Art for Craft’s Sake

Quick - if navy is the new midnight blue, what does artisanal mean? That’s a trick question — artisanal can mean whatever. Heck, I’ve squirted Srirachi hot-sauce into ketchup and called it “an artisanal blend of tomato and pepper”.

So I know, folks, that the term can tart everything from stationery with pictures of birds on it to the “limited edition” of a new line from a hip retailer, “richly inspired” by raw talent in a far-flung, picturesque spot, but mass made in China.

If you want the real thing, from Africa, for example, you have to go to Snob, a jewel box of a store tucked away in a tiny corner at 388 Carlaw, between Dundas and Gerrard. 

It's tempting to take one of everything at Snob

Right now, there are amazing textiles (ethereal threads of wool and silk washed into felt, heavy cotton fabrics with detailed stitching – both geometric and organic in design — in earthy browns, yellow and pumpkin tones - I’d use it on bedding, lampshades, headboards, soft ottomans.

 

 Also, elaborately carved poles on stands; in another life, they held up tents in a desert. Highly beaded and elongated wooden figures. And a curiosity cabinet, with artifacts such as hair picks made from ancient destructible woods. In fact, this store is a bit like the museum. Plan to stay a while.

Of all of the gorgeousness, the most beautiful thing there for me are the handmade Egyptian pendant Zenza lamps, with hammered patterns that create shadow webs on the nearest wall — to very, very pretty effect.

I know because I have one hanging in a hallway at home. Every time I look at it, I stop and marvel at the craft-work and the effect it has on light.

Recently at Snob, I saw for the first time the slim cylindrical pieces from Zenza. If I had a high ceiling and a lot of money, I’d buy 20 of them. The choice of models will only expand, given that Snob owner Denise Zidel (or, as her intimate friends like to call her, La Snob Dynamo) is now the national distributor for these pieces. Go and visit the store. In the meantime, check out the pics below.

Love the new textiles at Snob

 

The Zenza lamps I love, love love.

 

BTW,  a little birdie told me to look out for news from Snob early in the new year.

Around town, the shortest route to local talent is probably through the One of a Kind Show, which is the Platonic Ideal of Artisanal. One of the few home shows that’s worth the price of admission.Check out my Pinterest board for a sneak peak.

This holiday season, World Vision is selling scarves and jewelry to support their education and development projects. The Haitian hand-beaded necklace is attractive, with thin bands of strong colour.You need to order by Dec. 10th to get them for Christmas.

Frida framed

All pics by Nickolas Muray. Frida and Diego runs until January 20, 2013 at at the AGO  GO!

Jo Alcorn loves the high and lows

Photos by Robin Stubbert

Jo Alcorn is a veteran of home improvement tv, sells her own line of furniture and interior lighting. She also tosses off a couple of stagings for high-end homes for resale. There’s more about Jo in my Hot Home column in the Saturday Star, but here are a few pics  of her spaces that likely did not make it through to the print edition. Alas.

Because we like to give credit where credit is due, here's some info on the spaces:

Bedroom: Design Republic, TEB interiors mixed with Bouclair
Living Room: Zsemba Furniture, Jeff Turner Coffee table mix with Bouclair
Office: Chair Table Lamp, James Connelly Art mixed with Bouclair

Alcorn’s website has links to a previous showcase and videos with tips for mixing high and low pieces.  In one she advocates for DIY art. The most recent example of that for me was that my sister Cathy picked up three brilliant colour postcard photographs of Frida Kahlo. (See images below. All are from Nickolas Muray © Nickolas Muray Photo Archives)  We saw the show on the weekend. Sad. Operatic.Fascinating.  We’ll house these in cheap Ikea frames and they’ll brighten yet another corner of my house. Thank you, Frida — and Cathy.

If we’d been museum hopping, we might have also made it down to the Textile Museum of Canada gift shop, where we might have found lovely tea towels by Raingoose.  About $15. Definitely frame-worthy.  But I'd also buy them because they'd help with the everyday art of drying dishes and the such. And because they'd be awfully pretty fluttering on the laundry line.

