Lyons Interiors

12/19/2018

For a design nut like myself, a trip to Paris, especially right before Christmas is both fuel for a really big fire and can create a bit of a conundrum. The inspiration is everywhere in this most beautiful of cities. It's like being dipped in a vat of melted butter. You just can't wipe it off once you've been immersed. And who would want to?!

Everywhere you turn there is inspiration, artistry, history and a zest for the beautiful things in life that make it just a little easier to live it.

The conundrum once home is how to translate some of this Parisian je ne c'est quoi into my own little nook of Prince Edward County in a very short amount of time before Christmas.

I must admit, I normally have the house decorated inside and out at the beginning of December, but this year, well time slipped away from me with other business and I found my munchkins bemoaning the lack of Christmas decor in and out.

For those of you familiar with our beloved PEC, you'll know we are also known for our grapes and thus vines are aplenty. Luckily I do have a number of vinter friends who I know would happily accomodate my request to pilfer some of their previously trimmed vines (had I asked with enough notice and at the right time of year, haha), so instead I scavenged some knarly wild grapevines from my own property. The abundance was not what I was hoping for, but I think the effect is achieved. Next year I will have oodles of vines on hand and be sure to remind everyone that my services are available in November for interior and exterior holiday design as well as my normal interior projects.

I hope you enjoy some of the photos I snapped while dragging behind my girlfriends on our whirwind Parisian escape (sans enfants no less!). The end result (my home), is the red door. Planter was not yet finished at that point. If I can get my daughters' hands out of the cookie batter I may get around to finishing it before Christmas Day...

Happy Holidays mes amis!

10/12/2018

My latest project and you can experience the lifestyle for yourself. Come envelop yourself in this cocoon of music heavy bliss.

Entire home/apt in Toronto, Canada. Ever wonder what Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, or Prince would live like? You'll get a taste of that at the Fleetwood Flat. This Rock n' Roll Heaven has been specifically designed to give our guests a taste of the fast paced, music infused, heart p...

10/08/2018

Latest project by Lyons Interiors, the Fleetwood Flat in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood. This is a boutique hotel short term rental space like no other.

The inspiration for the space was to create the ultimate rock n’ roll pad. An homage to the great classic rock artists who have influenced so many aspects of NA culture beyond simply their music. Interiors pull inspiration from varying aspects of our lives and this was more fun than I’ve had in a long time.

Utilizing high gloss black walls allowed light to continue to bounce around the dark space. We pulled the colour right up onto the ceiling to minimize a drastic change in ceiling angle, thereby completely masking it. We kept the white trim and doors as it allowed a lightness to continue in the apartment. The light bamboo flooring is a perfect foil for the intense envelope and is highly durable.

Furniture was chosen for texture and durability as much as for the lux approach to the rock star pad we were going for. By combing slick and shinny black tufted leather with heavy chrome framing for the sofa (reminiscent of classic car styling and materials), with heavily distressed rich brown leather in the chaise, sumptuous tufted velvet in the ottoman and heavy Bordeaux curtains on top a rich Persian style rug, ensured a layering and visual density perfectly in tune with feeling as if you are staying in the home of a rock god.

Art includes classic black and white portraiture as well as original pieces of art and concert posters from iconic Rockabilly performers. Much of the art speaks directly to Toronto’s place in music history with images such as Elvis at Maple Leaf gardens (first donning of the gold lame suite), the Beatles tour poster for Canada, and the iconic Neon Palms of the El Mocambo.

The kitchen combines elements reminiscent of classic 50’s diners with the white and stainless steel backsplash and the high contrast black and white sleek cabinetry. With plenty of storage and counter space this is truly a home away from home.

The dining area is dominated by this fantastic vintage kitchen set with black and gold winged backrests and contrasting cream and gold seats and reverse backrest upholstering. The metal base of the table and chairs tie in perfectly with the chrome found in the sofa and chaise.

More pics to follow. Stay tuned!
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10/08/2018

This bedroom design was created for an 11 year old boy. We utilized some existing pieces, because honestly, who can afford to start from scratch? The bed, dresser and side table were all pre-existing, as well as the superhero art. The goal with this project was to provide this bedroom (which is in a walkout basement), a cosy den like feel that could grow with him for years to come.

