Oh my lovely sunroom has become a place for me to not only work, but a bright and cheerful place to read, relax and rejuvenate.  This room sits between the dining room and sunroom so I painted it the same Benjamin Moore Linen which enhances the flow between these rooms.  

I love relaxing on my chaise while reading....

And my desk is situated so that I can look out over my garden....a wonderful place for thought.

And of course, I love adding pretty touches such as treasures from the sea and white tulips...my absolute favourite flower.

The addition of accent pillows brings more comfort and I love these pale pink floral ones that I was lucky enough to find at Indigo. 

A sunny, cheerful and comforting room.  Just yesterday it provided a place for me to have a lovely visit with a dear friend while we shared a lovely glass of chardonnay.  In fact, being that it is friday, I think I will pour myself a glass now and toast the weekend!  

Still very busy with the finishing touches on my kids rooms, the living room, sunroom, kitchen and foyer so I'm not ready to display them yet, but my other great pleasure is cooking and baking...particularly for the pleasure of others.  

Today I had the pleasure of baking one of my favourite things....bread!  Not just any bread, it is a no knead bread, of only 4 ingredients and is baked in a very hot oven in a cast iron pot.  I have been baking this for years and has now become a well requested item when I am invited for lunch or dinner. It also makes a lovely gift when wrapped in crisp parchment paper and tied with twine.  Served warm, it is an absolute treat! And today I prepared 2 loaves for a friend who is hosting a dinner party tomorrow evening.  All she has to do is pop them in the oven for a quick few minutes to warm them up before serving.  A beautiful crusty french bread...what could be better!

So I am happy to share my recipe and hope that you will enjoy this as much as I do.

No Knead Bread

3 cups flour (any type....experiment and have fun with different types)

1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

3/4 tablespoon of kosher salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix dough the night before by combining all ingredients in a bowl with a fork.  It will be a shaggy mess.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit over night.  (12 - 20 hours)

The dough will be wet, sticky and bubbly at this point.  

With a wet spatula, or your floured hand, dump the dough on a floured surface and fold ends of the dough over a few times and nudge it into a ball shape.  Dust the top of the dough with flour and cover with the same plastic wrap. Let is nap for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 F and put cast iron pot into oven to warm up.  When oven ready, remove pot and very carefully dump the dough into the pot.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for another 5 - 10 minutes until the crust is a lovely golden colour.  

After it has cooled, if it is a gift,  I like to wrap it up in parchment paper and secure it with raffia or twine.  The presentation I feel is just as important.  So the 2 loaves I baked today will be presented to my friend tomorrow in one of my favourite leather handled wicker totes!

Who wouldn't be pleased to receive a lovely package of home made bread!!

The electrical system in the house has now been completely replaced and updated.  No more knob and tube wiring, new 200 amp service, new decora switches and plugs, and a brand new electrical panel in the basement.

Here is my new meter that was installed yesterday with Hydro on site.....

I know...its' beautiful isn't it! And here is my new electrical panel....

Nicely labelled and organized but more importantly it now provides safe and reliable service to the entire house.  As you can see, no more knob and tube wiring...

Tyler and his crew at On Time have done an amazing job and I am very pleased and relieved!

Updating the plugs and switches throughout also contributes to the overall look and feel of the house as you are reminded that the system is new and consistent.  

Of course I find decorating and design much more fun, but the infrastructure of the house is most important.  You need a solid and safe foundation to start with and the electrical system is one of the most important.  

The dining room in this house is interesting as it bridges between the kitchen and the sunroom...which I use as my office.  It therefore becomes sort of a walk through room which means it needs to be kept open and uncluttered.  Casual elegance becomes the theme....elegant enough to entertain in, yet not too intimidating to use the space for a casual lunch, organizing paperwork or work on a school project.

Once again, an Ikea find!  This beautiful chocolate brown table is extendable to accommodate 10 to 12 people and the chairs are "oh so comfortable" as my daughter announced.  And of course, they are slipcovered to allow for quick and convenient cleaning. Those beautiful white tulips on the table are not real but look so....from Garden Room on Academy Road!

The matching sideboard....more than enough storage and sits eloquently complimenting the table.  Those fabulous glass candleabra are from "These Four Walls" on Stafford.  The neutral wall colour is Benjamin Moore Natural Linen which is perfect for an east/west exposure house....just enough color and depth to allow for a comfortable yet graceful ambience.

Once again, a little trick...replacing the standard knobs on Ikea furniture with those of your liking.  Again, because I love the antique look of glass knobs, that is what I went with.  These I found at Canadian Tire and I think they work beautifully to elevate the whole look of the room....adding that elegance to the casual furniture. 

Crown moulding...it completes a room.  Do not underestimate its importance.  It may seem like a frivolous expense but it really completes a room and sets the bar for the quality of the house.  The finishing touch that makes the statement.  

