Design Ideas by Adley & Company
How to Be House Proud Without Spending A Fortune
Posted on January 14 2023
What does it mean to be 'House Proud'? Some believe bigger is better, that home size is connected to one’s level of happiness for their dwelling. Some believe that interiors are the star attractions – shiny new furnishings hit the mark making them social media worthy. Still others believe...
Cottage Kitchen Renovation Project
Posted on September 13 2022
Those who have followed my blogs the last few years know that I’m kitchen obsessed. Since we did our own dream kitchen, I have devoured anything on this topic, pouring through magazines, glued to watching social media videos and TV shows. We are currently mulling over the idea of...
To DIY or not to DIY. Is it for you?
Posted on August 05 2022
In the last couple of years, I’ve really become hooked on watching YouTube videos. I even wrote a couple of blogs about it last year. Not surprisingly, my favorite content involves videos related to design and decorating. They’ve inspired me to become more creative, crafty and thrifty with my...
The End of Open Concept?
Posted on April 29 2022
When and why do trends come in and out of favour? It often feels like an omnipotent force regularly decides our design fates by bringing in new elements at the same time flushing out the over-saturated. Are these changes and decisions made by random thoughts or are they based...
Home Staging Done Right
Posted on February 26 2022
I recently completed a successful staging project. Although we live in a city where houses practically sell themselves, I would like to think that some of the 16 offers were inspired by my work. I was lucky that these homeowners were really motivated sellers who took my advice on...
Youtube Influencers and Designing Part 2 Who You NEED to Follow
Posted on November 15 2021
I hope you enjoyed my last blog – the wonderful and crazy world of YouTube. Here is the second half of my review of channels I subscribe to and enjoy. More Youtube and design influencers you NEED to follow!
Youtubers and Influencers You NEED to Follow in Home Design
Posted on September 28 2021
Snuggle into a comfy chair and get ready for my personal picks and analysis of their content and sometimes larger than life personalities. Here is Part 1 of a 2 part series on Youtubers you should have a look at!
Pandemic Poolside
Posted on July 26 2021
With the Pandemic keeping everyone at home, many homeowners have turned to installing pools in their backyards. If this is something you are thinking of doing, read on and find out if it's for you!
The Beach Isn't Just For Summertime
Posted on December 19 2019
If you are like me and live in a four season climate, winter can be harsh and long. It's a major reason why I love the coastal style in home decor - it helps those cold, dimly lit winters feel a little less long. We often think of beach and...
Are you a Coffee or Tea Household?
Posted on June 16 2019
Coffee or Tea? Answering this seemingly simple question is like entering a minefield of possibilities. When posing this question, I'm inevitably offering a veritable monologue of choices. When purchasing the goods at the store, I end up having to park myself in the aisle stocked full of endless options....
Spring is Here and So Is Cottage Season!
Posted on June 02 2019
Spring is finally here! It has been a long and frustrating wait. One of the ways that people around here mark the season, is by opening up their cottages and cabins by the lake. We are guardians of a family cottage about 2 hours northwest of our city. It's...
Wanted Dead or Alive - Design Trends to Keep or Not?
Posted on May 18 2019
Aside from major trend shifts year to year, I like to look at smaller design ideas to see if they also go in and out of favour. You decide whether they should hang around or hang their hats. I have to wonder, is Shabby Chic dead or alive?...
A Curated World
Posted on May 06 2019
I must admit to not being very confident in my abilities to style a surface. I suspect many of you feel the same way. My interests and abilities lean more toward understanding the guts of a build or choosing finishes or space planning. Perhaps my colleagues would label me...
Bathroom Horror Story - The Powerful Forces of Count Mould
Posted on April 01 2019
Once upon a time, in a land not too distant from our own, there lived a quiet but mighty Laird named James and his wife Carolina. Unbeknownst to them, a silent but evil darkness had fallen upon their castle. Its musty underbelly had blanketed the walls of their privy....
Three Featured Designers - Philippe Starck, Tom Dixon and Karim Rachid
Posted on March 17 2019
Philippe Starck, Tom Dixon, Karim Rachid... Do any of these names sound familiar to you? The first is French, the second is English and the third is an Egyptian born Canadian. What do these men have in common? They are all visionary designers and I'm sure you're aware of...
Take Inspiration but BEWARE of Home Design Shows
Posted on March 01 2019
HGTV (Home and Garden Television) first aired on December 01, 1994. It came into our area, late 1997. I wonder if founder Ken Lowe had any idea of this network's impact, almost 25 years later? I must admit to being an avid viewer and a fan of its various...
Coastal Dreamin' Around the World Part 2
Posted on February 17 2019
There is a breeziness and casualness which somewhat contrasts with the sometimes austere quality of the architecture. Let's hop a bit east and feast on what the rest of the Mediterranean has to offer, focusing on Greece, Italy and Spain. I feel like eating ripe, sweet tomatoes and basil,...
