Design DNA does its work

BREAKING NEWS -- Well, okay, maybe not. But it's news to me. Exciting news, in a stop-what-I'm-doing (which, technically speaking, was goofing around) kind of way. Sir James Dyson (a very dear friend of mine - see below) has, apparently, an equally brilliant and handsome son, Jake, who designs spleniforous lighting.

The Motorlight Floorlight  is described as the world's first variable angle uplight, allowing the user to adjust the beam angle between 8 and 60 degrees. As an aluminium wheel at the front of the luminaire rotates, the outer reflector raises and lowers,  increasing and decreasing beam span. Controls on the back of the light allow the angle to be fixed, or set to continually create waves of  light. The CSYS LED task light is a dimmable LED that produces a bright warm white, and its makers claim it will perform for upwards of 37 years. 

Love them both.  Sadly, they're not (yet) sold at any Canadian retail spots. Take a look. Magnificent, no?

 

 

Pretty papers

 

I love things that feel real to me: glass, linen, wood, stone - and paper. I grew up in a home that always had beautiful embossed stationery, and have always adored the feel and smell of gorgeous paper. So Deborah Norton is a true kindred spirit. 

Norton had been making cards for family and friends for years before she turned her attention to it full-time four years ago, launching The Paper Parade. 

A self-taught artist, Norton says she thinks creativity is in her DNA. “My family is all very artisitic. We were always exposed to the arts, and both my parents are gifted amateur artists. My brother is a professional photographer. So I come by it honestly.” 

Vintage paper, in the form of illustrations, cards, maps and art, have always fascinated Norton, and it’s this love that fuels her work, which includes lovely, hand-printed cards and tags. Until recently, it was all available on her Etsy shop, but a full-on renovation has shuttered the shop temporarily. “My studio is in the house, and we’ve had to move out. I’m still doing custom orders, and I’ve started doing some styling. I also have my lifestyle blog. So one thing seems to keep turning into another. We’ll see what happens next.”

While you may not be able to access Norton’s work, shown here, she has a few  other fave paper places she thinks you’ll want to check out. They are Kozo Studios Tanya Roberts and Pantry Press

 

I'm a big fan of the Dyson Fan

 

The temperate air of Spring can turn oppressively hot and soggy before you know it, as it has recently here in the Centre of the Universe (aka Toronto). Shop now for a fan, while stock is good. The Dyson Air Multiplier is super-cool (in several senses). There are no spinning blades to chop the air ineffectively — or, very effectively, small fingers — and it’s designed to draw in up to 27 litres of air a second, amplify it up to 18 times, and spread it soothingly across your hot, sweat-slick, grumpy self. It comes in two shapes, a round version - great for tabletop and, for larger spaces, an oblong version, shown above with My Close Personal Friend James Dyson (well, not really, but I have met Sir James, who is a delightful cross between your cool uncle and a mad genius.)  Both versions are  gorgeous. Last summer, these babies flew off the shelves and were sold out in no time. Govern yourself accordingly. Prices for the line, available at major retailers, start at about $380. Pricey? Yes. But so worth it if you get years and years of summer cooling out of it.

Floral motifs and mosaics - two of my favourite things

Jaqueline Vine from New Ravenna

 

 

Mosaics and floral motifs are both big news in decor these days. They come together in a new line by Sara Baldwin of New Ravenna Mosaics  Hand-made in Virginia with jewel glass and natural stone, they’re inspired by inlay techniques that date back to 17th century India. Designs include the delicate, curvy Jacqueline Vine, available in Toronto through Versatile. Customization means prices vary widely.

 

The Bay welcomes homegrown talent with DwellStudio

DwellStudio  is now available at three of The Bay’s flagship stores nationwide  ­— Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Founder and designer, Canadian Christiane Lemieux, launched DwellStudio in 1999, fusing modern design, a playful approach to colour and old-world details. 

Her bold geometrics, stripes and abstract florals became a design signature for the Ottawa native, who earned her design chops at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York after graduating from Queen’s University.

Most of the DwellStudio line will be available in stores as well as select styles of DwellStudio furniture. Customers can also special order the complete furniture line through The Bay.

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

 

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

 

 

Ah, spring - all about rebirth, and reupholstery

Andrea Ford can help you turn an old chair into a glam decor piece

April, May and June are all about rebirth. So why not give new life to a tired piece of furniture? Andrea Ford of Restyle Studio  offers DIY workshops on re-upholstering everything from ottomans to chairs to headboards. I have at least three items I need to work on. I have a feeling Andrea and I might be seeing a lot of each other over the next few months. 

Another gorgeous creation from Ford

 

 

Hot home office pieces

Sadly, there wasn't room in this week's column in the paper for all the great images I had of office furniture. Happily, the wonders of modern technology make it possible for me to share them here. Kind of a ying-yang sitch.

 

Arie shelves by Aril Levy (at Klaus) can do double duty as shelves or room dividers

Domison's office chair (Corian) has a deliberate formality

Mayhew can help with office design from the floor up

The well-designed home office can increase productivity (image from Mayhew)

 

Castor (at Klaus) offers an unsual take on office decor

Martha Stewart thinks a tidy office (with items show here and below) is a good thing

 

 

A (work) room of one's own

Oi has an unusual plan for bringing its product to market

 

An interesting side story to my Hot Home Products piece this week involves a campaign just launched by Oi, a Winnipeg-based company that designs modular furniture pieces that can be configured in various ways to create flexible “cell seating”. The components - made from recyclable plastic -  sit on spiked bases, and come in several colours and coverings, including polyvinyl, polyester and Sunbrella, which can be used outdoors.

Oi cells can be configured to create various seating plans

The twist is that Oi is now offering the pieces at a $399, down several hundred dollars from the original price. The reduced pricing was based on advice from the infamous Dragon’s Den and was made possible by a decision to manufacturer off-shore. Since that price is based on volume, Oi needs to find a minimum of 400 orders to make it worthwhile.

To promote the plan, Oi has come up with a Twitter campaign that can net the top-tweeting “Oi’vangelist” free seating and 400 trees for their community. Clever. I think.

 

 

 

 

Available through a more traditional channel, but in keeping with the theme, Staples  has just launched Martha Stewart’s home office line for Avery, which includes modular trays, boxes, organizers, journals, and accordion files. There’s also a range of sticky notes, including removable chalkboard labels that can be used to label everything from office storage boxes to jars of jelly beans.