On Time & Under Budget

Whaaaaaaaaaat? That's right, I just wrapped up a bedroom installation for a young lady (#ProjectA), and managed to come in on time and under budget. I gotta tell you, I love this room and I may just move in when it becomes a guest room in a few years. It's an incredible transformation, and my clients are super happy with the results. We achieved so much in just under 7 weeks, considering we changed everything from the chandelier to the broadloom.

Don't believe me? Check out the "Before" just before painting started:

I took this project on with a tight timeline of about 6 weeks, and the budget was tight as well. We wanted to hit a target of between $2400 ~ $2900, and I knew we could do it, but only with some thrifting luck and a lot of DIY projects. The first purchase was the 9 drawer dresser which I found at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. Although I wasn't convinced that the $55 price tag was a good deal, I made a quick decision to bite when they offered it to me for $29.99. The piece truly came to life after three coats of Para's* Whitewash White. The gold framed mirror above the dresser was a Kijiji score, and it's such a beauty, isn't it? I didn't have to change a thing!

Our original idea for the feature wall behind the bed was to choose a wallpaper, but we were having trouble finding a pattern that everyone could agree on. In the end, we took inspiration from a photo that my client had pinned on Pinterest and opted for an Indian Paisley Damask stencil. We painted the accent wall in Para's Exclusive Shopping, the other three walls in Trendsetting Style and stenciled the pattern in Whitewash White. This was my first time working with a stencil, and I was super nervous to tackle the task, but after figuring out the placement of the pattern it was actually quite easy.
 

I'm sure you've all been ogling that gorgeous, glowing chandelier up there^^^. It could be a vintage Murano leaf chandelier, but there's no way to know for sure without the papers to prove it. Regardless, it's my favourite piece in the room, and it may just be the best Kijiji find of all eternity.

 

The pair of bedside tables were another great score, and we lucked out at the online auction website, MaxSold. I bid on these tables based on the drawer hardware alone. Little brass pagodas? Yes, please! These bedsides also received three coats of Whitewash White to unify the look.

I finished off the room with lamps and accessories from HomeSense, bedding from Target, and added a punch of colour with pillows sewn by moi. I am so, so happy with the way the space came together, and I am even happier that my client loves her new bedroom. Mission accomplished!!

Photos by Aliya Amarsi, A Photography.

Design & Styling by Pamela Graham, Cherish Interior Design 

*Many thanks to Para Paints who supplied all of the paint for this project.

Kijiji Makes the World Go 'Round

To be quite honest, I'm a bit surprised that no one commented on the table that appeared in last week's post about adding character to the dining room. I'm going to assume that's because you were all too astounded by my DIY trim skills to notice ;)

I'd been on the hunt for a round glass dining table pretty much since the day I moved into this condo. The 3'x5' rectangular table I had been using (you can catch a glimpse of it in this post) was a great piece, but it crowded the island breakfast bar just behind. It was also a tight squeeze to get in & out the balcony door.

I've circled the dining area/breakfast bar on the floor plan below for better clarity. It's funny how the builder made it look as though there would be plenty of room for a 6-seater table plus stools at the kitchen island. Yeah, right. Maybe with doll furniture:

Over the course of the year, I searched on and off for the right table. It wasn't until I created my 2014 "To-Do" list that I started looking in earnest and found a near perfect table just four days later. I wasn't necessarily looking for a set, but this vintage chrome table, made by Liberty Ornamental Iron of Toronto (60's? 70's?), came with 4 beautifully designed chairs. It's perfect for the space and totally stunning!!

The 56" top being sold with the table was far too big, so I left it behind in exchange for a discount and purchased a 42" glass top from another Kijiji seller. My old rectangular West Elm table is now listed on Kijiji GTA. It's just like a merry go round!

The chairs will need to be recovered in a new fabric, and I'm obsessed with the idea of using a deep yellow velvet. Can you picture it?

Four Leaf Clover or Horseshoe?

I've been having really good luck so far this year, at least as far as finding fabulous vintage furniture goes. I am seriously considering trying my luck at the lottery this week :-)

First I found an amazing pair of faux bamboo
bedside tables listed on Kijiji and picked them up
on New Year's Eve. Now that's a party!!

Then just last week I almost stumbled over this vintage
campaign dresser at the Village. The brass handles
are still wrapped in the original tissue paper.

When I spotted this Lexington chest while thrifting last
night, although I didn't need it, I knew someone else might.
Tweet!! Tweet!! Anyone wanna get lucky?

Fingers crossed it's still there when my friend Jasmine
swings by the Village today to scoop it up!!

New Addition

I recently came across a set of 3 bamboo chairs on Kijiji, and immediately I knew I had to have them!! They were just like the chairs I wrote about in this April 2009 post. Since I didn't need all 3 chairs for myself, I forwarded the ad to my friend Tim of Design Maze and we decided that we would split them between us. And so a deal was struck!

Ooh la la, bamboo goodness...

The caning is in excellent condition, but since I'm keeping this chair at my office until the new condo is ready, I've thrown a colourful cushion (from HomeSense) on the seat to protect it from wear and tear.


Eventually I'll be using this chair in my home office, so I will end up giving it a coat of paint and having a proper seat cushion made. Piece by piece, it's already coming together.