Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

home decor

Making the Most of #EverySecond.

By

They’re competitive and loud and rarely respond unless I scream. They’re argumentative and ornery and way too sensitive about the silliest things (He’s looking at me, mom! He’s LOOKING at me!). They push my buttons, push for a later bedtime and always push each other.

Yet, they’re the heart of my home. They breathe so much life, excitement and vigor into my day. And when I catch them sitting together – because they just can’t stand to be apart – I remember that beyond the spats and bickering, they truly are the very best of friends.  I am truly blessed to share every second of my day with them. …

Read More

I’m Part of a Squad. A Home Depot Blog Squad. Fabulous!

By

It’s no secret that I’m a little less DIY (“do it yourself”) and a little more DIFM (“do it for me”). And there’s no shame in that! I am happy to keep contractors gainfully employed, and with every home reno and small room makeover we complete, we get a little more confident… a little more creative… and a lot more willing to take on bigger projects.
B-OdvBqCMAAGpIDOf course, taking the time to complete a room facelift or renovation is 50% ability, and 50% inspiration! And as part of the very first Home Depot Blog Squad, I am thrilled to be in the company of some of the most inspiring design and decor bloggers in Canada.

Together, we’ll be tackling small reno projects – with products and advice from Home Depot Canada – and working to encourage YOU to take on some projects of your own. Let’s just say that you can do it, and we can help.

Today, I’d love to share some of the home decor and design projects that have been happening behind the scenes by the #HDBlogSquad.

Tim Lam of Design Maze
Shannon Acheson of AKA Design
Brittany Stager of My Daily Randomness
Jennifer Flores of Rambling Renovators

And… moi! Okay, so I don’t have my small reno project available *just yet*. Between our recent family vacation and a tiny (really, super tiny, like minuscule) plumbing fiasco, we are a bit behind schedule for a laundry room “facelift”.

(Can a laundry room be pretty? I’d like to think so! And trust me, I’m working to make the most of the tiny cell that has been zoned for laundry purposes on our second floor. You can look forward to my reno in the coming weeks!)

In the meantime, check out the DIY’s above, and be sure to follow the #HDBlogSquad hashtag on social to stay on top of our exploits.

Are you currently working on any home renos? Do tell!

#ProjectSittingRoom

By

The incurable re-decorator strikes again!

It’s a well known fact that I love changing things up. Remember my Reno-cation of 2011? Oh yeah, a home face-lift of epic proportions. Then I followed up with #ProjectLivingRoom, one of my favourite redesigns ever. (#urbanbarn fan4life)

And while I assumed I’d taken care of the re-decorating bug for good, there was just one little area that was begging for a redo: our sitting room.

Okay it’s technically not a room. And I can’t actually remember the last time somebody sat there. But it’s a little area off to the side of our living room, and it basically only exists because the room is so long that it requires more furniture to look balanced.

“Okay, Lena, so what was the problem?”

The problem was the über blahness of the area. Vanilla walls, vanilla leather chairs and a very vanilla feeling overall. One could literally become comatose if one stared at it too long. Blah.

…

Read More

Reno-cation: Ryder’s Room

By

Ta-da! I’m finally ready to start posting photos of my recent Reno-cation! I’ve decided to literally go from room to room – divulging details on what steps were taken, items I love, and where you can grab ’em. Then, don’t forget to tune in next month, when you’ll have a chance to win some of the goodies!

Disclaimer: The rooms aren’t “finished”, per se. There are instances where I’d like to change a piece of furniture, add a new picture or photo frame, or eliminate a style element… but don’t have the time or finances to do so at the moment. However, on the whole I’m very pleased with the small changes we’ve made, and am happy to present you with our recent mini-makeovers.

BEFORE

Since we’ve got four bedrooms and only two children, we have the benefit of having a home office upstairs. Pretty crucial when there’s a blogger in the house! Until recently, we used what the builder termed “Bedroom 4” as our study – its quite large and spacious, and we were able to create a work space, an area for me to scrapbook (a now defunct hobby – there’s just no time!) plus more than enough room for the kids to hang out so I can keep an eye on them. Trouble is, with Ryder growing and requiring more space for his personal effects, we felt it was time to move him into a “big boy’s room”. Before the move, he was in the bedroom beside our own, so having him relocate to the other side of the house has actually been tougher on mommy than him!

Ahem, did I mention that the room needed a healthy dose of spring cleaning? The closet was packed with literally every form of paper junk imaginable – wrapping paper, books, notepads, stickers, etc. etc. Here’s a shot of the room from the opposite angle, deep into the purge:

As you can see, the garbage bag was FULL. See the blue storage bin full of books on the left? All chick lit, my friends. Time to put the works of Sophie Kinsella to sleep.

