Colorful Lounge for Alberta Fashion Week

 

Photo courtesy of Alberta Fashion Week 2010 via 442 McAdam

Alberta Fashion Week is a dynamic event held in Calgary showcasing some of our home-grown talent. If you are a lover of high fashion these fashion shows can’t be missed! Throughout the week designers showcase their creations as their models strut down the runway. After each show a fabulous party is held to honor the talent and vision of these incredible designers. Being a fashion lover myself, I couldn’t resist involving my interior design company, Corea Sotropa Interior Design.  We were sponsors of the event, and we also provided a cool lounge space for the Kick Off Party held at the Art Gallery of Calgary.

We began with a space in the gallery that had great lighting, hardwood floors and white walls. Our concept was to create a colorful, modern dressing room inspired lounge space where guests could mix and mingle and look fabulous. There was only one week before the party for us to pull everything together. And we had just a few hours to set up, so that meant we needed as many hands on deck as we could get! Here’s a behind the scenes look at how we set up this cool event space.

Furniture is carefully unwrapped and put into place.

We dive into mounds of packing paper and bubble wrap to free all the amazing accessories we have found to decorate the space.

Colorful flowers were in order so I created several different arrangements of a single type of bloom for maximum impact. Grouping several arrangements together is an easy but interesting way to showcase the blooms.

What a mess! That’s me on the left commanding the troops!

Patti placing the battery operated candles (we couldn’t use open flame in the gallery). Look how fast those hands are moving!

Here’s me creating a last-minute flower arrangement.

After two hours we had finished primping and were ready for guests to arrive. Here’s the overall shot of the lounge we created.

We provided a bar for specialty drinks to be served. The top of this parson’s table needed a pop of color so we spray painted a piece of plexiglass turquoise and placed it on top. The over-scaled yellow lamp we borrowed from Peridot and the metallic ceramic stools are courtesy of Maria Tomas.   The white parson’s table and marble bust were borrowed from Grand Gallery Imports.

On the opposite side of the bar we needed a little sitting area and the zebra print bench from my own bedroom was the perfect perch. The massive white lacquered floor mirror from Peridot was a crowd pleaser and since we could not lean anything against the walls of the gallery its stand was the perfect answer. The fashionista guests wanted to see how good they looked from head to toe and this area was a popular spot to check themselves and everyone else out!

These chairs we picked up for a song at Homesense, but the fabric they were upholstered in was not a pretty sight. We quickly had them reupholstered in this cheerful yellow cotton and the final result was wow! Their line was simple and we knew reupholstered they would be the brilliant pop of color we needed.

A close up of the chairs and the whimsical black and white side table from Domaine Furniture.  I’ve been seeing horns used in high fashion interiors for a while and when I spotted this pair in Maria Tomas, I had to use them in the lounge! Pier One had a colorful selection of pillows like these fuchsia chenille ones which we snapped up in a hurry!

This ornate console table gets modern thanks to its black lacquered finish. The table is from Grand Gallery Imports. I really like the stark contrast between the white parrot lamp and the traditional table. No dressing room is complete without a collection of inspiring fashion books like these ones from Indigo which we placed under the lamp.

The charcoal velvet chaise from Homesense was the perfect solution for this room. Guests could sit on either side and chat with friends comfortably.

A collection of pillows makes this lounge extra plush. The beaded zebra print from Pier One and the turquoise silk from Chintz and Company are a great counterpoint to the ruffled yellow pillow picked up from Homesense. When we came across that ruffled pillow I thought we had struck gold! The pretty dressmaker detailing was the ideal thing for a fashion party!

Screens were required for the backdrop on this side of the lounge because of a permanent television set that was mounted to the wall. These mirrored ones from Chintz did a great job of hiding it. Bohemian pillows from Maria Tomas add pattern on the yellow chairs. The cocktail table was borrowed from Grand Gallery Imports and the foot statuary on it was also courtesy of Maria Tomas.

The zebra print theme is carried through with this eye-catching chest from Grand Gallery Imports. On top, we placed a brass bamboo mirrored tray from Maria Tomas. Trays are great to use on tables like these because they ground the grouping of accessories and add another interesting layer. For more information on creating vignettes like this one check out my earlier post called “How to Decorate a Console Table” .

