Urban Barn's Summer 2017 Collection

Ontario’s spring weather is leaving much to be desired. We’ve had a pretty consistent drizzle of rain throughout the past week, and the only break in sight is Sunday’s morning forecast of flurries. Needless to say, the days are pretty grey and summer weather feels far away.

I recently popped into my local Urban Barn to peruse the summer collection, and despite the weather, I left feeling pretty amped about summer BBQ’s, boat trips, afternoon swims and lounging around. And even if our weekend weather isn’t consistently hitting those high temperatures, there are a few things we can do to make the indoors feel cheerful and relaxing, (with the help of a few essentials from UB’s summer collection!):

1. PILLOW REFRESH: Urban Barn’s selection of pillows has something to suit pretty much everyone’s tastes. From tropical florals, to beautiful blues, colourful geometric prints and everything in between. You can easily liven up a gloomy sofa with a few new pillows sporting a summery palette.

2. NEW ART: A new piece of artwork will easily breathe new life into a room. Urban Barn has lots to choose from, but for summer my eye is on those over-sized ocean landscapes, but also partial to those Just Docked row boats.

3. NAUTICAL NECESSITIES: It’s no secret that anything nautical will instantly make a space feel beachy. Urban Barn has TONS of options that are quirky and fun, without feeling cheesy (as nautical can easily become). Choose one or two to add to your summer space for a touch of whimsy.

4. POPS OF COLOUR: Summer is the best time of year to add colour to your space. Blues, corals and yellows are all over the summery vignettes at UB, and although we usually look to pillows to add these pops, it’s just as easy to add a new pair of brightly coloured drapes, a new table or floor lamp or a foot stool as colourful accents.

And for the record, I've managed to narrow down my shopping list to these guys featured below :)

Breaker Wall Art  |  Sammy Shark Wall Decor  |  Sammy Shark Wall Decor Large  |  Santella Toss 20x20 Turquoise Throw Pillow  |  Shane Toss 20x20 Sea Throw Pillow  |  Go Jump in the Lake  |  Ariel Mermaid Bottle Opener  |  Party Napkins Set of 8  |  Varsity Canadian Flag Toss 12x22 Throw Pillow  |  Compass Outdoor Wall Decor  |  Miami Outdoor Rug - Tile Steel
** A special thank you to Urban Barn for sponsoring this post

Inspiration: 5 Times Over-sized Art Trumped the Gallery Wall

I love a good gallery wall, but I'm thinking 2017 will be the year I begin thinking about investing in some large-scale artwork. Not necessarily anything that breaks the bank, but a piece that can help to give interest and depth to an otherwise neutral space and really make a statement. Not to knock the gallery wall, but there is a fine line between clean and cluttered, and a gallery wall can easily become the latter if not careful. With one large piece of artwork, you'll be less likely to make a design faux-pas and instead make the chicest of statements.

Although I'm usually drawn to those vintage landscapes with big (borderline gaudy) frames you find at thrift shops, I'm loving the way these abstract prints bring a little unexpected edge to an otherwise tame vignette.

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Inspiration: 5 Home Office Spaces You'll Actually Want to Spend Time In

My Christmas break is officially over. It's back to the grind (aka school) for the final semester of my three-year break from adulting and the beginning of what I hope to be a long and exciting career path in Interior Decorating and Kitchen Design!

To ease the transition of having had three glorious weeks worth of lounging around and doing nadda, into what will likely be a hit-the-ground-running type of January, I'm in need of inspiration to get my work space looking like a place I want to spend some serious hours in. I had a great setup in our last house, with a fun little live mood board, but this time around I'm hoping for something a little less fussy and time-consuming that I can easily pull together.

Storage and shelving are always a must (gotta have space for my chachkies and books), I have my rattan chair that I still love and want to keep, plus my faithful Besta Burs Ikea (best investment) and just some pretty things to stare at while I think about all the things I would rather be doing than sitting at a desk struggling to finish a project at 3:32 am.

Alright. Enough slacking, time to get to work...and by 'get to work' I really just mean stare at pretty pictures of home offices I found on the internet...

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before + after: the [almost complete] gallery wall

After an unintentionally long hiatus from my blog, I've finally buckled down and rounded up a few pictures of my (still in progress) gallery wall. Although some of the frames my still be empty, the fact that after months and months of humming and hawing I actually managed to put a nail in the wall is a major milestone for my little apartment.

Findings:
#1. Decide on a layout before you nail.
I laid all of my frames out on the carpet before hanging.
By doing this, I was able to make a few edits to the frames I had initially wanted and replaced with some older ones I dug out of my closet (and by closet, I actually mean the garbage bin in my building...who threw out those red and yellow metal frames? Crazies.)

#2. Try to use a level.
Because I'm lazy and my local Dollar Store didn't have any in stock, I skipped on the level. If you're a perfectionist, this will likely drive you crazy. Since I am not, I am OK with slightly crooked and uneven lines--adds character.

Next challenge: Finding a way to hide those pesky cables and cords.

Had to include an adorable cameo of my new pup Maggie! Check my Instagram for an obsessive amount of pictures of her.