sometimes when i’m contacting designers about the sneak peeks i play a little game with myself where i try to imagine what i think their house will look like. today’s peek into the home of illustrator helen dardik is one where i feel like if given a quiz i’d be able to match the home to the designer. there is something about the home of that just looks like her fun illustrations - playful, colorful and kid-friendly. click here for more of helen’s work, her blog, and here for more, full-sized images of her home. [thanks so much, helen and family!] -anne
[Above: My favorite part [of the kitchen] is the blackboard (Ikea). A blackboard makes it fun and easy to spice up the kitchen with some spontaneous doodling.]
The living room: I must confess… we tidied up just for you! Usually there’s a billion books and toys scattered about on the floor, and a few forts, of course. This is what happens when you’re a kid who has kids. I try not to take the interior too seriously. Nobody likes a design nazi. The living room space is divided into two parts. The first half is black, white, and red, with two Ikea shelves and a Barcelona chair sandwiched lovingly in the middle. This space was designed entirely around the letter “A” that I rescued from a junk alley in Montreal (very glamorous, I know). It also serves as an excellent night light when you tuck Christmas lights inside.
The other half of the living room is predominately a place to curl up with my family, so I’ve filled it with warm colors. I purchased this couch at EQ3 because it immediately reminded me of car interiors from the fifties. All of the paintings are by “yours truly”. I ran out of vacant walls a long time ago, and now I’m contemplating selling all of my paintings on Etsy to make room for new ones. That should shake things up a bit.
Kitchen & Dining area: My kitchen is teeny tiny, but it does the trick. The stars of the dining area are my Eames stackable chairs in a delicious mustard color.
This orange mirror plays a big part in my entrance way. I was going for a self portrait here, but the girls made it better.
Office: As you can see, the toys have taken over, and the office is no exception. They are my co-workers. There’s no water cooler to gather around in this office built for one. But who likes small talk anyway? Some of my favorite books have also made it into the office inspiration crew. . . Overall, this is the home where my husband and children (me included) love to relax and create in.
