Style & Decor Blog

We’re all about democratic design here at Style at Home!

Here are the two contenders for the cover of our upcoming April issue (the Small Spaces special)…

Click here to cast your vote, and check newsstands in early March to see the winner!

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The wait is over…

Transcontinental Media has just named Erin McLaughlin the new editor-in-chief of Style at Home (and my new boss!). Formerly the editor of Canadian Home & Country magazine, Erin will be EIC for both Style at Home and our sister gardening magazine, Canadian Gardening. Welcome on board, Erin!

Take a peek inside our new editor’s home!

I’m horning in on Mr. Sleuth’s territory one more time to give you my final wrap up on IDS10, held in Toronto last weekend. First up are my top three picks of the show.

No. 3 The Giant Steel Pinecone. I’m a bit of a nut for a great chunk of yard art and when you combine that with my belief in the pinecone as nature’s perfect accessory, well, this thing has can’t lose written all over it.

No. 2 Well, it was love at first sight when I met her Thurs. night at the gala as you know, and she’s one of the main reasons this booth — Lightform/Metalarte — was an award winner (more on that later in the post). Still love her, miss her…

No. 1 Oh my, it’s as if this was custom designed for me. Thanks Tristan Zimmermann of Science + Sons. So, here’s the deal: it’s called Radio Canada and it allows CBC Radio-addicted householders (that’s me) to switch from Radio 1 to Radio 2 without moving an old school dial through static (if you’re thinking digital tuning and presets already solved this, well, you just aren’t one of us, so skip along now). As a bonus it has MP3 player capacity for when Jonathan Goldstein is on. Anyhoo, this baby is a prototype so click on over to Science + Sons and sign up for the news on when production will begin.

I caught lots of inspiring speakers, including the PechaKucha — loved that! Met the super talented Ingrid Abramovitch and got a behind the covers tour of what it’s like to be the author of a stunning new book, Restoring a House in the City. V. JEALOUS!  Another highlight was being on the judging panel to distribute the design awards for booths at the show. I breezed in there thinking it would take 30 minutes, but more than 3 hours later I was still debating and assessing with fellow judges. I selected in the 400 sq ft booth category but didn’t hesitate to pressure fellow judges into going with my faves in their categories, too, ’cause that’s just the kind of girl I am.

Here come da judges (we even had official IDS clipboards). From left, John Tong of 3rd UNCLE Design, moi, Clayton Budd of 64th and Queen Design Agency.

For me, the challenge came down to which is most important: the product, the installation, the signage or the layout?? Well, I decided to go with product first, ’cause without that, the rest is gravy. So, I chose Lightform/Metalarte (see  lamp above) and Lema as my winners. Lema had just the most beautiful closet fittings I have ever seen. And the stylist in me loved the black paper suit jackets hanging in their closets. One simple idea to elevate the whole presentation.

Boo, this pic isn’t doing Lema justice, but it’s the best I can find.

See you at IDS11, Jan 27-30, 2011. Thanks Mr. Sleuth. - Guest blogger and STYLE AT HOME senior design editor Margot Austin signing out.

Aerial photography has never had much appeal for me. Sure, I can understand its commercial angle, shooting industry and farms from a bird’s eye view for promotional (and prestige) purposes, but I’ve never really seen it as art - until I met Louis Helbig at the One of a Kind Show a few weeks back. The Ottawa-based aerial photographer takes professional aerial photos that are available to purchase as high-quality prints from $200 each. And did I mention they’re stunning?!

Take a look at his portfolio…

Louis says he just happened to be at the right place at the right time to capture the beautifully curling wake of this boat, pulling a tight turn on a glassy lake.

Don’t you sometimes wish it could be fall 365 days a year?

Such beautiful colours. Those are little seagulls!

Makes me a bit homesick…

I asked Louis if he went up in the plane knowing what he was going to shoot, and he said just about all the images happen by chance - shots that are just “made” by the perfect light, shadow and arrangement of subjects.

Check out Louis Helbig’s full portfolio at:

Louis Helbig Aerial Photography, Ottawa, 613-263-0264

A huge thank you (and happy holidays!) to everyone who stopped by to see Karl Lohnes, Jane Franscisco and me at the Seasons Christmas Show at the International Centre in Toronto yesterday. We had a total blast throughout the day, and really loved the chance to chat with everyone one-on-one after our seminars.

The gorgeous Toronto Star Stage (above), which we took over for our seminars, was decked out in the latest and greatest from Woodbridge, Ontario’s Zilli Home Interiors, and styled by none other than Jane Lockhart. I’m so upset I don’t have any tighter shots, as Jane did a fantastic job pulling together a lovely dining vignette – a lovely backdrop for our holiday decorating and entertaining projects.

