Looking North for Inspiration

I have a digital subscription to Canadian House and Home and while "flipping" through it yesterday evening while Dave watched Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals [I lost most of my interest in pro-basketball in the late '90s after the retirements of Olajuwon and Drexler], I spotted the outside of this bungalow in the June issue's "before and after feature" (this picture, of course, being the "after"). I don't know about you, but the gray walls, sunny yellow door (which was painted in Lemon from Benjamin Moore) and artfully manicured topiaries had me at "hello" -- and left me wanting more. Fortunately, H&H's website included a gallery featuring a tour of the interior of the home (see HERE) and it definitely matches up to the expectations of the exterior.

The 900sf. bungalow belongs to H&H designer Emily Walker and her partner Mark Holden. Despite its diminutive size, the home looks much larger than it is thanks to a tight color palette and furniture and accessories sized to work with the small rooms. The color palette is captured in the framed Donghia fabrics above the sofa in the living room, which are so striking against the Cloud White (again from Benjamin Moore) walls.

Emily stuck to a rigid color palette of gray, purple, yellow and white throughout the house, but kept things interesting by featuring a different color in each room as the primary color. Thus, while the living room draws its color from yellow and purple accessories and art, the dining room features a dusty purple accent wall (in BM's Nightfall) with smaller hits of lemon yellow on the chairs. A glossy white table and over sized white paper lantern keeps the room from being too overwhelmed by the color and provides some necessary contrast.

Although petite, this galley-style kitchen is big on style with the Madeline Weinrib zig zag rug in steel (love!), black Eames bird, graphic art, and modern light fixture. I also love how the exposed shelving allows functional items like glasses and dishware to become artistic displays. By sticking with simple and modern black and white pieces, the grouping looks well curated and decorative rather than messy and purely functional.

The mix of high and low, old and new in this house is also really inspiring. In the bedroom, Emily paired a gorgeous Madeline Weinrib black & white endless rug with IKEA side tables and drapes and over sized vintage lamps. I also love dark walls in a bedroom and the gray here is gorgeous, especially when paired with white bedding and drapes, as shown here.

The small bathroom is given a jolt of sunshine with graphic wallpaper and colorful art. Simple and classic white fixtures keep you from going on color overload.

You've read me wax on about my fondness for Canadian House & Home in previous posts, but with the magazine's newly relaunched website, my fondness may have escalated to full-on obsession. If you're looking for a replacement for all those wonderful domino inspiration galleries that have disappeared into cyberspace (where do they go, anyway?), I'd highly suggest giving Canadian House & Home's website a closer look.

Since I love Emily's grey, white, yellow and plum color palette so much, I thought I'd pull together a few of my favorite finds that could help you get the look yourself:

Clockwise, from top left:

1. Trollsta Side table in yellow from IKEA, $79

2. Velvet cushion with yellow pom pom from Castle, $39 AUD
3. Ventura pillow in plum from Crate&Barrel, $39.95

4. Gray Trellis pillow cover from Nenavon at Etsy, $35

5. Ava's Chair in black, $799, upholstered in Cranston Purple, $37.99/yard, both from Calico Corners

6. Peri Comforter set from BlissLiving, $325 - $375

7. Small longneck vases from CB2, $2.95-$3.95

8. Thomas Paul feather wool rug from 2Modern, $270-$1466

9. Bird vases from Target, $19.99 each

10. Parsons dining table from West Elm, $399

11. Whittier lamp from Jonathan Adler, $395