this peek just takes my breath away. it has that rustic elegance that seems so effortless, yet can be so difficult to really nail. nikole herriott lives in toronto, canada and her father lives 2800 miles away. to stay in touch, they would send little packages back and forth. nikole’s father is a craftsman and he began sending little spoons that he had carved. nikole loved them and thought that others would too so she and her father began herriott grace. (the full story is here) to get a sense of the work of herriott grace check out their sold items and flickr set. (did you ever think a spoon could be so lovely!) their stuff sells out fast – if you’re interested in the products, be sure to sign up for the mailing list. in addition to her work with herriott grace, nikole is a trained pastry chef! i am so packing my bags and moving in! {thanks nikole! and many thanks to celine kim for the lovely photographs!} -amy a.
[I'm definitely a collector of odds and ends, I've always liked objects, little things that remind me of a moment in my history, ephemeral bits from travel, vintage keepsakes or even rocks from a trip to the beach. The trouble with this is that I live in a really tiny space, only 390 square feet, so I have to be choosy about what I bring home. I'm pretty particular about textures and quality, I like furniture crafted by hand, pieces well-designed and things with a story. In many ways I've always wanted my home to reflect where I came from, that I grew up on a farm even though I now live amidst the hustle and bustle of a city, far from the sea. I want it to be a little bit of calm, a place that feels away from it all.]
[image above: My desk is made from old sawhorses I "borrowed" from my father's shop, I love that they are thin and lightweight and that they fold flat. The framed piece is one I purchased from Alyson Foxand the coat rack is something I drew and persuaded my father to make me. The small jars that hold up the cedar shelf are yogurt pots from a trip to China. For a short time we stayed at a Huotong in Beijing and every morning I would have yogurt for breakfast. I was amazed that each one was in a pretty clay pot so instead of returning them all for the deposit I brought a few home.]
[image above: My kitchen table is a picnic table of sorts. About six years ago I found it sitting in the back of my parent's orchard. It was my mother's dining table growing up, but was long since discarded as an outside type thing. When they said I could have it, I was pretty much over the moon. Since food is a focal point in my life and in the lives of many of my friends we have been known to spend long evenings eating and drinking at this table. It's over 6 feet long and has two benches so it's comfortably seats six or even eight. I look forward to one day having a rooftop terrace and putting this table up there, I can so imagine it underneath twinkly white light at sundown. The painting to the left was done by my great grandmother in 1900 and was a gift, I love it. The calender to the right is from the Wild Unknown and the flock mobile is from one of my favorites, Bookhou.]
[image above: Both spoons in this photo are hand-carved by father, the one on the left was included in my last shop update, I think it was one of my all time favorites, it's made the branch of a chestnut tree and the grain is so pretty.]
CLICK HERE for more of Nikole’s Toronto home!
[image above: One of my very favorite bits of furniture is the block of wood at the foot of my bed. It is old-growth red cedar from the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, where I grew up. It is more than 450 years old, and was milled by an older gentleman that still uses traditional milling methods, you can see the lines from the old style saw along the sides, it's pretty amazing. The reindeer pelt on my rocker is from Mjolk, a great store here in Toronto.]
[image above: The fan is an estate sale find and both sets of antlers were sent as gifts from my father. The small white garland is Shanna Murray and the little bit of ribbon hanging as a bow on the wall is Mokuba.]
[image above: I love gardening, so in hopes of one day building a winterized green house, I collect vintage Pyrex cloches. I've always dreamt of having an entire table of small rare orchids growing underneath them.]
[image above: The flowered clutch to the left is Hayden Harnett, and the leather bag is from a Parisian eBay seller. The cake print above my mirror is Sandra Juto and other two prints are vintage botanicals from etsy seller, bananastrudel. The large square rug is one I won on eBay, I love the bright pink parts of it. The luggage to the left of the frame I bought as a set at auction.]
[image above: The paint is Farrow and Ball, and the Japanese Hinoki Bath Mat is from Canoe in Portland. The print to the left is Studio Violet and the small bit of wood sitting on my bath mat is a piece of turned maple my father made to prevent my window from falling closed. My building was built in 1924 and somewhere along the line the window cords were cut and so the window needs support to stay up, I wanted something prettier than just a chunk of wood.]
[image above: The teacup and little jug are both thrifted, I use the cup for water and the little jug to store my makeup brushes and things.]
[image above: My dishes a vintage petalware, I've collected the set one piece at a time and I'm finally starting to have a bit of good collection.]
