SOMETHING BORROWED

clean, bright & airy: japanese interiors

2010-04-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

These photos, all scanned from Japanese interiors magazines, seem like such a logical progression from traditional Japanese interiors. Admittedly, all I really know about such things is that they involve tatami mats, soaker tubs and bonsai trees, but these interiors seem to embody the same minimalism. I'm feeling more and more motivated to de-clutter my apartment.

Man, I am really crushing on Japanese design lately - see this post about Tokyo storefronts.

textiles & textures

2010-04-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

Warm wood + beautiful fabrics + natural light = dream home.

This Melbourne home of two Australian architects is so minimal yet so cozy. I can't stop looking at these photos. Check out their amazing kitchen too!

enzo mari wants to choke bad designers with his bare hands.

2010-04-22T11:25:00.000-07:00

You may not recognize him, but this man is a hero. He is a designer and his name is Enzo Mari. In 1974 he published a little book called Autoprogettazione. It included plans for 19 DIY furniture projects, and the plans looked like this:

Mari may have provided the plans, but that doesn't mean he meant for them be followed strictly. Disgusted by what he calls the "alienation of industry," Mari hoped to put the power back in the hands of the consumer.
Results vary.

In a recent interview with Apartamento magazine, Mari expressed a distaste for the word "design." He prefers "project," or, in Italian, progetto.

"Projects can only be taught concretely," he told the interviewer. "It can't be done abstractly, using fragmented banal theories, but only intervening critically on a student's practice.
"Every time I asked them [students] to choose what to design, they would propose things like chairs, say, things that have already been designed thousands of times before.
"I would say all the time, 'Look out the window. If everything you see is beautiful, and right, and you approve it there's nothing left to design.
"'If there is something that makes you want to choke the designer and the commissioner with your own bare hands, something that horrifies you, that is the reason for your project.'"

In 2009, a London gallery staged a group exhibition celebrating Mari's Autoprogettazione. The plans may have been published in the early '70s, but the ideas behind them still seem current as ever.

hej, hej, hej: true scandinavian

2010-04-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

My dear friend and co-blogger Ming has been in Sweden for the past year, where she presumably spends her time eating lingonberry jam and dating boys with soft Js in their names. I hope she has also clocked a few hours in houses that look like this.

These photos are from soon-to-be-released book True Scandinavian: Contemporary Living. I love these photos because they buck the trend of overly blonde-wood, too-sleek Scandinavian interiors. These are spaces you can actually imagine living in, maybe even getting a little dirty. Not everything has been artfully slotted away into custom-made cabinets. DVD players work just as well sitting on the floor. Milk crates are excellent storage containers.

Considering that I'm about to move in with a knack for drawing flora & fauna, that last photo might not be so far off from our future apartment!

found these photos via this lovely swedish blog - thanks!

hooked on succulents

2010-04-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

A trip through the American southwest totally reshaped my ideas about natural beauty. Outside my window here in Montreal, the rain is falling and the buds are sprouting - and that's nice and all, but I'm almost too busy fetishizing desert plants to get down with spring. Is that so wrong?

photos (from the top) from here, here and here.

making peace with the hippies

2010-04-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

The photos from this 1974 book have me California dreamin'.

I grew up on the west coast, where my mom took us over to the Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and Vancouver to visit her aging hippy friends. I never identified with that aesthetic, but as I get older (and admittedly more stressed), I find myself gravitating more and more to brightly-lit, wood-panelled, house-planty spaces. I've finally realized I can love west coast interiors and wear a lot of black. Duh.
The other day someone told me they could tell I was from BC because I radiate "such a calm vibe," as if he was trying to speak to a British Columbian in language she could understand. Like, totally, man. East-coasters are nuts.

Check out more pictures from the book here.

I LOVE SCHOOL

2010-04-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

I have always found old school buildings to be incredibly beautiful. Though I did my fair share of complaining throughout my former educational years, there was always some secret thrill to the school building itself. In 'afterschool' or perhaps while involved in a school play, for example, one got to roam the empty halls and peer into unlit classrooms. There was definitely something, a feeling of exhilaration upon realizing that to be in school after school meant no more rules.

