Project Updates: Altadore II

I love this home, I know, I say it about every home but I REALLY am loving this place. At the moment it is a disaster zone, we have an incredibly tight possession on this place so there are boxes, trades, & supplies piled everywhere. Look past all that & come and take a peek at the progress...

{office}
Another mill-work wall that I designed and handed off to my finisher. He had some choice words for me, something about angles & degrees or whatever, but it was worth it in the end...it is always worth it in the end. ;)

{railing}
We went with a modern style railing in alder with glass panels, a bit softer and less industrial than what I designed for Altadore I.

{mud room & great room}
Can't ever go wrong with the Hicks, and the floor, loving the double herringbone (you'll see more of that pattern). The great room built-in turned out amazing and the ceiling detail is playing off the wall in the front study...it's the little things.

{baths}
The master bath has the same double herringbone detail on the floor, once the glass is in for this steam shower this space will be awesomeballs! The main bath has a fun retro tile with a grey grout, lighter than the charcoal I used next door but it still gives a similar effect.

 {kitchen}
Adore this kitchen and all the details. The backsplash above the range area is a double herringbone (think mud room & master bath), the fridge surround is going to have great open shelves with the stained boxes matching the island, and oh...those pendants above the honed granite island top, swoon.

It is coming along and the clients are just amazing, we are so lucky to have people that can see the  quality, talent, and dedication that we and all of the trades put into the homes we build. So thanks S&R for being so wonderful to deal with. Mel xo
If you are interested in any of the lighting fixtures in this home please contact me for more information.

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NYC, BlogFest, & FUN...

Last week Erica & ditched the little ones and headed to NYC for BlogFest 2012...if we only knew what would be in store for us when we boarded the plane.

We got to the hotel around 7 and were down in the Village by 9pm where I was able to connect with some amazing friends from my days in the city while I was going to art school. We went to all of the old bars we used to visit back in the day and I kept joking that we were going for seafood pancakes at 4am. Well, the image of us below was taken at 4am, after our Korean feast in K-Town. I think we look pretty good for what we tackled that night!

When we were outside the restaurant, Heather, my old roommate and one of my VERY best friends looked at me and said, 'Missi, there is our old building!' Me, clueless, how could I live in this building below for so many years and not know that it had amazing character and detail?!?! I loved walking by it a few times, oh the memories!

The next day was a rough one for Erica & I since we had little sleep and maybe one too many vodka drinks. It started off with a trip uptown to have brunch with my dear friend Damon & his partner Jeremy. I love that we can meet up after years apart and the conversation takes off and there is never a dull moment. After a few hours with the boys we headed back downtown to do a little lot of shopping.

Monday started out with pouring rain so where better to go than The Dry Bar. They were gracious host and allowed a few of us bloggers to invade the space with our tresses so we could get all purdy for the events to come. Alli, the owner of Dry Bar even came in to greet us along with the architect that designed the space & two amazing gals from Joss & Main...it was perfect! Thank you all SO much for such a great start, now if the Dry Bar would only open up in Calgary (hint hint).

Oh, the pics from BlogFest, well, I am not going to lie...we might have played hooky from a lot of the events and the parties that we did attend I was too busy chatting, meeting, and having fun to snap pics (bad blogger, bad). But let me tell you this, the girls I knew I would love I did and I am so incredibly thankful that I was able to meet them. Although, I would have preferred if my first meeting with Tiffany was not at Starbucks when I was in my pajamas. Yep, that happened, but it will stay as one of the most memorable parts of the trip. Mel xo

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I'm a foodie nerd...

I post easy recipes often, reviews when I get to go to far away amazing restaurants, but one thing you may not know about me is that I am a huge foodie nerd. A few friends and I have started a yearly dinner group. Yearly you ask? Well, this latest one we started planing in September. It includes sourcing, spread sheets, meetings, one guest even fly's in from Ottawa...we take this seriously! This years party is June 9th and we are hosting it at our home, I am so excited!!

 Gremolata potato, bacon stuffed mushroom (smoked in apple-wood and coffee beans), tenderloin with port compote

Last year the crazy talented Derek (who flies in from Ottawa), Natalie, & Serge were the ones that prepared all of the food & hosted...the only thing I did was consume and take the pictures (I think I am really great at photography when I drink, haha).

  Vine-ripe tomato sorbet with tomato tartare and basil oil

This years dinner has been in the works for some time and the menu is coming together, but this year there is a twist...all of the people attending will be participating in the kitchen!

 King crab salad with cucumber jelly, grainy mustard vinaigrette and micro greens

So far we are at 12 course for the evening, everything from a scallop trio that 3 of us are involved in, deep fried egg yoke with aioli, slider trio including camel, bison, and a rabbit/venison combination, & a blackberry & borage desert.

Yellow grouper with sweet parsnips, spinach and saffron vanilla sauce

Of course I will be sharing this evening with you after the fact...31 sleeps and counting. I'm hungry just thinking about it all!!!

Chevre and walnut tartlets served along-side the cheese platter

So many exciting things in the next two months and this is just one of them, I'll be sure to share them all with you. From design, to food, to travel...good times in 2012!!! Mel xo

Bits around this house...

Here are some tidbits from our home showing a few changes made over the past couple of months...it seems I am always finding another project. Will I ever stop?

{great room}

I decided to add window grills to the windows at the back of the home. I don't want to cover up our amazing view with drapes or blinds but they seemed a bit bare, this was the perfect option in my opinion. I will admit when they first went on I had a slight panic attack, but after I got used to them a few days later I couldn't image the space without them!

