In Praise of Moms.

It’s the big day this coming weekend. Mother’s Day, this Sunday. 

We all know a day is not enough, Mom deserves a lifetime of appreciation.

Call. Visit. Write. 

Tell her all the reasons you appreciate her love.

The perfect gift for Mom?

You. Making memories. Spending time together.

Do something Mom loves to do, but more importantly, be present with her.

The present is you. So, make plans.

Ideas?

Mom loves wine? Winery tour. Share a glass.

Gardening? Work in her garden with her, pick out a new perennial together. Learn something new!

Puzzles? 400 pieces, together.

She’s a foodie? Share a cooking class … or do Brunch.

Into bird watching? Take a hike and bring your camera plus some birdseed.

Pedicures? Lucky, you. Book two chairs. 

(Side note: Yes, Men need pedicures too and she will love showing you off). 

Reading? A Café & Bookstore afternoon.

History Buff? Visit a local landmark.

Pierce Brosnan? Thomas Crown Affair & popcorn.

Music lover? Find a local concert. Music brings people together.

Sunday Drive + ice cream finisher.

Nature Lover? Visit a Butterfly Conservatory.

 Trivia whiz? Break out the Trivial Pursuit ~ yes, she’s going to own you!

Vintage collector? Flea Market adventure.

Whatever you decide, make it quality time together AND bring flowers.

Be sure to take photos to mark the day. It’s not always about the gifts.

 Perhaps your Mother would love help updating her home? Consider GC’s with ARIM.

 I’d love to meet your Mom and help her with ideas to makeover her home. 

(You can come too).

It is that time again for #ChairAffairCDN and I feel very lucky to be involved for the second year!  Last year ARIM was thrilled to redesign a chair, and as a design community the event raised $67,000 for a much needed service to the GTA.

Furniture Bank is a social enterprise that collects gently used furniture from the community and transfers them to families transitioning out of homelessness or displacement. By supporting this amazing event, we are helping furnish homes for over 7,500 people each year.

Last year, I found that selecting a chair to redesign was a challenging process so this year I brought a "little" helper. My daughter Allie came with me to select my gently used chair and she thought it was "pretty cool that Furniture Bank gives furniture to people that need it", and I do too. 

Next Steps: A visit to The Decorating Centre (my favourite trade design centre in Burlington) to get those creative juices flowing, envision what changes needed to take place and create the "new & improved" chair! New foam seating and back, fresh current fabric selections, refinish framing, nail head and toss pillow details all made for a much needed, detailed transformation.

It takes a village and we had a fantastic team helping us this year.  Thank you to Vogel by Chervin with special thanks to Sharyl Vogel for entertaining my ideas and pushing her team to the limit to get it done on time! Also a BIG thank you to our fabric suppliers JF Fabrics, Beacon Hill, Unique Fine Fabrics, and Vogel's in house finisher BM Finishing and Upholstery.

     Everyone is invited to this spectacular design event, to bid on a designer’s chair, and have a cocktail with some of the industry’s best designers.  

Just buy a ticket here and use the promo code KEELY FOR $50 OFF YOUR TICKET!

Save the date ~ Friday, October 28th in your calendar and come out for this special event. See you there!

This is what I see....

Friends and people I meet often make some version of the following comment to me,

"Oh, I don't want YOU to come over to my house, my house is a disaster, isn't quite finished, a work in progress, etc.  Don't judge me ok? Ha Ha!"

I always laugh and smile because although I would never judge someones character based on their focal wall gone wrong, I will definitely notice...and will most likely have it redesigned in my brain within minutes.

As a passionate designer, I can't turn that part of my brain off.  Ever since I was a kid, I loved the idea of moving furniture around in my bedroom, trying to figure out the "best layout" for my 12 year old self.   My brother and I would design homes on graph paper in the backseat of the car while my dad got lost on our family vacation to Florida.

So, I will absolutely notice your half finished bathroom or your unorganized office/basement that has been taken over by the kids.  The really bad layout of your living room and the artwork that could have been SO much better if it was moved over there, I see that too.  But don't worry, it's not just in your house that I notice these things.  I notice them in every space I am in. The restaurant, the waiting room, the airport and the office at my children's school.  That is my job.  But it is also something that I am extremely passionate about, and it comes quite easily to me.

I hesitate in saying that it comes easy because I do not want people to assume Interior Decorating & Design is an easy job, because like most professional jobs, it's not.  It was easy for me to come up with the idea in my head about how your living space could be 'wow' instead of 'ok' while chatting over a glass of wine at your Christmas party.  Then comes the part where professional experience is key.  The right questions need to be asked and answered, detailed measurements and plans executed, research on specific styles and products, and knowing the best trades to contact to get your project completed on in a timely fashion within a specific budget.  That is how I make the original idea grow and come to life in a way that compliments your lifestyle, design & decorating goals, budget, and timeline.

Plain and simple, all of the above elements are the best reason to hire a professional designer.  For most of the designers I know, the initial ideas and excitement of creating, manipulating, and changing a space come easy.  But from experience and expertise come the answers to why, how, when, where, and the ever important "how much will all of that cost".

Our team at ARIM considers the details of how to create a beautiful and functional space while balancing your Wish List along with your life. We will consider what will actually work for YOU and what impact the design will have on your life.  Elements considered include ...

~ Kids & pets.
~ Work schedules.
~ How and where you entertain.
~ Day to day routines.
~ Specific timelines and budget.
~ Future plans.

The combination of creative thought, passion, and professional experience is how design projects turn into picture perfect spaces, from conception to completion.

With the arrival of Fall we often think of Reds, Oranges and Golds but it is the colour Blue that is inspiring me this Autumn.  As the Toronto Blue Jays fever continues to heat up and they look forward to winning the AL Pennant and entering the World Series, I am finding myself drawn to anything in design that is Blue. It is fabulous to be a part of the excitement in the GTA and all across Canada!  Nothing brings Canadians together as well as a winning team or of course a good old fashioned snow storm! 

As a long time Blue Jays fan I find myself wondering is this fascination with Blue just a coincidence or is it a great timeless colour?  I think probably a bit of both. House Beautiful is telling us that Greek Blue, the blue of the Mediterranean, is a colour trend for 2015. They are also seeing deep, rich blues with a glossy finish, as most desired.  Bathrooms are always a popular spot but how about outside? 

We love the classic look of a Navy Blue front door.  Where are you looking to add some Blue to your life and home? Besides your favourite Blue Jays cap of course!

Make Blue the Pillar of your design choice (Get it, Get it? ah forget it ...)

K.

#GoJaysGo

#ComeTogether

#BlueJays

Chair Affair 2015 & Furniture Bank

      A Room in Mind is so proud to be a part of this year’s Chair Affair event put on by Furniture Bank.  Chair Affair is Furniture Bank’s annual auction based gala and fundraiser which teams up with prominent artists and designers to reimagine, redesign and repurpose old chairs for auction. It is an evening of fun, food and drinks where designers and leaders in the furniture loving and home decor industries join together to raise funds and help clients find warmth, dignity and stability in their new homes.  We took a trip to the warehouse to choose the chair we will be working on and were simply amazed at the good work they do there!

Feeling inspired to transform our simple frame into something fabulous! We are looking forward to the Gala in October to see all the amazing transformations and spend an evening in fabulous design company.  Follow #ChairAffairCDN on twitter to see all the transformations!

K.