Celebrating 50 years of Design Around the Globe

I was pleased to find out at the IDIBC AGM last night, that Mayor Gregor Robinson found time to proclaim “World Interiors Day” in the City of Vancouver and making our City one of the 50 for 50 to proclaim tomorrow World Interiors Day.   I celebrate Design every day of course, but, bringing awareness to the fact that Interior Design affects us everyday simply through the ease we use our individual spaces because someone paid attention to how we interact with space.

So tomorrow join the world in paying attention to your Designed surroundings and consider how different a world it would be if Design didn’t exist.

Visit the IFI website for more information.

http://www.ifiworld.org/#Homepage

” It is the nature of Humankind not only to use spaces, but to fill them with beauty and meaning”  quoted from the IFI Interiors Declaration.

IFI Interiors Declaration

How will you be Celebrating World Interiors Day?

This Statuesque Public Library took my breath away

Leo Astor or “Patience”  by Edward Clark Potter

When I reflected on 2012 and what I will take from it to move forward in 2013, I realized that what I am really after is more of those moments that make life the wonder that it is. One such event occurred on my latest trip to New York City (days before Sandy came to visit).  This was the moment I walked into the Rose Reading Room on the 3rd floor of the New York Public Library for the very first time.  It is no wonder it is a National Historic Landmark and to think that it is a public space. Also known as the Main Library, and more recently the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (thanks to his $100 million donation towards restoration work). Only days ago, the estate of Mary McConnell Bailey donated $10 million to the library just because she is a fan.  The original cost of this building was $9 million and Mrs. Bailey’s generous donation is a mere drop in the bucket for the cost of restoring and maintaining this majestic Beaux-Arts building designed by Architects Carrere and Hastings, right down to the table lamps. There is presently a controversial  plan in place for renovating the interior but my focus today is to share a peek inside this intricately detailed building from a travelling Interior Designer’s point of view.

The breath-taking Main”Rose” Reading Room.  The service desk marks the halfway point.

Even if you have no experience in building construction, this one room still boggles the mind with its expanse and exquisite detail.  Thanks to some incredible engineering and 52 foot high ceilings, I was able to capture the room in a single frame. I had not planned to visit the Library.  I was lured by the banner advertising the exhibition on “lunch hour” and only because of my passion for old buildings did I venture up the stairs and into all the rooms.  I could easily have missed this moment if my curiosity had not compelled me to look in all the nooks and crannies.  I like serendipity when I am exploring a city so for a wood geek like myself, entering this room, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Admittedly, I didn’t open a single book. I did wander about in awe at the exceptional architectural detail in this room. The craftsmen who created this marvel must have been so proud. CNC and computerized moulding machines were nowhere in sight back in the early 1900’s when these miles and miles of intricate mouldings were being created and installed. 

Wickets have the feeling of an old bank.     

 Some of the 75 miles of book shelves

Craftsmanship and detail rarely seen in today’s interiors.

Rose Reading Room Ceiling Details

Balcony Railing and trim detailing

Carved marble cornice and gilded relief and panel ceiling

Door detail in the Rose Reading Room

Carved Spindles used as a screen.

One of the 20 massive chandeliers in the Rose Reading Room which were retrofitted for CFL’s to save on heat and energy consumption.

There are digital archives on the original design drawings for the light fixtures throughout the Building on the NYPL website.  I thought about stealing the image but it is there to see so I shall continue on with my snapshot tour back down to the street.

“A good Booke is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, imbalm’d and treasur’d up on purpose to a life beyond life.”

Over the door to the Rose Reading Room as seen from the Catalogue Room.

Plaster ceiling in one of the “special” smaller reading rooms is a work of art

One of Carrere and Hastings custom chandeliers in the same reading room

Close up of glass shade

Barrel Ceiling with painted mural greets you upon arrival to the third floor.

The murals are not limited to the ceilings

Main side stairwell domed ceiling.

