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mother's day gifts for the interior design lover

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for the Interior Design Lover

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What do you get your Mom for Mother’s Day? It’s always a tough question.

What do you get for the woman who taught you everything you know, who raised you, who sacrificed for you, who cared for you over the years? It’s not easy, is it?

Well, if your mother is anything like us, and an interior design lover, we may be able to help you find the perfect gift. Or, if you have another interior design lover in your live, we have plenty of ideas for you for their next birthday.

6 Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for the Mom Who is an Interior Design Lover

1. Decorative pillows

You can honestly never have too many pillows. You can keep some in storage, and switch them out season by season to keep your home looking fresh and on-trend.

throw pillows // photo: pinterest.com

throw pillows // photo: pinterest.com

2. Fragrant candles

Every room’s decor seems heightened when you walk into a soft ambiance and a delicious aroma. And with so many local products to choose from these days, you really can’t go wrong. How about this one from Woodlot?

❄️❤️🕯 📸: @tinyfeast #ourwoodlot #coconutwaxcandle

A post shared by Woodlot (@woodlot) on

3. Greenery

A room comes to life with a little bit of greenery. Interesting plants can be a unique and thoughtful gift for Mother’s Day. On top of that, your Mom will most likely think of you every time she waters it!

Okay, this is a bit out of control. // photo: pinterest.com

4. Glass vase or bowl

If you’re like me, you like to mix up your table decor in your living room and dining room every once in a while when things start to feel stale. A stunning thick glass bowl, or unique vase can add a little bit of sparkle or luxury to your decor. And a statement piece that your Mom will use time and again is a great gift.

mother's day gift - glass bowl

glass-vase

5. Throw blankets

One way to cozy up a room is to add texture, and throw blankets will do just that!

mother's day gifts for the interior design lover

throw blanket // photo: pinterest.com

6. Art!

There are so many different types of art you can buy. Today, there are more ways to purchase art that are actually affordable, too! You can buy prints from sites like Etsy or Society 6, or purchase original art from sites like Zatista or Lumas.

mother's day gifts for the interior design lover - art

ISABELLE MENIN – I’ll be your summer 01 // photo: ca.lumas.com

Simple bold accessories will add a powerful ‘wow’ factor and a statement to your home. People don’t realize it but the pieces you select for your home say a lot about who you are. And if you think you know who your mother is, you can’t go wrong with one of these gifts.

North Vancouver Family Room Before and After

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Charlene, Owner and Design Consultant at Jabot Interiors, recently worked on a family room renovation project, similar to this North Vancouver living room renovation in our previous post.

Not only did we help complete this renovation from the bare bones, but we also did the full interior design and helped pick out the furniture to complete the space. Check out these before and after photos to see what we did!

Family Room Before

North Vancouver Family Room - Before

family-room-before

Family Room After

North Vancouver Family Room - After

North Vancouver family-room-after

Here are the vendors we used to complete the renovation. Keep in mind that we have great relationships with our vendors, and will always try to get you the best deal for you.

Look no further for your next renovation–we can make your vision become reality!

Ricci Lee Ingram Charlene ingram Jabot Interiors West Vancouver

This West Vancouver Window Coverings Company is run by a Mother and Daughter

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Jabot Interiors is a family business.

Inspired by her grandparents’ home and decorating style, the owner of Jabot Interiors, Charlene Ingram, appreciated design even from a young age. After attending design school and spending a few years at companies that specialized in window coverings, she had the confidence to go out on her own and open up Jabot Interiors in West Vancouver.

Jabot Interiors West Vancouver

Charlene opened Jabot over twenty five years ago, on April Fool’s Day in 1990. It’s definitely no joke; her shop is even still located in the same place as when she first opened. She’s watched the neighbourhood grow and change, and seen businesses come and go. Their boutique showroom is located in Dundarave Village, an area that has become a place where people come to gather and socialize.

Charlene started out offering just custom window coverings, which is the main part of her business, but naturally progressed into offering interior design and custom furniture as well. When asked about her favourite part of owning her own business, Charlene claims it is “the freedom of making choices and decisions of your own.”

