
As promised our furniture arrived on Friday…it was quite the exciting day.
This is the first living/dining furniture that Eric and I have purchased new in the 12 years that we’ve been together; everything else we had was a hand me down from family or bought on Craigslist. Exciting indeed. Oddly enough, all the furniture we got rid of in this last move went back to our family, friends, and neighbours (and friend’s neighbours).
Dave and Ewa gave us a bunch of their furniture when we moved into our old house, including a couch. Now it looks like we’re going to give them our current brown sectional couch since it’s too big for our current living area.
It’s the furniture that keeps on giving.
As I mentioned, we ordered from Heritage Furniture in Burlington – a local family owned and operated business. I believe Dave and Ewa were the ones who told us about this place after we drooled over their new furniture a few years ago. One of the sons of Heritage, Shawn (not sure on spelling), told us that he started working there when he was just 8 years old and he’s now in his forties! The service is friendly (not pushy, which is something that puts us off in some furniture stores) and down to earth. Shawn also offered to help Eric and I with antiquing our wood photography boards…you know, in his “down time”. How’s that for nice?
By the way, I don’t get any sort of discount for saying that (nor on any reviews, unless otherwise stated). I just truly love this place.

The furniture is also excellent quality – Canadian made from recycled and reclaimed wood. No particle board is used.
And my oh my, does it ever smell good.
The furniture’s arrival also meant that we could finally unpack the rest of the boxes on the main level and hang artwork & mirrors.

Sketchie was clearly overjoyed that we were disturbing his space yet again.
We bought the smallest table they had in this collection (I think it’s the “Irish Collection”) and it expands if necessary. I actually think it’s the perfect size and not small by any means.

We picked the “Jamaican Sunset” stain, which has a warm antique and rustic look to it.


Instead of getting matching chairs, we opted for antiqued black chairs for contrast and to pull from the black in the table.

I love to watch home shows on TV and one thing the experts say over and over is that you can create “mini rooms” or “areas” even if it’s one open room. We decided to put the “dining area” on the far side of the room, since I would be using the table for photography and there is a ton of natural, glorious light on both sides.

This is the wine cabinet, located right across from the dining table. I’ve never owned a cabinet and I have to say it’s one of the best things to happen to my life since Green Monsters.
The wine boxes are removable, so we moved them on top to free up some cabinet space.

The bottom cabinet holds my photography dishes:

and on the top shelves, other dishes I wanted to display as well as my cookbook collection.

Unfortunately I packed my cookbook box way too heavy because I hurt my knee trying to lift it. You know the saying, lift with your knees (or is it lift with your legs?) Yea, I think I took that too literally. I’m not sure what I did, but I felt a sharp pain on the inner right knee.
I’m currently resting and icing it, hoping that it will get better before my races start up again in a couple weeks. I don’t think I tore anything, but it’s a dull ache that goes on and off throughout the day. I hope with rest it heals up or I may have to pay a visit to my sports doctor. As for me, no running until the knee feels back to normal. Not the best news, but there is no sense worrying about something out of my control.
Anyways, I absolutely adore my cookbooks, even if they do hurt me! Just seeing them on the shelf makes me so happy.


Eric also hung the dish display next to the cabinet (from Pier 1 last year). I might finish off the area with a small circular rug in between the cabinet and table, but I’ll have to see.

Now onto the living area!

One tip I picked up is to create spaces by using area rugs to define the boundaries of the room. It works quite nicely as a “frame” for the space.
The coffee table has a lot of storage with two long drawers and space underneath. It’s all about the extra storage with furniture.

Eric is storing all kinds of manly things in the TV cabinet. I think I saw shot glasses and a bottle of tequila in there already…no joke. We still have to set up our old family room TV. This one here will be going upstairs probably.

All together:

I’m still rocking green for the accent colour!
More artwork to fill up the plain walls.

Our Ikea Hemnes Sofa Table is now in the office, where we will use it for storage.

Before:

After:

Instead of feeling like a rental, it now feels like our home. While it’s different in many ways from our old house, change can be a good thing sometimes.
Someone else has also settled right in over the past few days. He now walks around like he owns the place!

