The Ottoman

Great functionality that can find a home in almost every setting. I love an ottoman instead of a hard surfaced coffee table. I find it offers a sense of relaxation and comfort and possibly a splash of wonderful colour, pattern or texture. Throw a tray or two on that baby and you’re good to go. I upholstered this ottoman (see my post Reupholstering a Large Pleather Ottoman) in a silvery sage chenille fabric to add a soft subtle tone in the room and tufted it with crystal buttons for a touch of glam.

Ikea’s Kivik or Ektorp affordable storage ottoman’s are great for smaller, casual, high use spaces. I have had mine in the family room for years. Structurally solid, lid opens for additional storage and slipcover comes off for easy washing. Fabric is a highly durable cotton twill, but if it starts to look a little tired or if you just want a new look, pick up additional slipcovers available in a variety of colours.

The Pouffe

Right on trend and a great addition as a foot rest or a floor pillow. Again, perfect for adding some great texture, pattern or colour to any room.

The Bench

Benches, hard surfaced or upholstered, are perfect for seating at the the front door, dining tables, at the end of a bed or to fill in as a coffee table.

This elegant little gal serves as extra seating in my daughters room. Gorgeous feminine lines along with beautiful silk fabric and a unique profile make this bench a show stopper. To see how I refurbished this bench have a look at Parisian Inspired Bench.

This bench sits at the end of my bed and it is one that I created myself from a coffee table. No post on this one I’m sad to say. I keep a crate that was once used for transporting flower bulbs under the bench for extra storage.

The Stool

I love stools for their versatility. Group’em, stack’em or let’em stand alone. They can look so pretty while adding a tonne of functionality. Chinese inspired ceramic stools like the one shown above have been around the world of home decor forever and honestly, I think they will be around for longer still. They are so diverse in colour, texture and pattern and work in many styles.  Use it for additional seating or as a table both indoors or out.

This more industrial looking hand crafted swivel stool made by CB2 has currently found a home at my kitchen computer station. In the past, I have used it as a side table. I love the heavy angular cast iron legs topped with a Mango Wood seat.

I have two of these Sari Stools that I purchased from Pier One Imports years back. To give them a new look, I picked up some faux yak fur, cut it to size and draped it over the stool. Creates a casual, cozy feeling while adding loads of texture..

My kitchen stepping stool. A unique hand made wooden stool with loads of character. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.

Not all my stools are functional. This antique wooden stool and wooden Chinese pillow are there just to look good! So rustic, worn and loaded with history. They set the stage for other items I have picked up on my travels.

My husband often says I have some sort of obsession and quite frankly, he could be right! Now if only I could become obsessed with something a little more productive, like exercise!

One quick chuck of a pillow can change the entire feel of a room and if you stick with a winter theme rather than Christmas, you can enjoy the look for the entire winter season. I picked up a couple of these vintage skate cushions at Home Outfitters on sale for $11.00 each. This Cushion works perfectly in my front entry which has a relaxed weathered feel to it.

TIP: Try to choose cushions with zippers so the covers are easily interchangeable. This also makes storage a dream as you only have to store the cushion cover rather than the entire bulky insert.

Faux fur throw cushions (say that 3 times!) are a fantastic way to add a touch of warmth to a room. Adding cushions picturing wildlife is right on trend this year and pair perfectly with anything fur. Adding an antler or 2 like the one seen on the side table above, is also a great way to achieve this look while staying right on trend this winter season.

One of my favourite local shops for zippered cushion covers is Fabricland. Not only do they have a huge selection, but they are reasonably priced and often go on sale. Here, I paired a cushion you could use all year with a winter themed cover. You don’t have to replace every cushion in the room to get the feel of winter or the holidays. By popping in one themed cushion that compliments your style and colour you can achieve a seasonal look without breaking the bank.

If your an animal lover, adding whimsical throw cushions like the one above by Ruby Etc is a great way to get the feel of winter in a contemporary way. And I mean c’mon, how cute is this greyhound in a toque.

For the lover of everything outdoors, nothing says winter like this cushion depicting a lone tree out in the Toronto snow.

If it’s warm and cozy you are after, look for wools, tartans and knits to give any room a wintery cozy feeling.

