Not convinced? Are you still thinking about how awful the borders were growing up? Well, long are the days of sunflowers, nature scenes, and country wicker baskets. This is 2013!

Here are 3 NEW- FRESH- HOT borders!  Available from Sticks and Stones!

1 ~ Family of wide-eyed owls!

Available in 5 colours; Black & white, Linen & gold, Yellow, Red, and Black 

2 ~ A row of Umbrellas, riding whips, and walking sticks.

Designed to be hung around the bottom of a room, or beneath a chair rail.

3 ~ Nine cyclists pedalling along on a single multi-saddled bicycle wearing  ’comic-strip’ striped jerseys and caps. Available in Multi-colour or Red & navy

This one is the staff favourite at our office, what’s your favourite?

Weather or not your on-board with the borders, we’re here to help. We’ve got the new 2013 patterns for wallpaper too. And we have a team of great installers.

Contact us for more information.

 Architects and interior designers must keep their finger on
the pulse of the design world, staying current and educated in the fields of function
and aesthetic.

The annual ‘Architectural Digest Home Design Show’, held in New
York City, is an exciting showcase for the latest products and trends. It’s the
perfect place to see what’s ‘hot’ and what’s ‘not’, but more importantly it’s
an opportunity to discern which trends are short-lived and which are timeless
enough to invest in. So with an appreciation of the full spectrum of Alpine
Style – from ‘Rustic’ to ‘Mountain Modern’ – we bring you leading trends
straight from New York but perfect for the Bow Valley:

Kara + Aleks at the 'Architectural Digest Home Design Show

Flooring makes one of the biggest visual
impacts. Engineered hardwoods are hearty enough to withstand our vast
fluctuations in humidity, provide the dimensional stability required for
in-floor heating systems and accommodate nail-down, floating and glue-down
installations. Styles are moving towards wider planks, with oiled or
high-performance poly-urethane finishes giving the wood a natural, matte
finish.  Unique plank shapes and patterns
can add interest in that one special room.

Kitchens, on the other hand, can provide
the largest Renovation-ROI. Clean, minimalist profiles and concealed hardware
are the perfect backdrop to start mixing wood with colorful high-gloss accents.
White is a classic pairing, but for the adventurous design soul, it’s a well-known
fact that red increases the appetite. Quartz counters, integrated panel-ready
appliances, a back-painted glass backsplash and stainless steel toe-kick
complete this mountain-modern chef’s kitchen.

…And if ‘traditional’ and ‘rustic’ are more your stride, then how about a French door integrated fridge hidden behind knotty pine panelling? Or how about a 1950’s inspired Smeg fridge in any color of the rainbow? A lively conversation started in any well-appointed wet bar…

Design style, is a personal and subjective
jumping off point to any renovation. There is an endless list of classic and
derivative styles – Modern, Rustic, French Country, Shabby-Chic
and so on. In New York, we recognized a trend towards Organic Modern, East-Coast
Traditional and one of our current favourites – Modern Industrial. This is a blend between old and new; a contrast between dark and light – think Restoration
Hardware-inspired styling, industrial light fixtures and lots of
high-quality natural fibres. Modern Organic is a style already gracing the Bow Valley; natural design elements, uncomplicated shapes, organic textures and lots of daylight flooding the home. The modern twist comes from paring metal or resin with wood, as is often seen in furniture, hardware and cabinets.

The Final touch is the most important element to your home, and the best part is, there’s no right or wrong! That old glass bowl brought home from India may look perfect on the dining table; that painting from your trip to Paris, frame it with a large
matte and small wood frame. These items become highlights, conversation
starters that all add up to create not a house…but your home.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/84125921/valentines-day-love-pillow-cases-love

I think it’s time we all added a little romance into our homes!

We spend hours a day looking online at Pinterest, Houzz, and google images (Shh, don’t tell the boss) We dream about the perfect bedroom just as much as anyone else does!

Here are few images from Pinterest and houzz that we’ve fallen-head-over-heals for.

http://thecrossdesign.com/blog/home-tour/stephanies-home-in-style-at-home-magazine/

http://www.bellemaison23.com/2011/11/quote-of-week_21.html

http://thesuitelifedesigns.wordpress.com/tag/chandelier/

Creating these looks are easy, and we’re here to help!

1) Add the Bling!

Bring elegance to your bedroom!

$450.00

$540.00

2) Update your bed with an Upholstered Headboard!

Neutral linen fabric creates the perfect backdrop for any bedding!

Queen $2025.00

3) Don’t forget the Jewellery; Nail heads can add just the right amount of sparkle!

