Small Space, Huge Style

Thanks to my friend Patti G I realised I have been gone for almost a month! Waaaay too much! =( I'm really sorry, and hope to make it up soon. You see, I had some pretty busy weeks and then I went out for my summer vacations... but still, that's no excuse. I really hope this second half of the year gets better for my blogging and my house projects.

That being said, I'm here to share with you  a great place. It's a Toronto loft, designed by  Jassia Kelly and published by Style At Home magazine. It's tiny, and it's gorgeous. I LOVE tiny and gorgeous because I can relate to tiny spaces, and look forward to achieving gorgeous. I hope you like it too.

Enjoy.

A great idea for small spaces are glass or see-through furniture, such as these tables. They allow light through, and don't block view (which is always great in a small room). Another great thing is the small "chaise longé". A big mistake we often make in small places is jamming them with huge furniture, which only makes the room look smaller.

I love the use of mirrors in this dining nook. A great way to use the corners is with built-in seating areas.

Now, this is a gorgeous, tiny kitchen. If you have one wall to decorate, you can choose to make a big statement. This lovely damasque wallpaper is beautiful and matches the red in the dining area.

The brick wall looks beautiful in combination with the dark wood. I love the pictures hung over the bed.

And finally the bathroom, wich looks all tidy and neat.

So, how do you like it? Thumbs up, or down? Do tell!

Sex and The City II - Set Design

Sex and the City is back with lots of fashion, style and design (yay!).

That's right! Sex and The City promises to be a total delight for us, design-lovers. Fabulous rooms and decor accesories plus tons of inspiration for your home... Take a look at these pics for yourself.

Carrie's old apartment is small, yet full of style and glamour (who could tell?). I love the white chair and the mirrored table and the colors on the bed (among other things).

In her new apartment, Carrie has a more neutral decoration, considering of course she's married now. There are strong, masculine colors and elements, in contrast with feminine details...

...such as this lovely flower arrangement on the hall table. Way to make a statement.

The living room is one of my favorite rooms in the house. I love the mixture of colors and textures, and I absolutely adore the gold contrast against the dark blue sofa. The coffee table gives us a perfect example of using books to decorate.

In the dining room, the bookshelves work perfectly well giving both display and storage space. What do you think about the pendant? I believe it's a great DIY project. Anyone interested in trying?

On with the refuge... the famous Master B. Carrie, as a good fashion setter, knows about trends, so she could not miss having an upholstered headboard. Now, if you ask me, I think the pattern on the headboard against the pattern on the wall is too much. I would love a solid fabric headboard in my room. But, we all know Carrie... and this is totally her, I guess. What do you think?

Of course, the tour could not be finished without Carrie's closet. But first, let me show you Carrie's old closet (from when she was single).

Dreamy, huh? Now take a look at Carrie and Big's closet. Get ready to sigh!

My gosh, it's so sofisticated. Looks like a store. Heavenly.

Credit goes to Jeremy Conway, who has done production design for Sex and The City (both the series and the films), as well as Lydia Marks, set designer. Awesome.

I must admit, I'm not a huge Sex and The City fan, but after seeing this pics from Elle Decor, I'm dying to watch the movie. Have you seen it? Did you get any ideas for your own home?

all pics from Elle Decor

Getaway: Cuixmala Luxury Beach Villas

With springbreak happening around here, it's inevitable for me to think about anything but the beach. Perfect weather, deep blue waters, nature all around... sigh!

If you're at home or work, let me take you on a little getaway to Cuixmala, a gorgeous place down on the Mexican Pacific.

Oh, and a little warning to you all: be ready for some major dose of eye candy. ;)

Rates start at 350 and go all the way up to 15,000 usd... but hey, who says a girl can't dream, right?

More info: http://www.cuixmala.com/

Great Home Trends for Spring - Part III

{This is part 3 of the Great Home Trends for Spring series. Be sure to check part I and part II!}

Trend 3. Coral Beach

A great color to try this spring is coral red. It's fresh, vibrant, and modern. Plus, it can easily be adapted to most spaces. Being such a bright color, a few splashes here and there are enough to make a statement.

