New year, new look, new apartment?

I'm a poster child for change when it comes to the spaces in which I live.

Not two weeks after completing my full-on apartment re-do, I'm contemplating moving - to smaller digs!

I live in the equivalent of social purgatory now - apartment land, basically - and I long for life on the busy Toronto shopping strip where I used to live.

That's exactly where this apartment is.

It's just been renovated, and the deal breaker for me are these gorgeous windows with south-eastern exposure, overlooking a church across the street with shops and restos in sight to the left - ideal!

I have first dibs if I want ... and if the numbers in my cheque book (and the stars) align!

The big thing: I'd have to get rid of a ton of stuff as the space is about a full room smaller than what I'm in now.



As hard as it is to think of this, divesting myself of all my STUFF sounds appealing. A simpler life. Could I do it???

I would consider doing it if it meant the windows in this apartment, and the hipper location.


Any thoughts out there on moving into smaller digs or downsizing??

P.S. It would mean moving slightly away from my fave thrift shop - which could mean I'd accumulate less stuff to refill my new pad!

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One Year Anniversary: decor then & now

My blog turns a year tomorrow, and I'd like to thank all you lovely readers for reading along, commenting or emailing me privately, or linking back to me - you make my day when I do!

Here's a pic of my living room Jan 18 last year. It's wide and open, and now that I look at it it does look cluttered, with all the stuff on the wall.

This is my NEW living room, the result of an agonizingly creative day-long apartment re-do after the holidays.

True, I essentially chopped the room in half by positioning the two love seats facing eachother, but I'm really liking the cozy vibe of the smaller space I created.

I also pared down some of the accessories to keep the look more streamlined.

I think style constantly evolves, and I'd like to think my design and decorating sense has refined itself this past year. It's been fun fun fun to play with my space!

Thanks for reading. Have a fab day!

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Classy glass

My streamlining of clutter project has meant I've had to curtail my weekly thrift store digs, and in an effort to save moolah I avoid my local Value Village, which tends to be a bit more expensive than my local thrift store.

But I couldn't resist this gorgeous tealight at VV for $2.99. It's by Orrefors glass and it's uber heavy.



My sister received two of these for Christmas from a relation who loves buying expensive things, so I knew it cost something sweet retail.

I just love the design - it looks like a bunch of frozen berries clustered all together.

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Celebrate style with roses & reorgs

Men just keep giving me beautiful roses in my fave colour, this peachy orange hue.

This was a pleasant surprise indeed, sent long-distance from a kind man I do editing work for, on the completion of a project.

After my stressful and technically challenged week, they made my day.

And they just happen to look fab in the corner I re-jigged as a result of my angst-ridden decorating identity crises (yes that's an Antrolpologie lampshade, doesn't it look great?).

I've learned the past few weeks, the hard way I guess, that tweaking and de-cluttering is good for the soul (thanks to Sonya from Dime Store Thrift on her comment to this effect), but stressing about whether or not your design style is "good enough" is just so self-defeating.

So, this slightly pared down but still wholly me a la slightly junky-clunky Grunge Queen is where, happily, I'm resting.

For the moment, that is.

And speaking of tech challenges can anyone tell me why the photos in my Flickr badge aren't showing but the badge is? Or can you see them and I can't?

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Decorating identity questioned

I junk; therefore I am ... a good decorator?

There's nothing like seeing someone else's beautifully decorated apartment. It can cause tremendous joy, seeing art and Persian rugs and books so artfully arranged - but it can also inspire neuroses.

A few weeks ago I visited the apartment of a pal in the building, and let me just say it threw into question my very grunger's existence:

One look at my pad after and I could see what I never saw before: the clutter, the papers, the mis-matched furniture, the junky look.

It wasn't a good feeling.

Since then I've been cleaning out the papers and rearranging and editing furniture, objects and art in an effort to streamline my space.

Some furniture has been tossed. Other bric-a-brac has been shoved in the closet and may make its way to a sale of some sort, or even a thrift shop.

