Displaying posts from September, 2012

Common in the inner city areas of my part of the world are small wooden worker’s cottages from the late 19th century. Four rooms with a central corridor wrapped with a verandah. This extension by Brisbane based architects Owen and Vokes adds areas to eat and meet and bathe but orientates them to the outdoor spaces. The lovely old garden with its spreading frangipani is now a part of the indoor outdoor lifestyle along with an outdoor fireplace for entertaining and cooking. Windows and openings allow the light to penetrate the building and a modern take on the lean-to or enclosed verandah is given a new lease on life. A relaxed and stylish family space that respects the heritage of the building but lets the home re-invent itself for the present.

 Photography by Jon Linkins.

I spent the day at my sister’s cottage yesterday (trying to enjoy every last bit of summer while I can) so I had no idea what to blog today. I decided to simply take some photos around my house – inside and out. Hope you like. 🙂

First up, some photos in my kitchen.

I have a wall-mount Tolomeo on either side of my stove. Still one of my favourite lights of all time. 

Branches from a tree at the cottage ended up on top of the fridge (less cats can eat them up there).

Antlers from Alberta that I adore and some baskets on top of my pantry.

There are always cheap herbs from the grocery store sitting on my kitchen window sill. Oregano is one of the cutest plants.

I am obsessed with avocados. I could eat them at every meal. I just bought a whole bunch so they’re sitting in a stack of Green Light District pasta bowls (next to one of their vases) on my dining table.

A few photos in my living room (we still adore the new sofa, just wish I had more time to spend on it)…

My favourite vintage fan ended up on the floor in the corner. 

The same corner with spiky plant to fill the space, DIY light fixture and busroll art from Homesense. 

I love the colours of fall flowers. Picked these up at the grocery store. Milo is enjoying the view out front. 

Couple of shots from my bedroom…

I love collecting blankets. It’s not easy to display them in a house with many cats. Right now they’re in a basket on top of shelving – a cat-free zone until winter comes.

I bought this coat rack at least a year ago and it’s been sitting in a heap of crap in the basement since. I was worried it would warp/break/etc. so it’s now hanging on a wall next to the bed. 

Here is my office at the back of the house…

My Frye moto boots at the backdoor next to a shelving unit my husband built to store his shoes. 

Phoebe watching birds from the Ikea hacked baby changetable turned cat perch. Behind her is a tall branch that is nice and straight that I found at the cottage – perfect for a curtain rod. 

That’s it for inside. Here are some around the yard. 

Formerly a field of weeds, my view out the front of the house is now a bunch of these 3 story townhomes. Awesome. At least they somewhat block the noise of the highway (just beyond that metal fence you can see to the left). 

Lucky losing his mind in the living room window because I was on the porch snapping pics and he was stuck inside. 

Some chrysanthemums to decorate the front porch and help me forget summer is almost done (stupid brown pots).

I only went to the plant section of Home Depot for those baskets above, but had to bring home this massive rosemary plant for $5. I’ll plant it in a decent pot and bring it indoors when it gets too cold. Of course, that means it won’t last long. LOVE the smell and will take what I can get. 

My husband was bored one day so he took some wood from the DIY couch we tore apart and made this BBQ utensil holder next to the shed. AWESOME because I those utensils are huge and annoying and I don’t want them in the kitchen.

Despite the fact that I am not taking care of any of the plants in the yard since I will likely have to replace them all when we do real landscaping after new house is built, this bamboo has survived and looks adorable. It makes me think we’re in the tropics. HA!

Another quick project the husband came up with out of boredom. A cute little table for the back deck. 

And a little extra I had to add…we finally created a sign for the pontoon boat at the cottage to put its name. The S.S. Shapoopie. A favourite Family Guy word we all love. 

Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don’t know what to do? You’re not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you…. that’s you lot… the readers! This week’s problem is from Kylie.

Help me I can’t take it anymore! I hate my kitchen and the family room is just BLAH. We live in a rental and I can’t paint the walls or damage the kitchen in any way (the landlord’s words not mine). The furniture is all hand me downs and the room is where the two older kids do their homework while I get dinner ready. We like to keep an eye on their computer activity as well. My youngest uses it as a playroom. I don’t have much money to spend. I really need your help. I want something light and bright and beachy. Can I do beachy in a room like this?