I. Want. COLOUR! Is there a little kid inside of you screaming for colour? It’s like this deep longing inside your soul that jumps up an down with glee every time you see bright pretty toss cushions and brightly painted walls. You are reminded of summer, and amazing vacations and sunshine and life. Oh but you can’t! What will people say? Would if you got sick of it in a year? I love this blue wall. I look at it and think “can’t someone out there want a blue wall?” And then I remind myself that if I renovate the house again, or even suggest a paint colour change; my dear, wonderful husband who just finished this house, might be a little miffed. Bang! Bang! Ok, so maybe you aren’t as sick of gray and white as I am. You haven’t done countless homes in that colour palette over the last ten years. But, the trends are leaning warmer now, and begging for more colour. I guess we could sneak some in? Just a little? We can warm up your grays with creamy pinks, or pops of blue? Tans and olive greens? It’s a slippery slope. You […]
Well. I don’t often write about what can go wrong on a jobsite. But, being in the world of design and construction, the odds are, something will go wrong every once in a while. Welcome to the bathroom renovation project we are calling Murphy’s Law. What ever could go wrong, did. BUT, because our team is so dedicated and so honourable, our client never had a thing to worry about, and in the end, their master bathroom is just perfect. When our clients called, I was very happy to hear from them. Several years ago we did their kitchen and main floor. Last year, it was his parents kitchen. And now, they trusted us once more to renovate their bathroom, and do a few other things in the house. Before Here is a before photo of their bathroom: The bathtub took up a LOT of space. The shower was super tiny and the vanity didn’t offer the type of storage they wanted. To save a little on the budget, we tried our best to keep the plumbing as close as possible to it’s existing location. That’s a cost savings that most people don’t really consider. It costs a lot […]
I have been working in the design industry for over twenty years now. Most of those years have been fabric filled. It’s really an obsession of sorts. My reps come to visit my office, they bring armfulls of new books. The books are filled with swatches of new and exciting fabrics, textures, colours and patterns. The smell of the fabric fills the room. The colours bounce around and the patterns dance like butterflies around my head. Okay that’s super hokey. But seriously. One the the best parts of my job is finding the perfect fabrics for a space. Drapery fabric. Makes a statement. Warms up a room. Creates mood and a luxe vibe. As long as ice-cream kiddie fingers aren’t grabbing them, they will look good for a really long time. And furniture! Who doesn’t love a soft velvety sofa with cushions that scream pretty, or industrial or chic or fun or bright or carribean or a combo of any of those and so many more! Those toss cushions! How we designers love thee! And how many hours have I spent picking out the perfect fabrics ?!?!? It sometimes drives me mad. But it’s fun. And I love it. […]
The long-awaited day has finally arrived and here you have it Greenery 15-0343, Pantone’s 2017 colour of the year. I don’t even know where to even begin with this one!! I think the general feeling about 2016 is let’s move on and get a fresh new start for 2017, and this colour will definitely send us in that direction. Greenery gives us endless possibilities with so many different applications and colour palettes!! Its just one of those colours that can blend into any style of space. Green is otherwise known as nature’s neutral and as all other neutrals it can be applied as such, without being boring beige! It has the unmistakable ability to feel comfortable and yet vibrant, natural and pop-art. Whether you want to be bold and make a powerful colour statement like shown here in this modern designed bedroom or a more subtle and calming execution like shown in this transitional and serene bathroom, it can be achieved with this natural beauty Greenery. We love this bedding! More up our alley here at Monaco Interiors. Very calming, and almost a little coastal? Don’t forget that big, bold green doesn’t have to be your statement for the year. You can […]
In the 60s, shag rugs began to surface. The TV show Mad Men has one designed space that blows my mind. The bohemian vibe, and shag rug over high pile rug make me feel a little nostalgic for the 70s, when this was all the rage, I am pretty sure one can link the rise of asthma with the popularity of these rugs. People went wall to wall. Often making catastrophic mistakes, that within a year or so, they regretted. As shown here…sometimes you really have to stand back and think about what you are doing. What is this really going to look like? Is there any possibility it will be a little too over the top? Too committed to the trend du jour? Shags have come a long way. We use them now as cozy rugs. Fun and inviting floor dressings that we can snuggle on, roll around on, and sink our feet into. I love this one. It’s contemporary, yet soft, and the large scale design makes it feel more like art than just an area rug. For hits of colour. Shag rugs are available to be custom made too! They come in so many colours, and […]
