I’m not sure how I didn’t come across Vancouver based Union Wood Company sooner, but I’m so glad I did. The owner, Craig Pearce, founded Union Wood Company in the summer of 2009 and combines vintage and industrial objects to create beautiful custom furnishings.

Using materials mostly reclaimed and re-purposed from salvage yards, antique stores, demolition sites and other sources, Union Wood Company creates pieces that are solid, bold and one of a kind.

I love this industrial looking pendant light – I’d love to have it hanging in my living room.

This is the E.Woodward Spotlight and I think it’s fabulous.

Union Wood Company’s original works are for sale through the website, at select retailers and is available for custom work on a commission basis for projects both large and small.

Union Wood Company
http://www.unionwoodco.com
Powell Street, Vancouver, BC
(604) 992-5485
sales@unionwoodco.com

I was at Ikea the other day just browsing around when I came across this print. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of Ikea prints but for some reason this one just really stuck out to me and I’ve never seen anything like it at Ikea so I had to have it. Total cost  was $59.99 including the frame.

There was also this other version with wood type numbers that I really liked but thought buying two prints was a bit overkill for my small apartment. The numbered one wasn’t framed – I think it was going for $19.99.

If you have an Ikea near you, definitely check it out and see if you can find these great prints.

P.S. I can’t believe it’s NYE and in less than 24 hours it will be 2010. EEK.

You can read Part 1 here.

I finally got around to finishing this project. Every day it sat there, untouched, staring at me until I couldn’t take it anymore. My first attempt at coloring the letters gold failed miserably because the pen ran dry about halfway through and then leaked huge globs of gold liquid all over the iron.

Finding a replacement gold pen proved to be difficult – I had to visit 3 to 4 art supply stores before I found one with a medium sized tip. It comes in three sizes: fine, medium and the thick. I found the medium to be the best.

Brush on the strokes with even long strokes to avoid glooping and streaks. If you screw up, keep a Q-tip and a bit of paint thinner on hand. If you have any clear coat spray gloss (kind of like clear spray paint) give it a once over for a nice shine.

Voila! I use mine as a door stop.

I love heritage houses – there’s just something romantic and mysterious about them. We were lucky enough to get a tour of a gorgeous one owned by my co-worker’s parents. What’s better than heritage house eye-candy? Heritage house eye-candy with the cutest French Bulldog on the planet. I have to admit, he stole the show. I should have called this post: ‘Photos of a cute dog inside a heritage house’.

Meet Jay. He’s 8 and enjoys long naps in sunbeams and chasing stuffed animals.

Jay greets all guests to the house from the top of a long flight of stairs.

This house was built in the early 1900’s and was originally the only house on a fairly large lot. Since then, it’s been lifted up and moved to the corner with three additional houses built on the empty space, forming a strata with 7 units spread across 3 houses. The house is the one on the right in the photo below.

I love the view from the balcony – wouldn’t you love waking up to this view every day? How about enjoying a cup of coffee and reading your favorite book with the oceans and mountains as a backdrop?

While I love big loft spaces like my friend Tara’s gorgeous penthouse Gastown loft, I also love the look and feel of heritage houses.

Which do you prefer?

This past weekend, Ryan and I had the lovely opportunity to pay a visit to my friend Tara who happens to live in the most gorgeous loft I’ve ever been in. My eyeballs basically fell out of my face as soon as I stepped inside. The building itself is called The Edge and was built about 10 years ago in the historic Gastown/Railtown area of Vancouver. I could write a huge long blurb about this place but I know what you really want are the photos. Show me the photos!!

Brace yourselves.

One of my favorite features about this place is the hallway. I love how the wood and the glass compliment each other. The shelving unit is completely custom and can actually pull away from the wall, revealing a second shelf inside – great for hiding things you don’t want seen and for storage.

The loft is just over 1000 sqft of goodness and the patio is 1000 sqft of deliciousness. Shared amenities within the building include a darkroom, recording studio, woodworking and ceramic shop.

I love the view from the living room into the bedroom – the arched doorways give it a subtle European elegance that just works so well with this space.

Inside the bedroom, a huge ornate bed doubles as a seating area when guests are over.

LOVE the long floor to ceiling curtains.

