{ Archive for March, 2010 }

martha stewart at the home depot

I’ve interviewed a lot of decorators and design luminaries over the years. A lot. But I still think I’d have a twinge of the old butterflies-in-the-stomach at the thought of interviewing Martha Stewart. Don’t get me wrong: I died a little inside when I wasn’t able to make it out to Canada Blooms on the 20th, when decorating’s grande dame made her scheduled appearance. (I was on holiday, and it turns out, not too far from where Martha flew after the show to check out her fave Canadian breeder of Friesian horses.) I’m just in utter awe of the lady. She’s done so much to elevate decorating and design in the public eye. Everything about her is just so… Epic.

My colleague, Senior Design Editor Margot Austin, had the chance to interview Ms Stewart that day, and you absolutely must check out Margot’s play-by-play of the fateful meeting here.

picture 34 martha stewart at the home depot

We’ll be featuring some of our fave finds from Martha’s cost-conscious (and awe-inspiring) new collection for The Home Depot in our June issue (coming out in a matter of weeks), but I couldn’t wait to share one of the standouts of the releases — The Martha Stewart Living paint collection.

Boasting 280 colours, and made from a low-VOC formula, the paint collection is (as expected) a pretty big deal. To tide you over until the paint collection hits Home Depots nationwide in May, here are Martha’s Top 12 Colours for Spring/Summer 2010. Delish!

colour palete martha stewart at the home depotThose grays are particularly tasty, and the two teal/aqua options are a sure sign the trend for turquoise is still gaining momentum. (I’m taking an Araucana Teal lookalike on my next CityLine segment… Can’t wait to see it covering a whole wall!)

You’ve also got to check out the paint chips for the collection, which are truly spectacular. Each chip is generously-sized (3×6″), and on the reverse, features a suggested complementary ceiling and woodwork colour from the range. So clever! Tintable tester pots ($5 per 8oz.) are also available to help narrow down your selection before committing to a colour.


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t-shirt rugs by talking squid

tshirt rug2 t shirt rugs by talking squid

Bless your bare feet with these T-shirt rugs from Talking Squid. From concerts and gym class and dad`s closet and more, when tees are too well loved to wear anymore – even to bed! – Talking Squid repurposes them into chic, soft, shag-style rugs. Since they`re soft enough to sleep in, just picture how soft the T-shirts will feel under foot!

The rugs are already available in a host of colours — from hot pink to café au lait — and sizes — from 2` x 3` to 5` x 8`. Custom orders are also welcome.

Available at: www.etsy.com

Price: From $78 US

night of 140 tweets

twitter bird 249x249 night of 140 tweets
The tech world has really stepped up to the plate when it came to reaching out to Haiti (sending money to the Red Cross via text message, creating beatuiful iPhone cases and giving all proceeds to the cause), but this one really takes the cake for me.

‘Night of 140 Tweets‘ took place on March 12th of this year, and it was a truly innovative way to raise money for Haiti. Twitter’s most famed users came together on stage and each one read out their favourite tweet that they’ve ever sent. Speakers included:

  • Ashton Kutcher
  • Will Ferrell
  • Sarah Silverman
  • Ben Stiller
  • Dane Cook
  • Justin Long
  • Demi Moore

140 comedians, actors and social media advocates came together for the event, all with the intention of assisting Haiti in their time of need.

The video is available on iTunes for $2.99, and all proceeds go to helping the Haitian School Initiative. What a truly innovative way of using social media for something bigger than personal gain.

*Warning: The content of the tweets should not be heard by the ears of little ones.*

the kids’ casa cabana

voirphoto the kids casa cabana

This amazing eco fort makes me wish I were a kid again! With seven windows and several all-important spy holes, this 70 x 70 x 105 cm hut is the perfect place to play house, or pretend it`s the headquarters of budding superheroes or a hideout for bad guys. When the games are done, simply fold up the fort and tuck it under the bed for next time!

And the Casa Cabana is completely eco-friendly — made from 100% recycled cardboard that`s 100% recyclable.

Available at: www.iddko.com

Price: $64

search out, reuse & remake!

redrawnroom search out, reuse & remake!redrawnpillow search out, reuse & remake!

