I recently dropped in to see a new lighting shop called Dark, located just south of the Lakeshore on Carlaw Avenue.  I was given the full tour by owner Mo Nahar who was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable.

If you’re looking for modern lighting that takes budget into consideration you must make this a definite stop on your shopping list.

They are distributors for Corbett, Troy, Habbardton Forge and several other lighting design/manufacturers.

Their showroom features some beautiful lighting fixtures from wall sconces to large and small ceiling fixtures, pendant lighting and task lighting. 

Let us know if you plan a visit to Dark Tools. We would be happy to introduce you and pass along any Designers Discount.

Happy Shopping.

DESIGN FIND ~ LED LIGHTING:

LED lighting has come a long way over the past 12 months.  Applications of strip lighting and SMD LED puck lights are endless.  Some of the advantages of LED lighting are their operational life, white LED lamps will have a 100,000 hours estimate life.  This is 11 years of continuous operation.  The average life of an incandescent bulb is approximately 5000 hours.  Another significant factor of us in large office buildings is the cost of maintenance to replace bulbs can be enormous. 

The key strength of LED lighting is reduced poser consumption.  When designed properly an LED circuit will approach 80% efficiency, which means 80% of the electrical energy is converted to light energy.  The remaining 20% is lost as heat energy.  Compare that with incandescent  bulbs which operates at about a 20% efficiency (80% of the electrical energy is lost as heat).

As the cost of LED lighting comes down along with the flexibility of usage, colour tone and brightness flexibility, LED lighting is an exciting trend that is here to stay.

Erin also spoke about the designers rule about not using more than three colours, you can use different shades of each colour but keep in mind rules can be broken. 

Global Style is certainly on trend and I’ll bet many of you already bring this into your décor now.  Don’t be afraid to add a little extra punch – start with a wild pillow. Have fun and ‘Live your life by design’.

Peter

 

 

 

 

AllSet Interiors:

We absolutely love shopping for tiles. Dramatic changes over the past 10 years has increased the options for tiles incredibly. You can shop for ceramic tiles, stone tiles, porcelain tiles, glass tiles, stainless steel tiles, copper tiles, mosaics and patterned tiles and they all come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Allset Tiles is a small boutique shop located at 201 King Street East (www.allsetinteriors.com). Owner,  Maria Magaletta runs the shop along with her son.  Maria is always there to help put together incredible tile combinations for any project you have in mind.   If you’re looking for something different go and visit Maria and tell her BedfordBrooks sent you.

Other favourite tile shops include

Anitca Tiles  www.antica.ca  30 Bermondsey Rd

Cercan Tile  www.cercantile.com  320 Davenport Rd.

Ciot Tile www.ciot.com  1020 Lawrence Ave. West

Stone Tile  www.stone-tile.com   1451 Castlefield Ave.

DESIGN FIND OF THE WEEK: MosaicWorks:

Canadian designer Karen Johnston puts a new twist on the ancient are of mosaics with monochromatic pieces that sparkle with tile, rhinestones and beads. We recently contacted Karen and commissioned 2 large vanity mirrors for our clients from her Shag series.  These mirrors will definitely add a touch of glam to this ensuite bathroom.   We’ll be sure to post photo’s after the installation. 

Be sure to have a look at her portfolio – www.mosaicworks.ca    

Where are we shopping this week?     

Our first shop is macFab Fabrics (755 Queen Street East) and macFab Home (734 Queen Street East)

macFABfabrics

Dale Sonier, owner of MacFAB moved from his very successful Queen St. West location to his new digs on Queen St. just east of Broadview.  Dale, along with his staff (Becks, she’s who we love to deal with when we are shopping there – say hello for us and tell them BedfordBrooks sent you J)are such a great pleasure to work with, full of energy and incredible service. When it comes to fabrics they bring the latest in design and colour.  The macFab workshop offers quality workmanship producing beautiful drapery, headboards, slip covers etc.

 macFABhome

Dale recently took on a beautiful retail shop right across the street from macFABfabrics and named it macFABhome! This is an absolutely must see shop.  A unique mix of new and vintage furniture pieces, accessories and fabrics.  They showcase European fabrics, wool rugs, and everything vintage. If you’re looking for that one of a kind stand out piece stop by and have a talk with Dale or one of his friendly staff.  If what you’re looking for isn’t in their shop he will create it for you. I’ll let you in on a little secret – They have a full shipment of vintage furniture coming in from Paris very soon that they will reupholster and reshape into to functional art forms.

Peter

How do we start the design process:

When I’m commissioned for a new design project, it usually begins by presenting a story board of sorts to the potential client and although not set in stone, this is a basic idea of what I think the overall design will look like.
The potential client will look through our portfolio, our references and past experiences.  Then the call or email will come in hopefully saying that we are hired!  Fantastic!