Well, I think my server may die if I post one more picture today, so the laundry, hallways, bedroom, and bathroom will have to wait. They will be coming up!
Oh, and recipes too..don’t you worry…
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{ 130 comments… read them below or add one }
That looks absolutely gorgeous! I love that you did black chairs with the table. I’m also glad to see your expansive food blog dishes, it makes me feel less weird about mine! LOL (Am I the only one that sees a sale at West Elm, World Market or Anthro and gasps with glee over a new bowl or plate?)
Looks great and glad Sketchie is finding a proper place to stretch out. ;)
It looks great- I love the huge windows in your living room!
Wow you guys have made so much progress! Congrats and it looks awesome!
All of the wood pieces are gorgeous; I’m going to need your dining room table!
Wow, you have gotten so much accomplished!! This room looks really great. I love the look of your table – the wood is beautiful. The couch and coffee table look great together, and I love the pops of green throughout the room. I also love your mini Le Creuset casseroles – so adorable. I hope your knee gets better soon! That must be frustrating, but it sounds like you have a good attitude about it. Looking forward to seeing your other rooms (and remaining in awe over how much you’ve done!).
I love it! The table is gorgeous!
It looks beautiful! Seeing cookbooks on display always makes me happy too.. And then makes me want to run to the kitchen and cook all the recipes I’ve put post-it notes on!
Ooooh wow Ange, it looks great! I think your bright cushions on the couch pop even more now that there’s more light in the room. The dining room table and the cabinet with the wine compartments are gorgeous!! Your setup looks like it should be in a home magazine! :)
when I saw that cabinet for all your bowls and stuff I thought “uh oh a cabinet for crazy dish lady” hahaha … I YEARN for all your crazy dishes … maybe when I have a house – Toronto apartments are not crazy dish friendly :P
Eric said, “Thank God I don’t have to look at those things mixed in with our regular dishes anymore” hah.
I love the antique look of your table! Beautiful. Your living room looks awesome. I know it’s a lot of work to pack and unpack and clear all clutter after you move. But it’s exciting too! :)
I love the open layout of your new home! When my husband and I eventually buy a place, we’d really like to have the kitchen be open to the living room. Also, your new furniture is beautiful. I really like the rustic wood finishes.
Totally jealous of your dish and cookbook collection!! Both look awesome
What a lovely living space! Looks cozy.
OMG, the first picture of the living area with the table on left and couch towards the right literally looks like it could be in a magazine! Gorgeous! I am SO jealous of your beautiful space. And I would kill for your kitchen table.
Now Im going to have to find the picture you are talking about…heh. Thank you though. I think it’s the lighting!
The one under ‘now onto the living area’. SO jealous of your taste!!
Thank you for the Heritage Furniture tip! My husband and I searched high and low for quality, solid-wood furniture when we moved to Toronto two years ago. It isn’t easy to find! I think we’ll be making a trip to Burlington in the near future :)
Your place looks beautiful! It must feel small post-house, but it looks really spacious.
Let me know what you think of it. They have a fun showroom.
I love how the mason jars make for art, as well as your bowls and plates. They are a fun pop of color on the shelves!
Would love to see a close-up of your cookbook shelf! :) Always looking for new books to add to my cookbook collection, and I know you would have great taste in cookbooks.
We do the same thing with furniture in our family – it all just keeps getting passed to the next college student in need!
That dining table is gorgeous! Great find!
I LOVE it!! You have some seriously good taste :) And haha – I have all my bowls/plates/mason jars filled with food stacked around my house in the same way! “You know you’re a food person when…” ;)
Great job you’ve done, especially with a new space!!! I like the idea of an area rug because we have hardwood through our tv area like you! I’ll have to convince the husband ;) did you also get the rug from the place in Burlington as well?!
Hmm now Im trying to remember where we got the rug. We bought it when we were staging the house. I think it could be from Home Depot. I’m about 90% sure.
the furniture you purchased brand new is beautiful, and whenever items seem to match I am always so impressed as I look at my own mis-matched-used-mostly-ikea suite…
Some good storage ideas, I’m a little weary of those spice containers on the side of the fridge though… do they not knock off and spill everywhere??
Also, I adore the pictures of Sketchie!
I thought they would too, but the magnets are quite strong (esp the ones form Ikea)
Beautiful! You have really classy taste….
Holy wow, it looks so amazing! Good for you, and I love the furniture. It looks like you guys have been living in there for years (in a good way). Our house is nothing like that.. there’s mismatched furniture, colors that don’t go together… haha kinda mishmash of things.
