Modern Country

I recently came across this great little shop on Queen East called Flik&Company owned by Stephen & Mario Howard. Owning their own retail store in one of Toronto’s trendiest shopping districts for home-décor was once only a dream for Stephan Howard. Today he and partner own two popular vintage-style shops, with plans of further expansion in progress.

Here are some examples of great pieces you can find at their shop...



Lately I've really been inspired by modern country. The blend of warm country home comfort with the luxury and chic style of modern design. If married well, it's the perfect blend.



This image is so great. The dining area has exposed wooden beams stained in a dark mahogany, but it's accented by a very modern chandelier and dining table/chairs. The entry way mimics the dark wood frame with a beautiful modified arch right into a stark white kitchen with stainless steel stools against the back drop of white wooden built ins.

I'm actually loving modern country so much that I want to rip everything in my house at this point and start all over again =)
Now if only I can win the lotto!

Happy Monday

Winter Bedroom

My husband shocked me last night ...

Husband: "I think we should switch up our bedding"
Me: "how come?"
Husband: "It's winter now"
Me: SHOCKED!
Husband: "We should use this bedding for the spring summer months and get new winter bedding to make the bedroom more cozy and warm"

If you know my husband, you know he's the last person to suggest anything on design or decor. He doesn't care what things look like, just wants it to be comfortable when he sits or sleeps in it. So the fact that he brought this up to my attention literally took me back a few steps. I must be rubbing off.

It started making me think, yes, we do need to warm up our bedroom a bit. So we're off to look for some bedding this weekend. In the meantime, I'll leave you with some great inspirational bedroom images.

Have a great weekend!


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Mirrors and Armoires and Chairs... Oh My

I can't believe it's been a year now since we first moved into the condo. Down sizing is definitely hard - especially when space is a factor. We have 1 hall closet which barely holds anything with our washer and dryer ... that's it! Now I'm looking into getting an armoire. One for the bedroom and one for the livingroom. Along with that, a large mirror to open up the space a bit and chairs... oh chairs!

Here are some great inspiration photos I found. This armoire is very art deco, but I love how it works in the space. I would never think of putting something like that in an all white traditional space but it totally works.


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How about this mirror! Stunning against the beautifully paneled walls. Talk about a beautiful blend of modern and traditional.


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And this chair I just fell in love with.

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Now I need to go shopping.

Sun Room Dilemma

dilemma dilemma...

i have a 5x16 rectangular sun room in our condo with floor to ceiling windows which we used to use as our "computer/office" area - but now that we got rid of our computer and we both work on laptops in the bedroom, this space has become somewhat barren.

now i'm thinking of transforming it into a reading/lounge area, and here are some inspirational images that caught my attention. i really like the idea of having a day bed in our sun room. a place were we can read and sit or just take a nap in.



this bookshelf and chair image is exactly what i'm thinking of. a big chair like that you can just snuggle into with a good book and a hot tea/coffee, whatever tickles your fancy.

i have some planning to do.
happy weekend everyone!

Wine Lovers

When thinking of kitchen design, wine storage is something we need to keep in mind since we're huge wine lovers / collectors. So the minute I saw this, a light bulb went off in my head and I instantly fell in love.




Talk about a serious wine storage unit!

Getting Ready for Winter

The perks of having a gay brother who works at BCBG Max Azria! :)
He just got me this great jacket to keep me warm all winter. So excited.



Now I just need to pick a good holiday party dress .... can't pick which one I want.

Happy Friday

The one thing I hate about living in our condo is that there's a"no pets allowed" rule. For animal lovers like Ed and I, this is a huge heartache. So, I'll leave this week with a few fun and adorable images of pets I wish I had by some great pet photographers ....


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Happy Friday!

Gift Wrapping

Every Christmas I make it a point to complete all my Christmas shopping before the end of November, but every year I've failed. This year, I'm determined to make this happen!

My family and friends know me as the gift wrapper. I enjoy wrapping gifts and so every year they look forward to see my new creative designs. The challenge is always using new wrapping paper and coming up with new ideas on how to package everyones gifts individually.

I came across these new ideas and I think they're fantastic. I've never thought of putting names on gifts outside of tagging but here is a great idea on how to make things modern but also personalized.


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Better yet, how about using a personalized wrapping paper? You can use fansy personalized wrapping paper, or for the same effect just get plain colored wrapping paper and write on it yourself.


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I don't know about you, but receiving gifts from overseas is something I always look forward too. So why not use the same packaging idea of friends and family over the holidays.


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This holiday season, think outside the box and make sure the gift you give has a bit of your personal touch on it :)

Colorful Doors

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What to add a little pzazz into your home without breaking the bank? A great way to add some spice is to paint your doors! There's so much character behind colorful doors, as seen here in these images. I mean, how can you be sad or angery standing in front of these doors?!


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Not only are they visually pleasing, but they're great conversational pieces!


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Pet Photography

image from: Martha Stewart Living

I fell in love with the image above.
In my family, June, our princess maltese is as much a part of our family as my own brother or sister. So, the idea of not having an image of her on our wall doesn't make any sense to me. When I saw the photo above, it just brought an instant smile to my face. What a great way to capture your pet and also have it act as a piece of art in the house. It's modern, sleek and not to mention ubber cute!

The Attic

In so many older homes the attic is the one space that gets no love. Whether it ends up being a storage unit or just dead space collecting cob webs, the one place in your home that is packed with potential but gets over looked is the attic.

The images and designs below are clear examples that the once scary attic can be a beautiful, usable space.


Image by: Home Interior Design Decorating




Image by: Splendia