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a cobistyle christmas

If you haven’t seen this issue of Reno & Decor magazine, I thought I’d show you the images from my recent cover story. We photographed the story in my own dining room back in September. With years of magazine experience under my belt, it brought back many fond memories to be dressing a room for Christmas on a warm, sunny day with the windows open.

What I’m not used to, however, is seeing my own product-line in a story (and in my house!). What fun it was to have fuchsia pink cobistyle chairs delivered from Decor-Rest. Open boxes of cobistyle throws, pillows, Christmas decorations, trays and accessories from Canfloyd. And hang beautiful chintz drapery named after my own daughter, Charlotte, from inVU.

It was really fun to integrate items that I’d conceived of for my line - like this lacquer box and Xmas balls - with my own personal decorations I use year after year.

And the colourful cobistyle table-decor with my own white dinnerware, linens and milk glass collection.

The brocade-covered Chinese take-out boxes are something of which I’m particularly proud. The idea is to use them for party favours or small gifts and the colours are so pretty - they come 4 colours to a box - and brighten up anywhere they’re displayed.

I guess I have a thing for multi-colours - these cobistyle napkin rings come 6 colours to a box. The jewel-like tones look great with crisp white linens.

I love my little Geisha girl place-card holders - are they not adorable? They also work as tree ornaments.

I know the colours are not traditional for Christmas but they look festive and bright just the same, especially when mixed with each other. The advantage too is that you don’t have to take everything down the minute Christmas is over. They look great for New Years and parties throughout the winter.

This shot doesn’t feature any cobistyle products but it does express my favourite sentiment for the season and so I guess in a way it’s still ‘Cobi-style’…

Merry Christmas!

oh suzani, won’t you smile for me?

As you know, I’m not big on trends in the home. Or to clarify; I don’t think trends should drive a home. And so for that reason, I hesitate to cover the topic of suzani as they’ve been so hot with home-fashionistas over the past few years. But that’s silly. The truth is, the suzani has been a part of women’s artistic expression in Central Asia for hundreds of years. Traditionally, when a girl was born, her mother would start embroidering the suzani for her. As the daughter grew older, she would join in the process. The suzani would eventually become a part of her dowry and be used to decorate her home. There’s nothing trendy about that.

And so, a quick primer: suzani is a type of embroidered and decorative tribal textile made in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries. The term suzani means “needlework”.

Recognizable for the starburst, suzani designs were commonly used as coverlets for the bridal bed, but these gorgeous textiles bring color and texture to any space. Suzani make beautiful wall hangings, bedspreads, furniture throws, pillows, tablecloths or even upholstery.

Whether your bed is ‘bridal’ or ‘beyond’…a layer of suzani can really spice things up this fall…

Or you may want to upholster a bench in a suzani for the bottom of the bed?

Suzani patterns look great on arm chairs and ottomans. Don’t worry about matching the other fabrics in the room, a suzani stands on it’s own like a piece of art.

But if that’s too much of a commitment, buy a suzani (or look-a-like fabric) and layer it over your neutral sofa for some earthy warmth this winter.

Or over a club chair to cozy things up.

Toss one over a table to give texture to the terrace or dining room.

A suzani-style rug is a great investment and will travel from room to room.

If you invest in the real thing, consider hanging it on the wall for a dramatic focal point.

Fabric houses often print in the pattern of suzani…here’s a gorgeous version in two colour-ways from Donghia.

A few precious yards were framed dramatically (in the talented Emily Walker’s home) and featured on the cover of House & Home in 2009.

We chose this warm and sunny fabric for the cobistyle drapery line and called it Heirloom.

The flower-like pattern is easily integrated into rooms, and the same goes for wardrobes!

And ceramics…

Look at these gorgeous ribbons…

And towels!

We used suzani as wall art inspiration in the cobistyle accessory line…

If you’re interested in bringing some suzani into your home this fall, the easiest thing to do is buy a pillow.

I guarantee it will layer in nicely with your existing pillows.

