A Few Of My Favorite Things: perfectbound, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Hello everyone! It’s Julie & Kathryn of perfectbound here. We are so excited to be a part of Holly’s guest series “A Few of my Favorite Things” while she is busy relocating. If you’re not familiar with us, we are two designers, best friends, and roommates from Winnipeg, Canada. We love making each day a little more special by highlighting ordinary objects that might otherwise be overlooked. Today we’ll be sharing a few of our favourite things along with the spaces we enjoy the most in our apartment. Almost a year ago we moved into a three floor walk up that was built in 1910. Being as we’re both recent graduates we do not have a lot of money to spend on decor, which has inspired us to rediscover what we already have.

One of the fun things about the apartment is the sunroom. It gives us lots of natural light with windows on two sides of the room. It’s a great place to get a bit of fresh air while looking through our favorite magazines.

We are lucky enough to have a fireplace in our living room but are still deciding on how to bring it to life. In the meantime we like to use the mantle to showcase some of our favourite objects. It’s always changing as we find new inspirations.

One of our best vintage finds was our mid-century dining table. Right now it doubles as our work space.

Like most of you, we have a wall of inspiration. Since we just started putting pieces up, we continue to add to it. Who knows, one day it might even cover the entire wall!

As we decide how to refine our spaces, our prints live in a small gallery against the wall. Being full of bright colours, these are our current favourites for the season.

We have become avid collectors and it all started with our tea cups and saucers. We love how they are little works of art on their own or together as a larger installation. They also incorporate two of our favourite things, colour and pattern.

We are inspired by many different mediums. From the album art of bands like Death Cab For Cutie and The Arcade Fire to the stunning visuals of movies such as The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation. Being designers, we are also influenced by the traditional practices of art and design. The charm of Margaret Kilgallen’s hand painted typography and the disciplined work of Massimo Vignelli are perfect examples of this.

When objects and design alone fall short, we find that wise words help to reignite the creative fires. So as we each try to create the life we want, something we always keep in mind is this quote by Confucius that states if we “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

(images by Julie & Kathryn of perfectbound)

Tags: favorite things

33 Responses to “perfectbound: Favorite Things”

1 martha commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 7:30 am

thank you for sharing the photos of your apartment -it’s really beautiful.
I love all of your artwork and the way you have arranged it.
who/where are the two prints on the mantle from?
2 heather smith jones commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 7:31 am

J & K it is so exciting to see you here today! Your apartment is amazing, even more stunning that I’ve imagined. I like hearing and seeing your inspirations as well. You ladies are always a source of inspiration to me, thank you for sharing!
heather smith jones´s last blog ..more at Cup & Saucer
3 Kiddlebug commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 7:38 am

Nice to see representation from the Peg! What beautiful spaces you have.
Kiddlebug´s last blog ..Indie Biz Online Workshop
4 Hazel commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 8:54 am

Hello Canada!!

I love this post. It ties in perfectly with what I wrote today about “Things from your life.”

Showcasing your favourite objects is the best way to decorate instead of plunking down 5 grand at Leons or the Brick for a matching bedroom sense.

Keep up the good work.

Hazel in Toronto
Hazel´s last blog ..Things From Your Life
5 Arzu commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 9:19 am

Love the natural light in the first picture. What an inviting place for a cup of tea and catching up on your reading. Would love to find out where I can get the eyes artwork on the wall. Thanks!
6 Melissa de la Fuente commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 9:53 am

I love these gals! And your space is so perfect! I adore your sunporch and the gorgeous reading area. So fun to see all of the artwork the two of you love in your home…..I want to see more! :) I love that “I just had to tell you” print and your wonderful tea cup and saucer collection! Thanks for sharing it all with us ladies!
xo
Melis
Melissa de la Fuente´s last blog ..Cheap & Chic: inspired by a photo on flickr
7 Frugal Bon Vivant commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 10:22 am

lovely! How do you display your teacup/saucer collection? (It looks like the photo is just a shot of them on the floor?)
Frugal Bon Vivant´s last blog ..20% Off Coupon Code @ Urban Outfitters
8 Sam commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 10:32 am

love your reading nook; such a great space
Sam´s last blog ..Link:lore (Byrd & Belle)
9 montague commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 10:33 am

such a lovely space — with such beautiful and charming items!
montague´s last blog ..i ? new york – i still ? coney island
10 Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 10:35 am

The pops of color really give your home a fun style. I love that blue chair against the white wall :).
Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog´s last blog ..A Thrifty Little Tip to Use Now
11 Amy@AQ-V commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 10:50 am

Holly, we are really loving this series… what a grand idea and such a treat to see so many lovely “favorite” things and spaces.