The best way to be green is to reuse things. But let’s face it — sometimes you just haven’t got what you need. Secondhand stores are a fabulous source of goods, and it’s likely there’s one near you. In my neighbourhood, two great stores are Redrawn and The Elegant Garage Sale.

Redrawn specializes in draperies, rugs, cushions and linens and is a veritable treasure trove of colourful goodies (pictured above). The high-quality offerings often include items from houses such as Brunschwig & Fils and Pierre Frey, Blanquettes (super-soft blankets) from Yumi and Laurie (previously posted about on Natural Chic!) and — for die-hard greenies — an eco-friendly line of fabrics from Seattle-based O Ecotextiles.

The Elegant Garage Sale is well on its way to being made famous by Samantha Pynn, style editor of Style at Home and host of HGTV’s “Pure Design.” She features furniture finds from the store on almost every episode of her show; each piece has been made over by her team and looks absolutely incredible! Along with furniture, the store also features small accessories and artwork. As with any consignment shop, you need to go often to score real finds, and you need to look beyond a piece’s existing upholstery/colour/condition for the most part to see what it can become. But that’s the thrill of the makeover!

Happy hunting!

Redrawn, 616 Mount Pleasant Rd., Toronto, 416-487-1030; www.redrawn.ca

The Elegant Garage Sale, 1588 Bayview Ave., Toronto, 416-322-9744

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Do you have a pretty product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!

margot austin on martha stewart’s blog

Guest post by Style at Home’s senior design editor Margot Austin:

I`ll admit it. I have a Google Alert set for my name. It`s fun to see where mentions pop up. Funny thing is, often the mentions refer to Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos, a band that often plays Austin, Tex, or Margot Austin, author of children`s books like A Friend for Growl Bear. But yesterday it was all me. This very Margot Austin got a mention on The Martha Blog. Yes, THE Martha. Here`s a play-by-play of how it all came to pass.

martha stewart blog1 margot austin on martha stewarts blog
It all started on Thurs, when I got the call that I would have 7-10 minutes to interview Martha Stewart that Saturday. Only 2 other media outlets would be given similar access. Yay! Martha came to Toronto last Saturday to take in Canada Blooms and promote her new product line at Home Depot. Here are the highlights:

1 My hands and nails were a mess from weeks of painting and DIY projects. Did a quick home manicure Friday night. As I was backing out of my driveway Sat, saw at least 3 nails were already chipped. Drat. Thank goodness it was very pale nail polish (plus we all know Martha has worker hands so I thought she might not notice).

2 Couldn`t decide what to wear. Decided on my red jacket and blue and white striped T — Springy and nautical.  On my way out the door realized there were pen marks on the jacket. YIKES!  Quick change. Not happy with final choice (boo).

3 My curls are unruly. Sat was a very bad hair day. (boo)

4 There was a major entourage: about 5 PR people, plus a few people from Home Depot.

5 Martha`s handshake is the fingers-only kind. Weird. Ladylike but firm.

6 Tested my tape recorder many times before entering the interview. Worked fine. Sat down in the room. Pressed Record. It just beeped and wouldn`t work. She was in full sell mode — talking talking talking before I even asked a question. I actually said excuse me and admitted the recording trouble. No luck. Then she gave me the classic Martha scold: “I guess you`re just going to have to take notes.” I smiled, shrugged, apologized and started writing immediately!

7 I felt I was just getting started when a PR rep said “One more question.” GAH!

8 We ended the discussion on paint. It was when she mentioned Francesca — a colour named for one of her French bulldogs — that our true bonding began. We talked paint for a few seconds and then went right to the important stuff: our mutual love of Frenchies. Here`s a pic of her Francesca and my Lulu — cuties, no?

martha stewart blog2 margot austin on martha stewarts blog

9 I gave her the Sept 2007 STYLE AT HOME and showed her the pic of Lulu in the story on my kitchen reno. Not only did she love the shot and my pup, but she also loved my kitchen. Martha loved my kitchen!

martha stewart blog3 margot austin on martha stewarts blog
martha stewart blog4 margot austin on martha stewarts blog
10 I politely pushed my way through the throng of people waiting for her to speak on the main stage and made my way to the media platform. How was Martha`s presentation? Meh. But I still love her — oh, and did I mention that she loves my kitchen?