Terrific toiles, tickings and other textiles

Fans of lovely textiles, rejoice. Annie Sloan’s new line, which includes toiles and tickings made in Belgium and France, should start showing up soon in a few select Canadian retailers.  Here’s a sneak peak.

Let’s start with the toiles — a perennial favourite. Although the inspiration for toile fabrics originated in India, it was in 18th century France that they became popular. Typically, they featured a bucolic theme repeated across a pale background. But you also see the designs against stonger backdrops - sometimes mustard yellow, deep pink or event black. Originally, these prints were often designed as a graphic interpretation of news or important local events.  BTW, check out the very modern Marimekko design below. Doesn't it remind you a bit of toile? It does me.

Ticking is a tightly woven, highly serviceable striped cotton fabric, originally used for mattress covers. The black and taupe Paris Noir ticking from Sloan is a smart and chic, while a horizontal stripe in off white and tomato red in different intensities (Panama Rouge) is softer. French Hens is retro rural; chickens, roosters, eggs and feathers on a linen-look background.  It would work well on draperies in the kitchen or garden room, or on as pillows. Faded Roses is strewn with delicate, dainty roses in faded pinks and greens. Prertt, pretty, pretty.

To see all the new fabrics, check out my Pinterest board 

Colour me Canadian

It’s appropriate that Beauti-Tone, the paint line from Canadian owned and operated Home Hardware,  has launched a colour tribute to the nation it calls home. The Simon Chang Oh Canada! collection has 42 colours  in six palettes, each one inspired by a region of Canada. They include Savoir Flair, which celebrates French-Canadian heritage (see top pic);  Arctic inspired  Northern Reflection (second pic); Beauti and the East, which reflects the charm of Atlantic villages; Culture Club, a hip, urban palette; Wheat till you try it, echoing the big sky colours of the Prairies and Pacific Overture, which captures the beauty of the Pacific seaboard. See the 2013 trend card  below.

Me, Neil, Klaus and King Street East. Be there.

Everybody who’s anybody will be at a soiree ce soir that opens the King Street East Design District festival, KEDD,  running this weekend.  (Okay, well,  I’ll be there –  if I don’t fall asleep in my glass of Gerotol first. In fact, I have no idea who’s going — other than Alejandra Melo Cea, my lovely step-niece once removed by marriage.)

But it sure sounds good. Over two days, 14 retailers, including Alexander Interiors & Design, BoConcept, Studio B, Kiosk, Klaus (from whence came the pic of the wonderful desk above, by Castor), Upcountry, Cambria, Modern Weave, Sub-Zero/Wolf and Andrew Richards Designs, will mount special in-store events for design hounds. If you go, you can tell the participating retailers by the banners and red carpets.This is the first year of the event, so they need support.

To get in  -  and to get a chance at give-aways - you have to buy a passport for $10. It  goes  to  Habitat for Humanity Toronto, run by the always-dashing Neil Hetherington, who is sure to be at the kick off. Go online for tickets or buy them from a retailer. 

If I do go, I'll be easily recognizable.  I'll be the one wearing the “Neil for Mayor” t-shirt.  

So - as weekend plans go, how does this sound? See great design, possibly win some cool stuff and wander downtown during what promises to be fine weather. What else could you ask for? Other than a functioning, democratic local government, that is. And a good, affordable hairdresser.

If it all gets too much, you can deak into a local bar with a friend. Have a drink or two. You’ll be reminded that Toronto still does have its charms. And if you see Neil down there on the weekend, ask him for me again if he's ever thought about running for Mayor? 

Brilliant bath design - a la Bouroullec

Just saw this and had to share it right away. Hansgrohe’s high design brand Axor has just launched a beautiful collection created in collaboration with Paris-based design team (and brothers) Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

The lovely lines of these faucets, wash basins, shower components, and tubs alone are enough to make them worthy of mention. But the stand-out feature for me is the clever design in which shelves are incorporated into the fixtures that house the faucets. With the spout fully integrated into the shelf, the water flows from the unit organically. Various pieces can be configured to create customized combinations (see below) Such intelligent design. And so handsome.