La Classe in Belgium is a hotel created out of a converted school building. There's an anatomy room, a geography room - all tastefully furnished with the proper models and diagrams. This is elementary school for grown-ups!

breakfast in denmark

2010-03-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

A beautiful morning spread in a house made entirely of pale wood. Part of this idyllic vacation with pals.

the unbearable cuteness of tokyo storefronts

2010-03-10T06:15:00.001-08:00

If these photos are anything to go by, Tokyo-ites like their shops and cafes pocket-sized and kawaii as hell (although their diminutive size might be born of necessity more than desire). These pictures were taken by this lady in the Tokyo suburbs of Koenji, Nakameguro and Shimokitazawa - all of which she describes as being packed with, variously, thrift stores, stationery shops and cozy restaurants. Now, to befriend someone who will let me crash at their place in Tokyo...

portable living

2010-01-25T09:46:00.001-08:00

I have for some time entertained the idea that I one day will succeed in whittling my belongings down to the point that they can contained in a single trunk. This trunk,no doubt, would have to be very well partitioned and organized. Even better, it could become not only the receptacle of my beloved objects, but an instant home wherever and whenever I chose to open it. This vision has been somewhat fulfill given that the things I prize above all are my books. In theory this trunk would have to be quite cavernous.
Here are some sources of inspiration, which might - with some adjustments - be just the thing I'm looking for:

The ultimate en-LIGHT-enment.

the best kind of clutter

2009-12-08T07:21:00.001-08:00

Culture Overflowing, originally uploaded by David Serra.
I get good vibes from houses full of books.

nothing to do but thrift

2009-12-07T07:42:00.001-08:00

Oh, to have a life of meticulous thrift shopping and creative home renovation. This blog documents the home improvement project of a couple living in what I suspect might be a small town in California. They've got a great eye for deals and really seem to have put together an amazing home relatively cheaply.

Feeling inspired by their penchant for kitsch portraits and dedication to mid-century furniture. It makes me want to put my free time to good use and get back into the habit of scouring the local Salvation Army...

chair customization

2009-12-02T08:02:00.000-08:00

Just the logical next step for this chair, which must have seemed so modern at its conception.
I wish I could claim to have done this myself, but no, I found it on the internet. Let this be your inspiration to start customizing all your chairs!

clever topiaries

2009-12-02T08:00:00.001-08:00

To add onto Ming's post about shrubbery in Lund, Sweden: photographer Brad Moore captures bushes and humans, living in slightly desperate harmony.

fuck christmas trees

2009-10-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

...and not just because it's not even Halloween yet. I've got no space and too many magazines, so this seems like a more practical solution for my personal life concept.

image from here

i need a vacation

2009-10-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

vacation homes for all seasons.
from this flickr

paper flowers

2009-10-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

I am very impressed with this paper chandelier, made out of paper and straws by a crafty blogger.
My mother grew up in a small town that celebrates every May 1st with a May Day parade, one that always included a fleet of tiny cyclists. My grandpa taught us how to make paper roses from tissue paper, which we would then wrap around the handlebars of our bicycles with sparkly pipe cleaners.
The creator of the chandelier above was inspired by the one below. If I had any free time I would DIY that shit so hard.

photo from wren handmade

getting rid of shit 101

2009-09-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

When graphic designer Megan Deal decided to move to Alabama, she also decided it was a hassle to move with more than one bag. So logically, she decided to sell everything she owned.
Looks like we missed the boat on buying her "assorted rectangle felt pieces." Ha!

clutter in gouache

2009-09-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Speaking of the constant battle against messy desks: the amazing Charlie Roberts renders desktops, inspiration boards and everything crowding around them in beautifully detailed gouache paint.
Oh yeah, that's why I was keeping those piles of paper around - because they look kind of great.

the new antiquarians

2009-09-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

New York Times article "The New Antiquarians" documents the ol' fashioned tastes of a handful of young Brooklyn-dwellers and their "extremely previous lifestyles." Apparently some young people are fascinated by old shit, especially taxidermy. Who knew?

