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!

Image courtesy of Style made Simple

If it’s clean simple lines, neutral tones and natural elements you love then the Scandinavian Style is perfect. Pick your pieces carefully if your going for this look as less is more and what you do pick should pack a BIG punch. Look for natural elements and incorporate them into your decor.

image courtesy of Armonia Decors

Living on the coast offers a range of beach themed decor items for those striving for the Coastal Contemporary look.  Natural shells, drift wood, corals and rope or twine can be added to your Christmas decor in many ways to make one feel like santa is traveling by boat this year.

Image courtesy of Home Interior Design

Have a tendency to reach for chunky, meaty pieces that look like they have been though the ringer? Then the Vintage Rustic look is probably for you. Look for weathered unique items to add to your decor, as well as burlaps, grasses and woven rugs.

Image Courtesy of Style Estate

This mantel makes me think Mountain Retreat. A rugged holiday for those that love spending time outdoors snowshoeing, skiing or ice fishing. Again, a no frills style of decorating with loads of natural elements and deep warm cozy colours and heavy materials.

Image courtesy of Shabby fufu

A little Shabby Chic Christmas. Distressed painted furniture pieces with hits of glam and pretty colours. This style is perfect for soft colours, florals, ornate pieces made casual and everything feminine and beautiful.

image courtesy of Pinterest

No decor blog would be complete without a little Parisian Inspiration found in this French Country Christmas Mantel. Rustic beams and weathered wood paneling set the stage for this image. Think formal, ornate, classic furniture styles, antique pieces and symmetry. And nothing says french country more than an ornate gilded mirror or frame. Classic!

Image courtesy of hay needle

Image courtesy of on the hunt

If it’s a Mid Century look that you are after, think bold graphic pieces with simple, clean sometimes exaggerated lines. This is a no frills style that can come alive with bright pops of colour, sparse trees complete with vintage bulbs and graphic prints.

I personally don’t go crazy when it comes to Christmas decor. I like to keep things simple with a few key pieces. A wreath, a small tree skirted in burlap, a few branches, some driftwood, a whale bone, animal throw cushions, a couple of Canadian made Antelope ( the pooping Antelope as my daughter calls them due to their posture. I personally prefer to call them the kissing Antelope ) and the knit stockings. I tend to like Naturally Rustic Christmas decor, but much like my home there is a mixture of elements and styles.

Whatever your style, have fun and try new things. But most of all, enjoy the holidays and time spent with family and friends.

One thing that will inevitably stand out if you get the chance to visit Turkey is the gorgeous architecture. With ancient structures, domed ceilings, gorgeous tile work, use of colour and lets not forget loads of Kilim Textiles. It is no wonder we look to Turkey for some decor inspiration.  

Ceiling of the Hague Sophia

Ceiling of the Blue Mosque

Photo Credit: Nazmiyal Collection

Adding a touch of Turkish style these days does not necessarily mean a trip to Istanbul, although I do highly recommend it! As the popularity of Kilim in the world of home decor has increased so has it’s accessibility. I am sure many of you have noticed it popping up at big box stores and if you haven’t yet, you will after you read this. These hearty textiles, some of Turkish origin, are typically made of wool and cotton in a flat-weave technique to create a pileless finish. Traditionally all natural materials with a durability to last the years.

Photo Credit: Marcelle Guibeau

Colours and patterns are endless and as a result compliment a multitude of styles.

Photo Credit: Jodie Cooper Designs

Photo Credit: N-Project

Photo Credit: Design Sponge

So durable, that they are a perfect choice for high use areas like kitchens, hallways or dining rooms.

Photo Credit: Pottery Barn

Because they are low pile, with pattern and colour abound, Kilim textiles are great for any room and especially for those that love the layered look.

And if you’re an eclectic nut like me that loves odd little treasures collected from around the world then something Kilim could be just what the designer ordered.

Photo Credit: kilimpension.com

If you would like to read more on Istanbul, see my post Turkish Delight

The Traditionalist

The classic Cane Barrel Chair…Timeless. One of those pieces that was just as relevant in home decor 100 years ago as it is today and with a little tweak here and there, you can have a furniture piece that will go with almost any decor.

Why it Works; Great lines, open weave and the tufted back add to it’s fabulous style, while it is designed perfectly for comfort.

When left in its natural wood tones and velvety fabrics, the cane barrel chair is right at home in a Traditional, French Country or English Country home. But if your looking for something a little different, check out how one chair can have very different looks.

