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Did you hear? The 60s inspired TV series Mad Men, is in it's final season. Bad news for this wildly popular show, I know. But to hold us over just a little longer, I created an interior design mood board based on my personal favourite style - Mid Century Modern. This MCM style, features clean lines, attention to subtle detail, simple forms; with a nod to entertaining. Here's a photo of Roger Sterling's Office below.  Source When choosing my inspiration furniture, I went to the ever popular furniture online store called Charish. This store accepts furniture from all over the continental USA, posts great photos of the pieces, then offers them for sale. They take great care to only sell amazing furniture. I especially love the great search options. You can search by Style, Colour, Price point, Category, Location etc. Which makes selecting the perfect item a breeze! Have a look at what I have created. All items from Charish. If you want to check out their direct link to their MCM furniture please click here, I promise you'll love it!  Interior Design by Jil Sonia McDonald of Jil Sonia Interiors, BC Thanks for indulging my zest for Mid-Century modern design! 
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I am happy to announce, my 12 page spread (6 double pages) in the Prestigious Canadian Home Trends Magazine....... Yippee!  Jil Sonia McDonald of Jil Sonia Interiors, Maple Ridge, BC. I was over the moon happy to receive a letter from Canadian Home Trends magazine, mentioning that they saw my profile on Houzz and that they'd love to feature me in their Spring 2014 print and online magazine!  Interior design by Jil Sonia McDonald. Photos by Tracey Ayton Photography. This prestigious magazine is the most helpful and innovative magazine I've ever seen. If you subscribe to their online magazine (which offers 168 pages!), you will see they've added special effects to the photos - such as the fireplace has a crackling sound, the photos change from the before to after right in front of your eyes. Amazing! Otherwise their print magazine is gorgeous as well. Who doesn't like to curl up with a nice glass of wine and a great magazine?  Interior design by Jil Sonia McDonald of Jil Sonia Interiors. Photos: Tracey Ayton Photography. My client, was an absolute dream to work with. She completely trusted me to lead the way to make her dreams a reality. Here's a photo of her kitchen before...  ...and below, the after. We removed 2 and a 1/2 walls to open up this floor plan and allow more light to spread through the home. I simply can't believe the difference. I always, always, always start with my counter top selection. My go to source is Caesarstone, they have such a lovely, well priced selection. We selected this gorgeous white and gray mixed engineered quartz, called London Gray. This was the inspiration for the whole kitchen renovation.  Interior design by Jil Sonia McDonald of Jil Sonia Interiors. Photos: Tracey Ayton Photography. Our Client is an avid cook and I wanted to create a beautiful kitchen where she could work away to her hearts content - yet be able to clean up easily and quickly.  Interior design by Jil Sonia McDonald of Jil Sonia Interiors. Photos: Tracey Ayton Photography. One of my favorite things about this magazine, is that the interview questions were very detailed, it took me three hours to fill out the forms as I wanted to share everything, I find people are so interested in tips and tricks to make their own home more beautiful.  Interior design by Jil Sonia McDonald of Jil Sonia Interiors. Photos: Tracey Ayton Photography. I made a special point of mentioning and thanking my suppliers whom did an amazing job! One of the top reasons client's hire me, is that I know the best suppliers and tradespeople to work with. I'd like to make special mention to Warline Painting and Julie Bolton (window treatments) for their attention to detail and professional work. To top it all off, I loved the stunning Robert Allen fabric that I used. It helped tie the whole room together!  Interior design by Jil Sonia McDonald of Jil Sonia Interiors. Photos: Tracey Ayton Photography. Thanks so much for allowing me to share this exciting post. I don't know of too many interior designers who get a 12 page spread and I'm truly grateful!  
Who's heard of Universal Design?
Simply it's a way of designing a home which everyone can function in. People with physical challenges, the elderly, young children - really all of us. At some point in our lives, most of us will have a physical disability. Whether it's your teen aged son who hurts himself dirtbiking, hubby who throws his back out cleaning out the gutters, age related vision loss, or people faced with even greater health challenges, we all want to be able to use our homes to the best of our ability. Did you know by the year 2020 over 50% of the populations will be over 65? If we're remodeling our home, or building a new home, it's wise to make a few subtle changes that may prove beneficial down the road. Here are just a few things to consider. Barrier free living: 
Wide interior and exterior doors and hallways - wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair - a minimum of 32", preferably more.
