Design & Decor Blog

vivienne tam hp mini 1000

viviennetam vivienne tam hp mini 1000

I love tech-y gadgets, but there’s nothing better than a piece of technology that just looks darned pretty. The creative minds at HP have come up with the new HP Mini 1000, a tinier-than-tiny version of a laptop. Weighing in at 2.2 lbs with a 10.2-inch high-def monitor and 1-inch thickness, this mini computer is perfect for storing in a purse or overnight bag. It includes 2 USB ports, WiFi, and a 60 GB hard drive.

Fashion designer Vivienne Tam teamed up with HP to create the pretty peonied version above. Shown on the runway of her Fall 2009 show at New York’s Fashion Week, this sexy device straddles the line of fashion and technology. Love it!

Price: $800
Available at: bestbuy.ca

must have: temple boxes

picture 2 must have: temple boxes

Aight… This post will be short and sweet, as I’m reduced to one-handed typing after a nasty accident snapping Manzanita branches (don’t ask)… But I just had to share these gorge new accessories I spotted at Crate and Barrel. Grouping multiples at varying heights is a surefire way of stylish accessorizing, and these fantastic mango wood boxes add a sexy shot of citrus-fresh colour to any tablescape.

Temple Boxes

Price: $75 – $95 each

Available at:  Crate and Barrel, 888-657-4108

valentine’s day lingerie, candles and chocolate!

eberjey1 valentines day lingerie, candles and chocolate!
With Valentine’s Day coming up, here are some things that will add up to a very romantic — but still natural and green — evening! This sassy O Girl Babydoll from Eberjey is made from organic cotton and comes in spearmint (shown) or pink. Buy it from one of the Canadian retailers that sells Eberjey lingerie (see the site for details) or if you can’t find it at the shops, order it or another O Girl item online.
archipelago1 valentines day lingerie, candles and chocolate! Available at: www.eberjey.com
Price: $57 (US)

Then light up the night with the sweet scent of Archipelago’s Jasmine scented candle. Made of cleaning-burning soy wax, it lasts an incredible 90 hours.
Available at: www.archipelago-usa.com
Price: $29.50 (US)

greenblacks4 valentines day lingerie, candles and chocolate! And savour some delicious Green & Black’s organic chocolate. My favourite is the Ginger bar, with real bits of ginger, but you can get all kinds of other yummy flavours, including Cherry, Espresso and Caramel. You won’t be able to resist them. I know I can’t!
Available at: Sobey’s, Metro, Loblaws, Shopper’s Drug Mart
Price: approx. $3.89

Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!

canada blooms contest

canadablooms canada blooms contest

Nothing says “Happy Valentine’s Day” like a bouquet of fresh flowers, and thanks to the folks at Canada Blooms and Pick Ontario, you have a chance at winning a spring-fresh arrangement just like the one depicted above through this very blog!

The perfect pairing, this give-away includes a lovely hand-tied bouquet of Ontario-grown flowers as well as four tickets to Canada Blooms, Canada’s largest flower and garden festival, with an approximate value of $125! Canada Blooms, hosted at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from March 18 to 22, celebrates the best of Canadian gardens, exploring the tradition of gardening and horticultural excellence from across the country. 

How to win?

Simply answer me this: “What’s your favourite cut flower?”

What florals work best in your interior spaces? How do you arrange them for maximum impact? What vessels work best with that particular type of flower?

Post your response as a comment on this blog, and I’ll choose a winning response on Tuesday, February 10, 2009. Canada Blooms will ship the tickets and arrangement to the lucky winner just in time for Cupid’s arrow to strike. icon wink canada blooms contest

 

*Contest closes February 9, 2009. Open to all residents of Canada, except those in Quebec. Not open to any Transcontinental Media employees, their families, or any other persons with whom they reside.*

hollywood regency – go glam!

glamour hollywood regency   go glam!

Speaking of Hollywood Regency… Here’s another dose of decadence courtesy of the Camilla House Imports booth at the CGTA this week. Their vignette totally emphasizes the elements of glitz and glamour that are key to Hollywood Regency — lacquered furnishings, luxurious velvets, and lots of crystals. So pretty!

Camilla House Imports, 800-661-0257; Mississauga, Ont., 905-564-5433

the new mirrored furniture?

chest the new mirrored furniture?

I think deep down, everyone’s got a soft-spot for Hollywood Regency — think girlie and glamorous mirrored vanities — and the style continues to be a strong seller according to my peeps in retail. But I’m always on the lookout for what’s next, and that’s why I was so pumped to find this beauty at the CGTA this week. I like to think of it as a new direction for mirrored furniture, despite not being mirrored at all. This chest is in brushed metal, accented with leather strapping, for a look that’s refreshingly masculine — a “boy-friendly” answer to the over-the-top femininity of Hollywood glam. It reminds me of a rugged suitcase that’s been around the world a couple of times, but maintains a refined air. 

