Toronto Designers Blog

butter dishes for your kitchen counter

[POSTED BY: Toronto Designers | 4 Jun 2012 | 3 Comments | 1,082 views]

I have a simple and practical glass butter dish with the perfect cover. It holds just the right amount of butter before it has to be replenished from the hard fridge butter. But now I want to change it. Why? Because my friend got such an adorable one in a beautiful green with a delightful surprise of purple inside. So I’m jealous. I know I won’t find one as perfect, but I also know it is perfect for her cottage and that mine will have to be just a little different for my needs.

This is the butter dish my friend scored for just $15. Isn’t it sweet?

This is what I have – boring but oh so practical.

And here are a few I think would look pretty awesome on my counter. My favourite is the turquoise depression glass one.

It’s important to have only those things on your counter that you love, or need on a daily basis, otherwise your counters just get too cluttered, and that’s not a good thing. How will a sweet little butter dish stand out if there are too many things around it?

tea towel curtains in my kitchen

[POSTED BY: Toronto Designers | 31 May 2012 | No Comment | 532 views]

The latest Style at Home magazine had the sweetest white kitchen with a printed blue and white cafe curtain over a horizontal blind. It gave me an idea to add a bit of colour to my own kitchen! And so simply too. For me, I think I will hang a couple of fabulous tea towels in the latest hit colour of my house – turquoise. Here is some of my inspiration for this little project:

period lighting

[POSTED BY: Toronto Designers | 27 May 2012 | No Comment | 391 views]

New houses often come with standard, really cheap, ugly ceiling lights that are functional, but definitely nothing more! And if you happen to look up in some 80s houses, you might also find some pretty ugly numbers still hanging around, even more insulting to the eye. So why not make a difference to your home. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune, but can definitely make a huge difference.

I say, consider period lighting for a more uplifting change than just some new ones from the hardware store. Try School House, and The Door Store for some great options.

And don’t forget, while you’re at it, get dimmers put on all your lights. Yes, all! The new LEDs are dimmable (for those staying away from energy hogging incandescents). I guarantee you’ll love how it changes the mood with such ease.

Here are a few of my favourite classics:

awesome creativity in design

[POSTED BY: Toronto Designers | 25 May 2012 | No Comment | 742 views]

cane – seating and more

[POSTED BY: Toronto Designers | 23 May 2012 | No Comment | 483 views]

Caning is such a beautiful texture that can fit into almost any home. From a classic Knoll chair, to a comfortable traditional chair to a perfect little side table, the sky’s the limit to introducing something with this perfectly composed detail.

octopus motif for your home

[POSTED BY: Toronto Designers | 18 May 2012 | No Comment | 485 views]

So apparently this octopus motif is all the rage right now so if you want to be trendy, guess you’ll have to put something with this motif in your home this year. Maybe just a coaster for me. What about you?

decorating with stripes

[POSTED BY: Toronto Designers | 15 May 2012 | No Comment | 532 views]

If you love stripes in your space then go bold and big with it this year! It doesn’t have to be all over everything, but can still be bold because of its colour, size or colour combination.

Since this year is all about colour, go for this look in colourful stripes. Have a look at how much of a wow factor this simple design can have.

simplified flowers

[POSTED BY: Toronto Designers | 13 May 2012 | No Comment | 669 views]

For Mother’s Day keep it simple. This is my favourite kind of flower arranging – so honest and easy. Love it!

create a cottage feel with colour

[POSTED BY: Toronto Designers | 10 May 2012 | No Comment | 473 views]

Even if you don’t have a cottage, you can fake the look in the city with some great colour options. Here are a few to try. Fantastic for a summer look!

easy ways with wallpaper

[POSTED BY: Toronto Designers | 7 May 2012 | No Comment | 1,076 views]

Wallpaper is hot right now and it is not the wallpaper of yesteryear that was so difficult to put up… and then take down! The design world is smarter now and the new wallpapers are so easy, not to mention more eco-friendly too. If you have thought about wallpaper but don’t know where to start, here are a few ideas that should help.

Start small – choose one wall in your bedroom or dining room for a hit of pizzazz and colour. It’s not committing to too much and is an easy way to experiment.

Wallpaper the powder room – if you are lucky enough to have a powder room, this could be your little jewel box. Make your guests (and yourself) feel awesome every time you enter. Go all out and have fun – it’s not like you spend so much time in here that you’ll tire of it.

Do a ceiling – why not? This is a great ‘fifth’ wall that might like a little attention.

Do wallpaper panels – this requires a bit of carpentry for the finishing mouldings, but it is less of a commitment than all over wallpaper, yet still gives the vibe of it throughout the space.

And as a last resort, if you just don’t want to put it on the walls but love a specific print, frame it like artwork – super easy and quite inexpensive compared to original artwork!

Here is an easy way to look through some papers to see if there is something out there for you. I like the option of choosing the primary colour of choice and then seeing what is available. Prime Walls Have fun dreaming!