http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog Real Canadians decorating Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:06:06 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 http://feeds.feedburner.com/stylenorth?format=skinhttp://www.stylenorth.cahttp://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/logo.gifstylenorthhttp://feedburner.google.comSubscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with PageflakesSubscribe with PlusmoSubscribe with FeedLoungeSubscribe with Live.com http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stylenorth/~3/d_mHkC4L0mQ/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/a-bit-of-everything-at-ama/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:08:35 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19826 The vignette above, if I can even call it that, pretty much sums up Toronto vintage dealer Sam Kumar's All Most Antiques, formerly of Leslieville and now relocated across the road from Marty Millionaire at 328 Queen Street East. Kumar sells just about anything he thinks he can make a buck on from old world still lifes to 1960s teak to even more modern pieces like the glass and steel coffee table ($195).]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/a-bit-of-everything-at-ama/feed/ 1 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/a-bit-of-everything-at-ama/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stylenorth/~3/VRju50qSKdA/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/i-covetous-pirwi-design-at-fiber-living/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:37:45 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19791 It felt like IDS all over again when I popped into Toronto's Fiber Living last week and stumbled upon the jaw-dropping work of Mexican design firm Pirwi. Fiber's Ansis Kalnins told me the furnishings had just arrived from Mexico City and hadn't been on the floor for a week yet so what you're seeing here is literally fresh off the truck. Pirwi's designers are focused on sustainable materials and practices and they mix the latest computerized cutting tech with old fashioned hand bending and finishing to craft tables, chairs and case goods that look and feel truly innovative. Constructed mostly of plywood, the designs are skeletal, geometric and absolutely beautiful. Pricey, too, as you might expect from products this cutting edge.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/i-covetous-pirwi-design-at-fiber-living/feed/ 6 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/i-covetous-pirwi-design-at-fiber-living/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stylenorth/~3/-9iwxBkKVn8/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/when-a-rose-is-not-just-a-rose/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:31:19 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19769 Forgive my surprise at seeing IKEA's winter 2012 flyer and their new Emmie line of bedding awash in chintzy florals and toiles. The company's press materials trumpet "new textiles with old charm" and reference "an English garden at the end of the 19th century." If this were almost any other retailer I'd hardly take notice but IKEA is a global machine and when it hitches its wagon to a trend, you can bet the style has legs. The arrival of Emmie brought to mind a conversation I had with online seller Susan Elliott recently who predicted that the smash hit British period drama Downton Abbey (below) would be an interior design Inukshuk pointing the way to a new (old?) design direction. After a decade of mid-century madness — triggered in part by Mad Men, another wildly popular TV series — I feel the ground shifting and a new zeitgeist emerging.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/when-a-rose-is-not-just-a-rose/feed/ 3 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/when-a-rose-is-not-just-a-rose/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stylenorth/~3/Z9FM60VctXU/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/picture-perfect-pottery-at-bluebird/#comments Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:11:48 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19758 Last week, I passed by Toronto's Bluebird, a shop specializing in handmade gifts, mementos and decorative items and I was so struck by the gorgeous display of Sara Paloma pottery just inside the front door that I followed my curiosity inside. With such narrow necks the vases are utterly impractical and stunningly beautiful. On sale for 15 per cent off, the vessels range in price from $125 - $260. Paloma is a potter based in Emeryville, California.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/picture-perfect-pottery-at-bluebird/feed/ 5 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/picture-perfect-pottery-at-bluebird/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stylenorth/~3/UwZWkVRBlEA/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/punch-and-judy-on-the-block/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:52:06 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19739 I concede that this post is only tangentially related to home décor but since my dearly departed Scottie dogs were named Punch and Judy I have a soft spot for anything relating to the centuries-old and highly collectible puppets. Toronto's A.H. Wilkens is auctioning a wide range of Punch and Judy memorabilia on Tuesday (February 14) ranging from 1800s playing cards to figurines, mugs, door stops, books, decorative plates and an antique tea set. Many of the items are included in box lots and shouldn't command especially high prices.