La vie artistique

Where should you hang your art work?

So you've got your furniture all set up and organized the way that you like it. Now it's time to do something about your bare walls. We found this great article on art work location and design elements from the Style at Home E-zine. They say that many people tend to hang their artwork a little too high and their stylists recommend differently.

If you're looking to dress up that space above your sofa then Style at Home says hang it no more than 6-8 inches above your couch. If you're placing artwork on a wall without anything in front the general recommendation is around eye height, so 60-65 inches from the ground to the center of the art. While it might feel a tad low when you're actually placing it on the wall, when you stand back it'll look completely natural. And fantastic of course!

Dream a little. Go with one big picture or shake it up a little with a cluster of frames in varying sizes. Don't let rules stifle your creativity, they are meant as general guidelines, if you think it looks good then that's what matters.

Check out the full article at:

http://www.styleathome.com/decorating-and-design/design-lesson/design-lesson-hanging-art-in-your-home/a/999

Trials and tribulations of small living spaces

Living in a small space can be challenging. Everything needs to multi-task for you, even the rooms sometimes. Your living room, family room and dining room may all be the same place or even include more room functions. We get many people coming in asking for suggestions on how to furnish a smaller space. We know that it can be tough to make the room look great and also accommodate all your needs. Here are some tips:

Choose a focus and a purpose for your room. If you like entertaining then the focus might be on your loveseat and chair.

Accessorize with chairs and a smaller sofa like a loveseat. The end result looks fantastic and still allows you to have a sofa in the living space. If seating is really limited and you're an entertainer also consider investing in some stackable chairs and plenty of pillows. The chairs are portable, good for outside and easy and small to store.

Finding an ottoman that is padded on top but opens up. It makes a great seating location if you throw a few pillows on it and it's also storage unit. At the same time it does double time as a table and don't forget it's always a handy place to prop up your feet!

Keep in mind baskets, as they can fit under tables or chairs and provide additional storage. They also look more organized when placed on shelves or in cupboards then various knickknacks would.

Finally, don't be afraid of colour! A simple trick is to stick to 1 or 2 main colours with 1-3 accent colours. Experiment with patterns as well. Too much colour and pattern can overwhelm a room regardless of size, but used well it can really enhance a small space.

We love hearing tips and feedback! Let us know if you have other ideas for small spaces.

How to recycle your keyboard

This furniture screams: I'm more of a techie than you are! (and you would probably win).

What we constantly find amazing is how recycling and art naturally go hand in hand. So all you DIYers rise up and get creative!

For a better close up, this entire lounger in made using keyboards. Here's a closeup below:

This was found on a really cool website: http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/re-use-design-furniture-discarded-laptop-keyboards-were-used-to-create-armc

Spring Clearing

We're cleaning out our floor models this week!

Featuring 3 models: the Bella, the Riley, and the Shannon.



The Bella Loveseat has been marked down to only $499! Available in black, we've only got one left in the store. Its matching sofa is going for $599. Hurry in! It isn't going to be here for long!


The price for the Riley sofa in cream has been slashed to $599. Seats are memory foam and with all leather uppers, this sofa's a deal!
The Shannon sectional is on sale for $1349. Price includes a matching ottoman, free delivery in the lower mainland and there's no tax! So $1349 is the price, no added costs!!

It's made from recycled flip flops....

This is the perfect reason to save all of your old flip flops!