February 2013 - LOVEONSUNDAY

February 2013 - LOVEONSUNDAY - interior decorating and design in Toronto and the GTA Home About My Portfolio Inspiration Boards Our Humble Abode hello@example.com Your Style. February 28, 2013 • decor , interior design , vintage love • by Amy 5 Comments via Instagram @westelm I posted this quote by Billy Baldwin (not the actor but the decorator) on my Instagram a couple of days ago. Courtesy of one of my fave stores, West Elm . I love this quote because it pertains to style in every sense of the word. Whether it be decorating, design, fashion or art- everyone has their own taste. To me, styling a home is something very personal. It’s not about what’s trendy or what’s on the cover of this month’s Style at Home magazine, it’s about the function of the space and the people who live in it. Lately I’ve been getting a lot of people saying that they’re terrible at decorating and they don’t know what looks good together or they can’t figure out what colour to paint their living room. I always say that it’s important to figure out what it is you really love and inject that and your personality into your space. If you’re honest with yourself and only choose the things you truly love, your place will never go out of style. It’s YOUR home not Sarah Richardson’s so do what you want because you love it and it’s within your budget. Don’t do it just because it’s trendy. Especially if what’s trendy is going to put you in major debt. What are your passions? What colours do you love the most? What furniture styles are you drawn to? Once you figure out what your personal style is, you can then solicit the services of an interior decorator to help you stay within budget, find key pieces and just pull everything together. One of the tools that really helped me was the Sproost quiz. It’s a quick 5 minute tool that helps you discover your personal style. It helped me tremendously before I started to redecorate my condo. Check out my results: I’m not at all surprised with my results since I’m always torn between mid-century modern and french furniture. I’ve decided to give up on trying to choose just one because I love both. So what is your style? When you have some time, give it a go and let me know your results. I can’t wait to see what everyone’s gets! Happy Almost Friday Fabric Hunting Sunday February 26, 2013 • decor , furniture , my louis xvi chair • by Amy 12 Comments This past Sunday I started the fabric hunt for my Louis chairs . I decided to start by Queen and Spadina. Affordable Textiles, sounds like my kinda store. Some pretty fabric at the front quickly caught my eye. Every time I walk by this store they seem to have the same bins of fabric outside. Maybe they’re a hot seller? or no one wants them? Who knows. But I love the bold colours and pattern, especially the blue and green one. Unfortunately, this fabric is super thin and would be more suitable for clothing or perhaps throw pillows. I remember being in these stores years ago and I forgot how claustrophobic they make me feel. These stores are PACKED with rows or fabric everywhere. I’m talking floor to ceiling tiny aisles that you have to squeeze through. And to my disappointment, none of this fabric was for upholstery. Doesn’t my face say it all? However, right when we were about to leave, I decided to try my luck with one more store and I did find 2 fabrics. A navy and a deep purple. I’m definitely leaning towards the navy since that’s my accent colour in the living room. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I picked up that purple fabric though. It’s not even an option anymore- it was slim pickins, maybe I just got excited. The navy also has a better texture and thickness. The only thing I’m concerned about is the grain. If you look closely, the navy fabric appears to have horizontal lines which can be fairly tricky when trying to reupholster a chair because these lines cannot be off or crooked in any way. I will need to consult my upholstery teacher and see what she thinks. Thoughts on navy? Love it or hate it? Picture something like this but darker… via Brooke Giannetti So the hunt continues. My next stop will be Ottawa Street in Hamilton. I heard that’s the place to go for upholstery. But whatever type of fabric I choose, I need to love it and it has to be versatile and durable. I’m thinking longevity, I’ve put in so much time and effort into these chairs, my grandchildren better take good care of them. All that hunting left us famished so we rewarded ourselves with this: Yes, I love random food shots. I can’t even remember the last time I had a burger and fries so I had to include this photo. Doesn’t it look glorious? Furniture Friday – The One I Left Behind February 22, 2013 • furniture , furniture friday , vintage love • by Amy 2 Comments When it comes to shopping, I’m a different person than I was 5 years ago. The old me wouldn’t think twice about buying something that caught my eye. But now that I have a mortgage and a much improved savings plan, I’ve become responsible, smart and careful with my money. Sometimes when I’m contemplating a big purchase, I like to leave it for a couple of hours or even a day or so if possible. I always say that the things you buy for your home should serve a purpose. It has to be functional or beautiful in your eyes; something that makes you happy. If you don’t need it or love it then leave it behind. Never impulse buy or purchase something just because it’s cheap – that will only leave you with a home that belongs on hoarders and a sad looking bank account. So in the spirit of Furniture Friday I present to you the one I left behind. This beautiful bar cart that I saw at the Milton Antique Expo: For some reason, I was being mucho cheapo that day, and didn’t want to spend alot of money. It was $49; not bad at all. I knew I wanted something like this and to be honest I wasn’t completely in love with it. I wasn’t crazy about the etched flowers in the glass. It was almost perfect. I did remember it days later and still think about it every time I open my kitchen cabinet filled with our ever expanding bottles of liquor and shtuff. Oh well, I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I’m sure a better solution will present itself soon enough. In the meantime, how about some inspiration photos? Eclectic Living Room design by Toronto Interior Designer Laura Collins Design Eclectic Dining Room design by Boston Photographer Tess Fine Eclectic Dining Room design by Philadelphia Design-build Design Manifest Contemporary Dining Room design by Seattle Interior

P.S. A few readers have asked which sofas & sectionals we actually reach for — it's Wayfair Canada Affiliate Program; take a look here if you want the current details.