Modern Meets Feminine - WhY not?

My friend Kendra recently bought an awesome condo at the WhY lofts in downtown Charlottetown. The building was once a YMCA club and many of the old architectural features still exist. The hallways are the existing mosaic tiled walls from the old pool, the staircases are reclaimed wood from the basketball court and bowling lanes. It all works in a modern interpretation of what it once was.

I stopped over, back in the spring, before her contractor had started any work. It was essentially a blank canvas for Kendra to make her own. She certainly knew what she wanted and I nodded in agreement with each sample that she pulled out. I left feeling jealous but insanely excited for her. What a fun project!

Needless to say, her choice of finishes turned out simply beautiful. The result is a perfect modern, white canvas with a few pops of color. You know how I love WHITE! The finishes are sleek and minimalist. She even had some simplistic, modern-lined furniture made and it turned out amazing. Everything feels warm and feminine next to its rich brown bamboo floors, huge shimmery, textured wall, and black ceiling.
She won't let me take full pictures just yet, as it will take some time before she accumulates artwork and accesssories that reflect her personal style. But here is a sneak peek!

A cute welcome to loft #12.

Custom glossy white cabinets with a PINK:) backsplash.

Industrial stairs with reclaimed wood treads.

Sharp black ceiling. Kendra wanted glossy black against the advice of her contractor,

but the result is stunning.

On a side note, Kendra needs advice on what to do here. She needs to cover the windows for privacy reasons but has no idea how to attach a curtain rod without damaging the beautiful wall covering.

Any suggestions?

More photos to come. Hopefully soon!:)

A great end to summer ...

We spent the weekend at Red Point Campground in eastern PEI. Hot, sunny skies, swimming, campfires and ice cream. A perfect way to end the summer. I head back to work this week, after a wonderful summer off. I feel relaxed and got lots of projects finished, but I'm looking forward to seeing the smilling faces of my new students!

On our lovely Prince Edward Island, we may not have places like IKEA, Anthropologie, West Elm, CB2 or even Target, but we do have this:

Beautiful and fun Basin Head Beach. I jumped off the bridge 5 times!

The view from our campsite.

A view from our evening walk.

I try not to take living here for granted - there is beautiful inspiration all around me!

Idea Board: Mom and Dad's Warm and Cozy Family Room

I put this idea board together to give my mom and dad a taste of what I'm thinking for their family room. Bear with me, it is the first time I've done this!

They are going shopping in the States in a couple of weeks. My mom wants to be on the look out for things for the room. I think the board gives an idea of the direction we are going so hopefully she can pick up some fun stuff!

We've picked out Evangeline Green Tint by Para Paints, which is a soft green-gray. It will be paired with white trim and wainscotting.

Once the painting is done, Dad is going to put down laminate flooring.

The sectional is the one they've ordered but with a different fabric.

 new flooring and sofa fabric

Dad really wants a recliner. Have you ever actually shopped for a recliner? Or, have you even googled it? It seriously hurts my eyes. I don't really know if it is going to be possible to find one that is semi attractive.
I actually googled: not ugly recliners. No lie. It worked though, I found the one shown above. It's from Crate and Barrel, which we don't have here, so the search continues!

This was the only thing in the room that has to stay. I really like it and I think it will be great in the room.

antique pine cabinet (it does have drawers)

I can't wait to get going on the room!

When White is Just Right

I love white things. Accessories, bedding, furniture. Everything I see screams: Paint me white! But most of all, I love white walls and white rooms. I think white is forever chic.
It can be glamorous in cream, oyster or mother of pearl with touches of silver, glass, mirror or antique nickle.

Or, I love it just as much when it's pure white with minimal accessories, natural wood accents and plenty of natural light.

via Living Etc

I do, however, realize that sometimes white just isn't practical and there are certain rules for making it work.

I've often said that if I were to do it all over again, I'd paint my whole house white. I wouldn't really. I just like the idea of it. In the end, my house just doesn't live up to the "rules". I guess they aren't official rules but more what I think. Hey, it's my blog and I can say what I want, right? :)

"My rules" about using white:

#1: High ceilings and nice architecture really help.

