Saturday, January 29, 2011

-Snapshot Of The Week-

image
“ I think that when you invite people to your home, you invite them to yourself.”
-Ms Oprah Winfrey

 

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

“Parenthood” House Tour

image Although I don’t watch the show regularly, I have seen enough bits and pieces of “Parenthood” to know that I very much like the homes in the show. The houses were masterfully decorated by the talented set designer Julieann Getman who gave each character their own unique personality through interior design. The theme of the show is close to the Modern Family idea in that there’s one big family living three main homes varying in styles based on their character. I think Getman and Modern Family’s set designer Richard Berg are on the same wave link. Let’s take a little look-see into these family homes.
 
image This is an outside shot of the home that patriarchs of the Braverman family Zeek and Camille have lived in for 30 years. Most family gatherings take place here with the couples four kids, their partners and the grandchildren.
 
56218811 Here’s a shot of Camille and Zeek, played by Bonnie Bedelia and Craig T. Nelson, in their country kitchen. I really like the look of the paneled painted cabinets done in Farrow and Ball paint Calke Green paired with the warm wood counter tops. The kitchen looks well loved and used, probably holding millions of stories. The walls are Benjamin Moore’s Rockport Gray and the window treatments are from a store in Hollywood called Jet Rag. I think the attention to details like using two different stools is an awesome way to make the idea this couple has lived here for 30 years believable. You can also find the hanging lamps from a store in Hollywood called Practical Props.
 
ph11
From what I’ve pieced together so far, these two have a somewhat tumultuous relationship but they sure make a sweet looking couple.
 
ph
The entire family sits around an extended dining room table for Thanksgiving. I love the stone fireplace in the dining room and the hardwood floors that pick up on the counter tops  to the open kitchen in the distance. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a big family, I don’t think my mom has ever had to bust out the extendable leaf for our table.
 
ph2 I love the rich colours going on in the setting with the deep plums, red and oranges. It feels so warm and inviting. The wallpaper stays true to the typical outdated styles of our parents but in this festive setting it compliments the other colours.
 
ph12 The cake pedestal with the lemons on it is adorable but I have a feeling they’re being held there by more than just good placement. The random hodge podge of dishes is always fun to check out while you watch too.
 
image When the family dines outside it again calls for a large table and and abundance mismatched chairs. From what little I’ve seen, the outside yard is really beautiful all lit up for dining.
 
56219154Now onto Adam and Kristina’s craftsman home. This one reminds me a lot of Phil and Claire’s home on Modern Family. Very suburban and kid friendly with neutral colours and punches of red. The red chair in the corner is from Mortise & Tenon.
 
ph10
The window treatments are a close match to the ones in the Dunphy home and the striped rug from World Market is similar in theme to the accent pillows on their couch too.
 
ph14 
   
ph15
This is a shot of the formal living room which got a more sophisticated look as most living rooms do, opposed to the comfort of family rooms where kids typically congregate.
 
56218820 This home reminds me so much of the mildly beach themed main floor of the Dunphy home. It’s the perfect mix of casual family comfort and well chosen style so the room looks well loved but still gives your eyes something to feast on.
 
ph9
The pendant light hanging above the island in the kitchen are from Pottery Barn and the chaise couch was custom made from a fabric found at F&S Fabrics. Accessories around the home can be found at your typical stores like Home Goods.
 
ph3
The red counter chairs are from Pottery Barn as well and the kitchen cabinets are from The Kitchen Store.
 
ph5
Love the red kettle and wreath!
 
ph7
The kitchen is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Saybrook Sage.
 
image Here is the only shot I could find that showed you the opposite angle going to the back door.
 
ph13 The glass door hutch seen behind Adam is from the store Down Home American Country Antiques.
 
ph6 I love a good glass cabinet door. It always helps when you have organized fun coloured dishware to fancy it up with.
 
ph8 I can only really assume this is the mud room/laundry area by the back door. It’s continued in the same Saybrook Sage paint colour as the rest of the kitchen and living room.
 
56220302Probably my favorite room of all the houses, Adam and Kristina’s master bedroom is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Van Courtland Blue. You can tell this is a glorious escape from their hectic lives to a calm oasis of relaxation. From what I’ve researched, the couples bench at the foot of the bed and the headboard were both custom made. The rug, nightstands and dresser are from good old reliable Pottery Barn and the lamps on the nightstands I recognized right away because they are my favorite lamps from Restoration Hardware.
 
ph4 The fancy hotel looking striped sheets and other linens on the bed come from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Although the headboard is custom, I’ve seen similar tufted and or padded frames from several home stores like Restoration Hardware, Crate & Barrel, West Elm etc. so it wouldn’t be very tough to re-create.
 
image This is the only shot I could find of the third home featured on the show which belongs to Zeek and Camille’s lawyer daughter Julia, played by Erika Christensen. As you can plainly see she takes a much more contemporary look to her home with straight lined furniture. I like the work of lighting in this room which is provided by Lamps Plus and Ikea. That makes perfect sense to me because this room looks like one you would see while browsing your local Ikea. The chairs are from a store called Blueprint in LA. The tables are from Crate & Barrel while West Elm is the source of the pillows and rugs in the home.
  
Do you watch the show “Parenthood”? What’s your favorite style of home, do you like the rustic lived in look of Zeek and Camille’s home, Kristina and Adam’s family craftsman or are you more in tune with Julia’s sleek contemporary style?
   
To see more tours of beautiful homes at Reckless Bliss including more of your favorite TV shows, click here!
 
