New Marimekko Living Room Pillows - Plus a FinnStyle Coupon Code for You!

I favor a slow approach to decorating, taking the time to find the perfect pieces and making little changes so a room grows along with me, reflecting my changing style.  I recently made a small change to the living but it's the kind of change that suddenly makes everything "click".  I thought this would be a good time for a quick look back at the living room, to see how it has shaped up in 19 months - and what it looks like now, with the new additions!

Although we sold a lot of things right before we moved to the lakehouse, we kept most of our old furniture for the living room.  Although things were moved around a little, the cream leather sofa, teal velvet chair, minty mingo chair, black organic chair, Ikea wall unit and even our brown ottoman (although that's on the chopping block) all made the move with us. 

When we first set up our furniture, the living room looked a little bland, but it was already more our style because we had painted the walls and trim white and the fireplace a deep charcoal grey.  It looked quite different from when we first viewed the property:

When I spotted some Marimekko Kirsikka fabric on sale, I scooped it up and coerced my Mom into sewing four bold pillows to liven up the neutral sofa:

I liked how the Kirsikka pattern looked with the spherical glass shades of the big chrome lamp we had at the time.  Suddenly the room had more life - pillows made all the difference!

When I stole my Mom's 1960s blue Lotte lamps, I was surprised by how much I liked the blue.  I hadn't planned on adding blue, so the pillows - with their aqua, green, black and white palette - weren't perfect anymore, but I loved them too much to part with them.  Plus, no way was my Mom going to whip up four new ones!  

When I switched around some furniture, moving our black organic chair and replacing it with the mint mingo from the bedroom, the living room started to boast a riot of patterns and colours, but I still liked the pillows.  I especially liked how the swirls of the Kirsikka complemented the swirls of the upholstery on the mingo chair.

Because the same shade of blue from the Lotte lamps pops up in the both the living room and dining room art, I was confident that the new tweed dining chairs I found would suit our open concept living space quite nicely - providing a visual break from my love affair with aqua, without introducing yet another colour. 

With the addition of more blue, though, it was time to introduce a textile that would play nice.  That's right - I finally conceded that the old pillows weren't right:



FinnStyle (one of my favorite shops, long before the days of sponsored posts) recently reached out and offered to help spruce up a room.  I immediately started perusing their inventory of Marimekko pillows and fabric.  Have you checked out their selection?  SO many gorgeous prints and if you shop in store there's a great remnant section too.

I found the perfect fabric right away: Marimekko's Lumimarja, which comes in different colourways, including one with two shades of leafy green and one with nearly the exact same blue as my Lotte lamps and dining chairs (called "white/green" and "grey/blue," respectively).  FinnStyle generously sent me two of each and they're perfect for the living room:




They add just enough colour and interest without competing with any of the bolder elements in the space.  They tie in the blues and greens, as well as the warm teak and walnut wood tones, and complement our cream leather sofa beautifully.  Plus they boast a beautiful, organic print that I think pairs just as well with the Mingo chair as the Kirsikka fabric did.  The rooms feels lighter and airier and I'm so amazed what a difference just swapping out four throw cushions can make!

After mixing throw cushion patterns in the townhouse, I went for a bold set of four identical cushions when we moved to the lakehouse because I liked the graphic quality.  But now I'm inching back toward pattern mixing and the Lumimarja is a great way to subtly achieve that look because the prints are the same scale, but the colours vary - making mixing effortless!

If something at FinnStyle caught your eye, you're in luck!  FinnStyle is offering Dans le Lakehouse readers a 20% discount.  They asked if readers would prefer a giveaway or discount and I figured a discount because then everyone can find something - I hope I chose right!  Click on this link, enter your email address and get your 20% discount right now.  I've been an email subscriber for years and I promise they aren't spammy.  I appreciate getting emails about their flash sales because I have scored some super sweet deals!

Thanks to FinnStyle for providing the Lumimarja pillows for this living room spruce.  I was provided the product, but not paid or prompted to provide a positive review - this is the best kind of collaboration, because you already know that I'm a huge fan! 