Coastal Dreamin' Around the World Part 1
Posted on February 03 2019
Even though the winter got a late start in our neck of the woods, I'm already quite fed up with it. The persistent grey skies, snow and frigid temperatures have me dreaming of sun, sand and sandals. I know where I would want to go and escape the season....
TREND, SHMENDS...Don't throw that away yet!
Posted on January 18 2019
I had planned on writing about new home trends for 2019. There are new and interesting ideas headed our way. However, I realized that you can find this information in any of the current magazine publications, television shows and social media. You can also get a really good feel for...
Happy New Year 2019! Let's De-Clutter!
Posted on January 04 2019
Happy New Year! This is the year of the golden pig. It signifies fortune and blessed lives for those born in the years of the same zodiac symbol. But I would like to think that we can all have a good year. I hope everyone had a very nice...
Christmas Tree Placement
Posted on December 17 2018
By now most of you have found that perfect fresh Christmas tree or you have managed to unearth your artificial tree from the depths of your basements or garages. Mix it up this year by placing your tree in a new location, an unexpected location. This is the bedroom...
Christmas Mantel Decorating
Posted on December 04 2018
I've always wanted a main floor fireplace. But even after our renovation, we still didn't have the right amount of space nor the budget to have one in our main floor living room. This year, we will use my piano top and other areas to decorate for the fast...
Thanksgiving Downtime
Posted on November 16 2018
After you TRYP-TO-light-PHAN-tastic, there is really only one thing left to do to cap off the evening, that's to loosen our belts, sit back and watch a good holiday film or TV show, which celebrates all that is wonderful about the Thanksgiving holiday. Here are some of my favourites:...
How to Pick the Perfect Sofa
Posted on November 02 2018
With cooler weather upon us, we are now more focused on our indoors. It's time to look for one of the most impossible-to-shop-for pieces of furniture in our living spaces. But first, which word do you use - sofa, couch, chesterfield? Along with the lesser used "settee", most people use...
Interior Design Trends 2018: Part Two
Posted on October 19 2018
Continuing this blog post with more of the Houzz 2018 design trend predictions! DEFINING KITCHENS IN OPEN FLOOR PLANS Half walls with or without cabinets, I'm not sure about this trend. Open concept living is here to stay, so the thought of adding half walls here and there to define...
2018 Home Decor Trends: A Look Back
Posted on October 04 2018
As we near the end of another year, it's a good time to look back at a very popular website's new years day posting about what their predictions were for 2018 home design trends. It was interesting see what Houzz's take was on what they felt would become very large...
Renovations Complete - At Long Last!
Posted on September 29 2018
At long last, here are the official before and after photos of our main floor renovation. We are of course not yet completely finished. It's true when people say that the last 5% doesn't get done very quickly nor very easily! In our case, it's that last 1% which...
Not Quite The End Of Summer
Posted on September 11 2018
Every summer, I find myself humming this Nat King Cole song: "...Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer Those days of soda and pretzels and beer Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer You'll wish that summer could always be here" As we near...
Kitchen Layouts - Renovation Ideas
Posted on August 29 2018
See our collection of hand crafted throw blankets here! By far the most challenging and exciting element of our renovation was the new kitchen design. We were removing most of the interior walls, so really, our choices were far from limited. We looked at conventional layouts, unconventional layouts, space...
Battle of The Sexes - HOME EDITION
Posted on August 05 2018
Having been married a long time, I've come to the conclusion that there are only 2 kinds of people in the world - men and women. Some may disagree, but my personal experiences living with the opposite sex have taught me a lot of things both wonderful and frustrating....
A Renovation in Review: Through The Peephole of a Designer's New Domain
Posted on July 12 2018
My apologies for not yet posting the "after" photos of our renovations. As the devil is in the details, we are still busy working away to finish all of the outstanding tasks which make up the last 5% of our new main floor. We are also finally getting to...
Gardening Indoors and Out, How to Plan A Garden
Posted on June 20 2018
Do you have a green thumb? Mine isn't black but it's not green either, maybe more of a chartreuse - a greenhorn when it comes to the wonderful world of gardening. I come from living in a condo to a small, city plot of land so my dreams...
The End of May Renovations
Posted on June 08 2018
As I sit scribbling away to complete this blog, words from a local actor come to mind as he described his beautifully renovated new home: ..."Man, I never thought in my life, I'd be able to have something so cool..." We are not completely finished, but progress has...
Tiny But Mighty - The Tiny House Movement
Posted on May 15 2018
Did you know that the average North American house size is 1,948 to 2,100 square feet? And the general trend seems to be to go bigger, as evidenced by the souring numbers of people opting to renovate and/or add additions. I know that homes in our little neighbourhood have...
