Living Room Facelift

My parent's house is one of those beautiful 1930 old homes in a cute lakeside town that has a lot of character. With exposed brick walls, plaster ceilings, and original crown moulding and hard wood floors still in good condition. My favourite type of renovation is keeping the existing characters that define a home, and updating in a way that doesn't cover up the old, but rather emphasizes its perfectly imperfect qualities.

The colour of the living room was a deep red with hues of purple and maroon, making the room seem small despite the large west facing picture window that lets in lots of afternoon light. The furniture was a mix match clutter of pieces collected over the years (I think the couch dated back to the early 90's… and I also think my Dad won it in a golf tournament)! The oversized wood finish pieces took over the room, blocking any sense of flow and space.

First thing we all decided on was to paint out all the walls; everything was painted out Benjamin Moore Decorator's White, except for the wall that housed the original stone fireplace. We decided to paint that wall Benjamin Moore "cement grey" to draw the eye to the feature wall and bring out the colours of the natural stone fireplace. What a difference the paint alone made, all of a sudden the room was brighter and airy, and made the oak floors stand out so much more due to the contrast in tones that was not there before.

We replaced the couch and area rug with two great finds from Homesense, and most of the accessories were found there as well. The couch is a more modern streamline piece that contrasts with the traditional wingback chairs. Two items that I knew I wanted to keep were the two wingback chairs my parents had selected when they were newlyweds. The chairs are a beautiful design and well made pieces, however the fabric was old and fraying. I went to Designer Fabric Outlets in Parkdale and selected a few fabrics to choose from. We all decided on a light grey and white one with a slight geometric pattern, and had them reupholstered by the talented crew at Gavinchi in Toronto. They did an amazing job and the chairs looks good as new.

For a budget renovation this space has completely transformed into a bright and spacious living room that touches on all of the amazing characteristics in the history of this home. 

Another article!

My second article has been published on Home Decor Hacks for an Organized space! Be sure to check it out and other great articles on The LUXE Life!

Home Decor Hacks for an Organized Space

Where I have been...

I haven't been active on my blog again I know, but it's for good reason! I am working on a small project that will be displayed on Etsy very soon. I am very excited about it, it is just taking me longer than I originally thought to get everything looking just the way I want it to!!

Stay tuned!!!!

My first published piece!

Recently I have been approached by a good friend to write an interior design piece for her online magazine, and I have just written my first one! The website is The Luxe Life a Canadian lifestyle website that focuses on fashion, beauty, culture and living. I am very excited about this new opportunity and hope to continue with it for years to come. Here is the link for it so please take a look and enjoy! 

Small Spaces Deserve Big Decor Ideas - By Katelyn Rempel

 

The Beach Club - Cottesloe, WA

During my time in Australia I lived in Cottesloe WA for a couple of months, located just south of Perth close to Fremantle. Cottesloe has a typical small beach town feel but still is a part of Perth City so you get the best of both worlds. I fell in love with Cott the minute I arrived; the beach is one of the nicest beaches I have ever seen, and the energy was very relaxed and easy going. One of the main places to go out for a sunny afternoon drink is The Beach Club located in the Cottesloe Beach Hotel. In recent years The Beach Club has been completely renovated and revamped by the incredibly talented architecture firm Hecker Guthrie based out of Melbourne, Australia. The space is a cheerful approach to a 1950's beach inspired watering hole, with playful colours found in the tiles and furniture as well as a strong geometric presence in feature walls, fabric, tiles, and flooring.

The entire place is broken up into smaller sections that all have different seating arrangements but the theme is very cohesive throughout the entire space. There is a communal dining area with large tables at bar height, a lounge area that features wood burning fireplaces with comfortable couches and chairs, an open concept yet more intimate section with smaller tables, and a large standing room only bar section. 

The entire space is outdoors giving you that patio feel, although certain areas such as the lounge and intimate dining areas are covered with ceiling panels. It is one of those spaces where the attention to detail amazes you. The designers have not missed a beat and every single nook and cranny has something worth admiring. 

In the summer months The Beach Club hosts a yoga class once a week, as well as an outdoor cinema night on their large projection screen towards the back of the space. Anyone visiting Perth has to stop by The Beach Club for a drink and maybe even some food (the menu is outstanding as well). You can even sneak through the lobby of the hotel to the Veranda Bar to catch the sunset over the Indian Ocean, it's enough to take your breath away. 

Been around the world and back again.

I know, I know… it has been over a YEAR since I last wrote a post, and how guilty I feel. A lot has changed in a year and looking back it is amazing how quickly it has gone by. I changed jobs, changed apartments, but the biggest change of all was all of the traveling I got in. I went to Thailand and back in the early summer months of 2013 while I was in-between my two jobs, and most recently decided I needed a more drastic change in my life and made the move to Australia. Packing a backpack and making a move to the farthest place I could possibly go was both the easiest and hardest decision of my life. I have never lived farther than a 2 hour drive from my friends and family so the initial thought was very daunting.  I asked myself over and over again if this is what I really wanted and if this was the right decision for me at the time, and then finally I just stopped thinking about it and just said yes. I can with out a doubt say it was the best decision I have ever made in my entire life. I completely broke free of everything I knew and everything I was comfortable with to engage in an adventure into the unknown for the foreseeable future.

I lived out of a camper van, I drove a [manual] 4x4 on a sand island, I ate instant noodles for days on end, I lived on a boat and sailed the Whitsunday Islands, My home for two months was an 8 person dorm, I moved to an outback town and worked at the only pub in it. I met so many people that I became instantly best friends with only to say see you soon a short few days later. I fell in love with people and places and opened up to new opportunities that I never once imagined having. Some of these experiences at first were not the most appealing, but were viewed more as a necessity in order to make my travel funds stretch as far as possible. But it was these experiences that ended up being the most memorable; my 8 bed dorm roommates quickly became my family, and my outback barmaid experience turned into a crazy adventure with new close friends.

And as much as I missed my friends and family back home, I never felt incredibly homesick or felt the desire to head home, in fact I wasn't really ready to go home at all. I had built a life there in such a short amount of time that made me truly happy, one that I hope to re-visit some time very soon.

If I can give one piece of advice from my experiences this past year, its to take a chance and do something unknown. Whether its traveling to a new place, taking on a job overseas, changing careers, changing your routine, just do it if it's going to make you happy. As Tina Fey said "say yes, and you will figure out the rest later," your life starts at the end of your comfort zone, and after the truly incredible year I had, I have never heard truer words be spoken.

Live your adventure.

Exterior Beauty

Hello and Happy New Year!!

I apologize for the lack in blog posts lately, between the holidays and the start of a new year I found myself distracted but am getting back into the swing of things now!

So my first post of the new year is based on the beauty in a well designed residential exterior. Although my area of interest is primarily in the interior space of a home, I believe that curb appeal and exterior details in overall design are equally as important, after all first impressions are key!

It's no surprise that one of my favourite exterior styles is traditional; particularly old original stone houses like the ones found in the southern states.

This stone Colonial era home located in Virginia is simply stunning. I love the character that original stone gives a home, paired with wooden shutters and over-sized windows this to me is a dream come true.

Another example of a Colonial inspired stone exterior; I love the white accent and detailing that really stand out, adding a wonderful contrast to the organic stone facing. 

This home resembles a more Tudor exterior inspiration, yet still possesses the warmth of the stone in contract with wood detailing. I particularly enjoy the colour combination of this home; the texture in the shingles and cool grey tones in the window frames compliment the various colours found in the stone facing. The growing ivy along the side of the home really adds an organic sense of warmth as well.