September 8, 2011
Stripped bare and pummelled with walnut shells, vintage metal furniture takes on a cool, contemporary look.
Take it off. Take it all off. Metal home or office furnishings dating from the 1950s are hot accent pieces for contemporary interiors, but painted items must be stripped entirely to the raw metal to bring them right up to date.
There are three ways to strip metal furniture. People with the space, time and muscle can use a biodegradable chemical paint remover such as Heirloom Furniture Stripper. Another method is to sand the paint off with an electric sander using a sanding pad specific to metal. Sanding leaves painty skid marks and a distinct pattern, giving the piece a timeworn look. Get the whole story »
May 24, 2011
Add rich colour to plain, old clear glass vases by using this dead simple back-painting technique.
Clear glass vases are the classic and obvious choice for displaying flowers and branches, which is why most of us have probably collected a few extra ones over the years. Many of these are no doubt tucked away in the dark reaches of rarely opened cupboards. Why not bring these dusty specimens back into the light and turn them into something different and original by painting their insides with coloured enamel.
This technique has been a design trick for years on sheet glass (to create lustrous walls) or as ornamental glass insets in furniture. Get the whole story »
May 10, 2011
A gorgeous, indestructible, low-maintenance, high-performance, cost-effective garden: Is that too much to ask?
MONEY WELL SPENT | There are people who derive tremendous satisfaction from garden chores, but I’m not one of them. I love garden design and history, and enjoyed researching and planning our own garden with my husband, who is a garden designer. I loved choosing the plants and installing them, and I don’t mind occasional watering or weeding. But after that, I want to spend my time doing other things. I need my garden to be bulletproof: a gorgeous, indestructible, low-maintenance, high-performance environment—and of course I expect my investment in plants to be cost-effective. Get the whole story »
September 13, 2010
Make this classic art support for small images from a simple block of wood.
While not everyone has huge pieces of art gracing the walls of their home, most people do have plenty of little pieces, whether they are favourite photos or original, miniature works of art. But just how do you display these smaller things? You can hang them on the wall in thoughtful groupings to create a tableau, or you can find a way to set them on a table. For years I had been looking for an elegant way to display framed art or photos on a table top. I have never liked plate stands and using an easel seems derivative; finally, I designed an easy-make support of my own. Get the whole story »
August 27, 2010
Internationally renowned designer Omer Arbel burns, illuminates and drives his way around Vancouver.
Every so often Vancouver produces a superstar— like internationally renowned Vancouver designer Omer Arbel, touted by Wallpaper magazine in 2003 as one of the 15 designers of the future. His bubblelike cast glass pendant Bocci lights, just five years old, are already iconic, as much a design staple as a Noguchi coffee table or Eames chair. He has designed everything from furniture, interiors and electrical sockets (see below) to the 2010 Winter Olympic medals in collaboration with aboriginal artist Corrine Hunt. His numerous awards include the Canada Council’s Ron Thom Early Design Achievement Award, International Design Award and the Design Prize of the German Republic.
Omer Arbel’s 5 free, cheap or worth it things to see, do or buy in Vancouver Get the whole story »
May 3, 2010
Get your next party started with stylish online invitations no one can refuse.
SAVE ON CHIC | There is a beautiful way to scrap the paper and cost of traditional invitations but keep the timeless elegance of stationery. With Paperless Post, an online stationery service charging just $5 for 60 invitations plus a way to track RSVPs, you’ll save time, money, the planet and your sanity.
Paperless Post is the brainchild of New York siblings and business partners Alexa and James Hirschfeld, who founded the custom online stationery service in 2008, packaging aesthetics and efficiency into one neat virtual envelope. Get the whole story »