Now that the lounge was finished we were ready to join the other spectators and enjoy the fashion show. Here’s a shot of my team from Corea Sotropa Interior Design.  Carolyn, our intern is sitting to the left with Patti, our office manager behind her. Meghan, one of my design associates is standing on the right with me, Jacqueline, principal designer sitting in front. We clean up pretty good! Ashley, our senior designer helped me shop till we dropped days before but is not photographed here since she was away on holiday during the set up. Special thanks also to our upholsterer Emma’s Upholstery and our delivery crew, OC Delivery.

I hope you enjoyed this inside look into creating this lounge space for this incredible fashion event for Alberta Fashion Week. We had so much fun pulling everything together and hope to do more events like this in the future.

Cheers!

Surprise Living Room Makeover

A few weeks ago a former client contacted us to furnish his living room. We had helped him and his wife with the kitchen design of their Calgary home in Mount Royal four years ago. We were very excited when he called and even more thrilled when we heard more about the project our client had in mind. After finishing the kitchen renovation, they had not furnished and decorated the living room. As a surprise gift to his wife, our client wanted us to finish off the living room while she was away without her knowing a thing about it!

We had a very tight deadline and got to work right away. Our first step was to cruise the local furniture shops to see what was available. Since our time frame was so short, there was no time to do custom furniture – we would have to buy floor models. We collected some images of furniture and pulled together two concepts for our client to approve before we started purchasing. Then were were off to the races!

Here is a before photo of the living room without the furniture. The previous sofa and chairs were a bit shabby and worn out and didn’t have a lot of style. Also, the furniture arrangement was awkward with the sofa cutting across the middle of the room facing the fireplace. Our clients had already had some window coverings custom-made  for the room. The fireplace cabinets needed to be organized with some new accessories and the painting over the mantle was not the right proportion.

Wow!! It is always amazing to me how furniture and accessories completely change a room! Somehow it just all comes together and starts to look like a home! We found this beautiful vegetable dyed wool area rug at a local rug shop and got an incredible price on it. We placed the sofa under the window with a large, comfortable armchair facing the fireplace. To soften the fireplace elevation we added a bench for extra seating in front of the hearth. The two small light blue chairs are from Maria Tomas and are the perfect size with room to pass behind them into the adjacent dining room.

Our clients had the radiators restored, floors refinished and the walls painted in the last renovation. Here is the before shot of the corner towards the foyer.

The furniture in this room is clean-lined and tailored. The color palette mixes warm beiges, creams, charcoal blue, and aqua. We picked up the sofa from a great shop called Domaine. It has a slightly retro feel with the button tufted back cushions and is very comfortable due to the feather seat cushions. The teal pillows, blanket, and steel-blue wool chair are from Maria Tomas.  The black lacquered coffee table, silver tripod drink table, and hurricane vase with candles are all from Chintz and Company.  This arrangement of furniture is much more pleasing for the proportions of the room and great for conversation.

This pretty mirrored side table and delicate glass lamp are from Maria Tomas.  The gilded starburst mirror we found at Chintz and Company and the tripod picture frame was purchased at Pottery Barn.  The arms of the armchair and sofa are a slightly different profile, but complementary to each other.

On the opposite side of the sofa we placed a little wood cabinet that almost has a retro feel from Chintz and Company. The bench on the right was reupholstered in striped velvet fabric which ties together our color scheme. The bench itself was a great find at Homesense and a fabulous price, but the fabric it came with was awful! Reupholstering it gave us the chance to make this room really customized and pulled all the colors together.

This is the corner looking towards the foyer. Our client had this lovely painting hung on this wall, but it was the wrong proportion. We relocated it and placed it above the mantle where its height is perfectly balanced on the fireplace.

This corner was perfect for a console and this mirrored one from Chintz and Company adds a touch of glam to the room. The lovely green glass lamp and the ivory boxes are from Maria Tomas. The boxes are actually faux shagreen which is shark skin and has a beautiful, subtle texture. Of course, we needed to find an incredible piece of art for our client and we had several of them delivered from our favorite galleries to try out. The winner was this piece by John Folsom who is represented by Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art. Once our client saw this painting, he immediately fell in love with it. The Bow River which is depicted in this piece has special meaning for our clients which was completely unknown to us when we selected it. Our client was absolutely elated with it – I guess that we knew them better than we thought!

