Displaying posts from October, 2012

Like a rock

Posted on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 by midcenturyjo

Solid as a rock. Anchored to the dunes. Protection against wind and spray, sun and seasons. A stylish shelter from the elements. More from Martín Gómez Arquitectos. Stone and concrete, timber and glass. An imposing facade hides an intimate family home. Punta del Este in Uruguay must be a beautiful place to live.

ReOrient

Posted on Sun, 28 Oct 2012 by KiM

Yesterday I didn’t have a packed schedule of chores/errands so I convinced my husband to take a little trip with me across the river to Wakefield, Québec to visit the showroom of ReOrient. Michelle, the owner, had emailed us last week to let us know about her shop (I was unaware of it’s existence) that sells 100% reclaimed teak furniture from Indonesia, and that they were having a big showroom sale this weekend. The hubby and I were immediately smitten with their furniture from the moment we walked up to the porch where some items were on display – and ended up purchasing 2 of them. 🙂 Michelle explained the process of how they come across this reclaimed wood – the majority of it being from old furniture or buildings being torn down. Her pieces are then crafted in Indonesia and shipped here. It is a very green company – the bench I purchased has a metal base, which is recycled metal melted down and shaped into bars made to resemble scaffolding. They also ensure that the manufacturing process does not exploit the environment, animals or people involved. Here is a sample of the items at ReOrient (to note – the showroom is closed during the winter, but their products are carried by several retailers in Ontario and Québec).

We purchased the bench and the stool above. The bench will be delivered this week (sadly, too long to fit in our car) but the stool came home with us – photos at the end of the post.

Above are the pieces to make a custom bathroom vanity (just sort of piled together in the showroom to show each option). You can pick open shelving, drawers, the one door section with a shelf inside and configure however you want. LOVE this. 

The unit above is really cool. Sadly I didn’t get a shot of it from the side, but it becomes deeper towards the bottom.

Here are a few photos of the stool (sorry they are pretty bad – the weather is crappy and I couldn’t get a decent amount of light in my living room). It will sit here for now, but the bench may be placed under that window if it doesn’t fit under our dining table (I’m dying to get rid of a few of my dining chairs so we thought a bench on one side would be fun). Several of my cats LOVE the goat skin top. 

Retrouvius update

Posted on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 by KiM

I was completely smitten with the work of interior design and architectural salvage firm Retrouvius when I blogged this London team back in ’09. It’s about damn time I blog some of their latest work. Their aesthetic and love of reclamation really tugs at my heartstrings. I want them to father my design children. And I want founders Adam Hills and Maria Speake stashed away in my back pocket so I can make use of their creativity and ability to find the coolest sh*t whenever I please. Realistically though, how about we all just enjoy some of their latest brilliance. Oh – and they have a book that just came out. (P.S. Can someone please tell me the name of those square uneven tiles in the first several kitchens? I’ve loved those for ages and would love to get my hands on some one day).

Stalking bottlebrush in the backyard

Posted on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 by midcenturyjo

From its red front door to the beautiful red fluff of the bottlebrush trees in the courtyard this North Fitzroy, Melbourne single storey terrace brings a smile to  my face. Love the dining room, the alfresco eating in the side courtyard and the small sitting room next to the kitchen hub. One last thing. Would the gardening gods please give me that espaliered “whatever” tree it is. I have a spot next to my garden shed that would be perfect for it. Real estate stalking…. again. Link here while it lasts.

The importance of good lighting

Posted on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 by KiM

Falken Reynolds (from my previous post) happen to be spokespeople for Philips line of LED light bulbs, and utilized a Gastown loft they designed to ilustrate the importance of decent lighting (and the beauty of light by LED bulbs). I thought this was worthy of a mention because these photos REALLY show you what significant impact lighting can have in a space. I’m not a designer so sometimes I tend to forget the “rules” but this team has come up with 5 important tips I wanted to share, which I think are very well illustrated with the photos of this loft. (Read more about it here). (LOVE the tiffany blue wall!!!)
Tip #1: Have different lights for multiple purposes
Tip #2: Use dimmers everywhere
Tip #3: Light tabletops and countertops
Tip #4: Take cues from natural light
Tip #5: Light the things you love