Hello again friends. So here I am, smelling like skunk surrounded by bowls of vinegar,

The EHD 2019 trend reporting has officially commenced. It feels like Christmas and New Years all over again. 🙂 Throughout January, we’re going to be diving into our thoughts of what’s on the horizon for all things interior design, and ...

Dans la cuisine, les étagères ouvertes font sensation pour leur côté pratique et pour leur esthétisme. Démonstration en images !

I think brass is such a fine detail in a modern kitchen. In small amounts it adds just the right amount of sophistication without going overboard into glitz. Lately I’ve been particularly partial to brass cabinet pulls. The following pulls range in price from $5 to $25, and they’re a good starting point if you want to try this look out in your own kitchen: Emtek 6-Inch Freestone Pull in Satin Brass, $17.

With February containing the big kahuna of celebrated heart-focused holidays, I decided I would join along by focusing many of this month’s posts on ways to make …

Completed in 2011 in Malvern, Australia. Images by Gerard Warrener, Andy Gibson, Shannon McGrath . The initial challenge throughout this project was to locate the ideal site. 1B Spring Road, Malvern, is located across the road from a reputable...

The look of the kitchen is changing — already granite countertops and dark wood cabinets are starting to look a little late 90s. If you’re thinking of renovating or building a house (or just like looking!), here are five of the top trends for modern kitchens. And the best part? Some of these are things you can do right now, without spending much money at all. White and WoodIt’s modern, but warm — the best of both worlds.

London’s deVol kitchens sent me an email this week sharing this stunning shaker Kitchen in a victorian home in the heart of London. dreamy, right? i’m working away on my own kitchen remodel ideas, so

Check out these beautiful black and white design ideas to inspire you for your own home!

It’s no secret that IKEA offers an affordable, off-the-shelf alternative to a custom kitchen. With the flexibility to mix and match finishes and styles, the Swedish store is a go-to source for renovators, but it’s also ubiquitous. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to personalize an IKEA kitchen, and we need look no further than the Apartment Therapy house tour archives for ideas.

Discover luxury, bespoke kitchens and browse contemporary and classic designs, such as Iconic, Macassar & more. Find out more from Smallbone of Devizes.