Coastal Renaissance

This beauty was redone in a neutral, highly textural beige fabric. The frame was painted in an earthy white called Etiquette by Benjamin Moore.

Why it Works; Nothing says easy, breezy, beautiful like Covergirl and woven cane. The open airy feel instinctively makes us think of tropical beaches, sunny days and light breezes. Other fabric choices that would work well for this look would be twills, cottons and linens.

Totally relaxed in feel, this chair would love to chill out in a casual, cottage or nautical setting. To see how I transformed this chair, have a look at my post Chair Redo.

Uptown Girl

Same style of chair, but completely different look. Painted in a high gloss black and ever so slightly distressed to add an aged patina. This chair was covered in a fantastic vintage floral print that I scored from a friend. Always nice to have friends with style!

Why it Works; While its counterpart above was happy making a cool and casual entry, this chair is a little more Diva and demands attention in any room, just by simply – being.

This lovely gal would be sitting pretty in a hollywood glam, art deco or a contemporary setting where a pop of colour is just the thing.

Rugged Terrain 

The caning on this chair was in rough shape so rather than paying for the sides to be redone, I simply popped them out. This alone, transforms the look of the chair quite drastically. Going for a bit more of a rugged look, I painted the chair in a high gloss white and then heavily distressed every angle of the wood frame. Keeping with a masculine feel, I recovered the seat and back in a heavy two tone grey material.

Why it Work; By removing the cane sides and the button tufted back, this chair instantly becomes more contemporary. The heavily distressed wood and weighty fabric create a masculine feel that more than carries its own weight in any room.

This handsome hunk of wood would be look’n fine in a masculine, industrial or rugged contemporary decor.

When in doubt, Be Brave!

Your reward will be a fantastically classic chair that with a little lovin’, is happy making a statement in any home.

I have always been a fan of Barrymore furniture so I was super stoked when I spotted two matching Barrymore chairs for a steel of a deal at 60 bucks for the pair. Yup, that’s right, $30.00 for a Barrymore. Gotta LOVE IT! Even more incredible was the upholstery was a nice neutral colour and in pretty good condition. This meant there was no need to reupholster, which can be both time consuming and costly. As is, I felt the chairs were ok, but not exactly the look I was after so…

here are a few easy steps I did to update the look of the chair

First and by far the easiest step was to remove the back cushion and replace it with a decorative rectangular through pillow. Doing this reveals the tight back, instantly giving the chair a more contemporary streamlined appearance.

Next, I removed the skirting around the bottom edge of the chair.I did this using a pair of needle nose pliers and basically went along the bottom edge pulling staples and removing the tacking strip as I went. While I was busy removing staples, I went ahead and removed the bottom dust cover as well.

With all the skirting off, I removed the liner from the back and the piece (not sure of it’s technical name) that kept the skirt stiff. I was a little gentle as I removed these pieces as I knew I would be reusing the material.

I then pinned the skirting material together making sure it fit snuggly around the base of the chair. Once I was confident the fit was right, I sewed the skirting together to create one continuos piece.

I then put the material snuggly in place around the bottom edge of the chair, inside out, lining up seams as best I could. The use of a tacking strip creates a perfectly straight line when the fabric is folded back over and gives a professional look so it is worth purchasing some or making your own with some thin cardboard. After measuring carefully, start stapling the tacking strip in place.

Once the material is secured, fold it back over the bottom of the chair. While pulling tight against the tacking strip to create a smooth fit, staple the material to the bottom of the chair.

The legs on these chairs could not be removed so I had to fold and manipulate the fabric around the exposed legs. To do this, leave material a little longer around the legs so there is enough to tuck the material inside itself. At this point, leave the material around the legs unstapled.

I chose to reuse the piping as well so if doing so, take the piping and start stapling it in place around the bottom edge. Once you get to the legs, tuck the extra material of the piping under your folded edge. Pull tight and staple in place as close to the legs as possible.

Make your way around the base of the chair and overlap piping at the end.

Lastly, replace the dust cover to the bottom of the chair.

A quick and easy update to give your chairs a more contemporary look.

I scored this ripped up, worn out pleather ottoman for free. Geesh, I wonder why? Although the pleather material was in awful shape, the frame and legs were solid. I decided to take this hunk of massive sumpin and transform it into a more formal feminine piece by recovering it with a silvery/green chenille and topping it off with some bling bling in the button tufting.