These coral chair cushions are all it takes to brighten up this space.

Cute and simple benches. Wow.

Coral is a great choice for young spaces.

Use accesories to fill the room with hints of it.

And once again, here are my finds for you:

How cute are these anthropology sheets?

{anthropology coral dishtowel}

Pottery Barn has an extensive line of coral accesories, hence the collage. ;)

{Zara Home}

{Zara Home, love it!}

Coral seems like a perfect Spring / Summer color for any room. Bright and shinny all-over.

Which is your favorite trend so far?

Visit trend 1 and trend 2.

Designer Spotlight - John Saladino

I ran accross some photos from a Soho apartment in NYC, designed by John Saladino and I just had to share with you. Tremendous amounts of eye candy and inspiration!

The inspiration for this apartment was the movie Girl with a Pearl Earring, depicting the life of Vermeer, the great Dutch painter. I love the color palette that Saladino chose to use, especially the light brown backgrounds found on the floors and walls.

Paladino uses drapes to separate two different areas; the living room and the kitchen. This is a very easy way to create two rooms in one, while leaving the feeling of openness.

As you see, the color palette is uniform throughout the house. I love the look of silver against light brown.

The breakfast nook was created in the same space as the living room. Saladino uses smaller furniture to separate it from the rest of the room.

I haven't seen the idea of a sofa at the dining room before, but I think it looks lovely. I like that it gives a casual feeling to the room, almost like another living room.

This is my favorite space. I'll definitely use this as inspiration! The stairwell is simply amazing. Again, the use of earthlike tones gives a sense of unity to the apartment.

This is the second floor landing, which I find totally beautiful. The star sitting on the bench is completely inspiring. Saladino uses the mirror to double the space. Again, another excellent idea to apply in any space.

I like the rock containers, they're so original!

In the bathroom, some paintings by Verneer.

Can you tell where the mirror is in this room? A clever way to use it was placing it opposite to the shutters, creating the feeling of a larger corridor. I love this clean and classic look.

What inspirational ideas can you come up with?

{all images via Veranda}

Casa Mishka

One of the things I enjoy most is house peeking. I can't help it. I'm constantly trying to catch a glimpse of other houses while I'm driving by in the city. Some other times, when I'm invited to people's homes, I really can't stop staring. I LOVE good design, and a beautiful house is one of the greatest joys I find in life. Really. I've found that lovely environments are so appealing to all (design-lovers or not)... I guess we all like being surrounded by beauty.

That's why I want to share with you a house I absolutely love: Casa Mishka.

It belongs to my best friend, her husband, and their little dog, Mishka.

Its bold, sharp, and modern design have amazed me from the moment they begun making it. I've been a witness of how an empty space can become a warm and personal retreat.

Andrea is an expert in thrift store and flea market shopping (something I'm totally trying to learn from her). Like this gorgeous chair sitting in her living room. Look how chic it makes the room look, while remaining modern.

Or the coffee table, which they also bought in the antique market. They cut its legs so that it would be exactly like they wanted it to be.

They're also great at arranging random elements. Look at how great the coffee table looks from up. I love the mirror frame, and how it's used as a tray to display more cute things. How clever!

Every corner in their house is beautiful. Look at this odd but great side table in the livingroom. The lamp is so lovely too.

The following picture shows the living room, the patio, and part of the dining room.

The living room and the dining room make an L shape, and the patio is right in the middle. The gorgeous piano is part of the dining room.

And again, it's full of beautiful "things" just laying around randomly.

Like this little bird candle and lamp.

Or the cute playmobil pirate.

Did you also spot the clock? I loved it from the moment it got home.

This is how it looks from the living room. The aqua color on the wall is so soothing. And the chairs. I didn't think they would go well together when she bought them, and now I LOVE how it all turned out.

Take a look at the simple but delightful patio.

What can I tell you? LOVE it.

(Sorry for my limited use of words, but I do! =)

I keep telling my friend she should start a home design blog, but she's really not into that (for the moment). Still, I had to show you the pics, so I asked her, and she's so nice she said yes!

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

What do you think of Casa Mishka? Which is your favorite room?