Fabric & Wallpaper: Mr. Decor Happy’s Den

So, I have been slowly but surely working on Mr. DH’s den (aka the “man cave.” ) I received creative and inspiring input from my design savvy blogging friends and took something from each.

After I figured out the layout (it’s a small room, so this was easy), I put my mind to the colour/pattern scheme.  Mr. DH likes navy and grey (and it’s manly – no pink allowed in this room) so I knew those would be the main colours. Interestingly enough, four out of the five blogger moodboards had a shot of orange/tangerine.  So when I spied a linen called “Spice” at Tonic Living, I knew that had to be the “happy” colour in the room to balance the grey and navy.  Even “man caves” need a happy colour so it doesn’t end up looking like, well, a cave! I would call this colour a “burnt orange” as it’s not bright and I think that’s why I like it.



I fell in love with this Robert Allen fabric (below) and thought it would be perfect on a custom ottoman – every room meant for TV viewing and relaxing needs an ottoman, don’t you think? (I think I have designed one for almost every client’s family room!) I love the ethnic/tribal feel of the fabric.
 

I knew I wanted wallpaper on one wall.  I love seeing all walls papered in a room but that is something that I just can’t commit to – so one wall would be enough.  Which wall though?  The idea of papering the TV wall in a dark wallpaper really appeals as in this image below.  The TV just disappears on the Nina Campbell wallpaper.

Credit: Style at Home

But when I brought home samples of wallpaper with a black background, it just wasn’t Mr. DH’s cuppa. So, then I thought a lighter wallpaper on the daybed wall (the opposite wall.)  That probably makes the most sense anyway since I am only doing one wall.  What wallpaper? How to narrow down the thousands of choices? You know I love floral but this is Mr. DH’s room where he goes to chill, watch TV, read – no florals allowed. What about trees? Trees are manly, right?  I narrowed it down to these two.

Nina Campbell’s new Woodsford papers are beautiful (they are so new that they aren’t even on the Osborne and Little site at the time of writing.)  They have a real hand painted quality and when you touch it you can feel the “paint,” i.e. it’s not smooth.

But I have always been a huge fan of Cole & Son’s Cow Parsley papers so when I heard they recently came out with five new colourways, I headed off to Kravet to see them. (One of my first posts included an image with Cow Parsley which I loved.)

Isn’t it lovely? It’s like a mural so that kind of justifies my “one wall” plan. I was going to choose a hex print (you probably know the one I mean!) which was very cool and manly but I think this tree/plant wallpaper/painting is more fitting for a one wall application.

This is how everything will look when complete.  The Daybed is for napping but this room also doubles as a guest room and a room where I can go when Mr. DH’s snoring is too loud. :) (He is not going to be happy when he reads this!)

As soon as the room is done, it will be revealed in a national newspaper (online), so you have to wait until then!  So, what do you think of the room?  When I do the reveal, I will show you the before – it’s pretty scary and a far cry from this!

Happy Halloween! Hope the kiddos don’t get too wet/blown away.

(And PS – my thoughts are with everyone in the US affected by Hurricane Sandy and dealing with the aftermath. )  

If you require design/decorating help, please contact me at vanessa(at)vanessafrancis.com.

Getting Organized…in the Home Office

Happy Monday! Was that not the most beautiful Fall weekend weather? A little shout out to Mr. Decor Happy who ran in our local half-marathon yesterday.  So proud of him and all of the other runners including an 81 year old runner who set another world record!  So inspiring!

Seeing as I was featured in print in an “Organizing” issue, thought I will share some organizing tips now and then. 

On one side of my home office is cabinetry and workspace which I blogged about here.  (It’s getting a little makeover too as I replace the desktop with stained wood.)

photo credit: Leah Kirin

And on the other side of the office is a bookcase on the wall which I installed years ago so that I could place my drafting table below it. I wasn’t really using the drafting table any more so I was on the hunt for a shelving unit to fit the space. I was looking for specific dimensions in a specific finish and it was impossible to find.

