Professional Advice..

I have hired the help of an interior designer to consult me with the project of decorating my new flat since I have bought furniture that doesn't fit the space!!! I have always admired interior designers and hope to gain some insight and be able to pick furniture that will actually work. I'll also write down what the designer says on the blog--he's got quite an observant eye!

Ceiling Shelving

Whoever thought of ceiling shelving is ingenious and fantastic. For those short on space, building vertically is like one of the few viable options but it could be chic. We have high ceiling space that most people don't utilize because they do not think storing things so high is very convenient. But it can look chic and be functional, and keep floor space clear making the apartment look organized and neat. 

CEILING SHELVES IS CHIC AND PRACTICAL

WHEN SPACE IS AT A PREMIUM, BUILD VERTICALLY

A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF ORGANIZING WITH CEILING SHELVES

I plan to put ceiling shelving in the apartment because space is already at a premium. On the shelving, I will store important documents, a few pieces of decor and books/movies. That way I can use the floor space for things like an easy chair or an ottoman or just walking space. It's such a clever idea! 

Make Your Room Vintage

by Stefan, posted in How To, Tips, and Advice, on December 1st, 201
If you like weathered and distressed look over the new and glossy look then consider adopting vintage design for your room. With vintage style is subdued and plain. It revolves around styles from several eras and gives way to an eclectic look. Vintage decorating is not only easy but also fun to do. With this approach, you have the exceptional opportunity to explore thrift stores, estate sales, and flea markets for purchase of pieces that raise the vintage feel. Vintage decoration amalgamates perfectly with numerous decorating schemes, including French country, Tuscan, Farmhouse, bohemian modern, vintage modern, shabby chic, etc.

Here is a list of steps that shall help you make your room vintage –
1) Start with dressing of the walls. Select paints and textures that have a vintage look. You may apply layers of paint and then mix it up with straps of retro wallpaper for a bohemian look. For an antique cum faux aesthetic, choose dark colors for the walls such as brown and cobalt and allow it to dry. Once dry, apply a coat of milk paint or antique white wash, and complete the wall by distressing the finish with the help of steel ball or sandpaper so that dark color shows in few places.

2) Introduce varied architectural elements that impart the room with vintage aesthetic.  Cathedral or Dormer ceilings with exposed beams and wall posts simply look exuberant. You may also attach light weight medallions, arches and moldings for a palatial effect.

3) Use lighting to highlight vintage design features. A wrong iron chandelier besides providing enough style shall add sculptural style to the room. Wall scones with candles in the hallway, doorway, corridor, above the fireplace shall impart dramatic lighting effect to the room.
4) Decorate your old crockery. Old fashioned tea pots, tea cups, empty wine bottles, feather boas, picture frames, are known to make a room wear vintage aesthetic.

5) Jewelry boxes and hangers are also items that give way to vintage feel. Decorate these boxes and hangers in your living room and display your vintage jewelry. Hunt thrift stores and antique shops for varied vintage items.

6) Make use of vintage containers. These vintage boxes can be used to hold prized possessions and books. Moreover, it is not necessary for all items to wear a clean look. Rusty, ripped off and discolored items are also known to impart vintage vibes to a room.

It's The Little Things

I'm not sure if many people pay a lot of attentions to their bathrooms but I'm very critical of mine. I think toilet paper should be in cute wicker baskets, and the hand-soap should be aroma-therapeutic and in an aesthetically pleasing bottle (or if it's a soap, it should be in a beautiful soap dish). I think the hand towels should be of a high quality and matching, and things shouldn't be cluttered on the edge of the tub. I think the bathroom mat should be soft and the toilet sparkling clean.

I think the lighting and wallpaper\paint should be modern and there should be something attractive on the walls whether it's a mirror, cabinetry or some paintings. I have high expectations for my bathroom. I expect it to deliver =)

Here's some tips for a clean bathroom from www.homedit.com 
1) Irrespective of the size of your bathroom, whether it is big or small, only stock those things in the bathroom which are required on a daily basis.

