2012 in review

Thought I would do a year in review since SO much has happened this year. Thank you to all of you that have been along for the ride, and if you have joined recently, 2013 is going to be filled with amazing things as well...stay tuned!

We turned over Hillhurst{3rd}, a wonderful single family home located in the heart of Calgary.

In April we won a Sam Award (they refer to these as the Oscars of home building) for Wexford {2}.

We completed 3 homes side by side in a great inner city community called Altadore. While all 3 had similar plans I tried to keep each home individual & unique...just like the clients.

 Altadore {1}

 Altadore {2}

 Altadore {3}


I shared a few of my favorite recipes with you throughout the year.

{roasted veggie orzo salad}

{chipolte chopped salad}

{easy french apple tart}


I had WAY too much fun with Courtney, my adopted son, when he came here for a killer weekend. He was lucky enough to join us at our home for our 2012 EPIC DINNER PARTY.

We were lucky enough to work with the one & only Tracey Ayton. She shot our Montgomery project that we completed back in 2010. It was photographed for a feature in a glossy mag, my first, and fingers crossed, not my last project to make it to print!

And finally...we are entering 2013 with 6 homes under construction and a few more in the works. It is going to be an amazing year with some stunning spaces coming your way. Be sure to follow along on Facebook and I'm always posting progress pics on Instagram, so look me up to stay in the loop! Happy New Years everyone and all the best in 2013!!!! Mel xo

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From our family to yours...

May you laugh with those you adore, cheers with those you cherish, and create memories with those you love!!!  

Happy Holidays!!!

our cards via Minted

xoxo

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Quick gift guide...

I am pretty much wrapped up my holiday shopping, but if you are not, or just looking for something else to add to the stocking, here are a few items I adore and would more than welcome into my home.

Ikat dishes {also in blue}

Gold Press | Platter with Legs | Hedgehog Measuring Cups

Fortune Cookie Box

Dachshund Letter Holder | Metropolis Calendar | iPod Docking Station

Design A Bag Kit

Modern Doll House | Tooth Fairy Pillow | Tree Chalkboard Scroll

There are a few fun things to either get you started or finish off that list you have. Have a beautiful weekend!! Mel xo

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Final Images // Altadore {3} Kitchen

 My favorite room in the home...always, the kitchen. Maybe it is my love of cooking & entertaining or just knowing that no matter what, the kitchen is always the heart of the home.

{kitchen}

For the kitchen in this home we took advantage of the corner lot and utilized windows on each side of the Viking range, besides letting in more natural light it give the kitchen a beautiful architectural detail versus just having more upper cabinets. The custom made cabinetry, thanks to our amazing finishers, is lacquered along the perimeter and the island is constructed of horizontal grain matched quarter sawn oak...it is simply stunning!

We used Caserstone tops throughout the kitchen, she wanted marble but he wasn't a fan of the 'busy look'...still incredibly happy with the final selection.

Since this home has no walk-in pantry I designed a built-in pantry to surround the Viking refrigerator. Each side has 3 large pull out drawers and then tons of shelving space above.

This home was an open concept design, so the kitchen is connected to the great room, perfect for those that like to entertain. The island is constructed of the same material as the great room fireplace and built-in, this helps to connect the two rooms. Since the only hanging lights are those above the island we went with over-sized pendants from Visual Comfort, they are subtle but still have a great impact in the space.

This last pic is a joke, when I was styling up the kitchen with what I could find from the cabinets, they had only started to bring things over, I managed to find a few Le Cruset orange pieces and then 2 S&M mugs...I texted the clients with a pic and asked if there was something she wanted to tell me. Turns out being from NYC they know a lot of amazing artist including a potter, and she made these for the clients mom as a joke, her initials are S & M...thought I would capture this as a funny pic for her to share with the artist that made the mugs and of course, her mom. 

Hope you enjoyed the tour of Altadore {3}! This project, all of the Altadore homes, were a lot of fun to work on. I managed to have numerous 'discussions' with trades and suppliers over the brass I used in Altadore {1}, worked with the clients color request while keeping the integrity of the overall design at Altadore {2}, and discovered my long lost 'City Sister' with this final home. Now my focus is on all of the projects listed in my last post...so this girl is off for selections and sharpening my pencil to ensure all of our upcoming projects stand on their own. Mel xo

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Final Images // Altadore {3} Main Level

Today I am sharing with all of you the front study, great room, and mud room...all of which I adore and I hope you do as well!

{study}

In the study I had our super awesome finisher do another feature wall out of MDF, love the way the light cascades down it. It is subtle yet adds so much to the space...just like the Arteriros Caviar light in this room. I have been wanting to use one of these lights for awhile now and I was over the moon when the clients agreed to it!

 {great room}

The flooring in this home is finished on site 3" hickory with a custom stain, it is a great contrast to the lineal effect the quarter sawn oak brings on the great room built-in. Since this was a corner lot we took advantage of it and placed large windows along every wall. The window seats have storage below for components and little L's toys. I'm excited to see all of the clients original art work in this space along with the Johnathan Adler Greek Key rug & Barcelona chair that have for this room!