The foyer needed a little attention too. This antique credenza provides extra storage for coats and mitts but needed to be dressed up.

We found a cute parson’s chair from Homesense that coincidentally was upholstered in almost the same fabric we selected for the bench in front of the fireplace. Other than that, we moved the credenza closer to the corner and kept it simple with some new accessories placed on top. This photo was taken before all the accessories were finalized. We chose a pretty bowl for keys and some celadon green and aqua blue ceramic pieces in the end.

Storage for coats and a bench seat cushion were desperately needed at the front door. The floor mats for this space posed a problem since they were an unusual size. We had some wool carpet bound and sized it to fit perfectly.

A pretty leaf patterned fabric in blue was used for the bench seat cushion. We also installed a few small accessories on the radiator to the right of the door and a new mirror above it. Coat hooks from Banbury Lane were installed all along the back of the bench, but after we snapped this photo.

This project was so much fun for us to work on although it was nerve-wracking! The tight time line and the fact that our client’s wife was totally in the dark about our plans was a challenge, but our team of interior designers really enjoyed rallying together and being a part of our client’s special surprise. A big thank you must be sent to the fabulous shops and suppliers that had such great products and helped us coordinate this job. By the way, our client’s wife was absolutely floored by the final result! It was a great success!

Cheers!

Easter Table Settings

In preparation for a family gathering this Easter, I decided to get some inspiration for my dining room table setting and floral arrangements from some websites and blogs. Being a Calgary Interior Designer, I really enjoy spending time decorating my home before I host an event. There are so many different ways to entertain and your tablescape should reflect the style of the party. Is it a formal dinner or a casual breakfast? My family tends to have a brunch, and since our families include young children, there will probably be an Easter egg hunt involved! Here are a few images that caught my eye and got me inspired for my springtime entertaining.

Image courtesy of Martha Stewart Living

This is such a pretty Easter table complete with tiny bowls of colorful candy and baskets filled with tulips. I love the repetition of the coral color in the flowers, tablecloth, dishes, embroidery on napkins and even the drinks!

Image courtesy of Martha Stewart Living

Martha Stewart’s team is really talented at creating seasonal decorations and this Easter egg branch tree proves it. I love the vintage silhouettes of the bunnies on the eggs and the color palette combining dark pink, lavender and yellow.  It is so whimsical and sweet but still grown up.

Image courtesy of House Beautiful Magazine

The mix of striped and polka-dotted china reminds me of Easter eggs! This casual setting would be perfect for a brunch. The tiny flower arrangements and little pots of moss are so charming!

Photo via Style Me Pretty

For a more formal dinner, this incredibly lavish table setting would be perfect. I adore the variety of sizes of flower arrangements, the individual blooms at each place setting and the use of ferns in the large arrangements. This table feels like a garden. Simply gorgeous!

Photo via Style me Pretty

This photograph and the previous one are both from a great blog called Style Me Pretty which features ideas for weddings, but is a great source of inspiration for me when I am looking for tablescape ideas. This particular arrangement is fresh and simple. The bright green apples and pink roses are such a pretty combination with the vintage china. Very Eastery!

Image courtesy of Country Living Magazine

Pink eggs grace this lovely table set for tea. I have such happy memories as a child decorating Easter eggs! Including eggs decorated by your youngsters on the dining table is such a nice way of displaying their works of art.

Image courtesy of Country Living Magazine

Buffet tables need to be decorated too and this simple collection of vases filled with white blooms in ceramic bowls is unfussy and relaxed. I also really like the inclusion of the cloche which is a glass cover that goes over top plants or flower arrangements. Check out how the silver ware is presented – great idea!

Image courtesy of Southern Living Magazine.

Butterflies float around this springy floral centerpiece. It looks like each setting is also decorated with a nest of moss filled with chocolate eggs. This arrangement is youthful and friendly.

Image courtesy of Good Housekeeping Magazine

If you are hosting an Easter egg hunt this arrangement would be adorable for the little ones. They could devour it after the meal was served!

Image courtesy of Family Circle Magazine

A simple and modern take on the Easter table is shown here. The ribbon and vibrantly colored eggs makes this setting interesting and bright. This would be a very simple, but effective way to decorate your table.