mismatched furniture is very much in style right now (so we were told), so maybe you are just ahead of the times!
I am so in love with your furniture, I wish I lived in Canada! You certainly have an eye for design. I can’t wait to see the rest of your home :-)
Apparently in your case, creative inspiring chef = creative inspiring interior designer. Gorgeous!
Love the green accent!
Love the green accents [one of my fave colors!] and your hutch- great way to show off your cookbooks and some of your fave dishes!!! Would love one myself [if we had the space] :)
Aaaaaand WHEN do I move in?? ;D
hah anytime…I could use some help with the office ;)
YAY!!!! Girl, you got it, I am hell on heels at Office work – LOL! ;) <3
Beautiful! Can’t wait to see the rest!
So cozy, cute, and clean!! Luv it..can’t wait til we’re at that point..we are still looking for a place!
O.m.g. Your pictures of your new place look like they came out of a magazine! What a beautiful space you have created. I love everything you’ve done with it!
I love that you keep your cookbooks and photography dishes in one cabinet, in one place. I have my books all over, my dishes in all kinds of places and cupboards, all based on what I can squeeze into what little extra nook & cranny. I’ve been toying with the idea of a whole other piece of furniture like your hutch and seeing yours makes me toy with the idea even more seriously!
I just love your style Ang, we are very similiar. Looking SO good!
SO happy too that Sketchie is feeling relaxed with the transition too.
Wow Angela, the space looks amazing! I can’t believe you are getting through the unpacking/organizing process so quickly, unpacking can get so overwhelming for me. That furniture is beautiful, I love the fact that the wood is repurposed. :)
Wow – it’s looking really good!
Wow looks gorgeous! I especially love the living room!
it’s fun to see how exciting you’ve made your move…you’ve planned ahead and kept busy with little ideas which has probably eased such a big transition. Thank you for being such a positive example Angela
Hey Angela! Hope your knee feels better soon! I actually hurt my foot this weekend too and I am struggling with dealing with an injury.
Do you have any tips for the mental aspect of resting while injuried? I am really craving to start running and working out again but I am afraid to just make things worse…
Thanks!
Hey Laura, Sorry to hear about your foot. I went through an injury in 2009 when I injured my pelvic area and I was out of exercise for 2 full months. What I found helped was to keep busy! I looked at the time I wouldn’t be running as “free time” and I tried to find fun things to do with my extra time. Catching up with family/friends, reading a new book, finally tackling a project I had been putting off, home decor/renos, etc. I think if you try to spin it as a positive thing- or as an opportunity to do new things you normally wouldn’t have time for- it can help.
Thank you so much for the response! Great ideas, I am going to try and pursue some creative projects that hit the back burner a bit.
Love the new place by the way :)
You’re doing such a great job! You can come and decorate my house anytime. And I love Sketchie. I just want to give him a big smooch.
Oh man, what a great cookbook collection! I’m wondering how much space mine would fill if I kept it on shelves instead of a pile on the floor. Yours looks so great, I’m thinking that I should look into that…
Congratulations on getting all moved in!
i absolutely LOVE the green accent in your living room!! you’re inspiring me to change my decor now… :)
It’s perfect! I love your style. The black chairs with the brown table is beautiful.
It looks beautiful!! I love the way you have decorated everything. Where is that couch from? I’ve been looking for a new one that I love for awhile and that one looks so comfy!
We actually bought it off Craigslist so Im not sure of the store or brand. Sorry about that! I think the original owners said it was a custom made couch or something.
Gorgeous! I love your hardwood floors and how the furniture goes along with everything.
I hear you on how exciting it is when things start to fill up the house. I closed last August and it’s still slowing coming together but it’s fun :)
Your comment on Sketchie — I thought that when you brought a cat into the household, the understanding was that the cat automatically owns the house. You know: purchase cat, give up house. . .
That’s why I’ve always gone with dogs. ;)
hah so true, so true. :)
I absolutely love the green accents! You’re living room looks outstanding and with such great natural lighting. You are lucky! I hope your knee recovers soon!
beautiful …
and i love the green, too…love all the windows
i’d have to swap the location of the dining table to be closer to the kitchen (i’m a clutz and wouldn’t want to take chances with my ruining those beautiful floors) ;)
yea Im sure I will have many spills…esp with my photography!
It looks fantastic!!! I am so jealous of all the natural light you have! amazing! :)
I LOVE your house!! I just wanna come hang out and read your cookbooks – looks like such an awesome collection! You should submit your house decor to HGTV or something, it looks phenomenal. Hope you’re enjoying your new space and can’t wait for recipes!
