Known in the past for selling fabrics and sewing notions, Quebec’s Bouclair has redeveloped all of their stores to sell ready-made home décor items. So, now you can instantly and easily transform any room of your home. Last month Bouclair Home opened its first store in Atlantic Canada, in Halifax.

I asked them to send me a few shots of the grand opening, because I’m always amazed at the trendy and chic items you can find there. I think it’s a great place for drapery, lamps, pillows and bedding. The best part, of course, is that they are always very well priced.

My favourite item is their reusable shopping tote. It rings in at a mere 99 cents and comes in two beautiful patterns. Talk about a perfect way to bring home all of your new accessories!

Here are some other great items from their website:

Charmante collection bedding, from $80.

Storage baskets, from $10 each.

Cushions, from $17 each.

And look at the turnout in Halifax! Here are some photos from the grand opening:

For more affordable product ideas, check out our Luxury For Less photo gallery.

Photo credits:
1. Reusable bags, Bouclair
2. Charmante collection bedding, Bouclair
3. Storage baskets, Bouclair
4. Cushions, Bouclair
5-9. Courtesy of Bouclair

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Everywhere I turn, a friend or co-worker is starting a kitchen reno. (Good sign — the economy must be getting better if so many people are willing to update their homes!)

One of most common questions asked of me is: “Should I do an island?” And it is asked in such a way that tells me they don’t want to put one in, but somehow feel obliged. To which I say, despite seeing some pretty beautiful islands, that it seems the harvest table is back.

This is a lovely kitchen by French architect Joseph Dirand. And you must admit, this is a pretty spectacular island. It isn’t too big (some islands are so oversized they make actually working on them ridiculous). The almost Shaker-like trim fashioned out of marble is a clever design detail, too. You can really imagine this put to good use.

But compare it with this kitchen by designer Steven Gambrel. The palette is similar; the marble is similar; sheesh, even the floor is similar. But the difference lies in the use of the old farmhouse table instead of an island. And I think it is used to great effect. The worn wood warms up the space — it is a nice counterpoint to all that grey/white marble. It could be used for anything from a prep station (as seen above) to a casual dining table with a mix of chairs pulled around, or even a place for kids to do homework comfortably, while mom or pop are cooking. Double or triple duty — always a bonus! And there is just something about it that begs you to linger in this kitchen.

I often think that while we try to reinvent the wheel, the old ideas have so much heart — this is about a family or friends gathered in the farmhouse kitchen, actually spending time together. And whether you have a big farmhouse kitchen or not, isn’t that the vibe you want in your life?

Still deciding? Get inspired by even more kitchen island photos.

Photo credits:
1. Remodelista
2. Steven Gambrel

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I have powder room envy — perhaps because I don’t have one, and just can’t find any spot on my first floor to have one installed. I see them cleverly hidden in people’s homes, under stairs and built into closets, and really, really want one.

Recently, I found the perfect cheap and cheerful powder room vanity at a show. It’s a great unit made by Muti Kitchen & Bath, T460, that's available in six colours. It comes as a set with a sink, faucet, cabinet and mirror, or you can buy just the vanity with the faucet. Personally, I would go for the latter option and then hunt for a really special mirror.

Have a look around your first floor — perhaps the inspiration below will make you reconsider a quirky nook that would make the prettiest of powder rooms.

Muti Kitchen & Bath, T460, cost with mirror, $495.

And then there's my friend — and designer — Colleen McGill’s home.

Whenever I'm at Colleen's house, I can’t wait to open the door that hides this dolly of a powder room. The sink she designed makes my heart skip (the striped marble heated floor is also a lovely touch).

It’s all in the details: this mirror with its organic shape is gorgie above the clean rectangular lines of the sink.

A powder room is the perfect room to decorate. Wallpaper, lighting and perfectly selected accessories make this space interesting and eclectic, for instance.

Not experiencing powder room envy yourself yet? Then, view our Small Bathrooms photo gallery.

Photo credits:
1. Muti Kitchen & Bath
2-4. Morgan Michener
5. Elle Decor, photography by Simon Upton
6. Elle Decor, photography by William Waldron

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I came across this gorgeous apartment living room in the latest Lonny. It belongs to a hip, young New Yorker, but is filled with grandma’s cast offs! I think this is a good lesson in using what you might have inherited, or even things you find at thrift shops. One look at this pad and you realize — granny’s got style!

Here’s an old-school sofa reinvented with neutral, modern (and casual) fabric. Some people might take this curvy sofa and go all girly glam on it, but I appreciate this more sober and effortless approach. The putty-meets-brown fabric takes the formality down a few notches.

Oh my gosh, I love those window treatments. This photo stopped me in my tracks, because the windows look so dang good. I never thought I’d love such traditional and almost stuffy window treatments, but I do! The colour is to die for and their relaxed slouchiness is yummmmmmmmm! Note the equally grandma chairs with tufting and caning.

And what could be more grandma than having a ledge stuffed with family photos?! This is the epitome of old school, and I love it!!! Must recreate this in my house.