Each of these tablescapes has a different feel although they all celebrate the season. When planning your party you must first decide on the menu and style of service before you commit to the way the table will be decorated. Some of these settings work better for brunch, dinner or for family gatherings with children. I hope that if you are planning on entertaining during Easter that these images inspire you to create a beautiful tablescape for you and your guests to enjoy!

Cheers!

How to Decorate a Console Table in a Foyer

Interior design by Corea Sotropa Interior Design

Console tables are such versatile pieces of furniture and look great in practically any room of your home but they are especially nice in a foyer. Having a piece of furniture with a countertop and some storage is also a practical idea. These tables can be the focal point of the foyer and look spectacular.

Interior design by Kimberley Seldon Design Group

The collections of items displayed on a console are often referred to by interior designers as tablescapes or vignettes. Many home owners are not certain on how to create these lovely arrangements. Positioning and assembling your mementos boils down to creating a pleasant composition and interior designers use the basic tools of balance, color, contrast, texture, scale to fashion these vignettes. Here is an assortment of some of my favorite tablescapes and some tips on how to create them.

Interior design by Phoebe Howard

This classic vignette features a collection of etchings that are each framed differently. Even though all the drawings are slightly different sizes there is symmetry. For more information of hanging a gallery style wall take a look at my earlier post How to Hang a Picture Wall.  Symmetrical arrangements usually look more formal and ordered and they are easier to pull off if you are doing it yourself. Take note of how the lampshade, sculpture and flowers over lap the bottom picture. This is called layering, and creates depth and shadow. The overall effect is a restrained, tailored, classic look.

Interior design by Suzanne Kasler

Ornate furniture gets casual in this asymmetrical foyer arrangement. Leaning the drawing in front of the mirror keeps it from feeling too proper. When designing foyers in our Calgary Renovations, I like to also add a chair or bench. The position of this chair balances the height of the mirror beautifully.

Interior design by Elizabeth Kimberly Design

The crispness of this arrangement is what catches my eye! The contrast between the grey wallpaper and dark wood credenza with the white wainscoting, mirror and ceramics is very fresh. Take note of the variety of heights of the objects on display. When arranging your items include an assortment of items that are different shapes and sizes. Also, I really like the flexibility for seasonal changes in this composition. Replace the white ceramics and floral arrangement depending on the time of year and you have a completely different tablescape!

Interior design by Jan Showers & Associates

Repetition is a design tool that is very simple to use and helps to create an interesting display. In this foyer, the pink color is repeated in the lamp, bowl, flowers, painting and chandelier. This is a very simple arrangement and since each object is the same color, it reinforces the importance of the vignette. The ultra rich dark chocolate walls contrast against this color making it pop out. I love this color scheme because the femininity of the pink is balanced with the masculine brown. Just lovely!

Interior design by Ashley Whittaker Design

Summertime is completely embodied in this simple and clean composition. If you have a collection of items, consider showcasing them all together for more impact. In this photo, the blue porcelain makes a much more powerful statement because there are three vases. Sprinkling these items around the room would lessen their importance. Notice how the mirror provides a bit of sparkle and makes the flower arrangement look fuller.

Interior design by Jeffers Design Group

This unusual piece of furniture is quite interesting on its own so it’s best to keep the display of accessories very simple. I like how there is a theme stringing these items together – can you see it? Every piece aside from the flowers is about the human form.

Interior design by Jeffers Design Group

Heavily patterned wallpaper is the backdrop for this retro console in a foyer. The mirrored panels on the console resemble the shape of the vases on the wallpaper. A tray has been used to corral the vases on the left side. Trays are a terrific way of adding weight to an arrangement and creating a composition within a composition. This foyer is spunky and fun. It gives visitors a glimpse into the character of the rest of the home and its home owner’s personality.

Interior design by Windsor Smith

Don’t you just feel like you know the person who lives in this house after seeing this console? The items have such personal appeal and this is one of the reasons I am so drawn to this tablescape. The simple color palette and high contrast of the dark and light items are very dramatic.

Interior design by Markham Roberts

Here is another example of how a collection is more powerful when grouped together. These shells are sculptural and interesting. Mixing textures is another design element that needs to be incorporated into your arrangement. The shells, faceted shiny mirror, ribbed lamp, glass bowl, glossy walls and cut velvet on the chairs are a variety of textures and keep this monochromatic scheme interesting.