Ricci-Lee Ingram & Charlene Ingram

In 1999, Charlene hired on her daughter, Ricci Lee, as her Assistant. She later became her Office Manager–and finally, a Design Consultant.

Ricci grew up around interior design, and spent many hours with her Mom at her shop in West Vancouver, helping her with ideas and playing in the showroom. She was still in school when her Mom offered her a job, and she thought she would try it out. Ricci claims she learned everything she knows from her Mom, “but the biggest thing is her positive attitude and great work ethic, I would like to think that a little of that rubbed off on me,” she says.

Working with family can be tough at times, but both Charlene and Ricci Lee thrive on it. They love that they can always be honest with each other, and no feelings are hurt. The only downfall? Too much shop talk interferes with their mother/daughter downtime. Understandable when you are running your own business!

If you’re interested in getting to know a little bit more about this mother daughter design team, or want to discuss custom window coverings, custom furnishings, or learn more about their work, just fill out the form on the Contact page. Either Charlene or Ricci Lee will get back to you as soon as possible.

Jabot Interiors custom furniture West Vancouver

4 Reasons to Buy Custom Furniture

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You might think that custom furniture will cost you an arm and a leg, but that’s not always the case. A custom piece can transform a room into a piece of art, and create dinner conversation for years to come. Here are just a few reasons why you might want to think about shopping for custom furniture over store-bought.

1. The look and feel

When you think about your home and how you have designed and decorated it, do you really want the same table or lounge chair that everyone else has in their home? Or do you want something that you have put a lot of thought into, that flawlessly matches your space? Custom furniture means you know you’re getting excellent craftmanship and quality materials in your pieces.

Jabot Interiors Vancouver Custom Furniture driftwood table

2. It fits like a glove

Ordering a custom piece of furniture of your home means you can make it fit perfectly into your space like no other piece of furniture can. Have a small nook that would look great with a bookshelf, but can’t find the right piece? Not only do you get custom height, width, and depth with a bespoke piece, but you can also opt for a unique shape, or perhaps a chair with just the right amount of firmness for your back.

3. It doesn’t have to cost more

Many expensive retailers mark up their cost so that they can make money! Buying local means you can most likely save on shipping costs, and possibly even on the total cost of your piece. Furniture in general is not a cheap purchase, so why not spend your money well, on something that will last longer?

Jabot Window Coverings and Interiors Vancouver custom furniture

4. Your furniture will be unique and tell a story

Your furniture is yours and yours alone, and it says something about you. Whether it’s a custom combination of materials and fabric that can not be found anywhere else, or a unique design that no one has ever seen before, your furniture will be an extension of you, and often a conversation piece. If you want to be kinder to the environment, you can opt for reclaimed wood or other recycled materials. Or if you’re sentimental, you could even remake a piece of furniture using material taken from something else–like a dining table out of an old door, for example.

Looking for a unique piece to add to your home? Contact Jabot Interiors in West Vancouver. We’ll help your furniture dreams become reality.

Contact Jabot

Tiles, Tiles, Tiles… That Will Make You Smile

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Building a home? Doing a bathroom renovation?

We have some great classic tile options, combined with great pricing.

We have several vendor connections, so let us do your tile selecting and purchasing for you–saving you time and money with our buying power!

Tiles for Miles

Check out some of the selection:

tiles-2 tiles-4 tiles-5 tiles
tiles-6 tiles-7 tiles-8

Get in Touch

Be sure to give us a ring when you’re ready to talk tiles! 604.922.4668

A Lipstick Reno in Downtown Vancouver

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It’s called a “lipstick reno” because there were no structural changes, only cosmetic.

This project was for a client who wanted to spruce up her bachelor suite for a rental property. She wanted to make some affordable changes, but that would look high quality.

Kitchen: Before

kitchen-before-2 kitchen-before

Kitchen: After

kitchen-after-2 kitchen-after

As you may know, rental units can get some wear and tear. Durability was very important to this client, so we did vinyl wood flooring. The cabinetry you see in the photos was all from IKEA. The most expensive purchase were the shutters on the windows and the custom shutter closet doors.