View of Main Entry Hall from the Stairwell.

Different stairwell, different custom light fixture, different details.

More stairwells, more details.

The Empire State Building as seen from one of the many grand arched windows

Lobby Torchiere

Not even the water fountains escape elaborate detailing.

Astor Hall and a row of gilded ceilings and faceted pendants.

Astor Hall medallion detail

Steps away in the Exhibition Hall the pendants are suspended from a wood medallion

The ornate detail on the Exhibition Hall door

Leo Lego Lenox stands watch inside the main doors.  Not exactly heritage but iconic in its own way. Nathan Sawaya created the replicas using more than 60,000 standard gray lego bricks.  They were commissioned in honour of this buildings 100th anniversary.

5th Avenue Entry

 ”Beauty” by Frederick William MacMonnies

Classic Beauty

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Portfolio Project #7:  Japanese influenced Master Vanity is designed for sharing but not.

The Double Vanity is pretty much status quo in the Master Ensuite; not for use at the same time, but for the preservation of domestic bliss.  With the list of specialty beauty, cleansing and pampering products growing daily for all ages, sexes and skin types comes a growing need for storage at hand around the Vanity.  I have clients whose inventory of these rival the beauty counters in department stores. The battle for counter space is the number two design concern in the Master Bath.  The number one request is for a powerful, whisper quiet fan; or better: a separate water closet from the bathing space.  I digress.

This vanity is designed to give each partner their own easy access to their daily constitutional products while preventing countertop creep into each other’s zones. This tactic also works especially well for vanities shared by siblings.  The challenge with the centre column medicine cabinet is deciding on the door swing. (Not going to help with domestic bliss either way).  Remedy:  get rid of the door.  A single open cabinet won’t solve the product creep challenge either and since this alcove had enough space to have completely separate vanities, I could create a centre column giving each a large open shelf of their own.   Now all that is left is to draw straws to see who gets the top drawer.

Portfolio Project #6:  Monochromatic Kitchen goes High Contrast in this Contemporary Renovation.

The clients had a kitchen that stood the test of time only after 20 years they’d outgrown the tone on tone 80’s colour scheme and wanted something that reflected their present lifestyle.  They had put a lot of thought into the last kitchen, opting for a lot of custom features and a channel case that eliminated the need for hardware.  They selected finishes like the full wrap high gloss laminate and Corian tops both of which were at the height of fashion at the time.  Their Kitchen is a testimonial to the longevity of high pressure laminate doors both in style and durability.

Some of the old design details made it onto their new wish list:

1. To keep the 30 inch deep countertops
2. To keep the fluorescent light fixtures in the ceiling since for the high light level they provided
3. To keep the extra deep drawer below the ovens (They fit the family size cereal boxes)
4. To keep the downdraft rather than go to an over the range hood
5. To re-use their original stainless steel sink with integral drain board
6. To re-use their Nook table and desk top
7. To maintain the deeper than normal cabinets over the desk so they could fit binders which are deeper than the standard 12” upper cabinets.

New wish list items:

1. Quartzite tops
2. Large format tile on the floor
3. Tile backsplash
4. French Door Fridge
5. LED puck lights in the soffit and Xenon for the under counter.
6. Water resistant cabinetry for the sink units
7. To replace the tile floor but make sure it went with the granite in the foyer which was to remain
8. To update the adjoining Family Room as well

The New Space:

The Architecture of the Home is Contemporary with a Traditional roof line and floor plan.  This creates an interior that can take on any style. The rust coloured granite cannot be seen from this space so changing the colour scheme is fairly wide open.  We kept some of the warmer tones since the rest of the home is going to remain untouched for some time.  The clients didn’t want a slick contemporary space which is why they were considering an all wood Kitchen.  They described a space that was tailored and inviting with contemporary lines.  The Kitchen itself has no windows in it although it is open to a  Nook that is all window and looks out onto their lovely Garden.   A Garden Patio that opens off the space making it perfect for gatherings as well as quiet morning coffee.  Wood brings some of that nature indoors, but, finishing it in a warm gray gives it a contemporary look.

