It’s settled – I’m going to sell my home in lovely Ottawa and buy a little rustic Italian villa. OK, maybe not, but in the meantime I am happy to settle for the portfolio of Italian design diva Barbara Frua De Angeli. So simple yet so effective.

This is the last day of my Easter weekend (5 days!) and it was fix-up-my-bedroom weekend. Plaster, sand, wait for it to dry, plaster, sand, wait for it to dry…..still waiting…..to hell with it, paint, paint, paint. This went on for 3.5 straight days. I was too impatient to do a great job but it was good enough. You can hardly tell there used to be a closet in my bedroom. Mission accomplished.

Here’s a quick glimpse (as I showed you all the other day) of the former room, looking at the mess that used to be the closet (and what a b*tch that was to patch):

I went with a very pale pink on the walls, which turns out to be hard to photograph accurately. I chose BM’s Elephant Pink at 25% strength, and BM’s Snowfall White for the trim and the floors. I need to give the floor a few days to cure so in the meantime I am sleeping on my DIY couch. Turns out painting laminate floors works quite well. (I plan on replacing all that cheap laminate with hardwood eventually). This morning I put out a few items I hope to use in the new bedroom, to give you an idea of where I’m going with this project. Vintage boho I’ll call it – which means I get to reuse alot of junk I already have as I am still trying to pay off my kitchen and funds are reeeeeally low.

Hopefully next weekend I’ll be able to move some furniture in there and get out to Ikea to get the rest of what I need (new headboard-less/footboard-less bed frame and bookcases). More photos to come after that happens.

Amanda Martocchio Architecture and Design is a firm based in New Canaan, CT that embraces sustainable design and new technologies. Amanda’s designs are classic and very much timeless, with modern touches to keep the spaces current. Perfection I’d call it….in particular some of the bathrooms featured below. (I’ve already saved them to my inspiration file for my future bathroom renos).

Pierre Emmanuel Martin and Stéphane Garotin are the names behind Hand, an interior design firm from France. They have some home furnishing stores as well that are designed so beautifully you could simply walk in and think you were “home”. Their work is contemporary but filled with warm neutral colours and plush, simple furnishings – the kind you can put your feet up on. They also mix in mid-century modern furniture pieces that add a bit of funkiness. I’m taking many notes, because these spaces are totally my style.

Hot off the presses – Mae Brunken is at it again. Her peeps emailed us this evening to show us Mae’s latest project. It’s such an amazing transformation that I wanted to post it ASAP.

Here’s a bit of info on the space: “Mae Brunken Design is adding the finishing polish to the guest quarters of a Pacific Palisades estate. Previously tasked to re-design the main property, Mae Brunken returned to update the poolside guest quarters. Re-designed to be a writer’s office and artistic escape, housing the owners’ additional guests as well as providing extra storage, the project is a great example of the new interior design trend: Maintaining luxury through practicality.”

Some before photos…

And VOILA, here’s the space after Mae worked her magic…

Here are some specifics as to what Mae did to transform the room: “Natural linen window treatments with contrasting yellow trim soften the space while providing privacy. The furnishings are both versatile and comfortable, with a custom daybed doubling as a resting place for both the afternoon writer and the overnight guest. The Eames ivory lounge chair and ottoman accentuate this versatility, implementing a vintage modern office aesthetic and maximum at-home comfort. The desk is the functional focal point of the room, made of rich macassar ebony zebrawood and offset by a polished stainless task lamp. A Suzanne Sharp rug from The Rug Company in yellow, gray and ivory warms up the room and also presents a graphic background. In addition to accommodating a writer and guests, the guest quarters also delivers additional storage space. Made of the same macassar ebony wood as the desk, the opposing wall has been fitted with filing drawers that also double as nightstands, and bookshelves that house awards and reference.” Summed up in one word – PERFECTION.