2) Throw away the empty bottles of shampoo, cream, old toothpastes and old buckets without being attached to them thinking that they may be used someday.
3) Make it a point to flush the commode after every use. If there is no water in the system then throw a bucket of water into the commode.
4) Store a spray bottle with disinfectant cleaner under the sink along with some wipes or a roll of toilet paper. If you desire to be thrifty, vinegar and water also makes a good cleaning solution. With this solution, wipe the toilet seat, under the seat and also around the bowl. Scrub the inside of a toilet weekly.
5) Spray the cleaning solution in the sink also, and a quick wipe with a towel will not allow the dirt to accumulate.
6) Do not allow the soap scum to build up in the shower area. After a bath, rinse the bathtub and the titles with warm water. After the soap residue is rinsed, gently wipe the floor and walls with a soft cloth. Moreover, bar soap is the main culprit behind soap scum. Liquid soap and shower gel cause less soap scum to develop.
7) If there are any leafy faucets, sewage pipes or fault flush systems, rectify them immediately.
8)If there is a window in the bathroom, open it every day in the morning so that sunlight and fresh air can travel in.
9) Do not forget to place a dust bin inside your bathroom and use it for disposing used tampons, condoms, floss, used tissues, etc. Do not allow the trash to pile up and empty the bin every day.

How a bathroom should look

A powerful, chrome shower-head goes a LONG way

A tidy, chic way to store TP

10) Install a bathroom exhaust fan or else place a good room freshener in the bathroom.

Sprucing Up the Kitchen

There isn't much you can do with a tiny apartment kitchen except for large scale renovations or changing the materials. Since we haven't bought the flat, we are not going to do costly renos on it. But there should be small ways to spruce it up and make it look more modern and chic.

I've been brainstorming for days and trying to remember everything in detail about the U-shaped kitchen. I don't like the counter material which is an off-white solid surface polymer-based counter. I would prefer soapstone or ceramic, and ideally granite. I would like to fix the counters somehow or draw attention away from them. One thing I've thought of is to put something on the wall near the counters that is stunningly beautiful like a stainless steel spice rack or a distracting cafe art painting  (I have one).

To modernize the space, I was thinking of taking out the lights and adding something more modern in shape but then I realized we had pretty modern, practical pot lights. Really state of-the-art, stainless steel appliances would be great like a toaster and a fancy coffeemaker. I am staring at the cabinets like hmm...what can I do with it? I was thinking of painting them an even brighter, brilliant and shiny hue of white. Anything darker would be a disaster in a small kitchen.  I also had a friend who put a slab of granite over her hideous counters and it really did look great. I was thinking of doing the same--just buying a thin slab of granite and covering a large area of counter-top. Aesthetic beauty is more important to me that function sometimes lol.

MY KITCHEN *FUTURE*

TINY KITCHEN BUT CHIC

Those are the best ideas I could come up with for now. I'm trying to scour kitchen articles but it's usually for huge model kitchens of mansions. Like I said earlier, I see potential with this apartment.

The Crash Pad Factor

If you're under 35 without mini brats and a spouse you likely will understand what I mean by having your place used as a crash pad. It goes without saying that friends will decide to move in for a weekend and crash at your place after a night on the town. Since a few of our friends live out of town, it only makes sense they stay over. 

But how does an apartment function both as a crash pad and as a cozy, organized and clean environment? Well, you have to have "emergency" stuff. Emergency toothbrushes, extra socks, lots of liquor, wine glasses, shot glasses, beer mugs, martini glasses (and martini shaker for that matter), extra pillows, extra sheets and extra covers are a given. If you're like me and want your guests to feel right at home but don't have a guest-room, invest in a futon/sofa bed. 

This arrangement is cool for snuggling with friends under covers during an all-night movie marathon or letting as many friends as can fit crash. It is a good idea to have breakfasts foods, munchies and different beverages to suit the average crasher. 