 I confidently meet with the client to discuss the project further – budget, schedule – and all the while in the back of my mind I’m thinking, here’s my secret;  I have no idea what I’m going to do, not a clue.
My confidence comes from knowing with out a doubt that I will find ‘a take off’.
A take off for me is an inspiration, a starting point.
Whether it’s a corporate client; an office space, reception area, boardroom or a residential project; kitchen, bathroom, it doesn’t matter – there is always a ‘take off’ point.
Let’s look at an example:
A client has a large empty dinning room, a blank canvas. First direction will be to determine style, is it contemporary, traditional, transitional, goth?
Next, the list: large dinning table, chairs, carpet, side board, lamps and accessories, wall paper, paint colour and drapery and of course the layout.
Now that we know the style, it’s time to turn to the inspiration to take off from. The client may have dinner ware that they like to use that has a pattern or specific style to it, or maybe they have a favourite art piece. Now we have the tools to create the design – the hunt is on.
I like to start from the ground up, the carpet.  Once the carpet is chosen then we can pull colours from that for wall paper, drapery fabric, upholstery fabric and paint colours, even accessories and art work.  Armed with some clear photos of the carpet, the fun part begins, let’s start shopping.

Here are a couple of things to remember. Make sure you ask the store about their return policy. Don’t be afraid to take things out on spec. You’d be surprised by how sometimes things that look great at the shop may not work in the space when you get them home. 7
Have fun with it!  Remember if you need any help, be sure to visit our ‘Tips & Advice’ section on our web site and let’s see what we can come up with together!

Peter Brooks | Live Your Life By Design

Start by choosing the space you would like to see your vignette and change it.  Strip that table or mantle down to the bare bones and start fresh.

Gather your trinkets & treasures – the idea here is to end up with items that are different in size, shapes & colour. There are three rules that I like to follow; 1^st keep it simple, 2^nd try to keep your groupings in three’s and 3^rd try to balance each object with space and height i.e. higher objects at the back.

 Let’s look at a fireplace mantle, keep in mind that the same look can be used on a long foyer table or even a side table.   Most people will place a large picture right in the centre of the mantle which is fine; however, try placing a framed picture to the left.  The picture should be about 1/3^rd the size of the mantle. Hang the picture about two to three inches above the mantle or let it sit right on it.  Now place a tall object like a vase or sculpture in front of the picture on the left side just inside the frame then place two smaller objects on the mantle close to the tall object.  On the far right side an object that is shorter then the tall vase or sculpture will balance out the look.  Can you see it?   Don’t crowd things around it or on it.  Keeping things very simple and subtle can give you the biggest impact.

 These subtle arrangements add detail and a personal touch in a room and will compliment your space. All it takes is a little time and imagination. Vignettes are one of many ways to create a focal point in any room and there are endless combinations to your creation. Give it a try. I would love to see what you come up with and I invite you to send in your photos or send me a photo of the space your thinking of adding that special touch to – I’d be thrilled to give you some suggestions whether it’s about vignettes or any other design questions you may have.

Peter Brooks | Live Your Life By Design

One of the things I came away with was how can I bring some country vacation home with me. Wouldn’t it be nice to come home every day and have a little bit of that sense of being on a care free vacation.

The easiest way to transform your home from season to season or mood to mood is through colour. Ask yourself, how a certain colour makes you feel. For instance the colour Turquoise a mix of blue and green: supportive and protective, heals the spirit, soothing and increases contentment. This in between colour represents water.

White on white, nothing is more timeless, serene and restful. Imagine the light that comes through a white curtain as the morning sun rises. I’m often called in for colour consultations. I love whites and grey tones. Keep in mind there are many, many whites; Benjamin Moore:  Cloud White, Simply white, Ballet white and Designer White.  Sico Paint: Soft White, White Artichoke, Pale Birch, Pea blossom.   I always look for one corner or wall to add an accent colour.  This makes it so easy to repaint one small wall and change the entire mood or season.  Throw pillows, drapes, accessories these can also be affordable mood changers.

Let me first tell you one of the biggest reasons why I’m so passionate about design.  I’m talking about living design.  How our homes, gardens, cities and surroundings effect us.  We’ve all watched shows at one time or another like Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Take This House and Sell It, Buy Me, Mike Holmes, Design Inc… the list is endless. We watch as people, families and communities are changed by the designers and the people and trades that transform the vision into reality.  Many of us don’t realize it but the effect that our homes have on us is enormous.

Our homes give us a sense of security; they can speak to who we are and how we welcome our families and friends. I saw this clearly as a Realtor with Re/Max Hallmark Realty, I was a full time agent for over 18 years.  I would stage homes long before staging was the ‘norm’.  I knew it wasn’t just about selling location, brick and mortar; it was also about selling a feeling.  If I showed exactly the same two homes, one that was in dire need of a fresh coat of paint and a few carefully chosen pieces and the other that was refreshed with a few gallons of paint and staged for few dollars I knew that not only would the staged home sell very quickly but it would sell for a great deal more then the other home.

One more note on home staging.  I have staged many homes in preparation for sale.  Without exception every home owner is truly amazed at the transformation but more importantly they always say “why did I wait to do this”.

Hiring a stager or a designer can be very affordable because most of the time homes simply need a bit of a twist and fluff.  I hope that my blogging encourages people to send in photos, questions, advice and ideas that we can all share and have fun with.

Live Your Life by design
Peter