How to Add Sparkle to Your Home, Vertical Herb Gardens + What Hotels Can Teach You About Colour

Hi Friends. I’m entranced by the idea of vertical herb gardens lately. Culinary herbs grow well vertically as they don’t need much room to root, and they thrive in tight, upright conditions. I think these would make an amazing privacy wall in a garden. Martha has a good article on how to grow vertical gardens here. I’ve been hanging herbs in the house for the past two weeks, rosemary and lavender. I wrap the herbs with butcher twine to make a bundle and hang them in the kitchen and bedroom. I've also put lots of cut lavender in pots around the house. I think these paper wrapped herb bundles with a personal message would make lovely hostess gifts.

I've been thinking about teeny kitchens this week and how well they photograph. I love seeing them in magazine layouts, and for brief moments I fantasize about working in one. But then reality sets in. No, I don’t want a tiny kitchen. I’ve lived with kitchens big and small, and if you love cooking and entertaining, bigger is better. It all comes down to storage. On camera, a kitchen’s charm is about highly stylized images. God Bless interior stylists for the image above - who ever it was did a fabulous job. In life, it’s about whether the space works. Of course, we are thankful for whatever spaces we have in life. But if you’ve ever moved and had to edit a large kitchen down into a small one with limited storage space, the challenge is harder to solve than a Rubix Cube.

It’s been quite hot in Vancouver this week, and the hotter it gets, the more pampering I need. There is nothing I love more than a great massage, my feet especially. My daughter and I wanted to try something new and we booked a joint Japanese head massage. Have you tried one? OMG! The scalp massage is pure deliciousness. If you think the best part of a haircut is the head massage at the wash sink, then this is for you.

You can go online and read very complicated descriptions about what a Japanese head massage entails, but all you need to know is that this is a next-level hair wash: sixty minutes of massaging, cleansing, brushing, a slightly ticklish nano-bubble wash, an intensive Shiatsu-style massage with hands and a variety of tools, lymphatic release, a hot-eye mask, hot stone massage, and stretching across the scalp, neck and shoulders. We were putty in their hands. Beyond relaxation, I was told it improves circulation, eases headaches and jaw tightness, and supports scalp and follicle health. I believe it. I have an ultra-sensitive scalp that irritates easily. The next day, my scalp felt better than it had in years. I’m going back. This is now going to be a seasonal practice. I left wondering what brush they use, and also, what hairdryer? It was the perfect temperature, and super quiet. It was not a dyson.

Find spas here: Vancouver London New York

Why is this kind of love rarely extended to the spaces we live in? We'll book a massage the moment things get stressful, but turn a blind eye to problem areas that have existed for years in our home. A guest room that becomes a repository for junk. Furniture that doesn’t reflect your personality. Walls left the wrong colour for years because you're renting, and painting feels like too much money or too much effort for something that isn’t yours. I see this often as well in rental homes when it comes to gardens. People are hesitant to spend money on gardening or planting flowers and trees, and yet the terrace is where you spend so many hours in the summer - why not make it beautiful? Homes need pampering too! Not renovation-level pampering, but small moments that make your space feel cared for. Like the way your scalp feels after a massage. Your home could likely use a little sparkle so here are some ideas.

EUROPEAN HOTELS PROVIDE INSPIRATION FOR ACCENT COLOURS

I love to look at Italian hotels for depth of colour, and one colour they do exceptionally well is yellow. Clients who say they don’t like yellow often have a lemony, bright shade in mind. I’m talking about mustards, ochre, butter yellow, greenish yellows, and golden hues. Used as accents, they’re remarkably beautiful and can make a relatively simple, neutral room sing. Think about adding this colour in small bursts for seating, sculptures, vases, curtains and art.

After viewing how these yellows are used in hotels, we can translate to our own homes, and start looking at ideas for:

• sofas + chairs

• wall colour for entryways and transition areas

• art, sculture, ceramics

• ceilings

• outdoor chairs and umbrellas

Here is a hand crafted ceramic fountain I saw and loved at an Italian hotel lounge, and I think it brings a ton of interest to a garden, a space that might otherwise be quite neutral:

A trick worth stealing from hotel lobbies are large feature plants. Walk into any beautiful lobby and you’ll find one large potted tree as a feature. The same trick works at home. One sculptural plant can make your living room have a gallery feel, while multiple plants can read as clutter. The easiest upgrade is to buy the biggest tree you can manage. I’ve noticed that Marketplace is a good platform for selling plants. Put the proceeds that you make towards a new tree with a beautiful pot.

VS…..

Why don’t more people use these super cool chairs, indoors and out? If you are working with a seaside, cottage or East Coast aesthetic, they are hard to beat. Of course you need to sit in them, test them, and make sure they are comfortable. These chairs should have a seat height of 18” to work with a dining table or patio table and can be found in marine grade canvas, or leather. It’s great if you can find a teak set, but you can also search for faux bamboo framed chairs.

We light candles in our house every single day, no matter what time of year it is. Sometimes, its the first thing I do when I wake up. If someone is wishing for something special or is having a hard time, I'll light a candle for them. Candles belong on a July table as much as a winter one. As far as numbers go, the more the merrier. The best candles are beeswax, but what does beeswax really mean? Any candle that contains even a trace of beeswax can legally call itself a beeswax candle (similar to buying soba noodles.) Most candles are blends, cut with soy or paraffin to reduce the cost. But they don’t last as long or burn as clean as beeswax. It has the highest melting point of any candle, lasting 30% to 40% longer than a soy candle. Look for 100% pure beeswax on the label. It’s fine to save money on many decor items, but beeswax is worth the extra money.

The “unexpected red theory” states that every room needs a touch of red, but I think rooms benefit most from a touch of black. It creates contrast, grounds the space, and gives the eye somewhere to rest. No matter what your style or aesthetic is, black will make whites fresher, colours richer, and natural materials warmer. Rather than using a stark black, look for charcoal tones, aged iron, bronzy blacks, deep espresso tones, or my favourite, blue blacks. Even if your room is all over tonal, give your room one hit of black. You may not be able to translate into words why the room looks better, but it will.

Choose black cabinets, a black coffee table, floor lamps, art, lampshades, black and white art, a black sink, black door frames, or even black and white striped curtains.

Is your kitchen and bathroom a purely utilitarian room? Then it’s time to add some warmth and personality with art. Living rooms usually get the best artwork, but your kitchen will come alive with personality if a well framed piece of art is added. Also consider some African Masks, woven baskets, or something made by hand.

Here is a list of a few things I enjoyed this week:

I watched this and loved the acting - Anatomy of a Fall. A husband is found dead and the wife is the prime suspect. The film is a fabulous portrayal of a complicated marriage.

I wish I was a better sewer, I’m so impressed with the talented people doing visible mending

The wood in this mountain retreat is very inspiring.

Potato Carmellized Onion Galette

Would love this classic handbag. Great colour and size.

These pots are the right colour.

A wall colour to copy

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