{mud room}

 For the mud room we went with the chevron tile design like we did in Altadore 1, it is such an easy way to add a lot of spunk to a small space. The over-sized Visual Comfort pendants have an industrial feel which complements the barn door that leads to the great room.

Up next I'll share the kitchen! Mel xo

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Update & Final Images // Altadore 3 Lower Level & Exterior

Holy smackers are we busy...and it's AWESOME!!! I love being busy, yes, my holiday decorating has had to take a backseat and some days I choose coffee over showering, but that is alright with me. Here is a brief update on the projects at this time & if you want to follow along check out our Facebook page HERE.

Watermark {waterside}

Our ridiculously amazing finishers are packed up and gone, all of the cabinetry and mill-work is complete...can't wait to see it all painted and stained! The painters are in the home starting the prep work and the tile setter has gotten busy, starting with the master shower that will have beautiful calcutta gold tile throughout.

Watermark {spyglass}

Framing has started which means I am in selection and design mode for this home. The fun but slightly stressful part...with so many homes on the go I am trying to keep them all straight and all individual...I have no desire to build and design the same thing over and over, I'll leave that to the track home builders.

Hillhurst {15th}

Both homes were back-filled yesterday and the framers are getting going on this one come Monday. These homes are going to be a mix of the Altadore projects and Waterside court. A bit of traditional detailing with modern elements tossed in for good measure.

Hillhurst {custom}

Excavation started on Wednesday and the cribber will be showing up this coming week. The clients are amazing, great style, wonderful personalities, and they love color...this home is next up for me with design. The kitchen is large and in charge and it is going to be awesomeballs!!
   

 

Hillhurst {16th}

In the process of tightening up the floor plan for this home. It is being put up on spec and will feature 4 bedrooms with just over 3600 Sq. Ft. I'm going traditional on this home, transoms on the main level, white and clean kitchen, lots of marble, and lots of pretty polished chrome elements...maybe some grass cloth tossed in. 

   

Bearspaw {custom}

Plans are done, off to the engineer and pricing is underway...this home is designed for entertaining and is going to have modern elements throughout.

*All image from boards above can be found on my Pinerest page with sources listed there*

Yeah...busy but good. We are working with a few more clients on projects at this time as well...looks like I'll be spending lots of time on Pinterest to keep it all straight and to find inspiration for all of these upcoming projects! Now on to more final images from Altadore 3.

 {exterior}

In Calgary this is what we refer to as a West Coast Contemporary style exterior...now I have no idea who the heck came up with it but whatever. For this home we used a combination of stone, stained cedar, and two acrylic stucco colors.

{wine room}

When building in the inner-city on small lots (this lot was 32' x 120') you have to maximize every square foot you can. With the wine room we utilize the area under the staircase. I like to think that the best storage is wine storage, ha! For this wine room I wanted to keep in mind the lineal lines that are throughout the home, so I designed a more modern take on a wine rack...my finishers hated me so did my painters...but in the end we were all thrilled with the final product!

{wet bar}

The bar is more of a storage space for Lucy's toys in the rec room but it also needed to function as an entertainment area when the time comes. It ended up being a great combination of the two, tons of storage and great style and display space.

Have a great weekend and if you are hitting up a holiday party wear something sparkly & fun!! Mel xo

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Final Images // {Altadore 3} Master Suite

Today I am going to share with all of you the master section of the home. The master bathroom and bedroom...again, so excited to see the amazing original art, modern furniture, and vintage pieces that the clients have been collecting over the years fill the space. It is just going to be awesomeballs!!

{master bathroom} 

What do I talk about first?! The amazing vertical grain match custom vanities that our finishers knocked out of the park or the stunning chevron floors??

{master bedroom}

For the master bedroom we took advantage of the vaulted ceilings and maximized the windows in this space. With the towering trees out all of the windows it gives a little bit of serenity in the middle of the city. The large caged lantern from Visual Comfort plays off of the lines in the space perfectly and it is just like the cherry on top of the sundae.

Up next the lower level and mud room, lots of personality in two areas. Mel xo

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Final Images // {Altadore 3} Main Bath & Laundry

Here are the secondary rooms on the upper level of the home we recently completed in Altadore for the most amazing clients...she is my long lost NYC sister.

{lucy's bath}

Sweet sweet little Lucy, love this girl so much. At the age of 4 she has so much character and personality. This bathroom was designed just for her and it all started with the amazing wall lights from Visual Comfort, from there it took off.

{lucy's bedroom}

'The perfect shade of pink' is what she wanted, and that is just what she got for her room. I am very excited to see all of the amazing fabrics and pieces go into her room, moving day for the clients is this coming Monday...when they make this house a home. Of course the closet had been staged and prepped to make Lucy feel more comfortable with the notion of moving, that can be a hard transition for the littles and this is one way to make it easier on them!

{laundry}

As I have mentioned, the clients are NYC transplants, making the laundry room one of the clients favorite areas in the home. I can attest that after having to do laundry at either laundry mats or dingy basements when I lived in the city I would be all over this space too!! To keep it a bit edgy and not so polished I had our plumbing company make a hanging rod out of gas line, just the right amount of edge for the small space.

I'll be sharing the master bathroom with you next week along with the lower level wine rooms...so cool. Stay tuned and have a great weekend!! Mel xo

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