Monday, December 13, 2010

10 Top Sofa [companies] and Why We Love Them

Looking for a great sofa that will last you through the next 20+  years ? Here's a list of our top 10 & why [in no particular order] :

1] Bensen

Here's a great sleeper sofa by a great Canadian furniture designer Niels Bendtsen. Simple, functional, elegant & red! What's not to love?




2] Ligne Roset

French company Ligne Roset is the BMW of furnture - hard to go wrong here - I love this Cityloft sofa especially, as it could work in a modern or a transitional style of living room [notice the beautiful sculpted arm rest].




3] Moooi

Ah - the return of Moooi to our blog- not only do they make our favorite horsey floor lamp they make incredible sofas ! Below shows you how one sofa can look so different depending on the upholstery :



4] Edra

This is a very special furniture company based in....you guessed it....Italy ! Our favorite country in the whole world for furniture, food and fashion. Edra's designs are always very experimental and very cutting edge. This sofa called Flap is practically an apartment in itself! Just imagine the parties you could have....



5] Cassina

Another of our favorite Italian furniture companies, this sofa was designed by the king of design himself - Philippe Starck [more blogging about him later]. What is so cool about this sofa is that Starck designed it to be very versatile - it comes in different lengths and configurations. For example, the one below has two different sizes of armrests; the one below that is extra long - great for an Academy Award movie night [or Superbowl]!




6] B & B Italia

ok, yet another Italian furniture company - B & B is the absolute king of sectionals. If Ligne Roset is the BMW of sofa companies, B & B is the Lamborghini :



7] Gus Modern

These sofas will appeal to loft dwellers, due to their compact sizes. This nice little Canadian company has come up with a collection of very affordable, practical and well made sofas with a lovely range of fabrics.



8] Minotti

Minotti also has some fantastic sectionals similar to B & B, but these more rounded styles [smaller versions are available] differentiate this Italian company from the crowd.


9] Montauk

This Canadian company based in Montreal offers very very nice plush, luxurious styles that blend in with many living rooms and lifestyles. For example this sofa is placed in a Rococo style space - it's clean rounded lines compliment the architecture nicely without competing for your attention.


10] Baker
Although we at cky love modern, we still appreciate and work with those of you wanting a more transitional style living space. Baker is a fantastic American producer of lovely sofas by leading designers such as Barbara Barry.


11] HBF - I had to include this one....it is SO Park Avenue :


12] Modernica, Ital Divani, Bernhardt, Living Divani, Moroso, we could go on-and-on......

Friday, November 19, 2010

How to Choose the Right Fabric for Your Chair and Sofa

There is a cornucopia of textiles and fibers to choose from - all the way from leather to cotton to wool to polyester.


The first thing I ask a client is how the sofa or chair is used and by who. Basically I'm trying to understand how durable and robust the fabric needs to be. All upholstery fabrics sold through a reputable supplier come with a "double rub" abrasion test rating.  If the fabric is rated at 30,000 double rubs it is rated for 'heavy duty' commercial use; 15,000 double rubs is for average residential use.



Next consideration is clean-ability. If pets are allowed on the sofa, choose a fabric that will hide the fur color. Alternatively, choose a contrasting color if you [are a clean freak] wish to roller the fur off on a daily basis. If young children are using the sofa, consider leather or vinyl as it is extremely wipe-able. There are many other fabrics that can be cleaned with warm soapy water, or are cleanable by an expert.  Cryptons are the ultimate for cleaning and durability and are used in high use environments such as nursing homes and schools as well as residential.


Style of fabric is also a consideration :
Solid or pattern?
Soft and cozy or crisp and supportive?
Supple or rigid?
Modern or Traditional?


Style of chair or sofa :
Square or rounded ?
Structural or fully upholstered ?
Modern or Traditional?

Other considerations :
Will there be tufting or top-stitching on the piece?
Will there be 2 fabrics used on the piece?
How pliable or stretchy is the fabric?



