Northern Art Glass

I live in an older home -- built in the mid-1960s -- when beautiful front doors and large front porches were'nt as common as they are now. Consequently, we're stuck at the moment with a very dark, front entranceway, and a huge slab of a front door with no window in it. Ughh! But not for long--hopefully! There is a solution to leaving the front door open all the time to let in light through the screen door - even when it's sub-zero outside - and, it's stained glass.

I love stained glass -- it's colours, patterns, and the way it makes colour dance around in the sunlight. So, a stained glass front door - for me - is the perfect solution. And, with skilled artisans in the city, such as those found at Northern Art Glass, it really is possible to come up with a beautiful, unique solution.

Here are a few examples of lovely custom front doors produced by Northern Art Glass http://www.northernartglass.com/ Enjoy and I'll keep you posted on my project!

Sara Seggie - Part II

I've posted on Sara Seggie before (October 18th) and you know how I love her mosaic work. One of Sara's creations -- a guitar with glass bonded to the surface in intricate designs -- is now on display in the front window of the Ottawa Folklore Centre on Bank Street. Here it is for you to take a look at. And, congratulations, Sara. It looks fabulous, and definitely stood out when I drove by this morning!

Frank Prendergast

Cabinetry can be purely functional or it can be an artform. In the case of third generation, Ottawa carpenter, Frank Prendergast, of Neoform Cabinetry, www.neoform.ca, it is most definitely both. Frank first got in touch with me a couple of weeks ago, and I was immediately blown away by his beautiful, creative work. Today, he sent me some photos, and I'm very happy to post them for you tonight. After just one look, I'm sure you'll feel the same way. It's not too often we see such creative use of space, and the combination of classic and innovative materials, to make such one-of-a-kind designs. Here for your viewing pleasure, with little descriptions courtesy of moi, is the marvellous work of Frank Prendergast. Enjoy and be amazed!


This one called Puzzle Wall is a real charmer -- well, anything with babies usually is. But, here, Frank has outdone himself, creating a 7' x 8' patchwork of plastic wall laminates including 12 drawers and 10 cupboards. If I had this one in my kids' rooms, I'd have no shortage of storage space, that's for sure!



This lovely work -- called Cubist Inukshuk -- was originally commissioned as a hallway table for a very small space. Frank thought, "this table doesn't have to be flat", and provided his clients with a multi-tiered Inukshuk that gave lots of places to put things. Ingenious! There'd be absolutely no excuse to lose my car keys here!



The Fulcrum -- a yellow and green cabinet -- that provides lots of storage space, without falling over -- and a real attention grabber in any room.



Another beautiful piece that incorporates steel, with more traditional materials. I LOVE the rich blue interior. A hidden little secret until you open it up!



Shuffle Cabinets -- I sometimes think the smaller the space, the more creative you get to be. Frank designed these cabinets so they can go in either a kitchen or a dining room (if you run out of room in the kitchen). This is two-tone lacquer gloss cabinetry -- my personal favourite for a kitchen.

Newbury Interiors

If you're heading down to Westboro this weekend, do check out one of Ottawa's newest interior furnishings stores, Newbury Interiors, at 427 Richmond Road. This gem of a store is an absolutely terrific newcomer to the Ottawa design scene, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed when you visit. Here are some photos of lamps I loved, plus a stunningly upholstered chair by Harden --(don't you just love the orange?) -- and a couple of accessory shots. I've also included a shot of NI's washroom -- visible to the store --because I just love the wallpaper they've chosen. This is a classy, creative store with panache. Enjoy -- and have fun shopping!

Sarah Hallman

I'm always amazed by people who are so incredibly artistic and can work in so many different mediums. Ottawa artist Sarah Hallman is one of those people: not only is she an incredible singer/songwriter, but she's also an amazing textile and graphic designer, print maker, painter, and glass works artist. Here are some samples of her work, and, if you're interested in seeing more, and hearing clips from her new CD, visit http://www.sarahhallman.com/ It's a great site, full of atmosphere, and well worth the visit.

Funky Lighting

I absolutely love lighting! Nothing say funky like a unique lamp. And, if a room needs a little drama or pizzaz, injecting that perfect fixture does wonders. Suddenly, a ho-hum room becomes a show stopper! Here are a few favourites I found during a recent visit to Architectural Antiques, 356 Richmond Road, in Westboro -- home to antique and reproduction fixtures. I love them all, but my favourite is definitely the flower chandelier made of glass. Sooo beautiful when it's lit up -- this photo doesn't do it justice. And, just so you know, the first fixture is made of glass crystals, and the last two are made of shells.

Moo-Cow Adventure (2)

Well, it's been about a week since I posted my first installment of the great Moo-Cow Adventure, and since then, things have been coming along really well. I've found fabrics for the Roman shade and the back of the duvet cover -- at Fabricland, no less, and cotton, of course-- that work beautifully with the Moo-Cow fabric. I've also located a great little rug through Sears -- now on order -- and a fabulous pillow case for an accent pillow. Better yet, I've had the room painted in absolutely fantastic P & L colours and a chair rail installed, and things are looking fabulous!! Here's the photo of the room all painted -- obviously, the bed and other things are to come -- so stay tuned for my next installment.

