Great Home Decor & Furniture at 'Love Your Home'

I found the most wonderful Home furnishings and decor shop in Guelph on Brock Rd.  Love Your Home. I can never resist popping in to these type of places as I am so very addicted to lovely items for the home.  I ventured up to this store just after I had spent an afternoon at the Aberfoyle Antique Market.  Of course I found a couple of items I had wanted and thus made a purchase.  This is a beautiful boutique type store with more than one level of goodies.  It was hard to leave.  I know anyone who is into home decor will want to visit this store.  Not only can you find wonderful furniture and decor items for your home;  there are many items for gift giving.  For sure I will be heading back to this great store. Here are a few photos I took.

                                            

MORE BROWSING FOR HOME DECOR

As a continuation of my trips to retail stores that specialize in furniture and home decor I dropped into Structube for a little look and found many great items.  It will not disappoint. Below are a few looks you might like.  Gray is still popular but there is a lot of cognac hues throughout.

                                              Benches are very popular for a casual look

Outdoor Living - Outdoor Fabrics

If you follow this blog you will have read my first entry about outdoor living.  Now I want to focus on outdoor fabrics.  Barb Nyke, a colleague of mine presented some fabulous information.   I would like to share.some of what I learned at the conference.  I have many pages of information but will focus on the major issues.

We all have heard of Sunbrella, however that is not the only product available to be used successfully outdoors. Outdoor fabrics should be high performance and offer the following factors -
durable, water resistant, water repellent or waterproof, stain resistant, mildew resistant, colourfast: which means they will have UV resistant pigments.

We use outdoor fabrics in many ways - awnings, umbrellas, cushions, shade sails, flooring and marine.  One of the great factors is that nowadays this fabric is not stiff and can easily be used indoors.  In fact it is difficult to tell indoor from outdoor in many cases.

Fabric content can be  Polyester (good); Olefin (better) and Acrylic (best).  All three are appropriate with there being some differences.

The type of foam is very important.  If one used regular foam the water would sit on top and cause mold to form.  Using a marine grade allows for water to penetrate and drain out at the bottom, thus no mold.

There was a lot of technical information shared by Barb and I am just giving you an overview  so you have some basic knowledge when sourcing your outdoor furnishings.

Enjoy your summer when it gets here!

Reupholstery - Guest Post by Jeanne Grier

Posted from Jeanne Grier, http://www.stylishfireplaces.ca/

New or Not? 5 Considerations before you reupholster

May | 25 | 2015 Posted By Stylish Fireplaces

Many of  our clients are considering reupholstery vs. new furniture, especially those who are downsizing and already have a selection of seating on hand.  When it comes to cost, there is often little or no difference between reupholstering an existing piece or purchasing a new one.  In both cases, you should end up with a ‘new’ piece in the fabric you love.  (Note: A reputable upholsterer will remove the old fabric, replace old foam and padding, glue loose joints, and repair broken springs.) So, how do we decide whether it makes more sense to rework the old furniture or shop for new pieces?   Here are my Top 5 Things to Consider:

• Is the piece in question well-made?  Garbage in = garbage out, as they say!  If the frame is unstable or broken, there’s no point in recovering it (unless it’s an antique that’s worth repairing — more on that, below!)
• Is the piece comfortable?  If not, there are some minor changes that might make it more inviting — softer/firmer foam, a higher/lower seat.  However, some pieces just can’t be made more comfortable, and these pieces don’t deserve to be recovered.
• Is the piece the right size and scale for your space?  If it’s the wrong size, no amount of wishful thinking is going to make it fit. Whether it’s too big or too small, you may be better off with a new model.
• Is the piece a personal favourite?  If you’ve never liked it, it’s possible that new fabric isn’t going to change your opinion.  Try to separate your feelings about the piece from your feelings about its covering, to be sure you’ll be better off with a new covering.
• Is the piece an antique?  You can ignore all of the logical reasons for and against reupholstery, above, if it’s an antique that you wish to preserve.   Except for size — a too-large piece won’t fit no matter how much you love it–the usual reasons against reupholstery become invalid if your piece is unique and irreplaceable.

Chalk Paint vs Chalkboard Paint vs Milk Paint....

