Design your Ultimate Summer Playlist!

Need that perfect playlist for those beautiful sunny days on your patio?

Perhaps some relaxing tunes to watch the sunset in front of your outdoor fire pit relaxing with a glass of vino or watching the kids by the pool? Music really helps set the mood for your personal spaces. A good melody or soft beat expresses your personality and reminds you of your favourite summertime moments of past and present, so let our design team help with some of our favourite songs for summer to help you design your very own ultimate playlist!

Early mornings outside in your cushioned armchair while the day is starting to warm up calls for music with a touch of romance that just makes you smile, more so even than that cup of positivity you just poured. Grace, a lead designer here in our office, likes to spend those calm mornings listening to “XO” by Beyonce. Queen Bey’s sultry voice is a dream to wake up to and let the sun’s rays wash over your skin while all you do is grin ear to ear in your Rattan patio furniture. Justin Timberlake ranks high on her list of favourites too. Anything from the new “Not a Bad Thing” and “Take Back the Night” to classic JT like “Rock Your Body” all rank pretty high on her music playlists.

Alan, who grew up in the nineties, absolutely loves his pop and good-time tunes, anything that has an uplifting beat and lyrics that beg for a sing along. Robyn’s “Get Myself Together” and Spice Girls “Stop” or “2 Become 1” just give you those warm fuzzies. Don’t deny it, you know the lyrics. Girl Talk is a really interesting DJ that is actually a biomedical engineer who compiles hundreds of songs seamlessly into one track so eighties and nineties lovers can enjoy the best moments of their favourite songs mashed up with a hundred others! Listen to Fleetwood Mac to Madonna, N.E.R.D. to Smashing Pumpkins and everything in between with one artist. Look for “Triple Double” and “Overtime” for a huge amount of our newest stylists’ top summer song choices. Fun for backyard parties with family and friends especially to show off that new water feature or stone walkway that accents your outdoor haven!

Hailing from Ireland our resident architect, Adam, has a soft spot in his heart for U2, and a song like “Beautiful Day” is a perfect fit when the barbeque is roaring, kids are running around on the pool deck, and everyone has a glass of ice cold sweet tea! “Wonderwall” by Oasis and “Clocks” by Coldplay add great variety to the UK portion of your ultimate summer playlist with beautiful lyrics and catchy melodies. Some classics from the sixties with the more mod feel sounds of England make your summertime barbequing all the more enjoyable.

Candice is particular when it comes to her designs. She chooses only the best fixtures and highest quality fabrics for her clients. When it comes to music she’s no different, only the best for our soon-to-be mother. Enjoying music from the eighties like “Crazy on You” by Heart and “Little Lies” by Fleetwood Mac is how she pictures her long summer days. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” is another soulful pick for summer drives with the windows down and stereo loud before you get home to settle and relax in your tastefully furnished living room and sink into your Natuzzi sofa!

A modern man, like Michael, on our design team needs modern music. “The Girls” and “I Need Your Love ft. Ellie Goulding” by Calvin Harris rank high for summer workouts and jogs along the seawall, for Mike, and  on beautiful days throughout summertime Oceanside on a plush beach towel. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys belt out their love of their city in “Empire State of Mind” a summer favourite for most and when you have an evening playing bartender with classic American cocktails and Grammy award winners Arcade Fire, play “We Exist” when you need a selection to relax on those quiet nights in.

Julie our eternal optimist has a soft spot in her heart for Jack Johnson. His soft smooth voice is a must for those cool summer nights just as the sun has set and you and your best friends and family are sitting relaxing by the fire or surrounded by simple hung low-light lanterns and reminiscing about your  last camping trip or the day spent by the lake over the weekend. “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” has an intoxicating melody and begs to be sung along with eliciting laughs and instant good times at the lake house or here in the city.

Listening to local lyricists like Kuba Oms is a favourite past time of Catherine, here in the office. Oms is a local talent from Vancouver Island, performing with Nelly Furtado when she was still an unknown; he has a funk fused with electro feel with soulful lyrics and catchy melodies. Look for “My Love”, “Electrolove”, and “Never Meant to Hurt You” for a good cross section of his work. As well Catherine also loves music by Mazzy Star - “Fade into You” (best song ever!), the Weepies and Everything But the Girl. She also loves the sounds of Dallas Green the lead man for City and Colour, often performing solo endeavors, has performed great works including “Coming Home” and “Fragile Bird” with subtle lyrics and expertly plucked guitar strings to light a delicately scented candle and unwind with a book any quiet evening you have to yourself. 

Regina Spektor, another creative songwriter and musician, is a great addition to any music lovers’ collection. Story-like songs lift the spirits and engage the imagination transporting you to Spektors’ own unique world. “Fidelity” and “On the Radio” are some of her best works, but not to forget the theme to “Orange Is The New Black,” “You’ve Got Time.” So whether you’re listening to her albums on CD or catching her sound bites before your newest TV addiction on your wall mount flat screen next to that stone clad feature wall shut your eyes and let her take hold of you!

Hopefully these songs help you tailor make your very own ultimate summer playlist to get you enjoying the fantastic weather and wonderful summertime events this season has in store! Add your favourites with ours and build on for good times; we may even see you on the streets mouthing the words while in your own little world. Have fun and enjoy the summer from all of us in the office!

Here is a link to our youtube summer playlist as well! 

KCD Design your Ultimate Summer Playlist

Bring the Patio Home!

On beautiful sunny days it seems all we want to do is find the perfect patio or retire to a beach and relax, but we have work, families, and other responsibilities that take us away from our mini vacations. In the office we’ve been designing some fantastic outside havens and all we want to do is go and enjoy them ourselves! Well why not bring the patio home? With these simple cocktail recipes enjoy the best part of summer from your own patio or deck! Created by Alan, our self proclaimed foodie in our office, these fun and refreshing drinks can be enjoyed all season long.

