I’ve known Trevor and Curtis for nearly six years now, and I’m going to recount for you our very first meeting. Upon the recommendation of friends, we had hired them to assist in the design of the house we were in the initial stages of building. Random people we knew had much input on our decision to work with Atmosphere, which whipped me into a bit of a frenzy even before the first meeting. “You know they are very stylish and sophisticated” and a few other similar refrains, left me slightly intimidated by the prospect.

So the day of our initial meeting which was to be held in our then home, had me racing around, hiding piles of toys and the detritus of two children. Then there was the angst over selecting the perfect outfit. Let’s just say a perfect outfit does not exist for a woman who is six months pregnant. So I was pretty much a nervous, disheveled mess, with stacks of torn magazine images, by the time Trevor and Curtis arrived. Any apprehension evaporated the moment we met, and I felt instantly at ease in their company. 

A couple minutes after we sat down, one of the two (Curtis I think), spotted some vases in the living room. “Are those Jonathan Adler? We collect him too...”, or something to that effect. At that moment I think we all realized we shared a similar aesthetic, a mutual love for many of the same designers, a passion for beautiful objects. I remember our discussions that day were so vibrant, filled with enthusiasm and the possibility of what our new home could become. It was the first time I felt excited by the project instead of overwhelmed by the vast scope of what building a house entails.

Nearly six years later, life seems to have come full circle. My family is firmly ensconced in our now not so new home. Trevor and Curtis have a new space, a beautiful new store and an expanded design firm. We remain great friends, and we are still huge fans of Jonathan Adler. It seemed fitting to visit the Jonathan Adler booth together this past summer at the New York International Gift Fair. There, we lusted over all the new items, and they selected pieces that would be featured in their new showroom.

Atmosphere is the exclusive Saskatoon dealer for Jonathan Adler’s amazing furniture line, and they also carry an extensive range of his decorative accessories in their store. I love that I now have access to one of my favourite brands in Saskatoon, particularly now that I can see the furniture in person. Or when I need a gift for a special occasion or a great piece with that certain “je ne sais quois”, Jonathan Adler offers so many diverse objects. The collection is full of distinctive statement pieces but I find they blend beautifully into all types of decor. The whites, the gold and chrome accents, and the lucite mix well in my modern interior.

I also find that his pieces are beautifully made and very luxe. A couple years ago I was on a mad search for a new dining room table. I had examined so many options and nothing was perfect. On vacation, I happened upon Jonathan Adler’s store on Madison Avenue in New York. I spotted the table that was destined to be mine, and I was shocked to find it was almost a third of the price of the tables I had been considering. The Bond Dining Table and Console now reside in my dining room.

I have a nice collection of Jonathan Adler pottery, I’m especially weak for the white bowls. But my favourite piece is the sunshine lamp in my daughter’s bedroom.

Next installment I’m going to share with you, some of our favourite pieces available at the Atmosphere Design Lounge, and maybe a little bit of Trevor and Curtis’ personal Jonathan Adler collection.

We have never been more excited for the arrival of a new fabric collection than we are for the release of the NEW Jonathan Adler for Kravet Fabrics!

"Jonathan Adler for Kravet fabrics reflect Adler's colourful approach to design with linen and velvet featuring bright colors, modernist forms, bold graphic patterns and embroidery.  Geometric, abstract and contemporary linear pattens, in a range of both vivid colors and neutrals, embody the essence of optimism, which is the core of Adler's philosophy.

Whatch the video below for Jonathan Adler's first hand account of his new collection.

Due to a scheduling conflict we weren't able to accept our award in person, but it just arrived in the mail and we couldn't be more excited!

Every year Western Living Magazine celebrates the best new design in Western Canada, as judged by Canada's foremost designers and architects.  

This fall we were proud and honoured to be selected as ONES TO WATCH* in Interior Design by the esteemed panel of Judges for the Western Living Designers of The Year Awards!

