So, here we go with an occasional series of things that have caught my eye. Yes, many will be via Insta, but who knows what else I can dig up? And of course, if you’d like to send me any recos, please drop me a line here.

Cheers, Arren

@objectsdaffection aka O.D.A. Galerie is a space in storied Paris flea market Marché Paul Bert curated by stylists and set designer Eve Ducroq and Arnaud Dollinger. In the room sets they create, look for an eclectic selection of vintage pieces styled to give the sense that some very chic homeowners have just strolled off screen to live a fantastically creative life. And, speaking of life, the chalky lime and plum combo in this space is definitely giving it to me right now.

@damienlangloismeurinne_studio aka interior architect Damien Langlois-Meurinne has an eye for sculpture within the architecture of an interior, ergo this stunner of a plaster fireplace. That, plus all of the softly curving furniture in this space have me completely swooning. Modern Parisian glamour at it’s best.

Let’s finish with a pop of colour. I love a kitchen island that steps it up in something bright so here, in this flat in Marseille by Paris-based designers @novaobiecta, it’s all of that kelly green, plus those cobalt framed stools. Gah!

The Design Lab blog will stay archived here…

On the incredibly exciting side of things, my new job has been announced - I'm the Creative Director of Home Fashions for The Bay. And on the sad side, it's time to say buh-bye for now to the blog. It'll stay up, though I'll probably have to switch off all the comments (boy, those spam commenters are a giant pain!), but I just wanted to thank everyone for all their amazing support over the past few years of my online adventure. And stay tuned, since I'm sure I'll be back online soon with my new gig!

Thanks again, and I'm leaving you with a lovely print by illustrator Wayne Pate. Seeya!

All this to say I'm taking a holiday (aka a vacation) from blogging for a bit, so I'll see you guys back here on July 19th.

Once the engine of the kitchen was installed, Angus Fergusson and Arren came over to shoot these stunning photos. My perpetual kitchen reno is all done and what's the verdict? For me (the only client who matters!), I absolutely love the ambience of this room, it's less a kitchen in the traditional sense, and more a cozy retreat. *AND* everything works, works well and looks good doing it.

Here are the deets:

Counter Depth Side-By-Side Refigerator, Whirlpool Gold Tall Tub Dishwasher,  Electric Slide-In Range. All Whirlpool.

Vintage industrial bins, Avril Loreti tea towel, Imm Living cruet. All Russet & Empire.

Lighting Design. Matthew Birch for Russet & Empire.

Kitchen Design. Russet & Empire Interiors.

Ikea kitchen cabinets, butcherblock counter, Ringskar faucet, Tral work lamp. West Elm Tripod Table. Breville Barista Express espresso machine. Areaware Numbers LED Clock.

>>> Catch the rest of Jenn's kitchen reno here, and click here to check out Jenn's take on style.

Designed with a tough 19oz head, this is one hammer that really means business. Oh, and you've just gotta love the Tennessee hickory handle fire-branded with the BCX logo and smart red or green livery. Now, should you swing it at something or simply hang it on the wall? Pick yours up here.

Yep, it's all very Christmas-y, but in that last shot you'll see something far more practical, the Eames Hang-It-All that's now installed in the front hall to handle a slew of jackets, trucker hats, dog leashes, and towels (for our occasionally mucky Whippet, Spot). It was a splurge for sure - after shopping around I found the best price for a new one on eBay - and, funnily enough, it's the only Eames piece in the house. Happy Holidays!

Coralie Bickford Smith is the designer behind this F Scott Fizgerald series of books from Penguin Classics. There are 5 books in all, each of which have a fantastically glam Art Deco inspired cover by Bickford Smith, and all of which would make a stunner of a set for your bookshelf. I'm a huge Deco fan, in fact at the age of 12 it was my first collection (I still have the first thing I ever bought, a diamond shaped alabaster dressing table mirror - have a look at it here), and to this day I'm a total sucker for the glamour and artifice of the 20's and 30's. Back to the books... Wouldn't these covers make gorgeous wallpapers? Oh, and if you fancy your own set, Indigo now has them in stock.

Easy? Maybe, except her's was to be all gorgeous and fresh, while mine had to come entirely from the dollar store. And so here are the results. My 3 fake flower topiaries (glue gun fake flowers onto melamine plates, then attach bamboo stick and plant them into terracotta pots), versus Jen's fresh poppies, ferns and ivy loosely arranged in a vintage metal vase. Which is your fave? Vote right here!

