A genius in Wolf's clothing

As we move into the new year and look towards the hottest new trends, I like to take some time to reflect on where we've been and the designers that inspire me most. Enter Vicente Wolf, New York based designer and photographer, author of the decorating bible Learning to See (2002), and truly one of the most gifted and interesting designers of our time. His work is timeless and guided by instinct, but careful study reveals there is method to his madness. His palette is neutral with soft hits of color, but he's a master at playing with proportion and scale and creating tension between carefully chosen objects. His rooms appear breezy and effortless but there is genius in the complex layering of tones and textures. His spaces always invoke emotion and remind us that someone "interesting" lives there, wouldn't we all like to live like that?

Artist of the week: Erin Glover

Erin Glover graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design after spending a year studying in Italy and her work is found at Art Interiors in Toronto, a good source for affordable art from emerging artists.  Her pieces document everyday domestic tokens though a process of layering and I think they're brilliant.  The chandelier as subject is feminine, while the layering creates an edgy and modern effect. This piece would work so well in a glamorous boudoir or a stylish dining room.  

Decor eye candy

These quirky items are chock full of decor personality. Both chandeliers are unique in that they rely more on the vertical than the horizontal, and this change of scale makes them interesting. The half mirror is a talking point on its own and the hand carved side chair in school bus yellow makes it a daring choice. So take a design risk in 2009, often it's the items that seem most "wrong" that end up making a space look so right!

Retail Therapy: Lovegrove & Repucci

I have a weakness for blue and white ceramics but my modern sensibilities often keep me from incorporating them into my decor. This is no longer the case as I am crazy for these porcelain plates from Lovegrove & Repucci. The design duo takes classic Dutch Delft blue ceramics and hits the streets of London and New York. The resulting mix is so edgy and fresh, creating great tension between old and new.

Feeling blue this holiday season?

To me classic holiday décor isn’t the traditional red and green scheme, but actually blue and green. I love the new take on peacock blue and green, throw in some gorgeous mercury glass accents and you’re on your way to a very chic Christmas. A great idea I’m using this year to dress up the table is to use the peacock wreath as a centerpiece and fill with pillar candles of varying heights and add mini round ornaments to fill in the gaps and add some extra sparkle.

Drapery 101

Nothing adds drama like fabulous drapes.  Whether custom or ready-made, there are so many options available today. To lend a custom look to ready-made drapes, add a wide band of different fabric across the bottom or top, or sew a trim in contrasting grosgrain ribbon.  When looking for a custom option, for formal rooms, choose velvets, silks, fine cottons or heavy linens, and invest in good lining fabric. Installing a curtain rod can seem difficult, but the trick is if there is less than 12 inches between the window moulding and the ceiling or crown moulding, hang the rod directly below the ceiling to give the illusion of soaring ceilings.  If there is more than 12 inches between the window and ceiling, then hang the rod at the halfway point. Lightweight drapes look best just skimming the floor while more substantial fabrics should have a 1/2" to 2" puddle.

Photo credit to Wish magazine.  

Make an entrance

This gorgeous foyer from Wish magazine hits just the right note between classic and modern. I'm reminded just how fabulous blue, white and black can be in a space.  The white feels clean, the blue classic, and the black grounds everything and gives it some edge.  Love the combination of the breezy Madeline Weinrib rug (albeit completely impractical using a cream cotton rug in the doorway, but like a great pair of heels totally worth the pain) and antique chinese pottery.  Angus and Company is a great local source for high quality blue and white ceramics and Madeline Weinrib rugs can be found at Y & Co.  I think every entranceway needs a narrow console for storage, a great mirror and some seating (a one of a kind chair or bench). Add a fabulous rug, some artwork and flowers and you'll make a great first impression for your home.      

O Boy! Nate's Chicago apartment

Nate Berkus’s Chicago apartment as featured recently in Elle Decor is an eclectic inspiration. The look is masculine and sophisticated. I love the combination of dusk blue textiles and neutral furnishings against gold metals and pale grey walls. Most interesting is his use of original artwork and organic materials and objects to create interesting vignettes. I think it’s important when mixing and matching objects to still maintain some symmetry---either by repeating items or by maintaining the same scale (like the bookcase to the left of the sofa and the leaning artwork on the right). Here again we see the use of high impact pattern on the floors, instead of the walls, which is very on trend.

Retail Therapy: Umbra

Browsing through Umbra's online store, I found some inspiring furniture and accessories. The Magino line of acrylic tables is wonderful for smaller spaces, reflecting light and creating space as the eye passes right through it, but I think these accessories are fabulous---the Katarina nesting dolls and Teatime clock (made from hand-picked vintage tea cups) are so charming, and the Mixalabra candle holder could happily live on my dining room table!

Artist of the week: Daniel Schneider

Daniel Schneider's drawings hang in the Toronto Four Seasons Hotel, the Soho Metropolitan and the Cosmopolitan and his work can be found at Art Interiors in Toronto.  His Chandelier Series was originally derived from a 19th century European style chandelier and his use of repetitive mark-making and layering technique creates depth and straddles between representation and abstraction.  His drawings work beautifully in rooms with all-white decor and glamorous added touches like gilded mirrors and sheepskin throws.

