It is not too often that I get to meet someone with such great sense of personal style in my own backyard! I entered Maryse‘s house last week and was immediately taken aback by the great display of vintage finds and quirky collections.

What a treat that was! Of course, I did not have handy my camera so you will pardon my Instagram pics (which I find adorable nonetheless when we consider the fact that they have a vintage tint themselves). I guess Maryse must have thought me to be very rude, as I asked her if I could visit the whole house before I had even taken my coat off. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do I say…

Her home is a 1930 something Montreal brownstone construction, in the lovely neighbourhood of Rosemont. She infused victorian charm throughout the home with simple tricks and a great choice of soothing colours. In the kitchen, the baby blue counter (which would be the first item on the “to change list” for many) is the focal point of the decor. Paired with butter yellow walls and a large wicker suspension, the room feels like a summer kitchen on a Georgia Plantation house.

Same lovely scenario in the bedroom where feminine curved and accessories are used in a very contemporary way. Everything here has a purpose and is carefully curated! As the owner of Pigeon Atelier, Maryse comes across vintage finds daily and therefore would have a slew of occasions to make her home appear cluttered. “It is a constant work of editing and changing items in my home, so I get to enjoy my finds without feeling overwhelmed” she told me.

I mean how crafty is she? She ripped the fabric off two lampshades to create this funky bedside lamp. The skeletal structure is modern and current, with the whim of centuries past. I absolutely have to try this DIY myself sometime soon!!

Now let’s not forget the man of the house. Maryse’s boyfriend get to also have some space and a say in toe home’s decor. In the double size  living room, one area is dedicated to his passion for music, with a comfortable club chair in which to lounge while tuning his instruments. These two really are well matched… I mean look at the vintage Epiphone Amps he has!

You will never be able to tell me that I do not have a one-track mind. First, I shared with you last week my “pinked-out” childhood rebellion and now… well now I am erecting a visual (and virtual) shrine to the colour of bubble gum and cotton candy.

In small doses or in bold strokes, pink is a colour able to permeate any style or era. Seen lately in neon shades (which I display on my person at least once or twice weekly), I have grown to also appreciate the more subdued shades of pink.

Damask & Dentelle office update: Now… for those of you whom read the blogpost on my “I’ve got to finally decorate my office” meltdown, you will be happy to know that it is going great! I am soon to unveil my new and improved workspace and give you the first look. In the meantime, as a hint, let e just say that the little red I had already will be drowning in a sea of? You guessed it… pink & orange!! You can get the girl an office, but you can never take the orange (and pink) out of the girl.  Will that preclude me from no

Don’ forget to participate in the Milk & Cookies Contest that is ending tonight!!

xoxo

v.

sources: Head over Heels, Apartment Therapy, All About You, Emily A. Clark, Ophelia’s Garden, Simplified Bee, My First Little Place

I grew up in a home that was PINK! My mother had our 2 floor apartment outfitted in various shades of dusty pink. Laura Ashley wallpaper adorned her room and our one bathroom, wall-to-wall pink carpet unified the whole. There was one room that was lavender blue… mine.

I don’t know if it was early rebellion or simply my child’s way to express my individuality in my mother’s eyes, but I had no pink in my room at all… not even a “Care Bear”!

It took my first apartment in California to rekindle slowly with this soft hue. It started in the delicate flowers of a table cloth I had made myself (not a craft project I will share anytime soon… it was pretty bad actually). Then I came back to Canada (fast forward a few years), bought my first home and had my first daughter. At that point both her and my rooms were… pink!

My room had one wall of a vibrant peony pink colour and her room was all over dusty pink with a beige plaid tediously painted onto the crib wall. I even had a custom crib duvet over made with a pink and cream Toile de Jouy motif. What had happened from my “pinkless” childhood to my “pinked-out” early adulthood?

I am sure it would not take me long to find studies preaching the “happy factor” of pink into one’s home. And even without any study to show for, I can tell you that pink makes me smile. It is a fresh and jolly colour… but also a feminine one. In my current home there is is only pink in our daughters room as my husband did not particularly feel like living in a cotton candy castle.

I have my views on the subject…but I am a god wife and there are so many colours to explore that it is a battle I did not even think of picking. But this is my time and hence, allow me to express how I feel about the colour of… Loooovvveeeee!

I am tickled with pink. Although it is perceived as being somewhat feminine, I believe that it can be displayed in a very current and gender neutral kind of way. Pink is gorgeous mixed with distressed brown leather as well as weathered grey tones. It is preppy when paired with Kelly green and exotic with rich wood pieces and saffron & gold accents. Pink comes in all sorts of shades from neon to shell and can be introduced in any room of the house from the kitchen to the office.

The case at hand is a romantic and feminine rendition of pink. All stops were taken out in creating this lovely apartment. A dollhouse effect that is Oh so pleasing to my eyes…

source: Alvhem Mäkleri och Interiör

A comfortable armchair and weathered wooden accessories

French country is a style that I have grown to really like. Not for my own urban home as I a more partial to an eclectic mix of vintage, mid-century, and new, but for a dream cottage that only lives in my scrapbook… for now!

What are the key tips & tricks to complete such a look at home?

Mix generous armchairs with classic occassional chairs in the living room. Prop up gilt-framed mirrors against the wall for an informal feel and pull the whole scheme together with a textured rug. Use a giant clock to make a focal point above the mantelpiece and choose cushions with a hint of gold for added glamour.

Complement a charmingly-faded table-top display with spectacular hydrangea patterned wallpaper.

Under a window sits a carved desk

Be creative with the room’s proportions. Make a work area with a painted table and a vintage chair, then soften a stone floor with a woven rug and decorate the walls with monochrome prints and paintings.

Go all out and ornate with the bedding

To add detail in a white bedroom, dress the bed with layers of lace, fringed throws and heaps of crisp, broderie Anglais-edged pillowcases. Blend “white with white” by layering textures.

Frame a window with blinds and wooden shutters

Baskets are my go to item in a French-Country style décor. Not only do they hide all the mess but they are also very attractive win placed in collections. Complete the look with a pair of vintage shutters and a selection of linen and velvet cushions.

Bring home the "Parfumerie"

Apothecary jars are ideal for displaying gorgeous handmade French soaps. Whenever I am out and about in an antique’s market, I keep an eye out for vintage bottles and jars. There will always be a place or use for them.

source: House to Home UK