Chrome and Crystal Nail Heads

Ivory and walnut $1070.00

4) Whisper sweet nothings….add a little french script

$899.00

Pouf $299.00

Don’t stop there! anyone can add soft throws, canopy beds, white bedding, glamours wallpaper— it doesn’t get much more sexy and sophisticated than that!

Interested in any of the items for sale above? Message us!  And don’t forget we can turn any space into a dream bedroom {maybe yours will even be ‘pinned’ or tagg on houzz!}

We want to help you by designing a space that is good to grow up in, live in, and grow old in.

There is an overwhelming preference of older adults to remain in their own homes and apartments for as long as they can.  By designing to age in place from the start or by modifying your existing home can help you stay in your home longer and more comfortably than ever before.  By doing so we are helping to promote independence by making it easier for the older adult to perform tasks and reduce accidents.

Unfortunately most of the existing housing market is not suited for aging in place.  Areas to focus on towards making your home accessible are: Entrances, Stairs, Bathrooms, Kitchens, Hallways, Exterior, Lighting and Materials.

The cost to remodel your home to accommodate your growing needs can be quite costly, so knowing what to plan for ahead of time is crucial to creating that ever lasting home.

There are some key benefits to building a home that a supportive environment provides such as making it easier to carry out tasks such as getting in and out of a home, bathing, cooking and cleaning.

Exterior

• Low maintenance exterior, something that will be easily maintained and cleaned over the years.
• Low maintenance greenery, zero-scaping would be great to cut down on yard work.
• Transitions between interior to exterior deck, patio or balcony. Keep these surfaces no more than ½” below the interior floor level if made of wood.  (This will eliminate accidents due to tripping and falling)
• Ensure adequate ramping or handrails at steps

 Overall Floor Plan

• One Floor Living with clear movement in the living space. Eliminate Steps throughout the home in order to provide ease of travel within the home for the end user.
• 5’x5’ clear/turn space in the living area, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.

Kitchen

• Keep Cabinets lower at a height that is more accessible for the user to reach. Eliminate high cabinets that are difficult to reach.
• Lower counter heights in some areas of the kitchen that is open below for a wheelchair to pull up to and work
• Keep the microwave at counter height for ease of access and to prevent spilling
• Front Controls on cook tops to prevent burning from reaching across the top of a hot stove.
• Raised dishwasher to prevent bending to floor to remove dishes
• Front loading washer and dryer which is raised 12”-15” above the floor
• Loop handles for ease of grip and pull as opposed to knobs
• Pull out countertops
• Touch less Faucets with pull out

Open below sink for wheelchair access (Inspiration Only)

Touch less Faucet (Inspiration Image Only)

Microwave Drawer (Inspiration Image Only)

Plate Drawer (Inspiration Image Only)

Kitchen Storage (Inspiration Image Only)

Open Below Cook Top (Inspiration Image Only)

Pull out Counter top (Inspiration Image Only)

Raised Front Loading Washer and Dryer (Inspiration Image Only)

 Bathrooms

• No threshold showers that are becoming popular. With the right designer helping you, your shower will look cutting edge and not one designated for the aging or disabled. Ensure opening to shower is 36” wide
• Ensure bracing in walls around tub, shower, shower seat and toilet for installation of grab bars to support 250-300lbs
• Lower Bathtub for easier access in and out
• Higher toilet seat
• Slip resistant flooring to prevent falls
• Walk in tubs to prevent climbing over the edge of the tub, this will prevent slipping and falling

Walk in Tub (Inspiration Image Only)

Kohler Rising Edge Tub (Inspiration Image Only)

Hallways

• Wider Hallways:  Allowing for wider hallways minimum 36” will allow ease of wheelchairs when the time comes.
• Keep hallways well lit

 Stairs

• Adequate hand rails on both sides of stairs
• Increased visibility of stairs through the use of color and lighting
• Wider staircase to potentially add a lift down the road
• If multiple stories and space allows add an elevator

 Lighting

• Ensure light switches by each entrance to the halls and rooms

Materials

• Keep flooring smooth, non-glare, and slip-resistant
• Low pile carpet with firm underpad
• Color/Texture contrast to indicate change in surface levels

Miscellaneous

• Lever handles for doors and faucets are more  for the aging user but still looks great.
• Interior Doors should be 36” wide to accommodate wheel chairs comfortably

 Call us today to help get started transforming your today home into your forever home!

Canmore homes especially, have many wood elements. Hardwood flooring, tongue and groove ceilings, cabinets and interior passage doors. Another wood element to add is your door and window casing, trim and baseboards. However, these don’t necessarily have to be wood.

