ART

I have been working on 2 fun projects with the best clients ever!  I can't wait to share the pictures of their homes.  I also had my new home professionally photographed by Redhanded Photography.  Can't wait to share those too!  My dear Debbie and I have been tirelessly coming up with new systems for tracking expenses, book keeping and all around managing the office.  I think we are succeeding.  I recently provided a detailed expense sheet  for a client almost effortlessly!  Its not a secret that sometimes creative people can be a little unorganized or not really ontop of the money part of the project.  I haven't been able to afford to not stay on top of it, but we are much more efficient now!

Ive been putting the final touches on the current rooms I am designing.  Often the final touches include art.  My house is completely full of art from Homesense.  What great value!  As soon as I have a chance though, I am going to add to my collection with some original art by my friend Stephanie of Lulu and Drew.

Enough of all the jibjab.   I know you want pictures... ideas!

This is the picture on the from of my facebook page.  It just makes me happy.  The arrangement above the bed is great.  Very A-symmetrical.  Very textured and interesting.

This picture showcases an amazing collection

This one is much more symmetrical, but just as effective.

This one is a display I had in my previous home:

I love this display surrounding a TV.  TV's are not the prettiest features of our homes, but if your husband is like mine:  the bigger the better.  We just have to make it work.  This home owner took the attention right away from it.  I love it!

This is really interesting.  A show stopper.  Would be lots of work to do, but well worth it.

The purpose of the art below is to fill a very large space above a very short headboard.  I just think it misses the mark.  I think the spaces between the pictures are too big, and they don't connect. You should usually keep the gap between the pieces 2 to 2.5 inches.

If you have a piece of art that may be too small for a wall, and hang it low enough, it makes it almost look connected to what is underneath it.!  One of the most common mistakes a home owner can make, is hanging their art too high!!!  One designer has said that 63" on center above the floor is a perfect viewing height for most pieces.  I think that you should be able to look right into the centre of the art.

Now how do you hang these puzzles on the wall?  Here is what I did in my office:  I laid it out on the floor and arranged it how I wanted it.  Then I take scrap paper and make them the size of the pictures.   Use painters tape to attach the paper to the wall.  Get it just how you want it.  You can mark on the paper exactly where the nail should go.  Then you can nail right through the paper, make sure the picture is right where you want it, and then tear the paper down.

Two very fun trends right now - both on the same wall!  Ive always turned my nose up when my husband suggested hanging something he'd shot on our wall.  Now he's a bit bitter its so fashionable and I want to consider it again.

I have been searching endlessly for some art to fill some very specific spaces for 2 different clients.  I have been looking at

All Posters online.  They have an endless selection, and it is very good value for your money.  They ship in just a couple of days.  I just bought some frames from Homesense, took out the art, and I am replacing it with the posters I bought online.  You can also commision a local artist to paint the perfect piece!

Here is a fun idea if you are thinking of creating something yourself.  A butterfly punch and a bunch of scrapbooking paper.  Voila!

I absolutely love this one.  Scrap pieces of fabric stretched over embroidery looms!  Brilliant!

I have to be honest:  I almost didn't share this one.  Thought I would be selfish and keep it all to myself!  But alas I love you all too much.  This is the cutest thing ever.  Scan in your kids' art, and then print them out in a thumbprint format.  I just love it.

And last but not least:  Wall decals.  They are so fun.  This is one of my favorites.  It describes my boys perfectly.  When choosing a wall decal, choose wisely.  Some can be pretty tacky.  Try Urban Walls.  A few of my friends know the owner of this growing business.  She is a very stylish person and makes amazing wall decals!

On to other things....

Just another quick peak of a major reno I worked on in North Vancouver.  This awesome family added a third floor into their home and lived to tell about it (barely) Ha!

The bed is Stylus and the night stands are my favorite - from Redford House.

Im just waiting for the pics of my new house, and I'll be sure to share.  So stay tuned for my next post!