Last is color. As with paint, it should be chosen in the environment it is to be used in. Lighting conditions vary and thus the fabric color will be perceived differently depending on where it is.
Blogatcha later !
- Yvonne

Friday, October 22, 2010

Attention All Single Guys : 5 Ways to Make Your Home Date Friendly

Well, in case you haven't figured it out by now, women [at least my friends] are highly sensitive to their surroundings. We need to feel safe and warm and comfortable in general. If you are to have a chance 'in hell' of us staying over night, you must make the minimum effort ! Here is a partial list of ways to make your pad more inviting, from an interior design point-of-view :

1] Buy a 'decent' sofa. By decent I mean something not too big - a 3 seater is ok, a sectional is optimal if you have the room. That way you can each sit on a 'section' for cozy conversation and beverage partaking :



If your living room is small, a love seat is ok if you can add a lounge chair too [there's nothing more embarrassing than sitting too close to someone you barely know!] :



Lastly, you don't have to spend a fortune, but please no scratchy nylon or sweat inducing vinyl. Something soft like us :-)

2] Consider window coverings. Does your living or dining room look out onto a public street or parking lot? If so, window coverings are a nice way to keep the nosy neighbors at bay.



Getting blinds or curtains doesn't mean you are a wuss or Martha Stewart wanna be. Notice the clean gender-neutral color, style and quality of these roman blinds. Simple and functional. Love it !!


3] Get a good floor and/or table lamp[s]. Nothing creates the right mood better than soft indirect light.
Look at how simple, elegant AND masculine this lamp is :



or you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone, i.e. a good lamp and a piece of art [see number 5] like this gorgeous piece designed by Ottawa architect Rick Shean :



4] If you have hardwood floors, shop for an area rug. If not [i.e. you have carpeting] get a coffee table. Or both.  Rugs and tables are great ways to add warmth and soften sounds in a room, thus creating more comfort. They visibly tie a room together which further creates visual comfort and coziness.


Don't be afraid of shag - there are some great affordable and highly luxurious choices out there including the Kymo brand from Alteriors :



5] Treat yourself to something special.  Buying a piece of art or beautiful object d'art says a little something about you and your softer side. Here is a great painting by cky's Carrie Colton painted in 2003 and purchased by Yvonne way before they were partners or even friends !


 And finally a really cool fruit bowl by Alessi
 
There. Now if that doesn't get the girl, you've got the wrong girl...
Blogatcha later,
Y

Friday, October 8, 2010

Welcome to the World of Modern

We love modern design! But like all things in life, there is a huge range which I'd like to share with you. Here it is broken down in the World of Modern According to Yvonne :


VINTAGE MODERN

Here's where it all began - a wonderful cozy interior by Frank Lloyd Wright. Notice the craftsman style influences and the Eames rocking chair in the corner, which must have been added way after this house was built...


And another Modern pioneer - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. His work was more austere, but still having a lot of warmth with natural materials and colors. He also designed the iconic Barcelona daybed in the foreground.

MINIMALIST MODERN

Here we can see influences of the masters, but in new modern architecture. Notice the lack of decoration and superfluous 'stuff'. Definitely a minimalist statement. And below, another minimalist statement, but much more extreme [and probably impossible to live in unless you are a monk] :

A good place for a party though !

CONTEMPORARY MODERN

Talk about night and day with the Minimalist photo above ! Still Modern, and still having the same essential color palette, but much more cozier and relaxed.


And what a great example of Contemporary Modern this is, but now more refined and sophisticated. So you can see that you can have cozy Modern space in black and white and sophisticated/formal Modern in neutral tones.!



ECLECTIC MODERN

This has got to be one of the best example of eclectic I've seen - Loft, Vintage and "Art" Modern - all made cozy and slightly knick-knacky [even though Modern is usually a tad more sparse]....this works wonderfully probably because of the huge unique windows and the small color palette.


And now a more refined and Eclectic Modern space - eclectic because they have mixed Vintage Modern with Contemporary Modern furnishings. This is probably the most popular style currently.