“It’s way more than anti-modernism, this sort of deep spelunking into the past,” said Valerie Steele, director of the Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology. “It’s not aspirational and it’s not nostalgic. It’s a fantasy world that is almost entirely a visual collage. It’s a stitched-together, bricolage world, an alternative world."

She goes on to add that "it's too bad" the antique fascination will inevitably be commodified by marketers. Honey, it's too late.

But as it's just the nature of newspapers to be late-to-the-party about these things, let's just concentrate on the enviable interiors.Note the swans in flight.Ricocheting between loving curio cabinets and having anxiety attacks about having too much useless shitIS THAT A STUFFED DOG?

see the whole photo series on the n.y. times website

COOL

2009-09-14T10:20:00.001-07:00

Let your guests know that Goosebumps is in the house.

no place like it

2009-09-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

print by jen collins

cana-duh

2009-09-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

All good Canadians should own a Hudson's Bay blanket.All good Ontarians should own an Ontario Hydro emergency blanket.And maybe all of us want to live in this cabin.

tasty typewriter

2009-09-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

Vancouver store The Regional Assembly of Text is a special little place that sells beautiful handprinted stationery, buttons and the like. They also possess enviable collections of both typewriters and metal filing cabinets.
photos by heidi zutter
The store recently celebrated its fourth anniversary.I like the store and think the owners are living the dream and everything, but the real reason I mention it is because I'm really impressed by the cake they got to celebrate it.

creative workspace

2009-09-03T16:45:00.001-07:00

You know the drill: it's 2am. You have a ginormous project you still haven't started. The deadline is 9am. You've been procrastinating by eating for the past four hours and are now too full to continue. You must find another way to not work.
So, naturally, you decide to reorganise your desk.the desk of illustrator victor kerlow

When I'm really under the gun, I inevitably choose my precious, highly limited time to render my surroundings more pleasing. I thought studying at the library would put a stop to it but, before I knew it, I was stacking and restacking my books and lining up my pens instead of writing a paper.the desk of photographer dan winters

Aside from finally pulling up my socks and acquiring some fucking work ethic, I see no solution to this aside from making sure my workspace is already so beautiful, it will stimulate rather than distract.the sewing table of australian costume designer tina kalivas, via the selby

Good luck, my partners in procrastination. May this new scholastic year usher in a renewed desire to pull oneself up by one's proverbial bootstraps.

talar du svenska?

2009-08-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Speaking of swedes, look at this:
Enjoy it while you can because the Swedish summer is only a month of real beach warm weather. But oh, they make it well worth it as witnessed here in the beautiful shrubbery of Lund, Sweden!

rainy summer

2009-08-26T09:06:00.001-07:00

It was a rainy, draining Montreal summer. For those who the rain just can't get down, there are these supercute wall stickers from Swedish company Studio Violet. But seriously, who would spend money on something so easy to DIY?

icelandic turf houses

2009-07-14T11:31:00.001-07:00

I recently received a postcard from a friend who had just got back from Iceland, a mysterious place where the locals dine on putrefied shark and more than half the population believes in elves. But enough of that ol' chestnut - I'm more interested in these turf houses.Turf houses are naturally well-insulated and the roofs provide natural drainage. Some were even built using whalebones as internal beams when wood was in short supply. All this hullaballoo about green roofs in Montreal and other North American cities when, really, the technique was perfected about a zillion years ago by people with last names too long to fit on caller ID. Typical.

terrarium hilarium

2009-06-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

If a garden is a domesticated forest, then a terrarium certainly keeps nature on a short leash. Beloved by interior decorators of both the Victorian era and the 1970s, I think it's time terrariums made a comeback.Terrariums are apparently way low maintenance because the glass container will capture moisture and keep everything happy and humid. The lowest maintenance of all, however, comes from a terrarium that doesn't even have plants in it.Currently reading this terrarium tutorial and nodding to myself. Yes, okay, I could do that/will do that/am doing that.

one man's ceiling is another man's floor

2009-06-05T06:35:00.000-07:00

City living according to Los Angeles artist Ana Serrano.

picture this

2009-05-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

If my life were a comic strip, I would live in the textured, whimsical world of Finnish artist Jaakko Pallasvuo. Even if this will never be a reality, the least I can do is hang a printout of his work on my wall.