The Mexican Mule 

4 Leaves Thai Basil
¼ Jalapeno Pepper
1 tsp. Raw Sugar
2 oz. Mount Gay Rum *white or dark
Ginger Beer

-Muddle Thai Basil, Jalapeno, and Raw Sugar in desired glass

-Add Rum and stir until sugar dissolves
-Add three large ice cubes and top with Ginger Beer
-Garnish with one additional basil leaf, serve, and enjoy!

Italian 75

1 ½ oz. Gin Mare

½ oz. Lemon Juice *fresh squeezed

¾ oz. Lavender Simple Syrup (made by simmering equal parts sugar and water, until sugar dissolves and adding dried lavender flowers and simmering until you have the desired intensity of flavor)

Prosecco 

Candied Violets

-Shake Gin Mare, Lemon Juice, and Laveder Syrup and pour into champagne flute

-Top with Prosecco and garnish with Candied Violets

-Serve, Enjoy, Repeat!

Now you have two more craft cocktails to add to your bartending arsenal! Don’t be shy to add your own personal twists either. I chose Gin Mare for its Mediterranean flavours and herbaceous qualities to pair with the floral flavours in the Italian 75, but use your favourite brand if you so choose. Play around with how much basil and pepper in the Mexican Mule for more or less heat and freshness. The beauty of mixing cocktails is you get to mix what you want and love what you mix!

Stay Calm and Shake On!

Fresh Homes for Classic Women

From my few years in the Fragrance and Cosmetics industry I developed a strong passion for the trends, past and present, in fragrance notes and the wear-ability of balanced aromas. Being that we are all knocking on summer’s door I wanted to give some of my new and fresh favourites and the undeniable classics including a few gems to place in the home to make your whole life a little more luxurious.

First is a beautiful collaboration not yet seen before. Dries Van Noten par Frederic Malle is the first marriage of perfumer and clothing designer, Bruno Jovanovic (the nose behind this beauty) translates Dries Van Noten’s world into lemon and bergamot which slides into the heart of jasmine absolute, a delicate musk accord, saffron, and patchouli to ground it in its subtleties. The base is that of romantic santal mysore and vanilla harnessing Peruvian balm, ethyle maltol, and sacrasol for ribbons of powder. This fragrance is designed to be worn by men and women alike, but has a certain sensuality when placed on a delicate female form.

Malle has also just launched five brand new “perfume guns”, 500mL bottles with large handles and spray capacity to diffuse his fine aromas throughout any space. My must-have from this line is hands down Jurassic Flower, this unique floral with fruity aspects is perfect for adding a calming mood to shared living spaces like living and dining rooms. Subtle citruses wrapped in magnolia and lavender notes float through the air adding a crisp floral feel with peach and apricot for gentle sweetness.

  

Tom Ford has been creating masterful fragrance collections under his Private Blend Collection brand since 2007 and with the launch of Atelier d’Orient I am not disappointed, specifically Rive d’Ambre. Starting with a burst of fresh squeezed lemon and bergamot balanced with a bitter orange zest it is sparkling and clean, very refreshing. Tarragon and spearmint grab you at the heart of this scent with cardamom to strengthen it with nuances and keeping it light and airy blurring the note bodies together. The base of benzoin, pear wood, cognac, tolu balsam, and amber give a soft strength with hints of oriental bliss. A fragrance designed to bring people close to enjoy the light aromas, which quickly meld on the skin, wears gently to intrigue anyone enjoying your personal scent secondhand.

Mr. Ford in his wisdom has replicated his expertly balanced collections in candle form too! A great way to have your home embody the timeless style Ford has been portraying in his clothing line for years, with just as much of his eye on the finer details. Tuscan Leather and Tobacco Vanille two of his most popular and longest running fragrances have an intoxicating hold on anyone who smells them. Calabrian citrus and fine raw leather stem from Tuscan Leather’s rustic dark brown holder with fresh and deep notes, while the fresh tobacco and soft marriage of vanilla, amber, and a dash of cinnamon lean to a sweeter reminiscence of a classic London gentlemen’s cigar club. Both can be burned separate or together if you like to customize your living areas, but in the bedroom is where I feel the scents sing. Just great for those special occasions in your most personal spaces, both throw off an air of sensuality, nuance, and a sultry nature.

Finally summer wouldn’t be complete without a vacation, perhaps one that comes in its own bottle.  Virgin Island Water by Creed (one of the oldest fragrance houses in the world) is just that! Bergamot, lime, and mandarin for undeniable freshness coupled with coconut toddy and copra, coconut meal which oil is extracted from, add smooth tropical whiffs around the top of this scent. Jasmine, hibiscus, and ylang ylang florals comprising the heart for soft wear and a splicing of ginger to keep it full of life then move into Tonkin musk, white rum, and sugar cane for off wood sweet notes giving your skin a constant sun kissed aroma all summer long without having to worry about SPFs and potential burns. A total must-have for the beach bum in all of us.

Fresh summer air is made all the more enjoyable with Nest reed diffusers. This New York based company has been adding joy to homes across the world with their collections of dynamic and simple scents. Fresh scents in fresh looks, these diffusers add a blast of lovely aroma in any room you place them. Whether you choose to be surrounded by fresh Bamboo, crisp Grapefruit or Orange Blossom, or tend to prefer a more adventurous Moss and Mint or Wasabi Pear the home scents are versatile enough from bathrooms to bedrooms, kitchens and cabins, and every place in between at a very affordable price.

 These are, of course, some of my personal favourites and dream buys so I invite you to try on these and many more to find the absolute perfect fit for you and your home!