LOFT/ INDUSTRIAL MODERN

Last, my personal favorite, Loft Modern. This loft is owned by an artist and used as such. The furniture is clean and simple yet the space has a real livability about it. No matter what you do to the walls or floor, it will look intentional. The space welcomes experimentation which is something I just love.


This loft is fantastic too. The furniture a bit more formal [notice the Barcelona day bed in the background, in teal!] but still welcomes relaxation, openness and creativity. The great thing about lofts is that many different colors and materials will work. You can pull probably 20 colors out of the brickwork alone.

I could have gone on-and-on and listed another dozen genres of Modern [Rustic, Art, Italian, Danish]....but instead thought I'd let you explore yourself. Have fun and be cozy.

blogatcha later,
Yvonne

Thursday, September 30, 2010

3 Key Interior Design Tips

#1 Function supersedes form. 
Are you a homebody who likes relaxing & watching tv or are you a social butterfly, preferring to entertain friends & family?  Style, furnishings and material choices come after your space planning is defined. Your home should reflect your lifestyle and be designed for maximum use by you!





#2 Don't be afraid of colour! 
Colour is a inexpensive way to bring energy and excitement to any room, transforming the mood instantly.
-If you don’t want to paint an entire room in a dramatic colour create a focal point in your room with an accent wall.
-When choosing a colour just be mindful of picking up a colour that already exists in the room in a piece of furniture, a fabric or artwork. 



#3 Layer your lighting
Each room in your home should have 2 or idealing 3 layers of light.
1. Overall/Ambient: General illumination that comes from all directions in a room
2. Task: Lighting focused on a specific area to make the completion of visual tasks easier.
3. Accent: Lighting that emphasizes an area of or an object in a room. This lighting adds to the drama or style of a room by highlighting certain aspects of a room's decor. 

Subscribe to ckyscaper. More great home design tips to come!


Monday, September 27, 2010

Habitat For Humanity Designer Gift Home now open to the public!


Habitat for Humanity received the biggest donation in their history; a nice home in a great neighbourhood. It has been renovated from top to bottom using a dream team of talented and generous Ottawa designers, corporate sponsors, professional trades people and volunteers. The sale of this professionally designed home, will help provide 10 low-income, working families in the Ottawa region with a home of their own. 

We had great fun this summer working along side many other top Ottawa designers to help realize the finished Habitat For Humanity Gift Home. We had the honour of contributing towards the colour, art, staging and furniture of the below rooms. We sourced much of the furniture through Mikaza Home and Alteriors. I sourced the original artwork through Gallery 3 and Exposure Gallery.  Thanks guys for your generosity and support!

The designer kitchen by Design First Interiors













The beautiful living room by Linda Nolan Interiors

The unique study with wood panelled walls and leather floors! by Gordon Weima

















  
The custom master bedroom and en-suite by Chuck Mills Residential Design and Development




The Gift Home will be open to the public for viewing for three consecutive weekends beginning on Sept. 24th at 12pm. Tickets are only $10.00 and are available at the door as well as at both Habitat NCR Restores.

This is such a great opportunity to get design ideas for your home renovations and give back to your community at the same time.

Here is the link to the gift home website and  how to get tickets.

http://habitatgifthome.com/news.html

Cheers, Carrie


Friday, September 24, 2010

Do you need to add "zing" to your dining room?

Is your dining room simply somewhere to grab a quick pizza or help the kids with their homework? Looking for a little panache to inspire you and make you feel excited about your home again ? Want to get the "restaurant" ambiance of subdued sophistication ?



Lighting is like the icing on the cake ! The jewellery on the body ! The garnish on the plate !




Look no further than Modern Light now open in Old Ottawa South :


This place is fabulous ! Notice the iconic "Random" Light spheres by Moooi in the top right corner :



I wish I could change my light fixtures as often as my earrings with this fabulous selection!!



Notice the inner bas-relief porcelain sculpting of this absolutely gorgeous!! glass luminaire :



And Modern Light offers great furniture by Modernica and art too.
Owner Michael Shaiken with cky design's Yvonne Potter :

Blogatchya later ! -Yvonne