Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors

Happy Wednesday! How was your Valentine’s Day? Mine was good, with just the right amount of love notes and chocolate to get me through the week. Rachel and I have been busy bees planning our Spring market…it’s a lot different planning with the deadline of her leaving the country so close at hand! But thankfully, the majority of our planning happens online so we’re confident that we’ll adjust to the changes ahead.

Janis Nicolay for Style At Home. Designed by Omer Arbel.

When I opened the latest edition of Style At Home magazine last week, I was happy to see the work of our friend Janis featured and even more excited to see the amazing Gastown space that she photographed. I must say I’m super envious of her amazing job…getting an intimate look inside people’s homes must be so great! But I suppose that’s why we started this blog too…

Janis Nicolay for Style At Home. Designed by Omer Arbel.

Janis Nicolay for Style At Home. Designed by Omer Arbel.

Designed by architect, Omer Arbel, this industrial space in a less-than-savoury part of town was once unliveable. It is a long and skinny space, with the original windows being only at either end of the 33-by-150 foot home. In Omer’s words, “This was a cavernous space in a not-so-pretty neighbourhood. We decided to concentrate on light and create a sort of cube of nature in the middle of the floor plan rather than open up the views to the streets cape.” This was achieved by the construction of a glass walled courtyard in the middle of the living space. Genius, right?

Janis Nicolay for Style At Home. Designed by Omer Arbel.

Janis Nicolay for Style At Home. Designed by Omer Arbel.

Janis Nicolay for Style At Home. Designed by Omer Arbel.

I love how the layering of colourful art, rugs and upholstery keep the otherwise concrete and brick space from looking too cold or sterile. The addition of some fantastic vintage pieces (like the amazing antique cabinet in the bathroom) and modern lines in the streamlined kitchen, the overall design truly embraces the contrast of old and new…

Janis Nicolay for Style At Home. Designed by Omer Arbel.

Janis Nicolay for Style At Home. Designed by Omer Arbel.

I think it would be so cool to visit this space and to see it’s “lightbox” of a courtyard, especially on one of our wet West Coast days! Depending on the weather, either a rectangle of sunshine or one of rain becomes the focal point of this home, such a clever solution for bringing in some much needed light.

On another note, vendor applications are now open for Scout Handmade + Vintage Market! Visit our market blog for Frequently Asked Questions and more information. Looking forward to seeing the amazing talent of our vendors this time ’round!

Well, it’s been quite the dark and soggy week around here and a big change from the bright white snow that we got to enjoy last week! So, I don’t know about you, but I’m more than ready to browse through some light-filled and inspiring interiors. The work of Portland-based Jessica Helgerson has caught my eye several times in the past few months and, once you browse through some of these photos (all taken by the extremely talented Lincoln Barbour), I’m pretty sure you’ll see why…

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design. Photo by Lincoln Barbour.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design. Photo by Lincoln Barbour.

Rachel featured this amazing home last fall, and I totally agree with her thoughts that this rancher is what dream homes are made of! In fact, each of the homes featured in the design team’s portfolio are equally drool-worthy and have the perfect combination of traditional and modern elements, in my humble opinion. The use of natural wood, clean lines and white walls is my ideal mix of West Coast style with Scandinavian simplicity. Each house seems to flow from one room to the next and was built or renovated with family living and sustainability in mind…

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design. Photo by Lincoln Barbour.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design. Photo by Lincoln Barbour.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design. Photo by Lincoln Barbour.

Now, you know how much I love the Oregon coast…can you imagine getting the chance to stay in this beautiful cottage? It’s a very impressive cottage at that, built for a large family (the project was managed and designed by Jesse Moyer) and be sure to check out the view from the bedroom window below…I don’t think I’d ever leave!

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design. Photo by Lincoln Barbour.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design. Photo by Lincoln Barbour.

I’m pretty sure I first saw the following living room in a past Benjamin Moore colour book (but I could be totally wrong!) and then saw it again featured on Design*Sponge last year. This whole house is pretty fantastic…vaulted ceilings, window seat, open plan, a fabulous kitchen…yes, please! While I’m not generally a huge fan of dark wood, I could definitely get comfortable with the espresso floors and massive kitchen island in this space…

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design. Photo by Lincoln Barbour.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design. Photo by Lincoln Barbour.

This next home won the 2011 Pacific Northwest Award for Best Home under $400,000 and was also featured on Design*Sponge. It’s pretty impressive that Jessica and her design team were able to create such a fresh modern home out of a one hundred year old house without stripping away the original character, isn’t it? I think so! Something that I love about Halgerson’s design approach is her use of timeless materials and a neutral base for each project. Each space will be able to age gracefully and be easily updated with colourful accessories and other furnishings over time…

Lincoln Barbour Photography featuring Jessica Halgerson Interior Design.

Lincoln Barbour Photography featuring Jessica Halgerson Interior Design.

