Last week I introduced you to artist and designer Courtney Wotherspoon. Today we’re going to take a closer look at one of the projects she had a hand in designing – l’ouvrier kitchen/bar. With a little ingenuity and some serious DIY she turned a blank space into a riveting venue. These are projects you could even try out in your home. I think the “detritus baggie” installation would look great in an office. Great inspiration for a Tuesday morning!
L’ouvrier is a lesson in white – specifically high gloss white. Vintage table bases and wood tops were painted in high gloss white paint to create a uniform and clean look.
Of course, every rule needs to be broken so there is one standout fluorescent pink table at the from of the room – a trademark Courtney Wotherspoon colour!
Throughout the space Wotherspoon made the utilitarian beautiful. Here are a typical black electrical cord becomes captivating wall art.
On the opposite wall, Wotherspoon installed a series of ziploc bags filled with construction and renovation debris.
A detail of the “detritus baggies.”
A casual place to have drinks withe more wall art made from electrical cord by Courtney.
Wotherspoon also designed the restaurant’s logo, menu, gift certificates, and business cards.
At the back of the restaurant is a solid concrete bar with vintage laboratory stools. On the wall, Courtney has installed sticks she has painted in vivid colours.
For more information on l’ouvrier check out my interview with Courtney Wotherspoon.
All photographs by Kristin Sjaarda.
Share the love! If you’re like me and have small children than you probably spent the past week writing Valentine’s day cards and making treats for tomorrow’s class. My sweet four year old refused to put his name on any of the cards I handmade so the effort was all mine. I hope his classmate’s like them! For treats, I decided to go a little sweet and a little wholesome – chocolate dipped strawberries. Actually I have to give all the credit to my husband who bought all the ingredients late last night and hand dipped each one himself. That’s true love.
(I shot this Valentine’s Day moodboard for HGTV. Head over there to read the post!)
Over the weekend we celebrated Henry’s birthday party. This year I planned an Anchors Aweigh party. Below are some of the things I pulled together for the celebration.
It all started when I stumbled upon this jaunty striped shirt. I thought a sailor theme with an emphasis on the anchor would be a great idea for a kids birthday party. I ran it past Henry and he was (wait for it) on board!
The colour palette was obvious – red, white and blue. I decided to pick up a white sailor hat for each of the kids so they would feel part of the adventure.
I like having some kind of craft the kids can do that they can also walk away from the party with. I saw these rope hook bracelets and thought they would be a hit with both the boys and the girls. I was right although they were a bit complicated to make for the age level. We used small “S” hook carabiners instead of the more dangerous fish hook-like clasps in the photo.
Finally, I found these great temporary tattoos by Canadian Brooklyn based company Tattly. I ordered a whole bunch for the loot bags but alas they didn’t arrive in time. I guess our family will be sporting naval tattoos at the Christmas table this year!
With Easter coming up at the end of this week I pulled together a pastel-inspired, table setting moodboard for the people over at HGTV. Personally, I love decorating at this time of year. Spring flowers, hands down, have to be some of the prettiest. Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, muscari and all those beautiful flowering branches get me every time. Then of course there are all the fun crafts you can do with dyed easter eggs, mini bird’s nests and other spring related activities. For all the details on this moodboard swing by HGTV and have a peep!
By the way, if you’re looking for an easy yet beautiful craft to do with your children I suggest heading over to Rachel Riordan’s blog The Stay Lucky. She recently did a great step by step post on how to make monogrammed, speckled Easter eggs for your kid’s Easter basket.
The end result is nothing less than spectacular.
In fact, it was so good that this month’s Today’s Parent magazine has an entire spread featuring Rachel, her decorating prowess and her adorable twins.
Image credits:
1 – The Marion House Book
2-3 – Anya Chibis for Today’s Parent
