Kitchens and more Kitchens

As I was looking for some inspiration for my future kitchen, I found some amazing designs. Since I will probably be buying brand new, our kitchen and other things will be customizable according to our taste.  I have a great fondness for travertine floors, stone backsplash and wood that sports a "used" look. Along with some accessories and materials that add modernity to the room such as stainless steel and contemporary light fixtures, you have my perfect kitchen. A few extra bucks well spent. Enjoy the photographs below!

1. Velvet and Linen 2. Pinterest 3. Mi Casa es su Casa 4. Pinterest 5. T&G

Bleu Nature

"All Bleu Nature creations are born of an encounter between the technical mastery of a French craftsman and the prolonged work of nature. Nature has fashioned each piece of driftwood over time, rendering every item we produce unique in both form and dimension." Bleu Nature.com

It's been a while that I've known about Bleu Nature. I used to find inspiration in their designs for some of my landscape projects a few years back. Only now did I realize I should dedicate a post about them. It is a craft-based business located in France that has now expanded throughout Europe and even reached the States.  I hope I'll be able to have a few of their pieces in my own home.

White interiors and inspiring courtyards

Some find that the overuse of white in indoor spaces renders the room sterile and bland. It's interesting to see how different people perceive the same thing in so many different ways. As for myself, I find that white interiors exude a powerful sense of peace and tranquility. It opens up the room, makes it seem much larger and accentuates whatever accessories you add to it. The brightness created by such spaces  seems to fill the house up with sunlight even on the darkest and gloomiest days. 

       Unknown                                                                                                       Decor8

         Iiinspired

         Amyfeelings

I'm currently coming up with some design ideas for a patio, since we are pretty convinced about buying a condo by the end of 2012 (I know I'm way too excited). My garden plans will have to wait for when we will actually buy a house. In my next post I'll put up a few sketches and simulations of what I want it to look like. But for now, here are a few inspiring outdoor spaces and courtyards that get my creative juices flowing.

         Non clickable item                                                                               Remodelista

               Apartment therapy

Checklist for a future home (or condo)

Hubby and I have been doing some window shopping for a new home or condo. We initial wanted nothing but a detached cottage house but we're downscaling our desires a little and we realized that it wouldn't be a bad idea to start with a condo. Why? Because we could get a brand new condo with all the nice finishes for half the price of a home from the 60's that needs major renovations. I am not complaining, the real estate market here in Montreal is nowhere near as unaffordable as some other major cities in Canada. Either way, whatever type of roof we decide to spend our lives under there are a few things that we can't compromise. I made a neat little checklist for you to better visualize what our must-haves are!

#1 Big, monstrous windows

From Live Creating Yourself

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Uncompromising and relentless uncomprosmising 

2# High ceilings

Pretty stuff

Design Crisis

#3 Open concept

Houzz

#4 Green and charming neighborhood

Palmetto Bluff 

I like how until number three, each following picture incorporates the previous concepts. I hope I can find everything in my wish list,  the only thing I can potentially sacrifice are the high ceilings, everything else is a must. 

A little bit of magic

On this grey sunday afternoon I decided to add a little bit of brightness and cheer to the day with some inspirational summer photographs. I miss being able to walk barefoot on my lawn already. The gardens I love most are the ones that aren't pampered, the untidy ones where perennials are overgrowing over fences and vines taking over brick walls. The lack of human intervention is often the solution to having a lush and healthy garden. 

From Francis Pierre on Flickr. Amazing photographer.

Unknown source :(

You simply get lost for hours in this tumblr page. Inspirational images indeed.

Photograph from Firdaus Musthafa.

Look who it is, my other little furry friend. Meet Frodo. Also, meet my garden. Following shots underneath from myself. 

Painting the japanese culturescape

When I was younger, I've always been sort of "teased" by my fellow comrades for not following the norms of my culture. Doing so made me look strange to the eyes of others of my own origins. What they did not know is that I found them strange for following blindly what they've been thought since birth and not exploring all the beauty the rest of the world has to offer. This brings me to say that I want to dedicate this entire post to all the things I loved while growing up, which happen to be mainly associated with the Japanese culture. From movies and games, to architecture, to landscapes, it was a culture I always related to and found great beauty in. Today as an adult and as a landscape architect, I tend to always find inspiration in japanese gardens, because to me, the creators of such gardens seem to be the only ones that master the true meaning of what a landscape represents.

House of Vision from FORM Kouichi Kimura

Oh the joys of folding paper to create anything your imagination tells you. I remember spending hours with friends filling up plastic jars with hundreds of little origami stars. These beautiful captures are from Flickr users Annika Svenmarck and Micci Laroza respectively. Visit them for more amazing photographs!

I always wondered why here in eastern Canada we don't cultivate more cherry blossoms in our parks. Why I ask? They are winter hardy up to zone 5! The magic they bring to any space is indescribable. I once heard in one of my classes that it is because they are not "emblematic of our nation"... ARE YOU SERIOUS? Instead we're stuck with diseased maples everywhere. Anyhow, I'm glad I stumbled on this amazing blog where I found the above picture, the photographs are just stunning. Please visit tender love and a seedy wink!

Ghibli, Ghibli,Ghibli. I lied, this isn't just about the things I loved while growing up, it's also about the things I love right now. I will always remain profoundly fascinated by Studio Ghibli's movies. I hope they never stop making them..

A photographer I avidly follow on DeviantART is Jyoujo. He managed to capture flawlessly the beauty painted by japanese landscapes and gardens. For me his pictures are eye-candy.

Bocci pending light fixtures

I am currently loving these light fixtures from Bocci. They don't come cheap; a decent set is around 15K. 

Having them in a solarium or in a garden setting would be absolutely stunning.