*ONES TO WATCH - Emerging designers and up-and-coming innovators who have us on the edge of our seats.  - Western Living Magazine

Our crazy schedule kept us from the 5th annual Designers of the Year awards gala in Vancouver, but we enjoyed watching this Western Living video of some of the award winners at the event!  There was some amazing talent present and their awards were so well deserved!

Click Here for a Complete List of the Winners!

See More Event Photos Here!

Just a handfull of the long list of esteemed Western Living 2012 Designer of the Year Judges are:

1. Paul Lavoie - Paul Lavoie Design: The Calgary, AB based designer has been creating inspired living spaces in Western Canada for 24 years and has appeared in various issues of  Architectural Digest Magazine, including a Feb 2003 AD article featuring the amazing transformation of a 1950's bungalow into a contemporary work of art.

2. Kelly Deck - Kelly Deck Design: director of Kelly Deck Design in beach-side Kitsilano, Vancouver.  Her ideas have gained national reach - through her Globe and Mail column, `The West Coast Way`; her HGTV series, Take It Outside; and her various media appearances. 

3. Robert Ledingham - Ledingham Design Consultants: established in 1975 the firm has received local and internation recognition for creatively providing a variety of interior design solutions including Desing Canada Awards and awards from the Internation Interior Design Association(IIDA).

4. Cobi Ladner - Cobistyle: the past editor of Canadian House & Home magazine, Cobi is one of the country's leading design and decorating authorities. 

We're proud to share company with 2011 One to Watch Winner - Architect, Richard Davignon, who launched his own architectural firm in 2001 and has developed a reputation for understanding and dealing with challenging sites.  The objective of his firm is "to challenge and revitalize the face of Calgary through bold and functional architecture and design".

The "One To Watch" excerpt in Western Living Magazine including the kind words of Designer, Paul Lavoie:

Atmosphere Interior Design displays "a confidence that is truly Western" and, Atmosphere has "filled a niche in a tough market".

Today was a happy day.

As you all get ready to depart for the Thanksgiving long weekend, we thought, what better time than this to express our gratitude.  So here goes:

We are thankful for family and friends (both near and far), we're thankful for the suppliers, builders and tradespeople who help us to do what we do, and we're thankful for the trust and confidence of the people who welcome us into their homes and businesses and hire us to do what we love.  

This has been an exciting year and there are still BIG things to come.  We're grateful to more people than we can possibly list here.  So, before this turns into an emotional acceptance speech for "Album of the Year"...here are some of the little things we're thankful for...

Some of the little things we're thankful for:

1) NEST FRAGRANCES - Pumpkin Chai Classic Candle - fills your home with the most wonderful warm fragrance. (Nest Fragrances Coming Soon to Atmosphere Design Lounge!)

2) CANDY CORN - The Atmosphere Team has a particular weakness for this sweet little caramel treat!

3) JONATHAN ADLER MOHAIR THROW - This cozy throw is an absolute must for crisp fall evenings.  (Jonathan Adler Coming Soon to Atmosphere Design Lounge!)

4) PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE - A splendid, spicy fall treat...just sip and sigh.

5) FRESH FLOWERS -  Flowers makes the perfect host/hostess gift.  This little beauty was created by the talented folks at Blossoms Living in Saskatoon.

(Visit Atmosphere Design Lounge and LIKE us on Facebook!)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We are suitably delighted by the stylish, masculinity of the latest collections of fabric and wallpaper from Schumacher and Thibaut.  Patterns inspired by classic menswear and the rich fabrics we image can only be found in a luxurious mountain retreat - these new collections are instant classics.

Just when we were looking for something dashing and new...two of our favorites came through!

Enjoy!

Schumacher's newest offering - Luxe Lodge - Wallpaper & Fabrics.