Eating Bar and Kitchen from Family Room

Curved Eating Bar Top:  Provides a detail that is a bit of a relief from all the rectilinear lines of the space and allows for good traffic flow around the Nook Table.

Nook

Desk:  Close-up.  Repurposed Corian top.

Cooking Zone: Kitchen Interior using just the accent lighting

No Worries about not having windows when the ceiling lights are on.

Details:

1. The countertops are Ceasarstone, a high quality manufacturer of Quartz Surfacing (often referred to as quartzite although quartzite is the name of an actual quarried stone, the cost of which makes the engineered quartz surfacing reasonably priced in comparison).
2. The cabinet hardware has a brushed stainless steel finish to match the stainless steel plumbing fixtures and appliances.
3. The fridge is not a built-in (they put the Subzero in the Pantry) but the cabinets above were designed with the ability to switch to  a Subzero simply by removing the first cabinet above. If they had waited a bit, Subzero has just come out with a French Door model this year.
4. A pull-out waste bin was added to the end of the peninsula where the old free standing unit was.  This allowed for a bit more counter space to the left of the cooktop and a tidy solution for waste.
5. The underside of the soffit is the perfect place for these LED puck lights.  Although we made sure they were easily access for changing out, the beauty of these are that they last for eons and no bulbs need to be changed.
6. We lucked out and got a marble subway mosaic that was large enough to read as a subway tile, but small enough to be mesh backed and have a bit more of a contemporary feel than the standard 3×6 tiles. Using a light gray grout on the marble subway backsplash warms up the white and brings out the gray in the countertops created by the clear quartz chips.

Repurposed Sink already has a nice patina.  When you love your sink and it is pretty much indestructible, why toss it?

Rather than ripping out the Media Wall and fireplace mantel, we painted the wood to match.   By adding doors to the lower section and painting the whole media area in a colour similar to the Kitchen, the Family Room gets a whole new look and the dark finish makes a nice backdrop for the new larger flat screen TV.

While we were at it, we updated the Powder Room.

Powder Room After:

Nothing wrong with the layout, but we were going to be changing the floor anyway so we did it in a matching finish to the Kitchen.  A matching wood mirror frame pulls the look together.

The clients love their new Space and tell me that they get many a compliment on it.

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Portfolio Project #5: Girl’s playroom becomes Man-Cave. The perfect project to present on the 100th Grey Cup Anniversary weekend.

Archie is an avid collector of entertainment and sports memorabilia.  A lover of vintage anything.  When I arrived the room was filled with stacks of frames, a coke machine and some other vintage items that were part of the inventory I would have to fit into this space.  Archie told me he wanted a Man-Cave and I thought, what better Man-Cave than a pub?  So off I went to put together a pub where Archie and the boys could take in a game or two and not overtake the upstairs living space.  This room even has its own entrance into the house, so the fellas can come and go and no one even knows they are there. (except for the cheering)

This is how I found it.  The last of the daughters off to a space of her own and the once children’s recreation room was now completely available.  I surveyed the challenges.

Archie’s wish list:

• A bar like in a regular pub where he stands behind and tends for his friends
• A wine captain and bar sink
• Warm wood and a masculine feel
• To fit as much of his collection in the room as possible
• Keep the fireplace and add a media system

My Challenges

1. The focal wall wasn’t very challenging except that one side of the fireplace was a bit narrower than the other and the build out in the corner couldn’t be modified by more than the thickness of the drywall I assumed.
2. The house was pre-plumbed for a bar sink, but it was only a few feet from the hall entry by the stairs.  I could pull off a wall bar but not the kind Archie wanted and have room for seating around the TV
3. Storage.  I also needed to add some general house storage.  There was some talk at one point of also moving Archie’s office downstairs but after much discussion, it was decided that if he was working away in the office that he would want to be close to the main floor action and that downstairs was for hiding out in the Man-Cave with the guys. I used the recessed corner space with a lower ceiling height for extra storage for the home.

