DuChateau Floors

We started carrying DuChateau Flooring last spring, and almost a year later, it is still my favorite.

How often is environmentally-friendly flooring classically beautiful and – dare I say it? – SICK.

The secret to these floors, is in the polish. While in the United States, polyurethane, acrylic, and aluminum finished floors are prevalent, DeChateau offers a refreshing alternative: a floor crafted of new FSC-certified European wood that is distressed, finished with hard wax oil, smoked, and brushed to reproduce that wonderful age-old, worn, antique patina that speaks of history.

The hard wax oil is zero-VOC and preservative-free. As you can see, it makes for a rediculous finish that brings out all the beauty of the wood… its depth, its grain, and sheen.

These photos are from the company’s Riverstone collection.

There are eight collections in all, each with their own distinct personality and each easily spot-repaired with minimum work. Well-kept, maintained, oiled, the wood will only deepen in beauty. Our rep actually told me that you virtually never have to have them refinished. Unless of course someone drops a bowling ball, or your beloved pooch decides to dig while you're out. Imagine using it as wall paneling or, for greater inspiration, you have go check out how Musa Design has used it. They recently completed Far 4, an avant-garde shop/art gallery in Seattle with fine porcelain from all over the world, ‘ZAW, an artisan-inspired, bake-at-home pizza chain, and the MusaDesign studio in a historical Art Deco building under the monorail on 5th Ave.
Musa Design is located in Seattle, WA!

For more info on these, eco-friendly floors, please visit DuChateau’s website.

Dick Proenneke, I salute you

When did cabins become chic.

It hard to think about cabins with out the name Dick Proennek coming to mind. At age 50, Dick decided to build his own cabin, by hand, in the high mountains of Alaska at a place called Twin Lakes. He lived there for over 30 years.

As much as I hate getting dirty, I give you: cabin porn, a big picture blog curated by the folks over at Beaver Brook

[photo by kaxnas]

[Photo by Linda Edwards]

[Ranger's cabin, Indian Henry Meados, Mt. Rainier National Park - photo by Eric Nagle]

[photo by Vasin Valery]

[photo by Eddy Wong]

[photo by Brian Dow]

chevron & herringbone

My love for wood chevron and herringbone floors goes deep, especially the slightly-battered, wide-plank ones you see in pictures of perfect old French apartments.

On the left: a chevron style floor, where the planks are set on the diagonal, and meet in a center line. On the right, the herringbone pattern, where the planks are also set on a diagonal, but interlaced. Although the looks are very similar, they each have their own distinct look and feel.

Chevron has been Missoni’s signature print for years and even though Missoni reminds me of my Grandma, I love the using them as inspiration and a way to mix up colorways or in a bold one color statement. Blended they become a subtle statement of classic design. Dizzy up or down.. chevrons offer so much versatility which makes them so fun to mix into home decor.

Jonathan Adler is a big fan of the chevron rug in his book Happy Chic: Colors.

The chevron stripe in this pale blue bathroom is painted right on the floor using a stencil. You can get this look on your floors or walls using a stencil from Stencil Library.

These gorgeous gray chevron floors in this kitchen were painted by designer Merrilee Mcgehee. Chevron’s ability to zig zag across the room, or skirt down the runway adds bold excitement to any surface.

Chevron, along with the greek key, are some of the classic patterns from the history of textile design. Chevron, in bright poppy colors has recently become very become popular, go for a neutral chevron, it will outlast the current trend.

What’s better than wood herringbone floors? Wood herringbone floors stained black. Via sfgirlbybay (I don’t know the original source, sorry—if you know, please tell me!).

This is in Holly’s new apartment in Hannover, Germany, which she’s been blogging about over at Haus Maus.


The above photo is from B&B Italia

lighting lurve

I find black and white decor veeeeeeery appealing. I thought a little momentary distraction via Skonahem might help move me through this slooow Thursday...

Serene, luminous and balanced. I like the hard wall, with the old brick, and how it can stay so masterfully integrated and smoothed with the rest of the decor and the used colors.

Custom Digital Wallpaper and Coverings

Wallpaper is still popular, especially in bold patterns. Last week at the Toronto Interior Design Show, IDS12, several interesting booths featured custom, digital wallpaper.

I love the look and originality of these bold, custom prints that make a statement in any room.


Wanderlust Paris Wallpaper Collection by Rollout


Wall coverings and textiles from Mushaboom Design. These designs in the Victoria Line were inspired by the public gardens of Nova Scotia.

.orange and grey.

One of my favorite colour paletts, orange and grey were every where at last weeks Las Vegas Interior Design Show, IDS12.

The Pantone Resilience Palette

Resilience represents a group of sturdy hues that work very well together. It speaks of hand-hewn objects of substance, sustenance and solidity in a range of natural, outdoor shades. There are nuances of the deepest browns, varietal mushroom tones, foliage green and greenish yellow. A dash of flamingo orange adds an exotic touch to this otherwise organic grouping.


Here's a look inside one of the rooms at the Scandic Grand Central Hotel in Stockholm

I love the decidedly non-chain-hotel-room details: amazingly tall pale blue velvet drapes, a modern chandelier dangling from unusually high ceilings, and the best part...the batten board detailed walls behind the bed instead of a headboard!

The Designers: Koncept Stockholm

(Images: Janel Laban)

Inspiration

Outdoor Lighting Inspiration: Use Lots of Jars

When I decorate the outdoors I tend to error on the side of spending close to nothing since most things get ruined when I forget to bring them inside. So I'm constantly on the lookout for affordable ways to spruce up my deck with stuff I've got around the house. And if I look under the sink I'm pretty sure I will definitely find the mismatched jars I would need to create this simple lighting...


Thankfully I got loads of votive candles for cheap at Ikea. Dropping one in each jar or glass and then clustering them on the center of the table will cast a beautiful glow, and make a great centerpiece and focal point for an outdoor space. It's cheap, cleans up easily and looks thought out and beautiful.

(Image: Chelle Paperie)

Cupid

Fabulous wallpaper? Yes! This bathroom looks like something we'd see on a TV show. Where all those 90210-ers or Gossip Girlies would congregate in a bathroom to touch up their makeup or...or...text message...or...whatever it is those characters do on those shows.

Anna Spiro's Reno, NV Home

This old front gate is from a demolition yard...for only $40!!


Most of the exterior windows were covered with black and white stripe awnings.


To dress the kitchen up she placed an Antique French Armoire and opposite it placed an old chest of drawers.






Above is the island bench that was made for the Kitchen with a white Carrara Marble benchtop.






In the dining area Anna was inspired by U.S. Designer Windsor Smith to use her 2 old black and white wing chairs as end chairs which she then paired with a collection of mismatched Antique & Vintage side dining chairs.




This large bookcase was custom built to cover the entire wall.








I love this loom sofa custom painted in hot pink!






Manuel Canovas Wall Paper


In the bathroom she chose white subway tiles with grey grout on the walls and white hexagonal mosaics on the floor. The old timber workbench came from Ebay.