How neat is this!? A floating bonsai! Now this would be a conversation starter. Check out a video on the Floating Bonsai here. I think I need one of these in our house!

Since it's the start of a fresh new year I thought I would do a whole house overview; to see where we are and where we want to go in terms of house renovations. This past year moved a little slower in getting things crossed off the list, as a new baby took up a lot of our time. However, we still managed to get some exciting projects completed. So here is an overview of our home, from where we started to now, and where we would like to go in the future. 

Nope, you are not imagining it, nothing has changed out here except the seasons. However, we have big plans and hopefully we will be able to start on it this summer!

To Do:

• Get new modern outdoor lights for beside the front door and up on the balcony.
• Completely overhaul the balcony: Wood needs replacing and get a new railing; and I want to paint it a new colour, maybe dark grey.
• Build a low front deck leading up to the entrance. 
• Add a swing in the space beside the front doors: either a baby swing or a bench swing (maybe both).
• Change the front doors and handles to something less gold and more modern.
• Paint the garage door a dark grey.
• Give the garden some TLC.

We haven't changed too much in here this past year. All the future projects we want to do in this area are low priority right now. Hopefully the front doors we will change out this summer as part of our front yard project. 

To Do:​​

• Widen the closet doors and add french doors.
• Redo inside of closet, by painting and adding more useful shelving (especially for little ones).
• Change front hall tiles, that will extend into the laundry area and bathroom.

Elara's toys have slowly migrated down here, and after Christmas they exploded! It's the perfect room for her as we can close her in, and there isn't too much she can get into. We have only made a few small changes in here over the past year, and there are very few to do in the near future.

To Do:

• New cover for a cable that's sticking out the wall.
• New Window Coverings

Not much has happened in here, except for adding hooks at the back and putting the throw rug down. I'm hoping to one day separate the furnace from the laundry area. Then build in the laundry with a nice sink and shelving for all our cleaning stuff. I'd also like to add a bench and hooks for the kids to use when coming in from the garage. Future project! Everything from the furnace to the dryer are on it's last legs. We are waiting for everything to die in here before replacing it and renovating. ​

We have renovated this bathroom as much as we will for awhile. One day we will rip it all out and change it. But for now it will do, especially once the kids move in. 

To Do:

• New floor tiles and heated floor
• Change everything!

The guest room has gone through a few redecorations over the last couple of years. I'm so happy with how it looks currently. However, there are still some items I would like to add.

To Do:

• Change carpet
• Add bedside tables
• Maybe one day get a new bed
• Put up curtains

This is a temporary room, but for now it houses both of our offices. One day, probably sooner then I think, it will be a kid's room. I'm happy with it for now as an office, and at night it is quite cozy in here. 

To Do: 

• Change carpet
• Make into ultimate awesome kids room!

Looking forward to making our plans into reality. ​ Stay tuned for "Part Two: Upstairs" next week. 

Here are some photos from the LUX Light Festival that takes place in Helsinki each year. There was lots of amazing art on display all featuring light! Such a neat concept, especially in the winter when the days are a lot shorter, we neat a little extra light. Check out more photos here. 

We have been undertaking a huge carpet cleaning project. And I'm happy to say we just finished all the carpets this past weekend. The guest bedroom carpet is by far the worst. While some of the stains came out, a lot are still there, but it definitely smells better! At the same time I decided to give the room a slightly different look; I'm really liking it. I changed up the bedding (everything I already had in storage) and moved some of the furniture around. The black shelf is now in our office, and I added the white bookcase from the entertainment room. We decided to move the bookcase because Elara kept getting into while it was in the other room. Plus. now guests can peruse the books when they have a moment to themselves. It fits quite well into the corner.

The room actually feels more spacious with the subtle colours, and with the black shelves gone. I also moved the coffee table from the entertainment room to be used as a bed side table. I also added more art on the walls. It's so cozy now I want to move in!

This house defies the laws of gravity! Such an incredible vision of architecture. Designed by architects at OPA, it is known as Casa Brutale. Check out more at Home Designing. 

About: 
Although set beside the sea and indeed perched upon a cliff, the house is actually carved out of the earth, with three walls surrounded entirely by the cliff itself. The resulting structure is a nod to Brutalist stylings in concrete and glass, while also realizing an architect's vision with a completely unique home.

David Bowie was an amazing artist, musician, and inspiration. It's hard to imagine the world without him as he touched so many aspects of it. He influenced my life starting from seeing him in the movie Labyrinth as the goblin king to the song Rebel Rebel in high school. There are even so many well known songs that I found myself saying "that's a Bowie song too"?! I'm still blown away by the exhibit, that was at the Art Gallery of Ontario, featuring David Bowie back in 2013. I posted about my experience here. It is still one of the best exhibits I have ever been too, and I went twice! It was so well done, letting the visitor explore many different rooms; each place expressing a different mood, from whimsical to homey, to serious. The exhibit ended in a huge room that felt like being at a live concert. It had many of Bowie's costumes on display with lots of colourful lights and played his music from live performances. We hung out in there, on the many couches, for quite awhile just taking it all in. After this exhibit I got into Bowie and his music even more. He had quite the life, always being the first to try something and start a new trend. The world will miss this genius.  

Architect Jesse Bennett and interior designer Anne-Marie Campagnolo created a home for themselves in Australia. I love the openness of it, and the organic shape. Check out more photos at Contemporist. 

About: 
Set in tropical north Queensland, the house embraces the heritage rainforest surrounds and utilises experimental passive design methods. The simplistic approach and use of Lo-Fi technologies results in a raw and honest dwelling. Contours of the site ridgeline have formed basis for the playful lines utilised in concrete profiles.

I'm back after the holidays, and a brief break from posting as well. It was nice to just relax and enjoy spending time with family and friends. There is usually not much going on in January for most people. It is the time to get back on course after the holiday's indulgences. It is a good time to start fresh, with new projects and goals. This is my inspiration board for January. 

My top projects for this winter are:

• Research and plan the front yard, balcony, and front entrance. I am planning to fix up everything that needs it and make a completely fresh look for our house. 
• Pudge the house of excess things we don't need or use.
• Finish up all the little projects that we have started, before starting anything new.

Sources:

• Books - Online Book Search​
• Fireplace - HGTV
• Pasta Dish - Food.com