Contact for retailers near you: Camilla House Imports, 800-661-0257; Mississauga, Ont., 905-564-5433

park hyatt, shanghai

picture 3 park hyatt, shanghaiWhen it opened in September 2008, the Park Hyatt Shanghai officially became the highest hotel in the world. The elevator ride up to the lobby is long and full of anticipation. But as the elevator doors finally ease open to reveal the stunning 87th-floor lobby, the view does not disappoint. The dark mahogany wood of the reception area against pale coffee-coloured walls is rich and luxurious. The exceptionally high ceilings (unexpected in a high-rise building) give instant grandeur to the space and create an immediate sense of extravagant style.

Designed by New York–based Chinese-American interior designer Tony Chi, the rooms at the Park Hyatt Shanghai are nothing short of sophisticated. With high-tech features (remote controlled shades that, at the click of button, reveal a sweeping view of Shanghai, a television screen hidden in the bathroom mirror and a toilet that does everything but your laundry) and an otherwise minimalist decor, the rooms are a perfect mixture of modern American design and traditional Chinese Zen.

We checked in with Caitlin Hickey, a public relations representative for the hotel, to find out more about the inspiration behind the hotel`s beautiful design. Click here to read the interview.

must have: vintage book art

penguins must have: vintage book art

Scale is everything. It can transform frumpy into fabulous, and vintage into cutting-edge vogue. I love what artist Alanna Cavanagh has done with these timeworn retro Penguin Books covers. By blowing them up to enormous proportions — these measure 43 x 32″! — they’re suddenly au courant art for the home. And how cute would “A Room Of One’s Own” be in a bedroom? I love the coffee cup-stain too — pure class!

Alanna Cavanagh limited edition 43-by-32-inch silkscreen prints

Price: $1,400 each (framed)

Available at: Canvas Gallery, Toronto, 416-532-5275

solar-powered radio

fr500 solar powered radio

Sorry I haven’t posted in anything even approaching a timely fashion this week, but I’ve been felled by a super-cold that’s just been lingering on and on. Feeling somewhat better today, though, so fingers crossed the cold is finally on its way out!

I still remember clearly the day in the summer of 2003 when the power when out in the Northeast. We were all sitting around a table in our art department here at the magazine editorial offices and everything shut down and went totally quiet, At first we figured it was just a blip, but it soon became clear it wasn’t.

If only we, and I, had had one of these babies back then to find out what was going on. The FR500 Solarlink from Etón is a feature-packed self- and solar-powered AM, FM and shortwave radio that also has an LED light (including a red LED light for emergencies, along with a siren). It also has cell phone charger (a card is included with the radio; just fill it out with info on what cell phone you have and mail it in and you’ll get the cell phone tip you need!). What more could you ask for in the case of a blackout?

Available at: The Source, Canadian Tire

Price: $80


The second winner of a Go Green Works Starter Kit, including the following products, is Sylvia McGinley of Alberta Beach, Alta.! (To see the original post announcing the contest, click here.)

  • Green Works Dishwashing Liquid
  • Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner
  • Green Works Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner
  • Green Works Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner
  • Green Works Natural Dilutable Cleaner
  • Green Works Natural Bathroom Cleaner

You still have a chance to win one of the last two kits. All you have to do is be a subscriber to my blog. If you’re not a subscriber already, sign up to have the Natural Chic blog delivered directly to your e-mail inbox for a chance to win. To do so, just click this icon: emailfeedicon solar powered radio

I`ll pick one more winner a week for the next two weeks. Good luck!

Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!

see karl lohnes… live!

karlos see karl lohnes... live!

He’ll tell you what you need, what you really, really need!

(Yes, I’m still haunted by the Spice Girls.)

Karl Lohnes, our very own Contributing Style Editor, will present “What You Really Need: Decorating for 2009″ at the College Park location of DeBoer’s on Saturday, February 7. If you’ve never had the chance to see Karl live, I strongly suggest you RSVP online right away because space is limited. With his wealth of experience — and armed with a razor-sharp wit — Karl’s presentations are always a huge hit at trade shows, and in the intimate setting of DeBoer’s gorgeous College Park showroom (an inspiration in itself), this is not to be missed. Karl’s gonna dish on decorating trends for the upcoming year, suggest the new must-have accessories, furniture and paint colours, and he may even hold the solution to your design dilemma… Oh, and it’s FREE.

See you there!

What You Really Need: Decorating for 2009

Saturday, February 7, 11:00AM – 12:00NOON

DeBoer’s College Park, 444 Yonge St., Toronto

RSVP online at events@deboers.com or 800-265-2637

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