Main Room: Before

room-after room-before-2

Main Room: After with Custom Shutter Closet Doors & Murphy Bed

room-before room-after-2

The client did, however, want to add a little charm to the small space–again with something that was durable. We added a Murphy bed to the suite so that all the renter would have to add is a mattress. We think that it would also help the potential renter visualize a larger space for them to live in.

Outside Deck: Before

deck-before deck-before-2

Outside Deck: After

deck-after-2 deck-after

The best thing about the whole suite was a beautiful 600 square-foot deck. We cleaned it up and modernized it, making it a simple, clean space so that potential renters could imagine enjoying some outdoor fun here in the summer. A great deck like this is hard to come by in downtown Vancouver, and it really creates a unique living space.

Bathroom Before & After

bathroom-before bathroom-after

This fun little project took less than 60 days to complete–can you believe it?

If you’re in the market for a quick and easy, but beautiful renovation project, get in touch! If you’d like to see more of our work, have a look here.

5 Reasons to get to know a Professional Design Consultant

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Maybe you don’t think you need a professional Design Consultant to help you design and decorate your home. Maybe you think it will be too costly.

At Jabot, we know that sometimes a customer’s inexperience and making the wrong decisions on design can be very costly to update or re-do. A professional design consultant can ensure you make the right decisions for your home and your budget.

Here are a few reasons why hiring a professional design consultant (particularly one from Jabot Interiors!) is an excellent idea:

 

  1. YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START

    It can be overwhelming and paralyzing so much that you do nothing for a long time. No one wants to make a mistake, especially a costly one.
    Your Jabot Design Consultant will take all your needs and requirements into consideration.

  2. YOU ARE AFRAID YOU’LL BUY THE WRONG THING

    “There is nothing worse when a sofa is too small or big for a room, you played way too safe with your fabric choices, or put the wrong window coverings on your windows,” says design consultant Charlene Ingram. “Our job is to narrow it down and simplify things by asking the right questions so that does not happen.”

  3. YOU DON’T KNOW A GOOD CARPENTER

    A designer’s rolodex is a trove of resources — upholsterers, curtain makers, furniture makers, and painters, to name a few.
    (Bonus: If a design consultant from Jabot orders the work, they stand behind it.)

  4. YOU CAN’T CHOOSE FROM THOUSANDS OF PAINT CHIP COLOURS

    For example, there are over 1,000 shades of off-whites alone. At Jabot, we will help you pick out the perfect colour for your walls, ceilings, and trim.

  5. YOU LOVE DOING YOUR OWN DECORATING

    Fine — just start with a consultation. In a visit or two, we can help you choose paint colours, fabrics, and furniture arrangements, then leave you with a detailed plan of action.

If you are ready to begin decorating your home, please get in touch, and we will help you start planning and making beautiful and budget-friendly design choices.

Get to know Jabot: 5 Questions with Ricci-Lee Ingram

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As part of our “Get to know Jabot” series, we are speaking with the ladies behind Jabot Interiors to learn a little bit more about them, and how they got to where they are now. A few weeks ago, we sat down with Charlene Ingram, owner of Jabot Interiors, and asked her a few questions about why she got into this business–this week, we we’re chatting with her daughter and Design Consultant, Ricci-Lee Ingram.

ricci-lee-ingram-2

Q: How did you get into design?

I grew up with it. My mom managed a window covering business when I was young and I spent many nights with her in the office labeling boxes, “helping” her put ideas together and playing in the showroom.

Q: Did you always know you would work with your Mom? Why did you go into business with her?

I didn’t have a plan to work with her; I had spent a year in college and wasn’t enjoying it so when my mom asked if I wanted to be her assistant, I decided to give it a try.

Q: What have you learned working with your Mom?

Everything I know I learned from her, but the biggest thing is her positive attitude and great work ethic, I would like to think that a little of that rubbed off on me.

Q: What are your favourite and least favourite parts about working with family?