Interior design by Jonathan Adler

In a very stark foyer, this grouping provides all the interest and gives your eye a place to rest. Everything is neutral in this room except for the accessories. The overall effect is that the space is quite colorful. Don’t be afraid of color and use interesting items that can be a conversation piece.

Interior design by Tobi Fairley

High contrast, shape and form play a major role in this impressive foyer. The black outlined dresser plays up the pretty shape of this bow front piece of furniture. Displaying the unique sculptures in the acrylic box makes these items feel important as well as protecting them. In order to layer the sculpture in front of the painting, a stack of books with graphic titles gets the acrylic box at just the right height – a little trick used by designers all the time! The books used provide additional insight into your personality.

Photo courtesy of Decorpad

Yet another collection! This grouping of turquoise items is stunning! Each vase is different in height and shape which is crucial when mixing like objects. It adds visual interest to this tablescape.

Photo courtesy of Decorpad

This ultra simple and modern white parson’s table is mixed with the rustic benches below. The stools ground this arrangement keep it from looking too light. There is a great mix of textures in this tablescape. Displaying rustic and modern, traditional and casual pieces together creates an unexpected, dynamic display.

Interior design by Kimberley Seldon Design Group

What’s not to love about this arrangement? Of course I adore the zebra print bench and glam mirrored obelisks! But the best thing about this arrangement is that in a traditional home these items freshen up the look. The symmetrical composition is loosened up with the animal print and objects on the mirrored tray.

Foyers are your first impression. Normally, we do not linger long in these spaces so have some fun and amp up your design choices. A console or dresser is the perfect spot to show off your collections, inject some personality and provide some storage. I hope that this post gives you the confidence to boldly march forward and decorate your foyer, but if not – call Corea Sotropa Interior Design for some help! We are at your service!

Cheers!

White Ceramics

Trends come and go, and generally, I don’t advise jumping on the band wagon unless it is something that can be changed easily. For instance, I would recommend using a trendy fabric on your accent pillows instead of on your drapery. That is of course unless you change your interiors every five years. In that case, go for it – you are fabulously reckless (in a good way) and your interior should be too! However, that is not the case for most of my clients. If you want to have trendy items, accessories are a great spot to inject that “of the moment” look since you can change them without difficulty. One trend that I have been seeing everywhere lately is white ceramic. I must admit, I have jumped on the band wagon too and recently bought every white ceramic vase I can lay my hands on from HomeSense and Chintz & Company for some niches I have in my kitchen. I had a lot of fun purchasing my collection and mixing crisp graphic shapes, cheeky sculptures and an array of textures. Here’s a look at the finished product.

Here are some more great white ceramic pieces to enjoy!

These Easter Island-esque sculptures look great with the vases. When creating a collection, remember that the pieces should be a variety of heights. Picture via Decorpad.

The texture on these vases is really interesting. A collection should contain pieces of various textures and patterns if they are all the same colour. Picture via Apartment Therapy.

White ceramic collections don’t have to be ultra modern. These vessels have a vintage quality. Photo courtesy of Country Living.

You can also go a little bit country too. I adore the simplicity of using white flowers in this arrangement. It’s all about form and texture here. The fireplace mantle and crackled urns are charming and casual. Photo via Country Living.

Add the ceramics to a bookshelf for interest, extra storage and as bookends.  This photo is courtesy of Terramia.

How about using simple white china and flower vases for dramatic impact in your dining room? This photograph is from California Wedding Wave and I must say that this blog has some astounding inspirational photos for flower arrangements.  Check it out!

You’ve got to love Jonathon Adler’s white ceramic animal collection. He is the king of pottery! I love the cool shapes that he creates with these pieces. Think about adding an unexpected piece of white ceramic sculpture like these in your collection. You can purchase Jonathon Adler’s ceramics at Sojourn in Calgary.

Now this is a model I would like to add to my collection!  Chanel makes this gorgeous white ceramic watch and it is completely dreamy! Interior design trends usually follow fashion so I wonder if this is the piece that started the movement.

White ceramics come in such a variety of styles that it is easy to add to either a traditional or modern interior. If you are creating a collection of white ceramics, or any item of a single colour for that matter, remember to use a range of sizes, shapes, textures and items. It is this variance that makes the collection appealing to the eye. Follow these tips and your white collection will be anything but boring vanilla!

Cheers!