Showers without the 'curb' preventing us from tripping upon entering and exiting. Exterior Ramps going up to our homes. A 60" minimum 'square' area where a wheelchair can turn around. Bathroom design: 
Interior Design by Jil Sonia Interiors. Photos by Ina van Tonder, Surrey, BC
Faucet location - if possible, try to have the faucets placed to the side of the sink, then people don't need to stretch across the sink to reach the faucet.
Thermostatic Valve - for showers, these valves can be a blessing. This is usually shown as a shower faucet with 2 handles, 1 to control the flow of the water, and another lever, which is set by the user to the level of temperature of water. Set it and forget it. Let's put the shower lever at 48" in height or less, of we can all reach it. Scald protection devices are essential in homes with young children, the elderly and the physically challenged, but are recommended for every home and may even be code in some areas. We've all experienced the sudden increase or decrease in bath water temperature that occurs when another member of your household uses water. Scald protection devices can help to maintain safer water temperatures. Handles: 
Using lever handles makes life easier for everyone - no twisting or turning of knobs. Even better if they can be used with a closed fist or open hand.
Lighting: 
Interior design by Jil Sonia Interiors, Maple Ridge, BC. Photography by Ina van Tonder, Surrey, BC
Well lit areas are a must for all of us. Sconces throughout the bathrooms or hallways can emit a soft gentle light, non glaring. Ensure they don't protrude more than 4" so we don't bump into them (as per ADA standards).
As life expectancy rises and better health care increases the survival rate of those with significant injuries, illnesses, and birth challenges, there is a growing interest in universal design. Let's do our best to help everyone live life to the fullest. 
I had the good fortune of attending Design Camp in Seattle last month. Among the brilliant speakers and interior designers was the gorgeous and down to earth Bill Indursky (linkedin.com/pub/bill-indursky/9/a48/621). Here's part one of a two part series!  pmc-mag.com/2011/11/bill-indursky/ Design maverick Bill comes from an impressive art and home furnishings background, even dabbling in pottery in his early years. I was lucky enough to stroll through an art gallery alone with him and Interior Designer Linda Holt , and quiz him on upcoming trends. Bill is known for his outrageous clothing choices; when he's speaking he always dresses to show a trend. When I met him, he was rocking a kilt with these crazy, large, forearm metal cuffs - indicative of the Egyptian trend that is soon arriving.  Bill Indursky - photo by Jil Sonia McDonald Without further ado, here are our trends for 2013: Raw: a lot of raw materials have been making their rounds last year. Expect to see more raw woods, raw metals, rusted metals, weathered looking tables and chairs. With the chaos of the recent years financial decline, we're looking for more reality. Something stable.  Weathered wood end table. jossandmain.com/Stanley-Furniture-Windward-End-Table  Gorgeous salvaged wood table. www.restorationhardware.com Pattern play: Lettering is hot! Look for it in pillows, artwork, decor and wall murals. We're digging the all over letter pattern such as shown on this dramatic ceiling. Now which client can I use that for???  cdn.freshome.com/2013/01/29/top-10-interior-design-trends-for-2013/ What about your initials on your desk? Or hung on the wall?  browndresswithwhitedots.tumblr.com/post/37110889630 Dramatic license: Over the top design, heavy on the contrast. Big, powerful statement pieces. Oversized and dramatic is key! What do you think? Are you seeing a large purple chair in your living room?  housetohome.media.ipcdigital.co.uk/96/00000e4cf/bf58_orh550w550/Dramatic-living-room-modern-Livingetc.jpg The Ancients: Classic looks, Neo Greek key. Egyptian columns and room dividers, Grecian urns, patterned wallpaper showing old ruins, Parthenon looking furniture...  designtoscano.com/product/egyptian/new+egyptian/neoclassical+egyptian+revival+chair+-+af51402.do?sortby=bestSellers Well, I hate to say it, but Bill says: Gray is out and Brown and beige are back and here to stay! At the Design Centre in Seattle, all we saw were various versions of beige, dark brown and cream. I even took him aside twice and asked him to clarify this (I'm just not a brown fan!), but no, gray has had it's day and we're back to beige and brown again.  houzz.com/photos/207365/Urrutia-Design-contemporary-bedroom-san-francisco Colour: Linda Holt (www.lindaholtinteriors.com) covers this topic more in depth in her post "It's baaaack, shocking color trends" So tell me what do you think, is Bill spot on, or do you see something different coming down the design pipeline? If you need help sorting out the trends that will work for YOU, or just want classic interior design that will stand the test of time, please visit: Email: info@jilsoniainteriors.com We'd love to help!  |
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Author:Jil Sonia McDonald - Interior Designer of Jil Sonia Interior Designs. 
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