Anytime :) Thanks for your kind words about the decor.
You have done a beautiful job! I love the green accent colour. That furniture is just beautiful! I will look into them. I love love your choice in table and chairs!
Your place looks AMAZING!!! :) You did such a great job. I can’t wait to see the rest of the place. I love all the furniture!
WOW! The place looks great!! I love the furniture you all got! That cookbook cabinet is gorgeous! And I also love all your fun bowls!!
That looks beautiful and I love reading your more personal posts. I don’t know if anyone has said this already, but I have a humble suggestion that you can take or leave of course. I think your dish artwork on the wall would look even better centered over your tv rather than in between the TV and the cabinet. But the place looks gorgeous and gave me a lot of inspiration because you have a ton of great ideas and a great eye for what looks good together! Looking forward to reading more!
Thanks for the idea about the plates! It’s a good one and I probably would try it, but we’re due to set up our larger tv soon. So this small one is going upstairs. I think the one we’re putting up might be mounted on the wall and a bit large for anything to go over it. I’ll have to see though! Things might change slightly depending on how that all looks together.
Oh yes, of course, I forgot that you mentioned you would be putting a bigger TV in! Btw, I just love the look of the mason jars on the shelves! So awesome!
I love the “pops” of green. Green is absolutely my favorite color but I have a tendency to just buy EVERYTHING green. I need to remember when decorating my new place (fingers crossed we’re moving in a couple months), that not everything has to be green and it looks just a nice as an accent color.
Your new furniture is beautiful as well!
Thanks so much and good luck with your future move. I agree about green…although I may be biased :)
WOW! You guys were busy! It looks gorgeous! I really love the entertainment center. The stain is so nice and warm. And I love that you have a section in the cabinet specifically for your photography dishes.
I am in love with your wood furniture! It’s exactly the style that I am looking for and have always loved. It’sawesome that’s made from reclaimed wood! And the color scheme is somethig similar to what I have been brewing in my head.
Too bad it’s all the way in Toronto! I hope I can find something like that here in the Bay Area (CA).
Wow, it looks like something out of a magazine! Great job on the deco, I like it. Wish my flat was so tidy… I swear next time I move I’ll keep it super tidy.
Wow, your home looks so beautiful! Rather inspirational to me…I’m so not the natural decorator!
You are fast! I love all the furniture with that little rustic feel. Looks great! xo
Love the new furniture. Your place looks gorgeous! I most definitly need to make a trip to Heritage furniture very soon :)
Splendid! Love your new place.
I love your blog and everything about you and your style and OH MY I tried the Green Monster last night and I wanted MORE :) Thank you so much for being you and starting your blog, Awesome Pictures and Everything!! :) You encourage me to start the blog that I have been wanting to do for years, so many thoughts and ideas, I just need to do it.
Thank you Amber, that means a lot to me! Goodluck with your blog if you end up starting one. They are lots of fun. You’ll never be bored again.
absolutely GORGEOUS! i especially love the dining room table… very nice choice indeed!!!
Love your place! Thanks for sharing!
Your cookbook collection brings on jealousy pains!
Wow it looks great! These shots are magazine-worthy! :D
I love all the natural light and green accents. Great style!
Your home is beautiful, Angela! I love your style!
Wow, you’ve done such a great job!! I love the idea of using black chairs for contrast.. I never would have thought of it but it looks so good!
Wow! Your place looks awesome! I love all the pops of colour and all the natural light! Super jealous that your able to hang things on the wall while renting, we can’t decorate at all where we’re renting. Can’t wait to see the rest of your place!!!
Very pretty!!
Gorgeous! Want to come do my place in Baltimore this June?! ;)
Also I am absolutely LOVING your attitude re: your knee. Look how far you’ve come girl! :)
I love the hand mixer in the first picture. Do you actually use this?
your home looks so beautiful! the transformation from before to after is amazing!
Quite the transformation – the room looks great – and Sketchie looks pretty comfy too! Now bring on the recipes :)
Looks fabulous!
Oh my! This looks amazing! Absolutely fantastic job of tying everything together while at the same time creating distinct areas. I love it! Great accent pieces. Everything just came together so nicely.
Awww, and that is the cutest picture of Sketchie ;)
Your house is coming along nicely! Good job!
Your living room looks great! So inviting. I would want to come and relax there.
What a transformation! I’m getting so many ideas from your posts from the last few days!
And I love seeing Sketchie so relaxed!