Ceiling height silk panels spell luxury.

via remodelista

The white, glossy floors make my heart skip a beat. Not practical though.. especially with a shedding dog.

A dream room for me.

#2 Good lighting is key.

images via decor8

via mark lund

via joanna henderson

#3 Sure, all-white designer spaces are great. In real life, we need somewhere to rest the eye. (artwork, flooring, accessories)

via bhg

White walls are the perfect canvas for bright artwork.

via decor pad

To me, nothing beats a black and white rug.

via style at home

Dark wood floors ground the space.

More dark wood floors and a dark framed mirror.

#4 White kitchens always work. Always did. Alway will. I hope:)

images via decorpad

via style at home

Don't get me wrong. My house doesn't meet all the rules. I don't have tall ceilings, or even crown mouldings, and I get only moderate amounts of light depending on the room. But, I do have a ultra-white bedroom walls and bedding. It works with the addition of some black accents.

One of my favorite white houses belonged to Anna Spiro of Absolutely Beautiful Things. You can check out my feature on her home here.

Also, for those of you stuck with white wall and not diggin it, Kate over at Centsational girl did a great post today on injecting color when you can't paint. (any renters out there who can relate?) 

Kitchen Transformation Part 2

After the floors were finished and the old cupboards removed, my brother got to work on the cabinets.

The frame was built out of plywood and trimmed in pine.

I had the job of priming everything with Zinsser primer.

I don't recommend sticking your head in a cupboard, while using Zinsser, for too long.

Really strong and stinky!

We tossed around the idea of buying the doors, but in the end, he wanted to build them himself. I am really happy with them. They have a recessed panel and 2 of them have a glass insert. Some of the drawers have a recessed panel and some are flat. He made the drawer fronts, but we ordered the drawer slides from Lee Valley.

I had a really hard time choosing a countertop. I wanted something that would be true to the feel of the older home. Most solid surfaces were out of my budget and butcherblock was not easily accessible. I wanted pine, but everyone told me I was crazy! My brother, however, thought it would be a great idea! He found some unfinished pine stair treads and pieced them together. I stained and varnished them and they came out great. All for only $70!

Let's look at the before picture again:

And here is the after with painted cupboards, walls and trim and a new backsplash:

A view with my new sideboard. A peninsula was part of the kitchen plan, but my brother is a busy boy!

This works well  for now! 

The pine countertops are still holding up well. There are a few dents, but I like them!

My sundae painting, made by Gaby ;)

I love the glass knobs. They add a little sparkle:) 

Resource list:

Glass knobs - Lee Valley

Chrome cup pulls - Lee Valley

Appliances - Fridgidaire Professional Series Furniture Gallery

Lighting - Canadian Tire

Wall paint- Souvenir ICI

Cabinet paint - Natural White ICI

Roman Shades - made by my aunt Marilyn

Another Amazing Stencil Job!

I just came across another great stencil job on Apartment Therapy. Some people amazing me with their patience and talent.

She even did inside the closet!

Check out Christine's how-to on her blog.

Pure Project #13: Finally Hang it!

Over at Pure Style this week, Lauren is challenging us to hang something we haven't gotten around to. Since I've been off this summer, I've checked a lot of those things off my to-do this. I really wanted this to be the kick in the pants for me to do my planned plate wall. However, I simply can't find plates that I like!
Anyone know any good sources?
Then, I remembered that I had bought a cute print by artist Luke Leunes last week in Charlottetown. It's called Birds on a Wire. Again, bird weakness. I hung it in the office. Which really isn't an office yet because while mostly complete, there is no desk.

In my living room, I've had a blank wall for a long time. It drove me crazy. I tried different things and nothing seemed to work. I needed some color! What I was left with was lots of holes in the plaster walls. Last week, I found this:

It's big enough to cover the holes:) and adds some color to the space. It hangs over my antique barrister bookcase. I hung it last week, but I think it still should count toward the project!