DIY Coffee Sack Boot Stuffers

My Mom and I both struggle with saving money because we like pretty things too much!  But we spend money differently.  I'll splash out on something big (like our light fixture from Modernica) but then scrimp like it's the depression to make up for it in other ways.  My Mom doesn't treat herself to many splashy purchases, but she will buy fancy soaps, new linens, new towels - little indulgences that add up.  She and I both have small budgets to work with, so I've been encouraging her to forgo little indulges to save up for her bathroom reno.  Because of my relentless nagging, she fondled boot stuffers at HomeSense no fewer than twenty times, but never made a purchase (go Mom!).

She wanted to keep her pretty boots upright while they're stored in the closet, as opposed to flopping over and creasing, but we decided to make some instead of buying them.  We had everything on hand, so they were free!  Sure, it might be a drop in the bucket, but it's another $10 she can put toward her dream bathroom.  That probably buys two or three square feet of tile (and her bathroom is so tiny, that is actually a pretty good chunk).



Here is how we made these adorable little boot stuffers.

We started with pretty little coffee sacks - but really, any fabric will do.  They were too wide and short as-is, so we cut them apart just to make use of the interesting design.

To make up the length, we sewed a scrap of silk to the top.

Once the silk was added to the coffee bag fabric, the sides were sew up and then the top edge - the opening of the boot stuffer was sewn down into a channel:

(The channel was added for a drawstring).

When the sides and top were sewn, the bottom of the inside was tweaked a little.  Both corners were pinned and sewn flat:

Once the boot stuffers were turned right side out, the sewn corners created a flat bottom so they sit more snugly inside boots.

Finally, we threaded through a drawstring using a safety pin and stuffed the finished sacks with batting.  We also added a sprinkling of lavender to keep things smelling nice in there!  We opted for the drawstring top so we can adjust how much batting is inside - and freshen up the lavender from time to time.

So do they work?

Perfectly!  Exactly what my Mom had it mind. 

Read more »

Is the Modernica Case Study Planter Worth $200+?

I recently splurged on a case study planter from Modernica.

It was $189 USD, which is about $250 Canadian (yikes), but at least the shipping was free!  Because I live on a part of Lake Superior that is close to the US/Canadian border, I have access to a US address for parcels, which makes shopping online a lot easier because I can have things shipped within the States or Canada.  When I cross the border on my way back, sometimes I have to pop into the CBSA office and pay HST (although they usually wave folks by if the value of goods is under $100).  This time I had to pay tax and as I walked out with my receipt I was kind of stunned by the final price.  I only made it a little way up the road before turning the truck around and marching back in, certain they'd made a mistake calculating my HST.  They had not.  When the border guard I was harassing showed me the exchange rate for the day I actually blurted an expletive and he had a difficult time keeping a straight face.  When I drop an f-bomb with my 12 year old voice, it tends to be more amusing that combative.  Thoroughly embarrassed, I informed everyone who was eavesdropping that I have a PhD, and then I quickly egressed. 

All this to say that I experienced some serious sticker shock making this purchase.  When the dust settled, I paid around $282 CAD for my planter.  Despite that staggering sum, I actually saved $100 by ordering direct from Modernica and using my US shipping address, because to order from a Canadian retailer is $384 CAD.    

So, what possessed me to drop nearly $300 on a planter?

Truthfully, I'd been lusting after the case study planters from Modernica for awhile, but the price was too steep for me, even though I have been very happy with the two side shell stools and trio of bubble lights I'd purchased from them.  The stools and lights are functional pieces that see daily use, while a planter seemed like a bit of an indulgence.  I ultimately decided that I didn't deserve one because I'm terrible to plants.

As you know, though, I recently inherited some very precious plants.  You already saw me caring for the orchids by making over a plant stand, so they can bask in the perfect light, and then spending major bucks on fancy orchid pots.  In addition to these orchids, I also inherited a snake plant and I decided that it, too, deserved a fancy new habitat, especially after it spent two days in a bumpy, stuffy, over-packed u-Haul trailer.  I'd seen some really great DIY case study knock-off tutorials, but I really liked the actual ceramic planter Modernica sells.  The walnut frame would be easy to duplicate, but not the pot (Kim and Scott, from Yellow Brick Home, had a tough time finding a large, cylindrical pot for their cool, globe-turned-plant stand project).

I decided that I didn't want to hunt for the right planter and reasoned that this plant, of all plants, is special enough to warrant buying the real deal.

Was it worth the price?

