Wexford II Images

So remember Wexford II?? That house I used to post updates about before I got all crazy involved with our own home? Well, here are the images that the talented Tammy from Lifeseven took this past week of the somewhat finished house...

This kitchen is the first all wood kitchen we have done in years, so I wanted to do something fun with it. The grey stain that I thought would be 'fun' turned out to be my own worst enemy. After numerous stain samples we finally nailed it down but finding the right granite & backsplash was an additional challenge that I wasn't expecting. In the end I decided on Bianco Argento in a leathered finish for the counters and a glass bullet tile installed vertically for the backsplash, it sparkles so I adore it.

For the master bathroom I wanted calm, clean, crisp, white. It is such a soothing space with the light that floods in through the bow (can you tell I love this window design yet?). We used Daltile Fabrique for the floors & shower walls, white carrara vanity tops, and Kohler Purist faucets in polished chrome.

Now how fun is this Jack & Jill bathroom, I am so in love with this vanity top! Keeping the entire space white I let the counter speak for itself. 

Adding a stacked stone to the fireplace with an offset block style mantle adds a natural element that helps bring warmth into the space and it is a great compliment to the 6" wide Hickory flooring. The curved staircase has a closed stringer with open carpet risers, this helps the flow of the plan keeping every bit of it 'open'.

 The office, a place to make the deal happen, maybe some school work, or even set up as a relaxing library for relaxing nights with comfy chairs, a bottle of wine, and a great book. This room has tons of possibilities!

all image property of Veranda Estate Homes Inc & Lifeseven Photography

I always seem to be going 1000 miles a minute when I see Tammy. When she shot Wexford I we were moving and I had no time to do any staging, this time she was shooting the day before we left. I was in a mad panic grabbing items out of my cabinets, off the counters, out of boxes and loading up my car. It is amazing how just a few items in some rooms can make all the difference. Her next shoot for us is our home (when I get back & finish that is)...so excited for that one!! Mel xo

Simply Stunning

 via The Steward

Usually no words, but I will let you all know day 2 was a million times better than day 1 of vacation. Thanks for your thoughts and yes, it could have been worse. Having a crappy day puts the great ones in perspective and we all made it here in one exhausted piece. Mel xo

Vacation day 1 recap

I need a vacation after the day of travel we had yesterday. Lets start off at the beginning shall we? First, lets start with a pretty kitchen, it is going to get ugly, ha!

via Victoria Hagen

Check flight: On time
Get to airport: Delayed 1 hour

Race to connecting flight: Miss it
Take out phone to snap a pic: What NO PHONE?!

Race back to original gate to have plane checked: No phone found

Arrive at destination: 5 hours later, one iPhone 4 with custom Dani Notes case lost, $650 spent on new phone that they can not ship due to Canada Post strike, 2 3 very tiered boys, an exhausted and bumbed out mom with a brand spanking new zit on my face. 

This is how I felt last night...

 via Masterfile

Travel day = FAIL

I really hope this is no indication of the summer we are going to have, I am thinking it can only get better from here. So pour this girl a drink, it is time to relax. BTW, I am phone-less for the next 3 weeks till the Hubs goes home and comes back with a new one for me. So no texting, no tweeting...should be interesting. Here is to a better day!! Mel xo

And we're off...

We are off for the summer today, 2 months at the cottage in the heat & humidity here we come!!!

via Flicker

The Hubs will flying back & forth for work and I will be keeping busy while away still working on our current porjects...but doing more playing than I am doing here! I am just looking forward to time with all of my boys, boating, grilling, and did I mention the heat? I am sure I will find some good ol' DIY projects to do as well, so keep your eyes peeled for those. Mel xo

The Boys Bath

OK, pretty close to having this space done, it is a smallish bathroom so it is not like I have tons to do. You may remember the mood board that I did for this room back in February, if not, here it is again.

Overall this is one of our favorite spaces in the new pad. In fact the Hubs said it is his favorite room, maybe because there are no more boxes piled up? Keep in mind these are my own ghetto photographs, once we have the professional ones shot in late August I will share, so bare with my point & shoot.

The shaker style cabinetry stays consistent with the rest of the home but I went for a younger looking pull on the cabinets, you can find them HERE. And the floor, oh those hexagon tiles were hard buggers to get a hold of. In fact the Hubs wanted me to nix them due to availability but I stuck with my determination to have them and I am so glad I did! Since I am all about the details, lets take notice of that toe-kick detail, something as simple as a cut out and a simple 2" bump out in a long row of cabinetry can make all of the difference.

For the lights we ended up going with the industrial style pendants from Kichler. They do give off a good amount of light but we do have one window in this room along with additional ceiling lights. The bath hardware is from the Kohler Bancroft line, love the shape it has.

And one of my favorite faucets at this time, the Kohler Bancroft. It is thick, funcky, and it has a vintage feel to it. I adore this piece especially when it is paired with the Kohler Devonshire sink.

Now you may be wondering, where is that fun yellow & white chevron? Well, I never found the time to make the shower curtain, so I handed over the fabric to my talented lady that is making all of our window seat cushions and drapes...look for it in the pro photos that will come soon to a monitor near you. Off to pack, we are heading off tomorrow and I have a list a mile long. Mel xo

New items for the home...