  I hope to have nice decor and simple but chic furnishings but I want to leave a good impression on company. Invest in incense, candles, room deodorizers and sprays and an iPod dock with decent speakers. If you go clubbing or to bars a lot, make sure you have tons of good lighting and mirrors so everyone can get dressed and sexy and get all narcissistic as that's what liquor inevitably does. I don't care if someone smokes 420 or has sex at our place but I do have one rule---when we want you out, you better be gone.  

The Tiny Bedroom

I won't complain about having a pea-sized bedroom. New York flats have 500 square feet and look phenomenal, so I'm going to try my best to make do especially with an incredulous partner who has no idea how in any universe I am going to fit a bed that can hold the two of us into this remarkably tiny space. 

I'm relying on luck and precise measurement here but a tall bed with storage underneath and no headboard in a double size should suffice although that is all that will fit in the bed. If this is not the case, we will have to just get a solid wood bed base and a mattress in the style of a platform bed a la Japanese style. The problem is the room. If we put a bed in, will we have to climb over the bed to get to the bathroom each time and will the bathroom door even close?

At worst, I will have to resort to a single bed and use it as a guest room for visitors. At least our friends will have a cozy room to sleep in!

I have decided the room needs to be funky cool so I wanted to go with a canary yellow paint and blue decor such as painted royal blue wall shelves, royal blue bedding and royal blue curtains for the window. 

One Month Crunchtime

Oh shit. What is it about procrastination that makes it seem so alluring but it's really poisonous? It's like a great big piece of chocolate for a diabetic. Some people have rage problems, some people snore--my problem is I procrastinate and with 1 month until we are officially moved in, I have a lot to do.

I had written down a lot of stuff I wanted to do and how I wanted it done on this blog which is precisely why I created it. Then DUH! I forgot to read it. So I have to go through it and think, think, think. I forgot about things like rugs for the bathroom and wine rack. I FORGOT THE WINE RACK!!! When life gets shitty, when there's romance in the air, when I cook....I need wine. A wine rack is as integral to my being as the TV is to a jock who watches ESPN. Seeing my wine beautifully displayed in a rack is like watching the Superbowl on an HDTV. It just makes it that much better.

So, note to self: get rug for bathroom. Do people normally freak out this far ahead? Isn't this the time when people just begin looking for apartments? I don't know if I have the time-line right or wrong but my room is filling quickly with boxes and boxes and bags of stuff and my mom is freaking out, lol. She's coming in here and falling over all these boxes I'm hoarding for some imminent date in the near future. She's been a bit concerned since a bag with ceramic mugs crushed the cat's tail. Whoops.

I HAVE AN INKLING I WANT TO DO A DARK GRAY

I am doing what I fear the most--FINALLY going to the paint store. Why have I put this off? Why have I discussed my joy to paint the room but haven't bought the goddamn paint? Well, quite frankly, I'm afraid to waltz into Behrs or Benjamin Moore and stand like some freakin' idiot scratching my head with a blank stare going on. Uh.....I've never painted anything before except my nails. I don't mean to piss off my feminist friends and sound like a dumb ditz but seriously...I don't want to fuck up the walls and I have NO clue what I'm doing. I'm going to go into the store either embarrassingly clueless or with a set of Google instructions in my hand. I'm not sure which is worse, especially since I'll probably be just as clueless with the paper in my hand. I don't know how to pick the best color for an accent wall and what happens after that. Should I tip the paint-guy to do all the brainwork for me? Lol. I'll have to credit my artistically put together apartment to some guy who picks his nose in the paint store. Yay.

Trip To IKEA

Getting the practical stuff for the house and some tidbits from IKEA turned out to be fun! Wheeling through aisles (who doesn't like buggy rides?) and fifty-cent hot dogs is a great way to spent your Thursday. Among the things we bought is a comic-art painting, two stool bars, some behind-the-door hangars, 3 canvas paintings (one is of a wall painting, another is Buddha), a Michael Angelo sculpture (of just the head), some wall shelving I'm going to re-paint and some mugs. 

