Giorgio Armani’s home décor line lands in Miami

COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES

Design cognoscenti have long known that Miami has its own brand of hybrid chic. Now you can add one more credit to the city’s cool cred.

Armani/Casa opened its third U.S. store in Miami in March of this year, featuring furniture, tableware, accessories, fabrics, ornaments, and lighting. The signature Armani aesthetic can be seen not only in the pieces offered, but also in the way they’re displayed and in the store’s layout. Around the perimeter and within the space itself, slim, shiny metal panels of bronze-coloured honeycomb polycarbonate subdivide the displays. Accessories are showcased on clear glass shelves supported by glossy black lacquer poles and vinyl tatami — a fabric most commonly used for Judo mats — was used for the floor.

 

COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES

There are now 68 stores in 45 countries selling the line, which was launched in Milan in 2000. An interior design service is also offered in each store for upper-upper private clients and property developers.

 

COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES

 

One woman’s junk is another woman’s jewel

Ever before “meeting” them for a video interview, I knew the Picker Sisters were my kind of people. I share with them a simple maxim — reduce, reuse, redecorate!

As hosts of an eponymous television show that runs on the Lifetime Channel, interior designers and bff’s Tracy Hutson and Tanya McQueen crisscross America looking for second-hand, thrift-shop and past-its-prime décor, art and accessories. It may look like rubbish to some, but the enterprising duo turns these relics into wonderfully eclectic pieces that they offer for sale in a home décor pop-up shop in Los Angeles.

Recently, I chatted with Tracy and Tanya by video conference about what’s behind the current vogue for repurposed home décor, and how turning trash into treasure has become an integral part of their design aesthetic. Take a look.

Speaking of recycled treasures, did you see the  upcoming gallery below, in which I took gently-used items, easily found on a site like Kijiji, and gave them second life. Wonder if the sisters need a Canadian cousin?

Tricks with tape

I love it when I find new uses for a product I already use consistently. Loyal readers will know I am a big fan of Scotch Blue tape, especially the new Edge Lock formula, which chemically bonds with the surface to create a leak-proof seam. Perfect for people like me – who could not paint a straight line if my life depended on it. I recently used it to tape windowpanes on French doors I painted  (pics coming up the Toronto Star soon!). But I’ve found it’s a great help when painting designs on fabric, and also makes a great material for DIY stencils.

I used it on both pillows below. For the first one, I simply placed tape in several stripes along the fabric and painted with Martha Stewart fabric paint. Just remember to wipe excess paint and brush it lightly on the fabric (better here to do a couple of light coats than one thick one.) Make sure you always start by putting the brush on the tape and brushing away from the tape, as opposed to into it — it will help avoid pushing paint up under the tape.

For the second pillow made my own stencil by hanging a length of tape from a doorway and, using hole-punchers with two different sizes of holes, randomly punching a pattern. You can also get special edger punches with various designs from specialty craft stores. In both cases, the same technique works on a glass vase, easily found on sites like Kijiji . For a subtle effect, Krylon’s frosted glass spray

Using tape to create a pillow that works well with the chandelier I found on Kijiji and painted out in a cheery yellow

 

I Kijiji. Do you?

Personalized décor. When it comes to home design, that’s the new buzz-phrase being used to describe a home rich in furniture, art and accessories that tell your story, and reflect your tastes, rather than what the design divas decree is the current must-have what-not. You can get the look by purchasing pricey pieces from new cool-kid stores that have figured out used is useful. But if you’re on a budget, and really do love to search out that one-of-a-kind find that fits your space perfectly, or you love polishing a diamond in the rough into something stunning, you might want to start doing your “shopping” on an online site like Kijiji.

There’s another aspect to shopping this way that really appeals to me. It’s so eco-friendly, diverting  gently-used items from the landfill, and allowing me to shop locally and spend less time travelling by car. And there’s almost nothing you can’t find on Kijiji - from BBQs to hot tubs, garage doors to patio furniture.

This week’s Hot Home column focused on a series of DIY projects I recently did, all using items easily found on Kijiji. There wasn’t enough room for all my pics, so I’m including before and after below. With Earth Day coming up, I hope they inspire you to reduce, recycle and redecorate!  Check back here next week for more ideas. And in the meantime, why not share with me your fave online find?

Think this $10 table is Dullsville? Not!

Look below...

 

Use accent paints to co-ordinate furniture with your decor

 

Turn usable parts of stained or damaged table linens into guest towels

 

 

Stripping gaudy plastic tear-drops, painting it out in a rich colour and

adding funky bulbs turns a chandelier from frumpy to fabulous

 

An inexpensive lamp kit turns an old urn (below) into a special lighting accent

 

It's all about the possibilities

 

 

From mundane...

 

 

to marvelous, all with a bit of fabric and some craft glue