guest blog / Jenn Hannotte: A touch of the RT's

Drumroll! Church bells! Fireworks! It's done! After some finishing touches, I was super lucky to have Naomi Finlay come by to take photographs of the final bathroom reveal, and Arren to help style! I am beyond happy with how it turned out - it's got that Royal Tenenbaum edge, but it's got a lot more of 'me' and a whole lot of this houses' heart in it, too. Here's the complete list of materials and other good stuffs used in the shots and in real life:  

Bancroft toilet, Brockway sink with Cannock faucets - Kohler. Daltile Subway and Octagon and Dot tiles, baseboard, Behr Paint in Ashes - Home Depot. Trim tile - Pollock's. Wild Flower wallpaper - Ferm Living. Fords Mill light fixture - Rejuvination Lighting  (Who, I noticed when I went to grab this link have some AMAZING new product). Towels, bathmat, plate - Anthropologie. Shower curtain - Urban Outfitters. Milk glass vases, vintage fan, MOR soap - Russet and Empire. Vintage pharmacy jars - The Arthur. Molger mirror - Ikea. Kartell Componibilii - Neat.

Click here and here to check out the other posts on the bathroom reno (including the awful before shots), and stay tuned, something else is cooking up at the Hannotte house - pun intended. Wink, wink.

For more of Jenn's take on style click here

In praise of knots

The Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs was jam packed during the recent Coachella fest (click here to see the arty goings on over on Poppytalk), but I'm wondering, did anyone stop to check out the hotel's cool macramé installation? The knot-tastic curtain was created by designer Michael Schmidt - who's perhaps better known for his wardrobe work with the likes of Gaga, Fergie and Madonna - out of about a mile of cotton rope. And why not? It's definitely high time for macramé to come out of the dusty 70's craft closet and be re-imagined for today. To show that there's a bit of a thing happening with cord, rope and knots, take a look at Urban Outfitter's Beaded Treasures pillow as well as the rather stunning Pleats-Pleats sofa by young Swedish design and architecture studio, Imaginary Office. [Images 1,3: courtesy Michael Schmidt]

Where I would rather be...

Well, today has been rather busy, and I still feel pretty darned awful from the cold I caught on my way to Italy last week. This morning I taped a CityLine, which will air next Monday (be sure to keep a eye out for it!), and tonight I'm off to Ottawa for a spot of work. Really, I'd rather be in bed - see inspiration shot below - dozing off between daytime tv, reading a good book or flicking through a mag.

Those lovely LOVE pillow cases are available from Lush Designs, though if you're a die-hard French- speaking cycling fan you could always switch them to spell VELO. I could have sworn that Urban Outfitters had something similar, but those guys seem to be doing a brisk business in Tiger, Elephant and Owl pillows instead.

Style blender

While you might think that I have completely my own way with the way the new place will look, think again. It's the same for us as for most couples - Compromise. Ugh, such a dirty word (lol). And David, who's quite the comedian, has given some thought on a design direction and has decreed that it should be Robot Chic. Robot Chic? Honestly, if he had his way we'd be living in a Daft Punk video wearing crash helmets with LED lights flashing across the visor. Cool, perhaps, but maybe not so livable (I think I might get a headache from all the glaring lights).

In an effort to be understanding I've found the perfect item that'll meet halfway between Robot Chic and, well, reality - The lampbase (very him) and shade (very me) are both available through the always edgy Urban Outfitters.