AFTER

Ryder’s new bedroom…

Paint:

PARA Paints Picturesque Port, #P5011-24

Wall Decor:

Adzif “Ludo Tells a Story” and “Hip Hop” decals, purchased from DeSerres
Framed photos – DIY project I whipped together, displayed in NEXXT Suspense Frames
“LACK” wall shelf, purchased from IKEA

Furniture:

Denali, purchased from The Baby’s Palace

NOTES

I wanted Ryder’s room to be a happy, carefree place that would make him smile. His bright blue room is a far cry from the paint swatches I first considered – muted, mellow and “meh” colours. Somewhere along the way I decided to abandon what others would like… and paint for what Ryder would like! Great news – he LOVES his new room, and says goodnight to the Ludo sticker every night!

The furniture certainly doesn’t fill the room, but once Reid outgrows his crib, it will convert to a double bed which will be Ryder’s to enjoy (Reid will inherit the toddler bed pictured above). So in a few short months, what looks like a huge bedroom will actually be balanced a little more effectively with the right mix of furniture.

PARA Paints generously provided the paint for my entire home, and let me just say that I couldn’t be happier with the selection of colours and finishes. My father-in-law, who is a professional painter, commented that the paint (PARA’s Ultra latex interior) provided superior coverage with mess-free application. More on PARA Paints to come!

One room down, lots more to go! Stay tuned…

Reno-cation: The Great Room

By

Thanks to everyone who left such wonderful feedback on Ryder’s Reno-cated room. I feel a surge of happiness every time I hear him say, “I like my new room! It’s blue!”

Now the logical thing would be to show off the next bedroom in sequence, BUT, because I have two little boys, and because taking pictures is dependent on which area of the home is tidy at the moment, let’s skip to my main floor – where I’d like to introduce you to my new “Great Room”.

Here’s the scoop: when we first purchased our home, we spent hours going over the floor plan, considering how to set up our domain. The builder had laid out the main floor as depicted on the right (note: foyer, powder room and garage not pictured). So without going against the proposed plan, we proceeded to set up four (4) distinct areas: a family room at the back of the house and a combined living/ dining/ entertainment area in the front of the house.Just in case you’re wondering… all the furniture was purchased literally weeks before I found out I was pregnant with Ryder (who was a most welcome surprise)… so brace yourself – you’ll see a lot of light-coloured furniture that is so telling of a couple who hasn’t considered the joys of sticky fingers and grape juice.


Now having a home that is almost completely an open concept is both awesome and frustrating; awesome because the house looks large and modern – frustrating because all the furniture and décor has to complement each other and lend to a continuous “look”.

Well, this July it will be four years in our home, and we finally came to realize that we spend exactly 99.9% of our time holed up at the back of the house in the family room, and 0.1% of our days in the blended living/dining/entertainment area. Which is all the more tragic considering what a colossal waste of space it is!So I finally decided to do something about it. Instead of having three separate “rooms” upon entering our home, I relocated hubby’s bar to the basement, moved our dining furniture into the family room, and turned the front of the house into a Great Room – which is a much more intelligent use of space. Since the area is quite large, let’s do the “Before” pictures in comparison to the “After” shots one room at a time. You may click to enlarge photos.

BEFORE/AFTER
BEFORE – LIVING ROOM
AFTER – TV AREA
BEFORE – DINING ROOM
AFTER – GREAT ROOM
BEFORE – BAR AREA
AFTER – STILL THE GREAT ROOM!

Paint: 

PARA Paints Nature’s Bounty, #P5227-24

NOTES

We love our new Great Room! And, we’re finally enjoying the awesome space in our home! I didn’t include pictures of the family-room-turned-dining-room because I’ll be posting about that separately later this week.

Re: our paint colour choice, since all the rooms mesh together… plus all the way up the stairs and through the upper hallway (did I mention we have an open concept? sheesh) we couldn’t really afford to go too crazy. I chose a very safe mix between beige and taupe… but you’d be amazed at how different the colour looks in different lights! In natural light, it’s downright taupe; with our lighting at night (which has a strong golden hue) the paint tends to look almost a pale yellow (as in the photos above). Regardless, it’s the perfect colour to set off our dark furniture and hardwood, and blends seamlessly with our green kitchen (yes green – but trust me, it’s a nice green).

The sectional was purchase from The Brick several moons ago but in our new room, we feel it takes on a contemporary (but timeless) look.

I also wanted to point out this neat little gadget we picked up at Home Depot: since we live in a semi, it was virtually impossible to fish the wires through the concrete once we mounted our TV. So instead of leaving the wires hanging (yuck!) we found this nifty Flat Screen TV Cord Cover Kit to hide the unsightly cables. A bonus: it can be painted to blend with your wall!

More Reno-cation wrap up to come!

Reno-cation: Master Bedroom

By

My Reno-cation wrap up continues!

On to one of my favourite rooms – our master bedroom. My husband had just one teeny request: make it resemble a guest suite in Chicago’s W Hotel, where we had stayed during our engagement. Easy peasy, right? Ha!

Well, thankfully I had a few things going for me –

a) A spacious master bedroom
b) A cream couch without a home since we merged our living and dining rooms
c) The desire to add a touch of modern elegance to an otherwise boring bedroom

(Unfortunately, no mini bar.)

Aside from my beloved Urban Barn “Yoshi” bedroom set, my “before” look was sadly lacking inspiration.

