It's our next reader's makeover as guest blogger and interior designer Jason Martin helps Maggi with her Brooklyn apartment. Maggi is looking for something unique and interesting for the space. I'm loving the "to and fro" conversations in these e-consultations and once again Jason has come up with some great ideas!. Remember Maggi does the "DIY" after Jason adds the "+".


Maggi emailed ...

Wow! Exciting! Here are the top three things on my apartment wish list:

1. I would like to create a more interesting arrangement of space in my apartment. I have three almost exactly equal-sized rooms with doorways between each (very symmetrical!). The space itself is pretty boring architecturally and I’d like to avoid mimicking that symmetry in the furniture arrangement. I would like to do something really unique and interesting with the space. If possible, I want it to be both dramatic and cozy.

2. I need to do something with my windows. There are seven of them and right now they are naked: a wasted opportunity, for sure.

3. I want everything to have a place and for that place to be (mostly) inside drawers and behind doors. I don’t need to see the visual clutter of my everyday “stuff”. I want the focus to be on the art and furniture instead.

By the way, the reason I didn’t send pictures of my bedroom is because that’s the one room I haven’t yet done anything with so it tends to be the dumping ground for all of the crap I need to sort through, file, hang up, etc. (Embarrassing and unattractive!)

Floor Plan


... and from Maggi's inspiration files


Jason’s notes

Maggi,

You have such a wide range of artwork and activities going on in your small space that I think the best advice I can give you is how to make the apartment functional and efficient while still interesting. You need a home that can act as backdrop and not compete with what is going on in the space.

I think you could create a more interesting arrangement of your space by balancing the overall symmetry of the apartment with some asymmetry in each of the rooms. Build from the architecture out. The apartment doesn’t have much existing architecture so you have to create it. Here are my suggestions:

1. Create a sense of Enfilade with the doorways.
2. Unify the rooms with a consistent idea.
3. Create defined functions for each space

Create an "Enfilade"

Unify the rooms with a consistent idea

A low living space

Storage/office space

Dining Room

Bedroom Ideas- clean, simple, warm

So what do you think? I love the low sofa suggestion from Jason. It's my latest sofa crush the Togo from Ligne Roset. Next week is Jason's last guest post and it promises to be absolutely fabulous! Thanks again Jason for all your wonderful ideas!

Labels: dilemma

Real estate stalking again. In Sweden again. No surprise there! Take a look at this teeny tiny apartment all decked out in white with pops of green and pink. Who says small can't be big. Big on impact that is! From here.

Labels: real estate, Scandinavian

bckueser	elsiemarley
Chez Larsson	Chez Larsson
aoneko	Heike Schmidt
peacock-feathers	kershlock
neryl walker	homespun living
dayataglance	pedalpower
robot•jumping•rope	Posidriv
Spring Globe	queenieinmanhattan
poem gal	the lulu bird

Labels: Flickr, maps

WINKS - weekend links. Here we list what has come in during the week, things we've found and things we think you'll want to see. If you'd like to see your blog or website featured email us and if we think it fits with our readers we'll link you. So what's in this week?

• New blog crush! Kellie has a passion for all things beautiful, especially fabulous interiors. Ada and Darcy is where she shares them. Bliss!




• I'm loving these sculptures by Spanish interior designer and sculptor El loco del diseño. To see more of these amazing pieces visit his website.
  




• Kim and I have a soft spot for Pink. Casapinka that is. Pink has a new Etsy store full of cute vintage finds (love the Vera scarves) and handmade goodies. Every girl needs a little pink in her life.




• The BODIE and FOU Summer Sale is now on! Up to 50% OFF on designer brands including Normann Copenhagen, Cote Bastide, Albetta, Fatboy, Kathleen Hills and many more.... Ends 20th July 09. Shopping heaven. (Oh and their blog too!)




• Glitz and glam. The UFO chandelier with a curvaceous and sculptural shape is designed by Brian Rasmussen for Studio Italia Design. You'll find this innovative Italian lighting design company very illuminating. Sorry for the bad pun!




• Everything is more than OK at OK. Actually everything is gorgeous! I think I really really really need almost every item on the website. Honestly!

Labels: winks

As I promised yesterday, here is another gem from the portfolio of Jessica Helgerson. I can't quite decide which I love more. This one is a bit more mid-century while yesterday's project was a bit more glamourous. Here's what Jessica had to say about this project:

"A complete remodel of a once run-down split- level ranch house. This project involved removing the existing kitchen entirely to create a bright, airy great room. The existing master bath was removed as well and relocated to the back of the house where it now opens on to a lovely garden. The color palette is extremely restrained throughout with dark ebonized floors, white walls, and splashes of various shades of green. All the furnishings, including the gorgeous rocking chaise, are vintage finds that we reupholstered and refinished, with the exception of the coffee table which was made by Jessica’s husband architect YIANNI DOULIS from a slab of locally salvaged eastern hardrock maple. Antiques – including a pair of Portuguese eel traps hanging over the mantle, the Chinese garden stools, a rustic mirrored cabinet, and the French blown glass demi-john bottles – add a patina of age. The master bathroom cabinets are made of kirei board – an engineered panel product made from the stalks of the Sorghum plant which is grown around the world for food."

Labels: black and white, interior designer

What is it that a photographer does? Focus light on film? Document the present? Perhaps capture the dream, the desires, the life before it's lens. Helen Norman has an amazing portfolio. She's been a leader in her field for many years and it shows. She draws you in with her images and makes you part of the world she captures. I can hear the chatter in the kitchen, feel the sun through the windows and almost touch the crisp linen. She's a dream weaver. Do not miss any of her portfolio!

