Cool Homes: In 650 Sq Ft + Contest

This place not only wins the title of Cool Homes this week because it's a unique small space, it is also located in Toronto, near Bathurst and Queen! Owners and designers, Claudia Bader, Timothy Mitanidis and Martin Tavares bought this run down boarding house with huge potential in their eyes. They renovated the home into 3 apartments and Claudia and her husband Timothy live in the ground floor unit. It's 650 square feet of eye candy and they did it on a shoe string budget, sigh! What do you think?

modern exterior design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

Great idea to extend the 2nd step into an outdoor bench!

modern entry design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

Those blue chairs were a Craigslist find

modern living room design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

modern living room design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

modern living room design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

modern living room design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

The original floors were salvaged and re-stained

modern living room design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow

modern dining room design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

The dining room table and coffee table were designed by Timothy using the salvaged barn boards from the house

modern dining room design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

modern kitchen design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

The kitchen cabinets were constructed out of concrete formwork and counter tops are poured concrete

modern kitchen design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

Sink made out of a salad bowl,with a plywood ledge, how cool? -Powder room

modern powder room design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

Master bathroom

modern bathroom design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

modern bedroom design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

modern bedroom design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

modern exterior design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

modern exterior design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

modern exterior design by toronto photographer Andrew Snow Photography

For more information on Timothy and Claudia and what they can do for YOUR space, check out their website, just click here. Also make sure to follow them on Facebook.

If you have a cool space or uniquely decorated place you would like me to feature, make sure to contact me!

Before I sign off, here's one more treat for you today, Davies Smith is having a great contest....


All you have to do is like their Facebook page and tell them you're perfect day in Toronto, it's that easy! My perfect day would be a helicopter tour of the city, followed by a private trip to the Toronto Island, where me and my significant other would have a catered picnic and a bike ride around the island afterwards, what about you?

***Images via Houzz and Davies Smith***

Creative Decor: Vintage Suitcases

I'm a lover of all things vintage, so this post should come as no surprise. I love when I walk into a home and see one of a kind items. The more interesting part is the way people are using their vintage finds, it can be very inspiring! I'm always searching for creative ideas that I can replicate in my flip homes to give them that unique touch and vintage suitcases fall right into this category. As I was doing some research on vintage suitcases, I came across some really cool ways to use them and showcase them in your home.

So here they are, I'm sure some of these ideas you have seen in the past, but nonetheless, they are still pretty nice to look at!

Weddings/Events







Pet Beds


How cute!!?!!


How About A Clock?




Bedroom (most popular use I found)











Storage/Organizer







Decorative













What do you think? Would you try any of these ideas?
Have a great weekend!!!
***Images via At Home, The Janelle Window Collection, Hitched, Cool Mom Picks, Homedit, Oh Darling Wedding, Bee And Mason, Elements Of Style, Well Appointed Desk, Mamie Janes, Funky Junk Interiors, Bowties And Bliss***

Mission: Clutter Free

We all strive to keep a clean home, but sometimes life gets in the way and things start to pile up! It's always good to take inventory of what's actually in your home and practice the art of declutter our homes from things we don't need or use anymore. This is not just another staging technique for when you're thinking of selling your home, if you declutter a few times a year, perhaps the beginning of every new season, the mission doesn't seem as daunting. Also when you are actually ready to list your home, the task of decluttering won't be so bad and overwhelming.

Lucky Matt Schexnayder from SpareFoot has agreed to share some tips on how to declutter effectively, take it away Matt.....

Everyone has lofty ambitions of home organization, but not many can accomplish it. We all say that one day we will get organized, and then before you know it ten years has gone by and everything is still a mess. And what happens if all of the sudden you decide to move? How will you approach this situation now that the clock is ticking? Bring on the migraines.

People who manage to stay organized have never experienced this sense of panic, and they are lucky. But how do they do it? What is their secret? Well, a select few are just naturally good at keeping things in order, but most require the helping hand of a self-storage facility. Renting a self-storage unit is by far the best way to keep your home clutter-free.

It always seems as though there is never enough room to put all your belongings, probably due to the fact that people don’t have the heart to throw away items that were once precious to them even if they serve no purpose now. Even if you are living in a mess, you still can’t find it in you to throw anything out. That being the case, most people’s best scenario is a clutter-less home with an overstuffed garage.

Instead of spreading the mess of a renovation all over your house, or in your garage, rent a small unit from one of your local self-storage companies. Keep all of the things you can't get everyday use of out of the way until you have found a purpose for them. Placing your unused items in cheap storage units can help cut down on the visual chaos of a messy house, and it also gives you an opportunity to take a mental break from the stress.

Listed below are a few tips for achieving home and garage organization, the divide and conquer way.

• First, before you can conquer, you must divide. This means separating the “keepables” from the “unkeepables” and using a judicious eye to identify belongings that should be given or thrown away.
• Second, conquer. Identify what you need and segregate what you don’t need. These are the items you’ll be putting into storage.
• Finally, pack things logically. Don’t just throw everything into a box. By packing things in an organized manner and labeling boxes, you’ll make it much easier to find something.

Putting the home you're living in in order can be one of the most stressful things you do as an adult. However, you can minimize the chaos and relieve some of the tension in your home by taking advantage of cheap storage units.

This article was written by Matt Schexnayder. Matt is on the SpareFoot marketing team and writes for the SpareFoot blog. SpareFoot is the largest online marketplace for self-storage with more than 5,000 self-storage facilities listed nationwide.

Have these tips inspired you to declutter?

Cool Homes: Polish Style

Today's feature is not so much a home, but nevertheless is near and dear to me as it's from Poland, the country where I was born! The designer's challenge was to design something minimalistic yet functional for people visiting Poznan in Poland and to also have all the amenities of a hotel room while feeling and looking like home. I think the designers, mode:lina, were successful in their mission, what do you think?





























I LOVE all the quotes on the wall, don't you?

If you have a cool space or uniquely decorated place that you would like me to feature, make sure to contact me!