Week 4 - One Room Challenge - Metrie Pick Up!

(need to play catch-up?)
WEEK 1 // WEEK 2 // WEEK 3

past one room challenge reveals

SPRING 2016 // FALL 2016

Welcome to week 4 of the One Room Challenge! A biannual blogging event hosted by the lovely Linda of Calling it Home. She has challenged 20 designers and 200+ guest participants (bloggers, designers, design-lovers, etc) to redecorate one room (or more if they're feeling ambitious) in six short and sweet weeks. AND it has been announced that the deadline has been extended by one week due to the outrageous number of natural disasters our pals in the States have had to endure.

Week 4 was a big week for us. The wonderful people at Metrie are huge supporters of bloggers and the One Room Challenge, and they have partnered with me (and my dad!) on this challenge. We took a little trek down to their office / warehouse in Milton, Ontario to pick up a few key pieces for our project (also snagged that pretty little buffet I posted about last week!)  

I'm not exactly sure when or how I first learned about Metrie, from a kid my mom and dad were always huge DIY-ers and constantly fixing up our 'builder-grade' homes, and transforming them into spaces that felt custom and very personalized. My dad completely changed our housing standards when he started tinkering with wainscoting and learned how to cut a miter joint. Three houses later, and a whooole lot of sawdust, we've all become a bit obsessed with how we can use zush a space up with a little bit of trim. Here's our last house, where my dad worked some magic (you can also see our Billy Bookcases that we turned into built-ins)

Three years ago, when I returned to school for Interior Decorating at Georgian College, Metrie was part of our school's Decorating and Design Expo, with probably the biggest booth at the expo and a series of presentations. Throughout my three years at Georgian, Metrie representatives had visited our classroom with presentations and tons of product knowledge, assisting with project-based questions and recommendations.

Beginning in 1926 as a small family-owned business, Metrie has grown to become the largest supplier and manufacturer of solid wood and composite mouldings in North America (to be honest, I don't even know any other moulding brands...). And you would not believe the amount of product we saw in their Milton warehouse on Monday. It was PACKED. 

In week two I shared a little picture that outlined where I was planning to put my moulding, and now that we have officially started to hang the product, I feel comfortable sharing our plan, since I don't think it will change too much:

The room has an angled ceiling, which makes it look smaller than it actually is. The plan is to cover the ceiling and those awkward angles in 11-1/2" MDF Shiplap. I think this will help to make the ceiling feel taller, because we will be differentiating it from the walls. Does that make sense? Hope so. 

The walls will have 6" MDF Stile/Rails spaced evenly around the room (we're aiming for 6"), and then the True Craft 1 5/8" Fingerjoint Poplar Applied Mouldings will be placed on either side of the rails. The Rails and Applied Mouldings can be found on Metrie's website, under Wainscot Mouldings. I wanted to create a look that complimented my bedroom from last year's challenge since they are fairly close to each other, but I didn't want to make it a carbon copy. The wider panels and applied mouldings will hopefully give it an slightly more unique board and batten look.

We've started laying out the placement of the panels and it is looking better than I had imagined. I'm happy I went with the very linear pieces, as it will keep the space feeling more casual and slightly rustic, which lends nicely to the modern-farmhouse feel I had aimed for last season. 

SO excited for this weekend to hit, and for this room to take shape!

PS. Ditched that DIY light sconce idea, since it was looking like trash. Instead I made an impulse purchase at homedepot.ca on two of these little babies. Much better... 

And while we're on the topic of makeovers, this little lady came home unrecognizable :)
There's something about this new hair that makes her look 10 years older....

get the look: mod bedroom

You know those interior design magazines with high/low style stories? Well, my classmates and I were recently tasked with choosing an interior and sourcing high and low price options for some of its main pieces. Not as easy as I had initially expected but managed to find some reasonably similar solutions for both the high and low shopper. 

CHEAP + CHIC 

Manor Capiz Seashell Chandelier by Kouboo | Magical Thinking Mariposa Butterfly Sham Set from Urban Outfitter | Saarinen Tulip Side Chair by Rove Concepts | LEIRVIK Bed frame from Ikea 

SPLURGE WORTHY

Tulip Armless Chair EERO SAARINEN 1957 from Knoll | 19th c. Quaterfoil Iron Bed from Restoration Hardware | Kyoto Pillow Covers from Serena and Lily | Cyan Design Bella Vetro Chandelier from Wayfair 

mod bedroom image via Style at Home

e-design: decorating with special pieces

What would our homes be if it weren’t for those pieces that trigger special memories? From small mementos or souvenirs from a fabulous trip, the first piece of ‘grownup’ artwork you purchased, a gift from someone special, or an heirloom passed down throughout your family. Filling your home with special pieces adds personality and creates a sense of comfort and coziness you can’t replicate with showroom pieces or Homesense finds.

Last semester our class got the chance to work with a client who was interested in renovating her kitchen. The house itself was nearly 15 years old and still had many of the original fixtures and finishes. While meeting with her to discuss her wish list, the topic of her kitchen table came into the conversation—did she want to keep it or replace with something new? A simple enough question, however her tearful reaction told us this piece was special. It had belonged to her mother, who had recently passed and although she liked the table, it was old and had a watermark on the top.

Anything that holds a special memory or has a story behind it is worth incorporating into your home’s décor—even if it requires a quick touch-up or refinishing. For our client’s table, I included the current table in my proposal. I proposed painting it a matte white, adding a set of four upholstered chairs and updating the light fixture with something a little more glamourous, transforming her breakfast nook into something that felt more luxurious and special. 

