Modern Home, Natural Christmas

Now this is my kinda home, and my kinda Christmas. Home to a family of four, it's been decked out for the holidays by interior designer, Sophie Burke. I have so much love for this home, and the pretty and low key festive decorations.

This 1920's house was was renovated by architect Elizabeth MacKenzie, and the interiors were finished by Sophie. I shot this story for the November issue of House and Home magazine. Here's a peek...

A perfectly calm and inviting bedroom. Artwork by Angela Grossmann.

I'll be keeping this bathroom in mind as inspiration for my reno. Love the pretty little wreath that Sophie created too. 

The family room is just off the kitchen. Loved everything about it. 

Speaking of the kitchen.....

....it was a pretty great one. 

Loved the mix of the comfy, classic sofa, with a Saarinen coffee table and an Eames rocker. Sprigs of fir tree, pinecones and candles are festive, without screaming Christmas. 

This really makes me want a separate dining room. Perfect backdrop for more woodsy, natural, Christmas decor. 

What do you think? Are you a nature lover when it comes to Christmas decor? Do you think you could live in a fairly minimal house? I'd love to know. 

Have a great day!

janis

Baked

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

It's been a weekend of baking, eating, cooking and then eating again. Tonight's our huge Thanksgiving dinner with my family. One more day of stuffing, then that's it ;) Who else is having their big dinner tonight?

I haven't posted anything for a few months...where did the summer go? Hope you're all well!

Thought I'd share an easy recipe from the recipe box of my mom. Hermits (which I've been all long weekend).

Hermits - makes about 36

1.5 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I buy whole nutmeg)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts and a little extra to sprinkle on tops of cookies

Preheat oven to 375f/190c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and combine well. Stir in raisins and walnuts.
Drop about a tablespoon of mixture onto lined baking sheet, then sprinkle tops with extra chopped walnuts. Bake for about 10-12 minutes.

That's it! Pretty simple to make. 

Have a great day!

janis

BC Observations

Happy BC Day to my fellow British Columbians! Hope you're enjoying your long weekend.

A few weeks ago I headed out on a road trip, with with my mom, 2 of my sisters and a nephew. We were taking my mom on a "sentimental journey" to Kitimat BC, about 1400km from Vancouver, and we only had a week to do it. She had lived there for a few years, as a teenager, when the town was brand new, and for one year "reigned" over the town as Miss Kitimat. Pretty cute. The town of Kitimat was created to support the aluminum smelting industry in the mid-50's. Before that, it was a tiny fishing village. Here are some pics of our road trip to northern BC....

An abandoned old church near Lytton BC. 

The Fraser River.

Barkerville is a national historic site of Canada located along Williams Creek. It's an old "gold rush" town built in the 1860's. Many of the original town's buildings still stand today. Incredible history. 

The old Canadian National train station. 

Kitimaat Village, just outside of Kitimat. 

What I really noticed is that since the town was born in 1954, the architecture is very much of the era. Loved it. Even the abandoned buildings still looked great. I'd love this one to be turned into some kind of accommodation. 

A-frame architecture for the First United Church.

This is Miss Kitimat (aka my mom) taking a look at what was the town centre, where she was "crowned". 

Palm Springs Rancher

Hello weekend! Hope you all had a great week.

I'm about to head out on a BC road trip. Can't. Wait. Before I hit the highway, here's a look at one of my favourite home shoots ever. This perfect Palm Springs rancher is the vacation home of Sarah and Murray Bancroft and their 2 daughters, Emmanuelle and Charlotte.

Sarah, editor-in-chief of VitaminDaily.com, and Murray, a food stylist, renovated this rancher, designed by Palmer and Krisel in 1959, in just a few months. Read the entire story of their reno, and see many more photos, in the August issue of House and Home. You can also read about Sarah's favourite Palm Springs hotels here.

My favourite feature of the house was the wall of windows and sliding glass doors to the back yard. 

Do you think you could holiday at this house? I most definitely could! 

Have a great weekend! 

janis

A Look at Love It Or List It Vancouver

Hello! It's been awhile since my last post, but there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day. I doubt I'm the only one who feels this way?

Some of you may know that I shoot the "reveals" on a show called Love It Or List It Vancouver, on WNetwork, hosted by Jillian Harris and Todd Talbot. It's pretty incredible what Jillian, and her design team, get done in the space of just a few weeks...and this is a weekly show. Thought I'd share a few pics from one of the more recent reveal days. You can click here, to see some of the "before" pics, the entire resource guide and story.

What do you think? Could you see yourself hanging out in this house? 

Check out Love It Or List It Vancouver, for pics of the bedroom, bathroom and office as well, along with all the before pics. It was a massive transformation. 

Have a good day!

janis

Minimal for Friday

Hello weekend! Hope you all had a good week.

I shoot a lot of homes. The best part about it is, I have the opportunity to meet so many homeowners and see their different styles and tastes. It's so interesting, to me, to see what makes a perfect home for someone. Minimal, country, vintage, or maximal (new word?), etc.

This home was shot for Style At Home, propped by Stephanie Vogler (The Cross) and it's featured in the current issue. The homeowners are minimalists, and don't like to live with a lot of stuff. At all. Lots of white and concrete but, with some carefully selected vintage and antique wood pieces, along with their collection of McCoy pottery, it feels warm.

Homeowner, Patty, has a beautiful collection of McCoy pottery and had built in shelves created to  display it all. Still manages to keep it spare looking. 

I actually shot this couple's last home, a few years back, for a magazine called Canadian Home and Country. Take a look at the new issue of Style At Home for a few pics of their last home, mixed in with this one. It's quite a change. 

Do you think you could live minimally? Let me know!

Have a good weekend!

janis