At Home: A contemporary quilter

I'm very excited about my new At Home series. I've done the thinking, the calling, the cajoling, the photographing and the writing.  All you have to do is  follow behind me as I knock on doors and poke around inside to see how homeowners create a welcoming home.

At Home guest:

Sharon Griffin, once a co-worker of mine,  a fantastic gardener and quilter extraordinaire, has graciously let me invade her space.  A year ago when I visited herquilting studio, I couldn't help thinking  how quietly many of us work at hobbies and interests, and even friends don't know the extent of our involvement. It's only when you start asking questions that you find out what people are really up to. Yes, I asked lots of questions.

Beginnings 

 Sharon began quilting in 1996 when she was attracted to a quilt her sister-in -law created.  She hasn't looked back since that first course  when she created the quilt below the old fashioned way.  No rotary cutters then and little fabric selection in our fair city.

First quilt 1996

While many of her first projects  employed traditional patterns and techniques, participation in two local  quilters' guilds, travel, and the internet broadened her exposure to a  wide array of  quilting techniques and styles. As you walk through Sharon's home and visit her quilting studio, you  realize that her interests are changing and her pieces take on a more contemporary feel.

Traditional patterns on quilt stand

 Why quilting?

No one could dispute that quilting creates beautiful objects, but I suspect there is more to Sharon's interest in it than that.  She  admits to being an organized, tidy person and there is something about the precision needed to quilt that suits these characteristics. It is a quiet, solitary activity that also can be quite social, and fulfill a love of learning if you participate in guilds and workshops. I've always know Sharon to be a lover of fabric and colour.  What better interest could she choose than  quilting?  Her work adds uniqueness and warmth to her home.  This is so important in  a world of mass produced objects.

Variety of Applications

And quilting isn't just about quilts.  The range of projects is limitless...

 needle holders, glasses case, bags, mug sleeves....

sewing kits, journal covers...

3 D birds, wall hangings  and ...

 Off the wall blocks.

Being a lover of all things contemporary, these off the wall quilt blocks really impressed me.  I would have no difficulty adding  one to my own contemporary decor.   Because they are finished on all sides and stand up well, they could be added to any mantle, shelf or  table top as part of a vignette. This has gotten me thinking...

Cultural influences

In these wall hangings you can see the influence of various workshop leaders from different countries and more and more opportunities to create personal work by taking the techniques taught in workshops and making them her own.

It's easy to see that landscape has become a primary influence in  Sharon's more recent work.

Abstracted landscape created with a variety of threads

NL landscape with lots of stitching

And this  truly amazing one is  pieced together and embellished  to such a degree that one would think it was a painting.   A photo of their garden shed was the inspiration.   

Integrating quilting projects in your decor

 When you are a prolific quilter there is no way you can display everything you create.  Family members usually make out well  for birthdays and Christmas!  More  things get stored and brought out for seasonal events.  The trick is to show just enough, and to come up with ways to showcase  projects that put them front and centre.

Let's take a tour

Dining room and living room quilted projects

 A strong preference for warm, rich  colours adds so much to the soft white furniture in the living room.  While there's quite a few quilted accessories in the living room and dining room, the space doesn't feel overdone. One of the reasons is the variety of projects used : a quilt, a wall hanging and a pillow. If you look at all four images you can see how the different colours flow throughout the space creating cohesiveness, warmth, and  an open invitation to sit awhile. 

  The poppy wall hanging in the dining room is new and very striking. When I first saw it I thought it was a painting it  is so realistic.   I'm glad it is hung at the perfect height for guests to observe it when sitting down.

A photograph  does not do justice to the overall stitching and embellishments at the centre of the poppy. Do  have a closer look.

Master bedroom  in chartreuse and pinks

Rather than a quilt, a  bed runner is used to accent the bed and the wall hanging on the opposite wall  is the first thing that greets you as you enter the bedroom.   Don't you love the freshness of this colour combination?

Autumn inspired guest room

One of the best ways to integrate quilting into decor is to choose lighter backgrounds  that won't compete with the patterns in the quilting. Sharon's favourite  background is a soft white. As you can see it  is perfect for showing off any colour combinations, and it has a very contemporary feel even when the quilting pattern is traditional.   The connection between the quilt and wall hanging in this room  creates a fresh, welcoming look and the colours  blend beautifully with the honey toned furniture. 