Julie and Kathryn, your space is fantastic! Digging that chair and your “gallery” plus other collections. Very cheery all of it. Thanks so much for sharing!
Amy@AQ-V´s last blog ... . Delicate Heartbreak.
12 greybreaks commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 12:41 pm

beautiful home, thanks for sharing. love the reading chair!
13 Sara commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 2:15 pm

Lovely! How do you adhere your inspiration wall items – just tape? I like that there are no visible thumbtacks and I’d like to achieve the same!
Sara´s last blog ..broadside
14 Jessica Zee commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 2:35 pm

I love your saucers! These posts are so much fun–it’s great to see everyone’s favorite things.
Jessica Zee´s last blog ..Glam Office Custom Mood Board
15 Lindsey commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 3:24 pm

Beautiful! I love all the happy colors! I wish I could overcome my fear of color … or actually my fear of getting it wrong. :)
Lindsey´s last blog ..blip
16 kristen b commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 3:29 pm

I, too, have been loving this series. What a treat! It’s been fun seeing favorites from so many behind the blogs I read regularly–and I’m especially excited about learning about Perfectbound. I also like the inspiration and advice at the end each guest post.

Martha-I recognize the Deerhunter print on the mantle—it’s from The Small Stakes and artist Jason Munn. I’m a big fan of his work.

I’m also curious about the colorful print above the chair in the first photo.
17 myan commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 3:42 pm

what a super cute apartment! i love the vintage cameras on display!
myan´s last blog ..NEW-memories of california-beach photograph-signed 5×7 print
18 Julie & Kathryn commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 4:18 pm

Thanks for all the sweet comments everyone! We really enjoyed sharing our space with you all. Just popped in to answer your questions.

The smaller print in the black frame on the mantle is by friend and classmate Jeanette Johns. The larger poster in the white frame is by The Small Stakes.

The poster in the first image is by the lovely Sandra Juto.

As for our cups and saucers, they’re usually in vignettes around the apartment. We try to use them all so they’re always moving around!

Prints on the inspiration wall are mounted with tape right now. Some photo-safe acid free kind should suffice until we can find appropriate permanent solutions. The right frame is yet to be found!
19 anh commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 5:19 pm

glad to have stumbled upon your blog! i love the pictures and all the things you have! great blog!
anh´s last blog ..DIY: Harness Necklace
20 The Shutter commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 5:51 pm

Great apartment.
PS – I’m a big fan of the Peg.
The Shutter´s last blog ..Stay Cool
21 Wedding Chicks commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 6:31 pm

fantastic blue chair!! love it!
22 valerie.n commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 7:02 pm

Oh! that reading chair and pillow combo with the silver lamp just made my day. nothing could be better.
23 alli michelle commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 10:42 pm

Great post, Julie & Kathryn! You have such beautiful light filled rooms. So inspiring!
alli michelle´s last blog ..cart tray
24 Sarah B commented:
August 25th, 2009 at 10:58 pm

What lovely decorating! Beautiful prints and the saucers are gorgeous!
Sarah B´s last blog ..The Birthday Girl
25 suzanne commented:
August 26th, 2009 at 12:09 am

wow, what a GORGEOUS apartment! and in winnipeg too – woot! (it’s my hometown :)

i have to agree that the Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation are SO incredibly inspiring to watch! (and another from sofia coppola – marie antoinette – is full of eye-candy for me too :)
suzanne´s last blog ..sunday nights will soon get even better
26 Passementerie commented:
August 26th, 2009 at 1:55 am

What a wonderful apartment you have and you have photographed it beautifully. I love the sharp colours and the cleanness of it.
Passementerie´s last blog ..Natural History
27 viv commented:
August 26th, 2009 at 6:26 am

Love the post and I must say, same musical taste here!
viv´s last blog ..Big Owlie in pink and blue / plush owl
28 Janick - Nea commented:
August 26th, 2009 at 10:11 am

I love Perfectbound blog! The ladies are wonderful and their pictures are always inspiring! :D
29 alex*strawberry lemonade commented:
August 26th, 2009 at 10:14 am

Julie & Kathryn: Such gorgeous pics, what a cool space you have! Margaret Kilgallen is one of my tippy top faves too.

Holly: this series is so cool. you picked amazing people to share with us!
alex*strawberry lemonade´s last blog ..Gettin’ Twiggy Wit It.
30 *gemmifer* commented:
August 26th, 2009 at 8:13 pm

Ladies, what a great peek into your wonderful home! It’s obvious that your sharply-tuned eyes can give a great design to anything, be it an apartment, or a blog, or a photograph. Gorgeous!
*gemmifer*´s last blog ..Stormy skies.
31 lisa s commented:
August 28th, 2009 at 2:49 pm

what a treat to see J+K’s home……

lovely to see you here girls!!
lisa s´s last blog ..lunch is better with flowers
32 chloe/seripop commented:
September 1st, 2009 at 11:30 am

exciting to see our posters in such a lovely home.
chloe/seripop´s last blog ..Yoko Ono’s Blanket
33 Penny Patten commented:
September 1st, 2009 at 1:29 pm

Ordinary objects are truely the things that we love the most. I like your grouping of plates, your apt. is lovely.
Penny Patten´s last blog ..That’s What She Said…

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