It isn’t uncommon to remove the drywall from an entire wall to run new services in a renovation project. This allows the team to assess the challenges, makes it easier to run the new services and allows for a cleaner finish.  A few challenges but nothing we couldn’t work out.  The cold air return for the room was now going to be in the storage room so we were going to run a vent to the bar to allow proper air removal.  The heating duct would determine where the bar would end in the room keeping the heat on the room side of the bar.  A column also determined that the plumbing would have to run between the vent and the beam.  This was anticipated from the initial site survey and we were happy to discover that the plan as drawn would work perfectly so no last minute changes.  Still on schedule and no additional budget costs.  The scary part is over.

The bar framing didn’t require drywall since all surfaces would be finished with either wood or granite and the open framing would make it much easier to run all the mechanical.  The next step is to install the Cabinetry.  If the floor is prefinished, I usually have it go in after the cabinets to minimize damage.  Prefinished floors are not as repairable as site finished floors so although it makes it more difficult for the flooring installer, at the end of the project we are all a lot happier. ( Notice how clean the team keeps the site during construction)

After the collection went in.

The Media Wall cabinets keep the media clutter separate from Memorabilia Collection

 We found that the custom sofas from the Upstairs Family Room fit perfectly down here and solved the problem with what to do with them since they were being replaced.  Once we pulled the Green wall colour from the fabric, it was as if we had them custom made for this room!

A few of the design details that turned this Man-cave from just another basement media room into an English style Pub. And Yes the Vintage Coke machine and telephone are fully funtional.

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Portfolio Project #4: Client builds her dream home after years of finding them for others.

Elizabeth had a very clear vision of what she wanted in her new home.  After all, she has seen so many homes in her life as a real estate agent. She just needed some technical assistance to fit her Dream Kitchen and Master Vanity into her new home plan.

There were some challenges in the kitchen, namely a lack of wall space and storage in her clean contemporary home. There was also a column that the kitchen was to wrap around.

The cabinets were not built to the ceiling for a few reasons:

1. The clients were not very tall and did not want to feel overwhelmed in the space as well as wanting to be able to reach things without the use of a ladder
2. Elizabeth wanted an open, airy feel in her Kitchen and maintaining horizontal lines was the best way to achieve this
3. Going to the ceiling would mean an extra row of cabinets and the additional cost would not be of benefit to the client

I had to use every square inch of cabinetry within Elizabeth’s reach to its fullest.  This meant going with a custom cabinet maker since Gloss White was the desired finish and brand name cabinet lines would either not be able to do the customizing or be too cost prohibitive if they did.  The clients had saved for a long time for their Dream Home and they needed to stick to their budget so it wouldn’t become a nightmare.

Some of the features of this kitchen:

1. The wine captain was made accessible from the Dining Room side, which was more functional and made great use of a blind corner
2. The Kitchen layout allows for Elizabeth to be in the kitchen but still part of the group.  A counter height eating bar that wraps around the entire perimeter of the kitchen allows for people to join her when they are entertaining without being underfoot
3. The last cabinet although difficult to reach from the Kitchen is designed to be accessed from the Dining Room side.
4. The stainless steel splash, perfectly balances the stainless steel appliances.  This keeps them from detracting from the focal wall in the room.
5. The colour scheme was kept light and neutral allowing the space to be accented with the furnishings.

 

Project#3: Zen and the Art of Renovation.  Master Suite gets a French Country Makeover

It all started with needing better storage.  Since we were going to build Custom Cabinets for the Bedroom, it was decided that we would create a new matching vanity in the Ensuite and improve the storage in that room as well.  The feel of the Ensuite was to be French Country Spa. A Warm neutral pallete, natural finishes and Elegant French design details combined with opening up the space to give it a fresh, luxurious feel.

