NEW LAMPS

Say hello to "the ladies" - a new awesome pair of vintage lamps I scored on my trip. 

Brassy and sassy. 

I gave myself a personal mission of purchasing one awesome new item to go in my apartment while I was away - a design memento if you will. I spotted this pair of ass kicking lamp bases while exploring Commercial Drive in Vancouver - a groovy part of the city with cool thrift stores and antique shops.

They came with the most awful lampshades (tattered accordion-style shades that looked something like this), but I could see through the ugly and pictured them with a shade that looked something more like this. The day that I spotted them I had no way of getting them home, but I spoke to the store owner and told them I would come back tomorrow but to not bother holding them for me. I told myself if they were still there tomorrow, it was a sign for me to get them.

DUH - they were still there, so I bought them. 

I was so happy because I wanted to make good on my self-deal AND I scored a rock-n-roll, art-deco-flavoured pair of lamp bases. (I've been desperately wanting some lamps for the apartment...So bad that I bought a piece of luggage to accommodate taking them home.)

Well, you only YOLO once as they say and I can't wait to slap these sexy ladies with a sleek and handsome black drum style lampshade.

Are you a fan of these ladies?

bZd

WEST COAST ADVENTURE

If you have been missing posts from bZd (you haven't) and you were wondering what had happened to me (you weren't), then I'm happy to report that I have been away on vacation enjoying sites such as this:

#nofilter

...and this:

#nofilter

I have returned home safely from a really awesome journey to the northwest coast, visiting some close friends in Vancouver and taking 4 days in Washington state to enjoy Sasquatch Music Festival. If you haven't heard of Sasquatch, look it up. Then go.

Vancouver is as good as everyone says it is - a west coast vibe is easily felt in the city and it offered some really amazing shopping.  

Gastown, Vancouver's historic area, boasts cobblestone streets, beautiful bistros and some truly unique boutique stores. Inform Interiors, the international furniture dealer, has a massive retail location here which I happily browsed, but left dejected after not seeing many price tags that were below the $10,000 mark. (Yes, $10,000!) Still - definitely worth a look. 

On a more mundane budget, there were some really awesome antique and knick-knack dealers, such as this one pictured below, which offered a bunch of taxidermy-type things (my favourite), and some decorative french horns. Man I love me some french horns.

... Of course I didn't note either the name or address of this store, but it's in Gastown. Perhaps on Cordova? This post is useless.

My great friend Margherita also whisked me off to The Kitchen Corner, in Kitsilano. Now this place was BUDGET. FRIENDLY.

Basically a dollar store on crack (the good kind), this place had a huge offering of housewares, most for less than $20.

Shelves of bamboo storage systems:

An overwhelming glassware selection:

A metalware section, where I found this beautiful two-toned bucket which I thought would be beautiful to put ice in to keep drinks cold in summer:

And ceramic and pottery-palooza:

I left with a few ceramic pieces for my kitchen, but would have loved to have left with more. Packing light has its disadvantages.

Vancouver itself had a really cool style, that I would recommend to anyone to check out. If only I could have spent more time there to relay more places to check out.

Do you have any cool insider design hotspots to recommend in Vancouver? Let me know!

bZd

PLANS

Not that anyone has noticed or cares, but not much has happened in the way of design progress around the apartment. The day job has been super stressful lately and my free time is next to non-existent. 

But oh are there plans. Little to no execution - but there certainly are plans. 

There are plans for a small kitchen facelift. There are plans for the bathroom. There are plans for my bedroom. There are plans for plans to plan for more time for planning. (Read: quit current day job.)

First of all, I have been planning a curtain solution that will span the entire length of our living/dining area wall. For some reason, a previous tenant had installed a series of shelves that are literally no more than 2" deep in the corner of the living room. The shelves are about 8" apart, so they currently house the only books we own that are small enough to fit on the shelf, cover facing forward. I have no idea what the original intention was for these shelves - to display a collection of upward standing pencils maybe? Totally useless. 

They must be concealed.

I would LOVE to cover the whole mess up in a beautiful, beige-ish curtain, running the rest of the length with sheers. Hopefully, this will give the impression that windows actually run the entire span of the wall, and are just covered on one end. It will hopefully also take focus away from the ugly aluminum windows and paint splattered window ledges and radiator covers.

I'm thinking of something textured, like a linen, that will hopefully bring some warmth to the space. I am really wanting to check out IKEA's AINA Curtains, which from pictures I've seen look like they might just fit the bill. I am really looking forward to purchasing some ANUS AINA'S.

via

via

Also, there are plans to deal with this:

...plans to take care of this anus that is our balcony.

HELP.

bZd

THE WANT: STEPHEN KENN INHERITANCE COLLECTION

Want NEED this. Retail stores are one of my biggest sources of inspiration, so a few months ago when I was in a J Crew store I snapped a picture of what I thought was a really cool, simple, couch. Further aimless internet searching eventually led me to figure out exactly what this cool creation was: a couch designed by Stephen Kenn from his Inheritance Collection. 

The couch in question. This couch is so PUNK ROCK.

Basically Stephen Kenn is perfect - a really cool, young and handsome furniture designer from L.A. who probably spends most of his time making cool things and brooding. Check out his website for a cool glimpse into his philosophy behind the Inheritance Collection and to catch some dreamy scenes of him on his motorcycle. 

(*Note to self: get a motorcycle).