Love the touches of green – well done!! Is your sweet pussycat an Ocicat? So beautiful.
Sketchie is a Bengal, thank you!
Your home is coming along so well! Your new living space looks gorgeous. I’m jealous that you have more on your walls in 6 days than I do in the past 6 months of moving into my house! Guess I know what I should do this weekend…
By the way, I made your favorite homemade granola last night & it came out fantastic! I substituted the brown rice syrup for 1.5 tbsp of maple syrup and it clumped up very nicely. Next time I’ll probably do 2 tbsp, though, so it clumps up a bit more. The flavor was great & made my house smell amazing! Thanks for another great recipe :)
Glad to hear that granola turned out for you!
Your new furniture is beautiful! Love how you’ve set up the space!
Your place looks fantastic!! You’ve gotten so far in a short time. And I love your new furniture…it’s beautiful and functional.
Your home is gorgeous! I want to re-do my house to look as pretty as yours!
I think you did a wonderful job decorating! It looks very chic and cozy at the same time. I hope your knee will be better soon!
i love your new furniture! gorgeous! That dining room table looks so home-y!
looks great, you sure do have an eye for details
The furniture is gorgeous. I will have to check out that store. I see you are a cookbook addict like me. I have never been injured by mine though. ;) I probably have used How it all Vegan most over the years. Do you have a favourite?
Oh gosh that is TOUGH to choose! I’ll have to think about that one :) I use Veganomicon, ED&BV, and Vegan Yum Yum a lot.
Omg I love how this room turned out. You are quite the home decorator! Can’t wait to see the rest :)
Lovely livingroom!! I just moved too and am in the middle of decorating. It’s fun but stressful.
The work you guys have done with the space is fantastic, like right out of a magazine!
Great job Angie! You really have an eye for interior design. I love the green accents. :)
So inspirational! Love it all! I checked out the furniture website and didn’t see any prices. We are long overdue for a new table and chairs (hand-me downs from 8 years ago!) and was just wondering their general price range to see if we should look at borrowing a truck for a trip down! Thanks!
I really love your new place (even more than your old home)- the light is great and it’ll be much less maintenance! The white & green accents are so nice against the neutrals & wood. But I can’t help but feel that the sofa & media set should be switched with the dining area. But it looks amazing, and I know the fresh space will bring fresh inspiration to you :).
Beautiful!
Can you hang plants in your livingroom? I know some landlords are picky about that stuff but those windows would be perfect for some lovely hanging vines, spider plants or even hanging herb gardens.
I’ve been addicted to researching ideas for urban gardening recently (being in Seattle with a cement lawn myself) and I know how much you loved your garden in your last house.
:)
Your new furniture is beautiful. I love the stain that y’all picked. It’s really coming together. We just moved recently and I hope to get some art on the walls this weekend. It makes such a big difference.
Looks so cozy and welcoming, I could just come over and settle down! Haha, I’ve got the same green cushions on our couch, only that the couch is the color of sand.
Sketchie sure does look very wide-eyed on that one picture – how dare you mess up his space?? LOL
Love the furniture, you have great taste!
Was just thinking, I love your recipies so much. I am always making something you have on here. Today I was looking up different recipies for salad dressings and realized you don’t have a seperate course just for dressings. With all the different salads you make and all the different dressings, I think they are worthy of their own course ;-) – just a thought.
Thanks for the suggestion!
I love that you have your blog dishes stashed with the cookbooks! So clever!
The room looks transformed and spacious! The TV, Satellite and amp cables sticking out looks slightly discordant. Try hiding them or using an extension cable or something to that effect.
Read your post with great interest. Your new furniture looks great however, the Irish coast collection although made from recycled wood is MADE IN CHINA, not Canada. Don’t feel that you are the only one that was misled, apparentely Heritage uses this misleading information often.
Hi John, I’m curious as to how you found this out? Thanks!
Hi Angela : We have friends that bought the same items, they were lead to believe the products were made in Canada. If you google “Irish Coast Furniture” you should find several importers that bring this furniture to Canada and the US. The furniture is ok with the usual cracking that is found in wood furniture from China.
Cheers : John
Beautiful home! I love, love, love the canisters on the shelves! I’m totally stealing that idea for an odd wall in my tiny kitchen. Now, the really important thing…can you PLEASE tell me where you got the baskets that fit inside of the top of the IKEA sofa table? I am driving my OCD self nuts trying to find baskets that fit perfectly, lol.
Good post. I absolutely love this site. Keep writing!