Learn more about my chat with Martha in upcoming issues of STYLE AT HOME. Needless to say I`ll be spending hours with all the paint chips, but here are my other favourites from Martha`s new line at Home Depot:

martha stewart blog5 margot austin on martha stewarts blog1 Baluster lamp $99. Lovely cerused finish, great scale.
2 Regency fountain, $169.99. Love the simplicity.
3 Fretwork outdoor rug, $119. One of these for my deck please!
4 Ribbed glass 3-in-1 convertible pendant, $59.99. Classic vintage look and adaptable to different ceiling heights. Nice.

garant decorative planters

garantgreen garant decorative planters

garantgold garant decorative planters

garantbrown garant decorative planters

garantrust garant decorative planters

Maybe not warm enough yet in your part of the country to plant seeds outdoors? Start them in Garant’s Enviro Eden Collection planters.

The planters contain 80% durable and renewable materials, including bamboo and rice. Planted, they last for at least three years; discarded and placed in the ground, they biodegrade and turn into compost.

They come in four attractive colours that would look great indoors and fantastic in any garden — Cilantro, Goldenrod, Persimmon and Mocha — and two sizes, 6″ and 9″ in diameter.

Available at gardening centres and hardware stores across Canada.

Price: from $4 each

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Do you have a pretty product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!

the passionate eye

Ever dreamed of escaping from it all and building an eco-home far from the madding crowd? Well, that’s what a number of people decided to do when the town of Craik, Sask., offered up half-acre building lots for $1, with the only caveat being that the homes had to be built from scratch and the residents live off the grid with no town services.

Check out what ensued Wednesday at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) on The Passionate Eye on CBC News Network in “Eco-Home Adventures.”

It’s a tale of optimism, bad weather, enduring love, naiveté, failed romance, cynicism, more bad weather, a town that didn’t know what it was getting into and people who had grossly underestimated what they had taken on.

In short, a whopping good tale that will have you shaking your head with disbelief and promising yourself you’ll do way more research if you ever head down a similar road…

Narrated by Canadian actor and Saskatchewan native Eric Peterson.

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Do you have a pretty product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!

window shopping: blue dining chairs

As my Style Statement on the last page of the hot-off-the-press May issue of Style at Home (our Colour special!), I chose an iconic Danish dining chair that’s been reimagined in a totally trendy colourway: a rich, cerulean blue. It didn’t strike me until afterwards that it’s actually rather rare to come across dining chairs in this hue. Sage greens, yellows and saturated reds, yes; but true-blues (I’m not counting those anemic pale-grey-blues) are only starting to rock the dining room. Let’s take a look at five of my fave options on the market…

I positively adore Camilla House’s bentwood-style bistro chair. In vintage French blue, the Camargue chair’s deliciously authentic looking cane seat and slightly distressed paint conspire to give it that instant heirloom appeal.

camillahouse window shopping: blue dining chairs

Joining the Crate and Barrel lineup this spring is the beechwood  Village side chair in this lovely Azzuro Blue option. Love the vertical slat back — relaxed country, without being corn-cob.

picture 33 window shopping: blue dining chairs

Venturing into style-for-less territory — which in this case, happens to border industrial chic — we’ve got IKEA’s Jules visitor chair; an absolute steal at only $50 a pop.

picture 53 window shopping: blue dining chairs

Pretty in PVC! Another fab find from Camilla House Imports — the Pop Louis chair has contemporary fun with a traditional frame.

picture 12 window shopping: blue dining chairs

And I know I said this bit of Window Shopping would only deal with rich, saturated blues, but Bungalow 5′s Chloe armchair in light blue lacquer was just too pretty to exclude… The chic Chinoiserie frame looks positively dreamy in that shade of blue.

picture 111 window shopping: blue dining chairs

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colourful bodum small appliances

bodum colourful bodum small appliancesSomewhere, over the rainbow … small appliances come in fabulously bright colours! In celebration of spring and the freakishly nice weather we’ve been having in Toronto, I want to share these vibrant tech picks from Bodum. You may know the company for the glass coffee mugs that are everywhere, but they’re also brilliant at making small kitchen appliances and gadgets.

I fell in love with these colourful beauties and could definitely see them gracing the countertop of my new home — no need to hide them in cupboards!

The Colour Collection from Bodum available at bodumusa.com.

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