OK, so one reason I am not flooding all of you with pics of the new home is I want it to be done and it is so far from done. With some lights back-ordered till September now (bad Visual Comfort, b.a.d.) & most of the furniture not being delivered till late August I am just not 100% happy with the images I have and before they go floating all around the internet I want them to look spot on. In the mean time I can share with you a few items that have been ordered that we are patiently waiting for. Yes, it is all from Restoration Hardware. I have been too busy to spend hours crusing stores to find the right thing, so instead I sat on my sofa, opened a bottle of wine and clicked away on the computer. Here is what I found...

My Desk

I wanted a wing-back, but something on a smaller scale and this chair which was designed for a dining table is perfect. I decided on the Belgian Linen in Flax, it has the right amount of depth and the texture is perfect.

Hubs Desk

I was so not expecting him to pick this, but I think he felt empowered in since it just swallows you up. Still not sure if it will work or not in his space since he works between 2 desk. That is the great thing about RH, if you order a stock item like this and it doesn't work you can return it. 

Master Bathroom

Our bathroom is on the larger side and very white, I love it, but it needed something else and I think this mirror that is MASSIVE, as in 43" wide x 90" tall will be perfect leaning against the wall across form the door when you enter. And for my makeup desk, this feminine chair, again in the Belgian Linen but this time in the natural color. 

Breakfast Area

We picked up a killer reclaimed teak table while we were on Vancouver Island, I mentioned it here when we came back from our trip. With its size we are able to sit 6 comfortably and that is what I wanted. Comfort. Out of all of the dining chairs in RH I found these to be the most comforting.

Kitchen Island

Stools, new stools, what a challenge!! We needed counter-height which are harder to find than bar height. I did spend quiet a few hours on-line searching for some vintage finds but everything I found was either sold or in the States and not able to ship to me in the Great White North. So looky look, these will do, they are fun and add the right amount of industrial strength that I was looking for.

Great Room

The leather we have had for the past 6 years had been great, but my children are older, Lola the Pug is no longer with us and I want something softer. So out with the old and in with the new. I still adore all of our tables, accent & side, so those will be staying and also help me not look like you have walked into a RH store. We really wanted to have 2 sofas again, but this beast is HUGE, almost 4' deep and a whopping 9' long, I can't wait for movie nights with all of us snuggled up on it. Since there are still young boys & one big boy in the house I wanted a more durable fabric, so for the sofa we decided on the Army Duck in Sand.

Since we only had room for one sofa we decided to add 2 of these lovely chairs. They are quiet large as well, being 39" wide & 45" deep. I wanted to mix up the materials in this space so we went with Belgian Linen in a deep charcoal for both of them.

Wet Bar

In the lower level we needed more counter stools for the wet bar. I didn't want to spend a lot on these since this space is really only used when we have larger parties. I think these are the perfect fit, and at only $149 each we couldn't go wrong.

I know with all of our own furnishings, the style of the home, and all of my chotchkies it will not be like walking into a RH showroom, the pieces will be sprinkled here and there throughout the home and honestly, I just love the fact that it was all ordered while I was in my pj's, ha! Mel xo

Happy 3

Happy #3 Mister M.

You are more & more independent everyday and we love watching you grow up in front of our eyes. I love your voice, your facial expressions, and your impersonations. Not sure what he wants to do today, but he has requested a race car birthday cake, so I better get busy on that. Happy day my love. Mommy xoxo

Be sure to hop on over to Savor Home today, Tiffany is doing a little feature on our pantry and her blog is a must read! Thank you my dear!!!

Flowers for a special day

I am getting all prepped to host a wedding shower for a very dear friend that I have know since my days back in Banff, that is a long time ago folks! Here are just a few of the beautiful bouquets that are scattered around the house in her honor today...

I love how fresh flowers can bring a space to life and the peony's I found are making our home smell like a lush garden, not a construction zone. Hope your weekend is wonderful & be sure to check back next week, I will be posted some recipes from all of the gatherings we have been hosting over the last few days and yes, my mojo is back and I am kicking it in the kitchen! Mel xo

Art hunt...

The hunt has begun, I have blank walls all around me and what was in our last home has made it's way to the Garage Sale pile that seems to be growing with every box I unpack. As our sitter would say, it is going to be an epic sale. Yes Rachel, it will be epic and I hope people come from near & far to buy my crap. Anyhoot, here are some pieces that have caught my eye.

{by Bridget Farmer Prints}

{by Studiotuesday}

While I adore both of these finds I will admit that I am in need of larger format items. I think the best bet will be trips to our local galleries once the Hubs & I are back from the cottage at the end of the summer. Art is near and dear to my heart, having studied at RISD & SVA I am very particular and this girl knows what she wants. I'll keep you all posted on anything that I run across that I think is perfect for our space, until then, if you find anything that you think would work please let me know. I love going through Etsy but I do find it is a maze and I tend to get lost quiet easily over there. Mel xo

Details...

I will fully admit that I am all about the details in a home, little & small. This one was minor, most wouldn't even look at it as a detail to consider but for me it was on the top of my list. The Thermador range top comes standard with the stainless steel knobs, as seen below. While it works it just didn't do it for me, I wanted the fun blue ones I had previously. Of course now it was not a standard feature, so the special order had to take place.

Now with the special order blue knobs it feel complete. They match the blue 'on' lights and the blue flame...I love all of it. It is the little details that can pull a look together.

And speaking of details our custom hood fan was installed yesterday, here is a snippet I got with my iPhone, more to come on that later of course!

No news on the mojo return yet, I will keep all of you posted. Thanks for the positive vibes and luck you all sent my way, I will be sure to share with you images & recipes later...that is if it all turns out! Mel xo