Janette sitting on her Cedric sofa in her loft

Janette Ewen is one of my favourite stylists! She is known for her creative, budget-friendly and original approach to decorating and is a regular on television programs including Canada AM, CityLine, Breakfast Television and Urban Rush. I’ve been lucky to get to work with her on some fun projects including guest appearances in our stores, her show Inside the Box with Ty Pennington, and selecting furniture and accents for her new loft which is just above our store in the King East design district of Toronto!

How would you describe the style of your loft?

It’s pretty eclectic. I guess modern with a lot of glamorous accents would be a good way to describe it. The base (structural elements) of the loft feature clean lines, lots of glass, concrete… however the art, select furniture and accessories all have a well-traveled, collectable feel.

How is your personality reflected in your design choices?

My personality is also pretty eclectic. I have a super wide range of tastes, love, LOVE travelling, collecting… all of this is reflected in the décor. All of my furniture and accessories are derived from a number of styles, era’s and influences.

What are the décor elements that you can’t you live without?

All of them!! I really can’t live without accessories that showcase my personality. I believe a home should be a backdrop to your life and your design choices really need to highlight who you are. I can’t live without a few good sculptures in my space, a splash of colour, great fabrics, natural elements, vintage accents.

Do you have any design resources you could share with our readers?

I absolutely love using “lifestyle” books as design inspiration. My fave publisher of art, lifestyle, fashion books is Assouline (www.assouline.com), rather than copying someone else’s décor or room that you might see in a magazine, why not flip through a visually inspiriting book that channels an era or lifestyle that excites or interests you. From that inspiration pull design elements and put together a look that is inspired by something you love and relate to. The same can be said for movies. The best movies to watch for design inspiration include Auntie Mame, The Party and Towering Inferno.

What do you love about Urban Barn (considering you live right above our store!)?

What do I not love about Urban Barn?? First off, they are a great Canadian company. I love that all of the staff are stylish and full of ideas. I love the quality of the furniture… my Urban Barn sofa is so well made it looks totally luxe!! AND I love that Urban Barn has loads of fun accessories and is always changing them up. I like to stop in regularly just to see what’s new. I use a lot of Urban Barn in my clients houses, they also love it.

Get connected with Janette!

Website 

Facebook

Twitter

I always find it exciting when Pantone announces the colour of the year! They describe Tangerine Tango being “reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset”.  How can you not be attracted to that? I am a big fan of orange so naturally I love this year’s official colour.  Our buyers must have had a sixth sense as they have brought in an abundance of great orange hued accents and even some furniture! This inspired me to share a roundup:

Shown above: Spray Cosmo $8, Rio Throw $49, Peking Lantern $5, Custom Groove Chair starting from $833, Piazza Bistro Set $269 and Giana Pot $7

Is Tangerine Tango destined to make it’s way into your home décor?

We challenged five Canadian interior design bloggers across the country to create their own custom chair in support of their favourite charity. This sparked the name “Custom Chairity Competition”

The participating bloggers are:

1. Maria Killam, Vancouver: Colour Me Happy
2. Nyla Free, Calgary: Nyla Free Designs
3. Christine Da Costa, Oakville: Decor by Christine
4. Meredith Heron, Toronto: Sashay
5. Kim Johnson, Ottawa: Desire to Inspire

Each of the bloggers had their choice of three of our custom chairs: Cinderella, Devon or Groove. They were then given free rein to do whatever they chose which included lots of fun decisions:

• Fabrics
• Piping
• Buttons
• Nail heads
• Leg options

Everyone here at the office and in our stores were very excited for the reveal of what they had each created.

Maria Killam, Vancouver

Charity: World Vision

She described her chair as “Contemporary, fresh and on trend”

Meet Maria, see the chair at Urban Barn South Granville this Thursday at 7PM: RSVP

Nyla Free, Calgary

Charity: Neonatal ICU at Rockyview General Hospital

She described her chair as “Classic details, modern colour”

Meet Nyla, see the chair at Urban Barn Westhills this Thursday at 7PM: RSVP

Christine Da Costa, Oakville

Charity: Jays Care Foundation

She described her chair as “Glamour mixed with whimsy”

Meet Christine, see the chair at Urban Barn Burloak this Thursday at 7PM: RSVP

Meredith Heron, Toronto

Charity: Arthritis Society of Canada

She described her chair as “Modern rustic, chinoiserie chic”

Meet Meredith, see the chair at Urban Barn King Street East this Thursday at 7PM: RSVP

Kim Johnson, Ottawa

Charity: Country Cat Rescue

She described her chair as “Classic lines, modern palette”

Meet Kim, see the chair at Urban Barn Byward Market this Thursday at 7PM: RSVP

Be sure to vote for your favourite chair for a chance to win your own custom chair or one of five $100 Urban Barn Gift Cards. To enter visit: chairity.urbanbarn.com

Who do you think will win?