cabinets of curiosity

2009-05-29T08:17:00.001-07:00

The way someone fills their house with things can tell you a lot about a person, that's what this blog is all about. 17th century Swedishman, Ole Worm, was working with the same mentality when he decided to dedicate a whole room of his home to display his vast collection. Ranging from naturalia like antlers and tortoise shells to artificialia (man made items), Worm demonstrated to his visitors his knowledge of the world and the ways in which humans and nature are intertwined. Whether or not this is conveyed, does this not look fantastic? Who doesn't wish they had room soley for the purpose of display...

maira kalman: my decorator of choice

2009-05-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

New York illustrator Maira Kalman paints rooms that seem to be everything I want in a home: sunny, jumbly and way, way, way aesthetically pleasing. If her book The Principles of Uncertainty and her illustrated edition of The Elements of Style are any indication, Kalman's world is a beautiful one. I want to find a way to wrangle myself an invitation to her home for tea and cake.

jungle dwellings

2009-05-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

1 BR - BEAUTIFUL LOFT-STYLE APARTMENT! (south of the equator)
Reply to:hous-atdnt-1175635192@craigslist.org
Date: 2009-05-19, 3:13PM EDT

Tired of ubiquitous hallway apartments and low-ceilinged flophouses? Then look no further than this charming loft, conveniently located next to the biggest river this side of the Mississippi! Open concept. Perfect for singles, close couples, or your entire extended family. Fridge, stove, plumbing and comfort not included. Vertigo optional. Roof access.

space colonies

2009-05-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

Even NASA was young and idealistic once, and the late '70s must have been a particularly heady time. One day, presumably after the sparking of multiple bowls, the organisation's head rocket scientists agreed to fund physicist Gerard O'Neill. And what did O'Neill do with that money? Why, he designed space colonies, of course! Far-fucking-out.
WIRED says NASA described these idyllic galactic suburbs as "wonderful places to live; about the size of a California beach town and endowed with weightless recreation, fantastic views, freedom, elbow-room in spades and great wealth."(photos from NASA)

Life in space would also involve "outdoor" buffets, if the illustration above is anything to go by.
Incidentally, I went to see the Star Trek movie last night. O'Neill, imagineer of all this glorious futurism, reminds me of a certain someone.

tibetan catholic churches

2009-05-08T06:37:00.001-07:00

a temporary church set-up in baihanluo

In the Footsteps of Joseph Rock follows an Australian journalist's journey through Tibet. Not to get too liberal-arts-student about things, but these images of Tibetan Catholic churches really are a reminder that, for all the news stories I've read about Tibet, I really know shit all about it.
That, and I have a sudden urge to build a shrine.

midnight mass at baihanluo church

(photos from jiulong's flickr)

gutter gardens

2009-04-30T09:26:00.001-07:00

A refugee of suburbia, I must admit I spent my childhood dreaming of apartment life. Now that it's become a reality, I can't stop thinking about backyards. The grass is always greener (than the fenced-off asphalt in front of your triplex that your landlord tries to pass off as a garden).
But maybe I should take a cue from this:
Summer project: cultivate a gutter garden.

goal: own a large desk.

2009-04-09T15:02:00.001-07:00

I, along with legions of other semi-nomadic Montrealers, know that the dawn of warm weather means one thing: time to look for a new apartment.
Although I'm not sure what I want exactly (considering how subject I am to budget), I do know I want big things. Namely windows and a desk.
One small section of this would be ideal. Because I'm a business woman now.
(photo from office snapshots)

the russian presidential jet

2009-04-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

Can't decide: DO I LOVE IT OR AM I DISGUSTED BY IT?
There is no middle ground for this jet, decorated according to the taste of former Russian president Boris Yeltsin. What a man of the people.
A boardroom for high-flyin' politicos
For getting Russian about things (read: drinking)
I didn't know it was possible to shower on a plane.
Presumably never used - who would ever want to leave this Palace of the Skies?
Presidential bidet
(photos from english russia)

how to make a clementine candle

2009-03-26T13:06:00.001-07:00

My friends and I are big fans of clementines, but we're also big fans of their boxes. The fact that such delicious fruit comes with a nice wooden box as a free gift - it's the greatest! But I have to say, I ain't never seen such an intriguing use of the clementines themselves. Check out this candle!It's not even a waste of a clementine - all you use is the peel.
How to do it:

Using surgical precision, slice the peel all the way around the fattest part so it's cut in two equal halves. Remove the innards (and eat them).

