Press: My Home in Style at Home Magazine

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By now you may know that my home was featured in the June issue of Style at Home magazine. I’m so so so proud of this achievement, and it is truly an incredible honor to be in the presence of such amazing Canadian designers, stylists, and bloggers in this issue. I love this Canadian publication because it features designs that readers can recreate. On top of all of this, I always learn something new.

It was a pleasure to work with photographer Donna Griffith; stylists Morgan Lindsay and Stacy Begg; and author Bethany Little. As the article was being prepared, I also connected with a couple of additional fact-checkers on the Style at Home team, and our interactions always made me smile. One conversation included repetitions of the question “And it’s white?” The fact-checker asked this question because she hadn’t yet seen photos of my home, but was asking me questions about the items and designs. I couldn’t stop laughing. “Yes, yes, everything is white,” I told her.

I hope you’ve been able to pick up a copy of this very special issue. Here’s a peek into the feature, and you can read it in full online at Style at Home.

 

    

And a few truths…if you’re curious:

  • I do walk briskly to and from work…with a backpack.
  • I definitely do call my bed “my princess bed.”
  • I absolutely adore my couch, and I would buy it again in an instant.
  • The trio of white artwork in the living room was made my my three nephews as a house-warming present.
  • The Style at Home team didn’t actually rearrange too many things. Except for a few items (e.g., flowers, silver platter on coffee table, marble tray with lemons, lettuce in the sink, tea towel), everything is mine. I loved that they worked with my own items. It wasn’t what I was expecting to happen on photoshoot day.
  • I had so much fun when the crew came for the photoshoot.

Thanks for reading, everyone! I’m taking tomorrow off from the blog, so I’ll leave you this whole weekend to read the feature!

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Design: A Notting Hill Kitchen

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This kitchen in Notting Hill, UK has so many stunning details. The marble, the moulding, the brass, and the floors have all caught my eye. And since there’s already a Bialetti espresso maker in place, I can basically move in. Yup. I could!

Blenheim Crescent kitchen by Blakes London

Cleaning: Capture Review

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Many of you know by now that the love of white actually runs in my family. My sister and her husband’s NYC apartment is white-white-white (remember her artwork) and my parents’ new kitchen is super white too. We all agree that a white space is clean, refreshing, and matches every accent colour. But…for it to remain looking fresh, a white space needs regular cleaning. My sister recently called sharing happy news of her latest cleaning success (yes, we do seriously have these kinds of conversations).

You see – Team G (as we affectionately call my sister, her husband, and their three kids) purchased the well-designed Crate & Barrel Petrie sofa, chair and ottoman – in white – about four years ago.

Crate & Barrel Petrie sofa

The pieces are comfortable, fit perfectly in their living room, and have stood up quite well with three young boys climbing on them, jumping on them, and using the cushions to make forts and slides (Oh, did I mention it’s a great place to “hide” jelly beans for an Easter egg hunt? This is what Manhattan living is all about!).

IMG_0951 IMG_1587 IMG_1585 IMG_1831

photos by Corie

Believe it or not, Team G’s white sofa set is still in excellent condition, but, being white, the pieces do need to be cleaned every so often (to maintain my sister’s high standard of cleanliness, I might add). Team G previously hired a professional cleaning company to come in and clean the couches but my sister was less than pleased. So imagine my delight when she called to tell me about a new cleaning product that was inexpensive and actually worked! Hooray!

So what is this “magic” product? It’s called Capture.

Capture

I asked Corie some questions about the product and here’s what she had to say…

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1. What made you buy Capture? How did you first hear about this product?

After 4 years and 3 kids, my beloved white Crate and Barrel Petrie sofa was looking a little, shall we say, “worn”. Professional cleaning here in New York ranges from $300-$900 a pop and I wasn’t so impressed the last time we took that route so I went online to see if anyone had any clever ideas about how to clean my white couch. Someone mentioned Capture casually and I decided to check it out and give it a shot.

2. What products did you buy?

Amazon.com sells a “Dry Rug Cleaner Kit” that consists of a pre-mist, a powder cleaner and a brush.

3. How much did everything cost you?

A mere $25!

4. Describe the cleaning process.

I basically misted each section of my couch then sprinkled the powder on and gave it a bit of a rubbing with my hand. I didn’t use the brush as I was worried the bristles were a bit too hard for the weave of the fabric (I imagine the brush would be terrific for a carpet, however).  Then I let it sit for a while – the instructions say 30 minutes but, I figured “3 kids + white couch” warranted a little longer.  Following the waiting period, I carefully vacuumed all the powder up. Voilà – clean!

5. How long was the process?

About 2.5  hours with the 1 hour waiting time.

6. Describe the end result.

I’m pretty pleased.  Our couch doesn’t look brand new but it looks a lot better now. And it certainly looks better than it did after we had the professional cleaning done a year ago.

7. Was the product successful in getting out stains?

It did a great job of getting out (mostly, not entirely) newer stains and wear on the armrests.  

8. What stains didn’t come out?

Stains that were much older did get slightly better but not significantly so.

9. How does your experience with Capture compare to other products/cleaning services you used?

I’m quite pleased – well worth a few hours of effort and a minor financial investment!

10. Would you buy this product again and repeat this process? If so, how often do you think is necessary (for your lifestyle)?

I used up the entire kit I purchased and intend to purchase a new one to spot treat stains while they’re new.  Following that, I’ll probably undertake the process every 6 months or so – again, 3 kids + white sofa!!! What was I thinking?

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Well Sis – I’m thinking that you were thinking that you didn’t want to sacrifice design just because you had kids. I think you made a wise decision. And look – the upkeep of a white couch isn’t so bad afterall, is it? Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Capture! My own couch cushion covers are machine washable so I’m okay there – but my white carpet could use a refresher soon.