We got a couple of these and I'm reupholstering some seat pads!

This dish rack is one of my favourite. Quite modern.

This was a piece I liked because it isn't a traditional bookshelf and looks like a ladder. Sold!

Other things we've checked off for our next visit is kitchen shelving, cutting board, a small desk\laptop table, bed, rug, 2 mirrors, plates, more wall shelving and the items in the picture. As for the decor, I prefer to visit this vintage shop on Queen St West that has amazing prices and some cool pieces (like this ultra modern coffee table)

Off to Furniture Shops

Bringing the camera along to photograph pieces of furniture we approve ^^ Oh fun!

Signed and Sealed

   Yay! Finally signed the contract for the Annex apartment in such a charismatic, great neighbourhood and I'm pretty stoked. It's not only that the neighbourhood is great, it's just the legalities are done and I can sit back and finally focus on the aesthetic aspect of moving in. I was able to measure the place which is about 670 sq. feet which isn't bad since I've seen New York City flats much smaller look fabulous! The hard-wood floors and U-shaped kitchen have me sold. I am going to make this sucker home!
    I wanted the space to be warm, comforting and cozy after a brutal day in the outside world and will be picking out some Benjamin Moore paint cards to decide on the best hue. Decorating a small space is so much fun--and less than a month to go!

What About the Socks?

What I really love about architecture and design is how somebody can turn space into something beautiful. Something that is an empty square, circle or rectangle is suddenly turned into a masterpiece and you just kick yourself because you would never have though to add a kitchen island in a tiny condo or use soapstone counters in the bathroom to contrast black marble walls. I think architects--talented architects--are some of the best geniuses in the world. 

I forgot to give any thoughts to the laundry room. I have stacked laundry machine\dryer and from what I remember when viewing the apartment (which I'll take photos of this Thursday to help me furnish) is that there were some shelves. I think using the closet beside the laundry room or adding some shelving in the laundry room would be ideal so I could put an ironing board, laundry detergent, fabric softener sheets and all that other stuff you might need for your laundry like stain remover, bleach, etc. I think an organized laundry room would make it appealing and even a photo frame or two would just take it to the next level. Perhaps it might even make doing laundry enjoyable!

ORGANIZEIWTHSANDY.COM

Minimalist Attitude

When moving to their first home, a lot of young adults stock up on a lot of stuff--things which they may rarely use. Less is always more, and the less you have the more use you'll get out of what is already there. Many people do not own a microwave because they don't really microwave their food--they enjoy cooking and can easily re-heat a dish in the oven or on the stove-top. I realized I wouldn't need a microwave. How often did I use a microwave in 2010? Maybe less than 10 times. 

All the things that clutter and cause chaos need to go--in your life and in your home. Simple vintage lamps of wrought iron add a romantic, simplistic look to a simple living room. If it was up to me, there wouldn't even be a television but ..it's not. All the color we need in the kitchen is in the vibrant fruits and vegetables that don't belong in the fridge, beautiful bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and romantic spice containers (green for coriander, yellow for curry, red for paprika--it's art right there). I recently seen an amazing black and white minimalist townhouse on HGTV done by Genevieve and it was modern, sexy and still functional. Everything just flowed well together and recreating that look would be a treat for me. 

Montreal? Fail.

THE BAD
This is my honest opinion and observations so I hope I don't offend Montreal-lovers and patriotic Quebecois but Montreal sucks. I will list my reasons why. 

