Interiors: Open Shelving in the Kitchen

May 7, 2014 | 1 Commentary

I had open shelving in my kitchen for a couple of months while I waited for a few cupboard doors to be made and installed. I didn’t quite work for me. Sure, there was one less barrier separating me and my plate, but the overall look was much too messy for me (yes, even considering my dishes are white and neatly stacked). But when I look at the kitchens below, I think the open shelves look completely fine and liveable.

white kitchen with open shelving, via Southern Living

white kitchen with open shelving, via Happy Hour Mom

white kitchen with open shelving, via House Beautiful

white kitchen with open shelving, via The Simply Luxurious Life

white kitchen with open shelving, via CocoCozy

white kitchen with open shelving, via Maria Killam

white kitchen with open shelving, source unknown

Fashion: Sophia Costa’s Scarf Menagerie

May 6, 2014 | Leave a Reply

Why let the French have all the fun? They’re known for making scarves look effortlessly chic and have taught the rest of us quite a bit about how to tie one on. From about September to May, you can usually find me wearing a scarf – light pashmina in the fall, thick cashmere in the winter, soft silk in the spring. I recently learned about the Sophia Costas collection of scarves and I love that they are available in various fabrics (lightweight rayon or heavier wool, for example). More importantly, the Sophia Costas scarves are all handcrafted in fair-trade work environments (in Nepal, for example) that aim to preserve traditional artisan practices.

Sophia Costas – modal sheep scarf, $29

Sophia Costas – rayon elephant scarf, $39

Sophia Costas – lightweight wool elephant scarf, $59

Sophia Costas – wool penguin scarf, $129

Sophia Costas – wool llama scarf, $129

These and a full selection of colourful scarves are available online at Berglund and Flying A NYC.

Thanks to Flying A NYC for sponsoring this post. Thanks also to Xena & Liz.

Marketplace: A Kitchen Investment

May 5, 2014 | 2 Commentaries

Do you know what I think goes really well with a marble countertop? One of these…

KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer

Um…I bought one! It’s been four years since I wrote about wanting one and I finally took the plunge and made the big ol’ purchase! I’m SO excited. Now let’s just hope I can bake something delicious with it! I’m going to put it to its first test in my kitchen when I bake up some madeleines later in the week.

The Friday Five: Watering Cans

May 2, 2014 | Leave a Reply

Are you already tending to your spring/summer garden or is still too cold? The grass gets a bit greener and flowers (or leaves) are blooming every day now. Spring’s arrival is such a wonderful time of the year, isn’t it?

While the rain may be responsible for some of your garden’s growth, you mustn’t forget to water the plants and flowers that the rain may not reach. The best tool for this job is a watering can, of course!

1-gallon watering can, $5.97, Lowe’s

3L watering can, $5.49, Home Hardware

Karim Rashid watering can, $29.99AUD

Esschert Design Russion watering can, $35.96

Burgon & Ball watering can, $60-$65, Gracious Home

Have a wonderful weekend!

Event: Wine, Thai, & Blogger Time

May 1, 2014 | 2 Commentaries

Last weekend, a bunch of bloggers got together at Melissa’s (The Sweet Escape) fun and colourful loft for a wine tasting event sponsored by local favourites Union Wines and Linda Modern Thai. Lucky us, right?

The first wine was Union Gold and this stack of white plates didn’t stay empty for long.

Andrew von Teichman from Union Wines was on hand to teach us about four varieties of wines (gold, white, noir, & red) and to make sure our glasses were never empty! Union is a virtual winery owned and operated by Andrew and his partner Allan Jackson (former owner of Jackson-Triggs), and it sources all grapes from the Niagara region. All Union wine varieties are less than $20 a bottle and are available at select LCBO stores.

The chefs from Toronto’s Linda Modern Thai served up some delicious nibbles that paired extremely well with the four wines we tasted over the course of the afternoon.

Union Wines and Linda Modern Thai made an excellent pair.

Melissa’s home has so many beautiful vintage details.

Melissa’s milk glass collection looks amazing on her floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

Read Melissa’s recap of the afternoon (her photos are much more colourful than mine) and see her beautiful home in Covet Garden Home. Thanks for hosting, Melissa, and thanks for spoiling us, Union & Linda!

Photos by Jordana.

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