Design without dreck

I cannot tell you how much promotional dreck crosses my desk each and every day. I promise not to launch into a rant about it, but let’s just say that I end up dumping a lot of stuff into the Junk Folder without ever reading it (are you listening, PR people who don't spell my name correctly and purveyors of you-know-what-enhancers?)

Given that, I am SO glad I hung on to the email with a link to an online video series Hello Design did for Herman Miller, the Michigan-based outfit that researches, designs, manufactures and distributes furniture, lighting and accessories for homes, offices and institutional spaces, including pieces licensed by the estates of such design giants as Eames and Nelson. They’re exceptionally good at producing pieces that are both beautiful and useful, and were championing the notion of ergonomic furniture long before that word was devalued by being used with such promiscuous abandon.

This fascinating web series of shorts, called Points of View, focuses on projects executed by five cool-kid California architects. These are stunningly lovely homes, both thoughtful and thought-provoking, which are shown - along with video interviews with the architects - as well as photos. You can also roam the rooms to look at Herman Miller products in situ.

Looking at the latter made me ask myself why I don't have have a Nelson Coconut Chair or the Eames molded plywood chair I recently sat in at Design within Reach and which I think should be renamed Platonic Chair – see post below. Then I remembered why - it’s the four kids, mortgage and freelance writer’s income! Still, where there's life, there's hope. (Besides, Cicero said that if you have a library and a garden, you have everything, by which measure I should be completely content.)

I’ve popped a few pictures of these amazing houses. They’re all breathtaking, but I could particularly see myself living happily ever after in the Marmol Radziner Desert Prefab house shown above (when you go to the site, check out the Marmol Radziner jewellry made out of remnants of industrial metal - it's superb). The pics below show homes designed by Cigolle X Coleman, LeanArc, Jennings Architecture and JFAK Architects. What did I tell you?

 

Meet Emily, my new downtown friend

So glad I dropped by Design within Reach  the other day, when I made a rare trip down to the corner of Spadina and King. Met the delightful Emily Scott, an account exec there, and we took a little spin around the showroom floor. At the time, I had my eye open for outdoor furniture and decor so two things stood out (see below) But I couldn’t help but keep wandering back to an  Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair from Herman Miller (see pic above).I think it’s the Platonic ideal of a chair. More on that and other stuff from HM soon.

I know melamine is all the rage these days, and there’s some great stuff  out there (check out JacKryn France  (at right) 
and Pottery Barn) made from the newest generation of this retro material, but I loved Stefania di Petrillo’s handcrafted Variopinte  enamel dinnerware, which I also saw at DwR. The hot hues are made by crushing natural pigments mixed with glass powder and applying it by hand to metal before firing. That means no two firings produce exactly the same result, and each plate is a little piece of original art. It’s also is non-toxic and dishwasher safe, which satisfies my housewifely side. 

Also loved the Oppiacei table, designed by Diego Grandi and Manolo Bossi for Skitsch. Made of fine porcelain, Oppiacei is shaped like a poppy seedpod from the poppy plant, (oppiacei is the Italian word for opiates). It comes in white or a metallic glaze) Not only is it beautiful, the removable tabletop can be used as a serving tray. So all you need is a few flutes and a bottle of Veuve and the evening can commence.

 

Commuter colours

If you’re a regular on the TTC, you may have noticed something unusual at the Yonge-Bloor station this month. Canadian paint brand Sico has taken over the space, decorating the walls with posters depicting colourful roomscapes, faux trim, video shorts and over-sized colour chips (see above). They also handed out colour-soaked Gerber daisies to travelers.

It’s all part of a clever relaunch of Sico’s top-of-the-line Cashmere paint, which the company says has a new, improved formula. All in all, it makes a refreshing change from the mish-mash of visual clutter that usually adorns the station.

 “We wanted to demonstrate how much colour can affect people,” says Sico’s marketing manager Dominique Pépin. “The splashes of colour will be a trigger, we think, to get people thinking about infusing their homes with colour this spring.”