Cut out a little star on the top half. If you're going to unveil the candle during a romantic dinner, cut out a heart. Nothing says love like burning citrus.

There should be a little bit of pith (that white, less yummy part) sticking out of at least one of the sides. This will be your "wick."
Carefully fill that side with vegetable oil.
Time to light that motherf***er! This may not be as easy as it sounds.Watch Apartment Therapy's how-to slideshow for more precise instructions. Apparently this is a European thing. Finally, a more dignified end for peels than the compost bin!

fabric walls

2009-03-23T08:43:00.001-07:00

I have fantasies about wallpaper. One day, when I'm certain my lease will be for more than a year, and when I find a landlord who sees eye to eye with my beautiful design visions, I am going to wallpaper the heck out of my home. Floral print, peacock feather print, bright colours everywhere. Until then, however, I'm forced to get a bit creative. And I'm willing to bet you are too.

For months, I've been trying to figure out how to fill up the blank white wall which runs alongside my bed. At the head on the wall I've got a cluster of art, at the base I've got a collection of found photographs from a road trip from Toronto to Vancouver in 1970 (Cha-ching! Best find ever), but the middle has always looked frustratingly bare. I played around with different things and eventually decided: I am going to fake wallpaper until I can have the real thing. I dug up a beautiful old floral sheet I'd bought for a couple bucks at Value Village because I liked the pattern, tacked it up, and in a matter of minutes: voila! Full wall, cozy room, wallpaper at a glance:

You can find lots of pretty vintage fabric on the cheap at any Value Village, Salvation Army, or church bazaar. I found a stack of beautiful ones at the weekly bazaar held at Mont Royal and St Hubert every Thursday for pretty cheap--go grab em!

Sheets work wonderfully if you want a bigger space covered, but smaller sections of fabric can be gorgeous as art on your wall, framed or unframed.

dresses as decoration

2009-03-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

I have a dress problem. Floral dresses, 90s dresses, fancy dresses, country dresses, day dresses. I want 'em all. It's too hard to turn down a beautiful vintage find when you know it's yours now or never. But, quantity is eating away at the quality of my display and care for these dresses. The most beautiful fifties numbers are stashed in the back of my closet, white lace sharing a hanger with three cardigans. So, I resolve: no more! Now these dresses will get the tender love, care, and time in the spotlight they deserve. I love the idea of displaying beautiful pieces as artwork. They fill up a wall, provide a bit of colour and texture, and remind their owner that they're there ready and waiting for a night on the town!

I like they way they've done it here, from My Little Apartment:

And here, from Aesthetically Pleasing

Perfect for us young ones with little money for big, bright artworks and an appetite for impractical vintage!

bringing nature inside

2009-03-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

There's something so sad about cities. Don't get me wrong, I'm a rapturous urbanite, but humour me for a second and look out the window. Look at the people across the street from you cooking dinner. Watch the neglectful dog owner look around furtively before leaving his pet's shit on the sidewalk.
NOW IMAGINE SEEING THIS INSTEAD:
Okay, so we can't exactly turn back the clock. But for all of us torn between loving our apartments and romanticising our past lives as hunter-gatherers, the least we can do is bring a little of the natural world into our homes.
It's way easy to maintain an herb garden - find a sunny windowsill and remember to water them. I also love these adorable thimblefulls of green.And hey, it's spring! Get thee to the corner store and pick up some daffodils!
(both photos from design sponge)

I may be a nature lover, but I'm also a devotee of what I'll call the Nature Colonialist school of decor. I've already posted about my love of taxidermy.
Artist Meryl Smith has an amazing collection of framed butterflies, seahorses and the like. I say, the more your apartment resembles a biology classroom, the better.
(photos from the selby)

Basically, I'm trying to get over my Guilt of Being Human so I can get busy embracing gardens, butterfly collecting, and other ways of taming the natural world.

