By Janice Hudson Feb 14, 2012
Highlighting some Valentine’s Day inspired swag
I decided to throw together a few fun Valentine’s Day inspired items for the home. I’ve been coveting the Vinello wine rack from Umbra for quite some time. It’s also available in black but I prefer the red.
I am drooling over this chic multipurpose sofa bed—the Janus sofa bed from Ligne Roset. I’d love to have this in my tiny spare bedroom—it’s much more stylish than the ugly futon I’ve got in there now.
The classic Stool 60 from Artek gets a bright update in a punchy red hue.
And one for the foodies: this is the Piccantino chilli cruncher from Alessi. This kitchen gadget chops, spreads and stores chillis. I love its fun chilli pepper shape and ingenious function (it keeps you from getting chili seeds on your fingertips).
See more:
By Janice Hudson Feb 10, 2012
An emerging talent to watch
I’m quite excited about this designer from Gander, Newfoundland. I learned about her work this week from art curator/freelance writer Gloria Hickey (thanks Gloria!).
A multi-faceted designer, Jessica Waterman works with both wood and textiles to create unique wall hangings, tapping into her skills as a professional carpenter and her training as an artist (she studied textiles at NSCAD and costume design at Dalhousie). She also uses recycled materials to create functional benches.
This photo by Steve Keats shows Jessica at work in her studio.
Here’s a sample of her work, The Wells Stage (silkscreen, fabric). Photo by Eric Walsh. I love the colour and texture in this piece.
She is currently holding an exhibition of her work at the Newfoundland and Labrador Craft Council’s Annex Gallery in St. John’s. Her show, Light & Shadow, Wood & Cloth, opened last weekend and runs until March 11. I plan on featuring Jessica’s work in our upcoming spring issue, which hits newsstands March 18–keep an eye out for it!
More Newfoundland designers/news:
By Janice Hudson Feb 1, 2012
See behind the scenes at our recent charcuterie photo shoot in Halifax
I thought it would be fun to share a few behind-the-scenes shots and details from our photo shoot at Ratinaud French Cuisine (on 2082 Gottingen St. in Halifax).
If you haven’t stopped by this delightful North End storefront, you really ought to. Chef Frederic Tandy has an amazing spot and lots of delightful gourmet charcuterie and cured meats on offer. If you can’t catch him there, he also sells his stuff at the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market on Saturdays.
Tandy is from Limosges, a city in the south-west of France renowned for artisanal pottery. Many of Tandy’s pates, terrines and sausages are inspired by old family recipes. “Ratinaud” is actually his grandmother’s last name. Here’s a shot of Tandy with our writer, Simon Thibault.
Tandy’s delectable “paté de campagne” (or country paté). Wouldn’t you just love to slather this over a fresh sour-dough baguette? I know I would.
Simon brought along his copy of Michael Ruhlman’s bestselling book about charcuterie, Charcuterie: The Craft Of Salting, Smoking, and Curing. Isn’t the cover shot great? We used it as inspiration for charcuterie grouping (below).
Photographer Dennis Evans brought along a gorgeous wood cutting board and took a number of great shots showing a mix of Tandy’s charcuterie. Here Dennis goes in for a close up shot of Tandy (love his cap–it was his granddad’s).
A shot of Tandy’s curing room. That’s a bunch of saucisson sec hanging in the background, along with other sausages.
Watch for Tandy’s great recipes (and of course, the finished shots by photographer Dennis Evans) in our upcoming spring issue on newsstands March 18.
Seem more recent East Coast Living photo shoots:
By Janice Hudson Jan 13, 2012
See behind the scenes of our recent knife skills photo shoot in Halifax
I just got back from a photo shoot in Halifax for an upcoming story we’re doing on perfecting knife skills. We held the shoot at Fid Resto in Halifax, with chef Dennis Johnston hosting us and photographer Andrew Chow taking the photos.
Dennis has an amazing collection of knives that he’s gathered over the years—many were handmade in Japan or elsewhere in Asia. Most are crafted for one particular use. Here Dennis shows of one off his favourite blades.
Dennis shows the proper way to julienne carrots. A lot of cookbooks ask you to do this but I’ve never learned the proper technique.
The story by Lezlie Lowe will explore how to master basic knife techniques—like how to julienne carrots, properly dice an onion, sharpen and care for knives. These are things most home chefs take for granted (well, I know I do). The story will also include a sidebar on the top five knives every home chef should have. A shot of Dennis with photographer Andrew Chow.
Watch for Andrew’s finished shots in the upcoming spring issue of East Coast Living, which will be hitting newsstands on March 18.
See more East Coast Living photo shoots:
By Janice Hudson Jan 6, 2012
Check out “Tangerine tango”—the it colour for 2012
Pantone just appointed tangerine its colour of the year, building on the trend for energetic, vibrant colours (last year was honeysuckle pink). A company spokesperson says the orange-red hue “marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the warmth of yellow,” creating a colour that “emanates heat and energy” (hmm, we could all use a little of this in the dead of winter). Tangerine photo below courtesy James Ingram.
I admit that tangerine and other orange-inspired colours can seem a bit overpowering, but there is a range of tones to choose from in paint, fabrics and patterns. I’m partial to the bright, melon-citrus hues—they have a fun vintage 1950s and 60s flair to them.