Labels: photographer

Jessica Helgerson emailed us the other day to give us a peak into some of her recent work. I was excited because it had been quite some time since I had blogged her work. Let me say that I love colour in my life, but I can't get over how she can use virtually no colour but white/creams and chocolate brown/black and make it look SOOOOOOO good. Absolutely gorgeous spaces, that I imagine her clients will enjoy for a quite some time, as her design aesthetic is elegantly hip and timeless. So let's get on with the first project - thanks to Jessica for sending along some descriptions (photos by Lincoln Barbour).

This project is a complete remodel of a turn-of-the-century Southeast Portland four-square. We gutted a small and disfunctional kitchen, back pantry and mud room to create a large and airy kitchen; added box beams to the dining room, separated the entry from the living room with a deep-cased opening which created two ledges for seating or plants, added a mantle, built-in shelves, and two windows at the fireplace; as well as adding a second window, a wood ceiling and wainscoting to the upstairs bathroom. Woodwork throughout much of the house was stained a dark ebony as were the floors on the first floor.

We wanted to create a space that was both glamorous for the Portland hipster couple who live in the house as well as appropriate for the house itself and its period. The new woodwork is designed to look original but the dark stain adds an element of elegance and surprise. With the furnishings we created an eclectic blend of modern and ethnic pieces that are unified by their color and scale. Many of the pieces were custom made locally: the sofa that fits into the bay window; the living room chairs which are cozily upholstered in sheepskin; the dining room benches and table top; and the blown glass sculptures, by Portland-based glass artist ANDY PAIKO.


Anyone else having heart palpitations over that kitchen and ALL the incredible light fixtures? (!!!) Stay tuned tomorrow for another one of Jessica's projects.

Labels: interior designer

Sometimes a girl can overindulge. Sometimes she just can't help herself as she dives into a design portfolio that is just image after image of beautiful spaces. If gorgeous rooms had calories I'd be a goner. Thank God interior designer Stephen Knollenberg creates rooms that are elegant in their simplicity and chic in their pared back balance between old and new. There is something calm and sophisticated, light and yet welcoming about these rooms. So beautifully curated. Sigh ....

Labels: interior designer

I'd like to wish all my fellow Canadians a Happy Canada Day. On this day I hope you're all hanging out at a cottage consuming exorbitant amounts of beer and having a fun day off. It's supposed to thunderstorm here in the nation's capital which will put a wee bit of a damper (ha) on festivities down at Parliament Hill. Anyhoo, in keeping with the theme of the day, I thought I'd post some photos of red and white spaces. Enjoy - and don't drink and drive kids.

Lucas Allen	Lucas Allen
Lynn Morgan	Dexter Hodges
Oberto Gili	Nicolas Mathéus
Apartment Therapy	Jason Loucas
Paul Costello	Brian Andriola

Labels: Holidays, red, white

Photographer Kathryn Russell has a passion for her work. It shows doesn't it. She creates images that draw you into her world of products and food and these gorgeous spaces. What colour! Yum! And the light. It's so soft and warm. OK I'm off to devour Kathryn's food portfolio. Enjoy.

Labels: photographer

Stan of the blog Home Rejuvenation and the interior design firm KNQ Associates emailed the other day to share with us one of their latest projects. I am really digging this one. They were asked to create a cool, relaxing space which would showcase the owner's collection of Asian art objects as well as offer them respite from a busy lifestyle. "Here, we've created a home where filtered, ambient light creates an almost ethereal feel. This is further enhanced through a strategic use of soft colors, high gloss finishes and tinted glass. The result is truly minimalist but not cold, with the injection of textured surfaces and bright tones around the house." It's modern, timeless and each touch they've added is functional and beautiful.

So let's start with the entrance. Here is a before photo.


"Upon entry into the house, a deep-colored enveloping ceiling structure joining up with a glass partition becomes apparent. This structure connects to a lengthy, full height storage unit which also showcases the owners' prized possession of horse figurines at the dining area."


I am totally in love with that shoe cabinet. What a fantastic use of the space!

Now for the living and dining spaces. Here they are before:


"On the advice of a Feng Shui master, the sofa and dining set were to be positioned apart at both ends of the living space. In response, a TV swivel system was created to demarcate the two areas and offers entertainment from every corner of the apartment, including the kitchen. Most of the furniture were brought over from the owners' previous home on our advice."


That swiveling TV set up is GENIUS!!! It works so well in this space. WOW! And that pop of orange in the dining room is fabulous.

They even worked some magic on the corridor to the bedrooms. Here it is before and after:


"Two bedrooms were combined to create a larger master bedroom. A sliding wardrobe system was recreated to provided much needed storage space while concealing the existing toilet entry at one section - another Feng Shui requirement."


"The original entry to a 3rd bedroom was demolished to create an open study area. A raised wooden 'runway' erected along the bedroom corridor leads into this area."


Great space - especially the little reading/napping niche behind the desk. Impressive work as always Stan and Kus!!

Labels: interior designer

What's hiding behind the curtain in São Paulo, Brazil? Rodrigo from Brazilian architectural firm Rosenbaum sent us their latest commercial project Nicota Restaurante. Stunning! So many ideas to use in your home as well. Look at that owl wallpaper, the lampshades, the mix of traditional with modern with lashings of boho. Love the vibe coming out of Brazil at the moment and Rosenbaum are at its forefront.

Labels: architect