I just loved shooting holiday stories for Style at Home magazine last year in Toronto! Christine Hanlon produced and styled this shoot – isn’t she amazing? After seeing the pink ruffle pillow I went straight to Home Sense to buy one for my mother – they didn’t have pink but a lovely champagne colour instead and she loves it! We were so busy shooting this day I didn’t really take any out takes but I’ve included a fav shot of the chandelier and a wider one of the chair and presents.
The Biltmore Estate is beautiful any time of year but they certainly do put on a grand show at Christmastime! Here are a few more of my favorites from the shoot. The only behind the scenes photo I took was the one of Maria & LeeAnn waiting on me outside by the lights . . .
This story was such a joy to photograph! How could it not be with so many beautiful things styled by the very talented Lara McGraw . . . . Doesn’t it just inspire you to throw at party? Here are a few behind the scenes photos plus a few favs that didn’t make it into the story in Style at Home’s December issue.
Excited to have another cover of Our State magazine & a 20 page story on the Biltmore at Christmas! Maria and I loved every minute of photographing at the Biltmore during the holidays – the trees and the lights were magnificent! Thank you to LeeAnn Donnelly, the senior public relations manager, who hosted us for our Biltmore shoot! Check back this week for more images from this shoot and a feature on an amazing collector of Spode china.
Style at Home editor Erin McLaughlin & I drove to Ottawa on a cold snowy day last December on our way to a shoot in Canada’s capitol. As we drew closer the snow got worse and worse & the next morning we woke up to sleet and ice. We were determined to make it to the shoot so we drove verrrrrrrry slowly through the streets of Ottawa. And what a lovely surprise it was to have Chip Hamann & Alain Doom welcome us into their cozy and stylish house. We also met the gracious Irene Langlois of Irene Langlois Interiors who helped make this home charming and ready for entertaining.
Alain & Chip prepared the food, lit the candles while Irene hung the last of the holiday decor. And despite the ice & snow, good friends arrived, champagne was opened and the lovely party went on into the evening. . .
A little Swiss twist on some holiday raclette... Alison Lovell of Lovell Designs grew up in Switzerland and shared her love of raclette with Style at Home for the November issue. It was so great to photograph Alison & family – aren’t they all so photogenic? The very talented Lara McGraw did the styling and my ever faithful assistant Mun helped me shoot this very fun story. I have posted a few behind the scenes of Lara overseeing the details, Mun making sure we have correct colour and a few other favorites that didn’t make it into the magazine story. Mmmmm now I wish I had a raclette machine!
What a fun shoot in a modern condo in the middle of downtown Toronto! I am so lucky to work with such talented people: Erin McLaughlin & Sara Cation from Style at Home & Jessica Kelly of Jessica Kelly Design. At the end of the shoot – we didn’t want to let that amazing sushi go to waste – it was delicious!
I am very excited about the November issue of Style at Home! Finally all the shoots we did last fall are coming out & it is wonderful to have another cover . . . Thank you to Margot Austin who styled this story and to my amazing assistants Mun Wai Chau & Jordan Fretz. They went far above the call of duty to light some of the last shots from outside (and it was VERY chilly). See if you can pick out the shots that were done in complete darkness . . .
Check back this week for more stories and behind the scenes shots . . .and go get a copy of this issue before it goes off the stands!
After seeing the pear orchard near Fenwick, Ontario I was longing to do a little shoot there amongst the striking red leaves and greenish yellow pears. My cousin Sylvia volunteered to be my model and she even had a retro red bike. We had lots of fun running around the orchard – I even forgot to ask permission but no one seemed to mind. . . I have been encouraging Sylvia to do some modeling – she is so naturally beautiful, don’t you think?
Style at Home editor Erin McLaughlin & I drove to Ottawa on a cold snowy day last December on our way to a shoot in Canada’s capitol. As we drew closer the snow got worse and worse & the next morning we woke up to sleet and ice. We were determined to make it to the shoot so we drove verrrrrrrry slowly through the streets of Ottawa. And what a lovely surprise it was to have Chip Hamann & Alain Doom welcome us into their cozy and stylish house. We also met the gracious Irene Langlois of Irene Langlois Interiors who helped make this home charming and ready for entertaining.
Alain & Chip prepared the food, lit the candles while Irene hung the last of the holiday decor. And despite the ice & snow, good friends arrived, champagne was opened and the lovely party went on into the evening. . .
