MBR makeover

My new MBR plan- Rendering by Michelle Morelan

My bedroom now
The pillow covers as inspiration

I love these pillow covers I purchased at an Amsterdam Flea Market. They are my inspiration for a new bedroom makeover.

It will include some architectural prints I bought in Paris, a paint patterned roller from Amsterdam's DOM shop, and a pop of blue in the nightstands; something in high gloss.

The new look includes tone on tone walls in white and cream, like the cushions. I'm keeping my mirrored lamps and auction nightstands, and my PAX wardrobe that I just could never live without!

A 6' linen headboard (or maybe to the ceiling) with equal vertical seams will bring your eye up, and direct interest to the framed prints on or above the nightstands. I'll find the blue throw first, then match the table paint to it. I may get a box style cushion made for the bed like the one on the chair.

This Merlena chair from Mitchell Gold would be great with a low end table like this one from Oly. The Robert Allen Linen is a good price point, and is a heavier weight to use as upholstery for the headboard.

I can't wait for a new look. As a mother, my bedroom has been my sanctuary for a long time, but this is the first time the objects have meaning. Out with Home Sense, and in with pieces that mean the world to me :)

Rainy Day in Vancouver

Another rainy day in Vancouver! Thinking about all of you bloggers in warm exotic places....Jordan, Australia, Texas....

I always wonder how others post and work at home.

This is the view from my home studio window and a warm cup of coffee...my comfort zone :)

Would have posted a picture of my desk, but it's too messy; especially after seeing how beautiful Patricia's work space is :)

She inspires me daily to edit and bring only things of beauty into my life.

Iittala's Taika Collection

While in Amsterdam, I visited the Iittala store at De Bijenkorf, and bought these amazing dishes from the Taika collection.

We received Arabia mugs for our wedding from a friend of my husband's over ten years ago with crazy characters on them...they always made me laugh. I have come to find out they actually depict the characters of Moomin Valley by author Tove Jansson... and are just darn cute.

I purchased the Ivory Taika dishes, although I loved the black and white as well. It would have been easier in hindsight to have bought them here, but I have this thing about making things more difficult.

With Christmas around the corner, I can only imagine how beautiful the red dishes would look on the table :)

"Taika means ‘magic’ in Finnish, and Designer Klaus Haapaniemi wanted his illustrations to inspire your own imagination and storytelling."

I'm having my morning coffee out of it now...I like the shape and the creamy colour of ivory with splashes of red. It says allot about me...Bohemian, rustic and bold to the point of just enough ;)

the seaside room

The seaside room at a client's is ready...almost...we still need a white wicker chair, and a woven large rug, but it is stunning, and feels airy, like a summer day.


This is a guest room in a large home, with a view of the sea. The client loves the small village of Hale'eva in Kauai (sorry about the spelling), and wanted the room to reference that favorite place.

There is a fine line between "theme" and "concept". The best way to explain this is to picture the Rainforest Cafe at Disneyworld vs. the building of room elements based on a common element like the Blue Fin in Times Square which references the sea, only realizing this, after you experience the space. I find many decorate in a thematic way, rather than consider the gestalt and space as a whole. A concept is less tangible, but is something to base your decisions on space planning, finishes, etc...

The prints over the Asian chair are the only other colour in the room; they depict local scenes of the Hawaiian village.

The coral is framed in old fence boards, and is actually local! White bedding contrasts nicely against the black bed, and Carrington Beige by BM is used on the walls.

This is what you see when you walk in the room. The black bamboo bed is Ralph Lauren, and was a bitch to put together requiring wooden pegs and a rubber mallet.

The transoms let in light, and when lit from behind are a work of art. Andre Sperling of Barclay Glass created over a dozen for the home.

My Son's Photos

My son is in the Film program at Capilano and borrows my camera periodically...when I went hunting for pics for my recent blog entry, I was struck as the strangeness and the good-ness of his photos.

What do you think?

