Dining Room Hutch Buffet Reveal

Well ladies and gents, here it is! This gorgeous hutch buffet (or display cabinet whatever you think it should be called) I ordered from Anne Quinn Furniture arrived this past Saturday. In anticipation of it, I was so excited that I could barely sleep the night before - just kidding, but you get how thrilled I was.

It follows the drawing to a t.

This is the drawing:

This is the unit before painting:

Love the carved details and square tapered legs. Not too ornate, not too modern, just right and very moi! I also love the unpainted and exposed hinges which play up the vintage vibe.



This is the hutch buffet in my dining room. I am still trying to figure out the paint color but I believe it's a creamy white very similar to BM's Cloud White.

With the bone china set in it. I threw the Gold Imari blue peacock ginger jars into the mix for a pop of color.

Hutch buffet from another angle: have you noticed the blue drapery in the corner? They are gifts from my mom and made of real Dupioni silk. They must have cost her a ton but they surely look ah-mazing. I will show off more of them during the final dining room reveal.

Same angle with china in it.

Our dining room is facing our very bright foyer so reflection is inevitable in the pictures. I am still debating whether I should add two antique brass sconces flanking the buffet. I will have to do some PS markup and see.

Bone china set and Gold Imari blue peacock ginger jars.

I love when my plan works out so well: I was able to display all 8 place settings and still have room for other stuff.

Really digging this vintage-y knob plate, still contemplating whether to rub-n-buff it in antique brass. What do you think?

P.S. I ended up cancelling the Ziyi Brass Chandelier and ordered something else completely different. I will share more on that later.

Giveaway! CCDeuxVie Pillow

Happy Monday everyone! Today I am so thrilled to host such a fabulous giveaway sponsored by the lovely Carolyn at CCDeuxVie. Just like most of our design aficionados, by day Carolyn works at one of the largest banks, at night she runs a successful vintage furniture and home accessories shop. And hence the name CC Deux Vie - CC "is" Carolyn's initials and Deux Vie literally means two life in French. It seemed perfect since her pieces are all being given a second life and this is "her" second life after work.
What I like the most about CC DeuxVie are her iconic patchwork geometric pillows - so Hollywood Regency glamorous and elegant but also restrained - the exact type of look I am after for my home. Here are just some examples of Carolyn's patchwork pillow covers, also available through her Etsy shop. 

I have this beauty from CC DeuxVie in my foyer. Carolyn's pillows are so addictive - I am constantly craving for more and wish I could own them all! 

Is it gorgeous? 

So this is your opportunity to take home this super lush 18x18 patchwork pillow in Black White Chevron Pattern with Gold Bronze Silk Velour backing, valued at $55. 

Here are the easy steps to enter to win:

• Visit CC DeuxVie and leave a comment to tell us which pillow is your favorite. 
• Leave another comment to share where you would use this pillow if you win. 
• Subscribe to my blog AM Dolce Vita via email from the top right corner, and leave a comment to confirm so.

Contest is open to both US and Canada, and will be closed on August 9. A winner will be selected and announced shortly after that. 

Good luck! 

In the Mail Today: West Elm Lamp

Well, technically it didn't arrive in the mail. I ordered this Metal Adjustment Floor Lamp over the phone during the West Elm's summer 20% light sale. A couple of weeks later I received a call from the store that the new stock has arrived and my order was ready for pickup. This past Friday we magically steered away from the wind storm and brought this baby home with us from downtown.

The lamp is bigger and taller than I had imagined, but it is also at a much better scale to my large living room which is 18'x18'. The Jonathan Adler Meurice Tripod Floor Lamp-lookalike I picked up from Home Sense was a tad too insignificant for the room. I've now sent it to my husband's man cave in the basement.

The West Elm Metal Adjustment Floor Lamp: I love the polished nickel finish, shiny, glamorous and warm.

The West Elm lamp in my living room.

I am sure you are sick of this scene by now. I really love a pop of color this pair of vintage foo dogs brings to my living room. I've also been able to layer in a bit unexpected elements such as a mid-century modern Eames stool. My goal was to create an elegant space that is suitable for entertaining as well as everyday life. 

The next up is a super fantastic giveaway so please check back early next week.  Hope you guys all have a great weekend! 

Condo for Rent

Sorry for the shameless plug here. One of our rental properties just closed and I thought I would share this on my blog for those that might be interested. 

This condo is in the heart of the prestigious Leaside hood. I really like this uber modern lobby and its perfectly symmetrical Feng Shui. 

