Upload: September 6th

The new look of Restoration Hardware Toronto.

Its been a couple of months since I posted an Upload,,,,with things so hectic before going away on vacation at the end of July I didn't have an opportunity to do one of these before we hit the road and then since returning I've been swamped trying to get caught.  I've dumped hundreds of photos off my Iphone in the meantime, here's a random look at what I've been up to including; some job site photos,,some great finds, some new finds, some things that insprired and some things that just made me smile.

 I popped into RH last week with a client and we stopped immediately in our tracks right inside the door, took a look around and asked if they were open?  It was really dark inside even though it was the middle of the day, but yes of course they were open but with a entirely new look!  The Toronto showroom had just undergone a complete overhaul, every inch of the store had been painted a dark warm grey, Restoration Hardware's Slate.  You'll notice in the top photo they painted out all the mouldings and railings to create a monochromatic look - I love this treatment, it gives a contemporary feel to traditional mouldings and is particulary ideal for creating a gallery look.  In fact, its a gallery look they were going for.  Gone are the soap displays, paint displays and various nick-nacks and toys, even the hardware is contained and artfully displayed behind glass.  They were still busy setting up displays and awaiting delivery and installation of lighting so in the meantime the store is pretty dark.

From an idea in my head more than 6 months ago,,,,, to a sample I approved in July,,, 

To installation day a few weeks later.......

In addition to the custom copper hood, the counters and backsplash were installed in Gail's kitchen while I was away on holidays.  All the finishing touches are happening this week so Gail can finally, finally, move in. : )

Sourcing some lighting for Gail's mudroom.  I've never met a schoolhouse fixture I didn't love..

A puurrrrfectly styled bookcase ; )

Halfway thru setting the table on the back deck as his highness keeps an eye for squirrels.  My new 'Soho' outdoor pillows from Tonic Living seen on the bench.

New exterior lighting for the urban rooftop deck project. Clean and modern looking it reminds me of the lanterns we're accessorizing with.  Fixture from Sescolite.

In addition to white and dark grey sunbrella pillows, we're having a few non-outdoor fabric pillows made for the rooftop deck which will be brought out for entertaining.  I selected these fabrics from Thom Filicia's collection for Kravet - large scale, graphic, gorgeous!

Speaking of graphic pillows...I was crazy for these quilted pillows that I saw on the East Coast, although you can't get more traditional that quilting - these geometric patterns have a modern feel to me, I'd love to see them in a clean contemporary space.  They weren't made locally however, they were imported from Thailand which tells me this is a look we'll be seeing a lot of.    

And these,,,,,folksy looking pillows, I regret not picking up a few of each!

I looked at lots of quilts when I was away but still didn't find 'the one' that I had to have.  Unlike most of what you come across in many of the touristy stores in Nova Scotia, the quilts in this shop were all locally made by hand and cost thousands of dollars each.

On our trip we ate these almost every day - they were local Indian Point mussels from Mahone Bay and were the best mussels I've ever eaten.  I make them at home all the time but I'd never had them like this before.  Every where we ordered them they were served the same way, steamed (usually in garlic and wine) and served with a side of melted butter and lemon.  Sooo good, I'll be making them this way at home now!

I helped a family member select a new faucet for his kitchen reno.....

It works beautifully with the custom sink I had made for him earlier this summer and was just in time for the new counters to be installed.......almost done.  Sigh. : )

I headed north on a little road trip to survey this chink log home.  I'm re-designing its kitchen, 3 bathrooms, a lower level games room and,  cover your ears if you're a wood lover,,,we'll be painting out a LOT of knotty pine and giving this rustic home a modern edge.

The interior was a little slice of heaven for me, white, grey, and caramel wood tones, it just doesn't get any better than that for me.  A view into the master bedroom on the second floor, the chink logs are visible around the lower section of all the perimeter walls.  The plank floor boards are gorgeous and look stunning with the weathered grey logs.  To the immediate left is an ensuite which will get an overhaul.

A few irresistables at Angus & Company, (perhaps my favorite shop in TO) talk about wanting one of each...., yes please I'm so looking forward to fall!

Oversize bowls, fringe,,,,,seagrass.  sigh.

I'm wild for b&w accessories these, lacquered boxes look great in any room.

B&W pillow detail.

I've been craving hits of yellow since my trip out east,,,I found these silk pillows at a consignment shop the other day and I just might have to buy them for myself.  In fact they're much brighter than they appear in this photo, in person they're a vibrant canary yellow - I think they'd make any room sing.

All Photos:  Carol Reed

Photographer: Mark Burstyn

The studio of photographer Mark Burstyn (Iphone photo by me).

I had the pleasure of meeting the very talented Toronto photographer Mark Burstyn this week while working together on a project (I'll tell you more about that in a future post).  With over 20 years of experience Mark has an impressive client list and a stunning portfolio of food, interiors, exteriors and product photography.   Although I'm completely captivated by his images, I was totally smitten with his bright loft studio and the way it was so stylishly outfitted.  It was flooded with natural daylight and had all the comforts of home, designed to accommodate every need of his varied clients.

Upon entering the loft I was crazy for this little vignette seen in the photo above.  I rarely meet a vintage chair I don't love, and this one was no exception, its simple retro lines upholstered in robins egg blue made quite a statement paired with the framed b&w photo. The powder room was located to the right of the chair and the inside of the bathroom was painted this same cheery shade of blue, it just made you smile when you walked in.  (Sorry I didn't take more pictures!)

The studio's kitchen area.

