Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, March 28, 2012
I'm all about bright fresh spring colours now that the weather has warmed up and the flowers are blooming. This kitchen just seems perfect for a spring WISH (Weekly Inspiration for a Seasonal Home) Wednesday, don't you think. I'm pretty much smitten with white kitchens and always have been, but this one is extra special with the gray-blue painted floor and the apple green inside the upper cabinets. I think the wood paneling installed as horizontal boards is an interesting twist that adds a lot of interest to the walls even though they are also painted white. I love everything about this kitchen and would replicate it in a second.
And since this is the last WISH Wednesday of the month I've combined all the pictures for March into a mosaic. It certainly was a month for yellow and green.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, March 21, 2012
It's officially spring - not only does the calendar show it is spring, but we have had lovely warm weather for the past week and the flowers are starting to come out. I've seen forsythia and daffodils and myrtle in bloom and the grass is already green - all very strange given that it is still March and that NEVER happens here in Ontario.
I have been saving this pretty hallway and stairs for a WISH Wednesday in spring. I love the soft colours of the wallpaper and the touches of gold in the picture frame and along the top of the window. I could happily decorate my front hall like this - if my front hall was bigger than about four feet square.
Anyone else happy to be able to throw open their windows and looking forward to dressing the house for spring.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Being that it is St. Patrick's Day in a few days, it seemed appropriate to find a green room for WISH Wednesday. I'm not sure I would ever have the nerve to paint my cabinets kelly green, but I do think it looks amazing.These two photos are of the same kitchen, although I notice that the green is quite different (personally I prefer the green in the first photo). I think all the white in the peninsula cabinet and on the walls and the black in the open shelves, the counter, the stools and the dining room chairs help to balance such an intense colour . I love the tall wall of tiles with the dark wood open shelves on it and the herringbone wood floor pattern. And I think the tiny hits of orange are a perfect contrast.
Do you like the dark green cabinets? Could you paint your kitchen green?
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, March 07, 2012
I had a hankering for a nice bright colourful room for the WISH Wednesday room this week. I wonder why? Could it be the endless gray skies? The cool dreary weather we have been having? Whatever the reason, this bright modern kitchen is just what the Doctor ordered.
I'm usually more of a vintage, traditional kind of gal, but this cheerful kitchen belonging to Bobbie Burger has always appealed to me. I remember seeing her Okanagan weekend home for the first time in the Canadian House and Home magazine in May 2009. The gorgeous paintings on the wall just grabbed my attention. Her home is the perfect backdrop to showcase her paintings with the clean white walls and floor and the gorgeous views out the window.
This kitchen is amazing in so many ways. Not only are the paintings riveting, but I love the long row of white cabinets, the bank of windows, the hit of yellow in the stove and the stool at the end of the table, and of course, the gorgeous 1890s Quebec convent table.
If I could chose to paint like anyone (and believe me I have a list just in case my fairy godmother comes calling and decides to grant me a wish) then Bobbie would be right up there. I love the swirls of flower petals and the fresh colours in her paintings.
Is that a cheerful and spring-like kitchen or what?
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, February 29, 2012
I must have bedrooms on the brain as this is the second one in a row that has caught my eye. I can't get over how gorgeous the brick wall is in this bedroom with the subtle brick arch used to frame the bed. I love how the brick wall is kept as the main event by using neutral furniture and bedding. The delicate chandelier is the perfect foil for the rustic exposed bricks on the wall. I know this bedroom is more of a wish and not likely to ever be a reality, as gorgeous brick walls like that are hard to come by ... but a girl can dream!
It's the end of another month - amazing how fast February has flown past. I've bundled all the pictures from this past month's WISH (Weekly Inspiration for a Seasonal Home) Wednesday photos together into a mosaic. Interesting how the month started off so bright and cheerful and ended up with warm neutrals. I wonder what that says about me, or the month, or both.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, February 22, 2012
We were visiting our friend's new farm this past weekend and I now officially have farm fever - I'll share some pictures on Friday. Being consumed with thinking about farms, pondering if we would like to live on a farm, and checking out the real estate ads for farms meant that I had to do some searching and find a gorgeous farmhouse room to share for WISH Wednesday. There really was no option as you can see.
I love the simplicity of this bedroom - no curtains, limited colours, no bedskirt on the bed - just solid wood furniture, gorgeous floors, crisp white sheets and a pretty plaid blanket. The turned legs on the bedside table are a wonderful detail, as is the use of a stack of suitcases for storage. Except that the morning light would bother me, I would love to sleep in this bedroom.
