Oh when the Saints...

I've been off work all week with a nasty case of strep throat. It's not often I don't feel like being productive! So, I've been forced to watch an awful lot of t.v. including HBO's Treme.

So, inspired by the New Orleans setting I started looking into Shotgun houses, an architectural staple of the city.

Small, efficient and from the outside, so freaking cute.



(www.candychang.com)



(www.offcite.org)



(www.prcno.org)



(www.dezeen.com)



(www.trustsea.com)

to each their own

The one thing I remember from the first design class I took is that taste is individual, there is no right or wrong. While on the one hand I fully agree, I'm not a huge fan of of overly ornate Louis style furniture, I can still appreciate it for what it is. I'm not a fan of earth tones but I can appreciate them in someone else's house.

That being said, there is nothing worse to me than builder basic boring. I like to pick up a free home magazine from the local grocery store (www.ourhomesmagazine.com/ottawa). This season's issue features the home of Kris and Amanda Wagorn of Luxart Homes (www.luxarthomes.com). Again, while I can appreciate the architecture and finishes the house is so bland and lacking in any individuality, unless of course you consider "we bought out the entire Leon's showroom" as stylish.

While I'm at it, are we not over the everything must be "espresso" trend? I get that brown and taupe is warm and earthy but in this case it's also incredibly boring. I imagine that beige people live in beige houses.

Then again, as I said before, to each their own and me, I would much rather live in this:

all photos from styleathome.com

Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

Contrary to the title, I love fall. I love back to school and tall boots and scarves. I love the crispness in the air, the clarity of the sky (when it's sunny!). I love it all.

What i'm not usually a fan of however is fall decorating. I'm not into pumpkins and spice and leaf motifs. I also tend to stay away from the traditional fall colours like, well, brown for instance.

I do like the rustic modern vibe that seems to be strong right now which evokes a coziness appropriate for fall that I could definitely live with. I also have a certain affection for the English library look. Overall though, I still prefer more saturated and bright colours usually associated with spring and summer.

I like:

(www.ixtro.com)

(www.homedesignfind.com)

Chester sofa westelm.com

pillows (west elm) wish they came in bright orange!

Steepholm rug DWR.com (how awesome would this look with the tufted grey leather couch and those furry pillows?!) too bad it's like $6000! I'm sure a more fiscally responsible option is out there.

i've got my spine i've got my orange crush

i've been a little unhappy with my bedroom lately. it's probably the most "finished" room in our house yet i feel like it's missing something, like maybe it's a little to matching, that there's not enough contrast...

I don't want to change the paint, I love the gray. Unfortunately, I can't change the floors (no $$!) but I've been thinking about wall paper on the wall behind the bed, losing the black, layering in some warm wood pieces and maybe some pops of orange, gold and deep inky blue.

Some inspiration shots:

(decorpad.com)

(urbanjane.blogspot.com)

(urbanjane.blogspot.com)

(urbanjane.blogspot.com)

we'll see...