And add some cheerful character to your room, especially in the fall and winter months.

I’m sure that’s why the suzani-style pillow we did for cobistyle this season is our top seller. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s a classic - easy to enjoy - happy and bright, like a sunny fall day.

cobistyle comes to the backyard

We spent a day in my friend, Laurie’s backyard playing with some of my favourite cobistyle accessories…have a look!

I’ve decided these fabric lanterns are my ‘signature’ piece. Although they aren’t weather-proof, they’ve got such great character - and look as good on the patio as they do on the dining table. Look at how they turn a plain-jane ledge into a thing of beauty. They’ll look even prettier lit in the evening.

The smaller size lantern is perfect to hang on those garden shepard hooks many of us have for flowers or solar lights. They’ll mark your walk, day or night…

You know I’m devoted to the colour combo, blue and white (I’ve preached about it’s classic quality forever). The beauty is that it looks great anytime, anyplace, including the garden!

And look at it here with the addition of a few hits of orange… gorgeous!

And what would summer be without our favourite tastes from the garden? You simply can’t get a better appetizer than Tiny Tim tomotoes and basil from the garden with a little bocconcini cheese. Our bamboo skewers are perfect for party bites and reusable if you like. 50 skewers come in a clear branded box making them a great little hostess gift along with your contribution to the buffet table. (The bowls and tray are cobistyle too)

The cobistyle multi-coloured cotton napkins are a natural to brighten up classic white plates at a garden party. Guests will enjoy getting their favourite colour and won’t even notice if your flower bed isn’t blooming.

Setting up a summer table is so much fun and such a great excuse to play with colour. Who wouldn’t be happy to sit down to this table?

Or move things around to colour-block the place settings using a throw, lantern, napkin and chopsticks of similar colours…

The little cobistyle mini white ceramic bird vases are just right for holding sprigs from the garden (no need to spend money on flowers!).

I love the idea of throws ready in the garden for when the cool of evening comes. The juicy colours of our super-soft throws (and their washability) make them them perfect for the job. (I wish I could say this garden stool was mine too but it isn’t unfortunately.)

There’s just something about the idea of putting out lanterns and throws for an evening party in the summer - it’s so romantic…or, as my friends are now starting to tease me, so… cobistyle! ; )

the black hole of summer decor

Fireplaces tend to get abandoned in the summertime, leaving us with a big black hole in the middle of our living rooms. Take advantage of the display space and treat the darkness as a backdrop to lighter, brighter things.
Here are some cheap and cheerful ideas to get your noggin noodling…

Place a big potted flowering plant in front…

Fill the hole with a mirror for the summer…

Paint a pretty old fire grill white…

Fill the grate with white birch bark logs…

Or clean, split wood with the ends showing…

Lean a painting…

Lighten the darkness with houseplants…

Decorate with some dried hydrangea from the garden…

Put a couple of Chinese garden stools or large ginger jars and a bamboo screen in front…

Give one or two of your favourite objects centre stage…

Or if it isn’t a working fireplace and you’ve cleaned it up, use it as a place to store books…

And then of course there’s always the option of buying cobistyle lanterns (I know, I’m shameless). They sure do add cheery colour and a beautiful glow when lit in the evening…

I hope one of these ideas lights your fire this summer!

marilyn makeover happy

On Wednesday of this week (May 11/11) I’ll be appearing on MARILYN (CTV).

To show how colourful accessories can transform a room from drab to fab, we made-over the living room of one of the show’s producers.

The room itself is very pretty with lots of character and warm wood floors and trim.

I won’t sound snobby if I use the homeowner’s own descriptive for her existing furniture - ‘frat-house style’. The paint was in good shape but the yellowy colour looked drab against the wood trim.

Step #1 was to empty the room and that meant moving the sofa ‘directly to curb’ (where it was picked up by 2 very happy guys in a van in about an hour).

