What a delight it was to be able to visit the granddaddy of all show houses in New York last week.  The Kips Bay Decorator Show House is sometimes referred to as the Oscars of the interior design community.  Eighteen top designers participated in this year’s home which was a grey limestone townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  They were able to make design choices not restricted by clients needs or desires. Creativity abounds.  Having participated in a couple of Junior League of Toronto’s show homes, we know the excitement of creating a room carte blanche … Let me give you a small peek into some of my favourite spaces this year.

My lovely daughter and I

 Upon entering we are greeted with colour!  No greys detected in this showhouse.  Only one  beige room which I felt was a little disappointing.  But the rest were in full colour.  The sheer floral drape along the wall as you entered was a warm surprise.  And the colourful cowhide rug…! Amazing.

Wallpaper – everywhere.  Everything from traditional Scalamandre florals like below to grasscloths.

The room below was the largest of the house and a little ‘beige’, I felt.  Beautifully done by Mariette Himes Gomez and Company but nothing over the top.  We love to be excited, surprised or intrigued at these show homes….none of which happened for me in this room.

Now Kathryn Ireland, on the other hand, we can classify as over the top.  Whether you like her typically boho style or not, one can appreciate her creativity.  Her bedroom in the house featured an Anglo-Indian bed draped in fabrics from her new collection from Scalamandre.

The next room was probably my favourite room in the house.  Yes, those are fish on the walls.  If you can disregard those, everything else is amazing. (live a little….lol) Where to start?  The antiqued rug was AMAZING, the attention to detail on the upholstery divine, the art draws you in, the colours  cocoon you, the drapery panels are banded in 2 different fabrics and trim, the oriental nesting tables, and those pillows…..!  Notice how Jack Levy the designer had the pattern taken from the pillows and stitched on to the back of the chair – genius!

The lighting fixtures were so unique in almost every room.  Here the designer used hand blown glass pendants.  Did I already mention cow hide rugs?  Multiple designers used them in their spaces.

Below was perhaps my second favourite room.  Beginning with the chandelier – a 1950′s Italian original.  The walls were very creatively done.  Slabs of board were covered in a soft suede and then patterned on the walls to replicate a limestone feel like the exterior of the home.  Photography as art was also very big this year in the home.   And the drapery was a gorgeous moire (yes, you heard me right – somehow looks different than the one from the 80′s) with exquisite detailing on the banding.

If the walls weren’t papered or panelled, they were lacquered!  Too gorgeous!  My good friend Gloria Rinaldi, Canadian Benjamin Moore rep for designers, tells me she is getting a lot of calls for this. It is a premixed paint that is sprayed on.  Must think about where to use that next….love it!  Check out the colour on these walls in this powder room and the mirror on mirror.

The dining room, too, was spectacular.  Again, the walls were lacquered and the ceiling treated with a gold leaf wallpaper that was antiqued.  (you can’t see the ceiling here unfortunately)  Did I mention unique lighting fixtures?  This one is not my style but intriguing.  These pictures don’t do the rooms justice.  Imagine the feeling of walking into this tall grand dining room with such intense lacquered colour on the walls and the gold leaf ceiling…..

Velvets, grasscloth, high gloss moulding, gold and stunning light fixture.  Feast for the eyes.

Below, notice the coloured, gloss ceiling (different from lacquered, but shiny nonethless).  The walls had a venetian plaster technique done  in a smooth, gloss finish.  The sheer panels on the windows were not operable but very effective.  In real life we could make those into operable roman blinds.

As  first time attendees of the Kips Bay Show House we were delighted!  Most rooms pushed the envelope.  I liken it to a fashion runway.  It shows cutting edge creativity done perhaps, a little more extreme than the average home.  Bunny Williams, the show house chairwoman estimates that an average of $50,000 was spent by the designer to pull a room together. (Ok, so definitely more than the average home – fantasy for many of us.  But what fun and all for a good cause.)

There were many more rooms and gardens to see.  All these photos were taken from the New York Times.  Visit their link to  see the rest if you like. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/garden/the-kips-bay-decorator-show-house-goes-to-extremes.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

What do you do with a spare bedroom that you don’t want to turn into a full-out guest room?  You turn it into a pretty sitting room just for you!  In this  Aurora, On project we are busy working away doing just that.  We wanted a pretty room for ‘her’; a room she could disappear into to read a book.  But we also wanted a room that the  grand kids could stay in when they want to sleep over.  Hence, the daybed/sitting room was born.

Here is the concept board we started with:

We presented two different schemes.  We liked the overall feeling of this one.  The yellow accents and floral fabrics felt fresh; and the tufted daybed was a perfect solution as a pretty place to rest one’s head or to have the grand kids sleepover on. Our preferred floor plan included one larger etagere and a single ottoman rather than two.