You heard it here first

Marimekko fabrics and textiles will be available at EQ3's new flagship store on Hanna Ave in Liberty Village. More on that space soon. In the meantime, check out some of the gorgeous designs from the Finnish design house below.

Who has great BBQ tips? Naz haz.

BBQ Naz says it's all about the prep, baby

Barbequing is supposed to epitomize easy summertime living. So why do so many home cooks approach with a touch of trepidation? Weber's grilling expert Naz Cavallaro (AKA BBQ Naz) has a few suggestions for grilling without groaning.

First of all, says Naz, preparation is key. "Get it all ready before. Chefs call that mise en place – putting everything in place. If you’re doing skewers, do them beforehand. Prep the veggies and have it all ready to go.”

Good prep takes food safety into account, he adds. “People overlook it. You need to keep your proteins in a shaded area and on ice until you are ready to cook them. Don’t cook it all at once and let it sit on the table for too long – it’s better to grill some, have people eat it and throw more on as you need it."

 As with any kind of cooking, timing is everything, says Naz. “Time your cooking, and don’t get sidetracked and start chatting too much. It’s easy when you’ve had some practice. You could, say, start with sausages and then move them up to the warming rack before cooking chicken. When the chicken is almost done you can tent it and throw on the next item.”

The only situation in which a little inattention is appropriate is when you are cooking something low and slow. “Every time you open your grill, it takes 20 minutes to get temperature back up. Leave it!”

Chef Tom to the rescue with summer menu ideas

One of my bestie foodie friends - Chef Tom

Chef Tom Filippou, executive chef for President’s Choice Cooking Schools  thinks busy home cooks often need a little inspiration for putting together menus for summertime suppers with friends and family. So he and his team have come up with some easy–to-assemble suggestions using, naturally, the President’s Choice product line, which seems to be growing ever bigger, and ever better.

One zesty suggestion - pair Jalapeno cheese burgers with Corn Relish on Round Pretzel Buns, with a side salad dressed with Avocado Dressing, Lime and Jalapeno. Or top a chicken burger with the Zucchini Relish and Monterey Jack with Jalapeno Pepper mini cheese slices. I also like the Sofrito, which is, typically a mix of flavour-rich ingredients indigenous to various regions. PC’s entry is tomato-based with onions, green, red and jalapeño peppers with notes of cilantro, garlic and lemon. It makes for a great burger dressing, but also works with cheese on crusty bread for a vegetarian option, or as a zingy compliment to perfectly scrambled eggs.

They also have a few dozen suggestions on the website for topping their mini burgers and sausages.

I think sandwiches make great summer fare, and Chef Tom agrees. That’s why he suggests putting a little bit extra on the grill to be used for sandwiches the next day. Think about pulled pork, or hot Italian sausages, made with the new PC baguettes. Add roasted pepper or eggplant, portebello mushrooms, sliced raw red onion or caramelized onions.

I happen to like the red pepper rounds buns with almost anything, but especially with fresh LOCAL tomatoes and crisp lettuce, and Formaggio di Bufala Fresh Soft Cheese. For a fun side to a bun-less burger, try roasted beets, sliced very thin and served with toasted walnuts, goat cheese and a drizzle of flavoured olive oil. The magnificent Lucy Waverman turned me on to serving these with chive oil (combine ½ cup chives with ½ cup chives and 2 tablespoons chopped green onion. Bring to a simmer and then sit for 2 hours. Strain).

An easy way to serve an elegant dessert is to pile ice cream — say, the Loads of White Chocolately Raspberry Treats — into a waffle bowl and heap it high with fresh LOCAL raspberries. Peanut butter and jam ice cream, is pretty delish with fresh cherries, imho -  I keep a bag of mixed frozen berries in the freezer for the times I run out of fresh, LOCAL (I think I've made my point, no?) seasonal fruit. You could also dress a Dulce de Leche cheesecake with fruit and/or toasted nuts which you would serve, of course, in very skinny slices.