1. Above all else is the blatant rudeness of the locals. If the generalization that Canadians are polite is true, it does not extend to the overall local population of Montreal. I was shocked at the level of insolence from the locals. It is impossible to ask for directions--even in French. They think they are more intelligent and superior than English-speaking people. I asked locals from mailmen to friendly-looking couples where a main street is like Rue de St Viateur or Mont Royal Est and was sent in the complete wrong direction or just given a shake of the head or a cruel stare. I was screamed at a Metro station attendant while asking him if I could use my ticket on the Metro bus to visit "the best poutine" place in Montreal which I didn't even mind except my friends had pointed out how unusual it is for him to stand up and scream at me like that. 
    I was in a restaurant called 'Basilic' in Chinatown on rue De Gauchetiere and had the 3 women next to us go "Oh, are those lesbians?" and stare at us while we ate our General Tao chicken and pad Thai. After we ate, the waitress demanded we leave a 10% tip as we walked over to the debit machines. Later at the clubs, the bartender didn't return our change--deciding to tip herself which I found very rude--why would I leave a $13 tip for a Smirnoff cooler? In the end, she gave me back $10 by flinging the bill at me with a scathing glare. By then, I began to expect the rudeness so I wasn't mad when a local barista got bitchy at a cafe while I ordered espresso. 
     A lot of people lament on the rudeness of Montreal locals and believe it is because the locals think Montreal is the #1 city in Canada. I have no clue but with such boorishness--who is going to return?

    2. I had brought my nicer clothes--wool coats, high heels, nice blouses for the trip because people warned Montreal locals were refined and sophisticated. My own Montreal native friends are very trendy and fashionable so I believed it. However, I didn't find Montreal locals to be very sophisticated. The women dressed somewhat better than the men were an alarmingly large number of them had huge scruffy beards and wild tangled hair (not the homeless ones, either) but then a tourist from Ohio pointed out to me that 30% of the city lives in poverty. I didn't see any of the women pushing Bugaboo and Quinny strollers, or the men in nice coats. It was all North Face, yoga pants and other such obscurity. I thought Mont-Royal had an upper-class demographic but other than some old women in fur coats, I didn't see anything akin to Yorkville or Yaletown. 
      And strangely, I didn't see any large\nice homes or nice cars like Benzes, Lexus, Cadillac, Lincoln etc. I found this very strange. Perhaps there is no class distinction?

POUTINE

     3. I read in numerous articles that Montreal is the second largest multi-cultural city in Canada but failed to see a lot of visible minorities. I seen a lot of Asians, which is fine. I didn't see a lot of South Asian or Blacks which surprised me since websites said blacks were the largest minority. I perhaps saw ten or twelve black people in a 3 day span. I just wondered where they all were? I didn't see any at all in Le Plateau, Vieux Montreal or in Chinatown. I found this to be a negative aspect as I expected to see more diversity. 
    4. The 'best' spots were mediocre. I had a lot of poutine which was recommended and the spots were so packed we all had to wait outside while one person went inside to order. The poutine is supposed to have fresh cheese curds and can come with a large variety of toppings--but even with all that--it's pretty gross. I had a lot of trouble finding the #1 restaurants like Le Pied de Cochon and had to settle for less which was disappointing. And the Schwartz Deli forgot to put mustard on my smoked meat sandwiches!

Empty ghost town streets for miles in downtown!

    5. I spent a whole day finding Cafe ArtJava and found it on the last day after being sent down rue St Hubert and the other way down Mont Royal in the wrong direction. I was infatuated with the cafe but after ordering a cappuccino I received a latte with foam on top instead of 3\4 foam and a quarter milk with espresso. It was a heavy milk latte and only came in the 8-ounce size, and she also charged my friends for 12ounce lattes when they asked for 12-ounce cappuccinos without letting them know she was making them lattes. She was friendly but this was a big FAIL for me. However, it was nice and the cafe itself is charming and beautiful. If this is the best in the city, I'm a little skeptical about their standards. 
6. The crumbling city was a huge turn-off and disappointment and the dilapidated Metro (public transportation) was shocking. Even in the so-called good neighbourhoods, it looked like slums with graffiti everywhere, closed shops and dead streets! Even main roads like rue St Antoine was a ghost town! It was pretty bad, even from an urbanite's perspective.