"Rustic yet refined, the Luxe Lodge Collection brings a modern spirit to the rural retreat.  A perfect balance of rough-hewn sensibility and an urbane aesthetic, this collection offers a new level of sophistication and luxury to getaway environments, from mountain chalets to country estates."

Sign us up.

Thibaut's most recent collection of wallpaper - Menswear Resource.

"Tried and true classics have been gathered together for a veritably masculine collection of wallcoverings in Menswear Resource by Thibaut.  Ranging from staple elements, such as stripes and plaids, to covetable paisleys, Menswear Resource is the perfect go to for a multitude of room settings."

Three of our Favourites:

1) Sakara Wallpaper in Tangerine & Grey

2) Winslow Plaid Wallpaper in Navy

3) Patani Wallpaper in Camel & Red

NEW OFFICE  NEW CONCEPT   NEW LOOK

Big things are happening at Atmosphere Interior Design!  After months of searching, we have recently acquired the perfect space for our NEW Office and Design Lounge.  Follow our progress as we share details of our plans, progress and our search for just the right people to join our team.

Don't miss any of the juicy details!  Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates!

To our delight this afternoon, delivered by a courier in a small, inconspicuous, brown package were two beautiful fabric books from Robert Allen. (The Larry Laslo Artisan Collection for Robert Allen to be specific).  After all of the "Ooohs!" and "Ahhhs!" we were able to narrow down a few of our favorites to share with you! (And check out the whole collection online at Robert Allen).

Enjoy!

1. Larry R. Laslo - "known in the design world as an inverterate arbiter of style creating legendary interior landscapes".  from the Designer's Bio on Directionalinc.com

2. Pattern: Artigiano

3. Pattern: Canyon Beauty

4. Pattern: Velvet Maze

5. Pattern: Color Field

6. Pattern: Canyon Beauty

All of the above Robert Allen Fabrics are availalbe at Atmosphere Interior Design - by appointment.

This week Joanne and Sheri of Joanne Fabrics visited our showroom to update our fabric library and to introduce Joanne's NEWEST Fabric & Trim  Collections.

They left us with an amazing selection of new fabric books, but of all our new books our favourite, by far, is the fabulous NEW Decorative Tape Collection by Wesley Mancini.  

"Wesley Mancini is considered both and artist and an entrepreneur within the textile industry.  He is a dominant force in the field of fabric design in America." - Joanne Fabrics

Decorative Tape Collection (2012) by Wesley Mancini for Joanne Fabrics

Decorative tapes can bring a much needed graphic element to items that are crying out for a little flair.  We've selected the images above to illustrate some simple ways to use one of our favorite tape patterns, the "Greek Key".

1. Drapery Trim

2. Upholstered Ottoman Trim

3. Decorative Pillows

4. Roman Shade Trim

While Trevor & Curtis are away in the "Big Apple", off on another design adventure...I am enjoying a little bit of design adventure right here in the office.  (And no, the fabric drawer did not explode again!)

I am exploring the beautiful and exotic new wallpaper collection by Schumacher - BYZANTIUM.  The NEW collection Byzantium is made up of "decorative geometrics, graphic borders, and tribal ikats inspired by elaborately patterned mosaics discovered in the grand palaces of Marrakesh, royal chambers in Istanbul, and archways of Valencia". 

I have incuded a small sampling of the collection below but be prepared for an explosion of colour when you visit Byzantium on line!  Enjoy!

BYZANTIUM WALLCOVERINGS - SCHUMACHER

1. Queen of Spain - Black

2. Kasari Ikat - Silver

3. Morocco - Antique Gold

4. Serallo Mosaic - Mica

5. Samarra - Granite

We are an office of Olympic Junkies.  We will be glued to the TV for the next few weeks cheering for Canada and hoping for Gold (Everything, after all, looks better with gold).  We live for those moving moments when we see our athletes on the top of the podium and watch the Canadian flag waving proudly behind them as our National Anthem plays.  We all get a little choked up.  

Go Team Canada!!