The Great Rug Adventure!

 I’m excited to share my recent buying trip for Area Rugs. Spending days in showrooms looking at mass amounts of rugs, it thrills me to no end. There are many different rugs out in the market today. Hand made and machine made. Natural fiber and synthetic fiber. Woven and tufted.

Piecing Together the Abstract

 Photos by Alex Mazur. Have you ever let your mind wander while watching passing clouds floating through the sky? Suddenly those white wisps look like a sailboat, or that fluffy cloud looks unmistakably like a cuddly bunny. This psychological phenomenon is called pareidolia, an instance where the mind recognizes familiar

Spring Has Sprung

 How you do you prepare your home for spring? There is just something about the sun streaming in through my home, windows open and a gentle fresh breeze  blowing in! The days are longer, and this marks the beginning of months of carefree days in the sunshine. Kind of like

Hop To It — Ideas for Easter!

 Every part of Easter should be touched with laughter and fun if you plan a little ahead of time. Thinking about the celebratory meal, family together and festivities. My highlight is having family together and gathering around the Dining Table for endless hours of conversation and celebration. As the table is

The Festival of India Returns with a Wave of Culture and Colour!

 All photos by Andre Gagne. To the sound of a sitar, a surge of culture and colour is about to wash over Marion Dewar Plaza bringing with it all the traditional food, workshops, dancing and, of course, music that is the Festival of India. The three-day event beginning on August

Fashion Rebellion

 There seems to be a wind of change blowing in the fashion industry. It was proclaimed in January that New York Fashion Week 2016 would present Ready-To-Wear fashion not just to the buyers, but to consumers as well. Believe it or not, this was truly a radical change. This new

Why the Best Fit May Not be your Best Bet

 Hiring the right people is critical for a company’s future. Having been in HR for years, I’ve seen many examples of flawed hiring practices, with employers hiring people because ‘We had a good conversation and we liked him’. Other reasons I heard: the candidate ‘seemed like a nice guy’, ‘I

John’s Reno Tips Spring Into Reno Season

 Photos courtesy of John Gordon.  As we enter the key renovating season, there are certain trends that are turning up everywhere. Fresh from the Ottawa Home Show, here are a few of John's hip tips. Kitchens and Living Areas Mixed materials in kitchen such as rustic wood beams, stone columns,

The Art Within the Tulips

 All photos by Andre Gagne Another Canadian Tulip Festival has wound down over the Victoria Day Holiday seeing many crowds fill Dow's Lake and Lansdowne Park. This year's festival saw spectacular arrays of fireworks, some big band jazz, magic and more but, of course, the star attractions were the tulips that bloom beautiful

John’s Reno Tips | Adding the Finishing Touches

 By the end of any home renovation process, you may be sick of the hassles it has entailed. However, make sure you’re not walking away from an unfinished project with these practical tips from John Gordon, owner of Your Reno Guys contracting business in Ottawa. Here are a few tips to ensure any space looks polished and welcoming. Tip

The Best Brine and Gravy For Your Next Turkey

 Just in time for Thanksgiving, Weber serves up another great recipe. Didn’t think a turkey could be cooked on the grill? Think again! Why not try something new this Thanksgiving and treat your loved ones to a brined and barbecued turkey? Once you taste a turkey that’s been grilled, you’ll never

From Dreary to Dramatic

 The mission: Transform a fully accessible kitchen and bathroom. The results are improvements to both form and functionality. A call to action put forth by the Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation was presented to local contractors to update an older apartment unit located in the Byward Market area. The goal was to

Margaret Chwialkowska Illustrates Reflection in Annex Gallery Exhibit

 All photos by David Barbour  Ottawa-based artist Margaret Chwialkowska’s solo exhibition, “The Illusion of Reality,” brings a marvelous must-see energy to the Ottawa Art Gallery’s Annex Gallery at Ottawa City Hall. In this collection, Chwialkowska delves into the theme of reflection. Her work explores the evolving natural landscapes and the mind

Jeremy Harder: The Art of Dynamic Doodling

 Photo courtesy of Jeremy Harder For as long as he can remember, Jeremy Harder loved to draw. By the age of five, he was already receiving praise from family and friends for his talent. By the time he reached high school, Harder was constantly filling notebooks with doodles and designs.

Art Exhibit Showcases Grandeur of Local Environment

 Inspired by nature, award-winning Ottawa artist Margaret Chwialkowska will be featuring her solo exhibition “Gatineau Sublime” at the Galerie Old Chelsea from December 4 to December 31. Ever since Chwialkowska moved to Canada from Poland in 1979, she has been overwhelmed by the natural beauty of North American landscapes. Capturing the magic

Support the Community and Score Some Steals at Salvation Army

 Over 100 years ago, General William Booth recognized a dire need for affordable goods, particularly geared towards the disadvantaged and excluded groups in the community. As a response, he created the Household Salvage Brigade, a group responsible for the collection of used household and everyday items. Today, we see Booth’s

Style Profile: You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression

 Brandelyn Cameron’s Style Profile focuses on local Ottawa Experts. Nicole Rosenfeldt shares why Home Staging is essential for a memorable first impression in Real Estate. In today's world, competition is fierce. Selling a home is no longer about hiring a Sales Representative and installing a sign on your front lawn.

The Devil is in the Details

 How to finish your new build with “builder-included” finishes It’s beautiful! I love it and it’s reasonably priced, so I’ll take it. But wait…what do you mean? I have to invest an additional how much in upgraded features so it looks like this? It does come with doors right? Sound

In Search of Style: Wanderlust

 There's something adventurous about making plans to travel abroad. Whether you’re about to hop on the next plane overseas or even if you’re staying put in Ottawa, try out these globe-trotting styles seen on the Spring/ Summer runways. It’s easy to get on trend and stay cool as the humidity

An Eye for a Picture

 Even if you have a good eye for images and detail you can still make some basic mistakes once you try to put things down on paper. If you are learning to draw or paint and teaching yourself, perhaps with the aid of the Internet you may find it difficult

Hot Summer Projects: It’s a Shore Thing

 Beauti-Tone brings lakefront style without the cottage commute Ahh Summer. Sandy beaches, pristine lakes, warm winds and long days. Want to create the carefree and relaxing charm of a summer getaway year-round in your home (without the blackflies)? Beauti-Tone has created a collection of projects, many using colours from the Colour

Timeless Elegance

 Home decor and trending styles, like all good things, regardless of their initial appeal, eventually come to an end. Fads such as colours, shapes, fabrics and textures have a very finite existence.  Luckily, home decor has a much longer shelf life than your average seasonal runway collection; however, this does

Wild for Kilambi

 Inject a splash of colour in your spring/summer wardrobe with an African print piece from Kilambi. Based in Nairobi and Ottawa, each piece is manufactured ethically in Kenya, before making its way to Canada. PHOTOGRAPHER: James Park jamesparkphoto.com STYLISTS: Kimberly Lochhead & Alessandra Gerebizza ASSISTED BY: Natalie Burns HAIR AND

Modern SIMPLICITY: A Makeover in Alta Vista

 Designed originally for city privacy in the 1960s, this Alta Vista bungalow is best suited for display of an extensive art collection with its expansive walls, high ceilings, and minimal trim work. Original owners were the late Samuel and Caroline Baylin, who were a family of artists, she a painter

2nd Annual Spaces Issue

   Premier Ottawa designer Tanya Collins shows us that we can have a beautiful home even it’s filled with kids and pets. It's all about making the  right style and function choices. Tanya shares her tricks and  her sources for beautiful fixtures and finds.   London Calling: Classic British Style