That 1984 LA Olympics poster was a fantastic find at last week's neighbourhood yard sale (thx again Brenda for pointing it out!), and both the kooky Sgrafo Modern vase and Howard Miller gold clock are perennial faves too. But, it's the Dyson Air Multiplier that I'm totally counting on as the weather heats up. Yep, it's a fan, but apart from the incredibly sleek bladeless design I love the fact that a) it's way more attractive than the ugly old black fan we used to have hanging around, and b) it's way quieter than the ugly old black fan we used to have hanging around.

Form meets function and keeps you cool - What could be better than that?

I think it's the witty shape, and the crisp lines in white powder-coated steel that make me just love it so. Funnily enough Héctor Serrano, the designer behind Carmen, was inspired by medieval armour, but if you ask me I see more of a frilly bathing cap thing happening. To each their own I guess. Oh, and I also scored a snap of Serrano's notebook with his initial sketches for the line. Don't you love getting a peek into the creative process?

And then there's the rather sad looking owl vase in that second shot. It doesn't have a name, and has probably been languishing in a shady corner in my mother-in-law's garden for at least 10 years. Well, I decided to stage a rescue, and its now been brought home, washed and is on its way for a bit of a fix-up. So keep an eye out for more owl pics soon!

West Elm's Toronto store will be hosting an Etsy We Heart Handmade Art pop-up event curated by Fieldguided - that's her smashing carryall pictured below - which'll feature a slew of other local Etsy craftspeople, as well as promising both drinks and tunes. I was in the store yesterday and they were being busy bees getting prepped and clearing space for what promises to be a very busy Saturday. All the deets are below, and yep, Bookhou (a local design fave of mine) will be there with lots of gorgeous gear, including the pillows and artwork pictured below, too.

I'm hoping to make it, but might be entirely exhausted after participating in our mega local neighbourhood yard sale (shout out to everyone who lives in The Pocket!).

But after the underwear, and because earlier in the summer I had removed all the cabinet doors because they were covered in SLIME, and because after the bathroom renovation we had a big ol' hole in the kitchen ceiling thanks to the old toilet losing it's shhhhh all over the place - well, it wasn't a kitchen anymore. And so, like I do, I started to rip things apart myself and discovered the original asbestos-tiles, and while not exactly good for the lungs, they were in really good shape which gave me hope for the pine-plank subfloor. Yes, we were going to gut the kitchen, but, no, we weren't going to spend much putting it back! Once everything was out, I decided to have a wall framed out over the messed up plaster that held the old cabinets in place, and we clad it in beautiful birch plywood. The sink, stove and fridge all stayed in the same place to keep costs down. A couple of base cabinets from Ikea, an inexpensive butcher block countertop, rough-pine shelf from Home Depot ($12!) and bingo, we had a kitchen. 

Okay, it didn't go that smoothly - I have hung different cabinets and shelves, moved the fridge around, painted the floors after resolving not to, and painted half a wall black before deciding (surprise!) white it was! This is a temporary kitchen - if temporary means 5 years or more to you. So, because we'll be living with it for quite some time, we figured that we might consider getting some appliances that work. I know people go on about "function and form" all the time, but sometimes I like to ignore that and spend money in places we shouldn't instead of... .getting appliances that work.

And so, this week a new crop of appliances that will bring harmony to the kitchen are set to arrive. Appliances that marry form AND function. I know, what a concept. Once they're here and installed I promise a full kitchen tour. For now, here are some shots of the before and during - and a sneak-peak of the 'after', shot for the Marion House Book last month! (which, incidentally, already looks different!)

For more of Jenn's take on style click here.

Anyways, enough of that, how about some of this??? I was hunting for rugs designed by Christian Lacroix for Designers Guild and this happened to pop up instead and has suddenly become my latest design crush - The Dot-Grid Printed Cotton Mat by West Elm. Seriously, what's not to love?

Luckily it hasn't been all nose-to-the-grindstone, since there was time over the weekend to wake up early and hit the Meister Markt Collector Show with our friend Laura Muir, who luckily brought her camera along to record the proceedings. That vintage airplane poster was a real winner, but a bit too rich for my blood at $75. And then I saw a vase. Loved the design and the fact it's marked 'Italy' is a total plus, and the price? At just $20 I had to have it. We finished off the morning hunting for records to add to my other half's collection, then headed off for a well-earned greasy breakfast. Oh, and for more vintage fun, click here to see what caught Laura's eye. [Images: Laura Muir]