{that one great thing} Michelle's store clips

While I'm wrapping my head around a particularly difficult bit of writing today (oh, deadlines), I thought I'd hand things over to the talented Michelle Carangi of Montreal design firm, Holley & Gill, who, along with her husband Conrad Buck, creates gorgeous cushions and headboards with hand-printed patterns - love their Feathers design - in water-based inks on 100% cotton. Anyway, after meeting Michelle at the Interior Design Show I bugged her into contributing that one great thing, and she picked some very handy-dandy vintage clips.

Michelle Carangi: On becoming home owners almost seven years ago, Conrad and I have collected many special little items that have allowed us to inject some personality into our decor. 

Most of our finds have been vintage as of late simply because our taste tends to sway more towards the traditional and classic. Having been lucky enough to have traveled quite a bit over the last couple of years, we’ve collected so many different postcards, business cards and photos from places we’ve been and from people we’ve met. And so, when I found this set of vintage wall-mount store clips from Etsy shop AM Radio, I knew it would be the perfect solution to display them all. 

We need to be surrounded by what we love, and we’ve learned, sometimes the hard way, that buying things because they’re on trend will result in pieces that have no meaning and ultimately end up collecting dust. Whenever I walk by this display, I walk by all of our happy and unique memories and can add to it forevermore.

Sitting on Tartan

Sitting on a classic Blackwatch Tartan to be exact, which is what you'll be able to do with one of the new collections from Sung Outdoor, the outdoor line designed by Alfred Sung. The other night I actually got to meet Alfred (who is an incredibly dapper chap) as well as creative director for the line, Jordin Mimran, and hear how Blackwatch Tartan is Alfred's fave fabric and how the design team worked incredibly hard to get the colour and pattern on the handwoven faux wicker just right. Oh, and get this - The peppy (and kinda preppy) Blackwatch collection is available to order exclusively at the IDS, so head down this weekend to give it a test drive.

Lath and plaster and carpets

While this weekend is going to be bananas, it's also definitely gonna be fun. One thing that I'll for sure be doing on Saturday is checking out all the hot design openings for Do West Design that'll be happening along Dundas West between Bathurst and Grace. One must-see for me will be the collaboration between a couple o' friends of mine, Bev Hisey and Donna Griffith, that'll be happening at R.A.D. 899 Dundas West. Bev has been going through a major home reno and was so inspired by the lath and plaster discovererd during the demolition that not only did Donna capture it on film (take a look at some of the gorgeous pics here), Bev also created carpets with the same look and feel. Click here to get a Do West Design postcard and map.

There's tons more happening in the city for the IDS and the Toronto International Design Festival so I'd suggest a little pre-planning is in order. You can download a TIDF guide and discount passport here, and for more info on off-site design shenanigans (with parties, exhibits, lectures and maps) you can download a Toronto Design Offsite app for your iPhone here.

The gig is up

I got to meet Davide Tonizzo last year while I was hosting a Pecha Kucha Toronto design talk down at Harbourfront. Davide was super nice, especially since I totally mashed up his name while running through his bio. Now, with the Interior Design Show about to crash land in Toronto this weekend, Davide got in touch about his latest work, a multi-functional piece called Gig which'll be debuting at the show. It looks like a perfect solution for a small space, and is designed to easily flip from seating to lounging to sleeping. Oh, and his stop-go animation music video (that's DT playing) is extra fun as well.

And, in case you're planning on being at the IDS on Professional Trade Day this coming Friday, be sure to catch another Pecha Kucha Toronto talk happening at 5pm, with the likes of photographer George Whiteside, artist Bruno Billio and architect Brigitte Shim.

IDS Design Weekend with Arren Williams {giveaway}

Well this should be fun! The lovely folks at the Interior Design Show have organized a fantabulous prize for the much anticipated IDS11 happening Jan 27-30. Yep, you've got the chance to win an IDS Design Weekend with Arren Williams (errr, yes, that's me!). Along with 2 tix to the Opening Night shindig, you'll get 2 tix to my Arren Williams Up Close & Personal Talk (presented by Graham & Brown and Crown Wallpaper & Fabrics) which also include entry to the show, and 2 swanky nights at the InterContinental Toronto Centre hotel!

Here are all the deets:

To enter for a chance* to win an IDS Design Weekend with Arren Williams (2 IDS Opening Night Tickets, 2 tickets to the Arren Williams Up Close & Personal Talk, and 2 nights stay at the InterContinental Toronto Centre), follow these easy steps: 

1. Leave a comment below the contest blog post (please include your email where asked) explaining why you'd like to win, before Monday Jan 24th at 12pm EST. 

2. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator and will be announced by email and as an update to this post on the morning of Tuesday Jan 25th at 9am EST. Good Luck! 

NOTE: The prize does not include transportation.

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.  Void where prohibited.  Odds depend on number of applicants who participate.  Retail value of prize $518.00. Participants may enter the contest by following the steps mentioned above by Monday Jan 24th, 12pm Eastern time.  Applicants must be of the age of majority in his/her province or territory of residence or older at the time of entry to participate and win. Contest open to Canadian residents, excluding residents of Quebec. Contest winner will be announced on ArrenWilliams.com, contacted via blog post comments, and must correctly answer a skill-testing question to win a prize.  Contestants may send a self-addressed stamped envelope to 10 Alcorn Avenue, Suite 100 Toronto, ON  M4V 3A9 to enter for a chance to win.  Rules are available upon request. MMPI Privacy Policy.

Update on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 09:04AM by Arren

And... we have a winner! Congrats to Carmelo, who's wife has been nagging him for years to update the look of their home. Looking forward to seeing you at the IDS!