The Mountain Modern Look

Painted MDF base & trim

There are other material options and finishes available to frame your windows and doors. For example, if you’re looking for a Mountain Modern look and love the idea of a wooden passage door, opt to use painted MDF. A high 6″ baseboard and 3″ or 4″ casing with a simple ‘flat’ design will allow your hardwood and doors to become the feature and really “pop”. Even better, paint the MDF to match your wall colour for less break lines on your wall and to add more height to the feel of your room.

Have you ever considered drywall returns around your windows? As wood trim can lend itself to a more traditional look, drywall returns create a clean line, wrapping your walls right into the window. Talk to your contractor about your options but to achieve this look, the wood casing is eliminated, becoming drywall and your wall colour highlights the window. Alternatively a wood sill (at bottom of window) can be stained to match your flooring adding a bit of warmth to the window design.

Drywall Window Returns

In a Bedroom

After all this talk about eliminating wood baseboards and trim, let’s bring that idea back to the picture. Often the question arises, “what should my trim match, the hardwood or the interior passage doors?” If you prefer to use less wood species and stains in your home to keep an even look, then have your painter stain the trim and doors to match your hardwood. For some contrast, opt to match your hardwood and doors but select a slightly darker stain for the trim and base.

The warmth of Wood

With all the options out there it is still best to select your big ticket items (flooring and cabinets) first and then let the trim ideas flow. Ask your designer for assistance in bringing it all together and don’t forget to “talk about base and trim!”

‘Daylighting’ refers to the controlled admission of natural light into our built-environments. Paired with automated daylight-responsive lighting controls, daylighting will not only increase productivity, well-being and the homes’ aesthetic, it can also decrease energy consumption & costs by up to 30%! There are several ways to capitalize on natural light and encourage it to penetrate deeper into a space which would otherwise be dependent on artificial lighting.

Most Skylights are passive, allowing top-light to diffuse through a double layer of clear acrylic medium. Active skylights, on the other hand, use mirrored systems that track the sun and increase performance by channeling sunlight into the skylight.

Tubular Daylight Devices use highly reflective film on the interior of the tube to channel light from a lens on the roof to a lens on the ceiling. They’re generally smaller than traditional skylights, but can me equally as effective.

Daylight Redirection uses ‘Light Shelves’ to capture direct-beam sunlight and redirect it, generally onto the ceiling. Daylight redirection works to reduce glare and encourage daylight penetration. Light shelves come in two forms – they can be large horizontal elements or a louvered system.

Glass Fins (louvers) work to diffuse light on this west-facing wall.

We love the use of glass in our interior designs. Not only does it open up space, it gives designs a feeling of lightness. In a recent full-home renovation, the Master Ensuite was completely re-worked to let the light in. A Glass-Block window was replaced with clear panes and a plumbing tower (as opposed to a plumbing wall) was used to give the free-standing shower some architectural interest.

A "Before" Photo of the Master Ensuite. We removed the glass block window and reconfigured the layout to maximize the space and the flow of light.

We also opened up the dated staircase, removing the carpet-wrapping and turned-wood spindles and opting for sleek walnut-wrapped open risers with (1×1) metal spindles which again, allows more light to pass through this central feature of the home.

A Before & After of the staircase re-design.

Want to see more natural light in your home? Let’s get together and talk about your options. Give us a call in Canmore at 403-678-1733 and Kelowna 250-712-9282.

Every year, Pantone polls designers and brands about colors they’re featuring to aid in its decision for what hue will tinge the next 12 months. For 2013, the company has bestowed the distinction of Color of the Year on the shade its
database identifies as 17-5641: Emerald Green.

This year, keep up with the trends and add a little Emerald to your life….It’s easy….we can help too!

Add a pop of colour…floor poufs; These ottomans are as functional as they are fashionable, offering a place to rest your feet, an impromptu coffee table, or even an extra seat.

Coloured Poufs (18x18x18) $420.00

Area Rugs; They define a space. A ‘must-have’ for an open floor plan, an area rug can create a conversation area, designate an eating space or ground a living room.

100% wool, 5x8 $1,100.00

Table Lamps; not only provide additional light to a space, but they can also bring a dose of interesting style, colour and add balance to a living room sofa.

Emerald glass table lamp $300.00

And here is one we can all agree on…

Tiffany & Co; $185,00.00

Take a risk, add a little emerald colour! you’ll be happy you did!

sourced from divine party concepts

Now more than ever, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the time and energy to decorate for the holidays. That’s where we come in…We have a team of holiday decorating professionals that will provide you with a beautiful design, and an efficient installation.

g

Feeling Stressed?

Don’t let the holiday stress get to you… we are here to help!