This is when having something custom made is the best solution. So I contacted Vie from Anvil Wrought Iron and we created this bookcase called the “Vanessa.”  :)

I wanted to have a place to store trays for client samples along with their files. It really is the best way to keep this organized on current projects – everything is together in one spot and I know where to quickly find it.  (I’m actually on the hunt for smaller trays (15”x15”) so I can fit three across.)

Photo credit:  Leah Kirin

I also have space to house fabric samples, and art, books etc on the top shelf. The art is from Etsy and a thrift shop of all places.

Yes, I know I have a bit of a magazine obsession – this is only a portion of it, the rest is in my family room and bedroom!

You can’t tell from the photo  but the bottom shelf is mirror and the rest is glass. (I’m going to switch the mirror shelf to the top shelf so it is more visible.) I love the aged brass finish.

The gorgeous navy paint wall colour which I absolutely love is Para’s Straight Leg P5157-75. I’m so glad I didn’t go any darker towards black as was my original intention.

Well must go, I’m inspired by all those runners I cheered on yesterday, and am off to the gym!

Have a happy week!  I’ll be back with a message from one of my sponsors mid-week, which you won’t want to miss!

Anatomy of a Living Room

Hi there!  Hope you are well! There is a nasty bug going around and my little one (actually, she’s almost as tall as me!) has it. I have been drinking lots of orange juice in the hopes that I don’t get it.

Just thought I would share this photo of my living room in case you didn’t get a chance to see it in the Style at Home Organizing issue which is on newsstands now.

Photo credit:  Kelly Horkoff

The above shot was taken in July and is how it looks now. The one below is how it looked for the Steven and Chris show and was taken in March of this year. I had purchased the leather ottoman from Crate and Barrel and although I do love the piece (and have recommended it both in the rectangular and square forms to clients), it was taking the room in a more masculine direction than I wanted. The room also needed another colour to play off the shades of blue. I had some pink going on in the adjoining dining room which I blogged about here. I then sourced the perfect pink velvet fabric for the ottoman from Kravet. Just the hit of colour the room needed!

Photo credit:  Kelly Horkoff

The other big change to the room was the art gallery wall. When the photo above was posted on the Steven and Chris Facebook page, someone commented that the gallery wall was too busy.  And I know you shouldn’t take every negative comment to heart – because we decorate for ourselves and not others – I totally agreed.  So I moved things around (for about the 10th time in a couple of years!) and reduced the number of pieces from 17 to 13. 

I kept four of the original art pieces and added another two created by myself.  The art wall needed to repeat the hot pink colour so I painted “Two Hearts” (because when I was done it kind of looked like two adjoined hearts) in the upper right corner (of the top photo.)

It’s funny, people are still pinning this image below of how my living room looked last year pre-slipcovers etc. It looked great then but I am finally happy with it (the curse of being a decorator, blogger, pinner…) and wouldn’t change a thing now (much to hubby’s happiness!)

Photo credit: Leah Kirin

What do you think? And are you constantly changing things up in your own home – always trying get that “Ahhh” moment when you’re done?  Do you have one room that is always being changed up more so than others?

Stay tuned, I will be posting my new and improved powder room soon – I changed out the wallpaper and it looks amazing (to me, anyway!)

I'm linking up to the Pink Pagoda's Blue and White Bash here.

If you need decorating help, please contact me at vanessa(at)vanessafrancis(dot)com.

“Pretty Together”...Style at Home Feature

Happy Monday! Hope you enjoyed a beautiful weekend. I was at a friend’s cottage for a few days and had too much fun!

While driving back from the cottage, I read with excitement,  this tweet (well, I wasn’t driving, I was stopped for lunch, promise!):

And then she tweeted this photo so I could at least see the first page. Thanks Amy!  (Sorry about the crease - this one photo is spread over two pages.)