Step #2 was to give the room a coat of fresh white paint - you can’t go wrong with Benjamin Moore 967, and then we added a punch of colour to the area above the fireplace. I chose Ben. Moore Pear Green 2028-40 which is crisp and clean and serves to draw the eye even more quickly to the room’s best features. We also took the old screens off the stained glass windows so they could actually be seen - so pretty!

Step#3 colourful cobistyle accessories to the rescue. Once again I found myself loading the family van with flowers, pillows and props - I think my next business should be called: ‘decorating by the vanload’.

Actually, this shoot took two vans plus a furniture truck.

Then we had to bring in the camera and lights and tv people - of course it was dark, rainy day that only added to the drama.

Decor-Rest very kindly supplied us with the big pieces of furniture for the day. The sofas and bar are from the Steven & Chris line and the ottoman is from the cobistyle line.

The oval shaped ottoman is great for traffic flow and I love the black and white geometric for adding interest while acting as a perfect foil for other colours.

Next we hung the art and I love these two pieces from Canvas in Toronto (I’m sorry I didn’t record the artist’s names but both are Canadian).

Love the colour and impact they bring to the white walls!

Next we hung the drapery - our top selling cobistyle pattern, Caliente, looked amazing! inVU Drapery comes at a standard length of 96” and so the ready-to-wear panels went up in a snap and totally softened the frame of the window while adding welcome pattern to the room.

Next came a mix of pillows and throws in different patterns and colours that easily played off each other on the neutral sofas.

I filled the fireplace hole with cobistyle Chinese lanterns (one of my favourite accessories in the line) and they added a ton of fun to a blank space. They’ll look great at night too when lit with a tealight making the coloured fabrics glow.

I know I’ve said it a lot, but blue and white Chinese porcelain looks good with everything - such a decor classic.

And look at these little cobistyle bird bud vases, chirping on the windowsill - so cute!

The homeowner mentioned that she likes the idea of a bar in her living room and I agree. A bar is handy if you’re entertaining and even if you aren’t a big party person, it’s a great place to arrange accessories and create another focal point in the room.

Flowers add lively colour wherever you put them. I lined up my everlasting peony-in-a-glass and love the simple look of repetition. The cobistyle white wood architectural grids look great against the green paint and add even more character to the room.

We used a purple(!) rug from IKEA to soften the seating area and as I’d hoped, the purple was very easy to live with - not too crazy at all.

I just have to show you the Before one more time for effect….

The transformation was pretty cool - it was like the room popped a couple happy pills!

Here I am shiny-faced from packing and unpacking boxes between scenes…such is the glamorous life of ‘decorator by the vanload’.

stand at attention

Well I certainly hope that the April showers hold off this Friday for Kate and William - it’s so exciting! I can’t wait.
But if they do get the luck of rain on their special day, I’m sure they’ll manage their way in style.

It’s amazing how the Union Jack has made it’s way onto everything this spring!

I have a total ‘thang’ for umbrella stands and I have no clue why. Maybe I’ve watched too many romantic Period movies where the characters hurry home, on a dark rainy day, to a cozy London townhouse or country estate, and order up some tea to ward off the damp…

Even here on the sunnier side of the pond, there’s something lovely about the idea of an umbrella-stand-in-waiting for someone to bustle in and take welcome cover from a wet and wicked day…

Functional and full of character, an umbrella stand adds sunny personality to an entry hall.

Regardless of the style - cool, crazy or classic - they’re a useful and fun accessory, no matter the weather…

For an affordable stand, you can even try some d-i-y with a garden bucket - see these feet from a clawfoot tub…

and a bit of paint…

If you’re looking for a hit of colour for your hall - I love this modern Lucite design…

I also love this umbrella - but that’s off topic! …

When I did my wish list of cobistyle accessories - umbrella stands held pride of place right near the top. I’m so happy they made it into the first season of the line…

We have three colours of ceramic this spring - a gorgeous, glossy, royal blue, lime green and white…

Plus traditional - always perfect - blue and white…

They work just as well for Spring flowers as they do for April showers!

