Flower Power

I was invited to guest post at Point2homes, a leading Canadian real estate portal and blog. You can view my post under the Home Improvement & Interior Design section or here. 

As winter months are long and dreary and as our sunny days are at a premium, design enthusiasts across the blogosphere (yours truly included) have started to dial down projects as if it’s time for hibernation. Let’s all agree that during winter, besides the daily grind, we just don’t feel like going above and beyond! Instead, we are looking for petite joys in our life, little things that get us going and lift us up. For days like these, I always turn to fresh flowers.

Blue hydrangeas in my living room, AM Dolce Vita

Blue hydrangeas in my living room, AM Dolce Vita

After all, they are such an inexpensive way to add colors and wow factors to your interiors that, while I was flipping through decor magazines and books, I noticed that I couldn’t find one single photo that didn’t have fresh flowers in it. And, because nature gives us unlimited choices of colors and types, you can use them to elevate your style by picking a bouquet that directly complements your space, similar to what I did in the picture below:

Or, if you are a person who enjoys contrasts, you can even add a pop of color to stand out, like these purple-pink tulips in my overall white foyer. These would work particularly well if you were staging your home for sale, for example, as you could use them to direct attention to your house’s best-selling features.

While it’s nice to go “designer” and source your fresh blooms from a professional florist, keep in mind that you have ample selections at your local grocery stores as well. I actually prefer the latter as I can take my time and let my creativity run free.

Grocery store flower bouquets, AM Dolce Vita

And, if you find fresh flowers too difficult to keep alive for a decent amount of time, don’t worry! You can always turn to low-maintenance and long-blooming types like Phalaenopsis orchids, which give elegant and clean flowers for a steady 2-3 months!

Vintage Murano Chandelier Update

I am sure it's a weekend full of excitement for most fellow Torontonians. First, there was the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game led by the almighty Drake (I was only there for Drew and Jonathan :)). Then there was the NBA All-Star Game. Both of them were hosted here in T Dot. And who could forget the Valentine's Day when all the social media was pretty much painted in red and flooded with valentine hashtags? We lucky Ontarians also got today off as the Family Day. 

The 3-day long weekend also availed me the opportunity to figure out where this vintage Murano glass chandelier should go in my house. It only took me 3 months but I finally found a happy place for this beauty - doesn't it look stunning in my master bedroom? I loved it so much that my heart was about to explode from happiness. 

I felt I could look at it all day long. It's now hands down my favourite lighting fixture in my house. 

I posted on my Instagram a few weeks ago about this lucky score from HomeSense, a Jonathan Adler Rider Tripod table-lookalike, for a fraction of the cost. 

This is the real McCoy. 

The legs are almost identical. 

The only obvious difference is that the marble tabletop of the one from HomeSense was set into a matching black frame. I actually quite like it that way. This Spring the table game at HomeSense is going really strong, so head out to a location near you soon.