Bruised blue is the new black

Dear Reader, I know I've been remiss this week in not posting more. Blame it on the fact that on Monday, on my way to Rogers TV in Richmond Hill, laden with goodies that I'll be showing at the Fall Home Show, I went head over heels down my front steps. Miraculously, none of my stuff for the home show was broken, but my ankle is swollen to the size of a grapefruit and my legs look  like ground beef. Plus my ribs hurt. Not pretty. So I've been nursing my wounds quietly (well, not that quietly, says my family) so I'll be ready for my home show appearances, starting tomorrow. Come down and see me - and don't forget that Friday is Toronto Star Day. You can see Colin & Justin, Mark Cullen, Ellen Moorhouse and moi at the casalife StyleLab. See you there - I'll be the one NOT wearing high heels!

Friday tip for inexpensive elegance

A great centrepiece will add drama and punch to a dinner party table, but it needn’t cost the earth. Try something simple, like a great bowl filled with seasonal fruit or veg. My favourite this fall is probably a red wire bowl from Ikea ($29) that looks terrific filled with yellow or green apples (see above). You can also put a glass bowl inside it for serving a pretty dessert, such as a Trifle. (Although since I DESPISE Trifle, I'd probably go for a slow-cooked brown rice pudding with toasted hazlenuts, coconut and white choc. Or bitter choc and dried cranbrerries. But you choose your own dessert, my friend -  chacun a son gout, after all!)

I also like the crinkled steel bowls I saw at the opening of the new Urban Barn at 275 King Street East. They start at about $27. This is a wonderful store, btw, and I encourage you to check it out. And watch for their wonderful “Bollywood” pillows in an upcoming Hot Home Products column.

I’ll have more tips on beautiful style that won’t break the bank at the Fall Home Show, which runs from September 30 – October 3 at the Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place. Hope to see you there.

Bathroom bling and trading up on tableware

While chatting about bathroom trends this week with style expert Arren Williams for my Hot Home Products column, he shared what he thinks are three tips for getting great style. “The biggest mistake is not buying a good faucet,” says Williams. “And you should. You’ll be handling it every day, and it’s a visual focal point. So make it a little jewel!" He also suggests running tile all the way to the ceiling for a cleaner look, and building in “storage niches” for bath products when doing a shower redo. While Williams like a sleekly spa-like feeling in bath design, he concedes that ornamental elements and colour are creeping in. The raised white bowl, set against blue tiles, from a new collection from Villeroy and Boch, shown above, is a good example.

Speaking of Villeroy & Boch, the renowned tableware company is sending Isabelle von Boch, who represents the eighth generation of family members involved in the business, to a Dinnerware Exchange event being held at their Cookstown location on May 22 and 23, at which attendees can "trade up" to Villeroy & Boch pieces. Folks whose tableware has seen better days can turn them it for upgrade, and get style tips from von Boch. Walk-ins are welcome, however appointments are highly recommended. For more information or to reserve a space, click here or call the Cookstown House of Villeroy & Boch at 705-458-0435.Customers who can’t get to the event can still take advantage of the promotion, which launches May 14. Personally, I was delighted to learn that the V & B has re-issued its Acapulco design, as I inherited a set of the sunny, seventies-style dinnerware from my mother, and need a few replacement pieces.

The origins of evil OR where the hell is my other argyle sock?

Sometimes, I strongly feel the need to avoid a deadline silently ponder impenetrable questions such as “what is the origin of evil?”, “what is the meaning and purpose of life?” or “where do all the socks that get lost in the laundry go?” On this last one, I'm apparently not alone in clinging fondly to the hope that these socks disappear into an alternate universe for a while before returning to earth as more enlightened and self-actualized socks. Toronto Hydro has found, through a survey with Leger Marketing, that nine per cent of Torontonians hold on lonely socks for at least a year while almost one in five keep it for eternity (how does one define eternity, anyway?) For other fascinating laundry facts, or if you too are trying to avoid a deadline, see below.

In an heroic gesture of corporate responsibility, Toronto Hydro has come up with a possible solution to the lonely sock crisis currently facing Torontonians by offering a Sock Exchange. Under the program, the first 100 customers who send in a photo and brief description of their lonely sock to media@torontohydro.com will receive a free eco-friendly indoor drying rack. All socks will also be reviewed for compatibility with other socks in the database. Owners will be notified and matches will be posted on the website. Click here for info. 