BECAUSE I'M HUMAN, GOSHDARNIT, AND I CARE ABOUT AESTHETICS.

Recycle, everybody!

inside the white house: now and then

2009-03-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

La Maison Blanche now:photo from the new york times

...and the WH dining room circa 1970, when it was inhabited by the Nixon family:photo from domino's daily dose

Boy, did Tricky Dick have great taste in wallpaper!

human nests

2009-03-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

Spring is coming, and this time it's for real - I can feel it! Disregard my previous post and think about buildin' yerself a nest.

American artist Patrick Dougherty is way ahead of you. He weaves amazing nest-like installations - so the words "human nest" needn't conjure up Anne Geddes nightmares!

Now, to find a way to construct one on my balcony...

virtual tour of my apartment

2009-03-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

All this talk about other spaces in other places - time for a look at the clutter in my life. I live on the third floor, in a 3 1/2 close to Jean Talon Market. This video doesn't give a very comprehensive look at the actual layout of my home, but I do have some objects of interest.
Starring: The Headless Taxidermied Owl!

(soundtrack: "Neat Little Domestic Life" and "My Favorite Boxer" by Of Montreal)

arctic interiors

2009-03-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Montreal spring is an enigmatic lady. One day, she comes on all friendly; the next, she's nowhere to be seen. I hate to say it, but maybe we should just accept the next month and a half of winter and drape our rooms with pelts like the snowbunnies we have no choice but to be.

(photos from a 1971 National Geographic story - "I Live with the Eskimo")

taking houseboats to the next level

2009-03-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

City livin' got you down? I feel you. Luckily, we're not alone - rafts and houseboats of all stripes are making a comeback in a big way amongst the the artist types of America!

The Miss Rockaway Armada is a group of American artists who united last year with a common goal: to construct a flotilla of magical rafts and float them down the Mississippi River.The rafts were entirely constructed with recycled materials and powered by french fry grease. Talk about summertime heaven. Nothing short of inspiring. Check out their photos for views of the rafts' interiors if you can stand the envy.

The Swimming Cities of the Switchback Sea ride the currents of the Hudson River, but a bevy of performances along the way.I almost can't stand looking at these photos, they're so summery and idyllic. Enough of this March business! Give me July!

picture frame medicine cabinet

2009-03-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

I am really digging this beautiful homemade powder room storage! This would be especially perfect if you, like certain boys I could name, use only the finest and most well-packaged of bath products.
If you're like me, however, and usually opt for the cheapest drugstore options, this could be a beautiful shrine for reading material.
Grab yourself a big ol' frame at your local thrift store (or back alley, for that matter) and check out the way easy instructions for this project on the Country Living website.

dead animals as decor

2009-03-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, animal lovers, listen up! I have something to say, and I am not ashamed:

I AM A VEGETARIAN AND I AM IN LOVE WITH TAXIDERMY.

I used to think stuffed animals were a little scary.

Then, in the summer of 2007, I came across something wonderful on the street: a taxidermied owl.
The owl's neck was broken, its head held on by a mere artificial tendon, but my accomplice and I scooped it up and gave it a home. Dearest accomplice later cut off its head, and now it's a headless owl, but anyways. Consider me converted!

That's why I just about hyperventilated when I saw Philadelphia artist Adam Wallacavage's house on The Selby. Wallacavage has an OUTSTANDING collection of animal paraphernalia, and they are all wearing jewelry.

This kitchen is the stuff of FANTASIES.