If you’re thinking of using tangerine in your décor, you might bring in the colour with a few accessories. Pictured above is a Solair chair in orange from Attica Furnishings and the Daisy thorn pillow by Erin Flett.
Rather than painting an entire room tangerine, opt for one or two accent walls. This photo above shows various orange hues from Sico (left) and Laurentide Paint (right).
What do you think of tangerine? Will you be trying it in your home this year?
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By Janice Hudson Dec 22, 2011
A fun décor trend, antlers add structure and rustic charm to any space
Antlers are a rustic winter décor option that can work in almost any space. There’s so many types of antler replicas, and best of all, you don’t need to source the real thing. Here’s a few of my faves:
Deer head in cast resin with handmade wood plaque from Restoration Hardware. Remarkably realistic, these antlers were cast in resin from antlers that were naturally shed.
This is a driftwood elk head from HomeSense. I think this would work in any space—whether modern or country/traditional.
On the playful side, equine lovers would enjoy this horse head from Oddjects in Halifax.
This is an assortment of animal heads—in white resin and silver finishes—from HomeSense. The antelope one is quite striking. What do you think? Would you try antlers in your décor?
By Janice Hudson Dec 14, 2011
Putting on the glitz, the Christmas tree edition
My coworker Tara Joosse (project manager for Where Halifax) sent me some photos of her mom’s Christmas tree. It puts my half-hearted Christmas décor to shame (so far, I’ve only strung up some Ikea star lights on my picture window; I will get to the tree part sometime this weekend, *fingers crossed
*).
Isn’t it incredible? Tara’s mom, Debra Joosse, lives in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Debra chooses a different theme/colour for her tree each year. Standing at about 10 feet tall, the artificial tree is always a glamorous focal point of the living room.
For this year’s look, Debra sourced many of the gold and neutral ornaments and decorations from Micheal’s and HomeSense.
Here’s a close-up shot of some ornaments. My favourites are the birds, owls, feathers and bird cages.
Well, now I definitely have inspiration for my own Christmas tree décor. Kudos to Tara for these photos.
By Janice Hudson Dec 8, 2011
Gorgeous centrepieces that will set the mood for your holiday entertaining
I thought it would be fun to post pictures of festive centrepieces. I love that these designs all feature natural materials. They’re also not too Christmasy, so I think they’ll have appeal beyond the holidays. All designs courtesy Neville MacKay of My Mother’s Bloomers in Halifax. Photos courtesy James Ingram.
This fragrant centrepiece features pine, rosehips, blackberries, pears and apples. I love the matching design on the mantelpiece in the background.
For a modern look, you can arrange several small glass vases with sprigs of hydrangea, eucalyptus, coloured glass stones and calla lilies. If you’re having a large party, place one vase on each table. You can hand them out at the end of the night as party favours for your guests.
A delightful centrepiece idea for winter fruit: skewer clementines with salal leaves and aspidistra leaves.
An elegant round centrepiece featuring calla lilies, ornamental peppers and hypericum berries enmeshed in decorative wiring.
What kind of arrangements do you prefer for the holidays? I’d love to hear your ideas.
By Janice Hudson Nov 28, 2011
Remember how we used to look? We’ve come a long way since then
Hard to believe, but it’s been one year since we launched our new magazine design. Back in the spring of 2010, we won a national magazine makeover contest sponsored by K9 Design, a leading Canadian design studio. Over the summer and fall, we collaborated with K9, picking out a new contemporary design from their mock ups.
They created a new logo, cover and interior layout, refreshing the entire look of our magazine. We launched our first issue last November. It was such a thrill to unveil the new magazine, showcasing our slick contemporary design. Here’s a look at the before and after shot of our 2009 and current winter covers. What do you think of the change? I can’t believe we’ve only been working with the new design for one year. It’s such a good fit for us–it always feels fresh and exciting when we’re putting a new issue together.
Our ad revenues have spiked since we launched the new design, with our national advertising growing from 15 per cent in 2009 to 27 per cent in 2011. Traffic on our website, redesigned by Halifax design firm Kula Partners in conjunction with the makeover, has doubled, with a 232 per cent increase in unique visitors and a 214 per cent increase in total visits.
Here’s a shot of our makeover team from our launch party in November 2010. That’s me on the far left, K9 Design creative director Norm Lourenco, our graphic designer Gwen North and our production coordinator Dana Edgar.
By Janice Hudson Nov 25, 2011
An exclusive first look at our new Winter 2011 cover.
We’re really thrilled with this issue of the magazine. Our cover shot shows homeowner Andrew Watts serving pancakes to his daughter, Grace, in their newly renovated kitchen. In the accompanying story, we explore how the Watts breathed new life into their 1950s side-split style home in Halifax. It’s incredible to see how a few key changes–new corner-style windows and a cool front entryway (designed by Dartmouth architect Rayleen Hill)–made such a difference in this house. Photo by James Ingram.
Our new Winter issue hits newsstands this weekend/next week across Atlantic Canada. In Nova Scotia, watch for the magazine inside the Sunday Herald (Nov. 27); in New Brunswick, the magazine will be in the Times & Transcript, Daily Gleaner and Telegraph Journal on Monday, Nov. 28th. In Newfoundland, you’ll find the magazine in the Western Star on Thursday, Dec. 1 and The Telegram on Saturday, December 3. For P.E.I. readers, the magazine will be appearing in The Guardian on Saturday, Dec. 3.
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