It’s a brand new year and with that brings exciting new trends in home design and décor. I have to say I am absolutely loving the forecast and am pleased to say that our buyers have been able to capture the essence of these trends in their buys for the upcoming season.

Trend 1: Colour!

Decorating with colour is always a lot of fun and is an easy way to give your home a fresh look for the new season without breaking the bank. The hues you’ll want to look at incorporating into your home are Deep Purple Amethyst, Acid Yellow, Heather Grey, Bottle Green and Soft Pink.

I am a lover of purple so my favourite shade of the group is Deep Purple Amethyst. If you are ever looking for colour palette inspiration look no further than Design Seeds. Love this site!

Courtesy of: Design Seeds

Trend 2: Down to Earth Glamour

Canadian House & Home coined this “The look of the year”. It features dramatic hardware from door knobs to chair backs, mixing distressed textures with polished finishes and creating the feeling of having your “roots” in your home.

A new introduction for Spring! Comes in a charcoal/brown.

A mix of distressed wood and acrylic chairs

Trend 3: Exotic Contemporary

This trend brings an eastern influence such as Persian rugs, Buddha sculptures and lighting. Our buyers John, Stacey and Sebastien are often travelling to exotic destinations and are always looking for unique finds to bring to our stores. Here are the Mumbai, Delhi and Bombay lanterns which will be introduced for Spring.

Trend 4: Ladylike finish

This oh so pretty trend is all about a delicate, pale colour palette, tailored pleating and tucking and water colour effect in fabrics. Lovely!

Photo courtesy of: House Beautiful

Blossoming Wall Art - Coming this Spring

Are any of these trends for you? Share here!

To read more of Canadian House & Home’s 2012 Trend forecast pick up the January issue.

We absolutely love it when customers share photos of our furniture and accents in their homes.  Natalie of Nest Design Studio did just that!  Below she shares the inspiration behind a bachelor pad they designed for a 20 something male living in Toronto.

“Everything needed to be masculine, modern and clutter free. The client was a 20 something male, working in the financial district, “a suit”, having specific taste, things that were tailored was very important. The Manhattan Apartment Sofa was the perfect addition to the condo. Roomy enough to sit two people comfortably, or even for one person to crash on for the night. It has substantial arms, and I chose a dark grey/brown fabric- for durability. The Cross tables are my go-to tables from Urban Barn. They are the perfect price point and although I try not to use glass in spaces with mostly men (those beer/glass rings just don’t do it for me!), they were too wonderfully designed to beat. Every space should have a bit of sparkle in it, and because condo’s don’t always get a ton of light all the way through, anything reflective will help bounce whatever light you do have around the space.”

Products featured:

• Manhattan Apartment Sofa in Polo Smoke $1410
• Cross Round Lamp Table $99

Would you like to share your photo on our blog? If so, please email your name, photo and a bit about it to contact@urbanbarn.com or post it to our Facebook page.

Would You Like To Win A Private Chef?

Well you can do just that from now until November 27^th!  We have teamed up with Top Chef Canada Winner Dale MacKay, a Gordon Ramsay protégé to offer an opportunity of a lifetime. If you are the lucky winner you could be hosting the ultimate dinner party prepared by Dale in your home.

We thought before having him come to your home you might like to get to know him a bit better.

Chef Dale MacKay dishes on a variety of topics:

What inspired you to become a Chef?

So many things.  From day one, working at the lowest level preparing food, frying chicken fingers and fries, I was inspired to do it really well and to learn everything there was to know about food. I baked as a kid and loved working with ingredients.  Working with top chef mentors like Gordon Ramsay and Daniel Boulud was hugely inspiring and I am very competitive by nature, so I wanted to learn to be a world-class chef.

What is your favourite meal to cook?

Basically, anything containing seafood or shellfish.  It’s so delicate and when done well, the results are incredibly satisfying.

How do you like to entertain at home?

I work hard in the ensemble kitchen, so when I’m home I prefer potluck.  I get so see what friends and family are into cooking, and what their favourite dishes are.  Somehow the dishes all come together into a great result. Clean up is way easier also.

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury for sure – I’m a spice guy.  On sweet side, I prefer citrus desserts over chocolate.

What is the most coveted tool in your kitchen?

In my ensemble kitchen, I’d have to say my rasp – for citrus and cheese, etc.  Second favourite would be my tasting spoon, which I’ve had for years.

What inspired you to open ensemble in Vancouver?

Vancouver was ready for a casual, fine dining restaurant that combined classic French techniques with the relaxed cosmopolitan vibe of Vancouver.  At ensemble, we deliver an extraordinary culinary food and wine experience in a fun an approachable environment – and we do it at a $8-$24 per dish price point.   I guess you could say that our goal is to give as many people access to well designed and executed dining, as possible.  Urban Barn operates on the same model – great design, approachable environment and price point.

Connect with Dale MacKay and the ensemble team on Facebook and Twitter

Do you want to win this? Enter now at Facebook.com/urbanbarn