Christmas Decorating at My Home....

It all starts at the Entrance....

This year I decided to add some of the warm copper colour that is so popular and looks nice with the greenery and silver touches.  A little snow would make it look much better...

CDECA GTA West Display Window at SoFA....

Every 2 - 3 months a group of CDECA decorators get together and create a 'themed' window display at SoFA, www.visitsofa.com.  So far we have done many great 'displays' primarily using the products available at the showrooms located at SoFA along with a few purchased items.  One might think how can several creative people agree on a theme and way to display it, but it works and we have a great deal of fun.  It is a bit of work collecting and then placing the different items, but it is also like playing so to speak.  We receive a great deal of positive feedback from people who work at SoFA and those who come there to do business.  Our most recent display was completed last week and it is...

Setting your table for the Holiday Party Season: 3 different looks- Modern Glitz, Traditional Favourites, and Rustic Charm

Modern Glitz

Traditional Elegance

Refiined Rustic

How to Make a Christmas Indoor Planter

It's that time of year and I am busy getting ready for some celebrating with family and friends.  One of my favourite things is to decorate the house for the holidays and I thought I would share this planter I made this year which can be placed on a kitchen island, counter or a console table....

Start with a rectangular container.  This one is a lightweight stone 

composite but anything in this shape will work fine.                        

  Add the greenery

 Add three Red Amaryllis

 Start to 'create' using berry picks, apples, pears and birch tree branches (from fallen dead trees)

 The finished product

Here is another simple decor idea that could be placed on the back of the toilet tank; on a slim ledge or anywhere you would like a little festive touch...

Start with a glass container (this one from Crate & Barrel);  www.crateandbarrel.ca; add some river stones, green moss, moss balls and some wooden cranberries.  If desired, you can also add some 'battery" tea lights

p.s.  my photography skills are not so great but you get the idea.  Have fun creating and watch for more DIY's!!

GTA West have lessons on Bathrooms....

The GTA West Chapter of CDECA visited the Watermarks Showroom, www.watermarksboutique.com in Burlington recently and got the goods on all things 'bathroom'.  Many of the representatives from the companies who supply the great products to Watermarks were on hand to give us info on what is new and coming up as well as explaining some of the 'technical' and 'functional' aspects of each product.  This is important to designers and decorators so we are knowledgeable and can offer suitable solutions for our clients.

Many thanks to everyone at the Burlington showroom

 and all the representatives who came out 

and presented such great information.

Below is just a teeny peek at all the wonderful items you can source for both kitchens & baths at Watermarks which has several locations.  Check them out if you like luxury and quality!!

 

 

LIVING WITH COLOUR IN THE HOME - A Bloggers Event with Decor-Rest and Para Paint....

Last week I attended an event "Living with Colour in the Home",  hosted by Decor-Rest Furniture, www.decor-rest.com along with a presentation from Para Paint, www.para.com.  This event was directed to those of us who blog on the topics related to home, trends, colour, furniture, DIY.

Para rolled out their Colour Forecast for 2013 which has not been launched in stores yet which was great to see.  From what they presented, 2013 will be the year of much colour.  There will still be neutrals to pair with all of this rich and saturated colour.  Para is also introducing a new tool which will assist designers & decorators when displaying a colour group to clients.  Looking forward to this  It should be available in the new year.  The main colour groups presented as those for 2013 were blues, greens, purple, and golden. We will see references to the Art Deco period with colour, graphics, chevron, diamond pattern and a lot of texture.

The portion of the evening dedicated to 'blogging' touched on how important is has become as an inspiration for people looking for new ideas and what is trending.  In reading other blogs I find a great deal of information on all topics.  This  has become a great way to share, educate and just enjoy what others have to say.

After enjoying a lovely dinner, prizes and giveaways we toured the gorgeous showroom at Decor-Rest and got tons of inspiration for the next projects we undertake.

Decor-Rest features Cobi Style which is vibrant with colour and is very fun as well as Steven and Chris which is more masculine and subdued in colour and style, two distinctly different looks but they can work together.
Here is a few photos of their wonderful furniture.

All about Kitchens with Margaret Macdonald

Another great event at SOFA....

Last week I, along with many others in the design & decorating business attended a seminar by Margaret MacDonald all about  "What makes a Great Kitchen" from a  functional design perspective.  Margaret is a name known as a Kitchen Designer for the past 18 years and has worked with some of the top kitchen & bath manufacturers.

I have written about the types of kitchens we want, however this seminar went deeper into the framework of designing a great kitchen.  So many tips on the key elements of great design were shared, but keeping function and safety in the forefront were extremely important.  One can have a 'pretty or beautiful' kitchen, but if it doesn't function properly or there are safety hazards then it is not a great kitchen.  You must adhere to building code at all times.  This is something designers and decorators who are experienced in kitchen design will know and this is why it is important to work with one.  Margaret gave us a refresher on this by showing photos of the 'blunders' that can occur. We also took a step down memory lane to kitchens of the past and saw how far we have come to today's fabulous kitchens. What a great way to either learn or be reminded of the importance of the design process.

Thanks to SOFA, www.visitsofa.com and AGA/Marvel, www.agamarvel.com who co-sponsored the event.

Below are a few examples of well designed kitchens and not so well designed.  It is not always possible to have the 'perfect' kitchen layout depending on your space restrictions, however keeping a few safety and functional tips in mind will help with the overall success of a kitchen design.

The kitchen below is very nice, however the wooden

columns sitting directly on the counter and beside the

cook top are not to code and could be a safety hazard 

as well as they cut off easy access to the counter beside

This kitchen has the required space beside the

cook top.  The dishwasher are located across

from each other however it appears there is

enough room to open both within the space,            

especially with the over being higher off the

ground but it could be a little problematic if both

were being opened at the same time.

This kitchen has ample counter space on each

side of the range and the cabinetry does not 

go down to the counter, thus meeting code and

still looking beautiful