A fashionable life

Nanette Lepore’s designs are a breath of fresh air, as is her Manhattan townhouse (recently featured in ELLE DECOR) and decorated by Jonathan Adler. The overall design offers so much for the eye, saturated jewel tones against warm gold metals, amazing vintage finds and unique artwork popping against pale walls. This is a fashionable home for a fashionable girl. I’m crazy for the chandeliers and sconces throughout her home, each one a showpiece, and think the eclectic mix of candelabras on her dining room table is a smart idea. I’m a fan of Jonathan’s utopia collection and think the large man/woman vase adds so much personality to the space.  

Fab fabrics

Purl Soho is one of my favourite knit shops in NYC and I could spend days sifting through their collection of beautiful yarns and unique fabrics at their sister shop Purl Patchwork. These fabrics are upholstery weight and would create brilliant accent pieces for a room---think vibrant ottoman or an accent chair in a nursery.

Katie Lee Joel's inspirational townhouse

I fell in love with Katie Lee Joel's inspirational home when featured in Domino magazine. It's probably the style that is most indicative of my own personal taste. The proportions and scale of the furniture is just right and the palette is neutral and sophisticated. The mix of soft cool greys and warm brass furniture is reminiscent of a chic Paris apartment. The effect is both incredibly stylish but comfortable. A great tip is the use of a pair of smaller chandeliers over the dining room table in lieu of one large one, a little more unexpected but still special.

Art at home

When I saw the homes of these two stylish Toronto women featured in Wish magazine, I know they were most blog-worthy! Art aficionado Jane Halverson Vendittelli’s home is a modern masterpiece with contemporary art and just the right hits of color (the works from Anthony Goicolea in the dining room---a pair of students in white lab coats eviscerating squid---is brilliant!). Marlo Szellos is a personal shopper for Holt Renfrew with impeccable taste in her home and wardrobe and greatly influenced from her years living in Paris. Both women share a minimalist aesthetic with a love of art, and refuse to comprise on high style in their family home. A good tip to take away from both homes is the use of classic white walls and dark floors as the perfect backdrop for a house filled with art.

Retail Therapy: The Cross

The Cross Decor & Design is one of my favorite sources on the west coast. Located in Vancouver's Yaletown district, their store is full of well-appointed luxury items and found objects. Right now I'm coveting their fabulous moroccan poufs and pillows (especially the brown and cream italian filigree print).

Artists of the week: Alanna Cavanagh and Kotama Bouabane

Canvas Gallery is one of my favorite sources for original artwork from local Toronto artists. Alanna Cavanagh is an illustrator and fine artist who's work has appeared in The New York Times and Kotama Bouabane's photo-based work has been exhibited at galleries including Prefix Institute for Contemporary Art, Gallery TPW & Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography.  Here are a few works that would be great for adding some energy and wit into a space (from top: N is for novel (pink), London park and Mannequin small by Cavanagh, It's not you it's me and Can we start over by Bouabane).  

Madeline Weinrib Atelier

You can't open a magazine these days without seeing a Madeline Weinrib rug on the floor of the hippest spaces. I'm crazy for her rugs, especially the cotton weaves. I can see the blue and beige Mandala in a den with a breezy white slipcovered sofa and garden stool or the black and white Buche wool flatweave in a high impact living area or the purple Suzi runner in a chic dressing room. Keep in mind that natural cotton rugs would be difficult to clean in high traffic areas or under a dining table, while wool rugs are naturally stain resistant, and at these prices you want these beautiful rugs to last. Rugs as art is so on trend right now, with high impact floors, keep the walls simple to compliment.

Black is best for Jenna Lyons

Jenna Lyons is the creative director of J. Crew and her Brooklyn brownstone as featured in the latest issue of Domino magazine is so fresh and now!  From the mix of cool grey walls and warm reclaimed wood floors in the living room to the use of chalkboard off-black walls with strong yellow and white accents throughout (even the nursery!), the effect is dramatic but not moody, still fresh. I especially love the Madeline Weinrib rug in the living room and the mix of a threadbare rug and Serge Mouille light in the bedroom, it's that unexpected mix that I find most exciting in decorating today.  

Take a seat

I have a "thing" for chairs.  Maybe its the mix of form and function that's so appealing to me, so I'm constantly looking to fill an awkward corner with some type of interesting chair, ottoman or stool and I have to give a nod to IKEA for producing some chairs with strong design lines at great price points. These punctuating black chairs will look fabulous in contemporary rooms or elevate to a higher level when mixed into more traditional settings.  

Suzanne Dimma is master of the mix

Suzanne Dimma is the new Editor of Canadian House & Home magazine, formerly Home Design Editor for Wish magazine and host of HGTV Canada's The Style Dept. She is a master of the mix, combining the best of global, eco and fashion trends but with restraint and impeccable style.  She really respects quality over quantity and her designs are an interesting mix of traditional and modern, cool and warm, high and low.  I'm a big fan of mixing high and low end items, both in home decor and fashion.  It's not only good that the high elevates the low, but also that the low rubs off on the high---making it all less serious and more interesting.  Her home, which she shares with Arriz Hassam of design firm 3rd Uncle, was recently featured in Wish magazine and it's fabulous!  Again, a good example of the new "undecorated" style that I find most appealing, with pale walls that keep the focus on the art and objects in the room, warm woods and organic materials contrasted against cool metals, mixing traditional and mid-century modern elements, and interesting objects and textiles.