By adding in a generous sized love seat and ottoman (slipcovered), we created both a hangout lounge space and a comfy crash space for sleepovers. Heavy curtains adds to the feeing of being surrounded in warmth, as well as the variety of plush textures and fabrics. Knits, flannels, chenille and velvet coupled with classic Canadian images and rustic decor elements create a space that will ensure this young man and his parents will be happy for years to come.

09/08/2017

Thought I would share some in progress pics from this project. They certainly aren't glamorous but there is plenty of excitement in the household as this renovation encompasses 900 square feet in total with 600 of that being completely new space.

Working with the needs of a large family of 6 and a set amount of space requires careful planning. Firstly, what are the needs of the family? What are the deficiencies they are trying to correct? What purpose will this space serve?

Here we are taking 300 square feet of existing space which housed three children in one bedroom and one bathroom and completely revolutionized it. We've moved the laundry room from off the kitchen to the new "children's wing". I made space for two bathrooms as this family has four children. One with a stand alone tub and double vanity, the other with single sink and custom walk in shower. Finally, we've made space for three bedrooms. The two middle boys will share an extremely generous room, with the eldest boy and baby girl in their own rooms.

More amazing progress photos to come!

07/13/2017

Design incorporates so many diverse elements, one of the most significant if not the most significant being use of space. When dealing with larger homes such as this spacious country home, it's 5000sq ft footprint for the most part incorporates generous open spaces that flow well into one another. There are few hallways that separate out its various living areas which allows the owners and their four children the practicality of feeling close even when in different "rooms". The greatest downside however to the original plan and subsequent later renovation was a lack of bedrooms on the second floor.

The original owner of this home was also the builder/designer and the plan and subsequent evolution of its design reflected that owners needs only and did not embrace a vision for future owners or their families.

The home had a total of three bedrooms, one of which was on the main floor with its own private entrance. Originally used as an office, it was not a practical option for the current homeowners to accommodate their children.

Now underway, the bedroom addition is well underway for an end of August completion date, just in time for back-to-school.

The new addition we are calling 'the children's wing' utilizes the generous space above the existing garage, once a deck off the children's previous shared bedroom space (you can see the deck carved into the roof in the first picture below).

In pulling the roof back to the exterior wall of the garage, we gained an additional 600 sq ft of space which allotted us 900 sq ft in total for the renovation/addition. The new wing includes a relocated laundry room, two washrooms (one contains a magnificent and luxurious soaker tub with double vanity and the other a custom shower with single vanity), and three very large bedrooms.

The design went through various renditions which included incorporating four bedrooms but the homeowner opted for three, meaning her two youngest boys would continue to share a very generous space. If they had chosen the four bedroom option the addition would have felt more in keeping with a dormitory rather than a sprawling country estate. The homeowners were adamant the new addition should feel as if it had been there all along and therefore room proportion was a significant part of that decision.

Stay tuned for final pictures in August!

04/22/2017

Have you ever had that nagging feeling coming up your driveway that there's just something not quite right with your home's exterior? It can be challenging to narrow it down. What exactly is it that makes a house sing? What are those magical design components that produce curb appeal? If you are wondering that about your house, give me a ring or send me a message to book a consult. We can make the magic happen.

04/15/2017

Its finally spring and with the warmer weather and longer days I always feel the need to refresh my home. Sometime's its as simple as bringing in some fresh pattern with throw pillows and accent pieces and other times its about more major changes. For the past couple of weeks I have been knee deep in spring cleaning. Editing your space, purging clothes you no longer wear, going through your junk drawers will literally lighten your mood and help you shake off those winter doldrums. My current project involves tackling my walk-in closet. There are definitely some design challenges to this space. One of which is the lack of light and the low ceilings. My major annoyance with this closet is the lack of appropriate shoe storage. Full admission, I'm a bit of a shoe hog. Granted that since having kids my shoe budget has shrunk considerably, I still manage now and again to find a great bargain in a variety of places.