That may be easier to do than it has been in previous years in which pale neutrals dominated décor. The fashion world is currently playing with lots of bright colours, florals and patterns, and as home décor often looks to the runway, the same elements are showing up more and more in our homes. “I even saw that on the ski slopes this year — with lots of really bright yellows and greens,” says Pépin.

Pépin is watching sunshine-y yellows and leafy, grassy greens and fuchsia-infused purples emerge on the scene, and is hoping that the month-long campaign (which ends on Tuesday) will push more homeowners to move beyond mocha.

If the thought of painting out a whole room in a go-for-it colour is intimidating, Pépin suggests using a colour zoning technique or doing a feature wall (see below). “If you see a colour in the station that you connect with, just get a quart of paint and start small. It’s one of the easiest, least expensive ways to personalize a space, and communicate who you are.”

P.S. I wonder —could we get a plumbing company to redo of the TTC’s filthy, fetid washrooms?

P.P.S.  And could we get more TTC musicians like my current fave —  the fellow at Finch station who sports a sailor suit and handlebar mustache, and pays the violin with achingly wistful Slavic melancholy (think Dr. Zhivago meets the Village People.) It’s beautiful.

Reading, relaxing and rosé-ing

Here’s what’s NOT on my to-do list this weekend. Cut the lawn, trim the shrubs, clean out the garage, or alphabetize the spice rack. Other than that, plans vaguely include a chaise, a bottle of rosé and a pile of books. Who knows – a gossip mag may actually find its way in there — given that Marlene Arpe had the nerve to take some time off her blog, which is one of my secret guilty pleasures. The other one is Coronation Street — guess they’re not secrets anymore.

Some of the titles I plow through may actually be instructive, although I’m handing off one of those that I read this week to my daughter. It’s called Must Have Been Something I Ate, and it’s written by Peggy Kotsopoulos, the pretty, perky resident nutritionist on CBC's Steven and Chris show.

The just-launched book  draws the connection between the food you eat and how you look and feel. Kotsopoulos promises that whether you’re feeling blue or bloated, bitchy or blemished, her tips can boost your health, while keeping muffin tops and man boobs at bay.   

The tone is light and funny (as opposed to preachy) and there’s a ton of good information. Occasionally, it veers toward the simplistic; proclaiming that excess sugar consumption can lead to alcoholism, for example, could do with more explanation. On the other hand, there’s a clear explanation of the role of insulin, good information on why we need and how our bodies use vitamins and minerals, along with explanations on why certain foods either aggravate or alleviate certain conditions.

Kotsopoulos plays the role of healthy food cheerleader well, encouraging folk to start by making small changes. Apparently, it works. Since picking up the book, I’ve chosen tofu over beef for dinner one evening, made a healthy quinoa salad, cooked with coconut milk and stuck (more or less) to my pledge to run every day (call me crazy, but I’m not going to run in the rain). So if  Kotsopoulos’ aim to is to get people thinking about shifting to healthier lifestyles one step at a time, she’s already made at least one convert. For this weekend I am, however, sticking to the books, the chaise and the rosé. Don't try and stop me.

Shady Deals

Funny how that we which so crave in early June can become enervating by the August long weekend. It’s hard to imagine right now, but we’ll soon begin to shield ourselves from the punishing rays of the sun. (No, really, it's true!) So investing now in a spot of shelter for entertaining and relaxing will pay off. There are options at every price point.

The Elora Sunshelter (above) is a nine- by nine-foot powder-coated grey steel frame with a beige water-resistant canopy, pole cover and mosquito netting. Available at Canadian Tire for about $100 (At press time, it was on sale for $70). Slightly more elegant is the eight- by eight-foot Crawford, with bronze-finished decorative steel posts and a brown weather-resistant canopy ($150, now on sale for $100).

 

Move up to the mid-range with Rona’s Victoria Gazebo (above), a 12- by 12-foot aluminum structure that includes a screen door and curtains. ($489).

