Designer Picks: Interior Paint Colors
Ok, now that the holiday season is over, you’ve decluttered your house (right?!), let’s keep the momentum going! Today, interior design expert Natalie Brierley shares her top picks for interior paint colours, room by room. When choosing paint colours for your own space, here’s some tips to keep in your back pocket…
1. Living Room
We love the use of a darker, charcoal-y grey in the living room. Not only does it give your space a more intimate, cozy feeling, it creates the perfect backdrop for your art or furniture. Grey looks great paired with almost anything, so changing out your accent colours and accessories is a cinch!
2. Bedroom
We’re all about keeping it romantic in the bedroom. But that doesn’t have to mean bubble gum pinks or flowery botanicals- a soft grey will do just the trick. The perfect neutral, it plays beautifully off of just about every furniture material. Layer on creams and whites to give your room a delicate feel, or use varying shades of grey to keep it dreamy but gender neutral.
3. Kitchen
Aaah, a sparkling white kitchen. The stuff our designer dreams are made of! While a stark, all-white space may not be for everyone, a kitchen should feel bright and airy. Choose a paint colour that throws light rather than absorbing it and shrinking your room.
4. Laundry Room
In most homes, a laundry room room means one thing: chores. Miserable chores. An unexpected pop of colour brightens this otherwise dreary space! Take your mind off of soiled civvies and take in some serene cerulean. There’s no reason why the decor should stop at your laundry room door.
5. Powder Room
Got a favourite colour that you don’t have the chutzpah to coat on your walls in large doses? Two words: powder room. This little space is where you should let your imagination run wild and really have some fun with your decor. Let loose with a loud wallpaper or a bold paint colour; it’ll put a smile on your face every time you walk in and be a fun little surprise for guests. Our choice? Baby pink!
Need some more inspiration for your space? Our Pinterest page has got it in spades. And be sure to check us out again next week for more expert advice and tricks of the trade!
Small Space, Big Living: Folding Tables
Happy Monday, fellow design lovers! If you’re anything like most of our beloved inner-city clients, you understand the struggles that come with small-space living. One of the biggest woes? Trying to create functional dining and work spaces that don’t encroach on your limited living space (TV trays anyone?). But no need to despair because we’ve got you covered with this week’s edition of Small Space, Big Living! Chock full of clever work surface solutions, we’ll have you planning dinner parties and home offices in no time at all…
1. Discreet Dining Table
Ever tried hosting a dinner party without a dining table? It’s less than ideal… But there IS a small-space-friendly alternative to balancing a plate on your knees. Behold, this jack-of-all trades, half mirror-half table combo! This piece is cleverly disguised as a stylish mirror in its down time and is easily transformed into a stylish and minimalist dining table on demand. Bon appetite!
2. Subtle Office Space
At some point, all home office workers have hunkered down on the sofa, hunched over a laptop trying not to be distracted by the TV. But digging pens out of couch cushions is no longer an excuse for missed deadlines! For anyone who works from home, a dedicated desk space is important. Behold: this dainty desk that folds up into a wall-mounted shelf. Not only does it come with built in shelves and file storage, this self-storing piece takes up ZERO floor space when closed up. Now you can keep all of your workplace essentials in one handy spot and stash it out of sight when your work day is done!
3. Sleek Changing Station
This modern baby changing table by Bybo is ideal for those raising a family in tight quarters and features modern Swedish design. We love that the table doesn’t hog precious floor space and comes with built-in shelving. When not in use, fold the table up and out of the way, just make sure to dispose of any stinky surprises first!
4. Secret Laundry Station
In a small home, a laundry space is the first luxury to get the axe! This fold-out table is great for ironing and folding clothes. While customizing a large wall of built-in cabinets can be costly and hard on the pocketbook, adding in a hidden ironing board can be a simple modification in most small spaces. Now you can stop ironing on the bed because, let’s face it, your friends can tell.
And there you have it – four tidy folding table solutions for your tiny home that are both practical and beautiful! Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly emails at the top of the page for a regular dose of inspiration. Can’t wait another week? Check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages, or browse through our ideabooks on Houzz!
Varsity Master Suite
The “empty nesters” behind this Northwest Calgary renovation needed a modernized space that catered to their eco-friendly lifestyle. A clean palette with earthy accents was chosen to give the space a contemporary yet grounded aesthetic. Keeping in-line with this couples’ commitment to a low environmental impact, a custom clothes drying rack was installed to eliminate the need for a dryer. An energy-efficient washing machine in the walk-in closet means that clothes go right from the wash cycle to air drying, perfect for the clients’ European sensibilities! A desire for efficiency didn’t keep us from pulling out all the luxury stops- timer activated in-heat flooring and a heated towel rack keep this cool space warm to the touch.
High Style, Low Cost: New Trad Bedroom
If you follow us on literally ANY of our social media platforms, you know we have a mild obsession with all things ‘new traditional’. This intoxicating blend of tone-on-tone neutrals contrasted by rich wood tones and grounding metals has us cuckoo for cocoa puffs! So naturally, when we came across this beauty of a bedroom designed by Isabel Lopez-Quesada, we took it upon ourselves to share it with you. And with that, dear design junkies, we give you this months’ High Style, Low Cost, New Trad Bedroom edition…
Product Sources
High
| lamp | cream cushion | brown cushion |
Low
| lamp | cream cushion | brown cushion |
Design 101: Achieving Minimalism
OK, it’s time to talk minimalism. Yes, we know that minimal interior design can sometimes come across as cold and sterile, but it doesn’t have to be that way! It’s all about embracing simplicity and making your home a calming and relaxing space, and who doesn’t want that? We know it might seem daunting, so we’ve rounded up 5 tips for achieving a beautiful minimal interior. Enjoy!
1. De-Clutter
Do you really need those seashell turtles all over the place? How about those old magazines in the corner? Less is definitely more in the case of minimalism and while we know it’s a formidable task, trust us when we tell you that getting rid of physical and visual clutter is good for the sake of yourself as well as your home. Organized storage is a great way to keep items from imposing on the interior space and will stop you running around trying to find that pair of scissors you thought you saw somewhere in that pile over there.
2. Keep your colour scheme simple.
Do not be afraid of white space! If white is just too stark for you, stick to neutrals or add an accent colour, varying the hues if you must, and adding texture and (simple) pattern for visual interest. Remember, you want to create a calm, streamlined effect rather than a busy or chaotic one.
3. Create a balanced space.
Symmetry is the easy way to go here, so arrange pillows symmetrically on the couch, or hang paintings or mirrors on either side of the couch. If symmetry is not your thing, create a more informal sense of balance by arranging dissimilar objects with equal visual weight – a large object one one side of the couch and a group of smaller ones on the other, for example.
4. Choose a focal decor point.
Accentuate a beautiful fireplace by hanging a stunning piece of art over the mantle, or position a bold couch at the visual centre of the room, drawing attention to a conversational area. All other decor and design elements should radiate from the focal point.
5. Group Similar Elements
We know you want to show off your beautiful collections or vacation pictures so to avoid cluttering up the walls and surfaces around the room, create groups of similar objects, such as photo frames and make a bold visual statement.
See, minimalism doesn’t have to be stuffy and boring. In fact, even the most dedicated hoarders among you are only garage sale (or two) away from a minimalist sanctuary of your own. Check back with us next week for more design ideas and don’t forget to sign up for our weekly blog at the top of the page. We also have some pretty fantastic inspiration on our Pinterest and Houzz pages, if we do say so ourselves…