Not to mention his octopus chandeliers, which, despite not being made from corpses, I will find a way to accept as beautiful:

I want more taxidermy so badly! (I'm also in the market for a big framed spider.) But until I get lucky again and find some more feathered friends roadside, I will satisfy myself by visiting this amazing barber near Cremazie metro station here in Montreal. The guy has filled his window with animals that, for some reason or another, people keep giving to him (and not me):

Look how faded that raccoon is! I would take much better care of it, like Adam Wallacavage does:

telescoping a studio apartment 101

2009-03-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

My last apartment was a 1 1/2 (that's a studio, to those not from Montreal) in Square St Louis, a ritzy little corner of the lower Plateau. Yes, I was living right on the edge of a park ringed by beautifully bourgeois old townhouses. Yes, I was paying low rent. No, I did not have more than one sink, or anything in my "kitchen" besides a two-burner electric hotplate and a toaster oven.
Living in a tiny space can be tough, but it also forces you to be neat. Everything in my apartment was inside/over/under one another - and I have a lot of stuff. While I chose to subject myself to studio living, I can only imagine how many people subsist in smaller places than mine in much less affordable cities.
As such, I really dig what Chicago photographer Joseph Desler Costa has done with his wee garret.

The bed is hidden around the corner from the main living area.

The all-white paint job works wonders here - dark paint looks great, but it makes every room feel wayyyy smaller. You know this place must have looked TINY before he got at it with the paint and his clever organisation! This has me jonesing for white floorboards. Time to find myself a permissive landlord.
Check out more photos from Costa's fabulous shoebox on ReadyMade Magazine's site.

fallout shelters - for the girl that fears everything

2009-03-01T14:04:00.000-08:00

I recently read a great feature in the January issue of The Believer about fallout shelters, those "nuke-proof" underground hideouts most commonly associated with hyper-vigilant suburban families and Cold War paranoia. But no. More people in the U.S. of A. have fallout shelters now than ever before. Jesus.

But if you're gonna do it - do it right, the classic way.
Especially when this 1961 issue of Life makes it look so darned easy!

How about this nifty bunker in an underground steel pipe?

Barring that, just construct one in your basement!

Bunkers make swell hangouts for teens!

above pictures from the duck and cover! flickr set

The key to beautiful bunkers is to work WITH the natural starkness of the ambiance, not against it. There's so much to love about plywood and cinderblock.

Just remember to pack a shotgun - you'll need it to ward off your mutated neighbours - and eat your canned greens! Stay safe, citizens, and I'll see you in the next life!

dreamy bedrooms

2009-02-18T08:05:00.000-08:00

As my roommates and I get ready to pack up and start the apartment hunt all over again (the first showing of our little one is tomorrow afternoon), I'm starting to think about what's really important to me in choosing a new space. Ultimately, I want a place with lots of natural light, high-ish ceilings, and a big ass bedroom. I have visions of all white bedding, a flood of sunlight, and enough space for my record player and records to not have to push them out of the way whenever I want to get into my closet like I do now.

Here's my bedroom now:

Here's what's inspiring me. Thrifted treasures in pale colours, twinkle lights, minimal clutter (that's gonna take some work) and wood grain. Totally doable, totally beautiful:

photos from please sir

And my absolute favourite, Theodora Allen's photo of Tennessee Thomas. Dreamy white curtains and bedding, lots of sunlight, books--I want it!

chat-eau!!!

2009-02-16T16:32:00.000-08:00

If you lack the funds to re-vamp your own humble abode, why not at least make your cats happy? Set them with a nice set of hardwood chairs and table and top it off with a sleek aluminum kettle from Finnland!

kioskkiosk.com

just like a mini mall

2009-02-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

You may think you like your flea markets rustic, cluttered, and bursting with unsung treasures.
But you were wrong.
What you really want is this:

thrifty decor: it's all in the family

2009-02-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

To add on to Arden's post about paper decorations, I'm offering up some treats from the family archives.
The year: sometime in the mid-60's. The place: my grandparents' rec room in their house on Vancouver Island, BC.

My grandma, the irrepressible Louise, is standing in front of a collaborative collage undertaken by a troop of their friends the night before, smirking in the light of the morning after. Her and Grandaddy Dennis certainly knew how to party!

My dad says my grandma is the Queen of Thrift, a resourceful lady who filled the house with amazing bargains and steals. Her and my grandfather were children of the Depression, and it showed; repair trumped disposal every time, with the same couches and chairs getting recovered, reupholstered, re-everything whenever they got too shabby.

That, and they had the most amazing collection of Danish Modern furniture - a special obsession of mine.