All the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow -Leo Tolstoy “Shadow”. It sounds so dark, exotic, sexy. It’s Benjamin Moore’s colour of the year. And it’s a good one. Can I be tacky for a second? It’s like an aged grape. Hints of gray, notes of neutral. A smoky, warm aroma. Goes well paired with a “dark burgundy” dressed with a pale “porcelain”. The muted shade honestly goes well with almost anything. I think a powder room completely enveloped in this shade would be dramatic and rich. While I am pretty much done with painting a feature wall (wallpaper and plaster finishes are much more inviting), I could imagine a staircase cove, or library. This photo by Benjamin Moore displays it perfectly. A slightly brighter tone of this colour, would be amazing as a velvet sofa. How luscious would you feel lounging on this? Wallpaper, as I often suggest! One here, uses golds to offset the darker grape hues. It’s modern AND classic in design, and injects the colour without over-committing. The second wallpaper, a complimentary shade. Imagine using this one a wall, and shadow on the ceiling. Talk about an intense and dynamic paring! […]
Well, let it be said that design occasionally reflects on past trends (dreaded stirrup pants and neon pink t-shirts), but design’s true calling is moving forward: bigger, bolder, inspired and, well, ALIVE, to be honest. With so many designers being focused on greige the last few years, it is a welcome breath of fresh air that Pantone has released some awesome, bright and, dare I say, happy, forecasted colours for 2016. Not one greige in the deck. It’s a designer’s dream. It truly is! FINALLY, something awesome to play with! It’s like giving a kid a million dollars and letting them loose in a candy shop. And not some variety store, but like a serious, of Disney proportion, candy shop. But alas, what to do? More toss cushions? I might be sick if one more person puts twenty different toss cushions on one sofa and calls it good design. Are we not bored of toss cushions? White walls, greige sofas and twenty toss cushions. Just add in a white kitchen with a black island and your house will look just like everyone else’s house! So let’s inject some personality into our homes. They are our homes, after all. Let’s stand […]
I’m always game when the world of design moves in the direction of good wine. What? Oh, sorry, did I write that out loud? Marsala, a wine produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala, AND, the Pantone colour of the year (#18-438). An earthy brownish-red that is described by Pantone Color Institute Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman as “nurturing and fulfilling…Marsala is a natural fit for your kitchen or dining room, making it ideal for tabletop, small appliances and linens throughout the home.” That’s it? NO WAY! It’s an amazing colour. Filled with the true essence of warmth and nature, sophistication and timelessness, this colour is definitely making my 2015 a very exciting year. Modern Marsala Think clean lines, awesome colour, lots of light. Using Marsala in a modern space, against white walls, or light gray furniture creates a warmer effect to a colder modern design. Funky white Butterfly chairs, as in the image below, against the contrasting wall shows off the chairs lines, and keeps things interesting without going overboard. The key in more modern design is to keep the “accent” colour blocked, such as an accent wall, some toss cushions, or a pop from a […]
Decorating for the holidays is: Fun? Daunting? Mystifying? Stressful? Got a mixed up family full of: Hanukkah? Christmas? Kwanzaa? Newtonmas? Festivus? Wanting to make it: Classy? Fun? Youthful? Colourful? Taseful? Cheery? Cozy? Oy. My head hurts too. So let’s simplify a little, shall we? I grew up in a Jewish home. Super envious of my bestie down the street, whose dad was a minister and whose Christmas seemed glorious! And, as the years passed, they invited me for tree trimming…I remember all too well having to figure out where the fake limbs went years after their colour coded stickers had fallen off. There was always a little gift for me under that tree. And I even got to go to the church a few times and listen to all the beautiful songs. It was amazing. And at my place? Hanukkah was a bit more, um, chill? Gifts: Check. Doughnuts: Check. Menorah with candles: Check. That’s it. BO-RING! So now that I’m a grown up, with a hubby and some kiddies and my own home, that Hanukkah celebration has reached for the stars!!! And here’s a little of how I get my holiday decorating in order: Your Colour Choice I’ve seen […]
