The Elements of The Man Cave

Ok, so I am not a man, nor do I fully get the "mancave" concept but it seems to have become a necessity in todays homes. 

I can't watch a real estate show where the husband doesn't say, "Where's my man cave?"

In the book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus the author John Gray states,

"When men's tolerance to stressful situations is exceeded, they withdraw temporarily, "retreating into their cave", so to speak. Often, they literally retreat: for example, to the garage, or to go spend time with friends. In their "caves", men are not necessarily focussed on the problem at hand; the "time-out" lets them distance themselves from the problem and relax, allowing them to re-examine the problem later with a fresh perspective.

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Gray holds that retreating into the cave has historically been hard for women to understand, because when they become unduly stressed, their natural reaction is to talk with someone close about it (even if talking doesn't provide a solution to the problem at hand). That leads to a natural dynamic where the man retreats as the woman tries to grow closer, which becomes a major source of conflict between them."

So this blog is dedicated to the man cave, to men's natural tendency to retreat. 

This also help me to understand why I don't get the concept, I am a woman!

Elements Needed In A Mancave

Privacy

Somewhere they can pull the cigars out and enjoy

A bar

Leather seating

A television bigger than all their friends televisions

Often some sort of tackiness just to keep us women out 

Dare we enter???

Via Pinterest

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via wildandwalden.tumblr.com

obeedesigns.blogspot.fr

pinrenoideas.com

interiordesign4.com




The Vintage Mancave

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Via Pinterest

theselvedgeyard.files.wordpress.com

        

The Modern Mancave

via houzz.com

justmaketile.blogspot.com

So there you have it, the mancave! I guess we have ours as well but as far as I know, we haven't named it the woman cave.
Do you have one?

The Beauty of Contrast

Via myscandanavian.blogspot.ca

One of my favourite looks in design is a combination of white & black or charcoal with warm rich woods! 

Via smallshopstudio.com

This room is very dramatic with its dark walls and white sofa and chairs. The warmth of the wood, the sisal rug and stools create a perfect blend. 

Great artwork too!

Source Unknown :(  Really sad as it is a beauty and credit should be given!

Ohhhh...there is so much I love about this room!

The brick, the doors, the art on the chalkboard, the concrete flooring, the table and chairs. All together yummy!!!

Via houseofbliss.blogspot.ca

Via Houzz.com

This room is more subtle than the others. Still has all the element but may be easier for the not so brave.

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The same scheme can be implemented in your tableware.

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An otherwise simple room has dramatic impact with the black & white zig zag area rug.

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I will end it with a view of a room I would love to have for my guests. 
Have a great day!

Elements Of A Perfect Reading Room

Via www.heartbeatoz.tumblr.com

September has made it's presence known with thunder, lighting and dark skies. This time of year makes me want to settle into a comfy chair, wrapped in my Mémé's quilt, steamy chai tea and a great novel.

This posting is about what my perfect reading room would look like. 

 Via Home Trends Design

It has to have a window preferably with a great view!

Via BilVil Architecture

 Bookcases have to be styled neatly with some interesting pieces I have collected over the years displayed here and there.

Me and My Bentley Tumber

Maybe a secret door so I can hide away on those days I need some alone time!

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 On a warm fall day, it would be set up in a park, a back yard or near a riverbed.

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How relaxing this room would be to read in. I can almost hear the waves!

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Simply lovely! Who could resist the temptation to settle in here?

  In my dream world, my reading room would be in Paris, only this time sipping a thick, rich, dark espresso, with some lovely french pastries!

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 What would your perfect reading room look like? If the book is great, does the room really matter?
 I have just pulled out a couple books that I have had for quite some time and yet didn't read,
Julie & Julia and Eat Pray Love.
What are you reading right now?

The Beauty of Patterned Sofas

For quite some time now I have been hoping to walk into a store and see a patterned sofa.

I remember our first custom sofa, sea foam green with dusty rose flowers. I know, I know, I am dating myself! We were so excited about it and I remember a designer tried to talk us out of it and persuade us to purchase a white one. I loved that sea foam green floral for years! Eventually it was replaced with a beige sofa, then a green sofa and now a sandy cream sectional. All very safe choices! 

Source: Tobi Fairley

As in all trends, we revisit styles time and time again but it has been awhile since we have seen big bold patterns on sofas. 

Source: Design*Sponge

I would love to have a client brave enough to include a white sofa with large brightly coloured flowers on it like this one. How happy would you be in this room from Design * Sponge? 

The Blanche sofa from Bruehl

The Blanche Sofa is a statement piece and yet not over the top. 

It is stunning with the small print wallpaper!

Design*Sponge

I love the drama of this room. The black & white rug draws your eye right to the black paisley in the sofa. From there you are drawn to the art work with a blend of all the tones in the sofa.

 Great pattern play Design * Sponge!

For those of you who are not quite so brave,

 here is a lovely subtle pattern on the Elinor Sofa from Hickory Chair. 

This photo taken from House & Home.

So where do you stand? Are you brave enough to add a patterned sofa to your design scheme? 

Arts Alive Festival Downtown Langley

Every summer downtown Langley hosts a festival called Arts Alive. This year was great once again!
It is amazing how many local artist we have that we would otherwise never meet. This year I found a couple of artists that I loved.
Here are a few shots of the day!

Upon arrival there was music heard throughout the street!

It was a very good turnout this year!

They had a section just for kids and kids at heart!

This is a new artist I met, Cherlandra Estrada. Her art was bright, colourful and eyecatching!

Tree of Life

Fabric Sculptures by Lise

Carrie from The Passionate Home demonstrating Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

I loved the basket weaving by Lynn Kusack from Mason Heights Pottery & Basketry!

The day was finished at Ignite Cafe on 204th Street with some Cypress wine, appetizer and delicious steak.
Always a great meal to savour here!

About Me
                                                                             
I am a lover of all things beautiful!
Passionate about people, style and design.

I have always been the creative type.
I was a hairstylist for years, worked in the clothing industry and then in interior decorating.

Creative types see the world differently and get their inspirations at times from things that other people may bypass.


This blog is about those inspirations. It is mostly about decorating but as I find treasures it could lead onto many different paths, be it great recipes waiting to be prepared, wines that awaken taste buds or people who captivate me and make me see life a little differently.
So come along on this journey and let's Behold The Beauty in life!

The Village of Finn Slough Steveston BC

When looking for new inspiration in interior design, one must look outside the conventional places.

Recently, my sister and I discovered The Village of Finn Slough. 

What a treasure it was!

 I loved the bicycle on the peak!

One of the things that stopped me with this village is that people live there.

What many would pass up as a deserted village is thriving with people who have found a much simpler form of living that most. 

It was a very tranquil space and residents used found treasures to make their homes special.

It was hard to tell what came first, the truck or the bushes.

They were so intertwined, nature and metal became one! 

Everything blended into the greenery!

In this setting, even the chopped wood was art!

If one wanted to retreat from the world, this certainly would be the place.

Further down there is an inlet. It made me wonder if these were all houseboats at one time.

Not for everyone but certainly inspired me to a simpler way of living!

Here are a few more photos that give a really good glimpse into Finn Slough!

Have a great day!