There’s a good reason behind my week long silence. I’ve had my hands full. Very full – and in the best possible way. We had a baby girl last week! Little Alice was born on July 21st fresh in the morning at 8:26 am.
She’s so tiny and delicious and I’m just going to enjoy chilling out with her over the next bit. I know all too well how it flies by.
That being said, home stuff still awaits and babies sleep a ton (sadly not enough at night), so expect some regular postings. Or at least reasonably regular postings. I’m certainly going to try.
So, I think I can put a rest to the main floor for the time being and move upstairs. We’re starting to sketch out some ideas for our walk-in closet. That sounds seriously surreal after living in places in New York that were anywhere from 350-1000 square feet. But, such are the benefits of building from scratch.
I actually prefer closets that are open, where you can see everything at once. But, given this is a separate space between the master bedroom and bathroom, it will probably make sense to put some doors on the cabinets.
Poliform does it right. They make the most ridiculously beautiful closets. I can’t help but wonder who lives in these spaces. I mean, really? Can I get a wardrobe to match, please?
I love the hardware and cabinetry on the Molteni&C closet shown below as well as the layout featured in the interior shot:
The amount of decisions to be made while building a house is somewhat insane. Good thing I love it. But there are just so many details I’ve never spent a minute thinking about. I know what I like when I see it, but have I spent a lot of time looking at door jambs or floor trim? Not until now.
I’m not really sure what type of baseboards I want. Probably something thick – say 7″ high. We’re going for high ceilings, so I think that will make sense. I don’t want something ornate, but I also don’t just want a piece of wood slapped to the wall.
Here are some options:
Below: Thick Trim. Images by Michaelis Boyd, Ashe + Leandro, Butz + Klug, and David Netto respectively.
Below: Thin Trim. Images by Bart Van Leuven, Owen and Vokes, and Eric Studenmaier.
Below: Dry Wall Reveal. Thick or thin, I think this added detail is really lovely. Images from Joeb Moore, Houzz, Mac Interactive, Feldman Architects (bottom two images).
Below: No trim at all. This isn’t the most practical option, but definitely makes a statement. Images by Joeb Moore and Joseph Dirand Architecture.
As soon as you step out of our “vestibule”, we’re going to have a row of closets for coats, shoes, possibly kitchen items, etc…I don’t want to see a lot of clutter, so the inside of these shelves will have to be pretty practical. On the outside, I’m picturing floor to ceiling cabinets that are either push touch or have minimal hardware. The pictures shown below will give an idea of what I’m talking about.
Below: Design by Toronto-based Cecconi Simone Interior Design.
Our front door will be 10 feet tall. There’s a good chance it will swing too wide to allow for a pendant light in the entrance. But I’m hoping we can squeeze in one of these glass fixtures.
Below: Niche Modern Solitaire Pendant and Bell Jar Modern Pendant Light. Lovely!
Below: One Pendant designed by Maria Bernsten for Holmegaard. Avaialble at the Scandinavian Design Center.
Below: Disc Pendant by Alison Berger Glassworks for Holly Hunt. The entire collection is really stunning.
Below: Source unknown – but it’s simple enough, I’d hope to be able to track one of these down.
Below: Toronto-based Bookhou makes some really lovely products. I love the random lines on this steam bent ash wood bench
Below: Photo from Robert Stilin Interior Design
I love the BDDW Captain’s Mirror along with their Lake Drawer, as seen below. Pulltab Design also makes a great all-in-one option with their Entry Mirror. Bottom photo from J.Weiss Design.
Finally, this last photo barely shows a glimpse of the vestibule, but I do really like the wall-mounted drawer featured in the entrance.
I think I’m going through a real nesting phase. I’m about 2 weeks away from my due date and I’m feeling the need to have as much sorted out with the house as possible. There are still so many decisions to come, but it gives me some satisfaction to work through each room bit by bit.
I’ve weeded my way through most of the main floor – living room, library, kitchen, dining room, powder room (sort of). What’s left? Well, the place where I probably should have started…the vestibule or front entrance.
We don’t have a big space so it’s likely not going to be entirely enclosed. But there will be some sort of divider to separate space and keep cold air out in the winter. Plus, I’ve learned, we need a wall to run ducts up…so we don’t really have a choice about that wall anyway.
I hope we have room for a bench and some sort of built-in piece to put our keys. Whether we buy or build is up for grabs, but here are some room shots to get the vibe going:
Below: The entranceway in Michael Kors’ NYC apartment. I apologize, but I can’t remember where I found this photo.
Thank you to Canadian House&Home magazine for featuring my sister and me in their August 2010 Stylemaker section.
This was our second shoot for the magazine – we were profiled a few years back. Photographer Michael Graydon did the honours again and captured both of us preggers! I was early along – but nice to have a little memento in addition to the lovely article.
Above: Selection of fabrics from Y&Co, including John Robshaw Textiles, Hable Construction, and Vanderhurd Studio.
Ok, so we do need a couple more things to round our the dining room. Artwork and a lighting fixture. I’m on the lookout for a great canvas of sorts or a giant photograph – but that will take some time. For now, let’s get some good lighting going.
I’ve already shared some of my favourite pendants for the kitchen. Some of those would work well in the dining room as well. But to keep things fresh, here are some new picks:
If my ceilings were limitless, so to speak, I’d snag a Serge Mouille piece or something by Brooklyn based, Lindsey Adelman. I’m in love with her glass blown fixtures. They’re available at Hollace Cluny and are oh so stunning.
Lots of good things are coming out of Brooklyn these days, and David Weeks Studio is no exception. He makes some amazing lighting fixtures, as seen below.
The London Townhouse of Christine D’Ornano was featured in Elle Decor a few months ago (and featured in a previous posting) The pendants seen below are vintage lamps from the Rover car factory. They remind me of the Caravaggio pendants I love so much. Top photo care of Elle Decor. Bottom photo by Lerkenfeldt Photography.
Below: Secto 4201 pendant. Designed by Seppo Koho for Secto Design Oy. Made from Finnish birch.
To wrap things up, here are a few room shots from Avenue-Road in Toronto and Varenna Kitchens.
There will really not be that much to the dining room aside from a set of table and chairs and a sideboard of some sort. Any one of the pieces shown below would do quite nicely, thank you very much!
Below: BBDW has done it again with their Lake Credenza. Here shown in walnut and oxidized maple. Bottom photo care of Hulya Kolabas.
Below: Jasper Morrison designed credenza for Cappellini.
Below: Brest Giorno credenza designed by Giuilo Cappellini for, you guessed it, Cappellini.
Below: Florence Knoll designed credenza.
Below: Photo from stylist Rohini Wahi
Below: Naoto Fukasawa designed credenza for Maruni.
Below: Photo from Blue Ant Studio blog.
Bordering an all-white kitchen, I’m inclined to add a bit of colour to our dining room. USM, Barber Osgerby and Danish company, Montana, all make nice options.
I’m Katherine Yaphe, the founder and designer behind Oliver Yaphe, Inc. This business was an idea in my mind for a long time. I knew that I wanted to build something, I just didn’t know how. I worked in the corporate world dreaming of what to do next. Then one day I decided to just start. I launched with rugs. Branched off to artwork. Paper came next. We’ll see what’s to come. What I do know, is there will be more.
Oliver Yaphe Blog
I love being inspired to create. It doesn’t matter how big or small the undertaking, it’s more about this feeling that drives so much of what I do. This blog is my space to instill a bit of that energy to my readers. It’s a lofty goal. I might fail horribly. But every once in a while, something might click (or at least I hope so).
