Daytripper

Over the long weekend we jumped in the car and headed east, after getting a bit cabin crazy in the teensy apartment. Port Hope was the final destination, since we were on the hunt for Fall colours as well as cute town to wander round in. Well, check and check.

Of course we ended up shopping, how could we not; there are scads of antique and vintage stores along Walton Street and on a couple of the side streets too. The best store by far, and well worth the drive, is Michael Thomas Antiques where Michael, the owner, presents a well edited selection of furniture and accessories. The store is only 2 months old yet already has a very sophisticated vibe and yes, we bought something - A giant round brass tray cocktail table that'll look simply smashing in our new place. Take a look below to get a feel of the place (I think I might be going back for that set of chairs).

J'adorable

Jonathan Adler is a complete and utter design hero for me. Okay, I'll gush a little more - How could you not love someone that's on a one man mission to bring his 'Happy Chic' vision to the world? His work runs from pottery to lighting, furniture and rugs and is witty, irreverent and always interesting and, on the couple of occasions I've met him, he couldn't have been more charming (I've even received the occasional thank-you note when I've featured his gear in a mag; how nice!). Click here to check out the interior he did for The Parker Palm Springs Hotel - I could so move in.

I was taking a boo at a great website the other day -- PointClickHome -- when I discovered that he'd judged a Happy Chic Home contest. Take a look below at some of the winning results and, of course, read the reason's why they made the cut (click here for more). Happy, chic, and in Jonathan's words - j'adorable.



Keeping calm

For me at least, this is the design equivalent of a one-two punch - Keep Calm Gallery are a Brit firm and one of my total faves for affordable, graphically inspired art (they ship worldwide too). It all started with their 'Keep Calm and Carry On' print, inspired by a vintage WWII poster, that caught on with design types across the globe and has popped up in quite a few house shoots since. I've included their latest edition below, printed in metallic gold (v. on trend), because it's still so fab.

Well, now they branched into the world of tea-towels! Can I hear a woop-woop? Laugh as you might, this has got me extremely excited (click here to read more about my mania). The towels are printed on heavy-duty cotton and have the same smart graphic vibe as Keep Calm's posters - I love!

The towels can be ordered online from their new store The Manicule, and if you're in Toronto, head straight to Up To You to buy them in person. Look below to see 'Stand The Heat' and 'Tea Revives You'.


Clearly chic

How small is your kitchen? If you're in a condo or even a standard Victorian row house then you've gotta think smart when it comes to everything that you pick up, so anything that stacks or nests is a major bonus. I picked out these glasses for their sheer style as well as for their smart stackability, take a look -

High: The Alpha set of 5 stacking tumblers, and a bowl with lid, in mouth-blown crystal by Lobmeyr from the NYC temple of design - Moss.

Medium: Joe Colombo's sculptural 5 in Uno set of glasses from the nice folks at Design Within Reach.

Low: The Rigi is a stacking double-walled thermo glass that'll keep a latte hot and won't singe your digits, from Bodum.


Bright idea

You've just gotta love Ikea - They knocked it out of the park with their Kulla table, celing and floor lamps, which are well on their way to design classic status, and now they've done it again with the Ikea 365+ Brasa pendant light. It's the Brasa's cool and simple Scandi style that caught my attention as well as the fact they're finished the same way as the Kulla line - in a crisp yet slightly glossy powder-coated steel. Now I don't want to give you too many ideas, since I have the perfect spot for the white one in my new place (and lawd knows I'll be peeved if they sell out), but I can totally see one of these little darlings hanging over a rustic wood table, and looking smashing doing it.


Hot shop

West Elm is finally opening in Toronto and the countdown is on. It's caused quite the flurry in the Flare magazine offices (those gals know style when they see it) and a few editors have already been scoping online so they can make a beeline once the doors open on October 16th in Liberty Village. It's a favourite of mine too, they hit the nail on the head for that modern, fresh and (wonderfully) affordable vibe. I've snagged an invite to the preview and will post a few hot picks as soon as I can, but in the meantime take a peek below to see what all the buzz is about.

Make mine red

I accidentally came across the work of Avril Loreti yesterday while I was wading through resources and trying to tie up a gazillion loose ends on features I'm working on (yes, I'll e-mail Australia to see if I can get a larger image of a teacup...). Honestly, checking out her witty line on Etsy was quite the welcome treat (click here to visit her Etsy store).

Anyhoo, of course I found a favourite, and while it was a toss-up between the Mustache Handkerchiefs and her Wine Ring Cocktail Napkins it was the napkins that won out. I think they'd make a brill hostess gift , plus they make me fondly remember back to when a guest managed to throw a glass of red across a freshly painted white wall. Nice.


Season-less

I thought it would be fun to share one of my favourite shots from work this Summer - It was a Weekend Decorating story for Canadian House & Home that was all about re-working and re-thinking wicker for the home. Morgan Michener and I pulled this story together and it was shot for the July '08 issue by Angus Fergusson (make sure to check out his mah-vellous work). As we move into Fall I wanted to pop the shot onto the blog mainly because wicker, rattan and cane are now on everyone's radar and have moved beyond the 'hot weather only idea' that most of us had. Love the black painted dresser and the silvery metallic cane wallpaper that is super subtle yet super chic.

Pillow talk

What can I do to make my sofa look better? Well, the first thing you can do grab the pillows the sofa came with, y'know, those matching ones, unzip and keep the fills (you never know when you might need them) and then drop the old pillow covers off at a charity shop. Honestly, it's for the best.

