Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors

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!

Brrr…we are having such a cold snap right now!  The temperatures have been hovering around -12 Celsius and with the wind chill the weatherman says it feels more like -24.  On days like these I’m so looking forward to Florida.  Being cold isn’t one of my favourite things. We were snowed in a couple days so I had some extra time to feed my Pinterest habit and I came across a handful of kitchens I wouldn’t mind calling my own.  I guess my tastes are leaning towards the modern side of things these days.  Which one is your favourite?

 Johanna Ekmark

 BOLIG Magasinet

 Riikka Kantinkowski via Decor8

 Lonny

 Elle Decor

House & Home

Off to pack a few more boxes!  Enjoy the rest of your week.

How has your week been so far? Mine has been pretty good, maybe a little busier than usual now that I’m trying to get a few workouts in…ouch! I’m also getting my house ready for a special friend’s visit on Friday but I’ll be keeping my lips sealed about that for just a little bit longer…sorry but I couldn’t resist just a little tease! All of this talk of relocating and family adventures (wasn’t that French home Rachel featured yesterday gorgeous? And to move their whole family to France? Amazing!) has got me feeling a little bit restless. It was about this time last year that we were getting ready to head to Mexico, so that may have something to do with it, but I’m feeling like I’m due for a little bit of travel or adventure. I’ve also been feeling a little restless about my house as I’ve been reorganizing and sprucing it up for Spring. I love it and it’s a very good fit for our family (for now) but there is one room that just doesn’t quite hold my heart the way it should…the kitchen.

Photo by Jordi Canosa via Desire to Inspire

Now, as we all know, the kitchen is truly the heart of the home and somehow guests are always drawn there for parties and gatherings. We went to a Halloween party last year with about 8 other couples and we literally never left the kitchen. For hours! Albeit it was a very large and fabulous kitchen but none of us felt the need to take a few steps over to the equally large and fabulous living room…the kitchen is where it’s at! While visiting Will over at Bright.Bazaar, I saw his post on West Elm’s Rustic-Industrial Inspiration and felt my restless heart beat a little bit faster…

West Elm

West Elm

West Elm

The folks over at West Elm seem to get it right every time, don’t they? Clean lines, industrial metal accents, rich wood tones…yes, I would very happily add all of these ingredients into my dream kitchen. Here are another few example of some rustic cooking spaces…

Celerie Kemble’s Black and White via Canadian House & Home

Jeroen van der Spek

Hege Greenall-Scholtz

Decor8 via Stil Inspiration. Photo by Joanna Gwis.

It’s the little details that will bring warmth to such rustic spaces. Art, vintage finds, dishes, cookbooks and accessories can all add colour and personality…

1. Hindsvik 2. Little Brown Pen 3. Red Onion Woodworks 4. Sweet Fine Day

Now that I got that out of my system, I can focus my energies on doing a thorough Spring clean of my house. Thankfully, I’ve got a good chunk of time sans kids today to scrub away in peace and to dream of  the journeys and adventures to come! If only my house would stay clean overnight…wish me luck!

I’ve been rather bored in the kitchen lately and I’ve heard from several of my mommy friends that they are feeling the same.  I just haven’t felt inspired to make a 4 course meal for my family.  We all have our preferences and it’s really deflating to hear “yuck” when you put in the effort.  My girls used to eat almost everything I put in front of them.  Sushi, curry, soups and pasta dishes…not anymore.  Any tips?

B L (slow roasted) T by not without salt

A friend of mine makes a kid friendly dinner for her girls and then sits down for an adult friendly version with just her and her husband. Part of me loves this idea but the other part would miss our family meal times even if they’re yucky.  Now, that my husband has officially moved to Florida, he’s left us behind to finish off all the food in the freezer and the pantry.  So, things might start to get interesting when my ingredients start dwindling.  Rice, rice and rice, anyone?  How are you feeling these days in the kitchen?

Holly Farrell via Absolutely Beautiful Things

As much as I love looking through them, I don’t use cookbooks nearly enough.  I think I should stock up on a couple for some new recipes.  If you aren’t that into cookbooks, there is always Pinterest and I’ve also discovered Foodgawker.  It’s a great way to become inspired in the kitchen or at least come away hungry.

 1.  Trader Joe’s  2.  Campfire Cookery  3.  Seasons

Frau Haselmayer via Kitchenisms

1.  My Father’s Daughter  2.  Great Food Fast

Once we’re settled in to our new life in Florida, I’d love to sign up for cooking classes.  It would be fantastic if I could bring along the girls because they LOVE to help me in the kitchen and it would be a fun thing to do together.  I’ve done a couple one day classes before and it’s always tonnes of fun especially if you can drag a friend along.  I’m hoping to find a series of classes that are geared to everyday cooking maybe something along the lines of baking bread, salads, appetizers or comfort food.  Sounds fun, right?  I might even make a friend or two.

Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi by The Pioneer Woman

Better Homes and Gardens

Chicken Tortilla Soup by The Pioneer Woman

 Southern Living

Roasted Tomato Peasant Soup by the little red house

 Viscusi Elson Interior Design via House of Turquoise

All things considering, I can’t have it all that bad, if “what” to make for dinner is one of my problems.  I can’t imagine worrying about “how” I’m going to feed my kids each day.  It’s all the more reason to learn to enjoy it and I think emptying my cupboards and making do might be an exercise in thankfulness.

Hooray! Warm sunshine and summer days have finally arrived to our corner of Canada! It felt so great to sit out and soak up some sun and to finally enjoying a BBQ with friends over the weekend. We also dropped off our son for his first overnight summer camp yesterday and I must admit that I got a little sentimental (as I organized his clothes in his bunk drawer, sniff sniff!) about how grown up he’s becoming and how precious these next few years will be. He’s only 8 but the teen years are fast approaching and soon enough he’ll be busy with sports, school and friends and it will take a lot more effort to enjoy those special family moments. At least he’s only gone for a couple of nights but, my oh my, how they grow!

On a different subject entirely, I seem to have far too many house projects on my to-do list for this summer. So many, that I’m having trouble deciding where to start and I’m struggling to find some motivation to check off at least a couple small projects before July turns to August. I did make the important first step of buying paint and primer the other day but I took the weekend off to enjoy the sunshine. For now, I’m happy enough looking at these inspiring pictures of some gorgeous kitchens with open shelving. I love the idea of having everyday dishes within arms reach, don’t you?

Traditional Home

A Country Farmhouse

Now, we all know that I have a major thing for white kitchens, but I recently came across this rustic space and fell in love. That stone wall, the woodgrain and colour of the wooden cabinets, and the open island shelves make this a modern country kitchen that I would be thrilled to cook in…

Nuevo Estilo via Delight By Design

C Design via Desire To Inspire

Design*Sponge

Everyday dishes, serving ware, collections and even artwork can be displayed and changed with ease on open shelving. Organize items by like colour or style to keep things from looking cluttered. With a neutral background, almost any accent colour can be added to brighten up your space…

Laure Joliet

Better Homes & Gardens

Style At Home

Elle Decor

Cote De Texas

How was your weekend? Have you accomplished any summer projects around your house? I’ll be painting my front door and dining table this week and will be sure to post some before and afters. Happy Monday!