Home Show weekend

I hit up the Toronto Fall Home Show Thursday night, which both inspired me to re-decorate and made me very sad that I don't have the budget or the space to take home all the gorgeous goods on display.

There was a ton of stuff on display - from granola bars and soy milk through to hot tubs and kitchens - but here's a taste of some of my personal highlights:

Suddenly, stainless steel doesn't seem nearly as cool as it used to. I missed the fifties and the diner era by a few decades, but retro stunners from Northstar let you revive the style without compromising the technology.

They offer the choice of electric radiant elements or gas burners along with a slew of other options, complete with matching range hoods and fridges. While the mint green, buttercup yellow and flamingo pink may be truer to the era, I'm pretty keen on the candy red set. And, if the 1950s aren't your thing, they were also showcasing a throwback to the 1850s. Nifty.

Moving to decor, Ottawa-based Wall Juice had a couple of their wall tattoos on display, including a great series of colourful trucks for kids' rooms. Decals are becoming a very popular decorating option, giving you the effect of a mural but none of the permanence - perfect for renters like me or wary types.

Also, I want a slipper chair. The armless chairs (featured here) are sleek, stylish, comfy and would fit perfectly into my apartment. But, with a black and white rabbit, I would be a little concerned with how that great white finish would hold up to his fur (and teeth).

And there was super drool-worthy jewelry at Sugarlime's booth - I'm still regretting not picking a particularly luscious pair of silver sparklers (I'm partial to the Susies). I know it's not exactly home decor, but your personal accessories should really be as stunning as your home.

I also wanted to open my wallet at Modern Interiors' booth, which had super heavy duty cutting boards featuring end grain, to avoid dulling your knives. While there, I also learned that rubbing a lemon over the board after cutting chicken or fish should eliminate any lingering nasties and that I should really stop dunking my current board in the sink. Apparently, they don't like that.

In the most riveting presentation category was this garlic grater plate thing. Sadly, I didn't catch the name. Basically, it was a colourful plate with a bunch of raised dots in the middle. Rub a clove of garlic over it and you get a spreadable garlic paste. Delicious, I'm sure. And the guy doing the presentations was so enthusiastic that I didn't once consider the fact that I have no use for the product.