Fall fashion lookbook

Since I've been back to work, I've taken the opportunity to rebuild my wardrobe. Part of it was necessity. I mean, my body is simply not the same as before, and after 2 kids, I kind of needed a few updates. Lucky for me, I'm actually smaller now than after I had my first child, but still... I also feel like I'm at this point in my life where I really want to invest in QUALITY over quantity. Must be something about being in my thrities now ;-) This means that I'd rather save up to buy investment / better quality pieces that will last me a long time, rather than shopping compulsively and buying simply because it's on sale. I know we're all guilty of that, and I'm going to have to try extra hard not to give in. I might have fewer items but I'll have ones which I will love for a longer period of time - and I'm referring in particular to items like handbags, shoes, and jewelry.

I love that Fall is just around the corner, because it's hands down my favorite fashion season. The temperatures have been particularly cold in the morning this week, and summer feels completely over, but I don't mind at all. I'm ready for the rich colors and the layers that come with Fall. Since I own many jackets, blazers, and coats, this is my favorite time of year to wear them all. I just have a real obsession with jackets/blazers.

Anyways, here are some looks I've saved on pinterest that I'm absolutely loving... there's definitely a common theme: tan, burgundy, greys... you can't ever go wrong with those. OMG, I can't get my mind off that short Burberry trench (3rd photo) with the leather belt!

 

I'm back

It feels like an eternity since my last blog post and I apologize. I figured now is a good time as ever to to get back on this blog, with back to school this week. There's nothing like a fresh start right? :)

I've been off the radar mainly because our summer has been quite busy, with vacation, home updates, social events, etc.  I mean it just flew by so fast! August came and went and now it's September! Wow. Seems like every year just goes by that much faster for some reason. Do you feel like that too?

I also went back to work as of August. It's been a big change for me since I've been on maternily leave and staying at home for a year and half.  So yeah things have been a bit busy around here. You can see why I've neglected the blog a little. I've had so many moments where I wanted to share this and that with you, but just couldn't get the energy and time to get to it. But now I'm back and I'm making a commitment to myself and my readers to write a lot more - and this means, miminum once a week. I love having this outlet and I can't wait to share some wonderful inspired interiors and fashion with you. Thanks for checking in and sticking around!

Happy Canada Day

 

Canada Day tulips

I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful long weekend. Today marks Canada's 146th anniversary, and I couldn't be more proud to be Canadian. I love this beautiful country, the people and the majestic geography from coast to coast. I first came to visit Canada as a young girl, in the middle of winter in 1986 in Montreal. All I could remember was the cold and snow. I had never seen so much snow in my life! My parents loved it, and two years later, in 1988, my family immigrated to Montreal (from France), and I've lived in Montreal, and now Toronto ever since. I am so thankful that my parents moved. Nothing compares to Canada and its people. It's an amazing place to live and I feel truly fortunate to call this place home.

In honour of Canada Day, I thought I'd share with you some beautiful spaces decked in red and white.
(All images are from Pinterest)

Gorgeous design by Windsor Smith - love the red lantern and chairs!

An understated, but fresh and crisp palette of red and white

Love the tub in red!

An inviting bed

Master bedroom nook in Sarah's Cottage (Sarah Richardson)
(red and white paired with touches of blue/gray)

A girls bedroom designed by Sarah Richardson
(the red and white mixed with the light blue is perfect!)

French Cafe Chairs

They seem to be everywhere I look, and I just can’t get them out of my mind. I love them, because they remind me of France, and they’re simply beautiful.  From Paris to the Cote d’Azur, these are the typical chairs that line every sidewalk cafe. Did I ever tell you I grew up in Paris? Yep, I’m French, and I immigrated to Canada when I was young, so I’ve got a real soft spot for these cafe chairs. Believe me, for the longest time, years ago, I’ve wanted to get some, but they were nowhere to be found since they weren’t popular at all, and definitely not in home environments.  All of a sudden, it’s like they’ve somehow become mainstream, and making their way inside (brilliantly I should add).