I'm not sure if my new look is going to work out - I think when we question and compare ourselves in negative ways that creativity can be stifled. And after all, once a junker, always a junker, no?


Still I like what I did above with the big white (new) lampshade found at the Salvation Army Thrift Store for $7.99. It had a funny base that wouldn't allow me to attach it to the lamp the correct way, so I flipped it over and voila: I have a funky Art Deco-inspired look with an upside-down lampshade!

Maybe the Grunge Queen has a tad of spunk left in her.

Stay tuned. The overhaul - and identity crises - is still in progress.

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Nostalgic, emotional decorating

When I was a little girl I used to root through my older sister's drawers (sorry sis) just because I loved all her baubles and what not.

I don't think I've ever told her this (probably 'cos then I'd have to admit to the rooting), but I was intrigued by the way she arranged all her jewellery boxes and trinkets in her top drawer. They were just thrown together like you see here, but I found the contained clutter charming.

Now I always dedicate one top drawer to my precious baubles - an old faux pearl choker I bought for my grade 12 grad party; a black bead bracelet I bought at the Bancroft Gem Festival in the same year, on a lovely family trip; antique pins given to me by my mom and aunt; an old cameo dug up at a garage sale in my teens.

Another treasured decor-related tradition I took from family, this time from my mom: lining my drawers with whimsical wrapping paper.

I've saved this wrapping paper from the 1970s that my mom folded into one of my drawers when I was a little girl. It's crumbling in parts but I simply can't let it go.

Now whenever I find wrapping paper I love I pick up a sheet and line my drawers with it. I do the same with old roles of pretty wall paper I'm pretty sure have lost their stick.

GRUNGE-QUEEN PHILOSOPHY

You can incorporate the things and ideas you love from your past into your decor, even if they're hidden. There's no reason why your home has to be sanitized of emotional references.

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Beddie By

I've thought twice about showing my bedroom, but heck, the magazines do it and you've most of my place already, so why not?

In truth I'm never really happy with how the bedroom comes together. Whatever I do, it just looks BLAH, never cohesive.

I love my brass bed, picked up at a junk store in Ottawa, Canada for $125 in 1998. I decided to leave the off-white duvet on (I have a bunch of duvet covers so I can change things up when need be) and jazz up the rest of the room.

You'll notice my blue antique Persian rug has been moved into the bedroom - that wasn't by choice. Dag, cat no. 2, has had a joyous time getting his scratching ya yas out on it. So before he destroys it and I freak out, the carpet will reside in my bedroom, which has a door that will be CLOSED when I'm out.

The carpet provides some contrast and actually inspired me to put together a shabby, slightly boho-Orient look, what with my silky fuchsia Kimono and small green silk carpet.

The rest, quite frankly, is just a comfy hodge-podge of stuff (where else but in the bedroom should comfort and clutter collide?). The floral pillow is from an old design company in Toronto - I found it at Value Village for $1.99. Velvet IKEA pillows also a la thrift shop around the corner for $1.99 each, and the German crystal lamp to the left was a big ticket item: $30 at my local thrift shop, Stretch Thrift in Toronto.

The dresser to the left I've had for years and the one to the right was a garbage find, given to me by fellow picker and pal, Matthew (I put new drawer pulls on it).

Oh and the Hermes scarf poster, tiny landscape above bed and self-portrait of a child were church sale and thrift store finds, all under $5 each!

A definite work in progress, this, but then again everything in my place is - joyfully so.

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Blue Room, Green Room

Yesterday I showed you how I moved part of the living room into the dining room by creating a cozy little sitting and reading nook where I used to have the dining room table.

Today I realized that room, with all its lush blue pieces, is "The Blue Room" - the exact name my family and I used to call the sitting room in the house we grew up in because it had a fabulous blue Persian rug on the floor.
The other room in my grow-up house, funnily enough, was called "The Green Room" because it had all green furniture in it. After my room makeover the other day, all I had left in my living room area was mainly green velvet furniture! It is now "The Green Room."