 There are plenty of  small decisions made along the way: one ottoman or two? tufted or not? two smaller etageres or one larger one? two chairs or a bench and a chair? and on and on… Decorating is rarely cut and dried and this can get overwhelming sometimes for many people.  It’s a process from start to finish where the look is tweaked as you go, sometimes for aesthetics, sometimes for functional purposes.

Fabric selections from Robert Allen, Kravet and Maxwell

Fabrics is where we always have fun, particularly when the client isn’t afraid of mixing patterns.   The power of fabric is amazing! It can totally transform a piece of furniture.  With just one broad brushstroke a look can be changed from playful to formal.  In this case our client wanted casual and happy.  I think the addition of the colour yellow can make any room happy:)

One of the final changes we made along the way was the rug.  Once we selected the beautiful grey paint from Benjamin Moore’s new Colour Stories collection, we decided the rug needed to be yellow.  So we found a  yellow/cream flat weave area rug for some cheer and again, casualness.

Our final accessory board above shows the final touches we hope to add.  Some pretty bling is evident on the chandelier and mirror and some yellow and white ceramics for the etagere.

The plan is to photograph this room when its done, so you’ll see what this all translates to in a few months.

If you would like some help to guide you through this decorating process give Lumar Interiors a call or contactus@lumarinteriors.com

The best of both worlds!  Neutral + Colour

We started a project a couple of months ago in Maple, Ontario.  The time had come for this wonderful family of 5 to update their family room.  This is a room they truly live in all the time so it had to be practical….but the ‘kids’ are well, no longer kids.  So, we made a little sophistication happen … and yes, with the input of these so called ‘kids’.

We say the ‘best of both worlds’ cause though the walls and main pieces of upholstery are neutral (see the small square textured swatch to the left below), we added some punch on a chair, cushions, drapery and wait till you see the art that’s coming!  (More on that below)

Family Room fabrics – Maple project

The floral was used on the drapery (that middle child has great taste ) and the chevron and soft plaid on cushions.  The gorgeous velvet stripe (mom had to have this one)  is on the chair and cushions too.

So 80% of it is delivered but we’re still waiting for some finishing touches before I show you the whole reveal.

Want a sneak peek?

She is beautiful…don’t you think?  (Yes, I do think its a ‘she’.  lol.  We get very personal with our furnishings at Lumar.)

Notice the beautiful upholstery on the arm.

Love the patterns and sumptuous cushions!

And now part of the final reveal includes this….tada….

A beautiful floral piece of art over the sofa

I think the end result is a beautiful, warm room that’s calming with some added pattern and colour for fun.

Can’t wait to see the finished room.

Need a makeover?  Don’t want to run around from store to store?  Need to know what size furniture you need? Don’t know how to pull it altogether.  That’s what we LOVE doing…  Give us a call or contactus@lumarinteriors.com

We are SOOOO excited to have partnered with this wonderful new supplier of lamps and accessories.  They have a huge selection AND such a variety to choose from.  And to boot for the look and quality, they offer such value.

Please tell us we’re not imagining things…have a look and give us feedback.  We would love to hear from you!

Let the showcase begin……(drumroll…….)

Wouldn’t this one look so lovely in a transitional living room? And it mixes the silvers with the new golds!

The espresso coloured body on the gold base would look gorgeous anywhere you want to add some weight.

And this one….well, isn’t she glamourous?

This hand-decorated lamp reminds me of a beautifully detailed ladies’ jacket…

Lumar  Interiors has just put in a huge order specially curated with our discerning clients in mind.  Go to our Events page to get a complete viewing of our lamps.  They are expected in the next 6-8 weeks!

And, again, please offer your comments.  We would love to hear from you!

www.lumarinteriors.com

Stunning!  That sums it up pretty well I think.

These are all new introductions of this past year from some of our favourite suppliers .  The middle inspirational photo is taken from Pinterest.  They are the perfect place to perch a beautiful vase of seasonal greens or to display some collectibles.

Jan Showers (one of our favourite American decorators) used this piece to add a little glitz and glamour to a space.

They are all statement makers whether for a hallway or a living room.  They all have their own personality.   We love the beautiful lines of these pieces:  some are geometric but still curvey; others are more traditional.  Which would you love in your home?  Let us know.

contactus@lumarinteriors.com

So your front hall sets the tone for the rest of the house, right?  You’ve heard that before.  Then why not put something there that speaks of your personality or the personality of the home?

