« December 2008 | Main | February 2009 »
Just thought of two more reasons to visit the Interior Design Show next week. One is a Luxehome exhibit that will feature haute couture home fashions. That means objets and furnishing of rare beauty (and largish price tages, no doubt) from local retrailers such as Hollace Cluny (see pic above) and fashion heavyweights such as Missoni (see pic below). Even if you can't afford high-end, go and look anyway - exposure to beautiful things is good for you - especially in Toronto in February.
Here's a clever new product that will help you stay organized and add a touch of polish to your decor. Magnique leather and suede magnetic boards can be customized by style, colour and finish to fit any space. The company also sells cool accessories, such as Italian glass magnets, and mesh storage baskets. They come with stand-up picture frame backs or flat backs that can be hung on the wall.
I think this item would be perfect for the slightly awkward (and always messy) corner of my kitchen that holds the phone, along with the bits and bobs of various members of this busy household. Come to think of it, I might add one to my son's workspace to help keep him organized (O happy day!). And I could do with one in the laundry room, where I like to keep washing instructions for special items. Then there's the office, which definitely needs some new organizational tools. Hhhm - wonder if there's a bulk price?
Yesterday, I was
ignoring a deadline networking by phone with the public relations rep for appliance maker Breville, who asked me if I had seen the series of how-to demos the company is streaming on Breville TV. I hadn't, so I decided to continue to ignore my deadline follow this important news lead.
I'm so glad I did. This is a very cool site. It has product demos that would be very useful to watch to compare features before you buy an appliance. Two good-looking Aussies (Breville is based down under) demo the products, and walk viewers through recipes. Best of all, though, IMO, are the demos for making the perfect espresso and creating designs on your latte. You can bookmark your favourite videos for later viewing or review. Having watched the videos on how to make a five-heart design on a latte, I now want to perfect my technique before February 14. So I'm going to start practising. As soon as I've met that deadline, of course....
Yikes - I just remembered that if it's January, it must be time for the semi-annual white sale at my favourite linen store, Au Lit Fine Linens. This pretty shop has huge range of beautiful bedding, covers and throws that can tempt me any time of year. But if you want to grab a little luxe for less, now's a great time to visit. Linen is one of the few home items that I will spend a little more on. After all, it's right next to my skin, and I find that better quality linens feel nicer and last longer. So, for me, good linen is an affordable indulgence.
Another reason to pop into Au Lit? Maybe we can get someone to give us a hint about what owner Joanne Goodman, who also opened fashion and decor store LIV earlier this year, means when she says on her blog that an exciting project has been taking up most of her time and energy - a project she's keeping under wraps until Ground Hog Day. Not sure what that means, but I will venture that if Ms. Goodman's involved, it's bound to be beautful!
In addition to retro clothing, there will be eveything from Parisian armoires to up-market country pine to east coast folk art to china (my personal fave!).The show runs January 25 through February 1. Call 416-621-1070 for more information. Vintage house and homewares are very hot these days, or so my design-savvy friends tell me. So is highly personalised decor, and rooms that mix modern classics with family heirlooms or funky flea-market finds. (With fours kids to get through college, I've always embraced hand-me-down family furniuture, shopped at thrift stores and am not above picking up others' cast-offs from the sidewalk. Does that mean I'm actually ahead of this particular design curve? I guess there's a first for everything.) If you're a bit short in the family heirloom department, you might find something that will help you cheat the look at the 15th Annual Winter Antique Sale at Sherway Gardens (Hwy 427 and the QEW).
A sweet little decor store in Orangeville, Ont. has picked up the Canadian Gift and Tableware Association's Retailer of the Year award. The original Acheson’s was opened by Dianne Acheson more than 20 years ago as a 300-square-foot section in her family’s pharmacy in Harriston. Tired, perhaps, of big-box blandness, local folks flocked to the store, which also became a favoured stop for cottage-bound weekend visitors.
In 2006, the 5,000-square-foot, award-winning Orangeville store was opened. It sells giftware, one-of-a-kind jewellery and home decor. I especially like the animal motifs - the lamp in the background that has a horse for a base, the needlework cushion with a bear motif, and the print with a dog decked out in full military regalia.
A few years ago, I did a story about the future of kitchen design that featured an exquisite kitchen by Toronto-based designers Powell & Bonnell, (see pics right and below). At the time, I was working on my own kitchen reno (well, actually, I still am) and while the look was too luxe for my place, which I affectionately refer to as The Hodge Podge Lodge, the design was inspiring. David Powell and Fenwick Bonell (isn't that the best name ever?) created a beautifully clean-lined space with separate islands for cooking, clean-up and eating. The kitchen and living areas were bridged by a long glass counter top. I especially loved the custom-designed overhead lighting and the full-length steel library ladder that provided access to extra storage on the upper reaches. So I'm really looking forward to what the duo will create for the Crystal Clear exhibit at the upcoming Interior Design Show. They're one of six Canadian firms who will construct prototypes and installations and inspired by and featuring Swarovski crystal. Expect the results of the collective talent here to shine.
If I had a million dollars, I'd start going out and buying art. But even without the big bucks to spend, I still might find something that fits my (tiny) budget at the Artist Project Toronto, a four-day exhibition and sale of contemporary fine art that will be held March 5 - 8. Close to 150 artists, mostly Canadian, will showcase their work, which is selected by a jury that includes arts journalist Betty Ann Jordan, artist and instructor Christian Bernard Singer, and Melony Ward, publisher of Canadian Art. Prices start at about $500. Works by emerging artists will also be shown. New this year will be a video art component, and a Chocolate Competition in which artists create a piece based on their interpretation of chocolate (I think I could take that category, as my husband John says my homemade chocolate chip ice cream is a "work of art" and "pure genius"). If I don't see anything sufficiently yummy from that event, I'd be happy to gobble up the piece shown at left by artist Marcelo Suaznabar called El Ciclista.
Minutes after I posted an entry on decor and paint trends, I got some amazing shots from Pittsburgh Paints. So naturally, I have to share those as well - it's only fair! One of the trends I latched onto Pittsburgh is calling Avatar — it includes matte shades of green and yellow. I love how fresh and joyful these colours look paired with black and white (see the pic above). I also love PP's new Hacienda colour palette. For this palette, Pittsburgh collaborated with Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr, who just released a new book called Hacienda Style (Gibbs-Smith, US$39.95 Hardcover, May). The shot of the red room below comes from the new line. I added it partly because I recently had an epiphany about red. I was walking out of a decor store in Paris (Yes, I am a glamorous gadabout, am I not? It's Paris, France one day and Joe's Dollarama in Mississauga the next) with stylist and man-about-town Arren Williams,when I announced "I hate red". Not even sure why I said it. But from that moment on, I've been rediscovering red. Bought a dark red chair from Barrymore, a new red (really RED) lipstick from YSL, and a red patterned scarf. I'm sorry, red, I don't know what came over me. I don't hate you - I adore you. I really, really do. It's brown I despise.
Couldn't make it down to Las Vegas to see all the latest gadgets and gizmos at the Consumer Electronic Show? Well, neither could I, so I can't give you the low-down on the whole show. But I can tell you that LG Electronics, one of my favourite consumer brands (they do an amazing fridge for the Asian market decorated with designs etched in the metals and Swaroski crystals - see the pic at left), has posted a youtube video showing some of its newest eco-friendly products that were on display at the event. Definitely worth a look. If you have a lot of time on your hands, LG even has its own youtube channel.
Recent Comments