I did manage to pick up a copy (or seven!) and couldn’t wait to see the layout, words etc.  I like how they included 11 lessons throughout the article. I had seen the photographs before because I had these photos shot in March and Style at Home decided to use them.  (I would have styled things a bit differently had I known these were going in the magazine as is!)

My photographer did re-shoot the living room with my new hot pink ottoman as well as a couple of other images. I LOVE the side view shot of the living room shown above.   

The rooms featured in the magazine are the living room, Maya’s bedroom and craft room.  You have seen variations of these rooms over the years.  You can sort of see the dining room in the photo above.  I will do a Before and After post in the coming weeks as I have never shown the dining room on the blog before.  

Thanks Style at Home for this wonderful opportunity to be featured. It really is a dream come true and I am so grateful! 

“Get Organized with Style” is filled with inspiration aplenty to create an organized (and pretty) home!  I find that September, the start of a new school year, is the perfect time to edit, declutter and get organized. 

This special issue will be on newsstands only (not with your subscription) until March 29, 2013 so you have lots of time to pick one up (but I would buy one sooner than later in case they run out!)   I’m not sure if it is available outside of Canada or on Zinio but I’ll find out.

Have a happy week!

My Best Girl’s Room Complete!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!  Mine just ended as my daughter is back at school today after two weeks off.

I have some photos of my daughter’s room to share with you.  Here’s how it looked before and you can read a previous post here.



And here is the After:



I think you have seen everything before except the cute little ottoman/stool I had made from leftover headboard fabric.  (Wish I had taken an extra minute to fold the duvet cover properly.)

You know how I love Tommy Smythe? Did you catch him suggesting the floral fabric above for the girl’s room in the latest season of Sarah’s House?

He said it would be a great jumping off point for a colour scheme with the pinks and greys. (Sarah thought it was a bit brown so they didn’t go with it.) I chose the fabric because I didn’t want a white or cream background as it would get/look dirty in no time.  I also loved the pink, coral and red combo found in the fabric.

The chair was the rocking chair we had since our daughter was a baby.

It is Canadian made and comfortable so I had it reupholstered in a stripe Kravet fabric and changed the rocker to legs.

We have had the chair for 10 years and I’m sure it will last another 10!



The lamp used to look like this but I found a lovely pinky-red hand blocked print and Lia made a new shade and painted the base a cream colour.

 
You have seen the dresser before  but I changed the knobs to a different one from Anthropologie.   A painting by my daughter and a print from Cozamia look pretty over the dresser.

Besides the headboard, my favourite part of the room is the bookshelves from Ikea.  Before, the floor would be covered in books, magazines and “stuff” and now everything has a place.


(Photos 2,5,8 and 9 by Leah Kirin)

This is what held up completing the room.  I had been searching for one large wood bookcase to fill the wall to no avail.  I ended up going back to my first choice (doesn’t this always happen?) which was the Liatorp as two of them together fit the wall perfectly.  I love the beadboard detail and painted in this deep coral colour (pulled from the headboard fabric), I think it looks amazing.

I’ll do another post on the DIY linen bulletin board, the “art”. and the items on the shelves later.  Just want to add though that the “donuts” are actually a tea towel by Avril Loreti that I framed.

What do you think? I'm linking up here.

If you need decorating help, please contact me at vanessa(at)vanessafrancis(dot)com.

Living Room Art Wall (New Additions)

I hope you aren’t too tired of seeing my art wall in my living room.  (And I can’t promise you that this will be the last time since I will probably change the room this year – new coffee table/ottoman, new paint colour, maybe reupholster the sofa.  Oh, the life of a decorator – always changing things up!)

But the main reason you may see this wall again is because the beauty of an art wall is you can add and subtract as you please.  This is how it looked for most of last year.