BEFORE

Choosing a paint colour for the room was simple – I had my heart set on a smoky purple. It had to have just enough lavender to be pretty, but with a healthy dose of grey for an edginess that hints at contemporary styling. In other words, very W Hotel. 

It took literally seconds for me to settle on Big Shot, #P5195-44. I’ve attached the paint chip here because I only had a chance to take pictures at night – and my camera’s flash pulled out too much gray from the walls, making it very hard to decipher the true colour. Now isn’t that the perfect smoky purple? It’s like PARA created it just for me!

And…ta da! (You may click photos to enlarge)

AFTER

NOTES

After Ryder had his little tumble off our bed, I decided to relocate the night tables for the time being – and was pleasantly surprised to see how well they work as side tables. The location of the sofa is perfect for lounging with a good book (and late morning sun), and is also practical for watching the tube (though we definitely prefer reclining on the bed to catch our favourite TV shows).

To complement the green in my duvet cover I purchased fairly cheap lamps from Bouclairin a jazzy shade of fern green – but once in the room, they suddenly took on a very chic and contemporary feel. Shh… don’t say a word, but they were just under $15 each (they still appear on the website as $44.99 each but were definitely marked down in-store).I bought the abstract picture of New York City, also from Urban Barn, some time ago… but could never find the right home for it. Now, I’m so pleased with the way the wall colour sets off the vivid strokes in the painting. Perhaps New York W instead?

All in all, we’re pretty much in love with our new bedroom. Although it may look a tad cool and impersonal, did I mention that we have the cuddliest duvet in the entire world? Lots of snuggle time!

Just a few more rooms to go! Next up on my Reno-cation wrap up… it’s Reid’s room!

Reno-cation: Dining Room

By

I mentioned yesterday that Reid’s room would be coming up next, but last night, I had a clean dining room (which goes against nature when you’ve got babies) so I decided to take the opportunity to post a few photos.

Who says you need to play by the builder’s rules? We raged against the blue print and created a space that works for our family. Yes, it’s the old switcharoo!

Carrying on the theme of Nature’s Bounty from the rest of the main floor, the room designed by the builder to be a family room is now in fact my dining room.

BEFORE

You’ll remember from a previous photo that my dining room used to be squeezed into the front area of the house. In this spot, it seldom saw use (we opted to eat at the kitchen table instead) and was just another fixture to dust.

Here is our previous family room setup –

Even though I enjoyed having the family room so close to the kitchen, I find I do a lot less snacking now that my fridge is no longer in view of my couch!

AFTER 

NOTES

As you can see, just a little bit of paint does wonders to bring out the deco detailing in the chairs. I can’t deny that it’s nice to have such an airy, open space for dining… a bonus: we eat dinner at this table every night now!

To give the dining room a less formal feel, and to keep me entertained while I cook, we tucked a 32-inch TV into the corner opposite the fireplace.

So, not a crazy renovation, but one that suits our home and lifestyle. That just about finishes my wrap up on the first floor… except for the kitchen, where I made one small (but pretty awesome) change. You won’t want to miss it – review to come!

Reno-cation: Main Bathroom

By

My Reno-cation wrap up continues with my main bathroom. This was perhaps one of the hardest rooms to makeover, specifically because:

a) It was orange before. Yes, orange. Like a bright, happy, Home Depot orange.
b) I liked it orange.
c) No one else liked it orange.

BEFORE

Now I’m not exactly sure what drove me to paint the main bathroom in such a vibrant shade, but it just screamed “Lena!”. For contrast, I used stripes and circles in blue, green and white.

(In case you’re wondering, that’s a storage case filled with beauty products to review. I don’t actually own that much makeup!)

Alas, there was no middle road for this bathroom – visitors either loved it or hated it (curiously, those who vehemently disliked it were generally born before 1960. Just sayin’.) So when it came time for a reno-cation, I grudgingly agreed that it would be best to grab a more bathroomy colour from PARA Paints. A soothing mint green, anyone?

AFTER

 

Paint:
PARA Paints Big Girls Don’t Cry, #P5031-24

NOTES

Here’s another shade that can look slightly off in different lights. As you can see, the candlelight in the first shot makes the room look more bluish than green, but the second picture depicts what I believe to be the true colour – mint, pistachio, seafoam… whatever tickles your fancy. I picked up black Umbra accessories from Kitchen Stuff Plus (use this coupon to save 25% off one item until May 31st) and hung a framed photo depicting the vineyards of Sonoma, California.

(Hubby was watching an episode of The Nate Berkus Show where he insisted that your home decor should incorporate your most vibrant memories – hence a picture of our honeymoon destination beside the toilet, where I spent three months throwing up thanks to the honeymoon baby.)

I’m also pretty excited about my new shower curtain. Purchased from Sears during their recent White Sale, it features a gorgeous black and sateen silver damask pattern. It pairs perfectly with the milkiness of the light green, and as I’d been lusting after it for ages, I just couldn’t resist. Word on the street is that there are coordinating bath mats too… perhaps I’ll let my Visa take a breather before I explore that option ;)

Only a few rooms to go!