And if we ever buy ourselves a farmhouse, I'm copying this bedroom!
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, February 15, 2012
I recently came across this room on the blog Bright, Bold, & Beautiful and was immediately drawn to how warm and inviting it looks. This study has so many of the things I love - things like bookshelves, art, and classic wood furniture. The Canadian Interior Designer Philip Mitchell is the genius behind this room and when I visited his website I noticed that he has offices in Toronto and Chester, Nova Scotia. I'm kind of hoping this gorgeous study is in a Nova Scotia home and that you can see the ocean from those windows.
I love the gallery wall he created (not so sure about the same picture framed two different ways which you can see in the upper left of the gallery wall - any thoughts on this?) I do love the eclectic assortment of nature pictures, the driftwood sculptures on the dresser, and the curvy wooden arms on the chair to the right of the sofa. I think this is a great photo for a midwinter WISH (Weekly Inspiration for a Seasonal Home) Wednesday inspiration photo. All the rich colours in the wood, dark leather, and patterned red carpet make the room seem enveloping and warm - just what you need on a cold winter's day. That and a glass of red wine to sip (probably carpet inspiration).
What things do you look for in an inviting living room?
By the way, Philip Mitchell's website is here and his blog is here. Both have lots of inspiring photos.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, February 08, 2012
I had another WISH (Weekly Inspiration for a Seasonal Home) Wednesday photo ready to go and realized that this is my last opportunity to post a room decorated for Valentine's Day, so I went back to the inspiration photos and found one that I love (by the way, in the process I pinned a lot of gorgeous Valentine's Day decorating inspiration photos over on Pintrest, which you can see here).
I love how simple this room is - white, wood, and wicker - which serve as a neutral backdrop to the simple framed heart art. It looks like a room that would be comfortable and fun to be in, but easy to keep clean (which matters a lot too).
Sarah and Bendrix, whose home this is, also own an Etsy shop (which you can see here) and sell amazing heart art similar to some of the pieces on the wall.
Are you decorating for Valentine's Day? Anyone else itching to put hearts all over their walls?
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Pillows anyone? Don't forget to put your name in for the SmartSilk pillow giveaway (see here for details).
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Isn't this a beautiful craft room? It is so light and open and organized. I must have organization on the brain as this is the second set of shelves I've shown you in a month. I like that these are closed shelving, though, to keep the craft supplies under wraps which can really look visually overwhelming when everything is displayed on open shelves. I love the yellow wallpaper with the silhouettes of Queen Anne's Lace all over it. The large windows are perfect for letting in lots of daylight and the woven basket light over the huge table is perfect when extra lighting is needed. The only thing I would have changed is that I would have put a turquoise chair in that room instead of pink, just saying ...
Did you notice that I credited the source, the photographer, and the designer for the photo above? That was one of the things that was recommended at the Bloggers Meetup. I'm going to do my best to give credit where credit is due even though it isn't always easy to find the original source.
Here's the mosaic of all the January WISH Wednesday pictures (forgot to post it last week - oops). Aren't they a cozy lot of rooms?
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Did you know that January 25th is the day to celebrate the life of the Scottish poet, Robbie Burns? In his honour, I saved a pretty picture of a tartan tablescape for WISH (Weekly Inspiration for a Seasonal Home) Wednesday.
I love the simplicity of the piles of apples on the table, the red lanterns, the pretty embroidered napkins, the posey of leaves at each place setting, and of course the red tartans. So pretty!
While we won't be having haggis or even drinking whisky, we can say the Selkirk grace that Burns wrote:- Some hae meat and canna eat,
- And some wad eat that want it;
- But we hae meat, and we can eat,
- And sae let the Lord be thankit.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Being that it's winter in my neck of the woods, I thought I should look for an incredible drop-dead gorgeous room with a fireplace for the WISH (Weekly Inspiration for a Seasonal Home) Wednesday photo this week. So that's what I've been working my fingers to the bone doing. There are lots of fireplaces out there, but I wanted a fantastic one that was so amazing that when I looked at it all I could do was sigh and wish, wish, wish that I lived in that room.
