Designer Denims

Going from denim "art" yesterday to another kind of denim "art" today with a few examples of artistic designs from the some of the world's top couturiers - Chanel, Balmain, Leonard, Basico, McQueen and Dior to name a few.

From the simplest, chicest looks to quilting, embroidery, beading and applique, we can see and appreciate the true "jeanius" of creativity.

Enjoy!

(P.S.  Stay tuned for tomorrow's denim street wear!)

Alexander McQueen

Dior

Laura Biagiotti

Nada Basico

Chanel

Chanel

Sonia Rykiel

Chanel

Chanel

Love this quilted jacket!

Balmain

Leonard

Chanel

Balmain

Glenn Beach Cottage

Good morning, Everyone!

I'm back home again!  Had a fun ten days with our very busy grandchildren........the time flew by and here I am attempting to get back into a routine.....if there's such a thing!

It seems to snow here every other day and while the 5" of snow we received on Sunday is quickly disappearing with all the rain we've had since, more snow is forecast for this Thursday and Friday!  

I have another cottage from The Cottage Company of Harbor Springs today.  This cottage is a makeover and larger than the cottages I featured previously.

Vee Mossburg has taken it from a very colorful cottage to a more neutral palette.  The color scheme was taken from the Swedish mora clock in the foyer, which was the inspiration for the colors throughout.

The whole house is wood just as houses were built before the days of gyproc and MDF - ceilings, floors and walls are filled with beadboard, shiplap, wainscoting, mouldings, baseboards and hardwood floors.

Beautiful detail!

The Swedish mora clock in the foyer.

Love the dining table in front of the fireplace.

Painted floor in the master bedroom.

Painted floor in the attic guest room.

To see more of this house, go here.

Have a great day!

Kay

Loving the Art of Ian Berry

When British graphic designer, Ian Berry, lost his job a few years ago, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  Instead of looking for another full-time job, he decided to take his part-time hobby of denim art to a new level and work at it full time. 

The hobby began when Ian was about to leave home after university and his mother showed him a stack of his old jeans she was clearing out......it was then that the idea of working with denim struck him - so many shades of denim, textures and weights - the ideas began to percolate and before long, Ian was producing portraits, streetscapes, still lifes, animal art and more.

His canvases begin with a base of denim and then the images grow layer by layer.  Amazing work!  And, as someone once described him, a "jeanius"!

Ian was named one of the Top 30 young artists in the world a few years ago and I can see why........his work is original, unique and with such unparalleled detail you might, at first glance, mistake them for paintings.

Check out more of his fabulous canvases at IanBerry.org

Georgio Armani

Georgio Armani up close

Georgio Armani detail

Diner

Newstand

Record Store

Still Life

A Room of Her Own - Lee Ann Thornton

Love the idea of hiding all the technical stuff in a beautiful armoire.

Close the door and you have a clean, soft, pretty atmosphere for relaxing and focusing on creative ideas!

Lee Ann Thornton

Blue and White Coastal Living in the Muskokas

Hello there!

I have one more fabulous cottage from the Muskokas - this one is also on Lake Rosseau and when you look at the first photo, it appears to be a 1 1/2 storey, but when you look at the second photo with a view of the front of the cottage, you will see that it's actually three storeys and 7,000 sq. ft.

The interiors are just beautiful and consistent with shades of blue and white throughout.  The house was built and designed by Cory DeFrancisco of Muskoka Living.  The homeowners gave him carte blanche to design and decorate their home after having collaborated with him on their Toronto home.  What fun for a designer and decorator!

Enjoy!

This house is deceiving from the back view - the front shows 3 storeys..  The Muskoka room is on the right.

The foyer stairway has two Windsor benches on each side of it.

Love this indigo blue living room with the vintage bathing suits wall art.

The tv is hidden behind the doors above the fireplace.

(I would have put 2 of the bathing suits on each side of the fireplace for balance and symmetry rather than four to the left - but that's just my opinion - it all depends on whether you like symmetry or asymmetry).

Just beautiful!

The window mullions were painted a soft black to make them stand out in the dining room.

An antique oak island and pantry offer a nice contrast to the all-white kitchen and accents the ceiling beams.

This is the loft at the top of the stairway with it's million dollar view.

The blue slipper chairs are the only spot of color in this all-white room.

A beautiful, clean look.

The Muskoka room with white wicker furniture and coastal style toss cushions.

My favorite room!

Love the ship lap walls, beadboard ceilings and the fresh look in this laundry room - makes doing laundry more of a pleasure than a chore with such a fresh and light-filled room.

The only thing I would change here are the overhead lighting pendants - overhead light in front of a mirror is very unflattering to the skin - side lighting on each side of the mirrors is so much softer and eliminates the shadows an overhead light would cause.  A much more flattering light source.

Otherwise, a beautiful bathroom.

Style at Home