Design that Reveals
Design that Reveals
Creativity is my love, interior design is my focus. Whether it be full service interior design, re-decoration or even online design through Design in a Box, I am passionate about all things creative. Here, I will share insights into projects, inspirations and what's going on in the world of design from Calgary and beyond. Would love to have you follow along.
my bedroom reveal May 10, 2011
publications: my home in avenue magazine Jun 14, 2012
exciting news! Jul 13, 2011
It’s been awhile since I’ve shared a before and after! This particular installation happened early December and we transformed this empty room in a day from basic to beautiful. See the colour and inspiration story here.
Due to the overall size of the room, a sense of coziness and warmth was important to achieve. My clients also requested a sitting area (desk included), with a place for family photos and travel memories. The result is one of stylish comfort, embracing neutral colours, natural textures and an infusion of aubergine in a subtle way.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Using their existing mission style bed, we added painted bedside tables and dresser in a warm gray. Attention to detail in the circular pattern on the dresser is repeated in the large wood framed mirror above and the night stand hardware.
It’s always a great feeling when your vision comes to life and your clients are thrilled with the results. From what I hear the daybed is everyone’s favorite!
All images are my own.
Nyla Free Designs Inc. is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs Inc. also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
© 2013 Nyla Free Designs Inc.
A few weeks ago we completed a main floor installation I’ve been looking forward to seeing come together. Unique pieces, pattern and colour as well as the courage to trust has yielded great results.
You may have seen this cafe sign a time or two if you’re following me elsewhere and here it is, finally in it’s home. It is one of my favourite pieces in the space. That and the houndstooth bench – I’m in love!
Here’s a quick peek. (I’m getting good at these teaser shots, aren’t I??)
Happy Friday!
Nyla Free Designs Inc. is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs Inc. also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
This is one of my favourite parts of a project. The beginning stages where the conceptualizing and ideas are flowing, the colour palette is set, furniture selected and go ahead given.
There always seems to be a jumping off point in a project whether it be an existing piece of furniture, a favourite colour, or in this case, glass lamps from Mottega in an aubergine colour. Combining accents to compliment the lamps along with neutral fabrics and furniture finishes, we created a master retreat complete with sitting area and desk.
Watch for a before and after post next week!
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
Ok, I’m being a tease. Just one image from my Vancouver condo install is all you’re allowed. I’m keeping the rest of the project under wraps for now, however I’m sharing one of my favourite shots which gives a sneak peek of the warm, West Coast natural and airy feel of the space.
At 3:15 I was furiously snapping photos when I was supposed to be on my way to the airport by 3 to return to Calgary. Oh the things we do for photos! Thankfully, many of them turned out, and I made my flight on time.
See my day in the life post as well as the project sneak peek for more on this exciting condo we furnished and accessorized from top to bottom.
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
Hello! I’m off to Vancouver bright and early this morning to bring to life a condo project I started back in the fall. Delivery of all the furniture and drapery installation happens today, art and accessorizing tomorrow, flowers and final touches on Saturday. Sunday my clients will return home for the big reveal. Exciting!
Below is the inspiration behind the selections to give you a sneak peek at the overall feel. We’ve taken cues from natural elements and added touches of modern, alongside stunning colouful artwork and a city view.
If you missed Monday’s post, pop over to ‘a day in the life’ to see where it all began.
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. It’s a tad over done for me and why do we limit all the fuss to one day a year aside from anniversaries, birthdays or other momentous occasions?
I bought these prints for a little girls room yesterday and while they do have an underlying Valentine’s theme, I think they are perfectly adorable, and why not celebrate candy hearts and kisses all year long?
Pretty in pink: the bedding and paint colour already in place.
As of late, I’ve been more conscious of supporting smaller businesses so sourcing wall decor and accessories via avenues such as etsy is not only cost effective, you also get something off the beaten path and I love the idea of supporting a ‘little shop’.
Check out more of amanda catherine designs on etsy.
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
While we’ve moved into our new office, there’s still lots to do in order to bring it’s personality to life, but I thought it would be fun to share an inspiration board of the pieces we’re using in the space. Embracing the utilitarian concept of Calgary’s old military base, we’ve gone vintage 50′s with mid-century modern meets school house and bursts of colour on the side. One of my favorite pieces are the vintage swim bins, 25 wire baskets encased in a worn, kelly green metal frame. Perfect for client samples!
Rest assured we’ll show you the completed space when we’re all done.