See ya

Lisa

New Year, New Staff, New Proceedures

There are a few exciting things happening in Grapevine Furniture & Design this year!  We are growing and expanding.  Our new office is being well used and thoroughly enjoyed.  Debbie Veronesi has joined my team as my office manager.  She has agreed to take on the daunting task!  I am married to a CA, and I can tell you that my business is very complex when it comes to tracking the ins and outs of this office!  Together we have come up with new proceedures for book keeping, ordering, managing trades, quotes and keeping the client well informed!  I have felt chained to my desk instead of doing what I do best - designing.  That is all changing now thanks to Debbie.  We are now invoicing the first and middle of each month.  We have a new letter for clients, trades and a new mission statement:

At Grapevine Furniture & Design we offer our clients great value on furniture & accessory purchases and design services.  We rely on
experience, expertise and true integrity to complete projects with consistently pleasing results.

I am getting around to taking pictures of completed projects and hope to show you those soon.  One such room is this family room.  The client was excellent a knowing what she wanted and scouting out Homesense regularily.  I helped her with the built in furniture on either side of the fireplace from Coastal Woodcrafters.  The comfy sofa and ottoman are from Moss Studio.  This sofa is feather filled and super comfortable.  I also comes in a slipcover that allows you to wash the cover - which is brilliant, especially if you have young kids!  The tables are from Redford House.  One of my favorite new suppliers!



 

Here is another piece that I love from Redford House:



 

I wanted to talk to you about a major trend that Ive been noticing.  The "retro-trend" has been happening for years now, but I am really noticing it more.  Especially with 60's design.  I recently had the priveledge to visit a famous home built in the 50s and 60s.  It has been preserved in its original state and I was shocked to see many elements that we are seeing in contemporary design today:

This chair for instance.  Straight out of the past, but a total  current design that we would see in contemporary homes today.

This light was installed in probably the 60s.  It is so similar to something I just put in my new home.  Plus if you notice the wallpaper:  It is in a chevron pattern, which is so popular now.  And the paper is on the ceiling.  This is something that aparently was quite common back in the day.  I just wallpapered the ceiling of my dining room!





The picture above is from the most recent edition of House Beautiful.  I think my new favorite magazine!  I just love the feeling of most of the rooms they feature.  The room above is just screaming 60's.  But I love it!

 

This week I have set up an account with a new fabric supplier that has a great selection of quality fabrics and an excellent price point.  I also have discovered a new outdoor furniture supplier:



I continue to have great success with another of my suppliers of higher end outdoor furniture.  Their quality is unsurpassed!

We continue to add to our list of suppliers weekly.

I am excited about the coming months at GF&D.  We've got some very fun projects finishing up that I can't wait to share with you!

 

'Tis the Season

As promised I am going to talk a bit about Christmas decor.  It is one of my favorite things.  This year it was a bit of a challenge in my new home.  Especially because we had rats get into our storage and make nests in my artificial Christmas tree and some decor:(  So, just when I am not wanting to spend money on Christmas decor, that is exactly what I had to do.  One good thing that came out of it was the tree I got from Costco.ca.  It is a 10' tree with LED lights.  The LED is what sold my husband on the tree, but made me very nervous.  Ron HATES trying to figure out why strings of lights are not working, and apparently the LED are way more reliable.  I was relieved to see that the lights are not "fluorescent" looking.  They are a nice soft white.  Plus Ron pulled a light right out of its socket and the rest of them stayed lit!  This tree is so realistic that people can be touching it and still can't believe it is fake.  I just bought a "fresh balsam" candle from Bath and Body Works to make up for the lack of scent.

I would love to have the perfect "designer" decor, but I try and make sure the kids get to have their ornaments on the tree, and their special creations displayed throughout the house.  Each of the kids have a 4' tree in their rooms for their creations, and I have put their ornament with their pictures (and painted macaroni) on my main tree so that I can cry every time I look at it how small they once were!  Svea's handprint wreath still hangs.  I even have a mat that I stitched in kindergarten, and the plastic gingerbread house from my Grandma's Christmas decor.  It can all be worked in without looking too tacky.