I like that we can be really honest with each other without worrying about hurt feelings, and having that great support system in place. I would say my least favourite is how it limits the quality of our “down time” together; the business portion always seems to invade our personal time.

Q: How are you inspired in your work?

I get inspired by a challenge, throw a difficult window or a tight budget at me and let me run with it.

Thank you Ricci! It seems like these ladies have a wonderful personal, and working, relationship with one another!

Renovations: Doing a lot with a little

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Working with what you have

Renovations don’t have to drain your bank account, that is, if you do them smart. We recently had a client who wanted to do some renovations to a few rooms in their new home, but wanted to keep it within budget. Instead of gutting the place, we took a look at what was salvageable and what we could work with. Here’s how we did it.

Bathroom Before & After

IMG_8189

Take this example. For this bathroom, we kept the vanity as-is, as well as the main shower tiles, but we cut out the detail in the shower wall and inserted a newly updated one, and we replaced the floors with Carrara tile and put in white quartz counter tops. This bathroom renovation could have cost up to $10,000, but it only cost a few thousand.

IMG_8253

Kitchen Before & After

For this kitchen, the cost ended up being a few thousand dollars, where it could have cost up to tens of thousands for re-doing the entire thing. This kitchen had some great elements to begin with, but some small updates like the modern light fixtures, a new backsplash, and new counter tops give the room a fresh new look, as if it was a brand new kitchen.

Kitchen Before & After

If you would like assistance in doing a renovation project, but making it affordable, please come talk to us. We have plenty of experience in renovations and interior design.

Get to know Jabot: 5 Questions with Charlene Ingram

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Charlene Ingram

We wanted you to really get to know the people behind the scenes at Jabot Interiors, so we did a Q & A session with Design Consultant and Owner of Jabot Interiors, Charlene Ingram.

Q: What made you get into interior design, and make the jump to opening your own business?

I always loved decorating from the time I was a young girl, I naturally just followed my passion. I worked for a large window covering chain for 3 years and ended up managing the North Vancouver location. I learned the the ins and outs of business there, but eventually, I knew I would be running something of my own. When I turned 30, I made the leap.

Q: How has your business changed over the years?

We started out with just window coverings which is the main part of our business, however, we have evolved into doing interior design as well. There are so many options of window coverings and ways that people do business, find business etc., that it’s not as simple anymore.

Q: What is the biggest thing you have learned in your 26 years of running Jabot Interiors?

That by trusting and believing in yourself you can make it happen, always!

Q: Where do you receive your inspiration?

Everywhere I look–and pictures of interiors. When I do a clients home, I do it from what I feel in the home, from them, and the space they have. I know it sounds funny to some, but when I am in the space, I intuitively get a connection to what it needs, and what I know the client will love. This is what is inspirational to me and when the client lets me run with it, it is very satisfying. I just feel sure; I don’t think, I know.

Q: What is your favourite part about owning your own business?

The freedom of making choices and decisions of your own.

Thank you for taking the time, Charlene!

Flowers: the best home decor you can buy

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Flower Power!

Flowers are a relatively inexpensive to way to breath life into a drab room.

Every now and again, you probably get sick and tired of your home decor and want to change things up. Don’t we all?

When you’re feeling uninspired, try adding fresh flowers to your kitchen, living room, dining room, or bedroom. It’s a quick fix to bring a fresh, airy feeling to your home–not to mention a pop of colour. And you don’t have to go out and spend a fortune on brand new furniture and textiles!

flower arrangement

They not only look beautiful, they add that fresh floral smell to your abode, too.

Floral arrangements add a beautiful, personal touch to your home, too. Your guests will love the energy they bring to your space.

flower arrangement

Having company? Hosting an event? Planning a romantic date night in? Splurge on some fancy flower arrangements! You won’t regret it.

Get to know Jabot

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The doors to Jabot Window Coverings & Interiors opened April Fools Day 1990. My friends and family thought I was crazy starting a business during a recession, but 25 1/2 years later, here we are, and the home decor industry is bigger than ever!

Read more →