I’ll leave you with some of the design firm’s key questions that are asked of each client:

“At the beginning of each project, Jessica likes to start with the same questions: What’s the best design for the client? What’s the best design for the building or space? What will stand the test of time, stylistically and functionally? For any project, her goal is to ensure that the fundamental design and the materials are classic, long lasting, and appropriate to the building and its period. Then she likes to layer on fresh, contemporary elements—such as lighting, furniture, and art—that feel just right for the clients and for the moment.”

Some questions and thoughts that I’ll definitely be running through before diving into our own future projects. Have a great Thursday!

We are in the midst of a Winter Wonderland!  It isn’t often that we have a good snow fall and it is so very beautiful.  The girls have spent hours playing outside and are sleeping soundly as a result.  I hope to take them for a walk in the snow later on this evening, one my favourite things to do.  If you haven’t already heard the news, Lily’s home is going be featured on HGTV.ca in the next little while! Pretty exciting, right?  I couldn’t help but invite myself over for coffee so I could watch Janis in action and join in on the fun.  We’ll all have to wait for the big reveal because HGTV.ca has first dibs but in the mean time, take a snoop through this lovely home.

 All images from HGTV.ca 

You’ve probably seen at least few of these rooms before if you’re as addicted to Pinterest as we are.  It’s the home of Emma over at The Marion House Book.  I’ve virtually toured many homes and it doesn’t happen very often that I love each and every room.  And this home is one of those.  It’s bright, fresh and wonderfully eclectic.   I LOVE all her vintage finds…oh, my goodness.    Emma has made a few changes here and there and you should really stop by The Marion House Book to see the “before” and “afters”.  You won’t be disappointed, I promise.

What a week! Like most of you, we’ve been sorting ourselves out after the busyness of the holidays, catching up on daily life and making plans for the year to come. Rachel is officially embarking on one of her family’s biggest adventures (to date) this weekend as her husband heads off to Florida and begins his new position. I can’t imagine the thoughts that are going through all of their minds and am so excited for them, mixed with a lot of sadness as well. But, despite the distance that will soon be between us, we’ve been busy making plans for our blog and business and it’s helped us keep our focus on the positive times to come, both for our friendship and for Birch + Bird.

To get this weekend started out right, I thought I’d share an amazing home (found via Pinterest, of course!) with all of you. Designed by Bates Masi Architects and located in New York state, this house completely blew my socks off! It has all of the ingredients necessary to very well be my dream home…huge windows, the perfect mix of rustic wood and industrial finishings, an egg-shaped bathtub…all under one incredible flat roof and built on the most stunning property imaginable! It’s no wonder that it won three prestigious awards last year, the 2011 AIA Long Island ArchiAward Commendation, 2011 AIA Long Island ArchiAward Lighting Award and the 2011 AIA Peconic Juror’s Award. Enjoy the views and the rest of the stunning homes in their portfolio…

Bates Masi Architects

Bates Masi Architects

Bates Masi Architects

Bates Masi Architects

Bates Masi Architects

Bates Masi Architects

Bates Masi Architects

Bates Masi Architects

Are you feeling caught up and ready to face the year ahead? I feel like I’m always playing catch up but I am excited to see how several of our recent hopes and plans unfold. And thank you so much for all of your excitement and comments about the Pinterest post on Wednesday! It was great to hear your feedback and to be able to help at least a couple of you out in your Pinning journeys. Have a wonderful weekend!

The crowds of Christmas shoppers weren’t fazed by the cold temperature and the slight drizzle of rain. The Fieldstone Christmas Market went off without a hitch and definitely put us in the mood for Christmas. There was a great selection of goodies, anything from Christmas ornaments to French Macarons, vintage finds to handcrafted jewelry and everything in between. The vendors outdid themselves as always with fabulous displays and a tonne of handcrafted Christmas ornaments and décor. This market was half the size of the last market but just as much fun. It was so great to chat with customers and watch them walk around with smiles on their faces and bags full of great handmade and vintage finds to give (or keep) for Christmas. Jayme Anne of Jayme Anne Photography captured the day on camera and Lily will have some of her images to share tomorrow. In the meantime, take a tour through this fabulous home designed by Jessica Helgerson.  It was featured awhile back on Design*Sponge and I loved it immediately. All the Mid Century furniture mixed with Mediterranean influence, the wood beams, vaulted ceilings, arched doorways and use of colour makes it less serious and a little more fun. I could live there. How about you?

After a feast on sushi and a glass of wine or two with Lily and her husband, we went home for a quick nap so we could catch a plane to Florida in the wee hours of the morning which is where I am now. We’re spending the week exploring our new home and we’re hoping to find temporary housing for us until we find something more long term. Today will be a lazy day maybe with a long drive after some brunch in the sun. I’ll be sure to take some pictures to share along the way. Have a great week!