It's Only Been a Month? Renovations Part 4
Posted on April 22 2018
Hanging on by a thread! As I put thoughts to paper, this day marks the 1 month point since the start of our renovations. Has it only been a month?! Much has happened and I am feeling very weary. We are at that point in the marathon when initial euphoria has...
HYGGE - Hue-Guh
Posted on April 02 2018
What is HYGGE? How is it pronounced?! (hue-guh) is difficult to explain in one sentence. It's not a tangible, more a feeling, an atmosphere created for one's inner peace and coziness. I think this Danish word sounds like a lot the English word "hug". That sound about right! I think...
Life is a Renovation. Go big or go...home?
Posted on March 16 2018
Hello folks, My apologies for my absence. I had planned on posting at the beginning of this month, but that was when the renovation gods descended upon us. Here I am, with head barely above water, squeezed into my tiny office, rambling on to regale you with the latest in the saga...
The Renovator Dating Game
Posted on February 20 2018
How do lonely single socks find that special someone? matchsox.com Ok, that's my little joke. But this blog is all about finding that special someone ‐ not to love, but to handle the task of being your General Contractor. This process can be as frustrating and as elusive as...
Do You Need Professional Help?
Posted on February 03 2018
Congratulations for making it through January, through some of the coldest days of the year so far, the saddest day of the year and making a clean and fresh start. Did my last post put you off renovations? Or do you want to hold steadfast dreams of improving your...
Here We Grow Again! Tales of a Home Renovation Project, Part 1
Posted on January 18 2018
It seems like just yesterday we completed our last renovation. But here we are again, at the precipice of round 4! I am as nervous as ever. Our first foray was the big one - adding a second storey to our little granny bungalow. In some ways, we are...
A Fresh Start to 2018! De-Clutter and Organize!
Posted on January 03 2018
Happy new year! Now that we are slowly emerging from holiday festivities, it's time to think about starting fresh in 2018, a nice round number. As much as I love the lead up to Christmas and shamelessly sneak in decorating in November, when the clock strikes midnight and the ball drops,...
Getting Ready For New Year's Eve
Posted on December 26 2017
Wow, where did that year go? The Christmas meal has been digested and the cheery decorations seem a bit tired and dusty. But wait, there is still lots of celebrating yet to be done. I may be treading on thin ice when I dare suggest taking some holiday decorations down...
Conventional Holiday Decorating ... Or Not?
Posted on December 04 2017
What is 'Christmassy' to you? What does that mean to you, me or anyone else? In decades past, there was a conventionality to holiday decorating. House to house, home to home, there was generally a common theme. Whether the tree be real or bright silver from a box, we could...
Thanksgiving Checklist
Posted on November 17 2017
1. Put away Halloween decorations2. Put up Thanksgiving decorations3. Cook like crazy4. Eat like crazy5. Shop til you drop It's a good thing that Halloween decorations are orange and black, because you can use that orange as the transitional bridge from Halloween to harvest decorating. I've always thought that a good Jack-o-lantern...
Picture It - How To Hang Art on Your Walls
Posted on November 08 2017
We are a savvy society. With HGTV, numerous home and DIY televisions shows, magazines and popular apps such as Houzz and Pinterest, we feel empowered. Even big box home renovation stores' TV commercials send us messages of encouragement. Although we have so many tools at our disposal, it seems there is...
Incorporating Antiques into Your Space
Posted on October 15 2017
Who doesn't love antiques? Whether you are hitting the road like The American Pickers or purchasing online, there is a beautiful feeling about owning a piece of history. But how to add them to your home? Which ones to buy? How much to spend? It's not as difficult as...
10 Ways To Style Your Display Trays
Posted on September 23 2017
I've been wanting to write a post about display trays for awhile. I have a couple of beautiful glass pedestal displays that I use frequently. And not just for food! When I lived in smaller apartments and did not have a lot of counter space in the kitchen, I...
Don't Get Out Of Bed-Create a Bedroom Oasis
Posted on August 26 2017
With these bedroom ideas, you may never want to leave! Considering how much time we spend in bed, you might as well make it your oasis. Here are some tips.
To Be Or Not To Be Concrete
Posted on August 14 2017
I went to an open house the other day in my neighbourhood, and one thing struck me about the kitchen. The concrete counter top. I love concrete counter tops, but have not seen too many that have been done well. This particular one was still cold feeling, had too...
Design Failures-Fads That Don't Translate To Real Life
Posted on July 18 2017
We all drool over them, save them to our Pinterest boards, clip the magazine photos .... but some design fads don't really translate to the real world. Whether they be impractical or won't be in next season (and you just spent a bunch of $$), a fad is exactly...