Let the light in...

I have started the design process with our architect for Altadore III (yep, 3 amazing homes inner-city!). Since this home is on a corner lot I want to take advantage of the side yard with windows galore. The kitchen is quite large for a home that is just over 2400 Sq. Ft. so I thought it would be the perfect time to incorporate a kitchen design with windows on each side of the range & hood-fan. Here are some brilliant examples below.

Love the build-out that is wrapped in white subways and must remember to incorporate fun lights in this space.

via Carter & Company

Really enjoying this kitchen...but where does that hood fan go? Oh, it just stops. Wish they would have carried it up to the ceiling and incorporated it into the design.

via Atalanta Home Magazine

Note to the Hubs: I want a skylight like that at some point in my life...in some home, somewhere, somehow.  

 via Pinterest

This kitchen is so warm and inviting. from the timbers to the dark wood and beautiful herringbone backsplash, love!

via Decorati

This is the kitchen in my Hawaiian dream home, so glad they got this one right...now, do I get an ocean view from those windows??

 via Sutton Suzuki

The thing I like most about this layout are the additional cabinets on each side of the hood. I find that is where I keep all of my oils, spices, and other items I use frequently. This is a possibility.

via google

We should have the plans back by Friday and I am so excited. With Altadore I & II underway I am having a lot of fun creating 3 fun and unique spaces...more on all of them to come! Mel xo

An Enigma...

The Enigma Surfaces by Jamie Beckwith, nuff said...now I need a client that loves them as much as I do.

Here is a gimps of some of my favorite patterns from the on-line catalog...

*sigh* I'm in love! You? Happy day! Mel xo

Knock Knock: 1927 stunner

Loving this home that was originally built in 1927, it is a stunner!

I wish that I had more images to share, but this was found on a real estate website and the home is sold. With a listing price of $2.3million I can see why it didn't stay on the market. If Seattle's market is anything like Vancouver's or Calgary's that is one heck of a price.

The convex treads add so much to this space, a great way to spruce up a standard shape staircase.

This is one galley kitchen I could live with!

Even the rear exterior of this home is inviting.

all images via Sotheby's

Hope your weekend was filled with laughter, I know mine was thanks to a girls night, lots of belly laughs and fun was had! Mel xo

A work in progress...

A lot of you have asked for me to share more of our new home with you, but I am not there yet. Soon my dears, it takes time and I am far too particular to just let anything slide. While cruising thought Pinterest I found this and it pretty much sums up my philosophy...

via Pinterest

So truthful, now go and purge if you need to or pick up that special item that you know would be perfect in your home. Happy weekend! Mel xo

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Sneak Peek: Laundry Room

I am almost done with this space so I thought I would share a couple of images with all of you. As I say all the time, every.single.room in your home is special and deserves to be amazing. I still have a long way to go but I am so happy with the progress so far, so without further ado, my laundry room...

I headed out to Ikea a couple of weeks ago and picked up 10 of the white Ribba frames, the perfect addition to the space. It allows me to be surrounded by my boys while I seem to do endless amounts of laundry.

And of course, my Visual Comfort touch in this room, 3 of the Simple Scallop Pendants in soft silver. I wanted something fun and whimsical and this was the perfect addition. The other circle on the ceiling is my speaker so I can have a little dance party while I am folding & ironing, love that!

So that is a space I spend a lot of time in, just a warning, I will be sharing this again once I am done DONE with it and we have it photographed. There are a few fun things I designed into the room...but you will just have to wait to see those. Mel xo

**Sharing with Just A Girl!**

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Recipe: Chicken & Shrimp Coconut Curry Soup

This is a house hold favorite here, the boys gobble it up and always ask for seconds. Now that the leafs are starting to turn this will make its way into our meal rotation a few times a month. Here is a wonderful and easy dish I am sure all will love...

1 T. canola oil

1 finely chopped white onion

2 t. red curry paste

1.5 t. curry powder

1/2 t. ground tumeric

1/2 t. coriander

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups chicken stock

1 can light coconut milk

1 lb diced raw chicken breast

400 grams rice noodles 

*I use Kame Stir-Fry Thai Rice Noodles

1/2 C. chopped green onions

2 T. white sugar

2 T. fish sauce

1 lb. shrimp, peeled

1 package spinach, chopped

3 small hot red chilies, seeded & chopped

3/4 C. fresh cilantro

lime wedges

Heat oil in large pot, add onion and saute till translucent. Mix curry paste, curry power, turmeric, coriander, & garlic and continue to saute for 1 minute. Add chicken stock, diced chicken, & noodles to the pan and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk and reduce heat, simmer till the chicken is almost done, about 15 minutes. Add in sugar, fish sauce, shrimp, spinach, and chilies. Continue to simmer until the shrimp is cooked and the spinach is wilted. Serve with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge...ENJOY! Oh and another thing, this is actually low in fat and healthy, crazy flavor for an amazing dish. Mel xo

How To: Haunted House

I posted this last year and I still get e-mails about it, so I thought it would be the perfect time do a little re-post about one of my favorite items...the haunted house I made for Halloween. Once it is up in the foyer they boys know that trick or treating is just around the corner.

