Author: Nam Dang-Mitchell

Laid Back Chic

The Power of Refusal

I've never been much of a minimalist but lately I've been drawn to simpler and simpler things. The soothing effect of a space devo

Burnt Clay

Aesthetics

Terracotta

European Holiday

Give Me Moore

All American

Braque

LA Story

Style Hunt

Black & White

Garcon

Only Love

Simple Things

Turquoise

Warm Minimalism

Pale Fire

Spring

Beachy

Black & Navy

Fresh

Mood Indigo

Sweet

Gray

Meow

Pop

Luxe Bohemia

New Classics

Lush Green

Basics

Chic

Glamour

Clarity

This time of year, I always find myself searching for some sort of clarity, for a framework to approach the New Year. I've had no

Time Out

I love the days between Christmas and New Years, they're like free time when nothing is really expected of you. I stay in my pyjam

Simple

Casual

Camo

Clean

Teal

Sunday

If you need a little inspiration this Sunday, watch the incredibly moving immigration story of Tan Le, below. You'll be blown away

Mauve

Colours

Elegance

Mr. Chow

The first time I saw the home of Michael and Tina Chow in the pages of Vogue I was a teenager, and it completely mesmerized me. No

Deadmaus

For the past two years my son has wanted to be Deadmau5 for Halloween but I told him it would be too hard to make the mask. Boy, I

Ecru

I'm obsessed with the colour (or non-colour) ecru lately. Our French bulldog has destroyed no less than three sofas and I want to

As I Am

Seasons

We have had the most beautiful fall in recent memory here in Calgary. The mild temperature and spectacular colours have made my ye

Gray & Navy

Thankful

New Basics

Olive

Gray Day

Brooklyn

Really enjoyed my time poking around Brooklyn last weekend. It truly boasts the most hipsters per sq.ft of anywhere in America. Be

Cool

Supermodel Yasmin Le Bon still rockin' it at 48. Can I please have whatever she's having?

Happy

Soft Sell

Navy Blazer

Easy Chic

Classic

Cloud

Berndnaut Smilde - Making Clouds from The Avant/Garde Diaries on Vimeo.

Grace

Berndnaut Smilde - Making Clouds from The Avant/Garde Diaries on Vimeo.

Coffee

Desire

French Grey

Believe

Camel

Bespoke

Absolute Bespoke Campaign "Loft The Movie" Produced by Quickmedia from quickmedia on Vimeo.

Envy

Honest

Baby

Lipstick

Style

Neon

Navy + Gray

Own it

All Black Everything

Summertime

Stripes

Oh Canada

Calgary

Luxe

Only

Fathers

I've always believed that you cannot miss what you never had. But then I'll see Jim with our kids- his guidance, his tenderness an

Lucky

Beneath

Spotted

Take My Picture / Garage Magazine from Jarrah Gurrie on Vimeo.

Awesome

Yellow

Cobalt

Rouge

So Chic

Pink

Thanks Mom

If I know anything about beauty or design, it is because of my mother Yvonne. Regardless of circumstances, she always made our hom

Classic

Burgundy

If you have ever had your nails done at a vietnamese nail salon, you will LOVE the video below.

True Blue

White

Everything

Trenchcoats

Leather Up

Golden

Geometrics

Mahogany

Enjoy

Work it

Aubergine

Easter

Seriously

Ruffled

Bold Hues

Hey Girl

Another Love

The large scale portrait is by talented Calgary photographer Jason Eng (see it hanging in my most recent showhome). Loving these m

Sunset

The best is when gorgeous sneaks up on you. And in this short film by Brett Novak, it does exactly that. The music, the filming, t

Simple

Red White + Blue

So stylish, so talented, so adorable! You have to check these guys out at Sartorial Sounds, below:

Black + White

Blue + Bronze

Harlem

Pretty

Fierce

Valentine

Showhome

Boys

Girls

Comfort

Bourgeoise

Warm Modern

New Bohemia

The Givenchy 2013 Resort collection is genius. The mix of paisleys and geometrics is super-chic and inspiring me to think of bohem

Love It

These are all things I never seem to tire of: classic townhouse architecture, vintage bergeres, Venini chandeliers, a Kagan sofa,

Red Alert

I read once that Tom Ford could not sleep if he knew there was even a single red item in his closet. I feel similarly disturbed by

Sharper

Sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel, you just have to put the classics into sharper focus.

Emerald

Pantone has selected Emerald as the color of the year for 2013: "Lively. radiant. lush...a color of elegance and beauty that enhan

Navy Luxe

Hot Pink

New Year’s Eve

Happy New Years! May 2013 bring you everything your heart desires. Anything is possible as the video below shows.

