Book review – New York Rooftop Gardens

Posted on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 by KiM

I heard about the book New York Rooftop Gardens and I had to get my hands on a copy. I find New York very intriguing, and I hope to one day finally make a point of visiting (and shopping!!!). I’ve lived in Ottawa all my life and despite it being the capital city of Canada, it’s relatively small (likely a population of close to 1 million). And I am able to afford a house a 25 minute walk from the downtown core, with a yard, driveway and all that good stuff. It’s a pretty strange concept to me that there are people who live in the heart of New York City who pay a fortunate to live in VERY small spaces. Some people are fortune enough to have rooftop access and the ability to create outdoor oases as a retreat from the bustle (the hard-edges, lack of greenery) of the city. The juxtaposition of the landscape of these gardens with the views of skyscrapers and rooftops is truly incredible. The book New York Rooftop Gardens takes you on a journey to several magical rooftop gardens, each one more inspiring than the next. This is a fantastic coffee table book and if you are as intrigued as I am I suggest you get yourself a copy. If you’re from the US or Canada you can buy it HERE.

© New York Rooftop Gardens – Photographs by Charles de Vaivre, published by teNeues; Photo © 2011 Charles de Vaivre. All rights reserved

I had to snap a couple photos of some of my favourite images…

Totally off topic: Our blogger friend Manvi of Mochatini is having her first ever tablescape design camp. The first event is on June 29 in Washington D.C. at the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams store on 14th Street in Logan Circle. If you are in the DC/MD/VA area and want to partake hurry because space is limited. You can register HERE.

Here is a reader request from Monika: I’m about a year away from a major kitchen/family room remodel and our architect is recommending we have a large island that would stand alone without a sink or stove. The sink and stove will be on the wall opposite the island. I love the idea of a large open space with no sink/stove paraphernalia to clutter it up, but I haven’t seen an example of this in real life and would like to see a few examples before I give the go ahead… my mother in particular is skeptical siting the importance of the “work triangle” while I feel a large clutter free expanse creating a sense of calm & cleanliness trumps the triangle. If you find examples of large islands with no sink/stove, I would love to see them. I am absolutely with you Monika. Plus, with the main sink in the island, you’ll always have a pile of dishes there. Who wants to see that so clearly?


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Freunde von Freunden

Antoine Bootz

Gunkelmans Interior Design

Nathan Egan

Hus & Hem

Lonny

Sköna hem

Robert Bailey

Sunset

Sunset

Bolig Magasinet

Hus & Hem

Susan Gilmore

Lone Pine Pictures

Summer Thornton

Parsonson Architects

Marjorie Skouras

Ivo Tavares

Posted on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 by KiM

Ivo Tavares is a photographer from Portugal who wanted to share his portfolio with our readers. He’s got a great eye and creates very interesting compositions. The following photos were shot for his client, Interdesign Interiores, and for more photos check out Ivo’s Facebook page. Thanks Ivo!

Lotta Cole

Posted on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 by KiM

Lotta Cole is a Swedish interior designer based in London who wanted to share a project she just completed in Notting Hill. The flat is situated in the heart of Notting Hill, and the design scheme mixes bright splashes of colour with reclaimed materials and quirky details, such as the antique spoon handles in the kitchen, antique mirrors in the stair, and wooden door knobs throughout the flat. The project was completed May 2011 by Lotta Cole Design. Love the Smeg fridge – and the colour!! Thank you for sharing Lotta!

My home renovation – bathroom ideas

Posted on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 by KiM

I am just DYING to have the work on my house started, but we’ve had to redo the plans to try and save a small fortune so my husband can get an extra 16″ of height for his basement “man cave”. While our plans are being finalized once again, we’ve started the quest for interior and exterior finishes and we frankly don’t really know where to begin. It’s a pretty daunting task for 2 people who have never really done any renovations before (except my kitchen a few years ago). We’re going to need pretty much everything – a staircase, windows, exterior finishes, fireplace, bathroom fixtures, hardwood, tile and on and on… You guys help out our readers when they have design dilemmas so I thought maybe this time you could help me out. I am hoping you can give me suggestions on where to shop, design ideas etc. Since I am located in Ottawa some of the products should probably be relatively accessible locally (ie. staircase).

We also have another dilemma. This renovation is going to cost us WAY more than we initially thought, which means we’re not sure we can complete the finishes in all the rooms (and I’m not even talking about furnishing them – there’s talk about leaving the floors with only the sub-floor, completing only one bathroom…). This brings me to my next call for help. If anyone out there would like to help us with some of the finishes by offering great bargains for materials, even freebies (!!!) I’d LOVE to chat  (email me at desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com). There would of course be blog mentions/publicity in return.

So today’s post is about bathrooms. We will have a master bedroom ensuite, another full bathroom upstairs, and a powder room next to the front entrance. (For a peek at the plans see this post, keeping in mind the layout of the bathrooms is totally up for grabs). I’d love to have some fun with the powder room and do something really industrial and I have a thing for black and white bathrooms so I hope one of the other bathrooms can be done in those colours. I went through my stash of bathroom photos and found some of my favourites. Any ideas/sources etc. that you can suggest, let me know in the comments or via email! Thanks!

Annette English Martha Stewart
Pappas Miron Design*Sponge
Adela Cabré Hus & Hem
Design*Sponge Design*Sponge


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Living Etc.

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Micasa Revista

Nuevo Estilo

Oak Management

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Scott Weston