The couches are rugged and utilitarian, using basic welding for the frame, straps and harnesses for the support, and cushions covered in reclaimed WWII military material. 

The material is surprisingly soft to touch, and the grommets up close have this awesome quality as they are a bit beaten up and worn. Also, the material is blemished and imperfect, with some patches and spots which only adds to the look. 

When I originally took the picture of the J Crew couch, I thought to myself that this would be a pretty simply DIY. I still think so, and am strongly considering making this a summer project for myself. 

Naturally, these couches don't come cheap; the biggest sectional costs an even $5000. But I'm pretty confident I could throw together the loveseat for a fraction of that.

My hypothesis:

-Get a super basic frame professionally welded

-Pick up some army material from the local Army Surplus store

-Purchase some foam

-Get some harnessing strap

-Pick up some brown leather belts and SLAP 'ER ALL TOGETHER.

Probably, they won't turn out quite as beautiful as this:

...but in a video on the website Mr. Kenn explains that he is glad to reveal the process (although probably not so people can rip him off), and this picture also gives a few hints.  

What do you think? Can I do it?!

To infinity and beyond. 

bZd

RUG HUNT

Don't ask why, but I decided to walk through Marshall's today. Basically a store full of clothes I wouldn't buy, but their "Home" section was actually pretty good! The prices were all very reasonable, and their offerings were actually desirable. (This, if you haven't noticed, is becoming increasingly rarer.)

Lots of great decorative pillows, a killer coffee table book section, and a nice selection of rugs.

Oh how I long for a new rug. I still (and hopefully always will) love my Persian rug that I bought when we first moved in, which I wrote about here. 

But the first picture from that post has always inspired me to move that rug into the dining area. For those of you who are too lazy to click the nicely provided link, here is the picture:

Also, notice the Eames chairs? Are we learning something? 

Alright, enough shamelessly plugging my own blog.

Please take time to enjoy the above image before subjecting yourself to a hideous picture of the dining room area of our apartment:

Sigh. Our apartment, like most in Toronto, is cursed with yellow parquet floors. So, if you can, why not cover them up with luxurious Persian rugs? Luxurious Persian rugs for everybody! We aren't total savages and we do actually own a dining set. As well this area has been pimped out with a recent new light acquisition and accompanying faux ceiling medallion (dammit I said I wouldn't do it again!) but I just know that the Persian rug would look and fit splendidly right on top of that nasty Jenga-piece floor!

Here is a picture of where the rug is currently residing. I love the rug here, but would prefer to see it migrate. 

The question is, what to replace it with? I don't think I would like to go the route of getting another Persian. Too many Persians in a room and... oh never mind. But back to Marshall's!

I was flipping through the rugs when a few of them caught my eye. I have been fawning over Morgan at The Brick House's Beni Ourian rug. For those of you out-of-the-know, here are some pictures of some Beni Ourain rugs in all their white fluffy, geometric glory:

(via Pinterest)

(via West Elm)

Hummina hummina. So when I was fanning through some rugs at ol' Marhsall's I was excited when I saw these:

Not Beni Ourain, but certainly an allusion thereto. Let me be clear in stating that $200 is not what I would like to spend, but then again looking at the prices of some authentic versions (we're talking thou$and$) $200 might not be so bad. They are both REALLY soft and a big size for the price. 

I've also been considering a cowhide rug. Ikea sells them, but they're even more expensive than these Marshall's ones. 

(Ikea KOLBY rug)

My only concern is that going to a more neutral rug will take all the colour out of the living room. The paintings, the couches, the table, are all brown or black (for now), so I'm not sure if a rug like any of these examples would make things just a little too down with the brown. 

What do you guys think? Which Marshall's rug did you like better? Or should I just screw it and keep looking?

bZd

GUESS WHO LIVES HERE!

(All images via Elle Decor)

Guess whose place this is. Just guess!

...Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's. WTF?!

Like, what CAN'T this woman do. According to the article in Elle Decor, Ellen has quite a talent for interior decorating. And she's hilarious. And in the most beautiful lesbian relationship. And seems so genuinely benevolent. Ugh.

I have to admit, I am really surprised that Ellen's aesthetic is so edgy and ...good? The black and white, and caramel leather is just SO. RIGHT. ON. Granted, she did work with decorators Jay Holman and Cliff Fong. Who are they and why aren't they ME?

To be critical, I think it is a bit on the stark/cold side, but then again maybe you can afford to be in California. Also, a live horse near a parlour area? Whatever, Ellen. 

Ellen does what Ellen wants.

bZd

NEW THRIFTED ARMCHAIR

Not much has been happening around the apartment lately, but I did recently score this amazing tufted leather chair! How much you ask? A mere $100. 

Kijiji became my bitch once again.

(Sorry about the uninspired, unstyled photos - 

these pictures are the only ones I could take 

without revealing the disaster that currently is 

our apartment.)  

I mean COME ON. Look at this thing. It even came with a matching ottoman! Unfortunately, it just doesn't fit in the space without being awkward.

As always, it came with an eventful interaction with an unassuming seller, but this time was actually quite pleasant. The guy I bought it from offered to drive the chair over to my place, during which I learned that he owns a restaurant down the street from my work (which we all love - unreal lamb burger). We also chatted about Japanese culture.

Totally normal.

This chair goes great with my existing $30 distressed brown leather couch. 

Look how great the new chair sports the velvet 

American flag pillow! Someone's not having any 

problems fitting in around here!

Our living room is chillax central.

bZd