A Collage of  Before Pictures of the Master Suite show how storage was a challenge in the existing space as well as how cramped the Master Ensuite was.

I really did not like the location of the toilet and teenie shower, but, we were already renovating other areas of the house and there was a budget to keep in mind.  Initially, the clients wanted to keep the soaker tub that they never used for resale value.  As Zen and the Art of Renovation would have it, when we were removing the tile, it was discovered that the shower drain on the renovation 10 years ago, was improperly installed causing constant leaking into the subfloor.  They were lucky the toilet and shower didn’t end up crashing through the floor.  Since we were now replacing the shower and subfloor, it was decided to spend a bit more to make the most of the Ensuite possible.

The Plan:

The Master Bedroom went dramatic.  The client wanted 2 things.  A crystal chandelier and to use this new Bed Linen set she had just found.

New Master Suite Design Layout

New Master Bedroom Dresser, Wardrobe and Media cabinet

New Master Ensuite Elevations and Tile layout

We repurposed  the bed frame which we painted to match the new dresser, end tables and bench seat that we purchased.  We also kept the botanical prints since they suited the new room design even better than they did the old one.  The vaulted Ceilings begged for a light fixture that was also a work of art.  What better than a Schonbeck chandelier with beautiful Swarovsky crystals.

 The room came together wonderfully and the black theme took the edge off the otherwise feminine design so the husband could feel comfortable in the space as well.

Custom Dresser in corner matches the TV-closet  and Master Vanity Cabinets

TV goes into hiding when not in use.  Pocket Doors allow access to the wardrobe so you can watch your favourite program while getting dressed. You would never guess there is media in this room.

Details add to the dramatic effect. helping strike a balance between masculine and feminine for a Master Bedroom a couple can both enjoy.

The Ensuite:

The Master Ensuite turned into the luxurious space it was meant to be.  By eliminating the corner shower and tub, the Ensuite became much roomier and visually open. Turning the toilet so the access was much easier gave us a reason to create a display niche and add a mirror to help with opening the space up even more.

Marble inlay tile floor and walls with coordinating slab Marble countertops and shelves.

New luxurious shower features marble bench seat, inlaid basketweave marble shower base, Rain shower head as well as shower head with extension bar and hose.  Who needs a soaker tub you never use when you can shower in such comfort every day.

New Master Vanity with mirrored cabinet doors.  The clients were used to the mirror that spanned the length of the cabinet so to help with keeping the open feeling on that wall, I mirrored the cabinet doors using a bevelled detail in keeping with the French theme.

In order to accommodate the new plumbing in the shower, we had to build out the wall.  Since we only needed to run the plumbing through the lower half, it made a perfect place for a display niche. Mirroring the niche back and using glass shelves added to the spa feeling and kept the space light and airy.

Elegant details like the heating vent, chair rail design, and inlayed basket weave marble mosaic mat and applied moulding cabinetry pulled together the luxurious French Country Spa feel nicely. Archie could now shower in comfort and Candy got the Ensuite she had dreamed of.

Portfolio Project #2:  A long Narrow Space goes from Vintage 80′s Traditional to Modern

The client purchased a home from the 80’s with a pink on pink Traditional Interior. Her no.1 request was to get rid of ALL the pink and replace it with a more neutral, warm colour pallete inspired by a picture of a space with large limestone slab floors and clean contemporary lines.  It wouldn’t take much to turn this space into something more contemporary. Fulfilling her storage needs, creating a layout that married the 3 spaces without it becoming wallpapered in cabinets and providing for seating for 6-8 in the kitchen however would make this renovation project a bit of a challenge.

The Kitchen presently existed in just over half of the space with an eating nook/dining area in the rest of the space.  The peninsula at the end of the Kitchen created a boundary, dividing the space into two separate rooms.  The lighting did the same.  The Family Room is off to the right.  The client wanted a better flow between the Kitchen, Eating area and Family Room and a more open feeling to the space.