I couldn't resist sharing this photo with you of the studio's kitchen and dining area - its a complete working kitchen with full size appliances and outfitted with all the necessities, Mark keeps it fully stocked with lots of goodies, you can't help but feel a little spoiled when you're there. : )   The kitchen is by Ikea, including the furniture but I thought it was a really good example of a non-customized Ikea kitchen,,there are no extra bells and whistles like custom fabricated counters or custom paint finishes or gables or brackets.  The kitchen itself is spacious with a huge island, double height cabinets and loads of storage space.  The lower cabs are stainless, the uppers are glass with aluminum trim, the countertops solid oak, (steel + wood + glass +white). The lighting was well planned with nothing overlooked, I can imagine how beautifully lit this would be in the evening.  Its simple, utilitarian looking and super functional - it perfectly suits this raw loft space.   Of course my favorite part of the entire kitchen,,,,,,are Mark's framed photographs.

I'm always repeating that it doesn't matter how expensive or inexpensive the things in your space are, that's not what defines good design or good taste.  When you're in a well appointed space (every need has been though of) that's highly functional, pleasing to the eye and is filled with wonderful light, you feel a level of comfort and ease that's hard to depict in a photo.  In other words your experience in the space is enhanced - I believe that's ultimately what everyone wants to achieve in their own homes.

If you're craving a dose of stylish inspiration this long weekend, pour yourself a cup of hot tea, and have a browse thru Mark's gorgeous portfolio here - I'm sure you'll recognize some of his work.  Enjoy!





 
Chair Photo:  Carol Reed
Kitchen Photo:  Mark Burstyn

New Project: Urban Rooftop Deck

Earlier this summer a favorite client of mine decided to embark on a rooftop deck renovation,,,,which presented me with the opporunity to collaborate on this little project with one of Toronto's most sought after landscape designers, Terry Ryan of Cubic Yard Design.  Terry's impressive porfolio is full of sophisticated contemporary exteriors - which was exactly what we were after for this urban oasis in the sky.  After one successful design meeting together, Terry turned out a design plan that incorporated everything we had envisioned and beyond.  He was immediately given the go-ahead and within the following week my client and I had ordered all the furniture, lighting, bbq and planters.  Now we just had to wait for Terry and his team to do all the work ; )

To give you a better visual of where this cool new rooftop deck is being built, remember this gallery wall installation I posted about several months ago here,,,well its located on this landing that leads up to the third level in this condo and out to............ a spacious deck.  You can see this staircase in the plan view at the top of this post.  The condo itself was a complete gut and reno I designed almost 2 years ago, everything was completely rebuilt and upgraded before my clients moved-in, except for the large 3rd floor deck (a big job!).

The clients own travel photos are newly displayed on the tall staircase wall that you leads you up to the third level of the unit.

The tall long staricase wall is clad in thin ledgestone veneer, it suits the strong horizontal lines of the 70's architecture of the building. The stair treads and risers were all custom made from antique reclaimed ash which is the main flooring throughout the condo.  On the far right out of view of this shot, at the end of the stone wall is a framed glass door that leads out to the deck.

The view at the top of the 3rd floor looking down to the landing before the gallery wall was hung.  Directly to the left and not pictured is a run of lower white cabinetry with stainless steel counter and integrated sink complete with wine fridge, all ready and waiting to serve guests on the rooftop. Above the cabinetry its all window, overlooking the deck.

And THIS is a glimpse at all the new elements that we're using to create this chic outdoor living space that will await you at the top of these stairs....

1. ) Teak dining table by DWR.  2.) Queen dining chairs by Tusche Seating  3.)  Belvedere teak sofa from Restoration Hardware  4.) Belvedere lounge chair (fabric not as shown) by Restoration Hardware  5.) Belevedere teak end tables by RH  6.) Oversize planters by DWR  7.) Thin stone veneer ledgestone wall cladding by Ciot.  8.) Custom horizontal cedar cladding and planter boxes by Cubic Yard Design  9.) Painted built-in cabinetry by Cubic Yard Design.

But the key to this design plan is the single chaise lounge also part of the Belvedere collection from R.H.  One of the many requirements for the space was to include not only lounge seating, dining, storage, outdoor cooking, herb garden and planters,,,,it also had to have room for a sunbed.  Terry had the genious idea of positioning this chaise lounge to function as a multipurpose coffee table/ottoman AND sunbed.   The chaise is designed with the same base as the sofa and lounge chairs, when in the fully reclined position, its perfect height for a coffee table.  Here's a look at in the upright position..

It's beautifully designed with a hydrolic lift mechanism for super easy operation...the homeowner can simply raise the backrest whenever she wants to bask in the sun (completely covered in SPF of course).

Back in the fully reclined position it makes the perfect ottoman,,,,,and located right where you see the seam in the cushions will be placed a custom 'cuff' style stainless steel tray that will slide on over top of the cushion concealing this seam and offering a solid surface to place food and drinks.  Brilliant!!!!

While the homeowner has been away at her cottage for most of the summer and while I was on my East Coast vacation,,,Terry and his crew have been sweating away (literally!) and the entire deck will be ready for its inaugural cocktail party in less than 2 weeks.   I stopped by today to check in on the progress,,,,

Visits like this are like 10 Christmas's all at once, even though it was about 120 degrees today!  So exciting to see all the new stuff together.  The furniture has been on site for a few weeks and I've been busy sourcing some fun fabrics for extra toss cushions.

Once all the finishing details are complete I'll be sure to post some before and after photos, show you all of my favorite features and tell you about all the special design details Terry used.  There was a rather large obstacle to be dealt with (huge overhead concrete beam) thats been transformed into a beautiful architectural feature.  Its really going to be quite a special space when its all done and I can't wait to experience it in person.