Designing Woman

The Great Ottawa Senators room isn't quite finished (next week, I promise), so I'm interrupting coverage to bring you Designing Woman: Industrial Designer extraordinaire.

Here in Ottawa, we're really fortunate to have Carleton University where Industrial Design is a key program. And, fabulously, there are a lot of amazing young women enrolled.

Bonnie Van Tassel is one of these women. She has just completed her fourth year at Carleton, and is obviously driven, creative, and very, very talented.

Here are some examples of Bonnie's work for easy viewing. And, if you're interested in seeing more, click here for Bonnie's web site.

*** A word of warning: prepare to be impressed. This is a Designing Woman with an eye to the future!

------------------

Bonnie Van Tassel ...

Wazo Lounge Chair

This piece was designed for the Asahikawa International Furniture Design Competition. The challenge was to design an elegant piece of furniture that celebrates wood as a material and shows its beauty. From the beginning, Bonnie envisioned a flow of grain and texture. She worked in quarter scale (amazing but true!) to create a comfortable and beautiful lounge chair. The end product is a flexed fan of mahogany, cherry, walnut and maple, finished with olive oil and brass hardware.





Portable Seating: Axis

This piece was designed with mobility and portability in mind. The challenge was to design an ultra-portable seat which would be able to withstand any grown adult sitting on it, while being compact enough to be easily taken on a bus or carried around. The seat is made of birch russian plywood, ultra-suede fabric and high-density polyurethane padding, and weighs only six pounds.

Delfina Falcao

Ottawa artist Delfina Falcao is one busy and extremely talented lady -- when she's not creating gorgeous glass murals, she's forming lovely glass lampshades and one of a kind area rugs. Here's a photo of Delfina in her studio and some examples of her outstanding work. I especially love the glass mural hanging in the bathroom. What a fabulous way to add pizzaz to a contemporary space. For more information, you can reach Delfina at 613-599-9540 or design@delfinafalcao.com Happy viewing and imagining!

Sharon Kelly - Ottawa art

I start to crave colour around this time of year. Big, bold, beautiful colour -- the kind of colour you find in summer; exotic locales; or gorgeous, textured paintings like those of Ottawa artist, Sharon Kelly. Here are some examples of Sharon's work -- all kaleidiscopes of bright, vibrant colour. Each totally meet my summer cravings, and I hope you enjoy them, too. BTW, Sharon's work is available through the Dale Smith Gallery in Ottawa, and more examples of her work are displayed on the Gallery website.

Andrew King: Part 2

There is good news for Ottawa art fans this cold, February night! Ottawa artist, Andrew King has just launched his first solo art exhibit at the Terence Robert Gallery, 531 Sussex Drive, in Ottawa. Here are some examples of his new works -- as quirky, delightful, and animated as ever! Enjoy, and do pop by if you can. The exhibition runs until March 5th.

Goodbye plain walls: Hello Moffat Bailie

When I think of extraordinary walls and ceilings, I think immediately of Moffat Bailie Walls - a fabulous Ottawa-based company owned by Sarah Moffat. I first met Sarah two years ago at an event where she and Susan Bailie were showcasing Moffat Bailie's brilliant work. Their hardcopy portfolio was outstanding -- overflowing with beautiful images incorporating glazing and Venetian plastering techniques, as well as gold and metallic leafing --a technique where microthin metal is applied to a surface, whether it's a wall, ceiling, pillar, etc. Quite frankly, walls have never been the same to me since, because I know there's always more that can be done -- especially under Sarah and Susan's skilled hands. Here are a few examples of Moffat Bailie's fabulous work. I guarantee after seeing them, you'll never look at walls, ceilings, or pillars in quite the same way.


Brown and gold leaf cover the walls and curved ceiling of Ottawa's Siam Bistro, a lovely Thai restaurant on Wellington Street.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Moffat. More images on Siam Bistro's web site.


Absinthe Cafe, Ottawa
Photo courtesy of Sarah Moffat .


Glazing.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Moffat.


Gold Leafing.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Moffat.


Glazing.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Moffat.

The Burakkii Collection: Sara Seggie

Imagine ...

It's 10 PM on a Friday night and you're relaxing in your spacious, contemporary living room after a demanding week ...
A fire crackles gently in the fireplace, and gleaming, dark mahogany floors reflect its golden light ...
Through floor to ceiling clear glass windows, you see snow gently falling ...

You sit back luxuriously on your Roche-Bobois sofa, outfitted in the most neutral of fabrics, and glance contentedly at your surroundings, relishing the sense of peace and modern elegance. Finally, your eye comes to rest on this magnificent work of art ...



