Design & Decor Blog

travel in style

by Natalie DiScala
Jan 7, 2009
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I recently had the opportunity to visit India. Have you ever been? To say it was a life-changing experience would be an understatement. India, as its tourism slogan states, is incredible.

But my journey there first involved a stop in Belgium and after the unexpected and devastating terror attacks in Mumbai, I went on to Shanghai. Over the next few days, I`m going to share some of the experience with you, and in keeping with the theme of this blog, showcase some of the beautiful hotels I stayed at along the way. If you, like me, love beautifully designed hotels, check out our Hotel Style section for ideas and inspiration.

The entire trip, I flew business class on Jet Airways. Wow! I had never experienced anything like this before. Jet Airways` business class service is so deluxe, it makes a 12-hour flight seem too short! Check out the seats, pictured left. Each seat is private and features a television screen and lots of room for you to get comfortable. The best part is that the seats turn into completely lie-flat beds. This was a first for me and was an unforgettable experience. The flight attendants were the friendliest and most attentive I`d ever encountered and I know I`ll be flying with Jet Airways again. They made the experience very, very special.

OK, so my first stop was Belgium. I stayed at The Dominican, a luxury hotel in the heart of Brussels, just steps away from the Grand Place and a short walk from the Brussels Central Railway Station. The rooms here, as you can see from the photos, are luxe and decadent, the perfect place to relax after a long flight. There are 150 guestrooms and suites here and the contemporary design is rich and luxurious. It`s a beautiful marriage of old-world Europe and modern design. Intimate and elegant, this hotel was a real treat!

The bathroom was possibly my favourite part! The weather was very cold while I was visiting (lots of rain,Â sleet and snow!) and I looked forward to long hot showers to warm up! Marble and stone in muted shades of black, brown and grey, complement each other wonderfully in this space and create a calming, zen-like environment.

THE DOMINICAN
Rue LÃ©opold / Leopoldstraat 9
1000, Brussels, Belgium

dress up your walls

by Brett Walther
Jan 7, 2009
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wallpaperdresses dress up your walls These fab frocks aren’t destined for any catwalk… They’re crafted from wallpaper! The clever cut-out confections are part of York Wallcoverings‘ drool-worthy display at the Heimtextil 2009 home textile trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany. Which one is your fave?Â

From left:

Flocked Floral in Black on Cream, Candice Olson II Collection (CX1304)

Selene Glass Bead Scroll on Teal, Bella Rosa Collection, Antonina Vella Designs (LS6156)

Carla in Purple With Metallic Silver, Francesca Collection, Antonina Vella Designs (TX5392)

Price: From approximately $88 US per single roll

Available at: Ontario Paint & Wallpaper, Toronto, 416-362-5127.

10 things to do in january

by Natalie DiScala
Jan 6, 2009
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The craziness of the holidays is behind us now. I don`t know about you but my December was frenzied. So I`m happy to welcome the slower, more civilized pace that January brings. But I don`t need to come to a complete halt either. If you`re looking for easy, practical things to do around the house this month, you should check out our story, 10 things to do in January, written by styleathome.com contributor Carmen Taylor. I`ll give you a sneak preview, but to read the rest, click here.

1 Review presents and hostess gifts
Of course your friends and family love you and were grateful for your hospitality, but no doubt you don’t really need all the tokens of affection you received. Surely someone else could make better use of that collection of tea, those pot holders or that picture frame? Hold on to what you love, by all means, but get rid of the rest by dropping it off at Goodwill, Value Village or your favourite charity.

2 Tapers, tea lights, scented …
Candles make the season and since you’ve probably gone through a whack of them, replace your stock now. They don’t have a shelf life so it’ll be one less thing to shop for next year.

3 Move the furniture
You may be surprised what you find there. Take the cushions off sofas and chairs, vacuum along the wall behind the furniture and then turn your attention to the inside of the furniture itself. After the hosting you’ve done, no doubt it needs it.

Image courtesy of Crate and Barrel

reusable cotton produce bag

by Laurie Grassi
Jan 5, 2009
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ecosac reusable cotton produce bag

Aren’t these reusable mesh bags fabulous? Buy a few, take them with you to the grocery store for your produce and never again use those flimsy plastic bags that just get tossed in the garbage later.

They have a drawstring for easy closure, checkout clerks can see what’s in them, and they’re made in Canada of 100% washable cotton. What’s not to love?

Price: from $5 each (small)

Available: check out www.credobags.com for stores and online retailers

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

stop the press: waterford wedgwood bankrupt

by Brett Walther
Jan 5, 2009
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What a horrible start to the new year… I actually felt sick when I heard rumours this morning, and an Associated Press story confirmed my worst fears this afternoon. Waterford Wedgwood has just filed for bankruptcy protection… This comes in the iconic china and crystal maker’s 250th anniversary year, and sets a terrible tone for the year ahead. If Waterford Wedgwood â€” a name that epitomized quality and style for two and a half centuries â€” couldn’t survive this global recession, what’s around the corner? It’s been suggested that the lines may continue under new owners, but it almost certainly spells the end of Waterford Wedgwood’s British manufacturing plants. So sad…

updating my kitchen backsplash

by Natalie DiScala
Jan 5, 2009
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Happy New Year! I hope each and every one of you enjoyed a wonderful holiday. I know I did. But it never ceases to amaze me how quickly it goes by. It seems like Christmas Eve was just yesterday and now it`s January 5 and I`m back at work. Boy, I hope this winter goes by fast!

