LOVE: Trellis Floor Lamp

I spotted this Trellis Geometric Gold Leaf floor lamp online and instantly fell in love. It's made by Arteriors Home, and available for sale in Canada at The Cross Design. This would make a perfect statement piece of my Family Room or Master Bedroom. However, the price tag of $795 before tax makes it more than I want to commit to a floor lamp. What do you all think?

Mini Facelift for the Guest Ensuite

This weekend we took our home renovation to the next level, literally -- we are pretty much done with the ground floor, and now onto the upstairs starting with the Guest Ensuite. It is the smallest 4pc bathroom on the second floor, so it becomes a manageable weekend project to curb my design itch. It came with a laminate vanity top that I couldn't wait to get rid of since our day 1 in this house.

These are the essential pieces for this DIY project to replace the vanity top:

1. Delta Victorian Lavatory Faucet in Chrome Finish: it gives the old-world feel I always like without being too ornate.

2. Rectangular Undermount Sink: I've decided to take a break from the vessel sink we installed in our Powder Room, and chose a more practical style for day-to-day use. I also didn't want a predictable oval sink so instead I opted for this one with some modern kick. I love mixing the old with the new between the faucet and the sink.

3. Crema Marfil Marble Vanity Top: after handing the above two pieces to the stone company, I brought back home this custom-cut vanity top.

4. This is what the Guest Ensuite vanity looks like now. So long, laminate vanity top and oval sink! Total facelift cost = $500. Not bad, right? I bet this one lasts much longer. :-P

I am still yet to replace the Umbra Zen towel ring and towel bar. The finish and look doesn't match the faucet any more. Isn't it the rule of thumb to have all the hardware in one finish within the same bathroom?

I also picked up a roman shade for our foyer today so I will post some pictures later. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Fountain of Youth

Or was it hooked to a tank of Vodka to rescue me in time of kitchen crisis? :-) I wish.

Nah, this is the drinking water faucet that we just installed. We used to have a faucet-mounted water filter prior to the kitchen makeover, but we don't have that option any more with the pull-out spray. I don't recall when was the last time we ever drank or boiled tap water (call me germphobic you may), so having a second faucet installed was the only choice. I picked up the Rainfresh Twist System from Canadian Tire which comes with a chrome faucet. Rainfresh is a proud Canadian company based in Richmond Hill, and their undersink filter system is affordable but not any less effective. Their replacement filter costs no more than a faucet-mounted cartridge or a fridge filter. The company is offering a $10 rebate now if you buy any easy-twist-replacement filter system. The Restoration Water Filter Faucet in Satin Nickel is from Overstock to match the kitchen faucet finish.

I am just finishing up our Guest Ensuite Bath facelift so will post some pictures later.

Now I am off to make some snow angels.

I've Made My Choice

Remember a while ago I was trying to figure out which light to replace the ceiling lighting in my family room? I've fancied an old-world lantern style pendant for a while, so I bought this one from Overstock.com. It showed up in no time but it was way smaller than I thought (less than 10" in diameter). The light would disappear in the room, so I returned it. Well, it was not meant to be.
Then I saw this Artcraft Manor 4-Light Pendant from Living Lighting in chrome finish. It was everything I wanted and then some. However, the store owner I often dealt with was not there at the time, and the sales lady offered no flexibility in pricing. I wasn't going to spend $400 on a 12" light that I couldn't take with me next time I move, so I wandered away and decided to think it over.

An then this morning I woke up to a Home Depot newsletter with 20% off all interior lighting (Jan 13th to 19th, online & in-store), and found this Thomasville Lighting Equinox Sphere Pendant! It was featured on my blog except from a different vendor at a higher price -- Love Me a Deal! There was nothing to stop me from pulling out my credit card and placing the order over the web. I can't wait to have it installed and see how it turns out.

Imperial Trellis Duvet Set

I saw this duvet cover set in Charcoal Imperial Trellis pattern at HomeSene tonight, and I couldn't come home without it. This is the one too many bedding set I've already had, but being an Imperial Trellis addict, I will take it now and decide where I want to use it later. Perhaps the second guest bedroom? More details to follow.

Round Box Cushions Toss Pillows

So here are the round box cushions Mom made for me over the holidays. I love that each side has a medallion pattern in different color (green, turquoise, orange and yellow) so it seems like I have four cushions and not just two. This is what the cushion looks like from the side. And this is what they look like now sitting on the settee in the foyer. Quoting probably the only interior design jargon Anthony knows, the cushions really "POP"!