To begin a project like this, first remove the legs from the base as well as all mounting hardware.

Then proceed by removing staples. There are usually oodles of staples so grab a cup and joe, crank the tunes and get ready to hunker down for a while because just when you have pulled the last staple from the dust cover, a whole new row of staples holding the material in place is exposed.

Now comes the satisfying part. Take off that old tired pleather and chuck it in the lapsap tong (a little cantonese for ya), as now we get to create a whole new look.

Measure the top and the sides of the ottoman adding a 1/2 inch extra all around for sewing allowance. For example, if your top is 40″ x 40″ cut a piece that is 41″ X 41″. This will give you an extra half inch on all sides. I first cut the square top to size then sewed on the piping around the entire outside edge. After that, I sewed all the sides together ensuring they were a tight fit around the ottoman. At this point I laid the top material on the ottoman frame and pinned the sewn together sides to the top piece. Complete the cover by attaching the sides to the top.

The foam on the ottoman was in good shape so I did not replace it, but the batting was a bit worn so I opted to add new. With the new batting in place, the new material can then get stapled onto the frame.

Because of the size of this ottoman I decided to break up the great expanse by adding tufting. To add tufting, you will need to fall back on some of your math skills – I know…I know! – and measure the top surface and depending on how many buttons you wish to add you need to figure out the button spacing. I like to do this on a piece of paper first as I am a visual person. Once I have it clear in my head, I measure and mark the button locations on the furniture piece. Then, using an upholstery needle and some waxed string, add the buttons in place.

On the underside of the ottoman, tie off the waxed thread with a bit of material shoved in there. The material is there to keep the knot from pulling through the foam. Some of the buttons were simply knotted in place, while depending on location, I was able to anchor some of the buttons by stapling the string to the frame.

With the tufting done, the ottoman is almost complete. To finish up, simply staple the dust cover back in place, replace leg mounting hardware and pop the legs back on.

All there is to do now is find a buddy and carry this beast to the desired location. Sit down, put your feet up and enjoy.

Okay, okay, so I know she doesn’t look like much with the dated original fabric, but I fell in love with this beauty on site. The gorgeous lines of the solid Oak bentwood frame made this chair not only virtually indestructible and unique, but beautiful from every angle.

The frame was in great condition and only required a quick vacuum and wipe down.

Now for the fabric. I choose this fabric for a couple of reasons. The first was that it was in the sale bin and the second was because I LOVED IT! I knew this chair was going to require a fare chunk of material so in order to keep costs down I was on the hunt for something less expensive, but good quality. After measuring, I purchased 5 meters of this mid century inspired fabric that would transform the look of this chair entirely. At less than $10.00 a meter and a couple spools of thread, I was out of the fabric store having spent less than 60 bucks.

I then used the cushions to mark, cut and sew my new fabric. I typically like to reuse as much as possible, as this not only keeps costs down, but also keeps perfectly usable items out of the rubbish bin. For this reason, I took the time to remove the zippers from the old material and sewed them onto the new fabric. A bit fiddly and time consuming, but a venture that I consider worth taking.

After the main cushions were complete I covered the 3 throw cushions. I decided to offset the pattern by doing the 2 smaller cushions in a creamy white. Super happy with the end result of this chair that would look perfect in an open concept room where it could be viewed from every angle.

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.

Picture courtesy of House to Home

Yet somehow, when done right, a room painted yellow can be very rewarding. Yellow is most often found in Kitchens and home offices as it can uplift the spirit, promote focus and increase productivity. Having said that, muted yellow tones likes sand and ochre, are quite at home in any room.

Acid yellows can come off quite cool in a room and pair nicely with metals while warmer yellows, with a hint of red or brown, look stunning with a variety of wood tones.Yellow’s complimentary colour is blue and can look fabulous when kept on the softer side of things. When looking for the right yellow in a room I recommend painting a small area or test piece to see how the colour is effected throughout the day between natural and artificial light. Keep in mind when the room will be used and pay particular attention to how the yellow presents itself during that period.

Yellow also looks great with greens, oranges, steely greys, browns and blacks.

Picture courtesy of Style at home

The easiest way to add bolder yellows to a room is through accent pieces like drapes, throw cushions, decorative items or small pieces of furniture.

Much like the natural world, our homes can only be enhanced with even just a touch, of yellow.