1. Swim bins via Queen West Antiques, image via Shawn Hoke Photography, 2. Modern weave handled baskets via West Elm 3. Harmon pendant via Restoration Hardware 4. Vintage Eames management chair via Queen West Antiques 5. Weathered oak laminate flooring via Mannington 6. Eames marble top dining table via Queen West Antiques similar to Saarinen Tulip table shown 7. Bauhaus side chair via Restoration Hardware 8. Emory single wall sconce via Schoolhouse Electric 9. Industrial task tables lamps via West Elm 10. Rhapsody wool woven rug via Dash & Albert.
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
I’m always amazed when I look back at the before photos at the end of a project. I kind of forget what things were like before the walls came down and floors torn up because soon into the start of a project the end result is already in my mind. The photos speak volumes to the changes and confirm the decisions made along the way to better the space. This project is no exception. A long time client of mine recognized it was time to not only update her basement bathroom from a style perspective but create a space far more efficient and practical then what she currently had.
The ‘before’ bathroom was a divided space, a sink/vanity area out in the open (notice the carpet!) and through the door, a shower, toilet and additional sink. Not practical and certainly lacking in style, my clients requested a makeover. On the list: create a stylish, yet practical bathroom with tub, shower, vanity AND storage. With the bathroom 6′ wide by 10′ long and still a rather small space, decisions had to be made carefully and thoughtfully. We also needed to take into consideration the grandchildren who would use this space as it is close to the ‘play room’ and TV watching area of the home.
If you’d like to see our initial concept please visit the bathroom reno sneak peek.
AFTER!The tub was one of our first selections, a Victoria & Albert free standing beauty. We offset the white tub with black granite tiles on the wall to create a dramatic visual from the doorway as well as a surface with easy maintenance for any splashing from the tub. After all, creating drama in a space need not compromise practicality.
We opted to make the surface area of the custom vanity smaller in order to accommodate a pantry style unit, floor to ceiling, offering the space a huge amount of storage. To give a more spacious feel we lifted the vanity off the floor allowing the tile to continue to the wall. This a great tip in making spaces feel larger!
Because this bathroom is in a basement we needed to deal with a foundation wall we could not move. Embracing the ‘issue’ we created a ledge for display and decorative storage. Renovations do bring about surprises but finding creative solutions will often yield great results.
The bathroom is also a mix of masculine and feminine touches and rich textures. We used cafe mocha colours along with dramatic black, yet softened the space with finishing touches of pinks and a hint of red. Along with the graphic black and white geometric prints, three custom canvases from Bijou et Boheme‘s shop Wink of Pink add the perfect amount of softness in the space. If you’re not familiar with Christine’s new shop you must check it out. Please!
We used a mix of natural stone and porcelain tiles, a give and take approach to the budget. The natural stone mosaic ‘area rug’ is surrounded by less expensive 12″ x 12″ porcelain tiles to offset the costs and allow the carpet to take center stage. Natural stone in the shower adds texture and interest, a great visual through the glass shower walls….
….which is another way to create an open and spacious feel in a small bathroom. This way the site line is not impeded by walls and the flow of natural light carries throughout the space, even with such a small window.
Let’s recap: Here are 5 tips for a small space bathroom renovation
I’m pretty thrilled with the results, as is my client. And that my friends is a great feeling!
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
I embarked on a kitchen renovation earlier this year with clients who were moving to Calgary. We jumped into the project with both feet doing most of the preliminary work from afar. The goal: create a family friendly, classic kitchen that’s feminine (but not too feminine!), with a hint of modern.
You can’t get much more classic than white cabinets and carrera marble counters. We combined marble on the perimeter with a heavy duty granite on the island to be the work horse of the kitchen. Looking for a touch of colour, we incorporated a bold blue in the eating area along with a soft, water-coloured drapery fabric. Sparkly touches in the lighting and hardware are the perfect feminine additions to the room, not to mention the mirrored backsplash, a beautiful element of shimmer.
Adding a hint of modern, Benjamin Moore gray owl oc-52 is the wall colour throughout the main floor with the exception of the powder and dining rooms. This soft grey and warm white colour palette infused with cool blues will be a welcome reprieve from the brown hue my clients first laid eyes on when purchasing the home. Can’t wait to reveal more! Here’s a quick conceptual sketch I did in the early stages…
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
A master bedroom I’m working on is coming together. I received word yesterday the Au Lit bedding we ordered has arrived and I can’t wait to start putting the finishing touches on the room. This is an older home with pitched ceilings, dark window trims and wide plank floors. We painted the walls (and ceilings) a rich charcoal colour, and lightened the floor with a pale blue and steel patterned area carpet. Add textured linens, mirrored night tables and and a touch of turquoise and you’ve got a lovely room to retreat to, perfect for a master suite.
A grouping of some of the colours and materials we used below ~
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
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