Jane and Karl didn’t send me the memo about dressing appropriately, though… I’ll be sure to bring my Santa cap next year!

You officially have Style At Home’s blessing to begin decorating for the holidays… The Seasons Christmas Show is here!

Tomorrow - Sunday, November 22 - is Style At Home Day at the Seasons Christmas Show at the International Centre in Toronto: your one-stop shop for holiday decorating and entertaining. Catch me live on the Toronto Star stage at noon, with my colleagues Karl Lohnes following at 2PM, and editor-in-chief Jane Francisco at 4PM.  Check out the full roster of stylish seminars here. I’ll be demonstrating some luxe-for-less DIY dressings for the dining table, and how to get top-notch festive decor out of your next trip to the grocery store!

Hope to see you there!

Yanic Simard definitely falls on my list of “ones to watch”. As the principal of the Toronto Interior Design Group, Yanic’s work on a model home in Stouffville, Ont., graced the pages of our September issue, and left us hungry for more of his thoughtful, bright and airy interiors… Here are some of my fave spaces from this fresh face on the Canadian design scene…

Check out this custom walnut dining table… Like a fresh take on the waterfall table, but in wood.

Recognize this room? It was featured in both the September issue of Style At Home and on CityLine.

Iconic pieces, stunning in their simplicity.

There’s no excuse showing up for work looking disheveled with a bathroom like this at home…

Love this pendant…

So dreamy and elegant…

Want some more? Take a look at Yanic’s amazing portfolio here.

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As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, I’d choose the north shore of Lake Erie over the Muskokas for my slice of summer heaven any day, and here’s another reason why.

Nestled along the base of a hill in the picturesque beach town of Turkey Point, Ontario, this dream cottage is currently listed on MLS at only $429,000. Bonkers!

The landscaping of the 1,350-square-foot home is lush and brilliant (yes, that IS a palm tree in the foreground!), and the wraparound porch is almost too sweet to be true.

And – a rarity for many vacation homes at this price point – it’s move-in ready inside. In keeping with the beach setting, the decorating is light, bright and airy. I love the under-stair built-in storage!

Love the robin’s egg finish on the kitchen cabinets, as well. And the full contingent of stainless steel appliances might just make your backyard barbeques a thing of the past.

All this, plus three bedrooms! What a gem…

Check out the full MLS listing here!

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Austin Parkway public beach access, Long Point, Ont.

The August issue of STYLE AT HOME will be hitting newsstands this weekend (yay!), and the theme of the issue is “Simple Summer” – gorgeous summer getaways and easy, breezy outdoor living. 

Last weekend, I had the chance to ditch the sweltering urban heat island (I’m so not a fan of Toronto in the summer!) and escaped to my own slice of heaven – Long Point.

Long Point is a 40-kilometre sandspit that juts from southwestern Ontario into the warm waters of Lake Erie, and has been my summer getaway since I was a kid. Wide, sandy beaches, lined with whispering poplars that glint like silver in the summer sun, and an unpretentious atmosphere among the cottagers who have a real passion for the place… Regional Road 59 takes you down the fascinating Causeway, flanked on either side by marshes teeming with turtles and birds (over 300 species fly through Long Point through the year), and terminates at the Provincial Park – the fourth oldest park in the province. 

One of my fave activities on the Point, of course, is to go dream cottage shopping. I’ve always loved this buttery-yellow beachfront property, which sold two summers ago for a prince’s ransom (I’d heard $750,000, but that’s local gossip talking).

Why do I love it? It’s a combination of knockout location, with a modest, charming design that doesn’t take away from the splendour of the landscape (Long Point is recognized as a United Nations World Biosphere).

The most famous property on the Point, however, has got to be the Old Cut Lighthouse.

Built in 1879, the three-storey fort-style beacon with a fascinating history is now a private residence, lovingly restored. The renovation actually won a number of awards, including “Most Outstanding Historical Renovation in Ontario”. Isn’t the fence awesome?!

I’ve always wanted to see inside, and a little websleuthing brought up these tasty snaps. You can also see the shabby state the lighthouse was in towards the end of the 1990s… The transformation is nothing short of stunning!

Sometimes a picture just speaks for itself.

A brilliant azure sky, soft pink rhododendrons (they grow like weeds throughout Copenhagen!), and the vivid cyan of a tarnished bronze statue conspire to form a lasting impression in the King’s Gardens at the heart of Copenhagen.

The King’s Gardens, Copenhagen