Our holiday designers, aka lil’ S&S  Elves are in tune with the latest trends in decorating to make sure your home is it’s holiday best. Your wishes and ideas are always welcomed into the design process as they are vital to making your holiday dreams a reality

Got Crazy ideas?

Don’t need our help? We’d love to share some of our holiday decorating ideas…

First up.. table settings!

Blend beautiful dinnerware with glamorous embellishments to create elegant entertaining settings for your Christmas meals this holiday season!

Our favourite settings are white on white – its classic and elegant! So get out your fancy flatware, and stemware and create a lovely table; add fresh greenery, reclaimed wood, and candles.  Creating that wow factor is easy once you add things from nature.

Hanging a wreath on the door is another one of our holiday favourites!

Great for your home, store or office! They say a wreath brightens up a persons day and helps to create an atmosphere of contentment and happiness. The local big box stores carry a great selection of wreaths, BUT the best wreaths are homemade!  Pinterest is full of DIY wreaths. Wine corks, ribbon, Christmas balls, yarn, cinnamon sticks? You name it, someone has made a wreath from it!  Grab your glue sticks and try one of our favourite DIY wreaths:

pom poms! find it here http://www.pickles.no/wonderful-wreath/

balls o' yarn http://twojunkchix.blogspot.ca/2011/01/snowball-wreath.html

Where do guys stand on Advent calendars? The 99cent ones from the grocery store that are filled with tiny squares of chocolate (which end up tasting like the cardboard) just aren’t cutting it anymore. No matter our age, we love to count down the days till Christmas.

Here are a few of our favourites!

DIY brown paper bags filled with treats, these sure beat the tiny squares of chocolates:

directions are here http://mostlovelythings.blogspot.ca/2011/12/advent-calendar-decorating-with-old.html?m=1

We love this DIY pin board with ornaments for each day…(counting down the days, not counting calories… my big butt will thank me for this non-chocolate calendar)

check it out http://www.bowerpowerblog.com/2009/12/12-days-of-christmas-advent-calendar/

And finally, here is one we can all agree on…

An Advent calendar that will get anyone through the Holidays!

The holiday season can be stressful, but if you stop to think about the real meaning, it makes the stress go away. Tiss the season to mingle, entertain, spent time with friends, and family. Bake yummy treats, drink great wine, listen to holiday tunes!

Happy Holidays from us!

Who said gender neutral had to be boring?

Read on to see out this beautiful space unfolded!

We met with our (glowing) clients quite early in their pregnancy. They were thrilled to share that they were pregnant with not one…but TWO babies!

So, a home office, located directly across from the Master Bedroom needed to be converted into a nursery. The location within the home as well as the large windows were perfect – but the challenge was maximizing the use of the small space to accommodate two cribs, a dresser/change table, bookshelf, glider and ottoman. A thoughful Furniture Layout Plan was crucial as we needed to make sure the space wouldn’t feel cluttered and was easy to navigate (especially at 4:00am).

Working under the design premise of a soft and classic, gender-neutral aesthetic (the sex of the babies was yet to be determined), we went to work. Dust-trapping wall-to-wall carpeting was ripped out and replaced with solid Maple hardwood. Charcoal-colored walls were repainted in airy creams and soft blues, separated with new trim-moulding dry-brushed for an antique look. A classic yet whimsical tree-patterned wallpaper was applied to the window wall – paying homage to the mountain-side forests surrounding the home.

Two hand-carved birch mobiles of branches and swallows appear to extend out of the trees to adorn the cribs.

The solid wood, antique buttercream furniture is a collection from Restoration Hardware and our clients were thrilled to learn that they would be saving 20% in Designer Discounts by choosing to work with Sticks and Stones Design Group. They thought ahead to order bed conversion kits, so that the cribs could be extended into toddler beds in a few years’ time. All the fabric selections need to be of the best quality (to withstand wash after wash), so we selected Belgian linen for the crib bumpers & quilts, organic cotton for the sheet sets and brushed cotton for the removable chair and ottoman covers. Kravet, Robert Allen and Joanne fabrics were selected for the custom-made bed-skirts, pencil-pleat stationary drapes and decorative toss cushion. A geometric flat-weave wool rug adds softness and sound-dampening.

Versatile ambiance and task lighting was essential, so the standard semi-flush light fixture was replaced with a striking iron & crystal chandelier (on a dimmer switch) and a coordinating wall-sconce above the change table and swivel-arm floor lamp next to the glider chair complete the lighting package. Now, woven baskets are ready to be filled with toys, dresser drawers are waiting for tiny socks and the cribs are ready for the arrival of the twins…who, as we just found out, are a boy and a girl.