Yearly Archives: 2016

When we gutted the living room and the kitchen, which were side by side, one of the things we wanted to do was turn the space into an open concept lounge / entertainment area, where the 2 rooms cohesively joined together. Sounds kind of funny but it totally works. Before and after pictures to come really soon!

In the lounge, we’ve built 2 ceiling-high bookcases because we’re just about obsessed with the look of them. We’ve learned that if ever you’re struggling with how to bring life to a room, a bookcase or some sort of a shelving unit is a great go-to. We’ve incorporated shelves in almost every room and it works like a charm every time. The shelves themselves play an important role in the aesthetics but what you fill them up with is the ultimate key (and also the fun part)!

This here is one of the 2 ceiling high shelves in the lounge.There are many ways to style a bookcase. The #1 bookcase filler is obviously BOOKS! But not just any kind of book, they have to be pretty books :). We carefully hand-selected these ones from Value Village for $3-$5 each. Over the holidays, we actually got 25 beautiful books for $1.99 each. You just can’t go wrong. Why buy them new when they have so much more character pre-owned?

BOOK SELECTION TIP: Start with your colour scheme. What colour tones do you want your bookcase to carry? In our case, we wanted whites and soft Earth tones with peach and mint green accents. Then you simply browse through a used book store and pay special attention to the style and colour of the book spine. As you pick them out, stack them on top of each other and see if you like what you’re seeing! You can also pick older books in general where the pages have yellowed and look worn because you can flip the books around and display the aged pages in place of the actual spine the way we did in the wicker baskets. Also note that you can arrange books in the traditional vertical upright position or you can lay them flat and stack them horizontally. A mix of both is great! :)

how to style a bookcase, vintage inspired bookcase

In our home, the second go-to for bookcase fillers would probably be wicker baskets. They take up space, which is great! But they also serve as storage AND they look awesome. It’s a win on all fronts. Our wicker baskets in these shelves were from Homesense; it’s generally the best place to find beautiful yet affordable ones.

After the books and baskets are in place, you want to move on to the accent pieces. Find things that you love or that mean something to you or that you simply think are pretty! In our case, we used a globe to represent our love for travel, a mint green storage box to pull in the colours we wanted, a watering can because it was pretty, some flowers, and other knick knacks. Accent pieces are all about trial and error, especially in this house. Not every piece you buy is going to work right out of the gates. You’ll see that when this photo was taken, there was still a tag left on one of the flower accents. We tend to leave tags on and let the pieces be for a couple of days before we decide whether they’re the perfect fit or not. The eyes need time to adjust! :)


Pre-Owned Books – Value Village
Nellie Storage Box – Urban Barn
Wicker Baskets – Homesense
Globe, Flowers, Watering Can Accents – Homesense
Bird’s Nest Accent – Michaels Arts & Crafts
Ceramic Bird Accent – Michaels Arts & Crafts

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Posted By Charlene Precious @ 8:36 am

We were absolutely notorious for throwing mail and keys on the first flat surface we came across when entering the house. This was the case back in our apartment and was still the case in our new home. It was the ultimate way to make instant mess as soon as we got in. For that reason, this letter rack and key holder unit was critical when it came to saving ourselves from our terrible habit! But of course, while this piece was brought in to solve much more than a decorative need, it instantly became a decorative piece as we “beautified” it and turned it into something worth talking about. And guys, that’s what it’s ALL about! :)

This custom letter rack and key holder piece was built by Tanis from Reclaimed Home Decor. We needed this built to the size and style we wanted all while fulfilling its deeper purpose! We found Tanis completely by chance when we bought a piece of her furniture from the One of a Kind Antique Mall in Woodstock and then realized after the fact that it wasn’t right for our space. We had to track down the creator to work out an alternative, and there was Tanis! Soon we discovered all of her other beautiful furniture pieces and couldn’t wait to work together.

Now we hang our keys diligently and throw mail right into this thing without making a total mess. In fact, it looks great by the entrance and warms up the space quite a bit.

DECOR TIP: All it takes to turn a functional unit like this into an accent decor piece in your home is a glass bottle with flowers, framed art, and decorative wicker balls. Simple dimple!

wooden letter rack and key holder

FRAMED ART TIP: We are totally not into keeping the glass when framing our art prints! Abandon the glass! Lose it! Part ways with it! Choose a rustic distressed frame either at Homesense, Michaels, or Etsy, ditch the glass, and throw our prints(s) in it and we promise, you’ll be in for a beautiful treat! :)


Mail Organizer / Key Hanger Unit – Reclaimed Home Decor
Glass Milk Bottle – Michaels Arts & Crafts
Wild Daisy Spray Flowers – Michaels Arts & Crafts (Exact piece unavailable online)
Wicker Balls – Homesense
4 x 6″ Rustic Frame – Homesense
*Featured Art Print: 4 x 6″ A Simple Time – Charlene Precious Co.*

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Posted By Charlene Precious @ 10:16 pm
February 15, 2016

Here’s one of Les Calanques in Cassis France; absolutely beautiful and a hidden gem in southern France. I was forced to pull this out and edit it today because my husband and I were picking out art for the lounge room and this made it on the list!

On the same note, I’m working away on a new project to build up our decor content! The idea is to share with you different ways to decorate with our art. But not only that, we plan to also share general decor tips and ideas! This page has been lonely and we’re finally getting ready to bring some life to it. I’ve been feeling so inspired decorating our new home that I want to be able to share not only ideas but our journey throughout! More to come, so hang tight. I hope to have content up in March. :)

cassis france

Posted By Charlene Precious @ 4:58 pm
February 4, 2016

Here’s a new Paris print. :)

Quick update: We got ALL of our drapes up over the last 2 weeks and I think I’m obsessed with them! They change everything – I love them. I could definitely decorate homes for a living; it’s a passion I never knew I had. Oh, my little heart lies in so many different things.

Now we’re onto deciding which prints to put in what room, going through the same process all our lovely customers go through. :)

paris photography

Posted By Charlene Precious @ 8:18 pm

How time flies. Next thing you know, the blog’s been untouched for 2 weeks! Started my day early today and found time to post something new. I hope you had a wonderful holidays! A great year awaits us all.

Every time I teeter through my lavender field photographs, I want to book a flight back to Provence. Simply too beautiful for words and images alone can’t quite do it justice.

lavender fields, provence, france, aristotle

Posted By Charlene Precious @ 10:57 am