Where's The Dishwasher?

I've been receiving so many kind comments about the kitchen cabinet makeover.  A big thanks to you all.  Makes me feel good when my inbox goes in to overdrive.  In those comments have been some interesting questions.  One that stood out to me and was from an anonymous reader, "Your cabinets look great but where is your dishwasher?"  I had taken pictures of the dishwasher side of the island before

Big News: Signed a Lease

Besides my first year at university which I spent living in campus residence, I have lived in the same house since I was born. It has been a blessing which has allowed me to save money, avoid student debt, and not have to worry too much about daily tasks such as cooking and grocery shopping.Pursuing my dream career in the big city, however, means big changes. I've been on the hunt for some

THE NYC DESIGN CENTER: MY FAVORITE THINGS FROM THIS WEEK'S VISIT

 THE NEW YORK CITY DESIGN CENTER IS MY MOST FAVORITE PLACE TO SHOP...BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD TO FIND ALL THE LATEST AND GREATEST NEW PRODUCTS FOR MY CLIENTS AND TO SEE ALL THE HOTTEST LOOKS TRENDING AROUND THE WORLD. NEONS, PURPLES, ORANGES,  AND SHINY MATERIALS FROM PLEATHERS TO NAILHEADS....LOTS OF AMAZING NEW PRODUCT ON THE MARKET AND AVAILABLE FOR YOU !SO THIS VISIT WAS NOTHING SHORT OF

Kitchen Window Treatment Options

Now that I removed the dark valance from the kitchen window I've been debating what kind of window treatment I should put up.I've thought about roman shades. sourcesourcesourceOr how about a pelmet?source sourcesourceI like the look of this short curtain too.source So many options.  I guess I should start looking for some fabric.  What's in your kitchen window? 

Favourite Furniture Fridays: Michaela Noelle Designs

Hello to The Designer Lifestyle readers! I'm Michaela and I share my life as an interior design student and lover of all things lavender and pretty over at Michaela Noelle Designs. I'm thrilled to be over here today showing off one of my favorite pieces of furniture.At the beginning of last school year, I moved into a new house with some friends in Seattle.  Turns out that the room I would be

Buying a House in France ... For A Pittance

A few years ago, I sat next to a lovely woman on the Eurostar from Paris to London. She was Scottish but worked as a French/English translator in Paris. We were the same age and had shared similar lives. I liked her immediately. I liked her even more when she told me where she lived. She and her French husband had just purchased a castle in Normandy, she said. They'd bought it three months before

Why We're Suddenly Lusting After Sex Novels

Remember the novel The Bride Stripped Bare? It was Nikki Gemmell' literary tour de force, originally published under the nom de plume 'Anonymous' because its chapters were too scandalous for the author to admit to.Bride was a huge bestseller. Huge. Women read it under their duvet covers. Men read it on commuter trains, where they hid it behind a big hard Hemingway hardback. Even grandmothers were

GARDEN WEEK: A LOOK INSIDE ONE OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA'S FINEST WATERFRONT PROPERTIES ON TOUR 4/26/12

I AM SO LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF THE INTERIOR DESIGN FOR THIS AMAZING WATERFRONT HOUSE- PART OF THIS YEAR'S GARDEN TOUR IN NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.NOT ONLY IS THIS HOUSE EXTRODINARY IN IS ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, BUT THE HOMEOWNERS LILY AND ROB REIS HAVE AMAZING TASTE WHEN IT COMES TO DECOR. BOTH HUSBAND AND WIFE ARE INCREDIBLY TALENTED ARCHITECTS AND THEIR EYE FOR DETAIL SHOWS THROUGH IN THEIR

Coral Jeans

Like many of my fellow bloggers, I've been loving the colored denim trend. I couldn't decide which color I wanted, until I stumbled across the perfect coral pair at Aritzia. Unfortunately, they were over $200. On trends, I refuse to spend alot of money because you never know how long they will be around. Luckily for me, Garage had a nearly identical pair for only $40. You can bet I snapped those

I'm Featured At Remodelaholic Today

Today my Kitchen Reveal is being featured over at Remodelaholic.  Thanks so much! 