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/punch-and-judy-on-the-block/feed/ 1 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/02/punch-and-judy-on-the-block/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stylenorth/~3/1aHdeQCFXSE/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/more-more-more-from-ids-12/#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:11:20 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19680 Visitors to this year's Interior Design Show ascend to fair level through a vast curtain of felt dubbed "Strip Tease" by Toronto's RAW Design. Composed of approximately 1,300 long strips of felt that collectively tip the scale at 3,700 lbs, the purpose of the installation is not at all apparent until you enter the show and see it from the convention floor where it transforms into a giant screen for video and still image projections. (Photo above by William Suarez). There were lots of great booths and exhibits on the IDS floor and today's post features a few of my favorites.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/more-more-more-from-ids-12/feed/ 6 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/more-more-more-from-ids-12/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stylenorth/~3/qrgjQ8z5VS4/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/ids-a-few-of-my-favorite-things/#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:43:39 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19636 This is NOT a comprehensive look at this year's Interior Design Show in Toronto. By 11 pm, after an entire day of talks and exhibitions — including a guided tour of the Gladstone Hotel's annual Come Up to My Room — I was knocked down and dragged out. Lineups dissuaded me from touring the always popular IDS demonstration spaces (How Do You Live?) and I completely missed the DesignGenNext, the show of promising student work from Ryerson, Sheridan, OCAD, Humber and George Brown. Even without those pieces of the puzzle my IDS experience was exhilarating. This year, I started with the Studio North exhibition of new work by Canadian designers and Prototype, a launching pad for innovative new products.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/ids-a-few-of-my-favorite-things/feed/ 1 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/ids-a-few-of-my-favorite-things/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stylenorth/~3/vYBOXXJ1Ppw/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/starstruck-at-ids/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:51:11 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19614 I was lucky enough to start my Interior Design Show whirlwind yesterday morning with talks by top New York designer Amy Lau and 1stdibs.com founder Michael Bruno. Between the two speakers, Lau kindly signed copies of her lavish new book, Expressive Modern, and Bruno was one of the fans in line, along with yours truly, to get his copy autographed. Lau was utterly magnanimous: we chatted as she signed my copy and asked for recommendations of things to see and do while she was in Toronto. I steered her to the Gardiner Museum of Ceramics, which I was pretty sure she'd love. Bruno was also friendly, not to mention impossibly handsome, as he posed for a picture and we shared a few words. Yes, I was starstruck at IDS.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/starstruck-at-ids/feed/ 0 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/starstruck-at-ids/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stylenorth/~3/vM4L8Cr8lD0/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/ids-12-let-the-fun-begin/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:13:39 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19606 Toronto's Interior Design Show (IDS 12) kicks off this morning with a slate of design heavy hitters and a media preview in advance of this evening's big opening night party ($60 and worth every penny!). Tomorrow is trade day, then the doors open to the public on Saturday and Sunday ($22). This truly is my favorite event of the year and I'm palpably excited to see what's new and what's next in interiors, something IDS is incredibly good at presenting. As always, I'll be paying special attention to the Studio North and Prototype exhibits where Canadian talent and cutting edge designers face the industry and the public in search of customers and critique. Above are pieces from Studio North participants Nomo Creations, Tahir Mahood and Tyler Mackenzie Craft & Design.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/ids-12-let-the-fun-begin/feed/ 2 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/ids-12-let-the-fun-begin/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stylenorth/~3/ACQE3QnOhBg/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/tribute-decor-uniquely-positioned/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:55:43 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19585 Online vintage furniture sellers are popping up like dandelions in spring. The explosion of hunter/collector TV shows like American Pickers has spawned a thousand cyber cottage industries populated by Goodwill junkies who think they can make a go of it online. I wish them all good luck but I suspect many of them will wind up with basements full of junk and a server bill to boot. I predict a happier ending for Susan Elliott of Tribute Decor, however. Susan is based in Kingston, Ontario, almost equidistant from three of Canada's biggest markets — Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. She'll deliver for a nominal fee ($95 to Toronto) and unlike Craigslist, she'll take the goods back if you're not completely satisfied.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/tribute-decor-uniquely-positioned/feed/ 6 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2012/01/tribute-decor-uniquely-positioned/