Retail Therapy

Spring came and went and somehow I missed it.  It seemed to be summer popped in for a very minimal time and it seemed to be raining way too much for my taste, and poof, it was gone as well and we headed into fall and now winter.   With all the business of the fall preparing for holidays we shop but we do not always treat it as a fun and enjoyable process when we have so much to do.  We are so busy we have so much to take care of that we tend to be happy to have it completed.  Well, now that we are heading into the Holiday season it is a great time to get a little 'retail therapy.'

I love to shop and all decorators and designers are very much into this pasttime.  This is where work can also be fun!  We call it 'sourcing' when looking for items for clients but when it is just for ourselves, it is really just good old fashioned shopping.
The old saying that the shoemakers children have no shoes tends to hold up with designers and decorators in that we are so busy working on clients projects and attending many showroom events to see the latest and greatest out there, we don't seem to have time for our own abodes.  Well now is a great time to take a little time and as Nike says DO IT! 

I really am in need of a little 'retail therapy' for myself and decided to check out some great spots, just to name a few and get your home ready for upcoming entertaining.

Bouclair
Pottery Barn
EQ 3
Structube
Crate & Barrel
Urban Barn
Cocoon
Wicker Emporium

Most are already dressed up for the Christmas season and can really put you in the mood. Watch for a future post dedicated to the wonderful displays at Sheridan Nurseries

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

I have been checking out just a few of my favourite shopping spots and and they are all decked out in their finest for the upcoming holidays...

Sheridan Nurseries

 Pottery Barn

 Homesense

 Wicker Emporium

 Urban Barn

Bouclair

 Interior Design House

Bowring

 Watch for a future post dedicated to the wonderful displays at Sheridan Nurseries

ViFloor

I recently spent some time at an event hosted by VI Floor in Etobicoke.  They are a leading importer and distributor of soft surface flooring offering both residential and commercial as well as offering custom design. Delivery is 5 - 6 weeks.  Pricing is very good and quality excellent.

They are the exclusive distributor of commercial matting products from Holland. Vifloor imports only the highest quality of residential products from Europe. The Dutch manufacturers have been able to produce wool carpets with no dye and chemical free.

Some of the many samples of carpets available

Custom Designs

A fully stocked warehouse ready for your custom rug

Sheridan Nurseries - getting ready for the holidays

I recently attended a couple of great events at Sheridan Nurseries - A ladies night Out where myself and a colleague of mine, Deb Darlington offered complimentary design & decorating consultations to the ladies in attendance.  It was a lot of fun since I never seem to tire of coming up with solutions and creative decor ideas. Our little space below with the paint and tile samples we brought to assist people



The 2nd evening was a wonderful night to say thank you to those who frequent Sheridan Nurseries, for our support throughout the year.  We were treated to great food and beverages as well as inspiring demonstrations on creating holiday containers.  Of course there were draws and lucky winners went home with the completed urns and other gifts.  We were all given a bag with great gardening information so we can plan for summer, as well as our choice of poinsettia or floral arrangement.

Beautiful decor ideas

Some of the nice container urns

 

Above photos courtesy of my colleague Deb Darlington
Beautiful Themed Christmas Trees

Chantilly

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Gingerbread

Magnolia

Old World

North Pole

Fall Colour

It's here!!  Not the fall colour outside but what I have seen for inside.  I dropped into Homesense for a minute on the weekend and ended up spending more than a minute and a few dollars as well.  Who could resist when you see what I saw.  They hit you with it right at the front entrance and continue throughout the store.  I also noticed chaise lounges being featured as well as  Pantonne's colour of the year;  Emerald. Guess people were really drawn to it so it contining to be seen.

So much for dark fall and winter colour for home interiors this year.  Let's add some colour.   I saw so much gorgeous colour I had to share it.  My photos were from my phone so not quite as crisp as I would like, but you get the idea.  Usually bright colour comes alive in spring and we get a happy and cheerful feeling but seeing it now is really making me re-think fall and winter.  You can be cozy with bright colours.  You will feel so rejuvenated.  I just must add more colour to my decor!! What do you think?

Visiting our Nation's Capital over Civic Holiday weekend and a little Shopping Too ....

I have some family in Ottawa and whenever we visit, it is to see them and I never go out and about.  This past weekend I played tourist in Ottawa and had a great time.  Of course we saw family but I finally got to the much mentioned Byward Market.  So much to see and so many great restaurants.  As I mentioned in a previous facebook post I had to hit some Home Decor shops and poor hubby already knew it was in the cards.  He is used to it and lucky for him there were kitchen things and he loves those as he is a fantastic chef.  I stopped into Zone and ....... which had really interesting products.

I also hit The Modern Shop

Of course I took a few pics of our Parliament Buildings. Unfortunately we couldn't get into a tour of the Parliament as they were always full and I do not rise at 6 am when on a vacay even if to see these great buildings.  The guides said it was the most crowded even for a holiday weekend that they had seen so I will return on a regular weekend and do the tour.

Looking at where the three rivers meet behind the Parliament Buildings
















We did however visit he residence of our Governor General for a tour.  We couldn't take photos but I found this one on line.  It is quite beautiful and it was interesting to hear about the history associated with it and to see a model of how the different phases of it grew over time into what it is today. The grounds were amazing.

The Room above is known as 'The Tent Room' and was originally built in 1876 as an indoor tennis court that could also serve as a large dining or reception hall. For important events, striped canvas was draped over the bare walls and ceiling, creating the look of a tent. Today, the room retains its tent-like decor, and is used to host formal events such as artistic performances and literary celebrations — all under the watchful eyes of the portraits of Queen Victoria and former governors general.