Continuing our house tour of this eclectic home… (If you’ve missed it, start with part 1 and read it HERE) COLOUR Early-century modernists were purists that looked at interiors and architecture in a sculptural and straightforward way. Colour, artifacts and the interest in chinoiserie punctuated this aesthetic. Similarly, here, colour was applied in rich tones,…
Tag: dochia
Homes these days are less about norm and more about culture, part 2
Continuing our house tour on the main floor… (If you’ve missed part 1, read it HERE) MAIN FLOOR The living room and dining room are pulled together by a three-sided fireplace that articulates them without disrupting the flow of the space. The dining room sports a beautifully detailed bar with a backlit natural stone backdrop…
Welcome to the world of small business: small profits, little free time, big satisfaction and large freedom
There once was a dream that turned out to be the birth and death of me. Like many before me and so many more after, I wanted to be my own boss. And with that in mind, I started on a path of self-destruction where I erased many things that I knew in order to…
The secret to a presentable front foyer
While we all want an immaculate and organized house, we have to admit to ourselves that we don’t all fit the mould. The upkeep is what kills it. But having one space that is always pristine makes up for the lack of overall satisfaction enough to not worry so much about every dingy corner that…
The No.1 lifestyle trend to pop open the New Year: 2022 and the sophisticated luxuries of the everyday
RE-SHAPE YOUR LIFE from what you do, to where and how you live, to who you spend your time with. This is the overarching trend that will take center stage in 2022. It is not a generalization. It is an expression of a widespread need for total life revamp. At first sight, this does not…
How to make most out of your morning ritual when you share the bathroom with your partner, part 2
Sharing a bathroom with a partner does take some work. So how does one make the most of a shared one? If you find yourself in this situation, here is the best way to set it up or, renovate. Two sinks are a must They not only allow to use yours at any time as…
How to make most out of your morning ritual when you share the bathroom with your partner, part 1
Let’s face it, we all want a bathroom of our own. From small grooming rituals to the pleasure of enjoying water on our skin, to the five minutes of peace and quiet away from a busy household, bathrooms can give it to you all. This expected convenience of modern living offers easy body hygiene maintenance…
Backyard detox through design – on a budget or not so much…
Get your detox before the winter with a bit of design therapy. With so little of the summer left, it is high time you do two things: try and enjoy your backyard more if you did not and, plan for its improvement for next year. Renovations are still surging as many Torontonians have opted to…
How to choose what you want to focus on in your interior design career
How you look at things in general and how you frame the expression of your thoughts reveals information about them that you would not generate nor learn otherwise. All things being equal, there are many similarities and many differences between the various areas of interior design. Simply put, the commonalities have to do with…
Top 5 tips on how to be emotionally resourceful as a self-employed interior designer
The lure of beauty If you’ve ever considered an interior design career, most likely you’ve been lured by beautiful pictures, lavish homes, all kinds of exquisite interiors, fashionable people and pretty things in general. It is a field perceived as glamorous and hip, innovative and happy. And it is all true. If you’re like…
2020 / the biggest crisis of our life time?
Is 2020 the biggest crisis of our life time? Possibly. And hopefully! I certainly am not looking at having another major negative event that is bigger than this one! And now the challenge we all share is to devise mechanisms to cope with the aftermath. We’ve all undergone fundamental lifestyle changes that are out…
Rental buildings make a move toward upscaled corridors
Let’s face it, in this city you can own less and less for more and more. Rentals are a viable option for many and if you choose to rent, you still want to live well, get access to where you need to go and live the life that you want to live. That generally means…