Time Out

I love the days between Christmas and New Years, they're like free time when nothing is really expected of you. I stay in my pyjam

White Christmas

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Thank you to everyone who has sent me such lovely and encouraging notes this past year, the

Peace On earth

Magnolia Leaves

"There's only one really good life, and that's the life that you know you want, and you make it yourself"

Warm + Fuzzy

It's nearly Christmas and I am shamelessly using pictures of babies, small animals and carbs to tug at your heartstrings. If that

Merriment

Midnight

Colour Therapy

Words

Cy Twombly

I had a dream that one day I would live with a Twombly and every time I looked at it, it would remind me that what was most person

Polished

Vulnerable

Below is one of my favourite TED Talks, about the necessity of vulnerability. For anyone who knows me, to say that I have a proble

America

Stone Cold

Hallow’s Eve

Fur Real

Defined

The Color Purple

Going Green

Braque

Basquiat

Dark Beauty

It seems that black is the new black this season. Remember when Obama was the new black? A little nostalgia below from 2008, that

Caramel Latte

Ahh, the comforts of fall: a hot coffee, a cozy sweater, a puppy's belly and some Angus and Julia Stone, below.

Autumn Blues

Cafe Society

Burgundy + Blue

Camel + Gold

Boho Preppy

Anthropologie

Lofty Ambitions

I am obsessed with white painted brick lately. It looks so cool and loft-like. We are re-doing our basement which used to be a pla

Back to School

Navy + Pink

Fifty Shades

Turks & Caicos

When you land in the Turks & Caicos they say, "Welcome to paradise", and they are not kidding. With the clearest, bluest water and

Dog Days

Beautiful Beige

The Champ

Black + Gold

Chambray

Stripes

Wild Thing

If you thought you were safe from annoying pet pictures on this website, well you'd be wrong. This is Winnie, our french bulldog p

Surf’s Up

Je ne Sais Quoi

Oh french girls, perenially chic. At once classic and of-the-moment, sexy yet laid-back. Loving the fall collection of their curre

Seeing Red

Sports Fan

Blue Chip

Teen Spirit

Playground Love from Air aircheology on Vimeo.

Summer Whites

Cowboys

Sunny Yellow

Black + Beige

Girl Power

Catherine Kwong's fashion blogger's room at the 2012 San Francisco Decorators Showcase reminds us why it's so good to be a girl. I

Blue Grey

A watery blue grey looks so darkly romantic right now. Just add some seventies' brass to complete the mood.

A Gentleman

Without tenderness, a man is uninteresting." -Marlene Dietrich

What I Love

Lounge

The room is a Stereo Lounge by Brad Ford for last year's Kips Bay Decorator Showhome. He has a knack for making spaces that are ul

The White Album

I am craving simplicity these days, it's never good to feel like your things own you. Haynes Roberts are masters at the edit. They

Sundays

"The meaning of life is to make life meaningful" - AC Grayling

Blondes

Brunettes

We all sort of overdosed on brown in the nineties, but I'm finding it rather compelling again... Below is another relic from the n

La Bicyclette

It's that time of year again when I can just throw on my six inch heels and jump on my bike with my trusty birkin bag fastened as

After You

Canadian painter Graham Gillmore's use of colour is incredible. As is the subtlety of Stephen Sills' palette and mix at the Apthor

Rothko Orange

Mark Rothko's "Orange, Red, Yellow " looks as fresh today as it did in 1961 when it was painted. It just set records selling at Ch

Modern Love

Khaki + Blue

I am so ready for it to be warm but the weather in Calgary is not cooperating. Breaking out the khakis and blues until I can pull

Coral + Beige

I am a huge fan of John Currin's work. Love the colours of his 1999's The Pink Tree. Coral has been used ad nauseum in decorating

Lilac + Gold

I never really think of myself as a girly-girl but lilac and gold look just so pretty together! I love that Mick Jagger lives in s

Classic

Colour Theory

Designer Frank Roop uses colours so brilliantly. His palettes are so sumptuous yet unconventional. I am very inspired by these fea

Collage

Blush

I love gray, beige and blush together, so soft and polite. Below: Girls Gone Mild at the Valentino Spring 2012 Couture show.

Flower Power

I've never been a fan of chintz, but these new florals look so fresh and modern especially when paired with something strong and m

Teal Please

This is not your mother's teal from the eighties, do not be afraid. This teal is bolder, cooler and more audacious. Below: the onl

Chalet Chic

Just spent the last fews days spring skiing in gorgeous Whistler, BC with my family and it has got me daydreaming about a smart li

Pyjama Time

Only the truly chic can hop out of bed, grab a fabulous clutch and hit the streets in their pyjamas. If you are mistaken for a hom

Colour Happy

Snake Bitten

Python is the new black.