And speaking of spring flowers - I just couldn’t help but add this picture - what a great way to use a milk glass collection!

Spring is a time to refresh old things and try new ideas. I’m off to brighten up my front hall with a brightly striped mat, my green umbrella stand and a wreath on the inside of my front door. Then I’ll write a note to set my alarm clock for the middle of the night Thursday night. We did it for Lady Di, how could we not do it for her baby boy? Cheerio!

it’s curtains for cobistyle!

I’m very excited about the launch of cobistyle drapery and cushions happening this month! I’ve been working with the inVU Drapery Co. on this beautiful collection and although we’re launching only in the Toronto area, there are plans to take the program National later in the year, so stay tuned!

I’m thrilled to boast that inVU drapery is made in Canada; fully lined; a generous 96 inches long; and amaaaazing quality. There’s definitely cheaper drapery on the market but I’ve got to say it - cheap drapes just don’t cut the mustard. There’s definitely room for ‘cheap and cheerful’ things in a house but in my humble opinion, drapery isn’t a place to skimp. Beautiful, quality drapery shows. It’s a luxury that I would rather save and splurge on, then cheap out and scoff at every time I walk by. Anyway, enough on price - have a look!

Lets start with one my favourite designs - we called it Caliente (which means Hot! in Spanish). It’s a gorgeous chunky cotton fabric made in Spain and printed with a beautiful pomegranate and floral pattern in every colour of the rainbow. I’m just crazy about this big, glorious pattern and expect it really will be a Hot seller!

Casbah is a denimy-looking Ikat, woven on 100% linen, that’s going to look great in a family room or any room that needs an injection of casual, classic blue and white. Ikat is a forever pattern that happens to be very hot right now - the word means ‘a method of creating patterns in fabric by tie-dyeing the yarn before weaving’. Ikats work great with other patterns too - don’t be afraid to mix it with florals or stripes.

Connection features a bold geometric on the bottom third, tempered by a beautiful linen/cotton plain on top. Between the two fabrics runs a ribbon of luxurious velvet. I honestly can’t decide if I like this drape better in the Royal blue (shown here) or the Espresso brown. Both are super handsome and I’m imagining them in a dining room for some reason although they’d work anywhere.

Here’s another design featuring beautiful detailing - Folktail has a colourful embroidered ribbon dividing the neutral linen-blend body from either a black (Midnight) bottom or fresh leaf green (Fruit Punch) .

And here’s a sampling of the types of coordinated cushions we’re offering…

I love this Suzani styled print called Heirloom. A Suzani is a decorative tribal textile made in the ‘Stans’ and other central Asian countries. We named the colour Sunrise because of it’s gorgeous golden tones. I think they would make a room glow of sunlight even on a gray day but I’ll know for sure when I try them out in my own living room.

This is a true classic called Scroll and it comes in either Charcoal or Chocolate…they’re neutral in colour but pack loads of punch through the bold, graphic pattern.

And here’s the fun part - you can dress them up with a sash just like you’d add to your favourite skirt. We’ve made them in both Fushia and Lime silk-look-alike that has vibrant colour and body. The sashes are sold separately so you can add them to any of the drapery designs.

The sashes also look beautiful tied on a pillow…

The last drapery design is simply Simplicity. Like the name says, it’s a simple 100% linen drape available in three great neutrals - Mocha (shown here), Camel or Ship - and looks amazing when gussied up with a ‘Carnival’ stripe sash and coordinated pillow.