I don't regret buying it at all (and I can say this having already paid the credit card bill with this purchase, so that's saying a lot!).  I've been really thrilled with the quality of the bubble light and side shell stools we purchased.  We experienced a bit of sticker shock with both of those purchases too but, almost two years later, we still love the looks and the quality.  So far, this planter is what I expected too.  The structure of the base is very simple (the legs just slide together for assembly), but the walnut is beautiful - no stain can hold a candle to genuine walnut.  The ceramic pot is very substantial (it must cost a fortune to ship) and it was flawless when it arrived.  I wish that the timing could have been better - only a few years ago the CAD and USD were at par - but I didn't want to wait.

If I ever stumble across a planter with the same shape and look of this case study planter, you better believe I'm going to take a stab at a knock off, but for now I'm super thrilled with my purchase.  

I read about some plants dying in the case study planters, but I suspect that might have something to do with a lack of drainage so I filled the bottom with large rocks before adding my soil and re-potting the snake plant.  Hopefully that helps keep the roots from getting soggy, but I'll also take care not to over water this fella.  After hauling rocks from the shore and completing the messy task of re-potting, I read about someone using packing peanuts, which seems infinitely lighter and easier (but is it good for plants to have that synthetic material near them?).  I'm not sure which method is better, but if you have any tips I'm all ears!

For now, at least, the snake plant seems happy with its new home.



The greenery that you can see from the kitchen, dining and living room really adds some more life to the lakehouse -  I've missed having plants!

 

Read more »

Better Blog Photos, Coming Soon!

I finally did it: I splurged on a new camera - my first DSLR!  I actually purchased it way back in May but, as you know, a family emergency took precedence and learning to use my new camera definitely slid down my list of priorities.

On the advice of a photographer friend, Melissa Oivanki, I bought a modest Canon Rebel T5i and a Canon wide angle lens.  I also purchased a simple light kit (something like this).  Melissa gave me excellent advice, explaining that it's the lenses that really make the difference.  I'm already saving up for better lenses!

Because I often talk about money, I decided to be honest about this purchase and admit that I really struggled with spending the money!  It took me a year to finally go for it.  I questioned whether it was worth it to make this investment, but I really enjoy taking photos.  With my new camera, I'm thinking that I might even take some photography courses.  My old Panasonic Lumix  DMC-FZ28 (discontinued, but this is similar) was a wedding present Hubs and I bought ourselves in 2008 and it served us well, documenting international adventures in Greece, France, Portugal, and Hungary - plus many trips to the States - and all of our memories at home.  Ultimately I decided that it's worth it to not only support a creative endeavor (it's good for the brain!), but also capture fun memories.     

Unfortunately, my old Lumix was slowly failing. The biggest issue was the colour sensor - it stopped reading aqua properly!  Aquas came out looking like a flat blue and pictures started turning out grainy and dull.  It's been difficult to set my old Lumix aside and reach for my new Canon, but already I can see a major difference in photos - look at the velvet chair below! 

New Camera

New Camera

New Camera

I've never been able to show you how vivid it is, and how much green is in the hue - it always photographed like a flat blue microsuede, not the luscious velvet it is:

Old Camera

I'm so excited to be able to photograph the lakehouse more accurately, without everything looking yellower, bluer, paler, brighter, darker, grainier, or more washed out in photos.  Hopefully I can depict things more true to life, like our DIY solid maple counters, which are quite pale in real life but always photographed with a yellowy tinge.  With my new Canon, I'm capturing them a bit better already:

New Camera

My old camera still photographed close up details fairly well...

Old Camera

But I love how crisp close up photos are with my new camera, even with my having no clue what I'm doing:

New Camera

New Camera

Some days, though, I feel a little overwhelmed and frustrated.  Although I've always enjoyed taking photos, the technical side has never thrilled me as much as compositions.  Frankly, some of my photos are ending up worse than with my old camera, but I'm trying not to get discouraged and just focus on the joy of learning something new.

I'm especially having trouble focusing when I take photos of rooms and I have to be careful with the wide angle lens that I don't end up with weirdly stretched out real estate listing-style photos!

New Camera

I'm slowly phasing out my Lumix, so you'll see a mix of photos for the next few months.  Once I get the hang of it, I'll be taking new photos of the lakehouse so you can finally get a better feel for the space (and maybe even a video tour...).

While I try to figure this out, if you've come across a great tutorial - especially for shooting interiors - I'd love to know about it!  Also, if you happen to stumble across an aqua camera case, I'd love to know about that too ;)

Read more »