You may have been hearing about Chalk Paint and wonder if it is the same as the already popular Chalkboard Paint??  They are two entirely different products with entirely different applications.  Yes both come in a myriad of colours so it may be easy to confuse. Chalkboard paint has been around for years and is now available in many great colours to enhance any decor.  It is applied to a surface so that you can apply writing, drawings, etc to it.

So what is all the buzz about lately on Chalk Paint??  Why is it different from Milk Paint??

Milk paint comes in a powdered form and has to be mixed with water and blended.  You have to be careful not to add too much water or it will run off the furniture and if too thick it will leave lumps.  If the piece is pre-finished you need to add a primer.  Raw wood is fine with just the paint.

Chalk paint, created by Annie Sloan in 1990,  is a decorative paint available in 30 colours, both decorative and historical and is made specifically for painting furniture, floors and gives a completely matt, velvet like finish.  

You have to wonder what is so different between this Chalk Paint and the Milk Paint we all know. 

Chalk paint comes pre-mixed but can be diluted with water to create a wash/stain.  It has the properties to stick to almost any surface with prepping..... wood, concrete, metal, matt plastic, earthenware etc. It works well on exterior applications and dries quickly. If you are interested in creating an old worn look, adding a second colour which is then sanded off lightly in strategic spots, will allow the initial paint colour to show through and give an aged look.  Another point of preference is that it has extremely low VOC's and no odor. Adding Annie Sloan Soft Wax, will achieve a subtle sheen as well as protect your piece and add durability.


Below are some of the different looks you can achieve with this paint

 
You may just want a nice smooth finish, no ageing

In summary below are the main reasons to give this product a try.  (from the Annie Sloan website)   http://www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/copy_of_How_to_use_the_paint.html

1. Chalk Paint® is the BEST paint for painting furniture by a long way
2. No need to prime or prepare
3. Extremely low VOC so it is good for the environment
4. You can use it on any surface, indoors and out (the outside of our shop was painted in it -- perfect!) 
5. You can use the paint by diluting it with water to make a wash to show the wood grain
6. The colours are mixed intelligently and the website shows how you can adapt your colours for your use
7. It's a girls' paint, but boys can use it too
8. It's flexible so you can be creative and change your mind 
9. It allows your walls to breathe so it is perfect for cottage walls
10. You can use it as an impasto (thickly) - leave the lid off to thicken 
11. We've been making it since 1990 so it's tried and tested

For more information on this product check out Annie's blog
http://anniesloanpaintandcolour.blogspot.co.uk/

Happy Family Day

Well here we are half way through February and I saw the sun recently and what a pleasure that was.
Thinking about this day and how it is a time for families to get together and do something and have fun of course my mind is always on decor and design so why not feature some great "family rooms".

 

Italian Designer Paola Navone partners with Crate and Barrel

In September 2013 the Renowned Italian Interior Designer, Architect and Art Director, Paola Navone partnered with Crate & Barrel to introduce her first of three collections to the Canadian marketplace.  She likes to work with saturated colours for the mostpart and this collection is a gorgeous Cobalt Blue partnered with pure white.

Paola does not define herself within a particular niche or style and has a variety of home decor items ranging from tabletop to textiles, accessories, lighting, rugs, furniture and much more. 

The products available at Crate & Barrel currently are in the bright cobalt blue & white which brings such a breath of fresh air and a crisp look.  A visit to C & B is definitely something to consider when in need of a little retail therapy this dull and drab winter. It will take away the blahs and remind you of the Mediterranean and will definitely brighten your day.

Corinne Campenio designs from France now at SOFA

I attended an event at SOFA this morning to introduce a new design source coming out of Paris, France with gorgeous products.  The line offers chairs, benches, headboards and toss cushions all designed by Corinne Campenio.  This talented designer travels to various cities around the world to find her inspiration which she photographs and then transforms into beautiful creations.  The frames for the furniture is made of Canadian kiln dried maple in Montreal and can be finished in whatever the client would like.  The options are plentiful and so unique.  One can combine any of her fabrics on any style of chair or bench for a completely one of a kind custom design.  The printing process is done with the sublimation process and the design goes deep into the fabric making it very durable and resistant to scratching, fading under normal conditions.  This fabric also meets fire resistant requirements and commercial standards.   Currently this line can only be sourced at SOFA within the GTA.