 

{mud room}

If you have been following the blog for a while you know that I was struggling with a wallpaper selection for this space. After going through many samples I stumbled across this fun paper from Antrhopologie. It is quirky, fun, but I will admit...I am temped to take my colored pencils to it in spots, I think it would be fun to have little pops of color here and there! 

{pantry}

My name is Melissa & I am addicted to jars. Seriously, it is getting ridiculous, I want everything in perfect glass jars...it is slowly getting there and I will admit I love the look of it and so do clients. Pretty much every client that has seen my pantry since we moved in has requested one similar in their own home. The hubs though I was being a bit over the top with it, I now have my justification.

{dining room}

It is finally painted and it is perfection! I will admit a bit more blue than I was expecting once the whole room was done but it is the perfect balance with the tone of the wood work, fabric on the chairs, and the antique brass light and cabinet hardware. Please excuse the boxes everywhere, those are my drapes and rods from Restoration awaiting the hubs and his drill.

{hallway}

I wanted something special in our main level hall for a while, it is probably the most walked space in our home since it connects the main floor rooms to each other. When I was at Chapters a few weeks back I spied some great silver frames with linen matts, instant love. I ordered up 11 of them and they are perfection down the hall on both sides.

There is still work going on, the Hubs plantation shutter for his office is being installed next week, I have drapes to be hung in the dining room & M's room...oh, and yes, M's room, that damn mural I started that I keep putting off, need.to.get.that.done along with a few other things for his room...then what about the Eskayel paper for the powder room, oh, and the lower level rec room...OK, so I still have lots to do, but I am making progress and since my home is the last priority right now (clients first) I think I am doing pretty good, it is all about baby steps and lots of coffee. Enjoy your weekend!! Mel xo

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Project Updates: Altadore II

Altadore II is rocking along, we have a possession on this home in June so there are trades tripping over each other left, right, and center. Regardless of it being just like Grand Central Station we are cracking along and it is almost ready to paint...when it really gets transformed. As most of you know I am all about the little details that some may over look, below is an example of a pattern I am repeating in the home to create consistency.

{kitchen & great room}

The kitchen is pretty much wrapped up and almost ready for paint/stain. There is an island in there, you just have to look beyond the table, tools, and materials. When I was at the site yesterday the great room built-in was being built. It has a similar design to the one at Altadore I but with a drywall & alder detail to make it unique.

{ceiling & study wall}

So here is where my little detail is being highlighted. The drop beam ceiling in the great room has a more funky shape than the typical cross beam design. I created a total nightmare for my finishers with the wall detail in the study that mimics the ceiling (sorry boys, but it looks fab). Once it is all painted out the same dark, rich, sexy color it will be awesomeballs!! 

I would have taken more images but even trying to walk thought this home was a challenge! Hardwood was being laid upstairs, cabinet makers were working on the vanities, and other finishers were doing closet shelving...I just wanted to get out of there before I started hearing the mumblings of 'Where is the coffee Mel?'. What can I say, I was short on time today, the coffee treat will have to come another day. Mel xo

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Easy French Apple Tart...

Here is a great go to dessert that will WOW and is QUICK...can't get much better than that, can it?

I had to take a dessert to the in-laws for Easter weekend so I went to one of my favorite cookbooks, The Barefoot Contessa. I modified her French Apple Tart a tad and it was perfection, here is what I can up with and the easy peasy instructions...

{ingredients}
1 package frozen puff pastry
4 green apples (granny smith)
1/3 C sugar
cinnamon
4 T unsalted cold butter
1/3 C apricot jam
3 T dark run 

{directions}

Pre-heat oven to 400F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the thawed puff pastry till it is aprox. 1/4" thick, measure it out so it is 10x14 inches. Place dough on parchment paper and refrigerate while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Peel the apples, core, discard top and bottom and slice into 1/4" thick slices. Arrange the apple slices on the pastry starting in a diagonal and overlapping each slice. Once all of the apples are used sprinkle the full 1/3 C of sugar over the dessert. Sprinkle with cinnamon to your taste and liking. Cut butter into small dices and dot them over the dessert.
Bake for 45 min, until the pastry is browned and the edges have started to crystallize (it isn't burnt so don't worry!)

Heat the apricot jam and run together over medium heat until it comes together. With a pastry brush cover the tart with the jam/rum mixture, this will give it the gloss and an extra zing.

So above is what you will come out with, stunning, simple, yummy, and did I mention easy? It can be served hot or at room temperature, and during the long summer days, a scoop of ice cream would be the perfect finish for this. Hope you enjoy!! Mel

A BIG win & thank you...

So this past weekend was the Sam Awards hosted by the CHBA. It is pretty much the equivalent to the Oscars of home building in Calgary, lots of entertainment, bright lights, 1,700 people, and awards being handed out. This year we were up for two awards, Best New Home $850-999K & Best New Home $1mil - 1.25mil, with all of the categories there were over 750 entries, so to be one of 5 in each of the categories is huge and a honor. We ended up taking home this beauty...

{A quick snap after we received the award}

We won for the Best New Home $850-999K (land cost not included). The one and only Erica was with us to join the festivities and she said my face when they announced our name was priceless...I will admit I was shocked! The home entered for this category was Wexford II, here are a few reminders of that home.

 

So you know, it is not just the Hubs that makes it all stand up, or me that drives the trades up the wall with my ideas & designs, it is the team behind us. From our architects, to the suppliers, all the trades who work so hard...they are what helps make our product stand out. So thank you to ALL of you for your hard work, putting up with me, and always willing to help me find the perfect faucet, slab of marble, or tile...you are our backbone! Mel xo

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