Summer is on its way - are you ready?

Here's a clever way to add flexibility to your outdoor seating scheme. Hampton Bay’s new Westbury set ($699 from Home Depot - shown below) has adjustable arms, so it can be configured as a love seat or couch. For even more flexibility, Westbury’s adjustable table ($249) has four moving panels that transform it from a basic coffee/conversation table into a low-profile dining table. There’s also a  holder in the centre that can serve as an ice bucket, making it perfect for sipping summer wine while nibbling snacks and chatting.

If space for a table is teeny tiny, or if you want to add affordable extra seating to create conversational settings in the backyard, choose a colourful three-piece bistro set, also from HD ($80).This one's also perfect for a postage-sized balcony. Are you listening, condo-dwellers?

When the sun goes down, count on  solar lights to cast a soft, eco-friendly glow.

Keep watching this space over the next few weeks for more decor/entertaining and recipe ideas. Because summer will come - I promise - and you do want to be ready, don't you?

 

 

 

Beware of mold, and tackle it whenever it turns up

Not only can mold and mildew affect the way your home and furnishings look —  it can contribute to an unhealthy air quality. Concrobium, which makes a range of mold-fighting products, has some good advice for dealing with this unwelcome visitor. Let’s call it “the five D’s”.

Deflect – To prevent mold you need to stop water from entering and accumulating in your home. So check that downspouts are doing their job — deflecting water away from the building. Make sure, too, that property is graded away from the foundation, so that water runs away from the house.

Dry - Mold can grow on water-damaged surfaces in as little as 24 hours. If flooding happens, remove excess water with a shop vacuum or water pump. When water is removed, use fans to circulate and absorb moisture in the air. Open doors and windows if possible; indoor mold spore counts are typically higher than outdoor counts. Call a pro if the job feels too big or if you suspect sewer back up.

Discard - Throw out water-logged and mold-infested materials such as carpeting or ceiling tiles. If drywall has absorbed water, it should be cut out 12 inches above the water level and replaced when the space is dry again.

Deactivate - Use bleach-free Concrobium Mold Control to fight remaining indoor mold.  It kills mold and prevents it from coming back. Treat hidden areas such as crawlspaces, closets and under furniture. Special fogger units, which mist Concrobium Mold Control into the air, can be used to treat large or inaccessible spaces such as basements and attics.

Dehumidify - Run a dehumidifier to take additional moisture out of the air. Maintain relative indoor humidity between 30 and 50 per cent. Monitor humidity levels with a hygrometer, an inexpensive device that you can pick up at your local
hardware store.

There’s also excellent information about mold and moisture issues on the Canada Mortgage and Housing website

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Very pretty pictures

Photographers Angela Read and Michael La Fond are the focus (get it?) of this week’s Hot Home Products column in the Toronto Star. The couple has just launched a website that sells gallery-wrapped canvases of their pictures. Here are a few below, from places flung as far away as Georgian Bay and Italy, where the duo (who are also partners in life) love to visit. Scroll down to the bottom of this entry for a few of their tips on how to hang photographic art. Keep an eye on this space, as I'll be featuring more photographers over the next few weeks.   

Michael La Fond

                                                                                                                                                            

Michael La Fond

Angela Read

 

Michael La Fond

 

TIPS FOR HANGING PHOTGRAPHIC ART

When hanging multiple prints, Michael likes odd numbers of grouping.  

Angela suggests grouping pics by theme or subject.

The two agree that size does matter — a large expanse of wall can handle a single large print, while a hallway in a pint-sized condo might do better with three small prints hung in a  row

 

I want flowers for Christmas

A few quick floral tips from the lovely and talented Bruno Duarte of Fresh Floral Creations. 

If you haven’t visited his little jewel box shop on Danforth, you should. It may just be the Platonic Ideal or a floral shop.

If you can't get down there, you can at least drink a few drops from the font of his floral wisdom. Here it is:

Line vases with a leaf to cover stems; Duarte likes dark brown Thai leaves.

Keep topping up water, but don’t add powders — they’re mostly sugar and can cause bacteria that contributes to rot.

Work with a maximum of three colours.

Stay away from too much glitter (however tempting it may be).

On a dinner table, the height of an arrangement should never be taller than the length of your elbow to your hand.  If you’re table is long, consider three several smaller arrangements.

For something different and striking, cut Amaryllis, and hang them upside down. Gather the stems loosely but firmly with a floral wire and fill the stems, which are hollow, with water. Suspend from a hanging light fixture. (And if you can’t figure out how to do that, call Duarte – Editor)

Want to switch it up for New Year’s Eve? Go with white, says Duarte. “You will have been bombarded with red and other colours. White will be fresh and clean, just like the new year.”

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Lovely Lisi.....

Speaking of artisnal

 Michael Simardone is a Toronto furniture builder. If that’s not artisanal enough, he also makes just about everything from building refuse and cast-aways. He and his wife Caroline are in the process of opening up a Junction storefront with his own pieces and accessories.

He and I worked together on an Upcycle Challenge for Habitat for Humanity Toronto this year, in which we strung together building  left-overs to craft something new. See the results below.

All that to say, if you’re an artisan, you might want to contact la Simardone about selling your stuff through his store. Even if it doesn’t turn out to be the century’s best business deal, I guarantee you’ll like him.

Michael is on a nice little stretch of street that seems poised to take off. Same neighb as the always-worth-a-visit Eclectic Revival  (Artisanal Steampunk?). And if memory serves, there’s a little resto about half a block west (north side) of Simardone that makes amazing pastry — some of which gets stuffed with fruit. Yum.  Art you can eat. 

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.