Displaying posts from November, 2009

“Inspired by textiles, fashion and art, I love to add energy, scale and drama to a space.” Lucy T. Penfield

This interior designer from Minnesota creates soothing spaces that are a cohesive mixture of modern and traditional elements that blend seamlessly and effortlessly. I love her strong yet subtle colour palettes. I also am madly in love with the hanging sofa and the slide-out shelf that creates an impromptu office.

The blog has had a bit of press out there recently that we’re really stoked about (ok, particularly me being the Canadian). Today on the Canadian House & Home website a gallery of photos went live that I selected as DTI’s favourite interiors. So go check it out here and find out what our 10 favourites are.

Another biggie is a story I was contacted about for the Toronto Star newspaper. The subject was wall murals and I was interviewed by one of their reporters who ended up using a photo of my living room! Check the story out here.

A huge thanks to Lisa at H&H for including us in their blogger galleries and Paola at the Star for including me in her mural story!!

As Jo explained last Monday, we are taking part in a special campaign with Martha Stewart and eBay where we have to hunt on eBay for the perfect Christmas gifts at certain price points. Last week Jo blogged about her $25 purchase for her niece and this week it’s my turn. I had to select a gift for a loved one costing $75 (excluding shipping). I am not sure why but this price point was VERY tough for me. I was able to find all sorts of great items for less or more than this amount. But I am all about the thrill of the hunt so IT WAS ON. I had my twin sister in mind for this one. Julia and I, go figure, have very similar tastes and I wanted to find something for her home that was vintage. She is a fan of mid-century and Hollywood regency styles (she has a couple amazing mid-century credenzas in her home), and has an Asian themed bedroom. She has 2 children who are 1 and 3, so she never gets to go thrift shopping with me anymore as she’s always stuck at home minding my niece and nephew. Here are some of the things I managed to find  that were contenders:

I love lamps so of course I assume my sister loves them as much as I do. 🙂 I found a couple that would have looked really great on Julia’s teak credenzas, and a tension pole lamp that was just so funky and  would look fab next to her vintage armchair. Then there was a mirrored table that had such a fun shape and required a little bit of TLC. I figured if she needed a break from the kiddies this table would be a good excuse to hide out in her garage for a couple hours. I have recently acquired a love for cloisonne so I was stoked to find the cutest set of lidded spice jars. And lastly there was a coat rack/shelf that would be really useful in Julia’s front entrance. In the end I was completely undecided, until I found these:

I thought for sure there would be multiple bids and I’d start having a panic attack. I mean, these are the most gorgeous blanc de chine porcelain lamps ever! And the price was SOOOO right – if no one else bid. And to my shock no one else did. They are going to be perfect on either end of the large/low dresser in Julia’s bedroom. The seller was a pleasure to deal with and apologized for the $24 shipping cost which I thought was more than reasonable. They should be arriving any day now from the U.S. and I’ll have to figure out how to wrap them. I’ll probably leave them in the box they are shipped in, and I was thinking of getting some glossy black wrapping paper and a very thick white ribbon to wrap around the box and tie at the top in a huge bow. And voila, one gift done.

So folks, don’t forget that part of this challenge involves you! If you are a resident of the U.S., head on over to this site and enter to win a $1000 eBay gift voucher. What I could do with $1000…..

If you’d like to send us photos to include in next week’s “pets on furniture” post, please ensure your photos follow our basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so both pet and furniture takes center stage. (Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture…and your pet happens to be sitting on it). And second, the photo must be of decent quality. For example, if it’s REALLY dark or fuzzy (camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Thanks! (Photos can be sent to desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com) **NOTE: I will be out of town from Thursday to Monday so there won’t be a pet post next week but feel free to send along entries for the following week’s post.

 “My boyfriend Charles Brill and myself have a gorgeous 5 month old ragdoll kitty named Larry David.  We have taken a bunch of pictures I hope you will find fit in your pets on furniture post.  Just to mention, the chair and the bed in the pictures were made by Charlie who is 1/3 of the design group rich, brilliant, willing (www.richbrilliantwilling.com) – you may have seen their stuff around.”
– Merrill

“From the city of Philadelphia I am sending you this picture of our Miniature Schnauzer, Owen on our new Saarinen table.  He has been scratching at me all day to get up on it.  So I finally let him up and of course he posed for this adorable picture.“
– Gretchen

“My little chi-weenie dog Chuy climbs up on the throw pillows on any sofa and sleeps there, he’s a little old man-13- so we just let him. My husbands cat-Tommy- is huge (no, not fat, hairy and really big)and lounges where ever he wants to.“
– Lorijo

“I miss Tique like hell, she went to doggy heaven last week. She was my cuddle parther for 13 years, and she loved to make herself comfortable all over the house – much to decorator-mom’s dismay.“
– Krista

“I would love to post this picture of my big boy Copper (he is a Goldendoodle) on a chair that was my Grandmothers.  It is a chair carved out of the trunk of a tree.  It is such a cool piece!  He fits just perfect in it and he loves to sit in it and look out the window.“
– Kristen

“Here’s my pomeranian Luna doing what she does best, posing pretty for the camera!”
– Kristen

“Here is a picture of my parent’s dog, kioshi, on our sofa. we were pet sitting him and this was his spot.“
– Brandi

“The file attached is a picture of my dog liz lu on a chair she isn’t allowed on but she loves it so much, that when’s my mum isn’t here she sleeps on it all day! she is an amazing dog and likes to watch the world go by from this spot.“
– Amy

“Smokey was reunited with her throne after 5 years.  She took to it quickly.“
– Matt

“Here’s a picture of my step-cat Special getting the footstool I had just reupholstered nice and furry. (The stool fabric is from ikea and the cushion covers on the chair are fr west elm).“
– Krista

“Attached are two pics of our long-haired dachshund, Zuzu. When she’s not being a tumor and following us all around the house, she’s hanging out on the couch. She always seems to be posing, ready for her close-up. We call the second one her sorority pose!“….
Thought I’d send one more pic for your amusement.  When she’s had enough of my wife and I, she’ll go into “her room,” which is really just the space beneath the couch, for some privacy.  Not knowing how long she is, she always leaves her back legs and tail sticking out!  We have to pretend we don’t know where she is 🙂
– Peter

“All our furniture pretty much belongs to our pitbull and two cats – we humans just have to squeeze in around them.”
– Noe

“This is my car Trevurr basking in the afternoon sun! – how could I not submit for the Pets on Furniture post!!“
– Camilla

Ah Sydney! Brash and loud, young and vibrant, nouveau rich and tacky tacky tacky…. or so the gossip goes. (I’m from Brisbane so I’d never say such things about Sydney, honestly). No Sydney is an oasis of style, a retreat. It may be in your face at times (hey it’s always fun) but you’ll find lush cool gems like this Paddington house just waiting to refresh your spirit. Here while the link lasts.

Ah Melbourne! Stuffy, old fashioned, dreary and old money, tasteful and condescending. No I swear that’s not true! I promise. We don’t think that way at all up here in the tropics. It’s home to new design and new ideas. Sometimes a great sense of style and an old money suburb (South Yarra) can combine in a modern way. Luxury referencing the past but living in the present. (Here while the link lasts.) The moral of the story? Don’t believe the stereotypes.