Just like the current penchant for vintage one-of-a-kind lamps the world of pillows has shifted from matchy-matchy to something altogether more unexpected. Pillows, please and thanks, do not have to match your sofa, so step up the sophistication and get shopping! Now, if you're a 'Paris apartment' type the pillows below might not be for you, but they are ever so mid-century cool, and have the history to back it up. This is the Art Collection, a line of vintage prints re-issued by Swedish textile firm Ljunbergs that Design House Stockholm has run up into a swanky line of pillows. Luckily they're available online here, and just think how they'll gussy up your beige sofa!


Watch the birdie

Cute, yes, but covetable design objects too. These birds were first designed back in 1959 by Kristian Vedel and have now made it back into production through Architectmade, a v. cool Danish firm that's carefully bringing design classics back to life. Each bird is handmade in oak by a wood turner in a small village in Denmark, there are 3 sizes (representing 3 generations), and the body can be flipped and the head moved to give these little sweeties as many different personalities as you might like.

If you fancy picking up your own little flock check out Ella + Elliot for more info.

 



Sneak peek - Crate & Barrel

Today started off with the best of intentions and then slipped into something akin to a Keystone Cops movie, except my car chase involved multiple stops across the city picking up props for a photo shoot while fielding phonecalls and e-mails. Fun? Let's just say I'm glad to be home.

Okay, back to the beginning - The Crate & Barrel press preview this morning! All I can say is that I was like a kid in a candy store, wide eyed at all the beautifully stocked shelves and making mental notes as to what was a 'right now' purchase and what could be grabbed 'later'. I was impressed with the bang-on colour choices and how they really seemd to speak to everyone from contemporary, to trad, to eclectic; and all done with a particular C&B sensibility.

Here are my 3 top picks -

#1 Decorative Globes - Practically every design editor had stashed a bunch of these in their shopping basket. They'd sit v. pretty nested in a bookcase or would look marvy stacked in a bowl (definitely this season's alabaster egg...). From $6.95.

#2 Mistral Pillow - Flame stitch is having a major moment (I'm seeing it everywhere) and this pillow is a smashing example. The colours have a warm Fall vibe, jewel-y but not too much, so grab a couple for your sofa. $46.95

#3 Alpha Table - A kind blogger sent me a link to this (thanks Kareena!) so I was jonesing to see it in person. It has a hot 70's feel (in a good way), but to make it totally mine I would have it sprayed out in white. $995


Fashion tech

First off, thanks to the witty and well dressed folks behind Fashion File's cool blog for giving me a mention. Check it out for their behind-the-scenes insight on what's happening on the street and on the runway!

More on the fashion front - HP hooked up with designer Vivienne Tam on a swanky new Special Edition clutch-sized laptop that debuted in Tam's NY Fashion Week runway show. I'm loving the signature red case with it's funked-up floral motif (imagine it as wallpaper, mmm) that picks up on prints in the collection - definitely more chic than geek. The word is that you'll be able to get your well manicured hands on it in October.

Just smashing

The ceramic stool/end table has turned into quite the must-have decor item for today's spiffy home. Originally found in a traditional drum shape and patterend in blue and white (or a riot of Asian blooms) they've hit just about every level - Check out the House & Home collection at The Bay for one in white and also the on-trend metallic Convex Drum Table from the soon to open West Elm. And, while these chic multi-purpose stools hit the Eclectic nail on the head, if you're a bit more clean-lined and modern, are you completely out of luck?

Nope! I just checked out Avenue Road (it's a bit off the beaten track but well worth the trip), where they showcase lots of yummy and v. luxe collections, and discovered a new line of tables from Christophe Delcourt. IKO, OKO, OBI, OUM and OUK are the four styles that can be ordered in a whopping range of 18 glazes, including metallics, brights, and, of course, white. Chic and modern indeed.

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Hot shot

I love a good espresso (not expresso, please, lol), and starting my day with a shot is quite the best thing since sliced bread. We have the Nespresso Le Cube espresso machine in white, which looked awfully posh in our last kitchen (take a look here) and now sits rather snugly on our teensy temporary apartment countertop. Apart from the fact that it's practically idiot-proof (the foil capsules take care of that) the design is clean, simple and modern - All you need in a countertop appliance.

Now Nespresso is jacking things up for Fall with more choice in their colour finishes. A racy and kinda Eighties hi-tech matte Black and a v. lovely Bronze Patina (which would look very swish with Jenn-Air's Oiled Bronze appliances). Plus, and this is a big plus, they're also intro-ing a larger sized milk heater / frother; the Aeroccino Plus. Which (again with the idiot-proof) does a masterful job of making the kind of cappuccino foam that a seasoned barista would be proud of. All this new gear is available in September - check out Nespresso online, or visit one of their two Canadian boutiques at The Bay in downtown Toronto and Vancouver. Take a peek at the Le Cube Bronze Patina and Aeroccino Plus below.

Quick pick

After a long drive to Cambridge to check out a bedroom for a makeover I'll be doing for CityLine (look for it on the show mid-September) I had to get to business and do the un-glamorous side of my job - Returning things bought for shoots. Honestly, my car is usually jammed with scads of shopping bags waiting dolefully for me to get around to lugging them back to the stores. Ugh.

At the cash of Home Outfiiters, staring off into space, the Rakku Shoe Wheel caught my attention. Now, while we're nowhere near the Imelda level of shoe obsessions we do have tons of sneakers (currently filling 2 drawers of a large filing cabinet and smothering the floor of the coat closet); maybe this is a solution?