Her mother's table wasn't a family heirloom, but it was definitely a piece that triggered strong memories and feelings. Below is the before shot of her mother's table, a popular style that can be found in many kitchens. Spraying the table and incorporating it in her new kitchen allows her to hang on to the table for as long as she needs to. Down the road she may decide to replace it, but until then, she can enjoy her morning coffee sitting at the same table her mom had enjoyed. 

jacqueline chandelier | winston tufted dining chairs 

e-design: rustic dining room décor

Oozing with rustic charm, this combo of ladder back farmhouse chairs, wicker accent chairs and a weathered dining table take country-kitchen to the next level. Add a statement chandelier that will be stunning and feel luxurious when dimmed for an ambient dinner or mid-day coffee with friends.

set of 4 ladder back chairs | set of 2 wicker arm chairs | extendable dining table | paneled mirror  | shed antler chandelier

e-design: calm and casual living room

Want a luxurious living room that allows you to feel calm, cool and relaxed? Surround yourself with breezy blue hues, ultra-soft textures and natural elements. This combination of finishes will create a serene environment that will make it easy to curl up on the couch and forget your day. 

The addition of furniture in grey, whites and wood allow accessories to be changed out to reflect the seasons. The addition of plants and greenery purify the air and help to reduce stress—adding to the peaceful, serene and relaxing sense within the space. Add a white mohair blanket to the above, and you'll be snoozing on the couch in no time. 

Coffee Table | End Tables | Sofa | Wood Grain Pillow | Geometric Pillow | Table Lamp | Prints 

back to school desk refresh

After such a busy summer it feels good to finally have some free time to putter around the basement and get my space ready for school. I spent a massive chunk of time commuting to downtown Toronto on the GO Train, but it forced me to slow down and think about what is important to me, why I am back in school and what I want my career to look like. With the help of two amazing podcasts (After the Jump and The Lively Show) I’ve settled on a list of goals that I would like to achieve. Some are short-term goals that I can chip away at over the next few months, and some are more long-term that involve a little more time and patience to achieve.

One short-term goal was to get my desk in shape and “blog-worthy” for the first day of school. Not only is it finished, but I managed to make a gif—something else I’ve wanted to take a stab at. It definitely isn’t perfect, but it is close enough and was surprisingly easy to create (this blog explains it all)

* * *

Last year I had a less then great experience with Rust-Oleum’s Chalkboard Paint and Magnetic Primer (purchased from Home Depot for $10 - $20 each). After four coats of Magnetic Primer, it still didn’t hold much more than a sheet of paper. The Chalkboard Paint was fine, but even after washing with water, there was always a cloudy film left on the wall. This year I decided to create a “Living Mood Board” by nailing an assortment of bulldog clips and magnets onto the wall. This way I can pin an assortment of fabric samples, paint chips, floor plans and more onto the space without requiring of a million magnets. A few favourite images and postcards are still hung using magnets, but the clips do a much better job at keeping things in place.

The rest of the space still needs some work, but am hoping to save those projects for the One Room Challenge, a bi-annual linking event hosted by Calling It Home (you can read all about it here)…another goal to hopefully cross off the list! For now, I feel ready for the new semester and putting this space to good use.

dining room mood board

It’s hard to believe my first semester at Georgian is three days away from being finished. Despite what feels like a mountain of homework and projects left to be completed, it feels so good to be in the home stretch!

One of my final projects involves the above dining room collage. It’s a little rough around the edges and needs to be touched up in PhotoShop, but it is turning out to be one of my favourites and thought I would use it to whip up a blog post to kick start the last week of class.

Looking forward to Christmas break and catching up on some other projects I’ve been meaning to complete, such as: my new black bedroom, the basement homework station I created, some holiday house tours I participated in, and some Re-Store finds : )

Tilda 5 Light Wood Iron Chandelier | Ameile Dining Table | Trophy Vase | Vintage Aivary Artwork I | Vintage Aivary Artwork II | Baxton Studio Halifax Arm Chair 

bedroom mood board + school update

This fall I began a new chapter in my life. I quit a job (that I loved and had been quite comfortable in) and went back to school to pursue Interior Decorating. It was definitely a risk and scared the bejesus out of me, but now that I’ve crossed the halfway point of the first semester, I’m happily settling into a schedule that involves juggling homework assignments, a minimum-wage job and living with my parents (none of which is actually as bad as it sounds). 

The biggest shock of being back at school was realizing the age gap between me and some of my peers—who knew I’d be 10+ years senior to my classmates!? I wasn’t expecting that, and even more surprising was actually feeling how large that gaping hole was. I joined the clique of ‘mature students’ and am actually quite happy to be there. Thinking back to how much I’ve changed since graduating high school, and being so unaware of…everything, I’m happy to be back at school with some life experiences under my belt and on my resume. I still have a lot to learn but am happy and content with the direction things are going. I’m looking forward to the next two years packed with homework assignments, midterm marks and a touch of student-debt, but will hopefully end with a fresh list of experiences to add to the resume or check-off the bucket list—and even more important: the beginnings of a new career. I’m happy I took the risk and listened to that little voice in the back of my head that kept pushing me towards this new adventure. 

Above is one of my first homework assignments (posting homework will likely become a trend…) We were asked to create a mood board for a room we would one day like to create. I chose images, quotes and products that I was leaning towards for my new room. As much as I love the way this turned out, my bedroom will be going in a completely different direction...