Fall Decor Around the House

Buh-bye, Summer!  We've had a beautiful and hot summer in Toronto, but as much as I love this sweater season, I'm not loving the gloomy and rainy days of Fall.  I know I may be a bit late in writing about Fall decor, but I still want to document this transition with it being our first decorated Fall at this house.

I got my hands on some Fall decor accessories early on, back in first week of September!  I was incredibly honoured that I was invited to participate in HomeSense's Fall campaign.  It was such a fun experience to work with industry pros, from hair and makeup, to professional photographer and videographer, and of course the whole HomeSense crew involved in this Fall campaign.  Not to mention, how fun it was to be invited to go shopping for my fave home decor items!!

Here's my haul in the cart on the day of the shoot!  I was looking for warm metallic decor, but don't we always add a little more to our cart at HomeSense?  ;-)

The one item I was really hoping to get was the gold lantern, and wow, I found it!  The throw was a nice add-on item...  well, so were the rest of the goodies!

One that caught me by surprise was the tiered tray!!  I've always been on the look out for one, but never really found THE ONE.  I loved the bamboo details on this one and it was love at first sight!!

Throughout the past 2 months, I've gradually added these items around the house.  As the weather gets cooler, the use of warm metallics complements the woodsy Fall decor, enhancing our home with a cozy ambience.

Here's how I used the goodies from my shopping spree to decorate for Fall around our house.

The pack of Fall decorative balls in vignettes:

Here's the copper tiered tray from my haul, together with the decorative balls.  It adds just the right contrast to our cool-toned kitchen.

This is the vignette at our entry way's console table.  I decided to make good use of this copper tray by moving it upstairs from its usual spot on our basement family room's ottoman.  I love the mix of warm metallics by adding the gold lantern from my shopping spree.

The wooden top of this console table helps break up all the gold tones in our entryway:

Just me showing some love for the gold lantern by moving it around the house =) ... Here it is on our living room's coffee table.  I've also added my beloved new throw on our couch:

I changed out the blue pillow cover to this darker neutral...

... so that the pillow covers are a neutral backdrop when I add Fall colours in the new silver earthware bowl:

Then I realized, I still prefer soft colours in the living room over the bold Fall colours:

When I finally put out all the Fall decor, which wasn't long ago, I finally packed up these summer decor accessories:

Yes, I know, my transition in seasonal decor is, umm, slow.  Thanks to HomeSense once again for the invite to this unforgettable experience!  I was able to get the early bird dip in shopping for Fall decor and have my hands on these goodies. 

Now that I have our Fall decor down to a T, I think I can start making way for Christmas decor. I'm not really into bold red and green Christmas decor.  This beautiful display of soft metallics and pastel winter wonderland at the HomeSense showroom is just my cup of tea.

Have you started decorating your home for Christmas?  Do you have a colour theme?

Creative Kitchen Ideas Curated by Shutterfly

Our kitchen is almost complete, well, it's just missing the backsplash, under-cabinet lighting, valence... It's still a work-in-progress, which is why I never tire of researching for the latest trend in kitchen design and decor.  Afterall, the kitchen is the heart of the home, and a kitchen reno is most likely the largest investment in the house.

As I expanded my scope of research, I stumbled upon Shutterfly's Home Decor directory.  Instead of scrolling through thousands of similar images of room design, Shutterfly has curated 100 design ideas for each room of the house.  Naturally I went to check out the latest and greatest in the Kitchen category.

I know a lot of homeowners have variety phobia - they get hung up on all the different choices and would feel bombarded.  If this sounds like you, then you would be glad to know that Shutterfly has built-in filters of different styles.  This filter is also perfect if you already know the kitchen style you prefer, just click on the style to narrow down the images.

Our kitchen is currently a mix of classic shaker cabinets, modern minimalism, and a bit of French flair.  So I dove into Shutterfly's Classic, Modern, and Global filters.  Here are my top picks as they speak to current trends while encompassing each style:

CLASSIC

This classic white kitchen is as classic as can be, with a contemporary twist of a contrasting island cabinetry color.  Calacatta gold marble countertop surrounds this classic kitchen beautifully with an elegant step ogee edge.

PHoto by:  Artistic Tile

Here's another classic white kitchen, accented with oil rubbed bronze cabinet hardware.  It has all the contemporary touches, including a custom range hood, contrasting black granite countertop, and hardwood floors. 

Photo by: baahouse + baastudio

GLOBAL

I love the French flair and bistro vibe this kitchen exhibits.  The black cabinets act as an elegant background to the statement range hood, and gold cabinet hardware and faucet.  Even with the dark cabinet color, the kitchen doesn't appear too dark, thanks to the upper glass cabinets and white dinnerwares they display.

Designed by:  Max Kim-Bee and Kirsten Kelli

Here's the ultimate kitchen that displays a contemporary yet old world feel.  The metal trims on cabinet doors are such an amazing accent that matches the brand's classic range.

Photo by: Officine Gullo

MODERN

Modern cabinetry has simple lines that may otherwise look dull.  This kitchen takes modern cabinetry to the next level, with a mix of dark and light wood.  To add the needed "oomph",  a row of gold upper cabinets make this kitchen exceptionally stylish.  This kitchen's minimalist look was also the inspiration for our kitchen's even row of upper cabinets.

Photo by: Brooke Holm

When I think of a modern kitchen, this would be a kitchen that comes to mind.  A waterfall island is the essence of this bright and modern kitchen.  Its contrasting streamlined white uppers and warm wood lower cabinets, accented by stainless steel kick plate and marble countertop and backsplash, give this modern kitchen a top-of-the-line vibe. 

Photo by: Katya Grozovskaya

I hope this has inspired you to start brainstorming about your kitchen reno/ makeover!  Since our kitchen is still missing a backsplash, I'll hop over to Shutterfly to see what inspirations I can find.  I'll try not to spot another DIY project for the Mr. 😝

Are you planning a kitchen reno or a design/ DIY project?  Head on over to Shutterfly to check out their curated library of beautiful rooms!