From Me
The Nate Berkus Show Debut
Sorry friends it’s been a few weeks since I last wrote. Getting used to a new job and juggling life again. I was excited today when I got home after work today to find my PVR had kindly recorded the first episode of The Nate Berkus Show. I eagerly sat down and waited till Nate’s beautiful smile appeared. I must say, he does exude positive energy. I was pleasantly happy the show was a hit. The first story was of a single mother who had been going through a rough time and it was her dream to have her kitchen renovated. The team did not disappoint and of course did a beautiful job. Another segment which I thought was a clever one, was to help you find color combinations that couples could agree on. With a number of questions such as what was your first date outfit color, what color was you childhood bedroom, what color suits the other person etc… a color board of choices was eventually defined. I really liked the photos from Elle Decor that were shown using the colors from the exercise to help viewers picture what you can do using the colors as accents in your own home. Here is the clip:
Overall it was a great show and I look forward to coming home every evening and watching this show. I think we are lucky to have a positive, kind and superbly creative talent like Nate Berkus gracing our television. We need more of this kind of programming, so thank you Nate!
If you already haven’t done so, have a look at Nate’s book Home Rules: Transform the Place You Live Into a Place You’ll Love. A wonderful book to take advice from the master himself.
Book Description: Nate Berkus, regular contributor on The Oprah Winfrey Show, contributing editor of O, The Oprah Magazine, and nationally renowned decorator, has created a book inspired by his belief that everyone should love the way they live. This step-by-step guide to achieving your own beautiful rooms is based on Nate’s signature style and innovative approach to design. As a small boy, Nate could often be found rearranging his room (as well as helping his mother and the other neighborhood mothers rearrange theirs). Throughout the years his passion continued to grow, and soon Nate was heading his own award-winning firm with an elite roster of clients. But it was Oprah Winfrey who gave Nate the chance of a lifetime-the opportunity to go into millions of homes around the world and join her mission to help people live their best lives. It has been a dream come true that has absolutely changed my life, explains Berkus. Not only has working with Oprah helped me redefine my own vision and purpose-but she continues to challenge me to use my own life to help others live better. And there is nothing that makes me happier or more grateful than to be a part of that. As Oprah always says, -your home should be a reflection of who you truly are. Nate says, no matter how much money you have, he believes that is so very true. I am honored to share my love of design to help everyone make that dream real for themselves with this book.
He also has a home collection available, here are tons of great finds on eBay.
I would luv to hear what you think….
Talk to you soon,
Chantal
{Blog} Holley & Gill
I think I’ve found my online blogging decor bff’s, everything I’ve found on this blog I absolutely luv!!! Holley & Gill is the blog name and they’re Canadian too, how lovely. I discovered their blog via twitter the other day and it was instant blog luv.
About
Holley & Gill is a Montreal based design office led by Conrad Buck and Michelle Carangi. Buck and Carangi bring together two distinct approaches and disciplines to their work. While Carangi’s artistic work is strongly influenced by her fine arts background amalgamated with modern design, Buck’s work is driven by product development, marketing and branding.Together, this partnership forms the solid basis that is Holley & Gill.
Here are just a sample of the recent amazing posts:
From Art in Architecture, isn’t this beautiful. It’s always been my dream to own a home similar to this with the garden in the middle, so very zen.
I think their post Are you practical in your style? is oh-so-clever. Yes I’m one of those people who would buy something more for it’s beauty than it’s practicality. If it adds that special something to my decor, I would definitely add it, whether it’s practical or not. It’s the same thing as buying that gorgeous pair of shoes that make your outfit but may not be the most comfortable shoes to wear.
They also sell beautifully made head boards via their Etsy shop, displayed below is their headboard called “Beaux Reves” in dark brown and ivory, it means “sweet dreams”.
That’s just a minuscule sample, there is so much more to discover. I’ve added them to my official blogroll, this site is a definite keeper!
{Image Credits: Holley & Gill, please see blog posts for respective photo credits}
New Year, New Theme and a New Blog
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a joyous Christmas holiday. I spent some time over the Christmas holidays in upgrading my blog (WordPress) and also updated the theme, I hope you like it. I’m sure I’ll tweak it here and there but I’m quite happy with it. I’m all about clean lines and I think this new theme reflects who I am, elegantly simple.
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Also, I wanted to share my new adventure, I started another blog called The Chic Office. Basically I was always the one in my previous job to decorate my office. Why not, people always commented about my different file folders or my grass-cloth tack board full of pictures. I’ve always thought that since you work in your office five days out of seven, why not make it your own. So I thought I’d create a new blog about decorating your office, inspirational photos and beautiful products. I’ll be updating it over the next month, it’s brand new so there is so much more for me to add. Have a look at The Chic Office, hope you enjoy it.
Happy New Year to you all!
















