Anyone seen this magazine before

[mac78]

I came across this while searching online. I am not sure but think it is a Canadian magazine. Looks interesting. http://www.styleathome.com/the-casual-cottage-living-issue/i/149

[Queenofthecastle]

I came across this while searching online. I am not sure but think it is a Canadian magazine. Looks interesting. http://www.styleathome.com/the-casual-cottage-living-issue/i/149

I'm from Canada but I've never heard of that magazine. It looks neat though!

[vintage girl]

Oh that magazine looks like something I would really enjoy. Wonder if I could find it on a newstand somewhere, or maybe Barnes & Noble. I would like to check it out before I buy a subscription. :)

[Bungalove]

It does appear to be Canadian, eh? ;) I live close to the border but have never seen it here in Montana.

[koolmimi]

It looks interesting. We live an hour away from a Barnes & Noble or any real book stores. If you find it let me know if it would be worth getting.

[shabbychick]

I looked around for it yesterday while I was out but didn't see it, but if I find it somewhere, I'll pick up an issue. There's a sister publication written in French that would be fun to look at. I did grab Romantic Homes, though, and enjoyed the January issue. I've seen the articles before, I realized, so either I already bought this issue or I've seen the articles online. Anyway, there's a house in there (the article is called Make the Move) that has gorgeous, colorful rooms and some interesting tile floors. I love the yellow on the walls...it's a beautiful, sunny color. Someday I hope to have a kitchen big enough to put an upholstered armchair in like they have at this house. The owner painted a mural on the wall as well as painting pictures on her dining room chairs. That's totally beyond my ability (and time) but it looks great. And she's used some beautiful wallpaper in the bedrooms, too. Very, very nice house. They've opened it up as a B&B now. I think this is going to be one of those issues where I tear out the pages and put them in my inspiration file.

It's followed by another article about a guy in Texas who doesn't use much color at all. His colors are mostly gray and white. I've got to say, it doesn't do too much for me. It's an interesting room, and the textures are easier to see in the more neutral setting, but it's not my cup of tea. But they've got a lot of lovely windows to let in all that strong Texas sunlight.

Finally, there was a lovely pink bedroom (Soft Surroundings, written by Hillary) that I just fell in love with. She's got a beautiful pink and white floral duvet cover I'd love to have, but my favorite bit was the chandelier with the pink feather boa draped around it. I've wanted to put a chandelier over my bed. I think I might give that look a try...another page to go in my inspiration notebook.

Isn't it interesting how some rooms and color schemes speak to some people and not to others. I wonder if those preferences are hardwired into us or a kind of taste we acquire over time? I imagine that the immediate lifting of spirits I experience going into a colorful room is exactly the same feeling other people have going into an all-white or all-neutral space. I think it hits us at a visceral level and may defy explanation. I suppose that's why they put such a variety of homes into a magazine...so there's something for every taste. All I know is that I've loved bright colors since I was a little kid and that there is definitely something that happens to me when I walk into a colorful room that doesn't happen when I go into one that's not. Not that I find neutral spaces depressing or anything, because they're not, and I can appreciate a beautiful white room, but I'm not really comfortable in one. Weird, isn't it?

[koolmimi]

I subscribe to Romantic Homes and love it. I agree that some of the rooms in magazines make me go "What were they thinking". Guess its a good thing we don't all like the same thing. I have some friends who are minamalists. Beige walls, no family pictures, no books out and lots of empty flat surfaces. I feel very uncomfortable when I go there. I'm sure they feel the same way when they come to my house with all my pictures and stuff everywhere. I've had an inspiration folder for years. Periodically I go through it to see if I am still inspired by the pictures and articles I've saved.

[RoseMary]

I have one of those folders too--have had for years, and I still love everything in it. And, like shabbychick, they are all very colorful. I don't find all white depressing, either. I think it is very pretty, but it just doesn't 'do it' for me--I love color.

A lot of you might find it very 'busy', but I love this kitchen:

http://www.sampler.com/hometours.aspx?id=26686

[shabbychick]

That was a neat kitchen, Rosemary. I am hoping to finally get around to painting my cabinets this summer, and I plan to do the bottom ones green. Maybe more sage than apple, but you never know. I might go with the apple. And I'll probably do the uppers white. I'd really like to put glass doors on a few of the upper cabinets, but I'm not sure I can afford the new doors. Maybe I can find something at Ikea. I sure liked the glass doors on the cabinets in this picture.

