Monday, May 31, 2010

Pew - Church not Pepe





We bought an 11.5 ft. church pew to go in our dining room which (when the reno's are finally done - argh) will be long and narrow. We're at that age when holiday dinners stop being at your parent's house and start being at yours. Is that when you know that you are an adult? (Or is it an ongoing process? Just had one of those birthdays.) Anyway, we need seating for about 25 people.

I worked at an antique store in uni and had assumed that sourcing the perfect one would take ages. Luck kicked in and it took only a few days of searching online. Reasonably priced, too. I love the detail on the side.

Now, where to find a table that long! I'm thinking of getting one fabricated out of stainless steel with oak trestle-style legs and pairing it with white Eiffel chairs on the other side.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Splice Movie - Premiere



While I was at the brunswick + co. launch (gorgeous, gorgeous bags - will update tomorrow), Chris was at the Splice premiere. He took a few snaps.

I really love Adrien Brody's look (minus that leather business). The best faces aren't perfect. And, I love the way he stands.





All pictures - christophersnyderphotography.com

brunswick + co.



Attending the launch tonight for brunswick + co.
A fabulous new handbag line co-founded and designed by my friend Alison.

I am coveting the bag in the invite.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Dwayne and Brian



Been meaning to post this picture of Dwayne and Brian for ages.

Dwayne Kennedy is the stylist behind the runway. Brian is his boyfriend and is also a stylist. Both Dwayne and Brian helped behind the scenes. Love them!! And how gorgeous is this picture?

New Photos




I had a lovely note from Kevin Chung today at Kayce Photography.
He took pictures of the runway show and sent them over.

The pictures are amazing! Check out Kevin's site below.
House of Groves is front and centre!

www.kaycephotography.com

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Photo Shoot

Peter Papapetrou, stylist extraodinaire and one of the judges from the TFI/Elle competition asked for several looks for an editorial shoot he is doing today.

Dropped them off last night at the Plutino offices where another shoot was underway.

Here is one of the looks:



I LOVE the stirrup pants! I have the bolero in so many incarnations - it is so versatile. I wear it with jeans, over a dress, with a skirt... love pieces that can be worn a hundred ways and through all seasons.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Last installment - Elle Canada Video




Copy and paste the link below to view:

http://www.ellecanada.com/video/behind-the-scenes/

House of Groves looks throughout especially around the halfway point.

Congrats Anastasia!

Friday, May 7, 2010

To HOG or not to H.O.G.


George and Max


Wilbur from Charlotte's Web by E.B. White


Olivia by Ian Falconer



Was going to write about the Contact Photo Festival and the Toronto Comic Arts Festival today, but I really have to address the HOG thing that keeps popping up.
As in House of Groves - H.O.G.

My paternal grandmother's maiden name was Groves. She was an oil painter. I have memories of walking into her sunfilled groundfloor studio - all windows - in the manner of an English greenhouse addition. She always wore a stained smock and there were paintings leaning against every bare space. The thickness of the oil paint, the colours and the sheer time she had to lend to this, seemed then and now so decadent and romantic.

Groves seemed a natural fit and the House part, well, it leant well to my love of period literature, movies etc. I didn't think through the acronym until I was well underway.

I thought I would ignore it - until yesterday when I decided to see if there was any new press. And came across Briony's lovely write-up again on blogto. It has inspired a really interesting dialogue. I'll let you check it out, but the last two comments have referred to House of Groves as HOG. One was flattering, the other not so much.

In both respects, I am kind of loving it. So deliciously not what I had originally set out to portray. Nicely tongue in cheek. Maybe a little min pig logo? Olivia and Wilbur are both lovely pigs and didn't Georgie Clooney have a hog? Who knew I would be HOG? Do I go with it or studiously ignore it? Would love your opinion!

Link to write up and comments:

http://www.blogto.com/fashion_style/2010/04/anastasia_lomonova_wins_tfi_new_labels_competition_but_house_of_groves_has_my_heart/

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Spirit - a tribute to Alexander McQueen @ visionaireworld.com



Beautiful.

Spirit out June 2010

Watch the preview video here:
www.visionaireworld.com/index.php

the gentlewoman



Have you heard? New mag just came out that promises to combine "ambitious journalism" and an "intelligent perspective on fashion". Sounds fantastic!

And, who could resist the title? Not I!

Here is the description:

The Gentlewoman is a new biannual style magazine for a new decade. Featuring inspirational, international women, it pairs ambitious journalism with a sartorial and intelligent perspective on fashion that is focused on personal style – the way women actually look, think and dress.

www.thegentlewoman.com

Re-use! Marble from First Canadian Place


First Canadian Place
The marble will be buffed and sanded before delivery.


The fireplace
Picture from the Morso website.
www.morsoeusa.com


I'd like to think that if ever presented with the opportunity to buy a McMansion, I wouldn't. Our reno goal was primarily to provide me with a dedicated work space and to have a kitchen/eating space that the four of us could sit down in.
And, while I am excited for a beautiful finished product, the size and use of the space is modest. We will not have a media room or a toy room or a library (I would secretly love a library).

We try to live as responsibly as possible. Our legs are our transportation, we use the car about once a week (when I go into the office), buy organic, refill the liquid soap at the nearest GrassRoots store (feel free to roll your eyes), try to buy products with little packaging etc.


When we found out that we could buy slabs of the marble that formerly clad an office tower in downtown Toronto (First Canadian Place), we jumped at the chance. Talk about implementing one of those three R's. And it's a little piece of history. The marble will go behind our fireplace.

If you are interested, here is a link:

http://www.torontolife.com/daily/urban-decoder/2010/01/13/what%E2%80%99s-going-to-happen-to-all-the-marble-once-it%E2%80%99s-removed-from-first-canadian-place-is-there-any-chance-i-could-buy-some-of-it/

GrassRoots store:
www.grassrootsstore.com

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The Aesthetic



This is a concept sketch that our designer provided for us when we we first met. Although this isn't reflective of our layout, it does give you an idea of aesthetic.

The designer is Iain Jeremy Stewart. He is immensely talented. When he first came back to us with drawings, we were blown away.
We had thought about the layout for a very long time. We have seen many versions of our house renovated. We also love architecture and design and spend a lot of time reading, viewing, studying etc. What Iain came back to us with was truly original.

Live/Work Space


Second floor - snowman artwork still intact!
christophersnyderphotography.com


We are in the midst of what seems to be a decade long reno.
I say this because we bought the house about 10 years ago and reno'd the basement ourselves.
Friday nights became date night at Home Depot. I know more than I ever want to know about drywall and tile. I remember finally turning to my husband six months in at midnight on a Saturday and letting him know (meltdown) that I wanted to be a "girl". That included going on a date, with makeup and manicured hands that did not have remnants of grout stuck under the nails.

Those Hollywood montages of couples restoring an old house (ours is a Victorian - around 1890) and having romantic nights in a gorgeous room painted a fresh coat of white are entirely out of the realm of reality. It's more like a century of dirt compounded with poor electrical and tile choices that have to be removed, all while living out of sub-par conditions. We lived more like hi-tech squatters.

So that said, we did this thing in stages over many years. Basement first, then we reclaimed the attic space and converted that along with the second floor into an apartment for us. Lastly, we made a third apartment out of our first floor.

Two children later, we are now taking over the house. We did it properly this time. Hired a designer, ripped the plaster and lathe back to the brick and are in the home stretch.

The loft (our old attic) will become my studio. I love live/work spaces and can't wait to have a proper one. Up until now, my live/work has not been the stylized versions that are shown in magazines. More like patterns and muslin's hanging from the doorways. I'm already planning the launch party. Will you come?