house design parry sound, north country design and build, home design, residential design,  jen schwindt, cottage design, cottage design parry sound

What our simple Christmas decorating looks like this year.

A good designer will plan for the future. Invest in your home. By doing so early you may save yourself time, money and effort in the future.

How often do you move your furniture? Do you move it once a year to fit the Christmas tree in for a season? Perhaps every spring you move it, clean under it and put it right back where it was? Maybe you move it a lot more often? Personally I tend to fall into the "a lot more often" category. I like to move things from room to room, finding new ways to display things, making our furniture and our stuff work for our family and how we are currently living and using the space. Th

So how do you add antiques to your home and style it so it looks right? I'll show you three ideas. I love incorporating old antique items in my home. It's not too hard to come up with new ways to use old things. Be creative. I like things that have a story to tell, things with character, that have a beautiful worn patina and are maybe a little rough around the edges. The imperfect. Recently I was gifted 3 new (old) items. Since garage sale and antiquing season is upon us I t

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot, the wind blows cold, it's summer in the light & it's winter in the shade" - Charles Dickens Isn't that the more perfect description of March? It's the month that acts as a bridge to Spring. We just had a great weekend here weather wise. One of the things I love the most about living in Canada is the changing seasons we get to experience. I love each one in its own way, and when you are getting really tired of one (ahem…

The kitchen: Before, After and the Inbetween It's okay to have an "inbetween", making progress is something that should be celebrated. The Kitchen story… This is the dated, very dated, (very decorated?!) kitchen. It was in rough shape and hadn't had a lot of attention in what looks like years and years and years! It has been transformed and now looks like this… A clean, white, classic kitchen with lots of functional work space and storage. White shaker style doors are a clas

Today, I am just going to share a tiny little simple detail a lot people over look when they are putting up their tree. Keeping this in mind can help you create a magical looking Christmas tree. You need to create a sense of depth for a great looking tree. To start, this is the order that I always follow when I'm putting up my tree. We have a fake one….it wasn't the most expensive tree and without it's decorations it does not exactly look super great. Step 1 - build the tree

So recently I decided to jump on board with this trend… …in my own way of course. I loved seeing all the beautiful tree stumps being brought in doors to be used as a side table, extra seating, or a stool. It's a contemporary, clean looking way to incorporate nature. It adds an organic shape, texture and look which is a nice contrast against some of the hard lines of our homes. They seem to be everywhere in design magazines, featured on décor blogs and all over Pinterest. I kn

I love the fall! I will miss the warmth and sunshine of summer! But I still love the fall. There is something about the smell in the air, the colours of the trees around you, the cooler temperatures that allow you to cuddle up in a thick sweater again, the leaves crunching beneath your every step, the warm sips of hot chocolate, and Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday. It reminds us to stop and appreciate everything we have, everything we can be thankful fo

This is a little project I completed earlier this year in the spring. This is the rocking chair I rocked my babies in when they were small. However, now they are growing up and no longer rock with me in the middle of the night. Bitter/Sweet! Instead of leaving this in the basement to collect dust, I decided to use it out on the porch. What better place for a rocking chair is there anyway? It got a fresh coat of paint in a very fun and bright colour! It adds some interest, it

This is a follow up post from my last porch post. My last post I talked about the exterior as a whole and how adding a porch made a big difference to the look of our home. Check out the before and after here. Today I'm going to talk about the pretty, the little details, the things that I will be able to change with the seasons. I am so looking forward to changing the porch décor with the seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Don't forget Christmas! It has me looking forw

Last week I worked on a fun side project. My family and I went to help my in-laws at their cottage. It was time to freshen up the main living area. The cottage has been in the family for years and has been an ongoing project. It is not a very big space, in fact it's quite small. However, we have a lot of fun together there and we have made many memories. Recently the pine ceilings have been added and the exterior walls drywalled. I was given the freedom to choose the paint co

It's in the details, the little bit of extra care, the tiny things that don't always seem to matter…sometimes they bring the biggest impact and pull everything together! Sometimes they are temporary, sometimes they stay forever, and both are okay. Enjoy the details, embrace them. I'm am so happy it's finally warming up around here and there are buds on the trees and the flowers are making their appearance. Nature is so simple, so carefree, and yet has such an effect on how a

How do designers find interesting pieces, where do they get unique furniture and decor? I'll admit, some of my favourite things were headed for the trash. I have found some of my best pieces of furniture at garage sales, thrift stores, antique markets or on the side of the road. Sometimes it takes someone else to see the potential with a fresh creative eye. One of my hobbies is to refinish furniture and find new uses for old things. I plan to share these projects with you in

A New Purpose I love it when old things / junk / garbage/ the "unusable" becomes something new. It's so much more interesting when there is a story to your home, and when you have original decor. Here are three projects created with old windows. This is a very primitive cabinet we made using left over materials. The window came out of an old house in Parry Sound and was headed for the dump. We grabbed a few 2x4's and some left over scraps and put together this cabinet. It has