Bhat Boy

Dragons and nuns ... Goldfish swimming around towers with huge eyes. Welcome to the marvellous, zany world of Ottawa artist, Bhat Boy -- a world where imagination and eye for detail clearly reigns supreme. And, if nuns and dragons aren't your cup of tea, then Bhat Boy's representational landscape and flower paintings are just as impressive. Check out "Haunted Weather", perfect for a spooky pre-Hallowe'en night; "Gigantica", the most gorgeous sunflower imaginable; and for all of us Ottawa natives, "February Thaw". I hope you enjoy Bhat Boy's work as much as I do, and if you want to see more, his work is impressively displayed and orderable through http://www.bhatboy.com/.
Oops, I gotta go, I hear a dragon at my door ... He must have just swooshed in from the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill!

Exterior Power

I know it's not winter yet, but being the good Canadian girl I am, I've started to think about how it affects our homes' exteriors. During the summer, many of us have lots of greenery around our houses, and flowers, too. There's lots of colour to nicely frame our homes and make them welcoming from the outside. But, what about in the winter when there's all that snow, and it can be so very, very grey and dreary? That's when front doors, shutters, and siding really come into play. And, actually, I don't think there's a season where it's more important to have a nice front door and siding than winter.

Here are a few shots I took of Ottawa homes just after a big snow storm a couple of years ago. It was a brilliantly sunny day, startling blue sky, and soooo cold. But, the houses in these shots look warm and welcoming, and they stand out in the snow. They haven't been taken over by the snow; they have a presence all their own, and I'd argue it's because of the colour of their front doors, siding and shutters.

We can't paint now; it's too cold and the paint would just peel off come spring. But, why not take a look at your front door, shutters, and siding and see if they could use a new colour to give them a new presence. While there's still no snow, and a bit of greenery and leaves around, think of what colour would look good in the spring, summer, and fall, and then take you into winter -- making your house pop out and stand out from the rest.

Moo-Cow Adventure (1)

I'm going to sign off for the weekend -- much to do and Hallowe'en to get ready for! But, before I do, I'll leave you with a couple of photos.

Right now, I'm working on a room for a little girl who'se going to be be moving out of her crib into her big girl bed once her room is redecorated. Over the next few weeks, I thought I'd show you the room as it changes.

Here's the room as it looks now, and here's the fabric which I'll be basing the room around. Stay tuned ... it's going to be one moo-cow of an adventure!

Christmas is coming

Well, ok, I know it's not even Hallowe'en yet, but it will be soon, and then, we'll all be starting to think just a little bit about Christmas, right?

But, it's Ottawa artists like Janine Smith who make shopping for Christmas easy and so much fun. Here are a few photos of her custom, hand-painted furniture and one-of-a-kind board games. Whether it's Checkers, Snakes and Ladders, Backgammom, or a beautiful rocking chair, Janine has them all, and I'm sure you'll love them as much as I do.

BTW, Janine does custom designs, so if you have an item, or a special someone in mind, it might be fun to give her a call at 613-222-3021, or visit her Web site http://www.janinesmith.ca/ before it starts to get cold outside!

Door knockers (yes, door knockers!)

I took this photo a few years ago in Florence, Italy -- and every time I look at it I think, wow, I wonder who lives behind that door??!! Today, when I pulled it out, though, I also thought, there's something missing here-- this door definitely needs a door knocker...

Actually, I think we all should have door knockers on our front doors, don't you? They're so much more interesting than bells, and they give our front doors real presence -- truly setting the stage for what's to come inside our homes. Here are a few photos I've pulled as examples.

Let me know which ones you like, and send me a photo of your own. I wonder if the door knocker on your own front door reflects the decor style inside your home or was it just there when you moved in? I know mine was here when I moved in and it could do with a change ...

Flickr: Photo by Alaskan Dude, in Prague

Flickr: Photo by Antmoose, in Italy

Flickr: Photo by Robin Taylor, in Barcelona

Flickr: Photo by Rachael Voorhees

Sara Seggie

I have a real humdigger of a cold tonight -- so, I was really happy when I opened up my email and found mosaic artist, Sara Seggie, had sent me photos of her amazing wall hangings. Sara creates all her art pieces with "intuition and passion", using machine and hand rolled glass of many colours and textures. She then cuts the glass into various shapes and sizes, arranges them, and bonds them to an MDF surface that is bonded to plywood. Once the glass is well bonded, it is grouted and polished, and all set for wall display. Here are a few of Sara's beautiful art pieces. And, if you'd like to see more, The Collection http://www.collectionbar56.com/
-- a great little martini lounge in the Byward Market -- has some of her pieces on display, too. Sounds good to me: great martinis and great art. Can't go wrong there! (BTW, Sara's reachable at saraseggie@gmail.com)