Black and white is always striking

Nothing looks sharper than black, especially with white.  The reversibility of quilted projects  allows you to have two looks for the price of one.   You can also use a table runner as  a bed runner  to accent  a twin bed. Pillows can be moved from room to room if you keep the colourways neutral enough.

And there you have just a glimpse into the world and home of this prolific quilter. Thanks Sharon for letting us visit her home.

  Thanks for dropping by.

What fall brings

Yes, it's that time again.

Beautiful Duntara, NL

Bridge, Duntara NL

My Duntara neighbour

My love for Duntara began in my teens when I spent my summer vacations there with my Aunt Mary in the house above. Life has come full circle since 2002  when we built our own house up the road  from Mr. Harty's place. This harbour is particularly  stunning in fall. Everywhere I look I see natural beauty.  As summer winds down it becomes quiet and even more relaxing if that's  possible.

"Around the bay" dining  table

 Finding natural things for decorating  my summer house becomes more difficult in September, and I accept it as a sign that it's time to close up and move back to my  St. John's life. As  I make the  final drive back to the city I can feel myself subtly changing .  No more rocking chair as I watch the sea gulls swoop and meander .  No more ocean waves or full moon over the bay.  No more twinkling lights of Bonavista across the  water. No more total silence.  No more summer friends.

 Fall means something quite different in my life. It  heralds the reality of  my peak production time for design and blogging, and a decrease in art production.   Reminding myself that the ease of the summer months would not be so special if  I could do it all year helps a little.  But that final trip out is always bitter sweet.

City dining room table

Now doesn't the differences between these two tables sum up my two lives.

 So it's planning time.  September is the month when I  feel anything is possible.  It's about deciding where I want to go and coming up with a way to get there.

I've been putting a lot of thought into  the next step for this blog.  My original purpose was to use blogging as a way to consolidate my ideas about various  design topics,  and at the same and provide practical information about design that would answer questions that average  DIY homeowners might have.  I've written about all sorts of topics and my list of  popular posts shows which have been  most read, some  with  hundreds of thousands of page views from around the world.  That always blows my mind.  Now I'm ready to  change it up a bit.

Third Weekend in October, 85 x 110, quilt pattern by Ruth Powers

  This fall I am  planning more local and national posts about interior design, art and gardens- my three loves.  I have friends lined up who are willing to open their doors to me so I can photograph and write about the many ways they make their houses into homes.    If you know me you may be getting a call.  Stay tuned for my first AT HOME installment.

 

Are you a design rebel?

What's your first instinct if someone tells says you shouldn't do something?

Do you automatically want to do it?  I do! 

 Most people would agree that there are rules/guidelines in interior design. They impact decisions about all sorts of things,  e.g.,  hanging lights, choosing the right scale furniture, selecting colour schemes, etc.   I guess following them is a little like following a recipe - you get a predictable result. Someone else has done all the thinking for you which makes it easy but, you also get a very generic looking space where everything looks controlled.

 I always think about those generic spaces  as the "Pinterest look" . You know  the rooms, all  beautifully organized, cutely accessorized with whatever is trendy at the time, and perfectly matched.   Does that make them wrong?  Definitely not.  I firmly believe we should all live in spaces that make us happy and comfortable.   What I am saying is that there are options in design that produce interesting, one of a kind spaces that are  usually achieved by playing around with design elements and principles. They are not for everyone.

 Take the room below.....

 

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  Have a close look at this space  and decide what you like or don't like about it.  Check out my thoughts  at the end of this post. There are no right or wrong answers.

 How closely you adhere to rules is dependent on what results you want to achieve, how well you understand the elements/ principles  of design,  and how creative you are at applying them.  You can do anything in decorating, you just need to act bravely, and figure out how to pull it off.  But, before you can break the rules you have to know them.

Can you spot which  rules/guidelines were  thrown to the four winds in these rooms? 

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Here are the results: 

 

1. Stick to one style 

 These spaces show that when you mix traditional and modern the juxtaposition draws attention to both.  If only one style was used the various elements would be lost in their sameness. I particularly like the richness of wood and lots of curves with modern furnishings.  Of course art of any style works in any space.  

