Sage Blue Desk

I haven't had a desk in stock for a while, so when this one came along I had to scoop it up. I opted to paint it in a pale blue-is -grey colour to appeal to those who love colour as well as to the customers that prefer neutrals. Drawers are all lined with retro wallpaper and the only pop of brightness are the two yellow and teal pulls in the centre.
The piece is listed in my Etsy store and the Poppyseed Creative Living website.

Drawer in Bloom

Here is my latest decoupage project. Simple but withe enough character for a huge presence in any room. Guaranteed one of a kind, with flowers that will remind you of Summer all year long. Available in my Etsy store and the Poppyseed Creative Living website.

Marigold Yellow Sideboard

For this sideboard I chose Marigold yellow in milk paint formula. I love this colour and though it would bring this piece to life. I have worked with with milk paint in the past and and rarely had any issues with it. This was the first time that just after I thought the job was done the paint flaked off the top, both drawers and the side doors. Milk paint can not be removed with paint strippers so easily so I literally had to use force, scrape and sand until all loose paint particles were removed. All this effort was well worth it, so much so that the piece already stole the heart of one of my existing customers and will be in her new home by week's end.

A Different Kind of Photo Shoot

The weather was beautiful this past weekend here in Toronto so to capitalize on the opportunity I took this little nugget to the beach to try out something new, a photoshoot out in the open. Even though working outside, surrounded by lots of people and in a new environment had its own challenges, I found it fun and rewarding. There was no need for extra staging as the nature offered everything and more to allow this piece to shine. If you have a minute, drop me a line and let me know how you feel about it, do you prefer it to the traditional indoors shoots or should I attempt to get more of my pieces out in the nature?

Little Desk Worthy of a Rock Star

I crossed paths with this desk last week as I was delivering one of the pieces to my new customer. It was unpainted and its simple lines made the refinishing possibilities endless. As I am in the collaging/decoupaging phase right now I took inventory of available fabrics and paintings and got to work changing it into a one-of-a-kind piece of decor worthy of any home. It can be found in my Etsy store as well as Poppyseed Creative Living website.

Decoupaged Side Tables

Recently I have started using a decoupage/collage technique that is relatively new to me but I can't get enough of it. I love how old oil paintings and fabric remnants work well with paint to create one of a kind collages on furniture pieces. The best candidates for this type of a makeover are pieces with simple, straight lines and without any embellishments as they allow the material to wrap around and cover the wood without any obstacles. As a result you have unique and edgy piece of furniture that is full of character.

My Dream Closet

We live fast these days. We move cities and countries for work, family or love and just when we think that we have found the place where we can settle down for a while and grow roots, it turns out that life has different plans for us. I have moved several times, within cities where I lived, between two continents and I have plans to cross the world once more to find my happily ever after home in Australia one day.
I happen to like browsing real estate listings for different cities in the world and came across a real estate platform called Compass that helps people buy, sell or rent properties. They currently focus on cities like New York, Washington DC, Miami or Boston, all places that I have been to and like very much. Checking out some of the listings made me think how I would decorate the units and if I had the luxury of space, what my dream closet would look like.
Typical walk in closets, the kinds we see in movies and home shows can also entail a hefty financial investment, something that many of us are not prepared and ready to consider. With a bit of imagination and a room to spare it is possible to create a fully functional yet stylish and one-of-a-kind closet space to call your own.

My dream closet is the kind that moves with me, the kind I can take apart and reset in my next house so it feels familiar yet new and exciting. Closet walls would have to be neutral to allow the clothing, shoes and accessories to stand out. For the ceiling however there is no rule in my books. It can be painted out in a bright and bold colour, wallpapered or decoupaged. 

The lighting is essential too. If there are no windows or if the existing ones don’t allow enough natural light to come in, it is important to invest in a light fixture. I happen to like natural materials and a wooden beaded chandelier would be my go to option.

In summary, my ideal closet is put together from independent components that can easily be taken apart and assigned a different function in the next home. The mirror may find its way into the hallway, the glass cabinet in the kitchen and the DIY clothes rack in the sewing/craft room.

The room itself does not have to have a large footprint, the height is more important to allow full utilization of vertical spaces.

I love finding alternative uses for everyday objects. My ideal closet has an elegant glass cabinet, one would normally find in a kitchen or a dining room, to store my shoes. That would allow a full overview of my shoe stock and maks selecting the right ones to pair with my outfits that much easier.

A larger dresser would offer some some much needed folding surface but also storage for t-shirts, socks, underwear and jeans.

Purses and hats would be displayed on wall mounted hooks and coats and dresses on a clothes rack. I love the idea of a DIY clothes rack option but there are many ready made alternatives available.

Finding the right accessory to finish off the outfit can be tricky if they are stored in drawers. My closet offers a nice overview of available options with easy access. Scarves are draped over an old ladder and jewelry is displayed hanging off a thread spool holder.

An oversized floor mirror is there as well for that last minute glance-over before heading out.

Blue Sideboard

Here is the latest piece from my studio, a blue sideboard that has been sitting in my storage for a while waiting its turn. So that day has come. I chose a Milk Paint finish for this piece in Soldier Blue as it allows it to keep its inherited elegance but at the same time gives it the modern feel. Inside the cabinet has been painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in "coco".
The piece is currently listed in my online store and on my Etsy page.

Red Hutch with Pink Detailing

Celebrating the Fall season with this beautiful ornate hutch painted in Annie Sloan's Emperpr's Silk red with Scandinavian Pink Detailing. Roomy interior will allow you to store many of your belongings and hide them from plain sight. Not just for dining rooms, this hutch would look great in a kitchen, bathroom, office or bedroom. For more info check my online store or Etsy page.

Painter in Residence - First Reveal

If you haven't read previous posts, here is a little intro on this project. I have recently been selected as one of Annie Sloan's (inventor behind Chalk Paint) to be one of her painters in residence. The program was focused around making over four pieces of furniture over the course of three months and Annie was going to do the reveal through her social media outlets.

My previous posts gives hints of what the audience is about to see in the coming weeks, but this little green piece is the first one to go through the complete reveal.

This cabinet came from a friend of mine who asked me to give this tired piece of furniture a make-over. The cabinet was scratched and beaten and did not suite the style of my friend's house. I was given free reign to work with any technique or style as long as the base colour was green.

I chose to work with traditional and sophisticated palette of Olive, Versailles and Country Grey and created a gradient colour effect by applying the darkest colour - Olive_ to the top section of the cabinet, working down to Versailles and then Country Grey. To add a modern touch I used scallop shaped masking tape to create an interesting border where tow colours met.

Inside the cabinet I used Graphite, which is both neutral and dramatic. I then finished the piece with a coat of Annie Sloan's Clear Soft Wax.