So glad you came today! Felt good to switch things up a bit and move my So Canadian eh? series to Friday. I am incredibly thrilled and honoured to have another design idol of mine visiting this week. This designer, she doesn't call herself that though, so I'll call her design magician instead, is Canada's design darling. Her personality is infectious as is her design aesthetic. She is known for creating incredibly layered, glamorous and knock out spaces. Please give a warm welcome to Samantha Pynn Photo: Tim Leyes Courtesy of RTR Media Inc. She is..... Samantha, known for her emphasis on eco-friendly design and upcycling a thrifty find mixed in with glamourous additions can be seen in this season's Summer Home on HGTV Canada. While I would LOVE a summer home of my own, it is enjoyable to watch her along with her design team transform sad cottages into cozy and design savvy abodes. Samantha is also a design contributor to CItyline TV, columnist at the National Post, design contributor at Style at Home, hosted webisodes for HGTV Canada called The Mix and The Switch, and has her own webisodes, on You Tube called Samantha's OPYNNion! She also hosted and was principal designer on her own HGTV Canada series Pure Design, which I so miss. This week's episode of Summer Home had Samantha transforming this cottage...... Photo: John Queenan Into this. Photo: Virginia MacDonald Samantha is one busy gal but the magic she creates in spaces takes my breath away. You can see how she incorporates up-cycled treasures made new, mixed with paint and a fabulous finds to create realistic spaces that you can see yourself living in. I find I am drawn to designers who create approachable spaces. Here are a few of my favourites! Can you spot the thrifted finds, Ikea add ins along with high end items? photos by Virginia MacDonald Tell us a bit about yourself, your background, your education? Has design been something you have always been drawn to? I went to UofT and have an honours English Specialist degree, then I went to Ryerson for magazine journalism. While I was there I was tending bar and working as a location scout for music videos and commercials. I really wanted to work at a gardening or decorating magazine. I was definitely obsessed with my own apartment, constantly refinishing furniture and I had a perennial garden at my mom’s house. It started when I was a kid. My grandmother (dad’s side) was a Martha Stewart – she taught me how to clean, knit, paint, bake. I’m not a good baker, but everything else rubbed off. And then I started working at Style at Home magazine… Have you always been an interior designer? If not, what was your first career? I’m not an interior designer – not formally trained. I’m a decorator. I apprenticed with David Overholt at Style at Home and while at Style at Home I went to Ryerson for drafting and space planning. You and your designs have been featured in many publications, and on television., such as Style at Home and Cityline. How did you get your big “break”? I worked my butt off. I interned at Style at Home and I stayed as long as I needed to get the job done and I was hired. There were many nights I worked until mid-night or later and was back in the office in the morning. The team was lean when I was there so I had the opportunity to take on big stories. I never said no because I loved the work. A Cityline producer had liked one of my stories on bar carts – there was a full page picture of me pouring a drink behind a barcart (I tended bar during my first year at Style at Home) and she asked me to come on CityLine live with Marilyn Denis. I slowly got better (with Marilyn’s help) and fast-forward 8 years of full-throttle scouting, designing, and styling for magazines and photo shoots and I had my own TV show. Your HGTV Canada show, “Pure Design” {which I absolutely loved} focused on eco-friendly design. What are some ways homeowners can approach the design of their homes in an eco-friendly way? Work with what you have. Paint, re-upholster, move furniture (like a dresser to a front entryway). Buy second hand - even if you have to refinish it – it’s worth it to get a piece that no one else has. What are some design faux pas that you wish could be banished? Black leather sofas with donut rolled arms, corner cabinets and fireplaces, dining chairs that look like tomb stones, foam pillows. What do you like to do in your free time, that is if you have any? I go to yoga, spin classes, and recently started kettle bell when I’m not working. I love spending time with family and friends. And other than that my world is a big decorating and design bubble. How do you start a design project? What inspires the direction your design project will take? The homeowners - I need to see what their style is before I take on their project. I won’t touch a project where I can’t deliver or over deliver. If it’s a project for myself, that’s a whole different story. I’m influenced by places I travel, stores, designers, magazines (I’m a magazine junkie) What tips do you have for aspiring designers to hone their skills? Apprentice with someone and that may mean getting them coffee or picking up dry cleaning. Help family and friends. Read everything you can about design. Look at beautiful pictures. Analyze every room you enter good or bad. Talk to experts. Don’t pretend that you know everything – no one does. You are embracing online TV and have created a few webisodes and now your own YouTube channel, what is next for you? Any new shows? {These questions were written up in early February before we knew about her newest venture with HGTV called "Summer Home" which premiered on Monday}! Top Secret! Just kidding. TV and more webisodes are definitely on the horizon. What are your views on the role of Canadian design on the world stage? Do you feel that Canadians have a unique sense of style, the way we design and decorate our homes? If so, what do you think sets us apart? Canadians are all over the map when it comes to design. We’re a mosaic so it’s only natural that there are people who love modern design, trad, country, European, American, and a whole slew of international influences as well. We are a cold country so many of us are not so into pattern and bright colour everywhere. That’s not to say that we’re all beige. I mean we still love our neutrals, but if there is one thing that I’ve seen change since I started my career is our use of colour and pattern and it continues to grow. Samantha thank-you for taking time out of your incredibly busy schedule to visit us here this week. I have adored your designs, your visits on Cityline and now your new show! HGTV Canada personality Samantha Pynn (Pure Design, The Party) is pleased to host the brand-new season of Summer Home, launching on April 2 at 8pm ET/5pm PT on HGTV Canada. Summer Home airs back-to-back episodes Mondays at 8PM ET/PT. XO Barbara

Sharing my favorite kitchens from 2015. Find inspiration from all black kitchens to all white kitchens and everything in between.