With the arrival of Spring many of us are feeling ready for change and freshening things up around the house. We want to help! We are running our second Ask Our Designer Contest this month! You could be the winner of a custom Henhouse design package valued at $500 – just the thing to get you started on your home decor project! Full details are at the bottom of this post – don’t miss out!
Our other big news is that my family and I have decided to list our house this Spring and are ready to move into a home that is better suited to our growing family. We’ve been in our current home in Bedford for about 16 years and have put a lot of work and love into it. We’ve made a lot of memories here, and it’s going to be a big change. In short, our beloved 1890’s 3 bedroom home has been feeling a bit cramped over the last few years and we’ve realized that we could all use a bit more breathing space.
We’ll be putting our house on the market in the coming weeks, and I’ll share the listing here soon. You can see some recent photos here if you’d like to take a peek!
In addition to having more space, I’m also excited about getting to decorate our new home! My tastes have evolved over time, and I’d like to take things in a new direction. Lately, I’ve been inspired by the work of designer Peter Dunham.
English born and now based in California since 1998, Peter Dunham designs beautiful interiors and textiles. I love how he mixes many textures and finishes, and the way he layers pattern on top of pattern on top of pattern!
The look is layered, casual, travelled, and refined. It’s an eclectic and textured mix that has a worldly, collected feeling that I love. It’s so cozy, yet fresh feeling. This look is a nice fit for me as I have many treasured antiques that I want to incorporate into the new home, and I’ll get to indulge my love of fabrics by adopting Peter’s layered pattern approach.
Speaking of fabric love – Peter’s line of hand blocked fabrics is drool worthy! The designs are influenced by Islamic and Indian culture and I cannot get enough of the rich patterns and interesting colorways. His shop Hollywood at Home in LA is filled with his stunning textiles and other incredible decor items.
Another thing that I’m very excited about is getting the opportunity to design a custom Henhouse kitchen for my family! Although I design kitchens all the time for my clients, I haven’t yet had the chance to create one of my own from the ground up. I’m looking forward to tailoring a space for our family’s needs and having the kitchen I’ve always wanted.
We’ll be sure to share updates about our new home here on the blog so stay tuned!
Hopefully Peter’s work has inspired you because now it’s time for you to send us your design dilemmas. It’s time to Ask Our Designer! Find out all the details below.
Design Dilemma? Ask Our Designer!
Here’s your chance to get a free design solution from Henhouse’s designer Sappho Griffin! Every quarter we run an Ask Our Designer feature here on the blog. All of our readers have the chance to participate, and one reader will be chosen to receive a free custom design solution for one room in their home, a $500 value!
How to Participate
E-mail us at sappho@hehnhouse.ca to tell us about the one room in your house that’s making you crazy! Please note that kitchens and baths are not applicable. The deadline to submit is Sunday April 9th!
Here’s what we need from you:
• Send us FIVE e-mail addresses of friends or family who would be interested in learning more about Henhouse.
• Tell us how you would like the room to be used, your personal style, colour preferences, likes and dislikes, any existing furniture or decor items that you want to keep.
• If you have inspiration photos, or certain online shops that represent your style please send! Some of our favourites include Attica, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, West Elm, Wayfair, & Ikea
• Room dimensions, include height, width, depth and any curves nooks or crannies.
• A few photos of the space
• A rough idea of your budget
• A phone number where you can be reached during the day
Submission Tips
To help your chances of being selected for our feature, please be sure to send along all of the above info, and make sure your photos are as clear and in focus as possible. In order to create a custom design we need a pretty clear idea of your space! Here’s a few tips:
• Stand back and get as much of the room in the shots as possible
• Take your photos in natural daylight for the best results
• Clear away any clutter so that we can see your existing furniture and decor, and don’t include people or pets
• Avoid pointing the camera lens directly at windows – the light will overtake the photo and make the interior look very dark. Try angling slightly away from windows to focus on the interior.
The lucky participant may be contacted during the day for any extra details we might need to complete their custom design. The design plan will be featured on the blog on April 16th!