I have framed Svea's first Christmas List from 2007.  She was in grade 1.   Here is the interpretation:

Svea's Christmas List

Canucks Jersey

Hockey Cards

A by myself craft bake mix for my play oven

A webkinz

A golden retriever

and some jewelry.

Thanks is my Christmas List





I have however put the star from our previous tree to rest. It was a picture of a Trevor Linden & Kirk MacLean...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know how well you can see it, but I bought 2 frames from Michaels (on their 30% off sale) with 6 pictures each.  I have 10 Santa pictures of my kids now.  I have displayed them all.  It is so amazing to see how they change every year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I needed a way to fill up this huge tree, so I bought this wide candy stripe ribbon from SuperStore. Its important with ribbon not to just wrap it around the tree. But make sure that it twists and it attached to the branches. Although this is a pretty tree by a fancy designer, I hate how the ribbon is so "flat" on the tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My brightly coloured family room tree used to be my small tree, but now it is 10'.  I love the look of large ornaments on a tree - especially a large tree.  I couldn't buy all new ornaments, so I clustered some of my old ones to make 1 large ornament.

 

 

 

 

 

I love pretty wrap.  The rats made nests in the tubes of my paper, and then died inside them.  So, I have new wrap this year!  Here is an inexpensive way to festively fill up a space at Christmas.  As you empty your Christmas decor rubbermaids, you should be filling them with your "rest of the year" nic nacs.  This way your home doesn't become too cluttered.

 

I love filling jars with cheap ornaments.  So pretty:

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My living room decor is my favorite, but we didn't do a tree there this year.  You'll have to wait until next years post.  Here is what I managed to put together in that room:



I wasn't sure where I was going to put my sock advent calendar in this house.  Then I remember that at Christmas 3M hooks are my best friend.  Here is what I came up with:

When the kids were small(er) I collected some of their Christmas socks, and then when to Old Navy and bought a pack of Christmas socks.  I buy a few treats, and use some leftover Halloween candy and fill the socks.  There is one for every day of december until Christmas.  It is a highlight for the kids.  (Just don't tell them I use some of their halloween candy!)

 

 

 

 

 

Another tip for fun Christmas decor is feather boas!  You can wrap them around foam cones to make trees, or around foam wreaths like Ive done here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading this long post!  This Christmas as we celebrate the miraculous gift of Jesus, may we share with others the Joy that knowing Him brings.  I wish you all the Merriest of Christmas'!

Lisa

 

 

Open For Business

Grapevine Furniture and Design re-opened this Monday after being closed for a few weeks due to the move.  Debbie Veronesi is our new office manager.  I think she is enjoying the new workspace as she tries to navigate the office side of this crazy business.  We have some exciting projects ahead that we are embarking on.  Ive started meeting with reps who are showing me the latest and greatest of the design and furniture industry.  I got some exciting new fabric books this week.  If you need custom drapes or upholstery - now is the time!

Hallelujah!  We are finally living here, and loving it.   It has been a whirlwind last couple of weeks.  I had a dreamy vision of what it would be like to live here, but reality is, it takes a lot of work to get there!  We are loving it though.  It has been such a learning process.  One that I am so glad I have been through, but I'll be waiting quite a bit to do it again.  I can't show you too many pictures, as there aren't many rooms that are complete.  But I'll show you what I can:

I'm thrilled with how the outside has turned out.  Just need to finish the painting, and then I can show you the whole front!



The kitchen is one of my favorites.  I chose Benjamin Moore Cloud for everything that is white.  I think that contrast - although beautiful in many settings, isn't what I was looking for.  I wanted the background to be just that - the background.  I chose the colour to be the life of the room.  Cloud white is a very warm white.  I also like Oxford White which is nice with grey, but my pallet tended toward the more warm tones.  In this grey climate we live in, I wanted my interior to feel more warm.  Ive used a lot of grey, but again, a warmer grey.  Benjamin Moore Collingwood was the main grey paint that I used.