Metro train  at Berri- UQAM Station, Montreal

Graffiti is the norm for most of the city--bright, garish graffiti on copious amounts of  building and bathroom and exterior walls. (Patati Patata on rue St Laurent)

    7. The parking makes no sense whatsoever and nobody can be helpful enough to assist you. How do you pay for parking and what is PG?

    8. Huge piles of random, dirt-stained snow in the most beautiful places like Notre Dame and Chinatown. 

 THE GOOD

1. At the cool under the radar places we went to, we received very friendly, cheery service. Some websites say that you can find a friendly Montreal local (it's like finding a diamond in the rough, :) but they actually do exist and these people really do brighten your day--even if the words coming out of their mouth make no sense to you!
And Rapido Restaurant in the Plateau was pretty great. Amazing service, attentive and super-friendly staff and delicious breakfast in this unassuming gem is one of the reasons I'd return on my Why I'd Return to Montreal List--which is very short. We ate breakfast here every day and really enjoyed the atmosphere, the other diners and the great food choices which they were kind enough to let us customize.

Breakfast Day 1 at Rapido Restaurant- 4494 rue St Denis

3. As everyone says, the club scene is really good. We had no clue what the name of the club was, but it was a good one and unlike the local clubs here, all the music was very good. There wasn't one song I disliked and instead of people standing against the wall looking cool or sexy in their nice clothes, people were actually dancing and jumping and having a very good time! The clubs have patios where you can smoke and the club district is very Parisian. Drinks are more pricey than I was expecting by a few more dollars, but then again, I rarely go to straight clubs!

Carriages in VIEUX

4. In Vieux Montreal nothing is as breathtaking as horse-and-carriage or as old-fashioned. It was a sight to behold and the clop-clopping of hooves next to the vroom-vrooming of cars was very interesting on one-way roads. Still, one had to admire the beautiful stallions. BUT don't these Quebecois understand horse-and-carriage is animal cruelty? I assume they don't care, as they have no animal rights laws and are the top province in Canada for puppy and kitten mills. 


5. It was very nice to see so many cafes, restaurants and shops in charming, characteristic and architecturally beautiful buildings. One Little Italy restaurant had stone Herculean style statues and gothic gargoyles from the balconies of another in the Plateau was awe-inspiring. There certainly isn't a shortage of places to enjoy a latte or some grub!

6. The pizza had the mozzarella on top of all the toppings which was so cool. Usually toppings are on top. This simple fact blew my mind and makes for yummy pizza. 

You can see the Mont Royal hill from rue St Laurent

7.  Our hotel was pretty cool and modern. I loved the service, the hot water and the fact it had complimentary breakfast even though we ate petit dejeuner elsewhere. It was pretty central to Vieux Montreal, Chinatown, and the Gay Village which was a plus and they made it super-easy to actually check-in, get extra access cards and pay\find parking. 
8. You cannot miss the beautiful architecture. This obviously is a beautifully constructed city with a lot of stunning work from the cobble-stone hilly streets to the cathedrals and lamp posts. The stone buildings in Vieux Montreal are worth all the memory on your DSLR and before the crumbling mishap you could tell this was a shining city!

Vieux-Montreal

9. The French language is beautiful, romantic and pleasing to the ear. Even the homeless speaking French sound more high-class!


10. It really is convenience with liquor and beer is served in convenience stores and grocery shops. Genius idea however the SAQ at the Des Jardins Mall on Rue de Rene-Levesque lacks a lot more variety!

CAFE ARTJAVA which has reputedly the best coffee in Montreal although insiders say it's in decline.

Usual line-up at Schwartz for the okay smoked meat sandwiches $5.90 + tax per sandwich. People say there is better smoked meat in the city--and I was not even remotely impressed. I ordered 6 "medium" sandwiches. Some came without mustard!

Butcher at Schwartz on rue St Laurent holding smoked meat.

Cafe ArtJava in Plateau

Rundown Montreal

More rundown Montreal

And that is all for my review of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 
 Visiting has allowed me to appreciate my own city and community and be glad I have it so good! :)