Real Rooms #1: Eclectic Mix, Downtown Toronto

Raise your hands if you are sick of looking at perfectly decorated Nurseries.

You know the ones I'm talking about -- the ones where Mom has spent her entire pregnancy crafting the perfect pom-pom mobile, arranging the books on the shelves in rainbow color order and making sure that everything coordinates right down to the blue, organic, eco friendly teddy rabbit.

Are those for REAL?

Not in my world.  And not in the world of the people I know.  That's why I'm taking it upon myself to show you some REAL rooms.  But just because the parents didn't match the bumper to the curtains all made from fabric purchased on ETSY, doesn't mean that these rooms don't have charm.  Each room has their own amazing, inspirational attributes.

So if you are sick of looking at those perfect rooms on design blogs, then follow me as I present my newest series: REAL ROOMS.

A 2 bedroom, one story house, in a prime neighborhood, Downtown Toronto, there is not a lot of extra space.  Aiden's room is large for a bedroom, but as you can see it also acts as a playroom, reading room and music room.

What I love about this room is the organized and eclectic chaos.  There are toys everywhere, but take a closer look, they all have their place. Take and even closer look and you will see that the toys span the decades.  Daddy's R2D2 from when he was a child shares a space on the vintage daybed with Buzz Lightyear and Elmo.

I asked mom and dad a few questions:

"Well, we live in a two bedroom house. So this room was kind of the default room since the other room is our bedroom"

First step was clearing out the room, before Aiden moved in, the room became primarily a place to store everything we didn't have space for.  We painted the room a bright Tiffany Blue and added modern elements like the silver blinds and a silver ceiling fan.  We had the floor carpeted.  All the furniture except for his bed were items that we had.  The shelves were in Dad's room growing up.  The Day bed was in the room before and the dresser was Mom's from when she was young.  

My single favorite item in the whole room is an old needlepoint work of Art that was given to Mom by a neighbor who had it in their sons room when he was growing up (The son is now in his 30's)  I love it because it has that total 70's vintage vibe.  Plus it's kind of an amazing work of crafty art.  

 

"The flooring wasn't the colour I wanted. A dark hardwood floor was my original plan with an area rug. The carpet is a second choice on limited funds,but  turns out a better choice to sit &  play on-as its soft and warm . "

I Want an Eames chair!

            The Recent Paterfamilias wants an Eames chair.  He really, really, really wants one.  (And it’s making him feel materialistic and superficial.)

            But please, let me explain. 

            I don’t want just any Eames chair.  I don’t want the Eames lounge chair with ottoman.  (In my small apartment, where would I put it?)  I don’t want the Eames molded plywood chair, in red or cowhide.  (Although, I do actually want that chair, in either red or cowhide, but I’d have to remove an already established piced furniture to find a spot for it.)  What I want is the Eames Molded Plastic Rocking Chair. 

            Do I want the Eames Molded Plastic Rocking Chair chair for its slim silhouette?  Do I want it for its comfortable “waterfall” seat edge?  Do I want it for its smooth-riding hard maple runners or its “Eames Eiffel base” or its eco-friendly polypropylene construction? 

            No. 

            I want it because the rocker I current have in my baby’s nursery is fourteen inches wider and twelve inches longer than the Eames Molded Plastic Rocking Chair.  In my apartment, space is at a premium, every inch counts, I will move furniture into slots where it barely fits (and I’m pretty sure I’ve seriously compromised the internal structure of my couch doing so), so to have a stupid gigantic rocking chair that has all this extra padding and extra width and extra girth for absolutely no reason is simply out of the question, and, quite frankly, a little crazy. 

             So, I want the slimmer Eames chair. 

            Plus, it might be a little nice (and a little superficial) to respond to the question, “Hey, is that an Eames chair?” with, “Why yes, it certainly is.”

            (And for all of my loyal readers who still recall my last column:  I went out and bought that Federalist convex mirror last week.  And I’m pleased to report that it looks rather nice above the bookcase over which it is currently situated.)  


*Eames Chair series print by Third Floor Design

Look at these wedding photos ...and smile

Since I have Zombies on the brain (yes, pun intended) I thought I would share these special wedding/engagement photos I found of Ben and Julian by photographer Amanda Rynda.  This couple obviously shares a great sense of humor and a love of Zombie films.

