Living Home Chocolate Fountain
Oh and Lisa The first set of pictures related to our discovery – or rediscovery – food: the Mad Cow Disease, a beer brewed in Charlevoix, cheeses such as Hercules or 1608, direct from the dairy of Charlevoix. The visit of the economuseum is also a visit and the brand new whey processing plant and energy conservation at the forefront of sustainable development. I knew of The rector s Eric Martin The resort where I discovered the art of living so British during my language course in England is none other than Brighton. To begin my freshman year, I called a refresher course in language would not be a luxury! I booked English courses in Brighton, just a few days in a language travel agency and I took off without any knowledge of the language, to return to France two months later, with an Advanced level, which allowed me to take the TOEFL in England! If I had known sooner that 60 days would have been able to save hours of hassle in language courses in high school, I decided much earlier to attend English classes during the school holidays!. Brighton is a bit eccentric and vibrant seaside resort in England! Its beaches are the rallying point for young people of the surrounding towns and London (an hour's drive away). When I arrived I was really disoriented, landed straight on my campaign, I found myself in the festive atmosphere, and besides I did not understand a word of English! A language travel agency, I was advised to start with a host family accommodation in Brighton the first month, then move into the second student house close to the school. And I recommend it to everyone who travels! The first week is hard enough when you find yourself totally immersed in England. Therefore, living in a family that takes you through customs, you around the city and also takes the time to understand you when you try to communicate is very important, so as not to be too easily discouraged by the disruption cultural and switch to English. Once the basics are learned and a more extensive vocabulary, I joined the student apartment, to continue my course in Brighton surrounded by other foreign students! It was actually a beautiful typical English house, built on several floors with 10 single rooms. Mine was huge and had a staff staircase leading directly outside. There was a communal kitchen, lounge and garden. Every ray of sunshine, we went out for a BBQ lunch with roommates! Life in Brighton, UK version was Friends. Sightseeing, the city will not stop surprising you. The Royal Pavilion, for example, When Douglas and Matthew were looking for their first apartment together, they knew it had to be amazing. As design fanatics, they wanted a home that had enough architectural appeal without sacrificing size or location. They set off on an exhaustive search going through apartment hunting services, scanning through endless craigslist ads, and strolling up and down the streets of Lakeview looking for "for rent" signs. Finally, their search paid off. When Douglas and Matthew first looked at this apartment, with its exposed brick walls, large windows, and unique floor plan, they were almost immediately smitten. Unfortunately, someone else had fallen in love with it first and so it looked like Douglas and Matthew would have to start their search all over again. Crestfallen, they decided they would take a few days to regroup before they started their search again. And then there was a living home chocolate fountain miracle phone call from the landlord. The application that was pending on the apartment was denied so it was available after all!. It's hard to believe that Douglas and Matthew have only been living in this apartment for two months. In that short time they have put together an unbelievably handsome home. It helps that the bones of this apartment are exquisite. There's more exposed brick in this apartment than on the outside of some buildings!. It's also helpful that the couple have a similar design aesthetic. When it came time to combine their homes, it was an easy blend because they both have the same love for modern, clean lines. Still, I'm impressed that, after just two months, there wasn't a box in sight when I was at their apartment for the photo shoot. Our Style: Simplified modern with touches of personality and hopefully, a little surprise and whimsy. Our style is always developing; we don't believe a home should be stagnant. The fun of having a place of your own is to experiment and continually refine your own aesthetic. Having just moved into the house not even two months ago, we like to think of this as the first version. Hopefully, as time goes on, it will continue to be enhanced. Inspiration: In a way, our home is quite influenced by our own daily lives. It needs to function for our lifestyle and be home to the activities of our choosing. From having the perfect perch to place keys as soon as you walk in the door to having the right amount of lighting over a reading chair all contribute to influencing our design. Additionally, periodicals and blogs are great sources of inspiration. With Matthew and I involved in design for our occupations, inspiration is constantly around. Also, living in a city, there is inspiration all around!. Favorite Element: Architecturally, the exposed brick, dark hardwood floors, and unique layout, including a step up kitchen and dining area, were all unique selling points on the property. The windows of the living room and dining area are large and the combination of being on the top floor and the building facing south allow ample amounts of light into the apartment as well as give the space an airy, tree house vibe. As for a furnishing or object, the element that works best is the combination of styles and personalities. There isn't really one "favorite" piece; it's more about a harmony between objects. Biggest Challenge: Both having backgrounds in architecture and