Reader Question: Vintage on a Budget

Recently, Maris from rushsweetly messaged me the following question:"Hello there! :) I'm moving into an apartment this August and I have a budding fascination with all things vintage. I've considered purchasing a simple yet feminine white lace duvet and using temporary wallpaper as an accent wall in my bedroom. Do you have any other ideas that I could use that would satisfy my vintage craving

How To: Painting The Kitchen Cabinets

I showed you the kitchen cabinet reveal and now I'm gonna tell you how we did it.  We used a Cabinet Transformations Kit from Rustoleum.  The kit allows you to paint your cabinets without sanding.  The color kit we chose was chocolate.  It's the same one we used to transform the master bathroom cabinets as well.The kit contains:Instructional booklet and DVD DeglosserBond CoatDecorative

Dream House Alphabet: D

D is for... Dressing RoomIn all honesty, I doubt I will ever have a room in my house dedicated exclusively to fashion. A large walk in closet, perhaps, but a whole room? Keep dreaming bud. And dream I shall, because these rooms are too good not to be included in this series.viaviaHow good are these two example? They both include lovely seating, and a glam chandelier. I love Mai's use of framing

Kitchen Cabinets Revealed

After a long weekend and several week nights of painting, I can finally say the kitchen cabinets are done.  Say hello to our new kitchen.The stools seem to disappear into the island.  Not sure if I want to leave them this way or find some new ones.  I could try to recover the seats and paint the legs.I removed the dark striped valance and it already brightened the kitchen by allowing more light

PicMonkey

Today is the first day without Picnik.  Yes, I know, sad isn't it?  I used it yesterday for the last time.  When I first heard it was going away, I kind of panicked.  It was the only editing tool I learned to use because it was so easy.  Hubby uses Photoshop but it seems a little more complicated with a whole lot of layers.  No thanks.  I'm sure it's easy when used frequently though.I begin

Favourite Furniture Friday: Landi from The Lifestyle Guide

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm Landi from The Lifestyle Guide & I'm thrilled to be here at The Designer Lifestyle to post about my favorite piece of furniture. When I moved back to Texas this past December, I had to buy a lot of furniture because I rented the furniture where I had been living. I tried to be as money conscious as possible because I knew that the bigger things (a couch, a bed, TV,

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME: PART 3

THIS SEGMENT OF "YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME" IS DEDICATED TO MY 5 YEARS OLD SON'S GIRLFRIEND......WHO IS ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS AND DOESN'T KNOW IT.........AND WHO HAPPENED TO STUMBLE ACROSS MY BLOG VIA HER MOM......... AND SHE HAS BEEN EXPRESSING INTEREST IN THE PRODUCTS!! ONE IN PARTICULAR BEING THE "RAINBOW SHOWER"..... (keep in mind this is from the "youve gotta be kidding me" post series!) SHE

I Spy

I spy with my little eye something that is gorgeous.Audrey Hepburn, obvi, but I'm talking about the magnifying glass!I found it at HomeSense for only $9.99. I fell in love with the lucite handle and the golden accents. I noticed a small scratch on the lens, and got a couple dollars off. Good detective work (get it?). It reminded me of some of my favourite vignettes that have been floating around

The Hermés School of Decorating

Remember a few years ago when everybody was painting their walls Tiffany Blue? (Which Tiffany trademarked by the way.) So many people became obsessed with the delicate turquoise colour of the famous New York jewellery house that Tiffany Blue was EVERYWHERE. There were even weddings that were themed according to the colour scheme, complete with Tiffany Blue table decorations and Tiffany Blue

Well hello there...

Hi all, remember me? I know it's been a while between drinks (far too long in fact), but I'm back at long last. To give you a quick recap, my daughter had surgery (and had really rough time of it, poor thing), I've been working non-stop on lots of new pieces, and I also have some really exciting ventures planned (which I'll share as soon as I can). So my little blog has been sadly neglected, as

Kiss my Brass Deer

Lately I've been noticing beautiful brass animals in all sorts of decor, but my fave has always been the deer...viavia Emily Henderson(Spot them up there? ^ Looking all glam on the white shelf)After seeing these images for a few weeks, I had a sudden flashback of a brass deer that we used to have in our home a long time ago. I asked my mom if we still had it kicking around. And guess what?!We did

Kitchen Progress

We're well on our way to a new kitchen.  Everything has been deglossed, painted with 2 coats and glazed.  I still have to clear coat the doors and drawers which could take forever it seems like.  Since the work week has started, I only have a couple hours each night to work on things.   The hardware delivered yesterday.  I went with a pull in stainless steel.  I love the modern look of the pulls

Pull up a chair...er..sofa!