Note the standard Millworker Kitchen layout.  Start with angled glass door cabinet in the corner. Place cooking  area to one side and preparation and clean-up to the other.  The cooktop ends up stuffed against the short wall that backs onto the dining room with no landing space on one side which isn’t a workable solution for an avid cook with young children. The client wanted a cooktop and double wall ovens and the short return wasn’t suitable for the contemporary style she wanted. She did want to keep the sink centred on the window.  This left the work triangle close to one end of the Kitchen.  Not necessarily a bad thing when you cook a lot. Keeps steps short and the gang out of the cooking zone.

The client also wanted a larger French door fridge, and pantry as well as wall ovens and microwave.  A landing area would also be required on this wall because the opposite counter was a bit of a reach away The build-out was part of the main floor Bathroom and so the layout in that room had to be considered as well.  The entire house was being renovated so we had flexibility in moving plumbing and walls. Everything pink had to go…and EVERYTHING was presently pink.  Although the client wanted something more Contemporary, her style would be described as Modern since she had a sensible Form Follows Function mentality and a preference for natural materials and design details along the style of the Modern Period in Architecture.

The Plan:

Changing the window from a wide horizontal rectangle to a long narrow one, allowed for tall pantry storage at the end of the room and was more suited to the Modern style.  Going to a 15 inch depth on these cabinets allowed for storage of bulky items without the need for roll-outs.   To increase workable counter space and reduce the distance to the other wall, I made the preparation area countertop deeper.  This not only created more counter space but also kept the faucet from being jammed up against the window sill.  The other benefit of having a deeper sink cabinet is more space to get the sink gear and a good sized waste bin underneath.

The horizontal line of the backsplash tile also added to the long contemporary lines and using a darker colour made the wall a cohesive and balanced focal point. The upper doors are made a bit longer than the cases to eliminate the need for handles and double as a light valance for the under cabinet lighting.

The Result:  Classic Contemporary Space with clean lines and a warm welcoming feel.

The table will be a live edge wood slab table with matching bench on one side and  additional chairs on the family room side to accommodate the seating requirements. The client wasn’t going to compromise on the table so it is in the budget for later once they recover from the cost of buying and renovating their home.  Since the table is to be a work of art, selecting the perfect slab of wood to go in this room also wasn’t to be rushed.  The lighting was installed in anticipation of the future long table.

To maintain the long, lean contemporary lines, I used aluminum metal channels instead of face hardware except on the tall pantry doors.  The rift cut cherry veneer slab doors also created a contemporary look with a warm feel without having too busy a grain to detract from the long horizontal focus of the room.  The floors are a look-a-like porcelain tile which is less costly and non-porous but achieves the look of limestone slabs just the same without the worry of staining and maintenance.  The porcelain selected had very clean edges so we could go with a really tight grout joint, giving the floor an almost seamless look. This is important because there is so much floor and we wanted it to compliment the room and not take over it visually.

The white quartzite countertops create a clean plane that doesn’t contend with the texture of the cherry veneer and backsplash tile.  Going with custom cabinets, allowed use of every inch of space because the cabinets could be made any size desired.  Designing the drawers to be 2 shallow drawers on top and an extra deep drawer on the bottom allowed for much more usable storage for utensils, large pots and smaller items like strainers and containers needed in the cooking and preparation zones.  The stainless steel chimney style hood canopy reinforces the contemporary style and mirrors the stainless steel appliances in the rest of the space.

The Fridge and Oven Wall gets a functional make over making use of every inch.  The microwave gets tucked away out of the main work zone leaving valuable first use cabinetry space available near the sink.

The finished Modern Kitchen satisfies the client’s desire for an open airy kitchen with a warm feel and high functionality. In keeping with the Modern style, the cabinets have clean lines, natural materials and a furniture aesthetic.  Although this Kitchen was tailored to this particular client, it makes use of classic details and well designed storage making it a Kitchen any family would enjoy with the added benefit of only being able to determine the Kitchens age by the appliances manuals.