Not to go all "recessionista" on you, but take a lesson from Dennis and Louise and seriously consider fixing that broken chair instead of kicking it to the curb. But if you really don't feel like repairing it - let us know where you're leaving it!

handmade decorations

2009-02-14T08:59:00.001-08:00

photo from aesthetically pleasing

In the spirit of celebration, this post is dedicated to pretty handmade decorations.

If you're hosting a party (maybe even one tonight for Valentine's day!), hanging paper cranes, pennants, hearts, or chains looks lovely and really warms up a space without much hard work at all. Dig back to your kindergarten crafting and try to reassemble some paper chains or snowflakes, but skip out on the messily crayon-coloured paper and replace it with some inexpensive coloured construction paper. Surprisingly, chains and decorations made with just plain white printer, graph, and lined paper look beautiful too.

I love this idea of hanging paper cranes from brightly coloured clothes hangers. A simple but gorgeous D.I.Y.:

photo from My Little Apartment

These pennants are lovely too, looks like they've used origami paper:

photo from Please Sir

Paper decorations can make for lovely place settings too, if you're hosting a sit-down dinner party. Here's what we made for New Year's Eve out of printer paper and construction paper scraps, pretty nifty, I'd say:

Happy Valentine's Day!

D.I.Y. pantry

2009-02-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

I love food, especially when it comes in beautiful packaging. So do Ming and her friends, so much that they started up Le Fancy to show off all the lovely things they get to eat. Looking at that pretty blog, it comes as no surprise that here in Montreal, Ming and her room mates would want to showcase these kinds of items in their kitchen.

Using scrap pieces of wood and inexpensive brackets, the kids at the St Denis house built their own do-it-yourself pantry to maximize limited cupboard space and showcase their tasty delights.

Staggering the shelves fills up what would've been an empty wall to make it look warm, inviting, and hecka tasty too. The section of the wall they've painted with chalkboard paint is a nice touch.

I also like My Little Apartment's take on the D.I.Y. pantry: a freestanding version with scrap wood, found cinderblocks, and a cute patterned curtain to cover it up, filling an unused nook of the kitchen.

on hospitality

2009-02-12T14:33:00.000-08:00

“Whether you live in a basement with the income of a ten-year-old girl or on a saffron farm in the south of Spain, the spirit of hospitality is the same.”
- Amy Sedaris

notes of wisdom from my girl Amy from her book, I LIKE YOU on hospitality under the influence and other necessary information too. Her she is in her awe-inspiring abode.

frame clusters

2009-02-12T14:03:00.001-08:00

I've started to work on a frame cluster wall in the living room of my teeny Plateau apartment. So far it's a little patchy and awkward, but one thrift store trip at a time I'm building up a real stunner.

Here's what I've got so far:

Here's what I'm dreaming of:

photos by todd selby

I'll keep you posted.

book storage

2009-02-12T13:33:00.001-08:00

Because books make rooms beautiful.

photo by todd selby

photo by arden wray

Speaking of temporary living conditions: the owner of the legendary Paris bookstore Shakespeare and Company (above) will apparently let a handful of people at a time live in the store for a few days. All one has to do is present him with a short autobiography so he can, presumably, decide if you're worthy. I don't think I could sleep, surrounded by such literary majesty.

welcome home.

2009-02-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

Because the words "student apartment" shouldn't be synonymous with old pizza boxes,

because what we lack in funds we make up for in enthusiasm,

because good interior design should make it hard to leave,

we bring you SOMETHING BORROWED: a celebration of creative apartments.
Here in Montreal, where the rent is (relatively) cheap and students abound, apartment hunting feels like a treasure hunt.
We're always looking for that ideal apartment, that fantasy space where the cheapest of rent and the brightest of natural light and the warmest of radiators come together in a vortex of comfort and convenience.
We may not have found it yet, but we know it's out there.

In other words, we move around a lot.

Lazy student rationale dictates that this nomadic life put a damper on decor.
BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY.
Watch this space for inspirational (and aspirational) decor from leased space in Montreal and beyond.

SOMETHING BORROWED: your internet home about homes.

photo by arden wray