I love, love, love my throw cushions. Just by adding one cushion, you can change the entire feel of a room, unite colours and add texture and pattern. That’s a whole lot of power for a little 20 x 20 package of fluff!

For my little girls 10th birthday I decided a room update would make the perfect gift. It could not have worked out better, as the night I finished she was at a sleepover so when she returned home, I was able to do the BIG REVEAL!  I will never forget coming around the corner and seeing her face as she sat on her bed taking in her new space. “I Love It!” she exclaimed. That was all I needed to hear.

Many years ago I did my daughters room in a two tone pink stripe with a wave of green that made its way around the perimeter. Perfect for a wee li’l girl, but now my way too mature 10 year old wanted something a little more grown up. So the walls were sanded and the stripes were covered in Benjamin Moore’s Pink Damask. A soft blush that pairs perfectly with greys, tans, quiet blues and soft greens.

I chose ceiling to floor cotton drapes with a Linen look to create a statement on the feature wall behind the daybed. I also took the drapes to each corner of the room to help camouflage the offset window and create a more grand appearance.

My daughter picked out a few decorative items on her own, such as the Eiffel Tower which has special meaning to her as we were able to visit Paris this time last year. She also decided on a letter “L” wall plaque. The glass vessel that sits on her dresser/desk holds beach glass that she has been collecting from different parts of the world.

For the room, I wanted tall narrow bedside tables with loads of storage. I was able to achieve this by repurposing an old vanity. By removing the centre piece of the vanity and doing a bit of filling, sanding and painting, two separate tables were created.  These little beauties are perfect for a smallish space and I just love the bun style legs.

I didn’t want to take up space on the bedside tables so I opted for two vintage floor lamps that I spray painted white and topped with matching cream coloured shades.

I picked up a solid wood secretary style desk for free and painted it in Benjamin Moore’s Raindance. With a new coat of paint and by adding some new hardware the dresser/desk was given a whole new look. A versatile piece that is perfect for smaller spaces.

The cork board and cute little bench seat were made to set the style of the room. You can see the blogs I did on these called Parisian Inspired Cork Board and Parisian Inspired Bench.

I opted for a bed skirt to hide all the under the bed storage bins filled to the rim with STUFF! The ruffles on the skirt, along with the curvy lines of the daybed all help enhance the Modern French Country or Parisian feel of the room.

All of this adds up to one very happy, growing up way too fast, 10 year old girl.

Okay, so she didn’t look like much when I picked her up for 25 bucks, but I could see the potential in this lovely lady. A prize piece that just needed a little TLC. Well, let’s face it, she needed a complete overhall.

To start this project, I began by completely dismantling the bench.

The curvy lines of the bench legs were fantastic, but were falling apart and badly damaged so they needed to be re-glued and refinished. Even though I loved the wood, I decided to paint the legs as busting through the thick layer of varnish to bring them back to their glory days would require a LOT of work.

Next, I removed the orange pleather material, which as you can see was done by pulling mmmm maybe a thousand randomly placed staples.

With the bench now down to it’s bare bones, it was time to start the reconstruction and transformation. The legs were painted in a warm white called Etiquette by Benjamin Moore and new batting and material was stapled on to the bench frame.

Out of pocket for this bench including the purchase price of 25 bucks, was $50.00 as I had to purchase new material and batting. A lovely little piece that compliments the room just nicely.

I purchased this  lovely ornate picture frame from the local Salvation Army store. I fell in love with the details and size of the frame immediately and knew that a quick lick of paint would turn this tired looking frame into something stunning.

Here is the frame in the condition in which I found it.

I painted the frame in an off white colour. One coat was all it took as I knew I would be distressing the frame. After painting, I used a coarse sandpaper and scuffed up the frame, focusing on edges and highly patterned areas.

After painting the frame, I was ready to focus on the cork board. I had an old mirror backing kicking around that I decided to use, but you could also use a heavy cardboard as your backing. I then cut the board to size, keeping in mind that I would be covering the entire board with material. I purchased a roll of cork and spray glued it onto the backing. Cork comes in different thicknesses so make sure you grab a thick one for stick pins. I then centered my material on the board and stapled it in place.

Now, all that was left to be done was inserting the material covered cork board into the frame, attaching some heavy-duty picture hanging wire and voila…a Parisian inspired cork board.