Check out how fabulous they look in almost any settings, inside or out, as chairs or barstools. I love that they are available in almost every colour and weave, and are super durable to tear and wear. No wonder they’ve been around for so long.  

(all images from Pinterest)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re in the hunt to find some, here are some options I found:

1) From Serena & Lily - the Riviera collection - my favorite! I like that you can mix and match the 2 styles and the colours are beautiful!

 

 

2) From Pottery Barn: French cafe side chairs

3) From Ikea: the Almsta chair (comes in black or natural - if you go for the natural, you could probably spray paint the seat and back for your own pop of colour!)

All this talk of cafe chairs...if only I could take a trip to Paris now...

Sarah Richardson Design: New website

I promised you some pictures of my new backyard last week, but unfortunately, we are bit delayed. The weather wasn't cooperating much last week, with rain most days, which stalled the project. Although there are only a few things to finish, I'd like to keep it a surprise until it's all done, so you'll just have to wait a little bit longer before I reveal the transformation. If all goes well, things are supposed to be all completed by this Saturday...almost there.

Moving on to some really great news, my fave designer, Sarah Richardson, just launched her newly redesigned website. Yay! The new site is sooo much better than the old one (although it was already one of the best sites), it features much bigger pictures, lots more of her portfolio (incl. all her shows), a new section for "getting inspired", where her articles and tips are all featured in one place, and the best, a new section about her team. It's so nice that they finally dedicated a section on them. They all deserve credit for making magic happen at her design firm and shows. But best of all, we can finally figure out how to get Sarah's signature design services! Perhaps my budget could afford some help from her super talented team? :)

The new site also includes videos, all in one place, and also imbedded with relevant articles. Overall, the new design is much more user friendly, and way better in terms of marketing her overall brand & anything Sarah-related. Well done. Sarah also has a new fabric collection coming up. I can't wait for that! I'm sure it will be a huge success. Next, I hope she also launches a lighting collection, how great would that be? I'd love to get the look of some of her vintage lighting finds without having to hunt for them all over the city. The one thing I noticed though, is that they left out her paint collection. Oversight? Not sure...

Anyway, here are some teasers for you...

From Sarah's new country residence - the living room:

(She did a series of webisodes about the renovation of this project, using Lowes products. You should definitely check out the webisodes, it was really good.)

This condo - from one of the Sarah 101 episodes - absolutely one my favorite transformations:

Well, what are you waiting for, head over to the new site and check out all the amazing pics from your favorite episodes and shows! It's full of eye candy. Thanks Sarah!

Backyard inspiration

It's been quite busy around here, so I haven't had a chance to blog last week. However, I have a big surprise to share with you soon... my backyard!!  They've been working on it for 3 weeks now and it's mainly done, except for some woodwork, like the pergola, and some other details. I can't wait to share with you the before and after transformation - photos coming up this week. It is quite amazing and I can't wait to use our new space this summer!

If you recall, I had a post on English gardens that represented the feel of garden/plants I wanted. But I never shared with you other elements... so here are some of the other things that gave me inspiration for our backyard design (all images via Houzz):

1) Woodwork to frame the bbq area:

 

2) A pergola with the pillars enclosed in stone, and a fountain of course!

 

 3) Variation on the bbq area woodwork - with lattice:

 4) A curved pergola - absolutely love it!

 

 

Stay tune for the photos of our backyard transformation. It should all be done this week! :)

 

 

A pop of sunshine

Hello, I hope you're enjoying your weekend. With the beautiful sunshine out, I was inspired to share with you some bedrooms that have just the same sunny disposition.

via

Wouldn't you be happy to wake up to this? What a great idea for a shared kids room or even guest's room. I love the bright pop of yellow and the great striped wall. And those beds back to back, with plenty of storage, just genius!

I also love this wonderful room below designed by Sarah Richardson (my all time favourite designer!!!). The headboard is so unique - as usual. Serioulsy, next time, I'll have to dedicate an entire post just on all her fabulous headboard designs alone.

via

And how about this room below. If that doesn't put you in a cheery mood, then I don't know what would. The artwork is a masterpiece. Bigger is better truly.

via pinterest