 

If you love the English country look, or if you’re planning to host a jousting event, you can watch it in comfort and style from underneath a blue and white heavyweight cotton canopy with scalloped edges from HomeSense (about $1,000). Be warned that while it can take some rain, this model should not be left out in all weather.

Status brand Kettal offers the Landscape collection; gorgeous daybed structures and aluminum pergolas that can be configured with blinds, net curtains, panels and ceilings. If you have to ask how much, you probably can’t afford it, as prices start at about $8,000. From www.bonavistapools.com If those prices don’t scare you, check out the line of Dedon outdoor furniture from Studio B which includes the Orbit shaded lounger below (about $9,000).

 

Keeping it green, clean and pretty

Two of my pet peeves? Liquid soap and disposable hand towels. I was recently sent a hard-plastic liquid soap-dispenser with a battery-powered motion sensor, and a box of paper towelettes; the manufacturers were touting both as a way to fight germs in the home. I just don’t buy it. Institutional settings are a whole other ball-game, but in your own home – unless you’re called on to perform an emergency tracheotomy on Aunt Edna at Thanksgiving — I think a bar of soap and cloth towels that get washed on a regular basis provide an adequate level of hygiene. (If the house is hit with the Norwalk Virus, of course you'll have to ramp up your defense plan.)

I’m queasy about (although admittedly ignorant of) the additives used to keep soap liquid, and I hate that it comes packaged in plastic containers. My solution for our tiny powder room? I buy up large vintage linen napkins (no, of course, they don’t have to match!), plunk them in an old wooden tool box and keep pretty bars of soap on hand, as in the pic above. I actually ironed these napkins, because I wanted to impress you, dear reader. But normally, I just line-dry them in the sun (which kills bacteria!), fold them and plop them in. Why use energy when the sun and wind will do the job for you?

I pick up wrapped and boxed soap at one my favourite discount stores, HomeSense  and use them as needed. The boxes are used on my vanity to hold hairpins, tweezers and lipsticks – all that necessary but slightly unsightly girlie stuff, which I stack on a little tray, made from an old cabinet face and two handles from Stanley’s excellent hardware collection  

The pot of flowers on it were a little treat to me from myself — and got plopped into an old biscuit barrel that long ago lost its lid but which now has a second life. Take a look below. You like? 

Are you lovin' the green tips? Then check out the uber-useful Practically Green website, and tune in to their Twitter party today at 9 p.m. It's where all the cool kids will be, including me! I can't wait to get in on all the good  ideas  from fellow Greenies. 

A pair of delightful duos

Skin care isn’t really my beat. But as I’ve been out in garden a lot lately (of course, I never remember to put gloves on until it’s too late), dry, overworked skin has been an issue. I don’t even want to discuss the state of my nails.

My skin-woes were only part of why I dropped by the launch of Body Shop’s new Body Butter Duo range of moisturizing creams. I really wanted to see their special guests — Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the ice dancing duo who won Olympic Gold last year. They are too sweet for words (but the pic gives you an idea, in which they’re seen with Bonnie MacDonald, general manager of the Body Shop.)

I sort of lost touch with the Body Shop for a while but got reacquainted with them last Christmas when someone gave me a terrific hand cream they make from hemp and to which I am now completely addicted (see hand-neglect above.)

The new Body Butter Duo has two compartments; one with a super-rich formula for rough skin and another lighter cream for regular use on hands. Made from Community Trade ingredients such as shea butter, cocoa butter, babassu nut oil, beeswax, Brazil nut oil, and soya oil, it comes in four fragrances – Floral Açai, Vanilla, Macadamia and Sweet Pea. My fave is the Sweet Pea, but my 18-year-old is all over the Floral Acai.

Good work, Body Shop.

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Get green. Get growing.

Can’t decide whether to plant to plant tulips or tea-roses this year? How about turnips and tomatoes instead? More and more urban homeowners are doing just that (okay, maybe not with turnips!) — by using at least part of their outdoor space to grow food, according to Landscape Ontario.

