Decor Home

When I purchased my home from a builder 9 years ago, all of the rooms (except for the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, front entry and hall) came with the standard saxony broadloom with a low face weight meaning not very thick.

I upgraded the family room carpet to a berber with the builder but I kept the standard carpet in the other rooms until I could replace with a higher quality berber carpet or hardwood over time. (I have hardwood now in most of the rooms.)

I was on the hunt for an inexpensive but good quality (and soft) berber to replace the upgraded berber in the family room and the standard carpet in two of the bedrooms (one used as a den and the other used as my daughter’s hang-out room. I’ve been told playroom is too juvenile!)

Although I do love hardwood, the two bedrooms are over the garage and are prone to being cold in the winter. Carpet is insulating and cozy and absorbs sounds, meaning when my daughter is practicing her hip-hop routines, I don’t hear her downstairs!

When I spied this berber at the Home Depot, I knew it would be perfect for the three rooms.  Berber carpeting is crafted from continuous fiber loops which means that it is extremely durable and doesn't show footprints or vacuum tracks.

It’s a Martha Stewart 100% nylon berber (the next best thing to wool) and I chose a light colour called Sisal with no pattern. It really does mimic a natural fibre.  I used the best underpad the Home Depot sells and I have to tell you, it is so soft and comfy underfoot.  Just perfect for when my daughter has sleepover’s.  They all can pile in with their sleeping bags in the family room or “hang-out” room.

When choosing carpet,  the warranties are important to know. I love that this carpet has a lifetime stain and soil warranty and a 20 year texture and abrasive wear warranty.  That is incredible!  The berber that I upgraded to with the builder wore out very quickly and even though I cleaned it, the stains never came out.  It was inferior quality even though I paid a lot for it. 

The above photo is my daughter’s craft/hang-out room, professionally photographed with the builder carpet.

This is how it looks now with the Martha Stewart berber – much better, right?  (not professionally photographed – did I mention I’m investing in a quality camera this year?)

And here is the other bedroom/den with the new carpet (photo by me.)  The neutral colour works well with everything and doesn’t compete with the wallpaper or fabrics. Did I mention that it is really soft? :)

Thank you Home Depot for the carpet.  The rooms feel more modern and clean with the berber.  It’s hard to explain but the saxony carpet gave it a real dated and cluttered feel.

Take a look at the Home Depot, if you are considering carpet.  You can see all of their carpet selections here.

Happy weekend everyone! I have a busy one – out with my university friends tonight, celebrating my sister’s birthday tomorrow and out with our adoption group on Sunday. Fun, fun!

Hey there! How is 2013 treating you so far? I have some lovely new products, instagram pics and blog series ideas to share.

This post has been in draft since Monday for my Monday Meandering post.  I will still do those from time to time but since my blog is Decor Happy, I thought a “Things that make me Happy” post could be one of those round up posts where I include new products, where I have been, instagram photos, what’s new in my house etc. Anything that I feel is blogworthy that I come across at any time during the week not just Monday. Sound good? And I know I need to shorten these posts and spread them over the week – that’s my goal!

1) So the first thing I loved this week are some items from Ikea’s new Spring release.  Like these amazing French bistro style chairs called the Almsta.  How cool are these? And only $99 each (Cda).  They are made of rattan and bamboo and come in natural or black. Run, don’t walk, to your nearest Ikea to pick up a few to spruce up your dining room.  I have a feeling they will be selling out.  Affordable, comfortable, stylish dining chairs are hard to come by.

I love this bright and fun summer-themed fabric called Ullabella.  Wouldn’t it be perfect made into a shower curtain for a girl’s bathroom? Yep, that’s what I’m going to do.   Or stretched over a large canvas as inexpensive art for a girl’s bedroom or playroom?

And finally, I love that they have upped the style factor on the well-loved Billy bookcases again. The backing of this Billy is inspired by the fanned pages of open books and it reminds me of a very expensive wallpaper.

2)  Celebrity designer Mary McDonald’s new fabrics and trim for Schumacher were released this week. 

This is my favourite fabric from the collection and I would love to have this framed as panels for my bedroom (more on my bedroom makeover later.)  I’ll have to find out the cost – thinking it will be a tad more than the Ikea fabric :)

Go here to see the entire collection.

PS You may have seen McDonald on Million Dollar Decorators.  The latest season just wrapped up in the US.  Unfortunately, not  in Canada yet.  The Visual Vamp did a recap of the last episode in which Mary decorated her home. Read it here.  Notice her green velvet sofa – it’s much like my blue velvet sofa in my family room that I haven’t blogged about yet.

3) I shared these photos on Instagram yesterday.  The sun was streaming in throughout the house and everything looked so special so I had to share.

The first image was taken in my home office and the second in my living room.  I LOVE my design books and refer to them a lot.  Since there is unending worthwhile advice waiting to be shared, I’m going to be sharing snippets/info/design advice from some of my favourite books.  So stay tuned for that series called Well Noted or something like that (will come up with something clever over the weekend!)

Speaking of weekend, I cannot believe it’s Friday already. Where did this week go?  Anyway, have a good one.  It’s supposed to be a balmy, albeit rainy, 13 ° C tomorrow.

Have a happy one!

I think all in all 2012 was a pretty stellar year!  I am so appreciative of the wonderful things that have transpired mostly due to this little old blog!  So, if you have been thinking of starting a design blog, go for it – you will be glad you did! And thank goodness for this blog which is a good reminder/journal of sorts.  Let’s take a  look back, shall we?