This is the main fabric I am using to accent in this room:

And here is the mud room:  I think it is every busy moms dream.  The chalk board on the right is my grocery list (the kitchen is on the other side).  And the chalk board wall on the left is for me to write reminders before I rush out the door!



And I leave you with these pretty pictures from my back yard today - ENJOY!

I'll start by giving you a glimpse of my latest completed project!  One day I'll hire my friend from Redhanded Photography to take pictures of all my completed projects.   But for know you'll have to enjoy my photography!  Im so proud of my clients to take the leap and use this teal velvet.  The chairs come from Stylus with a custom fabric, and the coffee is table is my new supplier, Redford House.  

On to the house:

Its been an interesting week.  Things are coming together, slowly but surely.  But there has been a lot of hiccups lately.  First, my gorgeous lights!  Who knew that you can buy lights that are not CSA approved.  Now, these lights I didn't buy from stores in Canada, but from my wholesalers is the US.  However, the same lights are being sold in stores here in Canada.  I visited one of those stores lately and asked the owner if all her lights are CSA approved.  Well apparently not.  This usually isn't a problem in a renovation where you are not dealing with electrical permits.  But for new construction you may not get your electrician to hang something that is not CSA approved.  Which is a problem for me.  My dear husband who loves me very much spent 6 hours and $800 getting these lights CSA approved.  I have learnt my lesson.  Speaking of learning lessons, I can't believe how much I have learned during this process.  I has been so valuable for me as a designer.  My lights are being installed, and they are stunning.  Possibly worth every penny.  The Robert Abbey lighting is all CSA approved, and definitely worth every penny.  Check it out.

It was also the week of missing packages.  First I ordered hooks for the mud room cabinet.  They didn't come.  When I inquired as to their whereabouts, they were apparently already picked up!  Somebody now has my nice hooks.  Anyway they were re-ordered, and I am still waiting.  Then there was the extra chain for the light in the living room.  It was couriered to my warehouse.  FedEx said it was delivered and signed for, but the warehouse didn't have it, and the person who signed for it didn't work there!  UGH!  Fed Ex finally did find it, and I have it safe and sound.  I am not done yet....  My microwave and wall oven went missing.  Sears couldn't find what happened to it.  It wasn't even on my order!  My sales lady Kris came to the rescue and they are being delivered on Tuesday.  I could go on with problems we have faced this week, but I will stop there.

As a designer and retailer of furniture and lighting, I am constantly putting out fires.  Also this week, I had a buffet delivered to a client in the wrong colour.  The supplier took full responsibility, but reordering would take another 4 weeks.  Also a beautiful sofa and love seat were delivered to a client.  The fabric is full of flaws, and the die lot is completely different than on the swatch we chose from.  This problem has yet to be resolved!  I had another client who I helped with selecting their appliances.  The first cook top came smashed, weeks later another one came which was lovely until their first big party and the glass on it broke.  Third time lucky?  Not so much - it came in the wrong finish.  We rely on so many different people to do their jobs well, which doesn't always happen.

On to happier things....  enjoy the latest pictures of our big project:

The blacktop went in today!  We love it!

Just a side note:  The yellow around the window on the second floor is not suppose to be yellow!  It is just the colour of the board they used.  It will be painted the trim colour.

Eston admiring his new hockey light!



The kids enjoying the softness of their new carpet.  It is cushy!



I was tossing the idea around of braces in the gables.  Trent, our handy... um ... not sure what he is called, but he is responsible for the shingles, siding and gorgeous window trim (his idea).  Anyway, Trent banged these up for me and I love them.



My lovely new stairs.  Will be even more gorgeous with the glass railing!



These are my gorgeous $2500 Restoration Hardware lights on my deck.... NOT!  I bought them at Homesense for $150!  YAY!



Well, that is all folks.  Next time I post we will be living there.  So fun to share this experience with all of you!