[koolmimi]

Love, love, love the kitchens. I'm glad you shared them. I was looking at my kitchen the other day and wondered if I had too much stuff. After seeing the pictures I've decided its ok.

[RoseMary]

Your kitchen looks great, koolmimi. There is never too much stuff:D. I love the ceiling tile look under your upper cabinets! I also love the embroidered valances you have.

shabbychick, I've never thought of apple green until I saw those cabinets, but I really love it. My upper shelves/cabinets are white with no doors and my bottom cabinets are red. I'd love to have the leaded glass doors like those. I showed my husband the lower cabinets and he likes the way they look. He has been talking about making new doors and drawer fronts for our 'temporary' cabinets that we've had for the last eleven years:rolleyes:. There's no way for me to duplicate that kitchen, but I might be able to achieve some of it.

[shabbychick]

I second Rosemary, Koolmimi. You can never have too much stuff. :)

I'll be interested to see how your cabinet project goes, Rosemary. I'd like to learn about replacing/refacing cabinets.

[RoseMary]

I will let you know if we tackle that project anytime soon, shabbychick. We have a few others on the list ahead of it. If we do it, it will be my husbands first time to attempt making something like them. He made the cabinets that we have and they are very plain, made with pine boards and then painted. As I mentioned, they were supposed to be 'temporary', but they are always behind something else that needs done 'now'.

[Breezy]

I love the green cabinets in the kitchen pic RoseMary posted. It's so cheery looking. Would be a fun place to cook even if you don't like cooking.;)

[yarborough house]

I painted the cabinets we used to have in the kitchen that exact green. It was nice but we dont' get alot of natural light so it really needed to be white.

As for "stuff". I am probably not your fave on this issue- I can't stand clutter. But I think to explain it is because I grew up in a house that had it everywhere. My dad always thought if one was good then heck 20 was better. He had so many "collections" all over that it felt so claustrophobic.
Their kitchen had all the old utensils hung on the walls, with all the advertising tins and bins everywhere..so I think to me when I see lots of stuff I get all claustrophobic again.

I like decor to a minimum but I do like decorating with items that have a function versus just a look. Like I love platters on the wall- heck when I need them I can just take them off and use them.

But with that being said- everyone has to have their own style - otherwise it would be a boring old world wouldn't it? I may not like it for me but I do like seeing all the different things out there.

[mac78]

I love your kitchen Koolmini....Very nice

[jabbrley]

and I think I'm going to be verrrrrrry comfy here! I love old houses...farmhouses, cottages, small or large, so can anyone tell me why we bought a brand new farmhouse style?! We took out the wall to wall carpet in the living room and put in honey colord oak flooring (I'd prefer pine, but it wasn't available here at the time. I've got odds and ends of antique (rustic) furniture: treadle sewing machine, big square pine dining table with drop leaves, iron beds, quilts ...things like that.

We are about to paint our living room a soft, warm sand color...neutral for sure...to pick up that color from our area rug which has a black background and large print with burgandy, grey-blue and sage green in it too. I'm not sure what to do with our furniture now, as far as upholstery...or window treatments. I've never made slip covers, but would love to so that we can change them from time to time. Our chambray blue denim couch has 3 slip covers...a burgandy,a sage and a beige.

I'm kind of stumped as to what to do....any ideas, even though my home isn't quite a cottage or bungalow? ~Kathleen

[jabbrley]

is great! It's laid out a lot like ours is, from your pictures. Is your backsplash actual metal, or is it the vinyl panel type that is sold at Home Depot? I ask, because I LOVE the look, and we've been considering it for a good while...but I'm wondering whether it would be best to spend a fortune for metal tiles, or if the vinyl works well. Any suggestions?

(By the way, I'm a collector of 'stuff' too....but I don't like too much at once, so I pack stuff up and put whatever things out I feel like at the time.)

[Carrie]

Pretty kitchen. Mimi. It looks light and bright, and homey.

[Carrie]

Hi Kathlene!

[canadiyank]

Yes, I love that magazine...I think in the US you'll see it in Barnes and Noble etc. as just "Style at Home." Always kind of makes me chuckle, especially when you open it up and the subscription cards have a Canadian stamp on them. I've never bought it in the US but when I'm visiting in Canada I've picked it up a few times.

[jabbrley]

Hi, Carrie!