In an ideal world 2 months from now you wouldn't recognize this space and I'd have a fabulous closet company come in and design me a grand closet decked out to look like a jewel box. As funds are not unlimited and being a designer makes it a challenge to justify hiring one, I'm tackling this project on my own. When planning out a re-design I break the project down into functionality and aesthetics. What do I need the space to do and, how do I want the space to look? Ultimately, the goal of any well designed space is to marry these two components.

As light is a huge issue in this space, my wish list consists of a new venting skylight. Velux makes great products I have used before. A venting skylight will allow me to air out the closet on days where the weather will be dependably dry and warm. There is a considerably amount of space between the closet and the closest windows so bringing in fresh air is literally an impossibility at this time. The light a skylight would bring into this space would add not only the natural light but also cut back on the necessity of always turning the lights on when entering the closet.

The next element is colour which ties into light. Many people would bristle at the thought of painting cedar, especially a cedar closet. While the idea of a moth-free environment for your clothes is fantastic, I have to admit to seeing the pesky guys flying about now and then even with the closet. The lost benefits of having a cedar closet will be greatly outweighed by the lightness that will come from a white painted closet. Colours of clothes will pop and by providing a clean backdrop to the closet will in fact add to the sense of calm and encourage continued organization. White naturally lightens the mood as well and having painted wood panelling in the past, I can attest to its astounding effect.

Artificial light is unfortunately, a necessity and so installing LED pot lights in the angled ceiling with directional lighting carefully spaced to illuminate future shoe storage etc will ensure that evening dashes into the closet won't be stressful ones.

Proper use of existing space. The current space is completely under-utilized. Hanging rods need to be lowered and shelves mounted above each bracket holding the rod. By providing shelving above the rods, Display space for hats (of which we have plenty), purses or shoes will be gained. Currently our hats live in a jumbled mess in a tight closet in the mudroom. Spacing them out properly in the bedroom closet will ensure their ongoing wear. When you can see it, you'll remember you have it and wear it!

Re-organizing the space below the hanging rods is imperative in this space. My ultimate goal is to eventually rid our bedroom of the gigantic and unfortunate black dressers we purchased twelve years ago. They worked well in our city loft but in our current country home with expansive views of the Bay, they are for boding and cumbersome. Bringing in a means to house folding clothes will allow us to get rid of those massive dressers and make way for a sleeker less intrusive dressing table.

Another admission, I'm not the only shoe-horse in this family. My husband likes shoes nearly as much as I do and while my tastes tends towards the pricier of the two, accommodating said shoes is a task. Currently we are attempting to utilize shoe storage racks purchased at a big box store. Maybe its just us, but I find these racks completely useless. The shoes occasionally go on the rack but once they're worn, they rarely go back. Instead they end up on the floor in a jumbled mess. Not only is that a totally ineffective way to store shoes, its stressful when trying to finish off an outfit and as my mother would say, its terrible for the longevity of your shoes. The goal is to remove the rod on the back wall where my dresses currently reside and install a proper shoe storage system. Glass doors are a must to keep shoes dust free and visible. If you can't see them, you won't wear them.

While there are definitely challenges to this room, I'm jumping to get on this project full force. I have to admit, I've recently called our painter to come out and quote on the job. Shh, don't say anything. I've uploaded some inspiration photos from Pinterest so you can see the direction I'd like to go. Wish me luck and happy Spring purging.

01/16/2017

01/16/2017

Here are some work in progress pics. Here is the issue. This large home has been going through a progressive update from top to bottom. These windows and doors are high quality features but are quite old and we're looking dated and did not jive with the long term vision for the house. New windows and doors are incredibly expensive and sometimes you can't afford to lose a year's salary replacing them all (who can?), so we face the reality of doing things in stages. New windows were purchased for the most visible part of the house near the entry, kitchen & mudroom as were new doors. This area faces the front of the house but feels tucked away as it is separated by a garage from the other end of the home. While the long term plan is to eventually replace these windows, we decided to facelift them in the interim. And voila! We have a match.

01/16/2017

Good design isn't always about spending a ton of money. Reality and budgetary restrictions meant a new baby and a lack of free bedroom means temporary measures must be taken. With some creative thinking a beautiful and inviting space can be carved out for your precious new arrival. Big reno's sometimes need to wait but it doesn't mean practicality, necessity and style need to be on hold too!