There are a few elements in this apartment that keep it from being straight-up traditional and keep it young, fresh, and hip. Why not pick some of these items up to layer in with your old-school finds?

This Madeline Weinrib ikat cushion (left) is luscious in raspberry and wakes up an antique sofa. For the affordable version, head over to Luna Bazaar for this almost dirt-cheap version (right). Raspberry and coral — nice!

A little zebra print never hurt anyone, and you can see how it adds a little edginess to the living room above. This bench from Oly Studio is perfect with its sculptural and minimal metal base. For the affordable version, why not throw this zebra-printed hide down under your traditional coffee table? Here in Toronto, we like Perfect Leather, just down the street from the House & Home offices. Their prices are fantastic!

For your modern picture ledge, mix in lots of silver frames for a timeless look. Pottery Barn has a great selection, and HomeSense has tons, too!

See, I told you grandma’s got style!

For more vintage style tips, check out our Top 10 Flea-Market Finds.

Photo credits:
1-3. Lonny
4a. Madeline Weinrib
4b. Luna Bazaar
5a. Oly Studio
5b. Modern Dose
6a. Pottery Barn
6b. Pottery Barn
7. Flickr.com

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I don’t know about you, but I'm still experiencing an Olympic high of Canadian pride. (Congratulations to Team Canada for their record-breaking medal haul! And kudos to Hbc and their designers for giving our athletes the best-looking outfits in Vancouver, hands down.) With the Olympics barely over, and the Academy Awards (a.k.a. the Oscars) coming up this Sunday, I can’t get red, white and gold out of my head.

This Lee Caswell Antiques collection of trays becomes a gallery wall, in lieu of photos or art. I love the grouping of cut-crystal decanters on the card table below. But it’s the rich red wall behind that really elevates the drama.

This gorgeous colour photograph, “Château de Versailles” 1985 by Robert Polidori, was part of an exhibition at Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal last fall.

How cool are the oversized white and gold hex floor tiles in this quaint little house photographed by Simon Watson? I love the crimson velvet sofa, too.

My take on Oscar’s red carpet: The Colour Reform series at ABC Carpet (available in Toronto at Elte) salvages old rugs by over-dyeing them with saturated colours. Gorgeous!

And here's my version of the gold statuette. My office buddy Michael Penney can vouch for my endlessly annoying search for a large white Buddha, but I’m thinking I might be able to settle for a gold/bronze version like this blessing Buddha I found online.

Champagne is an Academy Awards party essential, of course, so I’m coveting this ice bucket from Vancouver’s The Cross Decor & Design. I would use it as a vase, too.

If you are serious about an Oscar party, you need to have some paper and pencils on hand for recording bets. The FAF notepads from Design Within Reach have rubber bumpers so they don’t slide or scratch your table. You can also download and print an Oscars ballot from ET Canada’s website.

Happy post-Olympics/Oscars weekend!

For party planning tips and inspiration photos, check out our Party Rooms photo gallery.

Photo credits:
1. House & Home October 2007 issue, photography by Virginia Macdonald
2. Maison & Demeure June 2009 issue, photography by Robert Polidori
3. Simon Watson
4. ABC Carpet & Home
5. Big Happy Buddha
6. The Cross Decor & Design
7. Design Within Reach

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The Los Angeles Times has a Before & After story this week that I had to share. Lara Spencer, host of The Insider and a former Antiques Roadshow host, and her husband, a former CNN anchor, saved this modern marvel from the wrecking ball when they bought it last year. Before they got their stylish hands on it, the family room, pictured above, looked like this:

Yikes! The living room on the other side of the fireplace was even more dowdy and dated:

Six months of demolition and dust later, the split-level house is perfectly in tune with its 1960s architecture.

The couple, their two kids and two dogs, now live surrounded by “a fresh mix of Hollywood Regency, mid-century modern and contemporary casual,” but they’re not devout modernists. Their former home in Connecticut was a traditional 1901 carriage house filled with plaid — a far cry from the glam Mylar-backed peacock-print wallpaper in their current dining room.

If you’ve considered changing your space or style, I hope you’re inspired. And you don’t need a mega budget to pull it off: the console in the dining room is from CB2, Spencer found the diamond shaped mirror in the bathroom at a flea market and the 1960s Murano smoked glass ceiling light (below) was bought on eBay for $600.

The L.A. Times reports that next month, Spencer heads to the Rose Bowl Flea Market to shoot the pilot for Fleaflip, a show she created with Merv Griffin Productions for the Game Show Network, on which teams will compete to discover and repurpose the best flea-market finds. Can’t wait!

For the full story and lots more pictures of the bedrooms, bar, entrance and pool deck, click here.

Browse more before and after photos in our Makeovers photo gallery.

Photo credits:
1. Los Angeles Times, photography by Allen J. Schaben
2-3. Los Angeles Times, courtesy of Mitra Sisatar/Coldwell Banker Beverly Hills North
4-9. Los Angeles Times, photography by Allen J. Schaben

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