1) In January, we vacationed in Disney World with my sister and her family.  I hadn’t been there since the 80’s so it was a long overdue trip. So much fun!

2) In March, the Steven & Chris show taped a couple of rooms in my house for a segment on their show. So exciting! You can read all of the posts here and see what I did to ready my house for national TV.

3) In June, the Home Depot sponsored a Blogger Backyard Party at my house. It motivated me to do something with my backyard.  It still has a long way to go but it’s getting there!  Reno & Decor magazine published a feature on the Backyard Party.

4) A few rooms in my home were published in Style at Home magazine. Highlight of the year! 

5) I took some steps towards organizing my home including designing a brass bookcase to house client files, etc.

6) My love of florals knows no bounds! So, the powder room, entry and my daughter’s craft/play room all received a lovely dose of floral wallpaper. 

7) Guest blogging at New York Spaces magazine, being featured on the Style at Home site and in the Toronto Star online are a few lovely media mentions.  Thanks so much!

8) I completed some amazing design projects with some wonderful clients. This bedroom will be appearing in print shortly. My favourite projects are those where I can completely overhaul the room, ie. start from scratch.  Almost always ends in a better result and a dramatic Before and After worthy of showing on the blog!

9) Mr. Decor Happy’s den was completed and it has become our favourite room in the house. I haven’t been able to share it with you yet as I’m still waiting to hear back from the National Post  as to when it will run.  Here’s a little sneak peak though taken with my iphone that I shared on Instagram. I just adore the wallpaper – Cole & Son’s Cow Parsley Restyled.

10) Those were some of the (mostly) professional highlights.  Other highlights were seeing my 10 year old blossom into this awesome girl with the biggest heart. And I can’t forget acknowledging Mr. Decor Happy who gives me full rein to do whatever I please (decorating wise!) in our home. He’s a gem!

Last but not least, thank you readers for checking in from time to time to see what I am up to.  I really appreciate it and love reading your comments!

I’ll be back with some of my goals and home projects for 2013.  Have you set any goals for the year?

Hi there! Just wanted to wish you all a very special and relaxing holiday.  The lead up to Christmas/the holidays is always a busy time so I hope you get to unwind with an eggnog or two! I plan on doing just that (minus the eggnog as I am lactose intolerant! :)

via

I’ll be back in the New Year!

All the best and I really do appreciate you stopping by and reading Decor Happy!

Happy Monday! Hope you had a fun weekend filled with pre-holiday joy!

While on Pinterest the other day, I spotted this outfit which resembled a room that I just finished working on.

These are unstyled photos taken with my iphone. I need to get the room all styled up and photographed.  I don’t have a Before pic as when I arrived the old pink broadloom was pulled up and the wallpaper border was taken down but I think you can get the feeling.  The clients hadn’t updated the room in 17 years. 

They didn’t really know what they wanted (or what was available) in terms of furniture style, colour, pattern etc.  They also didn’t know what would work in terms of furniture placement to maximize seating.  What they did know was that they couldn’t do it alone (as they said during our first meeting), so they invested in my services.

The sofa is 172” long including the angled “cuddle chaise” on the left side.  That has become the favourite spot in the room. It’s the navy polka dot and yellow/gold pillows that remind me of the outfit above.  My favourite piece is the custom ottoman I designed which is large in scale to balance out the sofa. It’s done in a faux leather which looks just like the real thing and is perfect for those on a budget or are anti-leather.  The client is purchasing a large tray for practicality.

You know I always recommend photo galleries as an inexpensive yet impactful and meaningful way to complete a room.  In this case, my client used photos from their summer trip to the East coast and I think it looks brilliant.  One or two pieces of art or photos would be lost over the 14’ sofa.

I’ll share the professional photos in the New Year.

Have a great week!

(PS Like the rest of the world, my thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of those that lost their lives in the horribly tragic event that took place on Friday in Newtown, Connecticut. Heartbreaking.)

If one of your 2013 goals is to have a home that makes you happy, contact me at vanessa(at)vanessafrancis.com to make your goals a reality!

(If you are reading this in a reader or email, please click here to go directly to the post.)

Happy pre-holiday fun!

I thought I would share this year’s Christmas tree with you.  My daughter and her friend helped me decorate. 

We went on a warm but rainy day to our local greenhouse and there weren’t a whole lot of 8’ Fraser firs (our preferred tree), so we took home this balsam fir instead.  They are more fragrant than a Fraser but they drop a ton of needles and their branches aren’t as sturdy (but they are also half the price!)

And guess what? I didn’t purchase any new ornaments this year!  You can see close ups of the ornaments in my previous posts here.  They are a mixture of vintage, handmade by my daughter, gifts from friends with pink and gold being the main colours. And the lone blue ornament on the left – that’s my husband’s Mets ornament from years ago.  I try and hide it near the back. :)

I also need to get shopping and wrapping! Nothing much under the tree right now, athough I have done a few gift exchanges with family and friends already.

(Oh, and if you clicked back to the previous trees, doesn’t the wallpaper add so much to the entry? And the neutral drapes and rug look much more quiet than what I had before.)

Is your tree up yet? And real or artificial? I’m linking up here.

PS Congrats to my niece who is getting married today in Scotland! All the best Marie and Ben! xo