I moved the dining table into the living room area, in front of the window. I like that it's somewhat functional as it holds my decorating books. I also like that it's not as obtrusive and clunky as it was before - again the table isn't something I use often so all I need to do is move the white armchair and pull it out when I have guests.

While I took advantage of a small space with "The Blue Room" by mushing a lot of items together, I wanted to create a feeling of airiness in the main living area as I had to combine a sitting and TV area with a desk/working area AND a dining area. I like the simplicity of having one lone painting over the loveseat. I deliberately tried to make the colours more Spring and Summer-like; the palette of green and white with a dash of orange really works, I think, as do the pared-down accessories.

The black table (from the trash) on the right and the black lamp and lacquer mirror on the left add some weight and ground the floaty vignette.

I kept the work area across from the loveseat the same, except I added the dark mirror that used to be in the dining room to create a bit more contrast, and I cut down even more on the clutter on the desk. I like keeping some areas more crisp and clean for the warmer months. I love the pop of colour in the orange made in Canada vase picked up at the thrift shop for $10.

The chair is from the trash and the lamps are thrift store and garage sale relics. The desk was on old table from Sally Ann that I Mac Tac'd.


I also love the fact that the big painting over the couch (a thrift store find for $39.99) is still a focal point when reflected in the mirror propped on the desk.Speaking of mirrors, it may be hard to tell but I hid the cords under the desk and created an illusion of light and depth by lining the wall under the desk with panes of mirrors dug out of the trash, intact.

See? Even Dinky loves it ....

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Boho sitting room in the dining room

Almost 20 years ago my best friend and I, in our first apartment together, did a gutsy design thing: we moved the living room into the dining room.

Yesterday afternoon the fine Spring weather threw me onto a full-on apartment re-org, with similar results. The dining room table went out of the dining room nook, and in went one of my Barrymore loveseats.

The final result: such a cozy, lovely Boho look, don't you think?

I love the big gilt mirror on the floor, with the Group if Seven (?) print hanging directly overhead - it looks like the two are connected!

I also like the look of the pretty blue lady painting over the chest of drawers found in the trash. The boho William Morris-esque work of art beside it is by Toronto artist Caroline Price is is my most recent and much-loved art acquisition.

Even the icky overhanging lamp doesn't look so bad.

Why this works, aside from being pretty:

Honestly I rarely use the dining room table, so having it jutting out like that in the middle of the room (see my last makeover series) was a waste of space.

This little nook is a wonderful space to relax after work, free of the TV and computer that's in my regular living room area. I like the idea of having a place to go away from technology, aside from my bedroom. I will do my best to use the space well!

As you'll see in the next few days as I post pics from the rest of my apartment, moving one loveseat out of the living room freed up an otherwise cluttered space and opens up the whole apartment for a breezier summery look.

I really like the cohesiveness of this look - pulled together yet arty. You'll notice I moved all the navy pieces - the loveseat, chair, and two Chinese lamps with blue shades. It doesn't look too dark as I've balanced it out with a lighter carpet and lots of lighting.

What could this all mean to you?

Never ever think you're trapped in by design or all your stuff. I'm a firm advocate of "play" in space and also in things never being static. Your look and space can evolve continually if you want it too. I can understand how that could be scary for some, but I find it invigorating ....

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Accidental Collections

Yesterday's post has got me thinking about collections that just come together out of convenience or haphazardness.

A collection worthy of display can be anything you have in some number that you love - like these pebbles from the Mediterranean, bits of worn glass - even a very dated golden button from an vintage bolero I used to own, scattered across a worn wood surface....

The same idea, with a few pretty blue marbles thrown in and the pebbles contained in a silver bowl....

Speaking of, bowls can contain all sorts of on-the-fly collections. My mom used to have a button box (what mom in the 1970s didn't?) I used to revel in sifting through.


So why not treat those stray and fall-away buttons as pretty baubles? Having them visually apparent may help me remember to sew on the stray ones!


