Sweet Retreat: Lavender Master Bedroom

It's finally time to take a look at the master bedroom in the new condo. The room is an average size for a Toronto condo, about 10' x 12', which is just the right amount of space for an upholstered queen size bed & two 24" bedside tables. The lamps & bedside tables were from my previous home, but I ordered a new upholstered Decor-Rest bed (Canadian made!) from G.H. Johnson's 6 weeks before I moved in. The bed ended up being ready earlier than expected, and G.H. Johnson's were kind enough to hold it in their warehouse until I was ready to have it delivered.

The wall colour was chosen several months before moving in (see this post & this post), but I had to wait for drywall repairs to be taken care of before painting could go ahead. I opted to paint both walls and trim in Gown, a soft and serene shade of lavender from Sarah Richardson's designer palette for Para Paints. This colour is very restful, which is just what I need :)

After living in a fishbowl for several months, I bit the bullet and had drapes custom made to cover the floor to ceiling east facing windows. Working with Parallele Interiors, I chose a gauzy neutral and opted for an inverted pleat style. The end result is very luxurious, and these drapes serve their purpose, blocking out both the morning sun and any potential peepers.

There are still a few missing pieces in the room, such as artwork or maybe a papered accent wall, but in its current state of simplicity the space is perfectly restful. And that's what it's all about, right?

Source Guide:
Upholstered Bed, Decor-Rest, ordered through G.H. Johnson's
Paint, Gown (SR9), Para Paints
Bedding, Magnolia by Gluckstein Home, purchased at Hudson's Bay
Lamps & Lamp Shades, Aquiesse Candle HomeSense
Bedside Tables, Magnolia (discontinued), EQ3
Toss Pillow Fabrics, Designer Fabrics
Toss Pillow Sewing, Fine Interiors by Susan
Drapes, Fabric, Sewing, Hardware & Installation, Parallele Interiors
Brass Tray, Thrifted, Value Village
Rosenthal Vase, Christie Antiques Show

Sarah's House 4: Premiere Episodes

I feel like I'm the last design blogger to the table to prepare my post about the premiere episodes of Sarah's House 4. But regardless, I'm here to share the pics and divulge what I learned from the first hour of the season. I love that HGTV Canada has opted to air two episodes back to back each week, meaning that we get to watch Sarah and Tommy for an entire hour.


The first half hour dealt with Sarah's search to find the perfect "new build" home in the suburbs. Her mission for this season of Sarah's House is to transform a new build home from cookie cutter to custom. Sarah pointed out several good points and bad points in each of the new homes she visited, but none of the properties truly made the grade. Eventually, Sarah opted to purchase a pre-construction home in a neighbourhood with unique exterior designs. She chose to work with Double Oak Homes to build a home on a ravine lot, with both a school and park nearby. This builder would allow Sarah the flexibility to make non structural changes to the home's interior layout. Her first alteration was to create a long, spacious living room, which would allow southern light to flow through the living room and into the kitchen beyond.


For the living room's colour scheme, Sarah chose to keep the fabrics neutral, but opted for a pale lavender on the walls, inspired by a decorative shell ball which Tommy picked up at InVU. As she often does, Sarah combined a myriad of coordinating fabrics to flesh out all of the upholstered pieces, decorative cushions and draperies in the room. I count at least ten fabrics in this space!!

Walls, Para Paints SR9 Gown:

Ceiling, Para Paints SR15 Cotton:

Trim, Para Paints SR29 Snowfall:

The Fiona couch is Sarah's custom design and the
chrome coffee table is from [U]nion:

In classic Sarah style, the pillows on the couch
are a mixture of prints and stripes.

Bamboo and Birds

Tonal Stripes

Sarah and Tommy found the unique
fireplace mantel at The Door Store.
It instantly lends a vintage vibe to the room.

Sconces in a combination of satin silver and brass
introduce both cool and warm metals into the room.

Although largely covered by a herringbone
seagrass rug, Sarah chose Vintage Flooring
Pioneered hardwood in Red Oak Estates Pewter.

This pair of chairs from Queen West Antique Centre
gets updated in a tonal leaf patterned fabric:

The vintage 3 tiered brass stand
was found at Chair Table Lamp.

What did you think of the premiere episode?
Did you love it? Did you (gasp!) hate it?

PS - Do you love Sarah's wardrobe in these episodes? She's wearing several blazers created by Smythe Les Vestes, a company owned by Tommy's sister, Christie Smythe and Sarah's childhood friend, Andrea Lenczner. How cool is that?

Room photos via HGTV Canada.