And so there you have it - another window opens - this time on cobistyle drapery and cushions. And there are lots more fresh and sunny ideas ahead!

outside, inside, all around the house

Decorating an outdoor space is like any other room of the house - the fabric choices can take it from average to amazing…

The same goes for a covered porch or sunroom - the colours and patterns of fabric, sets the tone and creates the interest…

But did you know that the incredible durability of outdoor fabrics is now available in soft, luxurious fabrics that work anywhere in the house? This chair is covered in Sunbrella velvet. Sunbrella fabrics are Greenguard Certified which means they’re an environmentally responsible product and safe to use indoors without any concern for air quality issues…

And look at this one…

Incredibly soft; great colours; and completely resilient to “life” and all that means: red wine, chocolate, fading, ink, the whole shootin’ match…

As the Sunbrella site says “this is not your grandmother’s velvet”…

And it doesn’t stop there (I just happen to love velvet) - there’s every kind of fabric under the sun (pun intended) that comes in ‘high performance’ fabric - like this houndstooth - the only difference between this and regular houndstooth is the fact that you can spill something on it and it doesn’t matter…

There’s a California fashion designer by the name of Trina Turk who’s developed a gorgeous collection of outdoor fabrics with Shumacher - very pricey but so much fun! People are using it indoors and out, and of course in southern homes fading is a major issue…

And did you know there’s a Canadian product designer who’s developed a gorgeous collection of outdoor fabrics? Me!

I’ve teamed up with Joanne Fabrics and Sunbrella to create a collection that’s full of colour, texture and pattern, and if you have children, pets, bright sunlight streaming in your windows or simply want durable, easy-to-clean fabrics for your home, you’ve got to check it out…

You can use it just about anywhere - sofas, chairs, pillows, and think of it on a window seat or ottoman!

No one will even know it’s ‘high performance’ (until they spill something and you don’t freak out).

I know this to starting to read like an ad. but I’m really quite blown away by this stuff. I’m definitely going to be putting it on my dining room chairs and kitchen banquet.

The cobistyle fabric book is available at over 2,000 places in Canada and just as many in the U.S. Look for it at upholsterers, furniture stores that carry Joanne fabric books, and designer showrooms or email Joanne at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to find a supplier near you.

Then you can twist and shout on your kitchen chairs and not even blink when you dribble your drink.

cobistyle comes to town

Well, it’s been a long and winding road, let me tell ya….but this year marks the beginning of a new era for me and if you don’t mind, I’m going to use this space to tell you a bit about the personal side of this journey. First, have a look at the image below - it’s me with all my new ‘schtuff’! I love it and hope you do too.

As many of you know, I’ve been hard at work for the past two years working on my own vision of what I think makes a house a home. What you may not know is those thoughts and ideas, that I’ve written and spoken about so often, quite naturally developed into a concept for a product line - let me tell you why…

So often people would ask me where to get things (or where I got things!) and so often my answers were not helpful - they were from places like Chinatown, flea markets, antique stores, a trip away - everything but mainstream retail. It occurred to me that the worldly and vibrant ‘look’ I love - and I think many others do as well - wasn’t being represented in the local marketplace. And so I went about trying to make the kinds of products you and I love, find their way into our favourite stores.

Well, let me just say - if someone had told me how long and winding that whole process would be - I might not have been quite so ambitious. And so it’s good no one did, right?!

I thought I knew a thing or two about product development from my past career, but I quickly figured out how little I knew and put my head to the grindstone. Two years of sweat and tears later, the products are coming to market this month and next. Currently, they are in four amazing categories - upholstered furniture; decorative accessories; upholstery fabric for indoors and out; and ready-to-wear drapery with coordinated cushions. I’ve partnered with companies that really know their stuff and it’s all completely thrilling to see my ideas and direction come to life in tangible, gorgeous products.

You will see cobistyle products in stores in March and my own website and newsletters will be changing in February to reflect them.

I have many more ideas for my friends homes waiting to be explored - cobistyle bedding is a slam dunk in my mind - but we’ll have to wait and see what’s around the next corner.

For now, I’m loving every minute of seeing my ideas make their way into the retailers and designers hands and eventually into your homes. I feel like the seed I’ve been watering and watching grow tall has finally budded and the flower is unfurling before my very eyes. I know in my mind, I’ve lovingly and personally watered and tended this plant for two long years - and in fact I’ve been “gardening” for over 25 years! - but in my heart it’s still a surprising and wondrous thing to see the final reward. Truly beautiful!