So, I don`t know how many of you made new year`s resolutions this year — you know, those dirty little promises we tend to make and break? While personal resolutions are private, we asked the Style at Home staff about their around-the-house resolutions for 2009. You can read about them here.

My around-the-house resolution is to finally get around to updating the backsplash in my kitchen. I hate the one that`s there and I dream of something more striking like glass, which can be illuminated beautifully with under cabinetry lighting. I was originally thinking of one-inch by one-inch glass tiles but then I saw this backsplash (pictured here), which is also quite lovely. This is from New York-based Grayglass. Grayglass will custom-make glass backsplashes with coloured and patterned glass, according to their clients` specifications. Ooh! The options! Now I can`t decide what I want to do. But it`s only January; I have time, right?

If you`re thinking of doing a kitchen renovation this year, check out our kitchen section; it`s full of helpful ideas for creating your dream kitchen.

sleep therapy pillow

by Lauren McPhillips
Dec 22, 2008
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As much as I love the holiday season, it can also be an incredibly stressful time. Work is busy, the shops are busy, weekends are busy — it always seems as though there’s no time to relax. In my case, this leads to grumpiness, and nobody likes a Scrooge.

Check out this great pillow from Sound Oasis. Designed like a regular pillow, the SleepTherapy Pillow SP-150 has little speakers stuffed inside that allow you to listen to your favourite tunes or relaxation sounds while you drift off to zzzzzz-land. With a standard earphone plug, you can hook the speakers up to a CD player, MP3 (it worked with my iPod) or TV system, and the speakers are so thin that you don’t feel them at all (they are also removable so that you can machine-wash the pillow).

Whether you want to fall asleep to the guitars of Led Zeppelin or to the soothing sounds of waves crashing against the shore, this pillow is fantastic for easing you into relaxation mode (and just in time for Christmas Day when you need a quick catnap!).

Price: $50 US

Available from: Sound Oasis, soundoasis.com.

steve jensen murano glass

by Brett Walther
Dec 17, 2008
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muranoglassware steve jensen murano glass In the February 2009 issue of STYLE AT HOME â€” subscribers already have this in their hot little hands! â€” I’ve featured the gorgeous Murano glass designs of Steve Jensen in our Home & Style column. I had the opportunity to meet Steve himself at the gorgeousÂ Joan Eiley showroom a few months back, and found his passion for the thousand-year-old art of Murano glassmaking absolutely contagious. It truly is one of those situations in which the story behind a product is as beautiful as the design itself!Â

DID YOU KNOW…

* In the 13th century, glass production moved to the island of Murano to protect Venice from glass furnace fires, and to safeguard the secrets of the Murano ‘maestros’.

* Trainees in the technique of Murano had to live on the island for the rest of their lives, allowing them to hone their skills.

* Gas bills for Murano glassmaking furnaces are now upwards of $300,000 a month â€” hence the hefty price tag.

* During the Austrian occupation of Venice in the 19th century, Murano glass production came crashing to a halt, so as not to compete with the Austrians’ own Bohemian glass empire.Â

* Aventurine is a form of Murano glass spun with gold.

Fascinating stuff!

Photography by Tracy Cox

Orchidea 22-inch candlesticks in Carnelian, 32-inch Marco Polo lamp in Gold with parchment shade

Price: Collection starts from $1,020

Available at: Joan Eiley, Toronto, 416-968-0778

samantha pynn says…

by Brett Walther
Dec 17, 2008
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041h7117 samantha pynn says... Samantha Pynn is back at STYLE AT HOME, having wrapped the first successful season of Pure Design on HGTV, and she’s laying down the law on holiday decorating!Â Just how long is it acceptable to leave those holiday lights strung up? Samantha gives her opinion on HGTV’s Question Of The Week!

seven heavenly tea cups

by Brett Walther
Dec 17, 2008
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teaset seven heavenly tea cups Have you visited Etsy yet? It’s an online community of artisans â€” a bizarre bazaar, perhaps? (I’ve always wanted to use that phrase!) â€” and a fantastic source of unique gifts. While prowling the site the other day, my friend Jenn came across the Etsy space of New Zealand artist Trixie Delicious who takes vintage china and reworks it in totally irreverent and unexpected ways that she calls “Vandalized Vintage”. These adorable tea cups and saucers are frumpy Crown Lynn pieces from the 1960s adorned with seven heavenly virtues in heat-fused ceramic paint. So fun! A word of warning, though â€” some of the content on Trixie Delicious’s Etsy page runs a little on the racy side, so I’m gonna have to slap a PG-13 on this one.