Lower lobby has this one-of-a-kind vertical zen garden maximizing the use of space. 

Our unit is a large 1+1 suite with 767 sq ft living space and a humongous 109 sq ft balcony with soaring 11 feet ceiling. With a stunning ravine view of Sunnybrook Park like this, you'd understand why it makes sense to have such a spacious terrace. 

View from the condo's balcony

View from the living room. Living room has massive wall-to-wall/floor-to-ceiling windows.

This is the view from the front door overlooking kitchen and living area. 

Eat-in kitchen with stainless steel appliances and island. 

Living/dining room.

Living room overlooking kitchen and front door.

Kitchen and den. The den is large enough to be used as a dining room.

Den.

Bedroom.

Bedroom his and hers closets, door to ensuite bathroom.

This bathroom is definitely a house-sized bathroom, very rare for condominiums. 

I am definitely seeing the trend such that condo developers are building bigger, better, more luxurious and creative amenities. The intended targets are young people with a busy lifestyle and retirees who wish to have access to everything without having to go too far for it. The building our unit is in is no exception. How many condominium buildings in Toronto do you know have a saltwater swimming pool? Ours does. 

Shower area of the swimming pool - love the Equator Marmara marble-covered wall.

You can walk out of this gym a Terminator. 

Lounge area outside of the gym.

Dining room.

Party room bar - don't you just love those weathered tree-stump barstools?

In addition, this building amenities include dry/wet sauna, theatre, children's playroom, billiards, yoga studio, cardio studio, zen garden, etc. Our suite also comes with one parking and one locker - speaking of a true condo living eh? 

I really love the nature-embraced neighbourhood and the lively Leaside streets lined with boutique shops and gourmet restaurants. If I was younger or closer to retirement age I would seriously consider living there myself. 

P.S. After one week on the market, I am pleased to report that we've already signed a multi-year lease with an amazing tenant. We are lucky and so is our tenant! 

 

Art and Interior Design

Art is such an integral part of interior design that it can set the mood and tone of the overall design theme. For example, vintage botanical prints are more suitable for a transitional or classic space while abstract minimalism painting or black & white photography enhances mid-century décor. However, there is also no boundary or fixed rules when it comes to art in interior design. For example, this somewhat modern DIY abstract art framed in a more traditional faux bamboo champagne frame still works well for my not-so-modern foyer. Art is about knowing the rules and when to break them; collecting a piece of sentimental value that gets your heart racing every time you lay your eyes on it; or sometimes is simply about colors and patterns that bring a room together.

I am in constant search of original arts for my home, and as an online shopaholic, I would definitely appreciate the option to browse them online. And as much as I like sites like Etsy, sometimes I found myself at a loss and didn't even know where and what keyword(s) to use to start searching. I often find myself stepping into a search with an open mind not knowing what exactly might work for a room, and then have an ah-ha! moment when the right piece presents itself. I came across this really neat site called Saatchi (saatchionline.com) the other day and have since been obsessed. Saatchi is an online platform for seasoned and upcoming artists to post and sell their works. What I really like about Saatchi is that, similar to Art Interiors here in Toronto, it embraces any possible forms of arts you could imagine and it lists them by style, theme, and inspiration. For example, as a big impressionism fan, I would choose "Monet" under the "Collections Inspired By", and there I would find a popular Canadian artist like Yangyang Pan's works. Here are just a few intriguing pieces I found so far:

Clockwise from top left: Photography "I Am Winter (edition of 25)" by Martin Stranka; Painting "Tide Line 1" by Mary Elizabeth Peterson; Photography "To be left in the lurch (Edition of 20)" by Jon Jacobsen; and "Island #2" by Yangyang Pan.

You can browse paintings for sale here.

So what's your experience with incorporating art into your décor? Where do you usually shop?

Dining Room Hutch Buffet Sneak Peak

Remember this hutch buffet I ordered from Anne Quinn Furniture? Not only was it painted but it has also arrived in Canada. It will be delivered this Saturday, and I can't wait to start styling it with all the bone china I've picked out.

Isn't it gorgeous?

 

I've been obsessed with these 60's vintage-y looking platinum-rim glasses - the Madison Ave Whiskey Glasses and Decanter, as seen in AMC's hit period drama series Mad Men. I am still debating whether I should get them, and whether they belong in a display hutch, or they are more for a brass bar cart. What would you do?

Via