Well guys, I did it! Officially graduated... Pretty pumped to have an English degree under my belt. Also pumped that I can now resume more regular blogging about my NEXT degree, interior design. Yeah, I'm a professional student, embrace it. Today I'm bringing you some beautiful images of sofa type seating in the dining room.viavia Simple DwellingsviaIs it awkward to shimmy into these seats? Do we

ART INSPIRATION: A BEAUTIFUL DAY AND AN EMPTY WALL

IT'S SUNDAY AND THIS DAY HAS BEEN PERFECT!! IT'S SUNNY AND 80 SOMETHING....SKY IS BLUE AND PEOPLE ARE OUT ON THE WATER! MY  CLAN OF 4  HAD A PICNIC LUNCH ON THE BOAT-FIRST ONE OF THE SEASON-MY FAVORITE THING TO DO ON BEAUTIFUL WARM DAYS!!AND THEN THE EMPTY WALL ON THE STAIRWAY LANDING KEPT BUGGING ME-I NEED A MASSIVE PAINTING. TIME TO GET INSPIRED AND GET BUSY!AS USUAL, I GO TO MY "ART THAT I

Favourite Furniture Fridays Revamp

I've decided that Favourite Furniture Fridays could use a little revamp. Sure it's fun to drool over iconic investment pieces together like we have been for the past few months, but I thought it might be MORE fun to feature the favourite furniture pieces OWNED by some of our favourite design bloggers. I'll get the ball rolling.I'll admit, I don't own much furniture because I'm still living at

A Designer's Home: Taniya Nayak

Do you ever wonder what your favorite designer's home looks like?  We see them all the time on television or in magazines decorating other people's homes.  What does her or his home look like?  Do they do things to people's homes that they wouldn't do in their own.I came across some photos of Taniya Nayak's home in Boston.  She is a host and designer on HGTV's Designed To Sell.  She describes her

Kudos

I'm so honoured to have discovered that Landi from The Lifestyle Guide has awarded me with the Liebster Blog Award. I started my blog a few months ago to document my journey in interior design, and it is such a delight to know that others appreciate what I'm putting out there. Thanks so much to Landi and all of my followers for making the blogging process so amazing!The Liebster is an award given

Secrets of Paris, from the Lux to the Lovely

It's midnight here in Melbourne. Autumn has come to the hills. The garden outside is invisible under a cloak of mist and the heater is fighting to keep the first frost of the year at bay.I have spent the past few hours at my desk – overcrowded with the debris of research – writing my novel The Picnic, which is the fictionalised version of the real story behind Joan Lindsay's gothic tale. Those of

A Little Thank You From The Assistant Librarian and I

Dear Library Readers,I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all those who take the time to drop by this little site. I know most of us don't have as much time to meander through the Netscape as we used to do (I, for one, have cut back considerably), and so I do understand if you pop by and then fly off again. It's just lovely to see you when you can pay a visit, and I hope the

In One Week...

In one week, a lot will be changing in my life. For starters, I will have an undergrad degree in English under my belt. That feels amazing. Also amazing? I will no longer be in a long distance relationship.My wonderful boyfriend goes to school in Halifax, almost 2000 km away. To drive to see him, it would take 19 hours. It's far. But on Wednesday, he comes home...For good.I can't even begin to

KITCHEN IDEAS:REMODELING ON THE BRAIN!

I'VE HAD SEVERAL KITCHEN INQUIRIES LATELY SO I HAVE BEEN OBSESSING ABOUT THE LATEST AND GREATEST DESIGNS OUT THERE!ONE KITCHEN REDO IN PARTICULAR IS FROM A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE IN NORFOLK BUILT IN 1926...STILL HAS SOME OF THE ORIGIONAL CABINETRY AND EVEN A BUILT-IN IRONING BOARD.....LOADS OF CHARACTER BUT THE HOMEOWNER NEEDS IT FRESHENED UP. THE CEILINGS ARE 10 FT AND I REALLY THINK CABINETS UP TO THE

Floor Plan Porn, Part 2: The Sherry Netherland

Floor plan porn seems to be a popular post on this blog. Now I don't know whether it's the floor plan part that's attracting all the hits, or the 'porn'? (But if it's the latter, shame on you! The only wickedness around here was the post on The Queen.) Whatever it is, it's prompted me to do another post about the, er, voyeuristic appeal of good lines and a great layout. So to speak.Today, we're

Exams = Messy Desk

Exam time always means a messy desk. It usually is much more glamorous than this, but I posted these images in the hopes that you all will bear with the lack of posts for the next week. I'm in finals. My final week of finals of my final year of University. CRAZY. Almost graduated. I'll try to make some time for blogging though!xoxTiffany Leigh

Knobs or Pulls?