design and renting an apartment prove challenging. We view certain aspects of the apartment with a rather critical eye and those aspects are typically ones that a renter simply can't change. The layout of the kitchen, the size of closets, etc. Beyond that, any time two people commit to living together, there is always the challenge of creating a cohesive living environment from two different people's belongings, sometimes with opposite aesthetic. Matthew and I were fortunate that we both enjoy many of the same design styles, so that helped alleviate the problem. To make our belongings work together, we took inventory of what we had prior to moving in and decided what would stay and what would be sold or given away. From then, we were able to work towards an aesthetic goal and purchase needed furniture and accessories which would complement our vision. Aside from that, we believe that, as nearly all apartment dwellers in an urban environment can attest, storage is always a problem. We had to become creative in the ways we stored our belongings, from clothing and books to food and kitchenware. What Friends Say: We've had a great response from our friends. I think what stands out to them is that it maintains a certain look, a reflection of our personalities, while being adaptable and not too fussy. Our friends seem to notice small elements of surprise and whimsy which is always nice to receive feedback on. Biggest Embarrassment: So far, nothing comes to mind. I suppose I should say "knock on wood" that this continues. However, I'm sure we will attempt a project sometime in the future that goes completely awry. Actually, the more I think, I suppose it can be considered embarrassing when Matthew and I go shopping- for example, spending more than 30 minutes to decide on a fragrance for the living room could be considered embarrassing. But we hold our heads high and own it. (And end up with a good result!). Proudest DIY: Managing to install quite a few wall mounted objects and having them not look like they were installed in the dark by a child. Making artwork is also great, however, most of these projects are still in various states of progress. Biggest Indulgence: Chairs, accessories, and lighting. Basically, surrounding ourselves with objects we love. In terms of chairs, one of our favorites is an early production model of Bertjan Pot's famous Carbon Chair for Moooi. What's great about it is the way it speaks of dedicated craftsmanship while employing high-tech techniques and materials. The Carbon chair's lightness both visually and physically (literally, it weighs somewhere around one or two pounds) is due to its structure. Individual strands of carbon interwoven to create a strong body and intricate aesthetic. As soon as you sit and it and really start to take notice of the details, you can see the hand-craft that is used. Best Advice: Have a plan of attack. It helps to be organized and go into projects knowing what the desired outcome is. Also, don't buy something without loving it. I think that's really important. To me, it's okay to buy something that you love even if you don't have a place to put it- if you love it, it will find a place. Otherwise, you'll either end up wanting to replace it quickly or it will just accumulate into more "junk". A combination of some high end furniture and accessories pieces from Luminaire with ubiquitous accompaniments from Ikea and CB2. Additionally, second hand stores for accessories, homemade artwork, and our personal collection of objects complete the home. I LOVE this. The lighting is perfect with the exposed brick – I love the dining area – I REEEAALLLYYY love the bag hangy things and the magazine rack in the bathroom. Love it. Lovely! Please can you tell me what those black boxes are, wall mounted on the brick wall in what looks like an entry hallway? thanks!. It just doesn't get much better than this.. and what an excellent example of what you can do with plain white paint on the walls. Just fantastic! This is my favorite house tour since I started reading AT about 3 years ago. love the shower curtain..and the cozy feeling in the living room is great. i'm happy you went with a dark sofa. it's gives the room a moody feel with the dark wood floors. I think this apt is great! I like the playful touches all around the house. My only suggestion, if I may be so bold, is to do something with the DVD collection. Maybe arrange them in a more artful way, instead of "here is our DVD collection." My two cents! Otherwise, well done! I am a fan!. whoa. this whole tour i was either saying "hey, i have that!" or "hey, i want/wanted that!" looks great- great mix of high and low (gotta love ikea) and awesome apartment find. A fabulously well put-together home. I can't believe this only took you two months. I adore the hanging lights and hanging hooks, they make use of the space so well. I love how open everything seems, and yet it isn't one of the house tours where it seems like the people don't own anything either. Great!. You men are spectacular. This is so not my style and still I'm in love with it. You deserve an award for simplest, best bathroom re-do. I love it. The couch looks amazing in that configuration. At first glance I didn't think that it was Ikea. Then a few photos later I thought that it looked kind of like the Karlstad. Great job!. This is a fantastic place! I would love to see more of the apartment, layout, etc. and less of the vingettes. Can panoramic pics be used on AT? And even if the homeowner has an Eames rocker, can we just, for once, not include it?. I'm just especially grateful for the hooks hanging from the ceiling. I *LOVE* that, and will create something like that behind my front door, in the spot that always wanted hooks hanging from the ceiling but didn't know it until today. Now how come when my house had as much Ikea stuff it didn't come off this well put together