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July, 2012

  1. Breezy Romantic Style

    July 31, 2012 by admin

    Well, I can’t believe it but this is my 501st post on michaelpenneystyle.com!  I appreciate each and every one of you who follows along with me on this crazy design journey.  I hope you like what you’re seeing and if you have any hints or suggestions, please send ‘em along!

    Today, on this bright summery day, I wanted to share these breezy romantic rooms from Ralph Lauren Home.  Sometimes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but rather soak up the classic good looks of a home like this.  Enjoy!

    Ralph Lauren Home

     

    Ralph Lauren Home

     

    Ralph Lauren Home

     

    Ralph Lauren Home

     

    Ralph Lauren Home

     

    I just love all of the white painted furniture, the coral and shells, the blue and white…so heavenly!  If you want to add this romantic, white washed style to your home, I’ve got lots of pieces to help you at Penney & Company today!  You can get the look with items like these…

     

     

     

     

    Blue & White Ginger Jar Lamps, Penney & Company

     

    White painted side table on casters, Penney & Company

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 5 Comments

  2. NEW! At Penney & Company

    July 30, 2012 by admin

    Last week I added a few new items to the mix at Penney & Company – some old, some new!  I wanted to give you all the sneak peek…

    Penney & Company, Whitby Ontario

     

    This handsome chest of drawers was one of my larger purchases in Maine.  It’s actually a painted piece  - faux finished probably 80 or 100 years ago.  It’s been ‘combed’ to imitate a more dramatic wood grain.  I love the contrasting chunky knobs too and the subtle little carved bits at the top.

    Penney & Company, Whitby Ontario

     

    On top of this lovely chest are a few little accessories with lots of style.  Nautical napkin rings, blue and white placemats and napkins (and cheeeeeeap!) and a little lime painting framed in simple white.  The matching green hydrangeas are from my yard!

     

    Penney & Company, Whitby Ontario

    Of course I’ve got even more shells, coral and barnacles to decorate your shelves, mantles and bathrooms!

    Penney & Company, Whitby Ontario

    Here’s another sweet little chest of drawers – this one painted in a soft celadon green with ceramic knobs.  I just love how the scalloped details are highlighted when a piece is painted like this.

    Penney & Company, Whitby Ontario

    Interesting little side tables for next to a sofa, a hallway or near your bed can be hard to find.  This vintage bleached wood example has a nice shape and some concealed storage.  Just what your house is calling for I’ll bet…!

    Penney & Company, Whitby Ontario

    And have no fear, the turquoise glass (kind of beach glassy no?) lamps are back!  Perfect with blue and white chevron and milk glass.

    Well there you have it – there’s always something new at Penney & Company!  Be sure to come in soon!

     

     

     

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 8 Comments

  3. Penney & Co Love from First Time Fancy

    July 28, 2012 by admin

    Recently I got to catch up with a fellow Whitby-born decor junkie and blogger, Kerry from First Time Fancy.  If you haven’t yet seen her blog, it’s a must read and full of inspiration.  Kerry recently moved to British Columbia but was home visiting her family in our shared hometown.  She kindly made the time to pop by Penney & Company and has shared her take on the shop over on her blog.  Check out this stylish blogger’s picks here.

     

     

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 3 Comments

  4. Margot Austin's Adorable Bungalow!

    July 27, 2012 by admin

    Yes, that title required an exclamation point – it’s so freakin’ cute!  Margot Austin and I passed like ships in the night when I left House & Home Magazine and she joined (after an amazing career at Style At Home Magazine) last fall.  But we’ve met up lots of times and she is a wonderful person with TONS of style.  I love her preppy chic aesthetic and her love of green and vintage and pretty makes her a kindred spirit I think.

    But enough talk, check out her place!  She shares this east end Toronto home with her (equally talented) husband Kevin Austin (of Chair Table Lamp fame and Style At Home too!).  Oh and their French Bulldog who seems to have a following of her own.  Okay the pictures!

    The stylish Austin herself

     

    Margot and Kevin Austin’s Toronto Bungalow

    I mean c’mon!  How adorable is this?!  I love the little dining nook with the block printed wallpaper.  Margot, if you’re reading this, I used to have a sample of that very paper (in blue mind you) on my office wall not steps from where you work now!  Great minds…

    Margot and Kevin Austin’s Toronto Bungalow

     

    Margot and Kevin Austin’s Toronto Bungalow

     

    These chairs are killing me!  So shapely, the perfect shade of green the pair-ness of it all!  Notice how they’re anything but stuffy with crisp white walls and a jute rug beneath?

    Margot and Kevin Austin’s Toronto Bungalow

     

    I love that Margot is embracing the return of pastels – not 80′s pastels, these ones are more fresh and poppy.  Those pillows are great!

    Margot and Kevin Austin’s Toronto Bungalow

     

    Margot and Kevin Austin’s Toronto Bungalow

     

    Margot and Kevin Austin’s Toronto Bungalow

     

    The kitchen is a standard Ikea kitchen dressed up with burnished brass hardware (genius) and a sleek cooktop and matte white faucet.  The relaxed roman is so cheerful and how about that yellow pendant?  So fun!