Do you want a streamlined, contemporary feel to your home, how about the bottom right corner in black and gold from Global Views?  Are you an out-going bubbly personality?  You may want to have top left or top right in your hall depending whether you like curvey, romantic lines or straight ones.  Both of these are from Decorative Crafts.  The bottom left was featured in Style at Home magazine this past month.  Its from French Heritage actually made in France!  A gorgeous blue chest that we can see fitting into almost any decor.

And we love the middle inspiration photo taken from Pinterest.  Who wouldn’t want to walk into this front door?

Need some help selecting beautiful furnishings?  Give us a call or visit us at www.lumarinteriors.com

Hope you already have the ‘perfect’ cocktail table for your living room….you will hopefully be putting it to good use this holiday season.  I don’t understand people who say they never use their living room, cause that’s one of my favourite rooms of the house.  Its the perfect quiet room for reading when everyone else is in the family room watching a sporting event, or a room to use when you have the ‘girls’ over.  So a must-have is a pretty cocktail table (scaled to the room of course) for drinks or magazines.

Have a look at these – too pretty, no?

The top left one is a classic LaBarge table in an antique brass finish (yes, notice all the tables we’ve selected are a gold or brass finish) with an eglomise mirror top.

Bottom left is a new one from Global Views.  It has a honed white marble top on an iron base also painted gold.  It has a fresh contemporary feel without feeling modern or trendy.

The top right table is a gorgeous statement maker from Maitland Smith.  Its a beautiful blend of straight lines and curvey lines.

And the bottom right is a stunning table from Christopher Guy currently in our showroom.  It has a black lacquer top (yes, lacquer is also back right along side golds!) on a beautiful gilded gold hand-carved wood base.

So, if you don’t have that ‘perfect’ table, give us a call, we have a couple on the floor and can order in almost anything your heart desires.

www.contactus@lumarinteriors.com

Love the feel of this home – right from the long driveway leading up to this custom built house – down to the stunning light fixtures.  It sweeps you away to a grand home in the country but one that is warm and lived in.  The patina on the walls give the impression this new structure has been here for quite a while…. But, stop!  We can’t say anymore.  It is due to be published in the January issue of Chloe Magazine.  Look for it!

Front Entry to King City Project

So excited to be part of this great magazine again.  Chloe Magazine is available in your local Indigo/Chapters stores.  It celebrates women:  its full of fashion, decor and interesting lives.  Next issue will be on the newsstands by mid-January.

After 20 years or so, who doesn’t need a refresher?  Sure, you could trade it in for a younger model but maybe you just need to rekindle that love.

via Pinterest

That’s exactly what we are in the process of doing with this past client.  We had worked with this Richmond Hill client years ago and they now  called us in again to help them re-decorate their kitchen and living room.  They were in the process of ordering new cabinetry for the kitchen.  We helped them nail down the exact finishes that would work and then finished the space with window coverings (blinds and fabrics), paint colours  and dining furniture.  Cabinetry is going in this week and the rest to follow soon.

We carried the red accent colour from the kitchen into the living and dining room area but combined it with a gorgeous grey-blue.  The colour scheme of taupe, grey-blue and red is going to look stunning and very classic.  We drew the colours from a painting of a European street scene that they have.  This will be a scheme they will be able to live with for another 20 years.

Living room fabric scheme

The love seat is going to be in the linen fabric; the striped velvet on cushions and dining room chair seats, the red/linen damask on two chairs; the drapery in the solid grey/blue fabric with the banding and dabs of red and blue on cushions/piping.

Thinking of adding this stunning lamp to the mix?  What do you think?

Murano Blue Lamp

We promise to show you an ‘after’ shot when we’re done making them fall in love with their home again:)

If you would like some help in redecorating a tired space…give us a call, that’s our specialty.  We’ve been doing it for over 20 years….

www.lumarinteriors.com

We can’t give it all away so we’ll show you just one of our favourite shots.  And I say just one cause really there are so many beautiful vignettes.  This is a beautiful handcrafted wood chest from a company called French Heritage.  It is actually made in France, done in a two tone.  Sort of a natural taupey stained top on a satin black body, slightly antiqued.  Kind of sexy, no?

The blue and white porcelain on the chest and on the wall sconces are from Maitland-Smith and the stunning mirror is a custom Dianne Watts from Toronto.

Styling for a photo shoot is a lot of work but such fun.  Thanks to the wonderful Chloe Magazine team for all their hard work.  We were shooting from 10 am to 6 pm with virtually no breaks. Chloe Magazine is available at your local Chapters/Indigo.  So pick up your copy to see the rest of this house in Aurora, Ontario and to see the great fashion shoots.

If you would like to talk about decorating your home, give us a call or contactus@lumarinteriors.com