What’s your personality? Laid-back? Super-charged? Fun and vibrant? Zen? Are you sure? Is that how others would describe you, or is it what you wish to be? It’s just like your clothing. You know, how some people always look so perfectly styled? And it’s never the typical stuff that we all shop for. It’s always bohemian chic, or classic tailored or the like. Those people have already figured out what their story is, or at least, what they want you to believe it is. Filling your home with furniture, splashing paint on the walls, throwing down a rug…it can all be so scary. But if you take some time, and figure out who you are, what you really do like, and how you want to feel, narrowing things down can be a lot easier. Hiring a designer should be something you do once you’ve done that homework. That way, when they leave, your home actually feels like your home. Here’s some inspiration thanks to Maxwell Fabrics. The Neutral Zen-Type This palette is definitely great for someone who is laid back, and maybe wants to feel calm and natural at home. The trick is texture. Lots of shades of neutrals, with […]
The colour trend Guru of the design world is Pantone, a company offering up their “decision” of colour trends for the year to designers of fashion, interiors, textiles, accessories and so on. We, like bees to coveted honey, lie in wait until the big announcement. So, in the very end, what, exactly does this mean for you, our clients? Well… Let’s examine the last two years of trends announced by Pantone. In 2012, it was Tangerine. I seem to remember everything being turquoise. Ah…maybe with a hit of Tangerine. In 2013, it was Emerald. Things were still turquoise. Maybe with a hit of Emerald? This year, the big announcement came with a very exotic name: Radiant Orchid. Ooh la la! But it you go shopping, guess what? Things are still all watery blues! Check out Pottery Barn’s website! Indigo Blue, colour of the season. Well, talk about rebellious! SO let’s mix it all up! For those of you who are heart-felt trendies, let’s use Radiant Orchid, and maybe mix it up a bit with some of our leftover Emeralds and Tangerines? Try incorporating some of that fantastic Orchid into your accessories. Some ideas might be a great […]
Toronto Furniture Show 2 Chairs! They are often so expensive, and are an often overlooked opportunity for true design fun. Pairing modern, fun chairs, with traditional dining tables is a great way to turn something old and dated (like your grandmother’s dining table), into something contemporary and chic. Who made that rule that everything has to be all matchy matchy and boring? Designers know that when you spice things up with some daring buys, your home can go from blah to fantastic! Zuo Modern Furniture understands today’s consumer needs for affordable pieces to compliment the big purchases. I found some super fun pieces, that won’t break the bank, but will add some serious punch! And their “designer knock-offs” make the look attainable for anyone who wants that oh la la look. I took a corner at the show, and came face to face with this fun, plastic and floral fabric chair. It turned on my happy switch. How could you not smile when seeing such a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy space? Although a bit on the feminine side…who’s kidding…it is super girly, but at about $300 each, this chair can add some serious pizazz to a bachelorette […]
The Toronto Furniture Show Part 1 What a day! I got to the show and met my good friend, Jennyfer who is also a designer who prays for inspired trade shows. We spent two hours roaming the International Center. It was pretty boring to be honest. I hate going to trade shows in general. The buildings are always too hot or too cold, the air is stale and everyone is standing around their booths looking either worried, bored or slightly hysterical. The furniture show pretty much sucks for appeal. There’s no grand design spaces like the Interior Design Show always has. The booths are very basic, the coffee is brown water and the atmosphere is almost sickly. All that being said, I go every few years, to keep myself updated, and make one or two new connections. This year, I somehow made a few more. I’ll highlight different companies in the next few weeks to show you what new items Monaco Interiors will be able to purchase for our clients. The best booth at the show belonged to this very stylish woman named Mercedes. Her company is called Merben (you can check out the retail site at www.merben.com). I totally fell in […]
Well, it was a beautiful morning in July, and my brand new clients asked me to come over and take a look at their bathroom. Ron, my contractor, told them how great I am and that before he even put a quote together, I should come up with a design. That’s how it works, you see….how can the contractor quote something if he doesn’t know what crazy stuff the designer is going to ask for? So after a nice coffee and some good conversation, up we went (up a very super narrow staircase), to take a look at the bathroom. And, well…it’s pretty…petite? About 45 square feet in total. Let’s think of it this way. A bathtub takes up 15 square feet (3’ x 5’), so the rest of the bathroom is about 7’ x 4’. The existing vanity was quite the sore point. Literally…imagine going into a bathroom in the middle of the night and BUMP, into that jut-out? Oh! And there were the tiles, the tape, the weird storage, the ancient rad, the original medicine cabinet and so on and so on. Before Shots: We came up with a pretty classic design. Beautiful black and white tiles, basket-weave […]
Welcome to Monaco Interiors. I thought I’d write my first blog, introducing myself and letting you know a bit about me as a designer, and what my company is all about. I’ve been working in design for about 18 years now. It’s been a great experience. I get to meet lots of terrific people, who trust me with their homes, and, mostly, let my creative juices flow. When I first started, I worked as a designer at a small boutique store. It was a terrific introduction into the difference facets of this business. But, as years progressed, I moved to a few more companies, specializing in window treatments, furniture design and eventually renovations. I started my company in 2001. The goal, when I started, was to be as honest as possible with my clients. Home design and renovations especially can be a very scary thing for homeowners and business alike. You have to trust complete strangers to come into your place of safety, tear it apart and hopefully put it back together in a manner which is both respectful to you and that produces a well-crafted end product. I have worked with many trades over the years. My trades and […]