Collections can be made up of of bibs and bobs that separately don't pack much of a display punch but together create a sweet little vignette - like the semi-crappy candles and a pretty decorative box scattered over a small thrift store tray.


And can collections be comprised of sheer clutter, like the paper stuffed in this bowl?

For the grunge-queen, you bet your buttons.

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Clutter Bug Art in Kitchen, Smart Art Finale

Arg, those four boring white walls my super insisted on painting my kitchen have been driving me crazy. So too have all those tiny mis-matched frames and photos I don't know what to do with .... wedding pics, diplomas, awards and other plaques, postcards and pics I love - what do do with them?

The most logical thing: put 'em all in the same place. My kitchen is now a bit clutter bug-ish, but it looks pretty funky. I figure I'll just keep adding things so until pics go up to the ceiling.

When you think of it it's a great way to display pics you don't want hiding in an album (you've probably gathered I'm a tactile person and not at all inclined towards digital frames).

The only thing I'd change is add a pop of drama and colour, like navy blue walls and that hot pink acrylic chandelier I've been admiring in a local shop ....

Consider this a work in progress ....

TIPS: Create your own collections by hanging all the stuff you love - why should it hide away in your drawer? Pictured here, by the coffee maker, a beloved cotton puff snowman pic made from my fave male orderly in the hospital while growing up - it's even signed "Bert." Postcards from my twin sis's art exhibits (that I've put in a retro wood frame); a fave black and white photo of my sis and I in Marseilles, France. Up top, photos of the nieces and nephews, and original art from pals.

Oh, and the clock, by Ingraham Clock Co? Found it in a local thrift shop for $13 - it's exactly like the clock I grew up with and looked at a dozen times a day for 20 years -- can you imagine being sentimental about a clock??

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Display Dismay

An easy way to spruce up your digs is to showcase your collections, but figuring out how to display your stuff can be daunting. I learned the hard way that putting too many items together can produce a cluttered, junky look. The best way to show off, say, my head vase collection, is to group (no more than five) items of similar colour or theme together in odd numbers - the experts say even numbers can be too symmetrical and I tend to agree.

But what if you don't have a collection per se? First off collections needn't be hoity toity Lampe Berger or Faberge eggs. They can be cheap 'n easy and exist in your home without your even knowing it. I found a collection I didn't even know I had recently - and digging it up solved the dilemma of how to display three separate items I always had displaying separately. Once I figured out I had three jugs - two thrift store finds and one a gift - I threw 'em together and voila, instant display. It helped they had similar colours - the soft hues and florals I associate with the "Shappy Chic" look popularized by Rachel Ashwell bring some continuity to the tableau while the different heights make it more interesting visually (they also pop against the black book they're sitting on).

TIPS:
1). Take a peep around your place and see what you have. Pebbles you've collected from the beach; mounds of letters from old lovers; hardcover art books - anything can be a collection.

2). Displaying a collection needn't entail fancy shmancy contraptions you see on the reality TV home decor shows. It can be as simple as plopping three jugs on a pile of books, or stacking coffee table books in an unexpected place like the floor.

3). Don't be scared to showcase an odd ball that doesn't fit into your collection on its own. If it truly is unlike anything you have, it'll stand on its own as a statement piece if you create a backdrop that showcases it well.

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Before and Afters: Dining Room part two

Before: Junky clunky
I'm on a roll here, but I had to finish showing you the dining room makeover.

I love this big 'ole wood dresser with curving drawers I made my ex haul from the end of the street. But what the hell was I thinking? I tried to heed the rule of grouping collections together, but my head vase collection just looks junky when jumbled together with all these white pieces.

Try two: Matchy-matchy yuck
The second attempt: eeew. In an effort to group all my coloured glass together (to highlight the orange "made in Canada" stamped vase I found for $9.99) I created the worst little tableau in the history of the grunge-queen: an overly-symmetrical, matchy-matchy blah-sville barrage of tchotchkas.