I went to the Ed Mervish Theatre in Toronto to see Sister Act this week.  Originally the Elgin Theatre (and the Winter garden upstairs) it has a few reincarnations. Recently it was the Pantages and I got to see Cats and Phantom of the Opera there.  All 3 of these shows were fantastic.  If you get a chance to see Sister Act I highly recommend it. I felt privileged as a Ryerson Interior Design Student to get a tour through the original building before it was renovated and restored. The Upper Vaudeville Winter Garden had been hermetically sealed in so it was well preserved. The silk leaves still hung from the ceiling.  I love Heritage Buildings and even though I appreciate the clean lines of contemporary design, there is something about the craft that goes into these old buildings that lends so much character to a space and makes it an experience to be inside one of these marvels.

The Entrance from Yonge Street provides the best experience.  Once you pass through the entry doors the space opens up into a two story spectacle of gold and crystal and vaulted ceilings.In order to save cost on Yonge Street Frontage, Theatres often had the bulk of their square footage on the next block so that only the actual entry doors were using up expensive Main Frontage.  This created long corridors which were often turned into show stopper masterpieces to add to the theatre experience.

A closer look at the Yonge Street Lobby ceiling detail.

Once you travel the length of the lobby, a set of stairs takes you to the Victoria Street Lobby.  This gives you a close-up view of the ceiling and chandeliers.  This is a shot looking back towards the front doors from the top of the stairs.

The Victoria Lobby and main gathering area outside the auditorium doors has its own set of amazing detail. The focal point is the oval medallion with its cove lighting and intricate relief mouldings.

Once inside the auditorium the detail gets more intricate.   The gilt frieze above the box seats is well crafted and stands out above all the other details in the room.

The auditorium’s ceiling medallion longs for the return of the Tiffany Style Chandelier that was lost in 1935.  There is a plan in place to restore it for the 100th anniversary in 2013.  If you wish to help with this, please see the website.  Quoted from the website for the event.”Constructed in 1913 by American theatre impresario Marcus Loew, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre acted as the Canadian flagship for his chain of vaudeville theatres. It was the only double-decker theatre built in Canada, and today is the last operating double-decker theatre in the world.”  http://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/EWG/Celebrate-100/The-Chandelier-project/News.aspx

I dropped in at  the Vancouver Home and Design Show 2012 to see what the offerings were for Homeowners this year.  Many of the same trends from IDSwest12  were to be seen.  Gold made its mark with silvery metallics holding their own and heavy texturing was following suit. The number one trend was Rustic Glam with Wood and repurposed goods being the materials of choice.

#5. Wood and repurposed Iron:  More Rustic than Glam, this coffee table would make a fantastic conversation piece in a Rustic Glam living room.  Jim from the Antique Market in The East Village says that they are the importer so you may find their pieces at one of a kind furniture shops throughout the city as well.

#4 Cedar Stump end table:  Love the tree ring etching on the metal.  I’m seeing lots of the tree stump furniture lately and Alexis Dodd’s Steel Wood Design’s creation takes it to another level with her addition of the metal disk table top.  A fine example of West Coast Rustic Glam

#3 Nothing says Rustic Glam like a Cow Hide Chair.  Love the nailing and the attention to detail on the upholstery.  Eclectic Living  had  a great booth with a variety of unique home furnishings and decor items.

#2  Refurbished Vintage Chandelier:  Nothing turns a room into Rustic Glam like a chandelier with vintage detailing.  Also from the Antique Market.

#1:  Slab 0′ Tree Barn Door:  Now that is the best example of a West Coast Rustic Glam Decor piece I’ve come across so far. Kim Stobbart at Wet Coast Wood on Vancouver Island provides scale to show off just how impressive her cedar wood creation is.