    Well if you enjoyed these pictures, there’s more – watch Margot give a guided tour of her home here.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 5 Comments

  5. Cool Vans Everywhere!

    July 25, 2012 by admin

    Have I shared that I enjoy Coronation Street before?  Well I do.  Laugh all you want – it sucks you in and then you’re hooked.  And trust me, I am.  It’s a dinner time ritual for Sara and I and I have been known to storm out of the room over those crazy Brits and their goings on now and again.

     

    I bring this up because one of the Coronation Street characters – Tommy Duckworth – has a VW Camper Van, (pronounced Campa-Vaan on ‘The Street’).  He was his romantic gesture to his girlfriend Tina and they planned to travel Europe in the old clunker.

    Tommy and Tina with their VW Camper Van on Coronation Street

     

    Well it seems that I keep seeing these VW vans all over the road these days and then I saw this MINT GREEN GM Van near a local grocery store here in Whitby!  Love this one, plus its loyal to my fair city of Oshawa! Now wouldn’t that make for a cool Penney  & C0-mobile?!

    Mint Green Van – Spotted in Whitby!

     

    Well to top it all off, I was having a lovely consultation with two Penney & Company clients in the charming little house when I saw this!  A VW LEGO VAN!!!!  If I am a Coronation Street fan, then I worship Lego!  It was, is, and will always be my favourite toy.  You should have seen some of the details houses (with colour coordinated interiors), towns and apartment buildings I built as a child.  Trust me, I’ve always been me.

    Here’s a pulled back shot on the shelf so you can see it’s scale…

    Sorry the shots are a little dark (I work all hours!) – isn’t it great?  It even had detailed ‘hippie van’ interiors with checkered floors and a lava lamp!

    Something’s in the air I think – Coronation Street meets my love of Lego meets my love of vintage quirky cars!  Maybe that’s what I’ll have to get to drive around in search of all manner of furniture and decorative ephemera!  We’ll see if one shows up in my driveway…

     

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 10 Comments

  6. Beaded Chandeliers

    July 24, 2012 by admin

    I spotted this great beaded chandelier in Pottery Barn recently and really liked it.  It’s a nice switch from many of the styles out there, yet not weird or too trendy feeling, you know?  I think it suits traditional or rustic interiors and adds a little boho looseness.

    Pottery Barn

    And this subtle Pottery Barn number isn’t the only handsome example on the market.  Just check these out!

    From Circa Lighting…

    Circa Lighting

     

    A gorgeous colourful example from House Beautiful Magazine…

     

    For a Canadian source, check out this stunner from Cobi Ladner’s Cobi Style!

    Cobi Style

     

    And for some more colourful beaded examples (I like it as a sconce too, don’t you?)…

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 12 Comments

  7. Beachy Style with India Hicks

    July 23, 2012 by admin

    I’ve long admired India Hicks‘ beachy British Colonial style and have seen snippets of her home here and there.  It makes perfect sense – India Hicks is the daughter of David Hicks (iconic UK decorator) and part of the English aristocracy.  She was even in Charles and Diana’s wedding!  Combine her blue-blooded English roots with a balmy beach abode and you’ve got classic style with an island twist.  Heather Clawson at Habitually Chic put this collection of images together and I thought it was perfect for this hot, hot summer we’re having.  Enjoy!

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 6 Comments

  8. Home Again

    July 21, 2012 by admin

    Well I’m back at it in the shop.  Penney & Co was generously taken care of by my brother Jason and life-long friend Kristin.  If you met them, lucky you!  I’ve had a wonderful week off in beautiful Kennebunkport Maine and filled my creative tank with beauty and breezes.

    I’m taking it easy at Penney & Company this morning, the fan is blowing and I’m waiting to say hello to you if you care to pop in.  Resolving to take it a little slower for the rest of the summer and enjoy this ephemeral season.  Here’s hoping you take in the beauty and simple joys of the day too.

    emersonmerrick.blogspot.ca

     

     

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 4 Comments

  9. NEW at Found Style

    July 19, 2012 by admin

    If you’re not reading the foundstyle blog yet, you’ve gotta check it out!  It’s a carefully curated collection of images from three veterans of the home decor business.  These girls know their stuff and they’re constantly out there digging up inspiration for us all.  They post quite regularly and always have some dreamy place to take us.  I mean, look at this teeny tiny house – is it not the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?  Found it at Foundstyle!

    foundstyle.net

    And then there’s the Found online shop!  These two one-of-a-kind vintage items are available for $5!  And the tea towels (also vintage) are $30 for two!

    foundstyle.net

    foundstyle.net

    foundstyle.net

    I’m not kidding, you’ve gotta check them out.  If you’re busy like I am, leave the picking to the Found girls and let them amaze you with their treasures.

    To visit foundstyle.net now, click here.

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 3 Comments

  10. East Coast Blue Hydrangeas

    July 18, 2012 by admin

    When I think of the East coast, Maine, Massachusetts, the Hamptons…I picture weathered cedar shakes and lush blue hydrangeas.  I’m going to be eating these up on my vacation and wanted to share this gorgeous image from my pal and blogger, Katy Elliott.  She took this shot herself if you can believe it!

    Simply breathtaking.

    katyelliott.com

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 7 Comments

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