Just another weekend fighting Zombies

Took a break from my usual weekend activities to help some friends out with a short film they were making.  However, I didn't help in the normal sense (aka decorating the sets) -- nope, this time I helped out ON CAMERA by playing a background zombie.

This is my third time playing a zombie, but my first time getting real make up done.  I had a full prosthetic cheek glued to my face. which was then painted to look like someone had taken a bite out of it.  Didn't hurt a bit, but it looked pretty darn gross.

Putting the make up on took about 45 minutes.  Shooting the scene took 10 minutes.  Taking the make up off.... sigh, lets just say, I will be going to work tomorrow with some glue and latex still stuck to my face!

Princesses

These are not a new Skårt design ....although...... hmmm....

These are drawings for "my other job" -- Top secret, but I will share with YOU because I get to go back to Disneyland.  Woohoo!!! Shhhhh.  More pictures to come next week.

Did I Make a Mistake?

            The R.P. is beginning to wonder if he made a colossal mistake this past weekend. 

            Now, admittedly, “colossal” might be a bit hyperbolic, but please, allow me to explain. 

            While trying to waste a few minutes, I was frequenting an antique store which I hardly ever frequent (because this R.P. tries, at all costs, to hardly ever frequent any antique store whatsoever), when I came across a mirror propped up on the floor against a bunch of other mirrors.  “Whoopdeedoo!” I can hear my readers exclaiming.  “You saw a mirror.  You must be very proud of yourself.  Perhaps the next time you see a coffee table or a magazine rack, you should throw a parade.”  But this mirror was a special mirror.  “Oooh!  A special mirror.”  Yes, a special mirror.  “Oooh,” I can hear my readers saying again, “a special mirror.  Maybe the R. P. thinks of himself as a literary Snow White.  ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the cleverest one of…’”

            This Recent Paterfamilias is beginning to wish that the readers in his head would just be quiet and let him get on with it. 

            This was a special mirror.  It was round.  This mirror itself was convex and a foot wide.  It was surrounded with a wood frame with small round orbs carved into it and an American Eagle, wings akimbo, perched atop.  This special mirror is actually a kind of mirror, one which this R.P. has been obsessed with for several years.  It’s called a “Federalist” mirror, it’s a staple in American folk art, and all the ones the R.P. has previously come across typically run anywhere between $2,500 and however much you want to spend. 

            Just for fun, I inquired with the shopkeeper how much she wanted for this one. 

            She said 350. 

            And the store was having a Presidents’ Day sale.  Everything was twenty percent off. 

            “So that would make it 280,” she said.  “Plus tax, of course.”

            “Of course,” I replied.  “Plus tax.”

            What a boon! the Recent Paterfamilias told himself.  For years he’d been searching for just this kind of thing, and then here it was, at a fraction of the going price.  It needed restoration certainly, but it wasn’t like it was falling apart, it wasn’t like the convex mirror was split in twain, making the viewer’s reflection something grotesque and unnatural. 

            And then the Recent Paterfamilias was forced to ask himself a practical question:  “Where am I going to hang it?”

            Hmmmmm.

            Now, I wouldn’t say that the R.P. and the wife of the R.P. are art collectors, per se, but we have some pieces, some good, some pretty good, and some crap, but really the point here is, we have everything situated on the walls like we like it.  We also don’t have an overly large apartment, so we therefore don’t have unlimited wall space.  Something would have to come down for this mirror to go up.  So which one was it going to be?  Who was going to get the axe? 

            Ultimately, I told the shopkeeper that I wanted to think about it, then I exited the store, leaving the mirror where it was, on the floor, and as far as I know, that’s where my mirror is now.  Unloved, on the floor, collecting dust and totally underpriced, simply because this Recent Paterfamilias was unable to make the sacrifices necessary for it, the mirror, to join his, the R.P.’s, collection. 

            This Recent Paterfamilias is beginning to suspect that he might have made a terrible mistake. 

            I miss my mirror. 

Which would you choose: Star Wars or Super Heroes

I can't decide which prints I like more, they are both so gosh darn adorable! And not only that, they are ridiculously affordable.   If you had to... which would you pick?

Star Wars Art print set by Loopzart on Etsy 

Super Hero Justice League Art print set by Loopzart on Etsy