And you stop ... as always dazzled by the commanding presence of this colourful, modern mosaic wall hanging which so perfectly complements the room's spacious simplicity ...

And, you realize, once again, how lucky you were to find this unique piece -- which is part of Canadian modern mosaic artist, Sara Seggie's, newly launched Burakkii Collection ...

Enjoy everyone, and I hope your weekends are as blissful as the one above! See you Monday!

Glasswork by Robert Moeller

I have a six year old and a three year old (read: bedlam at dinner), so I don't get many chances to entertain with gorgeous dishes. But, if I did, (and a girl can dream, right!), I'd definitely be including Robert Moeller's sushi dishes and platters in my repertoire. Lucky for me, Robert lives just north of Ottawa, in the village of Wakefield. But, for anyone living outside the area who loves his glasswork as much as I do, Robert ships outside Canada, too. So, lucky everyone, I guess! Happy viewing!

Arevco Lighting

As many of you know, I love lighting -- almost as much as I love unique furniture. So, when I walked into Arevco Lighting this weekend, I was in seventh heaven! Check out these fabulous fixtures currently on display. I could seriously handle any one of them in my home -- especially the first, if only I had the room! For those of you lucky enough to live in Ottawa, Arevco Lighting is located at 285 Richmond Road, in Westboro (of course!)

Wall Juice - Part 2

Happy Monday, everyone! I just want to remind you Wall Juice
is offering a 15% discount this week to My Designing Life readers on their fabulous Wall Tattoos and Phrases. So, if you've been sitting on the fence about adding some "zing" to your walls, here's your chance. Just quote interiors0108 and you'll be all set.
BTW, I just want to thank All Things Bright and Beautiful
and Desire to Inspire for teaching me how to make links to web sites. Much appreciated! Please check out these two great blogs if you haven't already.

Alison Fowler

It's Saturday, and I'm back with Day 3 of Ottawa Artist Week. I do hope you're enjoying seeing some of the great art originating with artists in Ottawa. Today, I'm profiling the florals of Alison Fowler, done in fantasticly colourful acrylics -- perfect for grey, January weather like we have here today. Here are some sample images, and you can check out more of Alison's work at http://www.artbyalison.com/ If you live in Ottawa, you can also head down to Alison's solo show at The Foolish Chicken, a funky restaurant at 79 Holland Avenue. Happy rest of the weekend, everyone!

Karen Goetzinger

I'm back with Day 2 of Ottawa Artist Week, and so pleased to introduce Karen Goetzinger, a mixed media textile artist who is based here in Ottawa. I certainly don't know much about textile art -- and suspect I am not alone. But, when I first saw Karen's work last week, I thought, wow, how beautiful. I love the colours and texture, and am so impressed that much is stitched by hand. Just imagine one larger work displayed on a wall, or four arranged together. Wouldn't they make a lovely, stunning focal point -- especially if shown against low, contemporary furniture? Unfortunately, I can't show you more images right now because I'm fighting with technology and it's getting late! But, please do check out Karen's website http://www.karengoetzinger.com/ and enjoy her creative talents. There's more wonderful abstracts, and she also creates kimono-canvas which are extremely unique.

Heidi Conrod

Last night, I looked at my calendar and thought -- yikes, it's mid-January and we don't have any major holidays coming up soon. How about I proclaim this Ottawa Artist Week, just for the fun of it? And so I have, for anyone reading, at least! Over the next few days, I'm going to highlight three local artists whose works have recently caught my attention. First off is Heidi Conrod and her marvelous portraits. Heidi's work is found in numerous corporate and private collections and is currently displayed in Ottawa at the Dale Smith Gallery http://www.dalesmithgallery.com/ Please visit this website to see more beautiful examples of Heidi's work.

Smiles

Happy weekend, everyone! Hope you get some time to do some creative outdoor designing! (Update on this creation: Unfortunately, our beach snowman, his Tropicana lotion, sombrero, and party glass are now just a pile of mush in the front yard -- kind of like poor Frosty. But, my three year old and I have lots more ideas for the next time around! And, we're accepting requests, too!)

Tivoli Florist

It's Monday, so as promised, here are some photos of the most beautifully decorated shop I have ever seen -- Tivoli Florist on Richmond Road in Ottawa. It took a full week to decorate the shop completely, and wow, does it ever show! I hope you enjoy this enchanted space as much as I do, and feel like you've stepped into a little piece of heaven.