Since I made this a few years ago before a blog was even a concept for me I didn't take progress images, but I will try to give you all the details so you can create your own as well. The first thing that you will need to decide on is what doll house kit to use, 

for my project I used the Arthur Dollhouse Kit. 

I had Rob cut a piece of MDF that was 4" bigger than the size of the dollhouse so I had room to decorate. Once you have that you can start off by building the house and getting it all set up. When it is dry start to get it all ready for the Halloween season by painting it. I used an orange base paint and then used diluted black paint on top to give it a 'dirty' look.

When placing the shutters around the windows put them on crooked, make it look dilapidated and worn. That is what would scare you away from a home, isn't it? For the shingled I stained them with the diluted black paint as well for a weathered look. Add a bit of moss to the corners with a glue gun and let the scary factor grow.

For the base of the house use a glue gun to place more moss around for the ground. Along with moss I added twigs to the roof and the sides of the home. A place like Michale's has some small Halloween items that are perfect for this project where they keep the Halloween villages, I managed to pick up the little trees and a few skeletons from there.

Check out THIS site for some fun Halloween items to add to the surroundings. Pumpkins, headstones, spooky skeletons. This is where you can really make it your own!

So that is the low down on the haunted house that graces our foyer every year, I hope that you take on the challenge of making one yourself. It is sure to be a crown pleasure and something children will look forward to seeing year after year.

I am thinking that I will make a new one next year, one that suits our new home better. Then again, this one is pretty awesome so I may scrap that idea! Mel xo

Equestriain magic...

One thing I love about living out of the city is the land and the horses on nearby properties that we see everyday. There is something magical about horses, even on the inside of the home...

 via Country Living

 via Garret Cord Warner

 via Tumbler

 via Restoration Hardware

 via Pinterest

via Pinterest

 via Carson Poetzl

And if you are info something a bit more 3D there is this option that leaves me speechless...

via Tumbler

OK, so the last one is clearly a joke, could you imagine?! HA! Hope the day finds you well, another busy one for me but I know it will be another great one. Mel xo

A love letter...

Dear Cameron table lamp by Visual Comfort in Quartz,

     You are OMGoodness amazeballs! BUT with a retail price of close to $3,000, yep, that is right I feel like we may never have our time together. Why are you so amazing and SO expensive? Even with my trade account you are still too far out of reach for me at this time. I can only hope that one day we will meet and we can sit by the fire together, read together, blog together, and just be together. Until then, I love you. 

(yes, that was a love letter to a lamp)

I guess I can introduce you to Cameron's siblings. While they are not as stunning as Quartz they are still nice...but come on, how could you ever love anything else after seeing the original?

 Meet Parchment...

and Crystal...

Quarts is where it is at, that is all I gotta say. Mel xo

If you are interested in any items by Visual Comfort feel free to e-mail me, I would love to help you find the perfect light for your space!

Mud Room: Take 3

I just want this room done. Every time I walk through it I stop, get frustrated, put on or take off my shoes and walk away. This needs to be a happy fun spot in the ol' hacienda since we enter & leave the home through this space. Here is where I am at now.

My totally awesome & kick ass lights from Visual Comfort finally arrived. Say hello to my 3 extra-large Hicks pendants in polished nickel. Aren't they lovely?

They are lined up perfectly with the transom windows on the doors, it might have taken a bit and my electrician might think I am crazy but it is just right.

On a side note, love the adorable small Hunters next to my big old black ones, they make me giggle every time I see them.

Now onto the wall treatment. This space is too bland, I want to funk it up (but it still has to appeal to the Hubs) so here are my options for paper that we both (somewhat) agree on.

{opt 1}

 Hexagono by Tres Tintas

A bit busy but with frames added to the walls it would get broken up.

{opt 2}

 Light & Bright by Brewers

This is the Hubs favorite, but for some reason my sample is reminding me of fall & Halloween.

{opt 3}

 Hepburn by Kuboaa

Here it is in a virtual room, this image is the main reason why you always want to order sample, it may look blue but nope, it showed up black & white.

{opt 4}

I wish. I love this one  by Jordi Labanda but it got shot down faster than I can say 'babe'...

Which choice is your fave for the room? I will be adding fun pillows to the bench seating, frames in a contrasting accent color (thinking orange or red), and of course a durable rug that I will most likely keep neutral. Would love to hear your thoughts...I really want this room done, as in done like dinner! Mel xo