Driving into Fenwick, Ontario to visit my cousins, I saw this incredible pear orchard! The pears were green and all the leaves had turned to crimson and burnt orange. I am not sure I have seen a prettier site at an orchard. I was ranting and raving about it when I arrived at my sweet cousin Cathy‘s house so she agreed to drive over with me to take a few quick photos . . . I returned the next day to do an impromptu photo shoot with my cousin Sylvia – photos to come soon!
This time last year, Simon Henry and I were in the Niagara region visiting family on the way to shoot for Style at Home magazine in Toronto. The autumn leaves were so vibrant and beautiful in my aunt Gwenn & Uncle Gerry’s yard we decided on an afternoon walk. My cousin Sylvia brought her daughter Katy and their dog Jackson to come for a romp with Simon. The dogs were so excited we never did get a closeup photo of them! But they had a good time running through the pale yellow fields and wrestling in the leaves. What a wonderful visit with family. . . stay tuned for some photos of Sylvia in a pear orchard
Christine Hanlon of Style at Home whips up a more sophisticated take on fall entertaining. I especially loved the white pumpkins and the ravens. We did enjoy sampling all the pretty goodies too...
La belle France. . . . how I love her. In the October issue of Style at Home, see a sunny French kitchen and suggestions on how to use yellow in your house. Seeing this story in the magazine reminded me of the wonderful trip I took with editor in chief Erin McLaughlin and stylist Ann Marie Favot to photograph this story. We enjoyed every minute of driving through the countryside and photographing. As I looked through the kitchen photos I came across these laundry shots that just seemed to match the fresh mood of the kitchen. And then a photo of one of the cutest French dogs – I secretly wanted to take him home!
This beautiful property 300 year old property belongs to Rita Theil of Jackryn France.
It is exciting to have the October cover of Style at Home magazine! Calgary, Alberta was our destination to shoot this fabulous house. I was joined by two very talented women – senior design editor Margot Austin & Calgary designer Nam Dang-Mitchell. Nam used inspiration from 17th century Vermeer paintings to create a many beautiful spaces. I couldn’t resist taking a few photos of Nam’s shoes. . .
We were thrilled to shoot another story for the “Firsts after Forty” feature in MORE Canada’s October issue. Anne McKenzie dreamed of playing the bagpipes while on a memorable trip to Scotland and now she is pursuing her dream. Check out the magazine for more of her inspiring story! See the story below plus a few other favorites from the shoot. Also, I was a featured contributor this month – thanks to Melanie Litchfield of Whitebox Weddings for the lovely portrait that has been published over and over!
At one point in the summer, my pumpkin vines were climbing up the roof – I was so proud of them. Finally the time came to roast some of these little beauties. I followed the advice of Lynn at Simple Bites to make sure to drain the pulp before freezing and I think it made all the difference. I also saved the pumpkin juice to use in soups and roasted the seeds with a bit of olive oil and sea salt. Can’t wait to make pumpkin smoothies or pumpkin pie. Yum! What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?
This summer I had the amazing opporunity to shoot the Firsts After Forty grand prize winner in beautiful New Brunswick, Canada for MORE Canada magazine! Julie Hébert lost her leg as a young woman but when her husband Simon suggested she try cycling she was game to try. Julie won MORE’s contest and is now inspiring all women to pursue their dreams at any age no matter what obstacles they face. My assistand Maria and I fell in love with Julie’s sweet and vivacious spirt and the beauty that surrounds her on the coast of New Brunswick. A big thank you to our fantastic make up artist Sarah-Jane Britton and we look forward to working with her again!
My vizsla Simon came along for the ride to the Maritimes so we thought it was funny to take a photo of the two Simons . . .
As the 2011 Fall High Point Furniture Market approaches I was reminded that I never did get the time to mention the special visitors I had last spring. Margot Austin, senior design editor from Style at Home and her husband Kevin Austin, owner of Chair Table Lamp in Toronto stopped in for an impromptu late night dinner at my place. We had a super busy day at the studio so I went to the Fresh Market to get lots of yummy bits. We ate and talked long into the night and a good time was had by all. . .
Simon is a wonderful dog in so many ways but his ability to steal food is pretty extraordinary! He waits until your attention is diverted and then he strikes as quick as lightening and all you are left with are a few pieces of plastic or a plate. Don’t let his innocent stance fool you . . . one time he ate a whole pan of fudge, another time a whole rotisserie chicken!