The chandelier...the crown jewel of the room.  I love the look of this fixture.  Twigs adorned with crystals.....so prairie like. Casual elegance at its best.  This is the Home Depot version as I explained in a previous post but wow, with the money I saved by not going with the Pottery Barn version...going directly back into the basement of the house.  Which in fact, will not look like a basement at all!! 

I hosted my first dinner party in the house last sunday evening......roast chicken with lemon and garlic, buttermilk and chive mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and caprese salad.  Thankfully, it was a success!  Roast chicken has become a sunday night tradition for us.....something that we can always count on and look forward to.  I usually roast 2 chickens now as I use the leftovers for meals throughout the following week. 

One of my favourite books with respect to food is by Tamar Adler, entitled "The Everlasting Meal".  It is a beautiful explanation on the respectful approach to food with economy and grace.  I am not sure that I could ever buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts again....I need to buy the entire chicken and use all parts of it....after all, it gave its' life for our consumption, shouldn't we show it respect by using all of its parts?  Just something to think about.

So tonights dinner is chicken pot pie, made from the left over chicken and with home made chicken stock which was made from the leftover bones.   From the left over mashed potatoes I am making a sheperds pie for a future meal.  I just love Tamar's approach to cooking....creating meals from meals.  A respectful way in which to approach food....and it is economical and can be done with grace.

Here is a link to her book: 

http://www.amazon.ca/An-Everlasting-Meal-Cooking-Economy/dp/143918187X

Perhaps you will be inspired to think about the meals you create for your family!!

 My room.  It's not a large room, in fact it is rather small but it is everything that I had envisioned.  A lovely white rod iron bed frame, crisp white linens, a very comfortable memory foam pillow top mattress, a pretty little chandelier, a very generous closet (which I will feature at a later date) and walls wrapped in my absolute favourite colour....Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue. I have had a relationship with that color for quite some time but I have to say, in this room is my absolute favourite!

Maybe because of these fabulous toss pillows by Tommy Bahama I found to finish off the bed which seem to match perfectly...another Homesense treasure!

Another detail that completes the look is once again replacing the standard knobs on the night tables and closet doors with glass knobs sourced through Home Depot.  Once again, they just escalate the whole look of the room.

Original artwork.  I truly believe that when you find a piece of art, that speaks to your heart, then you have found something truly special.  My artwork collection (which is sadly in storage presently, and hopefully adorning my walls very soon) is primarily by 2 female artists, whom I have had the pleasure of knowing personally.  One has become a very dear friend who is originally from Australia and now resides in Denver.  Here is a link to her website: http://narellegibbs.com. I can't wait to hang her gorgeous pieces up on the walls of this house.

Emilie Lemay is the other artist that I have bought a number of pieces from and on my other night table,  sits a framed watercolor painting of a lovely cherry blossom tree.  I had mentioned to her that it reminded me of my grandfather and she very thoughtfully presented it to me as a gift.  Here is a link to her website:  http://www.emilielemay.com/Gallery.html

A bedroom should be a place of peace....a sanctuary in which to restore the soul.  I am so grateful that I have been able to create such a space for myself.  Makes me a better person, daughter, friend and mother.  Off to light my first fire in the living room fireplace! 

We are now living in our new home and we all absolutely love it!! Still in the midst of construction and will be for awhile......however, nothing can replace a good night's sleep in your own bed and I splurged on heavenly memory foam pillow top mattresses for the kids and I.  We have all had the best sleeps we have had in a long time. They will thank me eventually!

I am so very happy with the upstairs bathroom....it exceeded my vision!  Fresh, clean, spa like and so very functional.  The Ikea vanity works beautifully as it stores toiletries for all 4 for us with room to spare and a very generous sink top with room for soap and hand towels.  I replaced the standard knobs with these glass beauties which I think elevates the whole look.  

The bathtub (a deal at Home Depot for $250) looks fabulous with the crisp white subway tiled surround.  For increased functionality I found this bathtub shelf at Ikea which is the perfect spot to hold soap, shampoo, conditioner and all other shower toiletries.  The shower head is absolutely and my fabulous contractor mounted it an additional 3 inches higher to accommodate my 6 foot 3 son.....so it feels like showering in the rain.  

And that fabulous pebble stone look vinyl flooring is fantastic.  It looks incredible and just completes the fresh, beachy feel of the room.  Here's another look at it....

And I love this little basket that sits beside the vanity to collect used washcloths after hands have been washed.  

Towel bars....who needs them.  My kids and I are so much better with hooks and I sourced towels with little loops that can be hung up in a breeze.  No more fussing to ensure that all towels are hung evenly and perfectly.....life is too short for that.  Throw it on a hook and call it a day!

Of course I have a toilet but who wants to see a picture of that.  It is functional, low flow, white, beautiful and Kohler of course!