2. Use consistent finishes (don't mix metals)

This is definitely a good place to start your little rebellion.  You certainly can mix metals. Just make sure you have some of each one in the space.  Think about a piece of jewellery that uses white gold, pink gold and yellow gold. It works. Check out this post on the topic.

 

3. Pay attention to scale when selecting furniture/objects
I have to admit this is the one I have the most difficult time ignoring because  I am so attuned to scale considerations in drawing and painting.  I think I also have a  thing about objects too large bearing down on me. They make me uncomfortable. Large scale objects make riveting focal points. You can also have objects that are too small in scale, and end up looking insignificant and/or cluttered. Scale is usually the issue when a client tells me there is something wrong with a space, but he/she can't name it.

 

 
4. Every room needs an accent colour
Definitely not! Monochromatic rooms are so relaxing and depend on value changes and texture to wow.  If you want a quiet room, forget the pops of colour.

  

5. Keep wood tones consistent
When you slavishly adhere to this dictate you end up with a very boring space.  Check out this post for ways to mix wood tones effectively.



6. Choose light colours for small spaces
That would be your first instinct, but the two rooms in #6 shows that breaking this rule produces distinctive and very different spaces.  Sorry, but I couldn't live in either of them.  I am a neutral colour gal in my own home. This post provides various options for painting small spaces.

How did you do?

And now back to the reflection pic....

 

There's no doubt this space breaks a lot of rules, but it sure is memorable, and no one could call it boring. 

•  styles are mixed freely, moving from traditional to modern;
•  the colour scheme is monochromatic, no accent colours here;
• scale is manipulated big time in the high back chairs, plant, circular light fixture as well as in the smaller lamp shades in adjoining room;
• wood tones are liberally mixed.

And here's another take on some of the points above and few new ones. Modani modern furniture specializes in modern furniture and accessories.  Check them out online or at their newly opened modern furniture store in Toronto. Remember you can combine modern elements with any decor.

 

How do you feel about breaking design rules? 

5 things I learned this summer

I should make huge apologies for stalling my blogging over the last couple of months, but I have a letter from ... the artist.  I spent most of June, July and August at my summer house without access to the internet except through my phone. Blogging uses data.

 If you follow me on Designing Home you know my life is very cyclical.  I have to find time for two careers- interior decorating and art.  I often flip my attention for blocks of time, and traditionally summer is  art time. I allow my decor business to match my summer speed. It doesn't hurt to be unavailable!

 I'm finding it difficult to accept summer has dwindled into fall.   That doesn't mean I don't make art the rest of the year; I just have to share my time with business. But those summers are important for the rest of the year when you take time to reflect.  I found out that:

Nature fuels creativity

 

A long summer, spent on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean with whales breaching and ice bergs slowly drifting, begs you to slow down.

 

  Contemplation leads to renewal as you allow your mind to follow the rhythms of nature.  When you  relax  this wonderful feeling of "anything is possible" descends. You make new connections, have creative thoughts, and appreciate  your lot in life.  Even the small things, usually ignored, are suddenly worthy of comment.

There's new life in old things

 

 I love to see old houses on their last legs getting attention, and those that don't eventually fall down.  It is in this debris,  that I found inspiration for new work.

 

 What began quietly at the end of last summer has blossomed into a whole new series of  work this year and an exhibition in 2016.

Yes, I've taken over that holy of holies- the shed - as my studio.  Move over Don, I've arrived. Good thing I learned  how to use all the necessary tools years ago. I can make that band saw sing.

Nature provides the best colour schemes 

 

 

My  colour sensibilities are heightened every summer because I am so immersed in nature.  I see coastal colours in my colour schemes in both art and decorating. It's as if I am storing up the feelings of summer in the the palette of my surroundings. 

Know when to stop

Usually for a month each summer we trip around Europe with friends.  This summer we decided to stay put as they went off to China!  Yes, we traded China for a summer "around the bay" in a little harbour with a population of 30+.  I'm so glad I listened to my body.

 There are many kinds of artists

Past lives intersect in small communities where you know everyone and everyone knows you.  Our friends, The Mahoneys, who live in the next community,  have a lovely garden.  I featured it in my last post as proof that many people do not realize how talented they truly are.


What were your summer revelations?