And this is how it looks now:


Photograph by Leah Kirin

I mentioned my newly acquired Robin Pocisk painting here and I love it.  Not hard to see that I love paintings with all shades of blue.  (I also have posted a photo of the painting in the adjoining dining room – you guessed it, more blue! Can’t get enough!)  

The yellow and blue floral original small painting was a thrifting find (upper right hand corner.)  It is amazing what you can find for very little money – I am converted!

The beach scene above the middle blue painting was recently given to me by a very talented friend.  (I took down the rudimentary nude sketch that I did in art school much to my daughter’s delight!)

The tree print is from marbler Robert Wu and was purchased at the One of a Kind Show. (The two non-green pillows were also OOAK purchases – from Fluf and Kailey Hawthorn.)

A few people have emailed asking how to do an art wall and although there are tutorials out there using kraft paper cut-outs etc. – I just eyeballed everything!  I didn’t want it to look too perfect.  In fact, it looks more perfect than I wanted.  The only thing I did to start was to hang the large blue painting (by Matt LeBlanc) off center and build around it.  So easy to do.

Make 2012 the year that you rid your home of blank walls and mass produced art.  With Etsy, art gifted to you, thrift stores and your own photographs – you will be filling up your walls with art in no time.  (Note:  I have 12’ ceilings in this room – so you wouldn’t need as much art as I have here!)

Happy art hunting!

Instant Kitchen Update

I can’t believe I lived with our standard builder faucet for six years.  One of those “if it’s not broken, why fix it?” situations. 

Well, even though the faucet could have lived another six years, I felt it was time to add some pretty to the kitchen by way of a new faucet. (Would love to change out the counter and backsplash but those items are a wee pricier!)


She is the Baliza from Brizo (Delta’s premium brand.)  I had originally chosen the Venuto but soon realized that I wouldn’t be able to open my shutters because of the faucet’s high arc!   Not being able to open the shutters and window wasn’t an option so I returned it and chose the Baliza. 

Although not as statuesque, it still has a presence at almost 12” tall (just under the shutter!)   It’s design is based on a nautical lighthouse and it comes in four finishes -  I chose the chrome.  I wanted a single handle pull-out spray (rather than a separate spray) and this one has two-buttons and four functions:  stream, spray, volume control, and pause.   (I didn’t even realize this until I was writing this post!)  I did notice how smoothly the pull out moves though.



Baliza is the first pull-out or pull-down kitchen faucet to allow water volume to be controlled from the wand!   Brizo is always one step ahead of the curve!



And ready for her close up:

 
(Above two photos by Leah Kirin)

I can’t believe what a difference the new faucet has made.  (I  haven’t changed anything else in six years other than painting some art and displaying my tea towel from Bookhou which is too pretty to use!)
If you are looking to change your faucet, take a look at all the beautiful designs at  Brizo!

{Note:  A big thank you to Brizo for providing me with the faucet to try out.  Be sure to check out Masco Canada’s design and lifestyle blog Beige is Dead (love that name!)  Masco represents Brizo in Canada.}

$5 Makeover

Have you seen the new Martha Stewart Living paint colours available at Home Depot?  280 beautiful colours including some of Martha’s favourites.  The complete colour palette (below) arranges all the colours as if they were on a colour wheel – so easy to find that perfect shade.


You can get a tester of any of the colours for $4.99.


I bought this colour and painted the mirror in my family room.  The colour is similar to the colour in the fabric on one of my chairs.



Before:



After:



 



The great thing is it only cost $5 (actually $2.50 because I used half the pot!)   If I tire of the colour and want to paint it a creamy white (which was my first preference), I can.  I may also do another coat of the Arrowroot to darken it.  I realized this would have been a great “How to lighten up for Spring” post rather than posting it in the Fall when everything is earth tones! 

What do you think?  Have you done any inexpensive DIYS  around your house to freshen it up or for a change?

I’m sharing this at Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch and Funky Junk Interiors.  Head on over to see some other DIY makeovers.