I've decided I'm going to start on the kitchen cabinets this weekend, ok maybe.  I have one dilemma, knobs or pulls.  Since I'm painting them, I have a chance to fill and paint over old holes and make new ones.  I have been wanting to go with longer, sleek pulls on all the doors and drawers like this kitchen. source unknownI also like cabinets like these where there are knobs on top and pulls on

The Perfect New York Hotel? (At Least For Literary Lovers)

New York has always had an allure for writers. Gritty, compelling and full of metropolitan myths and gossip, it’s long been a subject matter that’s begged to be written about. "Rome may be a poem pressed into service as a city," as Anatole Broyard once put it, but New York is an energised, explosive editorial, bashed out with emphatic passion and Carrie Bradshaw-style zeal. It’s a bumptious

Sheila Scotter: A Life in Black and White (An Obituary)

Sheila Scotter was the original Anna Wintour. The first editor-in-chief of Vogue Australia, she was one of the most formidable, influential, frightening and famously fastidious and stylish women in fashion. She was also one of the most observant. I know tough-spined gay designers who would shake with nerves and change three times before they presented themselves at her impeccable front door. And

Geometry Gems

I'm crazy in love with geometry, and I'm not talking math homework here people. No, no, I'm talking about a good geometric print. So contemporary, yet classic. I've been on the hunt in my town for a good geometric fabric for a DIY project. Even though this is a huge trend in decor right now, my local fabric stores just don't seem to be catching on.via I've turned to hunting online for the perfect

The New Family Room

I am loving the new family room.  I told you a couple weeks ago that we sold the old furniture to make way for some new stuff.  We bought a new sectional and I think we are all loving it.  It is larger than the old one and we all have so much room now when we're lounging.  It has deep and comfy seating.I love the modern tufting of the pillows.  It's also a plus that all the pillows are attached.

PORCH SPACE: FINE TUNING FOR SPRING ENTERTAINING!

AFTER MONTHS AND MONTHS OF DELIBERATING THE BEST BACK PORCH FURNITURE SCENERIO (I AM SO SO SO INDECISIVE WHEN IT COMES TO MY OWN DECOR-UGH!), I AM REALLY HAPPY WITH THE OUTCOME. I COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT I WANTED AT THE FAR END OF THE PORCH.....PORCH SWING? 2 CHAISE LOUNGERS? 4 CHAIRS? WHAT DO I DO?????.....FINALLY SETTLED WITH 2 ALL WEATHER WICKER CHAIRS AND AN OTTOMAN-SOOOO COMFORTABLE!!!....

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all of my dear followers. Just like on Valentine's Day when I left you an inspirational pink room, today I'll leave you with the most perfect pastel room that you ever did see, dressed in all the tones of spring and Easter. It's the living room of Ana Antunes, and I'm a little bit obsessed with it.via Have a blessed day.xox Tiffany Leigh

HAPPY EASTER!!!

 EASTER IS SPECIAL FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, BUT FOR MY FAMILY, IT'S MORE EVEN MORE REASON TO CELEBRATE!  MY DAD WAS BORN ON EASTER SUNDAY AND HE MARRIED MY MOM.....WHOSE NAME IS "BUNNY"........THIS PIC CRACKS ME UP!photo courtesey of http://dogsoftheinterwebs.tumblr.com/page/7

Using Orange in Spring Decor

This year's color of the year is Tangerine Tango.  It is an orange with a touch of red.  Since spring is here, why not use it to decorate your home?  Orange is a punchy and vibrant color that can add life to any room.Love the use of orange here in this kitchen.  Look at the punch the backsplash brings.  The flowers on the table and pretty too.The artwork here against the green walls here screams

Of Quartz

Ever since spotting these Quartz bookends in Design Darling's boutique, I've been a little gemstone crazy. I wanted a pair of quartz bookends to call my very own! Unfortunately, with shipping and additional charges to Canada, these beautiful pink ones were getting to be a bit out of my price range. I also love the look of agate bookends:viaSo sparkly and pretty, mother nature really is amazing

Book Covers: The Harland Miller Way

Reading through the New York Times' Style magazine this morning (the Spring Design Issue is now online at tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com), I stopped in my reading tracks at the London home of designer Harriet Anstruther and her photographer husband Henry Bourne. It was a curious and intriguing mix of interior decoration – minimalism meets Cecil Beaton with a lick of hot pink – but what was really

Chess Board Coffee Table

I've had this picture saved for awhile now, and I just can't seem to get this coffee table out of my head. It looks like a giant chess board almost...only way more chic. I love it, do you?via