Fuschia

It all started when my good friend Tamar came to our girls' lunch toting her new hot pink Celine handbag. I have been obsessed wit

Coffee & Cigarettes

Navy Blue

A Painterly Life

Imagine life as a Matisse painting. Eternally colourful, simple, joyful, soulful. Can you feel the warmth of the Provence sun on y

Tickled Pink

There is something irresistibly sweet yet soothing about a pale, pale pink right now. I love it mixed with something sleek and mod

Moss Green

I love this mossy, muddy, swampy green. It gives a traditional setting a great, gutsy british vibe. Below, another british classic

Modern Luxury

In the age of Real Housewives and Kardashians, perhaps we need to rethink our ideas about luxury. Give me less, but give me qualit

A Paler Neo-Classic

These rooms by Sills Huniford and Haynes Roberts are beautiful distillations of neo-classicism. It is a rarified elegance captured

Acid Bourgeoisie

The charms of the bourgeoisie are not so discreet when amped up with saturated colours in glossy lacquers and sumptuous velvets.

My Secret Garden

My friend Tanya calls it green cocaine. Gardening is completely addictive and also expensive if you've had as many failures as I h

Pastel Perfection

Botanical Chic

Red Valentine

Technicolour

Even a colour-phobe like me cannot deny how happy this explosion of colours makes me. Feist "1,2,3,4" from Sens Pro

Black + White

Tangerine Dreams

Classic Leopard

The Men’s Club

When did men get so stylish? You'll find a lot of hip ones at the j. crew mens shop on Madison ave, where my husband spent a great

Safari Chic

Deluxe

Simplicity

Just the basics please: nice jeans, helvetica and good manners.

Ladylike

When beloved Chloe´announced yet again another new designer, I didn't have much faith. But these looks from Clare Waight Keller's

Mint + Bronze

Mint has been on my radar for a while but it wasn't until I saw the way Nicolas Ghesquiere used it with bronze in his Spring 2012

Butchery

Taupe

It's 2012, and we are all suppose to embrace colour but I'd like to start the new year by singing the praises of taupe. It has bee

New Year

Below is a lovely little film by Samuel Benchetrit. A kid's introduction to love, poetry, passion and Yves St. Laurent. Happy New

Happy Holidays

I wish you a splendid holiday season a la Baudelaire: "La, tout n' est qu'ordre et beaute´, Luxe, calme et volupte´." For true

Winter Wonderland

I Love Paris

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Geek Chic

Miuccia Prada is a genius. I happened upon these old ads from the 2005 Prada collection shot by Steven Meisel and found them so in

Rumpus Room

I LOVE this James Pearse ping pong table! I want to redo my whole basement around it now that my kids are old enough to be rid of

Hello Yellow

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Sexy Back

My Royal Tenenbaum

We recently spruced up my seven year old son's room. He said."Mom, I'm thinking The Royal Tenenbaums meets Where the Wild Things A

Envy

I Am Love

I hate red when used in small doses. It must be used with conviction and commitment. It is not for the fainthearted, it is an all

Neo Nineties

Is it too soon to feel nostalgia for the Nineties? They seem so innocent and pure now, like all the world's problems could be solv

My Conservatory

Hurray, I get to work on a project for myself! We are putting our garage underground and building a traditional Conservatory or Or

Autumn

Fall is without a doubt my favourite season. I love all the rich harvest colours, well worn materials like copper and leather, and

New School Preppy

Goodbye Summer

"Video Games" below by Lana Del Rey perfectly embodies end of summer malaise. Her voice is from another era. Can't wait to hear he

Gold Rush

Orange Crush

Is there anything happier and more chic than high gloss orange lacquer? Steven Gambrel uses it brilliantly on this bar and on the

Decadence

I'd love to do a room in pieces from the two most decadent eras of all time: the 18th Century and the 1970's. I'd just sit on my E

New Minimalism

I love minimalism when it has some soul and humour. This video below by Sam Taylor-Wood makes me happy.

Gray + Camel

Forget what I said on my last post, nothing makes me swoon like gray and camel. So luxurious, so chic! Check out those mid-century

Colour

Maybe it's because spring is in the air, but everything pink, turquoise and tangerine is catching my eye, and I am a devoted fan o

Mission Showhome

This is a showhome I just completed for Mission Homes in Stonepine, just outside of Calgary. The house has a relaxed european feel

Valentine

All you need is love: I am loving blush and nude colours combined with red, like in this magnificent Cy Twombly painting and in t

Seventies Chic

The 70's are looking so good again. Skip the loud prints and colours from that era and what you have left is a sexy laid back cool

New Year 2011

I am loving this January: The charm of Karen Knorr's Fables, Amie Weitzman's colorful interiors, a sartorialist's fur booties, th

September

Things I love this September: Marion Cotillard on the cover of French Vogue, fabulous Christopher Farr rug, Herzog and de Meuron

August

Things I love this August: The melancholy of structures like this overpass by Josef Shulz, this minimalist architecture and this

July

Things I love this July: Is this not the most beautiful carpark ever?! Also loving John Currin's Cripple from 1997 and the genius

June

May

April

Things I love this April: Jane Birkin style by french Vogue, The Red Balloon, Richard Serra sculpture, March cover of French Vog

March

Things I love this March: A formal garden by Paul Bangay, a painting by Elizabeth Peyton, Warapuru Resort in Bahia, Brazil by An