Style & Decor Blog

Catch the clip of my latest CityLine gig here!

I always feel bad for the carnation… It’s easily the most detested cut flower on the market, and it’s such a shame seeing as how they’re so inexpensive and so hardy. This particular arrangement can last about two weeks with proper care.

I was seriously impressed with Tracy’s floral arranging skills… I think she has a secret calling in the floral design field!

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Catch CityLine today to see me teach host Tracy Moore how to make a quick and inexpensive floral arrangement!

What do Steven & Chris, Peter Fallico and the Suzanne Dimma all have in common?

Now household names across the country, they all got their start on hit shows produced by WestWind Pictures on HGTV.

Here’s the exciting bit… You now have a chance to join their ranks, with WestWind Pictures and HGTV Canada’s new hunt for the Next Big Design Star!

Canadidates have one month to produce a maximum 2-minute video to display their design savvy. The video must have a short intro with the candidate’s biographical details, and then maybe a quick do-it yourself project, or a design-on-a-dime idea. Throw out all the stops and wow the team with your energy, personality and talent (think Mary Tyler Moore show opening credits!), then email the compressed video file to the folks at WestWind by clicking here.

After the November 27th deadline, 20 to 30 of the best entries will be selected, and finalists will be contacted in early December for a live screen test.

Good luck!

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My fave master of reinvention is at it again!

Eddie Ross, whose fantabulous flea market makeovers were subject to my STYLE AT HOME feature earlier this year, hit the airwaves in the States last night with HGTV’s Halloween Block Party. In the one-off special, Eddie takes the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and applies the aesthetic to a neighbourhood home with delightfully creepy results… Check out the before & after!

BEFORE…

AFTER!

Check out Eddie’s amazing work on the interior here!

No word yet on whether or not HGTV Canada will be airing the special… I’ve dropped them a line to check, and will keep you posted! Fingers crossed… Eddie tells me there might even be a STYLE AT HOME cameo at one point during the program… So citing!

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Did I just hear someone utter “fabulous”?

The hiatus is officially over!

Starting January 4, 2010, Steven Sabados and Chris Hyndman are returning to CBC-TV with their eponymous lifestyle show, Steven and Chris.

The guys have spent their summer hiatus traveling the country and abroad, researching the latest trends in lifestyle, decor, food and fashion, and have returned fresh and eager to share their experiences with viewers. First up is a Holiday Special in December, followed by their weekday show in January.

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In case you missed it… Here’s my last gig on CityLine.

Click HERE to watch!

On CityLine tomorrow morning, I’ll be showing host Tracy Moore how to fold a napkin to create a pretty pocket for cutlery. Here are the step-by-step instructions!

Shot on my Flip Video MinoHD video camera!

With the premiere of Pure Design’s sophomore season on HGTV on Tuesday, September 29  at 9PM, Samantha Pynn returns to the small screen to deliver another shot of sustainable style.

What can we expect from round two of Pure Design?

“Our interiors are really awesome this year,” Samantha says. “The spaces are really tailor-made for the homeowners this season, ranging from the most traditional to ultramodern.” And that “liveability” is important, she says. “They’re the ones who have to live in the space, so they have to be happy!”

I weaseled an invite down to the Pure Design Production Office to take a peek inside Samantha’s world of beautiful before-and-after transformations, only to find that her office itself was subject to the makeover maven’s magic wand.

“Before,” says Sam, “this office was really cold and the colour was wrong.” She’s hard pressed to put a name to the hue that adorned the walls – “let’s call it ‘beige’” – and the outdated office fittings were anything but inspiring. “The 1980s ‘working girl’ desk gave me the chills, and we could never find anything – it was a state of complete disorganization.”

But armed with her inimitable style – and some fantastic finds from IKEA – Samantha brought order to chaos.

BEFORE… “Very dingy and damp-feeling”

AFTER!

“I think you can tell this space is very ‘me’!” says Samantha.

A crisp coat of Benjamin Moore’s Dune White CC-70 set the stage for Samantha’s office refresher, and by laying down gorgeous copper-tone seagrass carpet from Carpet One Floor & Home, the room shed all vestiges of its cold, institutional vibe. A new boardroom table flanked by IKEA’s contemporary classic Tobias chairs makes for an inviting meeting space that Samantha’s reluctant to take full credit for. “Pure Design Senior Stylist Malcolm Patterson helped me design the space,” she says. “He balanced my feminine style with some midcentury modern pieces from IKEA.”

And in keeping with Samantha’s environmentally-conscious approach, the old office furnishings found new homes at other offices in the building instead of ending up on the scrapheap.

BEFORE…

AFTER!

The production office is home to Samantha and six of her staff, but everyone’s got ample workspace in the new layout, thanks to new desks (in actuality, four Melltorp dining tables pushed together to form one gigantic worktop), and rolling under-desk filing cabinets from IKEA. The table lamps are from IKEA as well, but Samantha customized them by mixing-and-matching the lamp base with a different shade. “It’s always good to put your own spin on a piece,” she says. “Make it your own!”

The walls are lined with Samantha’s inspiration boards, complete with tears from her favourite photos from Style At Home magazine. The boards themselves are upholstered in pretty lavender fabric from Robert Allen. “I love how the lavender works with the apple green and pink accents in the room,” she says. “I wanted it to feel like a floral arrangement come to life.”

To create privacy without sacrificing natural light, Samantha selected translucent window treatments from Hunter Douglas Canada. Below the windows, acrylic trays from IKEA ensure fabric swatches stay neat and tidy – and save time when Samantha’s hunting for a particular sample, as the clear acrylic means all swatches are visible without having to dig.

Unfinished magazine boxes and filing drawers from IKEA were painted a perky apple green – another case of Samantha putting her personal stamp on mass market merch.

Adjacent to the conference table is this sweet little lounge. I love the Karlstad sofa from IKEA in this Linneryd Natural-colour slipcover, which is paired with the Vejmon coffee table – repainted, of course, this time in Benjamin Moore’s Violet Mist CC-880. Eagle-eyed Samantha fans will recognize the pink tufted chair from her own home, featured in Style At Home back in June 2008. Pretty patterned pillows break up the solid, softly-hued upholstery and add a hint of romance.

And those gorgeous floral arrangements that are among Samantha’s trademark flourishes? “One of our producers has a beautiful cutting garden,” Samantha says. “We always have fresh flowers here at the office.”

You’ll see more of Samantha’s office in Season Two of Pure Design!

Premiering Tuesday, September 29  at 9PM, HGTV

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It’s that time again…

(Me, Style At Home editor-in-chief Jane Francisco, contributing decorating editor Kimberley Seldon and CityLine host Tracy Moore)

Join me, Kimberley Seldon and special guest Samantha Pynn (I’m SO cited to finally be on-air with my old partner in crime!) on the Tuesday, September 29 episode of CityLine. I’ll be setting the table for harvest brunch, and adding to the overall mayhem that’s bound to ensue when you get the three of us together… Can’t WAIT!!!

Here’s one of the plates I’m using in my tablescape… SO dreamy!

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Set your VCR/Tivo or prepare to call in sick… 

Join Kimberley Seldon, Style At Home’s new editor-in-chief Jane Francisco and yours truly on CityLine, airing at 9AM (EST) on Tuesday, July 28!

In this ep, Kimberley talks railings and outdoor furniture, while Jane adds a Price Is Right-style twist to Style At Home’s ever-popular High/Low column. I’m on-hand to share some tips and tricks on easy, breezy summer table settings, and some must-have Scandinavian lines that are heating up the tabletop.

Be there!