Halloween Left-overs

I thought this photo of our scary pumpkins was worth noting...LOL

This guy didn't fare much better...not his day :(

penthouse update, storm watching, christmas decorating

I am spending this weekend in Ucluelet, looking after a client's house while they are in Vegas. This has given me a chance to check on the Penthouse progress at the Moorage. These are private clients separate from the Moorage contract. It's coming along beautifully.

Sometimes it's the collaboration with the client that gets the best results. They have a very European aesthetic, and I had to get my head around what they wanted, and keep resale value in mind. The result is a very trim and moulding heavy look, with dark marbles and a 48"medallion in the entry. You can see the dwgs I did a few months ago here.

You've seen the home where I am staying many times on my blog, and know the client and I have become close friends. While they are away, I am decorating the house for Christmas; here are some pics of my progress. It's a great house to decorate, and with fir, cedar, spruce and pine readily available, it has been lots of fun.

Last night the storm watching (and listening) was amazing...you can never get the full feeling from pictures, but you can imagine the sound of the ocean. There was such a storm, that the outdoor microphone was crackling and moss and pine cones were hitting the windows :0

Today, I sit, on the edge of a continent, facing the sea, listening to Carla Bruni, typing a blog entry and drinking a diet coke.

Life is good

Kimberly Seldon Seminar

Well...this has been a whirlwind weekend...2 days of Kimberly Seldon's Business of Design seminars here in Vancouver.

I met some wonderful women there; all exceptional Designers, Stagers, Architects, Organizers, Stylists and Decorators. I also met Interior Designer Patricia Gray and fellow blogger and Home Stager Albarosa for the first time. What a delight! Even a couple of college friends showed up that I didn't know were attending!

I'll be collecting my thoughts, following up with my to-do lists and posting more about this seminar this coming week. For now I will just say...ppphhhewww.

I wish now I could have chatted with every woman there... I hope a networking group comes out of this.

I dislike this picture of me so much, but had to post it...of course Kimberly looks awsome! Thanks to Nancy@ Urban Aesthetics for the pic, since my battery was mysteriosly missing from my camera....teenagers!

little cabins

I have been thinking about little cabins recently. Tiny little spaces to retreat to for one reason or another. A vacation...a hut on your property only you know about; one where your taste alone is rendered.

At school we played with how much space you need to live; not only for the functions, but the psychological needs as well. I have been in a few very large homes, and am always amazed at the spaces people use to watch TV, and cozy up with loved ones. You know the space, one where you feel wrapped in comfort, where the scale and proportion makes you feel just right.

The creative director of Pottery Barn once featured a room in her house she called the five to seven room on House Beautiful TV a few years back...it was a large king bed tucked tightly into a small little sun room; it was filled with down pillows. She called it the five to seven room because those were the hours her young family used the space. There was a TV on the wall directly accross from this little nest of down goodness.

The little red caboose near my Aunt Glenna's in Cape Breton...taken last summer on my first visit back in 20 years!

My Aunt Glenna's cabin in Cape Breton

I have always loved small spaces. When I was a kid, my Aunt Glenna had a cabin at Bra'Dor lakes in the middle of Cape Breton, and there was a red caboose nearby; one afternoon her neighbour gave us a tour of it. I think that perfectly decorated little summer home is one of the reasons I am an Interior Designer today.

A friend of mine from school and I have dreamed of designing little cabins on a beautiful piece of land on the west coast of Vancouver Island, so I am always doing little sketches, trying to utilize just enough space, then setting them in a forest, along a river, by the ocean or on pilings along the tide line. My thought is that these small spaces are actually desirable to others as well.

Above: sketch by Michelle Morelan, BID

Above: a vacation home on Cortez Island, BC - Coastal Living

You can rent this home...

These next few adorable cabins are from the back of Inspired House; a writers space, a lounging get-away space and a bakers escape! I like the single use of these cabins... an imagined getaway in the woods...like you are up to something oh so secret. I bet there are no phone lines!

The books pictured have some great ideas for small cabins...check them out!