If you’re ready to get growing, here are some tips:

Start small, by growing those fruits and vegs that your family most favours.

Containers between 12 and 18 inches in diameter work best on a balcony. Drainage is key. Use good quality potting soil, not garden soil, which will compact and water won’t drain properly. Try tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, cucumbers, small lettuce, zucchini, peas and radishes. I love containers for lettuce and herbs, too.

On a small plot, a raised garden bed provides ideal conditions for growing vegetables (great for strawberries and rhubarb, too). Pick a sunny location, and build a bed no more than 1.2 metres wide, and 30 centimetres high (go as long as you want). Good planting choices are tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cauliflower, cabbages and French beans.

If you really have no space, consider renting garden space in a local community garden.

Those who do have a large backyard, and are ready to commit time and effort to growing their own food, should:

Pick a spot that gets at least six hours of sun a day.

Work the soil by spading it deeply. Loosen heavy clay by adding peat moss and manure. Add 1 kg of compost or garden fertilizer per 10 square metres and then turn the soil over again and rake smoothly.

Moisten the soil, then allow it to dry until workable.

Plant seeds about three times as deep as their diameter. Cover small seeds with finely sifted compost, soil or vermiculite.

Plants not in individual containers should be gently separated to retain as much soil around the roots as possible.

Don’t forget to:

Water early in the day by soaking the soil.

Pull weeds as soon as they appear, being careful not to disturb the root of the plants.

Take diseased plans to your closest garden centre and ask an experienced horticulturalist to identify the problem.

Pics from PC Homes.

Cheers to Mother Dear

 
 
What does Mom really want? Chez moi, it would be a chance to put my feet up for just an hour or two with a killer cocktail and the Sunday New York Times. Or a copy of The Enquirer - preferably the Cellulite Edition. Okay - maybe I'd need two cocktails to get all the way through the NYT. Here’s a  delish suggestion from Cocktail Deeva  Dee Brun, who also happens to be a very yummy mummy.

Mother’s Little Helper

 1 ounce Vodka

1 ounce pomegranate liqueur

1 ounce pink grapefruit juice

1 ounce pineapple juice

1/4 of a fresh orange 

Coarse sugar for rim

Rim the edge of a glass with the coarse sugar and fill with ice. Squeeze orange into a shaker full of ice. Add all other ingredients and shake well. Strain into glass. Garnish with a piece of fresh fruit.

Cocktail shakers in pic are from Pottery Barn

Dizzying design

 
If you took science in high school, you may remember hearing of the Coriolis effect, named after the French physicist who in 1835 described how the shape of rotating objects appears to change. That's what inspired Thomas Heatherwick, the ridiculously inventive designer who straddles the world of art, architecture and design and whose London-based team tackles everything from a monastery in Sussex to a rethink of London’s iconic buses. It’s all pretty spectacular, but I fixated on the glass bridge at King’s Cross in London I saw on the website. Why, pray tell, can't we have public design like that in Toronto? Is it because we're headed by Mayor Stop the Gravy Train™, who probably thinks that such stuff is pinko frippery?

Heatherwick’s Spun Chair was shown at the Milan Furniture Fair in carbon steel and bronzed brass finishes. It’s described as “a functional chair constituted by a single profile rotated through 360 degrees which transforms the domestic seat into a beautifully rendered spinning top.” Put more simply: when upright, it’s a piece of sculpture, but when seated it in,  a body can swivel in a complete circle. Wheeee! A marvellous idea, but I think I’d go easy on the cocktails if I was sitting in it.

Limited editions will be sold in London at the tres trendy  Haunch of Venison which is, I could not help but notice, showing an exhibit of photographs — many new — from filmmaker Wim Wenders,  who directed the film classic (it's on my personal  top ten list) Wings of Desire. Sadly I can never think of it now without being reminded of the shudderingly bad remake done with, God help me, Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan called City of Angels.