I think the trip, brief as it was, was really successful - we ended up finding some pieces that he was really drawn to and now he'll also have the memory of the experience of finding these (or block the experience out of his memory completely?).
While these pieces are getting framed and we await the delivery of a few items still on back-order for the condo,,,,,I'm on the final leg of a designer marathon getting a 70's sidesplit completely furnished and outfitted for a single mom and her young daughter to move-in before this month's end. I'll have loads of photos to come yet on this project as well as design sketches for an amazing kitchen re-design I'm working on for a chef's home.
You can check out previous posts for floor plans and before pictures of Brian's Condo Project thru the links on the sidebar.
All Photos: Carol Reed