Loving the Indian themed decor mixed with more modern pieces throughout the living space.

In case you’re wondering, the lovely little pendant lights are by Bocci. I love how they look like fat drops of water.

One of my favorite parts of the place is the bathroom and the awesome window gates that open up into the bedroom. Who doesn’t want to take a bubble bath and chat to their guests at the same time?

Hop on over to our Flickr page for more photos – I didn’t have room to fit them all here, but there are also some great detail shots of the place, including a photo of an old clothes dresser turned into a sink.

I love scouring Etsy for new stores offering great vintage wares and theblogbloglog is no exception. Shop owner Libby Alexander’s current obsessions are lamps, chairs and silver spoons and describes her style as: Mid-century modern with a bit of LOL and Rustic Regency.

Libby was kind enough to send over some great photos of items available for sale in her shop as well as some of photos of her house for us to share. As odd as it is to have parts of a mannequin in your house, there is something completely un-creepy and oh-so-cool about having a few legs hanging out by the side of a wall.

Browsing through her store offers great inspiration for your own living space. You can find more photos on our flickr page here.

And because Twitter is basically taking over the planet, don’t forget to follow her here.

IDSWest took place this past weekend at the Vancouver Convention Centre and boy was there a ton of eye-candy. There was no shortage of vendors, designers and independent contractors with various displays for people to look at. Pictures speak louder than words so take a look at the plethora of visuals after the jump.

The shots below are from outside the convention centre, an awesome desk and chair combo and a beautiful chandelier we came across inside the show.

I love the mini vintage piano with the fashion books stacked high.

The highlight of this show for me was the custom all-wood kitchen installation designed by Christian Woo – super nice guy who does such beautiful work. Check out his website for more gorgeous examples.

Photos below are from The Cross Decor & Design booth.

I love the European single pendant lights – wouldn’t they look pretty strung up high across a backyard? Gorgeous.

It’s the end of summer and I’m trying to make the most of the rain-free days by being outside and poking my head into the shops in my neighborhood. There are a ton of places to explore around my area but I usually find myself inside Stepback, perusing the shelves stocked high and full with glorious vintage treasures, refurbished antiques and quality retro reproductions. I love the selection and rarely leave empty handed.

All items inside Stepback are hand picked by the owners and make great one-of-a-kind gifts. Need a school classroom world map circa 1930? How about vintage suitcases, milk glass vases of various sizes or part of a cloakroom? Stepback has you covered.

My most coveted piece(s) at the moment are the awesome library card sorter and the large selection of vintage letters they have at the back of the store. I’ve managed to collect a couple but there are so many it’s difficult to decide with kind of look I want to go for. There are letters from old movie theaters, highway signs and random store fronts.

If you’re in the area, definitely check this place out. My favorite coffee shop is also a few doors down – Cafe Artigiano. They make the best mocha in town – I like mine iced.

Stepback
3026 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
V6K 2H1

Tues – Sat: 10-6
Sunday: 12-5

Tel: 604-731-7525

Did you know there was a store in Vancouver dedicated to British Pub antiques? Neither did we. We came across The Source Antiques this past weekend while wandering around the Main Street/Chinatown district. The shop’s specialty is primarily Pub antiquities but they also have a large collection of stained glass windows, British military uniforms, nautical items and vintage door/window hardware. One of the things that caught my eye were these beautiful ceiling light covers that looked like they came right off of the Titanic.

Rewired for modern day lighting, they were a steal at $69. The other items that caught my eye were the assortment of large British Pub signage, ranging from $300 and up. Definitely a place to check out if you get the chance.

The Source Antiques
929 Main Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6A-2V8
Tel:(604) 684-9914

I’ve been on the hunt for a new fruit bowl for the past few weeks and stopped by one of my favorite vintage/antiques shops in my neighborhood – Step Back (I’ll be doing a separate post on this shop in the future). I saw this really cool looking vintage Red Cross bowl with a handle and red faded paint lining the rim. The Red Cross logo on the side was a cool feature and I felt like this would be the perfect fruit bowl on my kitchen counter.

When I went up to pay, I casually mentioned to the girl working behind the counter what I planned on using it for and her response was, “You know it’s a vintage bed pan right?”

I proceeded to throw up in my mouth a little and quickly put it back.

Next please.