Toronto Hydro has also partnered with local with Home Depot stores, Caplan’s Appliances and the City of Toronto, so customers who buy  a new ENERGY STAR washing machine in  May or June get an $80 instant rebate, a $60 mail-in rebate from the City of Toronto, and an eco-friendly indoor drying rack (valued at $68.) ENERGY STAR washing machines not only save water and electricity, but Hydro suggests front-loading machines may also help to reduce the occurrence of missing socks. Anonymous insiders who refused to be named have suggested that Hydro will be answering the question about the origin of evil next month and that it has something to do with ill-fitting shoes, but our sources were unable to confirm this.

OTHER LAUNDRY FACTS

• On average, Torontonians spend about 3 hours a week doing laundry.
• Only 19 per cent of dads/husbands are responsible for the laundry.
• Watching television is the most popular past-time while waiting for laundry to be done (61 per cent) followed by house cleaning (55 per cent) and surfing the net (53 per cent).
• Nearly half the Torontonians surveyed who are in a relationship (45 per cent) say that their spouse or partner has ruined their clothing in the wash.
• Demographically, men are slightly more likely to hold on to a lonely sock for only a week (eight per cent vs. four per cent among women).
• ENERGY STAR qualified washing machines use at least 30 per cent less electricity than other washers. They also use up to 50 per cent less water and the combined water and electricity savings can total almost $68 a year. As well, if customers use a clothes drying rack even just a quarter of the time (instead of a dryer), they could save another $21 a year.

I can't go - but you can!

I’ll be in Florida at the end of March visiting the Aged Mother, eating early-bird dinners and hitting the local Target store pretty hard. Of course I can't wait, but it does mean I’ll miss the One of a Kind Show, which runs from March 31 to April 4 at the Direct Energy Centre. Judging from the press material, you should definitely go, though. If I was in town, I’d want to check out the fabulous glass and wood vases by Benoit Foyer, the gorgeous felt chair by John Booth and Arounna Khounnor of Bookhou Design and the lovely screen by one of my favourite furniture makers, Rob Brown of Equinox Interiors. Check out the pics below and see if you don’t agree that they’re all beautiful. I'd also hit the Ontario Crafts Council's special 900-square foot section that will feature innovative works in clay, glass, metal, wood, fibre and paper by 19 makers from eastern Ontario.

Tickets are just $12 ($10 online), while seniors and youths aged 13 – 17 are $6.50. Kids 12 and under get in free. Get yourself down there – any buy something – because I can’t!

 
 

Almost too late - but not quite

It's not too late to register for the TrendWatch event on March 4th at Jackryn France, my fave French-themed boutique in beautiful downtown Aurora. Find out from owner Rita Thiel what's hot for Spring 2010 and get a sneak peak at new lines for the store, which is chock full of the most gorgeous bed and table linens you ever saw. You must register for the two-hour seminars, which run at 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and can do so by calling 905 726 3451. But you'd better hurry because spaces are almost gone. Even if I don't make it to the event, I'm sure I'll pop into the store soon - the siren call of the Garnier Thiebault linens is just too much! Oh, how much do I want one in hot pinks, reds and orange? Never mind - that was a rhetorical question. Registered participants for the event will be served refreshments, and get a gift. Better still, part of the proceeds support girls' sports.

Eeek! That's so cute!

Trust Janette Ewen to inject some fun into the dining room design she's creating for the Eurodale Dream Home feature at the National Home Show, which kicks off next week and is sponsored by the Toronto Star (yeah!) and CityLine (also yeah! - I'm  a  fan). That's what I thought when she emailed me a pic of the teeny tiny mice that will serve as uninvited residents in her dream space. Look in this Saturday's Toronto Star for more on Janette's design and visit the show site for information about all the terrific seminars by guest experts (including moi). 

 

Gold medal reporting

Samsung is holding a contest that will send 10 Canadians to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The electronics giant is searching for social media-savvy types who can attend, and report on,  the Games. The winners get round-trip, economy-class airfare to and from Vancouver, accommodation for 20 nights, meals and a Samsung Omnia II mobile phone. But hurry, you have to enter by December 6^th. Hey, wait a minute, now that I think of it, why can't I go? I’m social media savvy, aren’t I? Sort of, in a way. And I want to go to the Games. And I need a new phone....