Overflowing with Nostalgia

Have you seen Anthropologie's latest catalogue? There's something about the content of the photos that makes me nostalgic for 1970's family vacations, when I was just a kid and lived a carefree existence. A souvenir Florida scarf, a motel room key, a colourful map. I feel a new project coming on, if I can just get my hands on a few key vintage items!!

All images via Anthropologie.

Vintage Lily Lamps

Do you ever have urges to purchase items for which you have zero space, and which match with absolutely nothing else in your home? My latest craving is for a pair of vintage chartreuse calla lily lamps. With new shades and finials, these could be the jumping off point for an entire room:

At $60.00 for the pair, I almost can't afford not to buy them, right? Who's with me?

Cherish Hits the Pages of AT

In the online world, there are a few things that can be deemed as super duper exciting, and one of those is to have a blog post featured on Apartment Therapy. Well, lo and behold, (thanks to Amy over at Eye See Pretty for bringing it to my attention), my Blue to Pink colour transformation is on the AT landing page as of 11:30 this morning. I took a screen capture to prove it:


So exciting!!! I was afraid to read the comments (it can get nasty over there at AT), but as of this post, the opinions are about 60/40 for and against the colour change. I'll take that as a compliment.

Sarah 101: Episode 3 Big Box Kitchen

**Spoiler Alert**

Another Tuesday night, another highly anticipated episode of Sarah 101. Every week this half hour goes by at lightning speed, and I'm considering writing a letter to HGTV Canada, begging them to expand all future episodes to a full hour. This episode featured a budget friendly "Big Box" kitchen and lounge, with a strong accent on kelly green.


Here's a quick review of the lessons Sarah taught us this week:

• A big box kitchen doesn't have to be basic and boring. Instead, it can be personalized with colour. In this kitchen, Sarah had several of the basic white cupboard doors and drawer fronts sprayed in a vibrant green.

• If your kitchen doesn't have enough square footage for an island, try fitting a 3'x5' peninsula against one wall. It provides extra storage space, delineates traffic flow, and creates an area to pull up a stool for a quick snack.
  

• It is simple to unify two open concept rooms by using a singular paint colour and flooring material throughout the adjoining spaces.

• In a small space, every inch counts, so don't waste valuable inches. Sarah created an office in a recessed area between the kitchen and lounge by installing storage cabinets and a simple desk top.
  

• Incorporating a variety of fabrics stimulates visual interest and softens an otherwise cold space. In the lounge Sarah discussed using a combination of a textural velvet, a graphic print and a bold ikat print. My favourite fabric was the green Thibaut ikat used on the toss cushions.

What did you think of this week's epidsode?

All photos courtesy of HGTV Canada.

Project Pantone: Colour Transformation

I believe I've set a personal best on this one - this project moved from concept to completion in just under two weeks! I first tweeted about my inspiration on the morning of January 4th:

I opened up the Benjamin Moore colour fan decks and immediately decided that I would paint my living room accent walls Springtime Bloom (2079-40). It's a beautiful shade of pink:


Things got pretty exciting when I remembered a fantastic fabric swatch I'd seen at Designer Fabrics almost one year ago. Knowing that I loved this bold print, I headed out on a slushy, snowy Saturday to purchase enough yardage for two toss cushions, plus another yard of a coordinating solid fabric. I spent Sunday afternoon sewing, and Phase One was soon complete:


Cushions sewn, I went back to the drawing board with the fan decks to search for an alternate pink. Springtime Bloom just wasn't the right shade to work with my chosen fabric. The best way to select a paint colour is by pulling colours from a great print, as opposed to the other way around:


After several days of dithering, I finally settled on two new colours. Spring Tulips for the coffee table base and Flamingo's Dream for the accent walls:

I chose to use Benjamin Moore Aura paint for the coffee table base since the strong colour would cover in two coats with the low VOC Aura, rather than three or four coats. When it comes to DIY projects, I'm all about getting the job done as quickly as possible.

I raised the table off the floor by placing the base on plastic containers. This made it easier to paint almost all the way to the bottom. I flipped it over afterward to do touch ups.

I spent a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon indoors applying paint to the walls, which isn't my favourite thing to do, but once I started, there was no turning back. This was my mid-afternoon freak out:

Now for the colour reveal. Drumroll please...


Now & Then

Now & Then

Now & Then

Now & Then

Project Cost Tally:

Fabric & Notions: $59.70
Paint & Supplies: $124.61
Labour: Me=Free
Total Spent: $184.31

What do you think of the new colour? Be honest!!

All photos by Pamela Graham for Cherish Toronto.