I've recently spent a lot of time on Pintrest (by the way, did you know I was on Pintrest cause I'm a little lonely over there in my corner pinning away since I'm a newbie and haven't made any connections yet). Anyway, I found two rooms that I think fit all the requirements. I hummed and hawed over which one to feature and even asked my husband which one he preferred and he couldn't decide either (which is pretty amazing as he's a very decisive fellow) - so I'm featuring both. In many ways they are similar - with beautiful stone fireplaces flanked by large windows, white walls, and simple casual decor, but there are differences as well.
The first room has a gorgeous ceiling with painted white beams. I really like the soft furniture (what you can see of it anyway) with the striped and patterned fabric on the chair and sofa and the patterned carpet. It makes the room seem very cozy. I also love the large coffee table with interesting piles of books and rocks and flowers. I would have a lot of fun arranging and re-arranging vignettes on a surface that big and then when I was done I would put my feet up and relax. Wouldn't this be the perfect room to play a board game with the whole family by the fire.
The second room is bathed in light by gorgeous black-mullioned windows that surround the room. I love the painting on the fireplace and the simple rustic buckets, boxes and tin plate placed around the room. Although I'm not really a rifle person, I do think even the rifle is perfectly hung to balance the mantel arrangement. I also love the long sofa and the simple lines of the coffee table and wooden chairs. My only complaints are that the back of the sofa seems a tad low for comfortable lounging, there is no rug, and the room seems a bit devoid of colour. I think I'd have to add a few cushions for a little bit of colour and because I like to be well cushioned when I lounge. Wouldn't this be the perfect room to sit and watch the snow fall?
To me they are both gorgeous rooms and both make me feel like I just want to move in and stay awhile. Anyone else hold stronger opinions than I do and like one more than the other. Do tell!
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, January 11, 2012
January seems to be a month when many people work on organizing and simplifying their lives after the excesses of the holidays. So in honour of January, I decided to post one of the prettiest display shelves I have ever seen for my WISH (Weekly Inspiration for a Seasonal Home) Wednesday photo. I'm not sure why I thought this was a good example of organizing and editing, apart from the fact that the collection is so simple and so visually organized with all the bowls arranged by colour. I think we can all agree, though, that this is one cheerful kitchen with those beautiful shelves.
With that many gorgeous bowls, I would have the hardest time selecting a bowl to use. Seriously I would get hungry in the length of time it would take me to reach a decision as to which one would be the bowl de jour.
Any one else simplifying, tidying up, organizing, editing their homes/lives these days? I've been on a bit of a roll these days - details coming soon.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Doesn't this seem like such a perfect cozy winter bedroom. I'm not usually one to like dark colours on the walls, I do think this midnight gray colour is lovely especially when it is paired with the butterscotch colour of the headboard and all the white on the bedding and accessories. I love that little chair covered in black-and-white gingham. I have a long-standing thing for gingham and this chair is just perfection. All those graphic black-and-white prints look so simple and clean.
A good winter WISH (Weekly Inspiration for a Seasonal Home) Wednesday photo, don't you think?
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, December 28, 2011
We're not really big New Years Eve celebrators, but nevertheless when I saw this picture I just thought it was so darn cute I had to post it for my WISH Wednesday photo (Weekly Inspiration for a Seasonal Home).
If I was to have a New Years party that involved doing some amazing party decorating then this would totally be it, but seeing as we will probably be hanging out with the kids, eating lots of food, and watching movies, then I doubt I'll be making them.
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Since this is the last WISH Wednesday of the month I've made a collage of all the previous posts from this month. December was a fun month to find inspirational photos for with all the Christmas pictures out there. I do find it interesting how few of the photos I selected used traditional Christmas colours.
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Wednesday, December 21, 2011
When I saw this wreath posted on Kim's blog Three Peanuts, I just knew it was what I wanted to feature for the last Christmas WISH Wednesday (Weekly Inspiration for a Seasonal Home) photo.
I've had a thing for the ornament wreaths ever since I first saw one made by Eddie Ross a few years ago. I even bought myself a tub of ornaments to make my own, but it hasn't happened yet (hanging head in shame). Kim's ornament wreath is one step better than most I have seen, though, as she used vintage ornaments so it has that lovely aged feel to it.
Kim also has hung the wreath in the perfect location - layered on top of the trumeau mirror with the lovely wooden cabinet below. The greeny-gray Christmas trees and vintage books arranged on the cabinet are a wonderful compliment to the wreath.
Thanks Kim for giving me permission to share your wreath. Hop on over to her blog to read her tips about how to make the wreath.
