I saw this image on Chris & Julia’s Instagram story, and I instantly loved the look of the sofa. Black and white and bold. I love it! I think it could be a cool element in a living room, office, library, games room, and more.
In my own house, I could see this type of loungey sofa in what we’ve named our sitting room. Or potentially the secondary TV lounge. But where does one find such a cool piece? I’m keeping this photo as inspiration, and now I’ll put it out there in the world and perhaps a similar sofa will find its way into our home (magically, somehow).
Here are some results from my “black white striped sofa” Google search.
I think I love the look of a boldly striped sofa, and I’m now considering such a pattern on my vintage settee that needs reupholstering. This might fulfill my desire for a cool striped piece while I wait for something more lounge-worthy like the one from April Tomlin to come along.
It’s back to work week! Oh my goodness – I can barely believe it. I haven’t been on in a classroom in two years. And I haven’t worn real workwear in just about that length of time, too. While at the beginning of the pandemic, I was mostly wearing jeans, pants, and a nice sweater, in recent times, I’ve succumbed to leggings and joggers paid with a nice top. It’s been awful. I have felt lazy and not put together. I wear makeup, perfume, and jewelry every day, but don’t remember the last time I blow dried my hair!
And now, I’m going to slowly get back into wearing workwear. I’m excited, but I also feel like I’ve lost my style over the last two years, so I’m not really sure what I’ll be putting together for my daily #WhiteCabanaStyle. I’ve cleaned out my closet several times over the last little while, but I haven’t really replaced too many pieces. Here are some outfits that are providing me with inspiration because (a) they’re effortless and (b) I already own many of the items.
Of course there’s a lot of black and white in my style inspiration files. Black pants (or jeans) pair easily with a white shirt, cream sweater, or black cardigan. Cream/beige pants pair well with a sweater of a similar tone or a white shirt. A LBC (Little Black Dress) goes a long way and is comfortable for all-day wear. A pattern coat or dress breaks up the solid black and white. I think items like the ones will be in heavy rotation for me from now until spring.
What about you? Are you back at work? Has the dress code changed since 2019?
Our home is absolutely lovely. It’s a special place with an interesting history. There are unique nooks and crannies. And there are so many windows.
With every house, no matter how lovely, there’s always work to be done to upkeep it and to make it one’s own. Since moving in June, we have tackled a few minor projects, and we’re really trying to prioritize tasks to align with our needs and budget. This has been hard for me because I want to do everything all at once!
One of the areas that will need the most work in the future is our kitchen. It is large and fully functional, but we have ideas about what how we may want to change it to maximize the space and increase efficiency. Our design dreams, however, are costly, and the changes we have in mind are in our long-term plans.
That said, there are a few things that we would like to change now to make the kitchen more functional and beautiful.
Here’s what the main part of the kitchen looked like just before we moved in.
kitchen: before
We like all the windows, the basic white cabinets, and the appliances, including the double fridges (what a luxury)!
The counter and backsplash isn’t our style. The faucet and sink don’t maximize functionality. The cabinetry doesn’t maximize our nearly 10-foot ceilings (future project).
The faucet is terrible. The pull down option is broken, and it looks and feels so inexpensive. It feels like it could break at any moment. When I suggested we get a new faucet, my beau told me that the sink was even more bothersome to him than the faucet. The sink is shallow and has two bowls (regular size bowl plus a 3/4 size bowl). The sink, to my surprise, was annoying him just as much as the faucet was annoying me! We discussed the possibility of replacing one or both items in the short-term or living with the existing set-up until we’re ready for a larger remodel.
In the end, we decided that we wanted to complete a mini makeover so that the kitchen would be enjoyable, functional, and pretty (more for me!). A mini remodel makes sense for us while we save money and plan a larger remodel for the future (similar to Tiffany’s approach). Essentially, this means installing a new sink, faucet, counter, and backsplash.
Step 1 of our mini makeover meant that on one rainy day, I ripped off the fake-tin, plastic backsplash panels. I then primed the walls as a temporary, cheap makeover. We removed the glass domes on the lights, too.
kitchen: progress
Step 2 will be to replace the faucet and sink. We’re getting some help with this thanks to my long-time partner, BLANCO Canada. (Remember my old laundry room? I was sad to say goodbye to that little space.) I was so happy to coordinate our current kitchen project with the BLANCO Canada team – they’ve always been a real pleasure to work with! And I love that their products are made in Canada (remember this BLANCO factory tour?).
On our wishlist:
a high functioning faucet with pull-down spout and minimal splash
a deep double sink that could withstand messy kitchen work and that would look modern
Here are the faucet and sink options we considered:
Step 3 will be to install a stone countertop (I’ve got my eye on carrara marble or a white quartz), backsplash, and door handles.
Our current mini-makeover design board looks like this:
white subway tile backsplash, carrara marble countertop, existing white cabinetry, cabinet handles, PRECIS U 2 sink in white, BLANCOCULINA faucet in chrome
We liked just about all of the faucets in BLANCO’s collection. Everything was sleek and powerful. We wanted a high arc with a pull-down feature, and the BLANCOCULINA suited our tastes well.
We have chosen BLANCO’s Silgranit PRECIS U 2 sink in white. Daring, right? We debated between single and double bowl options, but decided that a double bowl might suit our current needs best. We were open to both stainless and Silgranit options, too, but I was drawn to the PRECIS U 2 in Silgranit because it’s unique. I have seen the Silgranit in action, and I am confident that the white will withstand the wear and tear of daily kitchen use. Tim and Chris have a white Silgranit in their kitchen, and they let me know that it has been easy to clean.
And this brings me to the end of the first post about our kitchen mini-makeover. In a few weeks, I’ll be sharing some progress and after photos.
Are you surprised to see so much colour? Me, too! Thankfully, the walls in our house are bright white, which is the perfect backdrop for some new additions in our furniture collection. To break up the traditional elements – the sideboard and the rug – I knew I wanted to add white accessories. I started with a pair of bubble lamps – super fun if you ask me!
Soon after I posted the above photo on Instagram, I received direct messages of other bubble lamps.
Here’s Kelly Wearstler’s version (perhaps the original bubble lamp?):
