At Home with Kim Vallee

ENTERTAINING, HOLIDAY decorations | November 10, 2009

A Sneak Peek at my Christmas Ornaments

I typically wait for sales before buying my Christmas ornaments but I could not resist when I saw these Christmas ornaments. Their handmade character and winter cottage feel seduced me. The handmade reindeer (top picture) that can stand of their own were the first to caught my eye. From that, I developed the rest of the [...]

ENTERTAINING, HOLIDAY decorations | October 28, 2009

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David Stark Greener Holiday Collection at West Elm

The way I decorate for Christmas has changed a lot over the years. The cool Christmas looks are miles away from what Christmas decorations were when I was a kid. It is evident when we look at these pictures. In fact, the top picture constitutes a good example of the Comfort trend, one of the 4 [...]

HOME + GARDEN, KITCHEN design | October 10, 2009

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Modern Rustic Kitchen that Feels More Modern

The wildness of the oak wood kitchen on the cover page of Elle Decoration UK edition caught my eye. I envy anyone who has a kitchen with floor to ceiling cupboards. It looks neat but more importantly for me, it reduces the amount of spring cleaning. Plus, using more vertical space for storage keeps the [...]

ENTERTAINING, TABLESCAPE | September 24, 2009

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Rustic Tables for the End of Summer Cottage Season

Fall officially arrived. In a few weeks, the cottage on the lake season will close for many of us that live North. Wood slice trays are nothing new but I still like them. Plus, using handcrafted organic elements to contrast modern pieces is one of the 4 trends for Christmas 2009 (more on that later). Wood slices [...]

ENTERTAINING, HOLIDAY decorations | December 5, 2008

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Wooden Holiday Decorations | Daily Quick Links 2008.12.04

Their warmth makes wood desirable and comforting in winter. As you can see, wood textures are hot this Holiday. With beautiful items like those, there are no reasons to complain. + The Nature+Holiday Ornaments by Los Angeles-based artist Karen Kimmel are absolutely stunning. Each wood veneer and colored acrylic laser cut disc comes in a hand [...]

ALL occasions, COOKING tools, DINING, GIFT IDEAS | June 11, 2008

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Remarkable Eco-friendly Kitchen Tools by Domestic Aesthetic

I am very thrilled by this new housewares collection made of reclaimed wood. It made me regret that I was not at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in NYC last week. More than just a pretty face, the culture of Domestic Aesthetic revolves around sustainability. They use responsibly harvested materials and low impact processes. [...]

HOME + GARDEN, HOME decor, OUTDOOR space | May 21, 2008

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Natural Looking Tree Pot

If you dream of setting a natural retreat in your urban backyard this summer, you might be interested by these brown and white Resin Tree Pots that I dug at Sprout Home. These planters can be flipped over and used as an end table. To increase their longevity, use them as a cachepot. Put some moss [...]

ENTERTAINING, HOLIDAY entertaining | December 23, 2007

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My mantle Christmas decorations

For the last days before Christmas, there is still time for one or two last minute inspirations. I made a simple vignette to decorate the mantle in our playroom at the cottage. My inspiration was my birch cachepots from small stump. Mason jars served as vases. I selected holly branches because [...]