After: Looks like Spring
Try number three united the light and the dark and balanced the scene. I kept the lacquer mirror and lamp and added: my beloved blue head vase (found in an old coin company shop while a broke student in Ottawa and traded for a bunch of jewellery), perched on my thrifty decorating books;

my Canadian-made orange vase next to a piece of green pottery; a gorgeous crocus arrangement given to me by Scott, owner of Vanderfleet Flowers in the Humbertown Mall in Toronto; a piece of green tile given to me by a Toronto artist and a hand-made purple card by my very artistic twin sis, who designed by grunge-queen logo btw.

The very scary hanging lamp reflected in the mirror (which I propped length-wise against the wall to add height and drama to the space) was a leftover from the previous tenant - I need my ex to come over and help me string up my girlie-glam chandelier (pretty please!). Grunge-queen has great ideas, but she's not handy, alas.

MAKEOVER TIPS: I can't stress it enough... be in the mood for playing when tweaking the decor of a room. Practice restraint with all your baubles. It's easy to want to cram in all your precious possessions, but taking away a few pieces and hiding them in a drawer creates a less cluttery look - and will also bring new life to the hide-away pieces when you haul them out again. LASTLY: you can have Spring in your room in the dead of winter -- hopefully I've demonstrated that!

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Before and Afters: Dining Room Re-do

Before: Dreary-sville
As promised: here's more.

My dining area was dark and icky before. I loved the drama of the black quilted dollar store tablecloth, but the look was all hodge-podgy. I was trying to make the area a bit of a nook where I could read and have a coffee when that pip of sunlight slants through the window near the table in the afternoons, but I failed bigtime.

Then I had inspiration: go for girlie. In the dining room? Why not?

After: Light and airy chic
I wanted the tablecloth to stay, but the area needed some contrast to balance the dark. I lightened it up with a white leather chair (found curb-side and jazzed up with a cheap faux-fur rug and a silky striped cushion) and some black and white photos.

Purple sheers and a lamp with a purple lampshade zoot up the girlie-glam factor.

The thrift store stool is covered with one of my fave vintage skirts that I used to wear when I was 16 - there's no rule saying you can't incorporate things you love into your decor!


Now I'm totally digging the feminine vibe. The painting was dug up at the thrift store:ever-emotional, I paid more than I normally would for it ($39.99) as it reminded me of how I imagined heaven to be as a child (minus the brightly-clad women). The wrought iron chair, part of a Sally Ann set, was a victim of my silver spray paint phase a few years ago, but it looks tres "Shabby Chic" now that the paint is coming off a bit.

The trio of beaded Moroccan boxes (.99 cents each at Sally Ann)on the books and the stacked bright boxes from Mexico and India add a pop of colour on the black tablecloth. The black sculpture, picked up at Value Village for under 10 bucks, melds into the tablecloth and maintains the drama. The crystal lamp is an Imperlux made in Western Germany (the tag says): $30 at my local thrift shop!!

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Before and Afters: Re-do of the re-org

Before: Clutter-bug nightmare
Bad, grunge-queen, for not posting the last few days. I will make this up to the kind people who tell me they visit daily by posting a few things today - thanks a bunch for reading!

In truth I spent part of my weekend trying to re-do my failed re-org (see "This Yellow ain't Mellow" post below). A decade ago my bro-in-law called me the Martha Stewart of Grunge because most of my furniture came from the trash (still does). But grunge must be balanced by a certain amount of "queen" - ie: glam, chic, a pinch of sophistication - or else the whole place is just going to look like a trash heap from hell.

After: Girlie glam-pot rules ....
My past re-org attempts were trashy indeed - the pics speak for themselves and encapsulate the mistakes many do-it-yourself decorators make: too much stuff and no cohesiveness.

Take a peep at my old desk area (top) - eek. Can you fit any more bric-a-brac in there? The new look, bottom, is very Carrie Bradshaw. Simple, clean, good lighting and curving lampshades, and some girlie touches. Some glitter and a few transparent orbs bring it all together. I love mirrors - they reflect lamps and natural light and make spaces look bigger - I found this big 'ole heavy gold one at Value Village for $14.99.

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