*All pictures and info are credit of IMDB, LA Times and City TV. I receive zero compensation for anything featured at Reckless Bliss*

 

Sunday, January 23, 2011

-Snapshot Of The Week-

image

“I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomes less and less an issue and what you are is the point.”

-Ms Susan Sarandon

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Win This Home!

imageThis sprawling 7,800 sq. ft. home is the grand prize in this year’s BC Children’s Hospital Lottery. It’s located in the prestigious High Point Equestrian Country Estates in southern  Langley BC and is worth over $2.4 million. I toured this gorgeous home today with my bud and I was thoroughly impressed. It felt really warm and inviting. It seemed to just go on and on forever; just when you thought you were done one floor there would suddenly be another hallway to meander down with more fully furnished rooms. It has five bedrooms and six bathrooms, a sauna, a gym, an indoor hockey rink, a media room and a wine cellar. The home comes fully furnished even including all the little accessories you see around the house. The furnishings alone are valued at $160,000. It also includes your choice of a Ford Edge SEL or $35,000 cash. To see it in pictures doesn’t really excite as much as seeing it up close but I thought I would share with you all what this casa has to offer.

image  Grand Foyer

imageYamaha Baby Grand Piano

image Living Room

imageSunken Dining Room

image I can see myself clumsily missing a step and spilling soup everywhere here.

imageKitchen

image I salivate over a really good kitchen. I wasn’t in love with the back splash tiles in here but I did really like the clean counter top and the high end range. It felt very clean and warm in there.

imageEat-in Kitchen Area

image Just to the right of this picture is a gigantic pantry. We both had to sigh a little at just how wonderful it would be to have so much storage.

imageThe Office

image The Main Level Powder Room

image The Laundry/Mud Room

imageThe Master Bedroom

image This room was so huge with a loft and vaulted ceilings. It seemed like a really sweet escape to privacy from the rest of the home.

image The sitting area in the master bedroom complete with fireplace and leather sectional.

imageThis shot gives you an idea of how large it felt with the vaulted ceilings and large windows.

image Standing on the stairs looking down. That blanket on the bed was so soft, made me feel instantly sleepy. It was tough not to belly flop on that bed too.

image Loft in the master bedroom.

image Loft Sitting Area

image It felt like an awful lot of seating considering there would only be maximum two people in the room at one time (unless you really like to party). Plus with a TV up in the loft and one just below, you couldn’t ever watch TV at the same time so why bother? I guess there’s a lot of excessive things when you live in the lap of luxury.

image The Master Bathroom

imageThis was my bud’s favorite part of the whole house. She’s a “bath girl” so this infinity edge tub scored some major points with her. The fireplace didn’t hurt any either.

image I like how much storage was offered in the bathroom and the fireplace made it so warm and cozy.

image Shower and Steam Shower

imageWalk-in Closet 

imageThis huge closet is fit for Oprah. It’s literally as big as our entire living room of our apartment. Maybe even bigger. We tested out those drawers and they’re those fancy kind you can slam your fingers in.

image Teen Bedroom

imageThis room felt very retro to me. I would have like it back in my angst filled teen years. 

image Teen Bathroom

image Baby Bedroom

imageBoy Bedroom

imageThis was a really cute idea for a little kid to have their own storage space and store all their dust collecting game systems. Finding Nemo was playing on it when we toured which was extra cute.

image Kid’s Bathroom

imageTeen Work Space

image This whole area was for the kiddies to have a space just for homework then they have the space in the picture below for a hangout. It made me chuckle because this lifestyle is dramatically different from when I was a kid growing up.

image Teen Hangout

image Of course there’s a mini-fridge and sink in this huge room. What if little Timmy gets parched? Surely you can’t expect them to walk ALL the way to the kitchen. It always makes me wonder if kids in these types of neighborhoods know just how darn lucky they are to have so much. I hope so.

image Teen Powder Room. And yes, that’s a urinal.

imageGuest Bedroom

imageGuest Bathroom

image Rec Room

image I think my favorite thing in the house might just be that glorious fireplace in the rec room. It was a beauty!

imageBar/Wine Cellar

image There were countless places to store liquor in this home. I guess the rich like their merlot on hand wherever they are.

image The only thing the home didn’t include was all the wine bottles in the cellar. We checked, they were empty.

imageGames Room

image I have no doubt this would be my fella’s favorite spot in the house. I didn’t care much for the light fixture above the pool table but those leather chairs were very inviting.

imageMedia Room

image This room was twice as big as last year’s lottery house media room. The couch looks buttery soft and I love that spot light lamp.

image Home Gym

image This room was a bit of a tight squeeze but it looked like a perfectly suitable place to break a sweat.

imageSauna

imageIndoor Hockey Rink

image

Although they are located in the exact same neighborhood, this home is almost double the size of last year’s prize home which I blogged about here if you are interested in checking out. Tickets aren’t cheap at $100 for three but when you consider it’s for charity and that a limited quantity are sold within BC only therefore greatly increasing your chances, it really helps ease the blow. Plus there are hundreds of other prizes to be won. This home is actually one of four options you have to choose from should your ticket be drawn for the grand prize. It’s my personal favorite option but you could also go with an apartment in Victoria BC. that includes a travel package to London, a mini-cooper and $900,000. Or you can choose an apartment in downtown Vancouver BC. that includes a Ferrari, a trip to Italy and $1,000,000.  OR lastly, you can just take it all in cash and walk away with $2,000,000. I think I would still take the house because it was so dang nice.

Do you think this house is worth the ticket price? What option would you choose if you won?