Home and Art

Over at good old Apartment Therapy, I came across this "House Call" and love it.  I really like the look of lots of little things nicely organized and each in their place.  "So much to look at" as someone once said about our place.  For some reason that just feels good to me.  Turns out the people who live in that house are artists and have done so many very interesting projects.  They state their purpose as  creating objects and projects that are discreet invitations to explore, collaborate and play.  They are called "Dear Human".  This type of thing is right up my ally.  In my other life where I'm an artist.  ;)

Eclectic Inspiration in a Minimalist Collector?

At first glance I found this apartment tour really inspiring.  I got further into and lost interest a bit as some areas are quite bare-bones.  But looking over it again I realized that the way he puts together a minimalist approach with a repurposed, eclectic, collectors eye results in a very interesting and inspiring esthetic.  In the bathroom for example, bare conduit and light bulbs are curved and positioned in a creative way that makes it look like a light fixture, rather than purely functional materials.  That, combined with the non-existent faucet, stands as an intriguing contrast to the fabulously colourful and lively tiles and concrete blocks that make up the shower surround.  Of course this is a bachelor pad where the ever challenging practicality of children doesn't come into consideration and where each object is carefully curated and controlled.  I have to remind myself of that.  But inspiration is good, even if it just adds a little piece to the puzzle in my mind of what it is that I love.

White with Colour

Someone once told me to find a place to live that was an expression of myself, rather than meeting up to a list of requirements I had in my head.  This house tour exemplifies that, I think.  I'm inspired by how much of themselves the owners have put into it, but also by the clean, white surfaces that help you breath and feel relaxed, combined with the colour and detail that is everywhere.  It's not overwhelming (in my opinion) but it feels homey and inviting.  Love it.

frame gallery wall

I am starting to think about ways to make my daughter's art work stand out.  Sticking it to the fridge isn't quite cutting it.  If I had endless space, I'd love to do something like this.  Even with the limited space I do have, I'd love to make it happen in her room, perhaps on a smaller scale.  Let's keep this one on the top of the to-do pile...

Gold Leaf

"That is the simplest, prettiest thing in the world", I just said out loud.  Perhaps a slight exaggeration, but this is a pretty clever idea.  And just about as easy as it gets.

Christmas Bouquet

My jaw just dropped when I saw this.  And someone mentioned making it out of those sentimental heirloom ornaments you might have inherited from your grandmother... brilliant!!  I LOVE it.  So gorgeous and so clever.

Twiggy Wreaths

These really reminded me of my sister in Winnipeg, but I thought I'd stick them on here for future reference.  Although the tradition and symbolism behind a regular wreath makes it timeless, this is a cool twist on an old classic.

Loft Bunk

Just another shared room inspiration.  Love the creative bed rail and the simplicity of this design.

Junk to Funk

Although I really think that doing your entire house this way is a bit over-the-top, there are a lot of cool ideas in this house tour on Apartment Therapy.   The photos are numbered and the ones that stood out to me are the barn door window coverings (3), the Coke crate desk organizer (25), the Christmas light lantern (36), the mattress memo board (45) and the hanger curtain (54). Very creative, resourceful and stylish.

"Eclectic Collector"

Reading through a few recent posts on Apartment Therapy, I began to wonder what my style is.  "Happy Modern", "Classic Glam", "New Traditional" - none of these seemed to really hit the spot for me.  But just as I was about to call it quits for the night, I came across this post.  It's a round-up of a bunch of different "Eclectic Collector" style kids' rooms.  As I clicked through (and had fun saying "Eclectic Collector" over and over) I realized that a bunch of the rooms are ones I've bookmarked before and that almost all of them are really appealing to me.  I love the variety of colours and textures, and eras.  I like the emphasis on display, not just practicality, and I like the playful feeling.  So I guess that's my style.  I was just thinking it would be great to have an empty shadow box up in my daughter's room just so that each little things she finds and thinks is worth keeping can have a space...  Yup, Eclectic Collector pretty much sums it up.

Wall Table

In our house there is no official "dining room" and we don't have an eat-in kitchen either.  So the table hovers somewhere at the edge of the living room.  It's fine for what we need, but can get a bit frustrating at times.  This is a great solution to that problem.  Although I don't think I'd spring for a $500 table ("on sale!"), I'm sure one could easily come up with something similar for a few less dollars.  Definitely cool.

rag curtain

I'm always hesitant to get rid of fabric because it seems that when the time comes, having just the perfect thing is such a lovely feeling and you don't want to risk regret.  This is a great way of making use of some of those little bits and pieces.  It takes almost no work and has a sweet effect, especially for a kids' room, I think.  And it would hold all the memories that are tied up in those fabrics too.  Cute.  Thanks, sis, for the link to this blog.

Four Girls, One Room

Okay folks.  Let's talk about plans.  Plan One: have lots of kids.  Plan Two: live in a small house.  It is probably safe to say that these two plans do not go well together.  I am, however, hopeful that we can accomplish both by having our kids share bedrooms.  While this is not an ideal when it comes to babies, in my mind, it is an ideal when it comes to kids.  As adults, we have chosen to share our house, forcing us to put others before ourselves.  We value this.  So why would I do anything different for my kids?  But the logistics of fitting multiple kids into one (not gigantic) room can be tricky.  This post is an amazing example of making it work in style.  WOW.

Moon Bed

I just LOVE this adorable little baby bed.  Oh to have time and space for such a whimsical luxury!

Lyric Garland

Although it would probably be a LOT of work (unless you have access to some sort of giant alphabet punch), I love this idea of writing out the words to a song on a garland.  It just puts a song in everyone's heads and brings a whole new meaning to "there's music in the air"...

Built In Space Saving Strategies

As we face the prospect of living in our two-bedroom apartment with a toddler and an infant, my brain loves to spin and spin with ideas of how we could make our tiny space work.  You already know that I love apartmenttherapy and their Small Cool Contest is on again, where they celebrate the art of living small.  That's where I found this great little set-up, (the website is French, but just look at the picture).  I don't think it'll work in our kids' room, but we may be resorting to some sort of similar bunk/loft idea eventually...

Crocheted Rug

I believe my mother has done this and I definitely plan to try it out some day.  I love old fabric and certainly an old sheet is one of the softest things there is.  Area rugs are stinkin' expensive so this would also cut costs.  Recycled, hand-made, cheap?  Sounds good.

When Kid Stuff Takes Over the World

This is a great post about different ways to store kids toys and prevent them from "exploding" all over your house every single day.  I particularly like the last picture, suggesting the use of outdoor hanging baskets as toy storage - it gets them up off the floor (floor space is precious in my house), and also keeps them visible so that they'll actually get played with.  Plus, I have a few of those kicking around my basement...

Skateboard Shelving

You don't often see clever ideas for decor in a boy's room, so this is a definite gem.  I love it!!  Add skateboards to your garage sale list...

practical picket fence

One of the less-than-awesome things about having an old house is the lack of plugs.  We have extension cords hanging around everywhere and they drive me crazy.  Here is a cute idea that could certainly work in a kid-focused area of the house that helps to playfully disguise the endless cords that are lying around.  You might be able to buy something like it, or you could definitely make it yourself.