{ Posts Tagged ‘ids09’ }

trendspotting: african style

000 0163 trendspotting: african style

If I could have awarded a booth at the 2009 Interior Design Show with a big red ribbon reading “Most Inspirational”, it surely would have gone to Snob. Almost as if we were drawn there magnetically, Samantha, Lynn Spence and I converged on Snob’s uber-exotic show space at the same time, and I’m sure anyone around us thought we were nuts. (Yes, there was that much “ooh-ing” and “ahh-ing”!) Snob is a Toronto retail destination that specializes in past and present African design — a HUGE trend that’s poised to peak this summer, methinks — and the booth was a vertitable trove of owner Denise Zidel’s truly stunning finds. Above, you’ll see just a few of the African artefacts on display during the show, arranged on a new shelving system that Denise has designed. Imagine that unit in a small apartment or condo being used as a barely-there room divider! Ooh! The stitched hide rug is also so beautiful — and that’s saying something, because normally I’m not the biggest fan of hide.

Here’s Snob’s iconic “Cow Chair”. I love the webbed seat!

picture 1 trendspotting: african style

This floor lamp was a showstopper as well.

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Check out more of Snob’s trendsetting treasures by visiting online or at the Toronto retail location!

Snob, Toronto, 388 Carlaw Ave., Unit 202F, 416-778-8778

interior design show roundup: chroma lab

chromalab2 interior design show roundup: chroma lab

The oft-achromatic Interior Design Show certainly benefitted from the vibrant burst of colour provided by Boston-based Chroma Lab, making their debut at the Studio North space. I was instantly drawn to their brilliant wall clocks (at top right of the image above): birch plywood faces, adorned with super-cool patterns painted in lively low-VOC Benjamin Moore Aura Collection hues. Chroma Lab founders, Alicia Cornwell and Tony Bevilacqua have an eye for graphic punch — not to mention an eye for fab vintage furnishings. The desk and telephone table were thrifty finds that the duo repaired, redesigned and repainted for a fresh lease on life. Great green design!

6.5 to 9.5″ Chroma Lab wall clocks

Price: about $75 US each 

Available at: Chroma Lab at Supermarket

style for less: ikea markland flooring

ikeafloor style for less: ikea markland flooring

I’m not normally one to get excited over laminate flooring, but IKEA’s latest is surely one of the greatest new flooring options of late. It’s called Markland, and it’s the glossiest, whitest, lacquered-look flooring you’re going to find at such a stellar price point (less than $30 per square metre… Craziness!)…  I had the chance to feature a Markland floor in a photoshoot for the May issue of STYLE AT HOME, and then saw it installed — as wallcovering, no less — at IKEA’s showstopping space at the IDS a week ago, and my enthusiasm keeps growing. Definitely one to file under “cheap n’ chic”!

Markland laminate flooring

Price: $26.79 per square metre

Available at: IKEA, 866-866-4532

coming soon: interior design show 2009

yco ikat chocolate coming soon: interior design show 2009When it comes to buzzworthy events on my calendar, the Opening Night Party of the Interior Design Show is probably at the top of my list. For that one night of the year, the “Who’s Who” of Canadian interior design is under one roof; 5,000 of our country’s most talented tastemakers cruising through the exhibits and schmoozin’ up a storm… It’s a total scream! Just three and a half weeks away now,  IDS 09 promises to be super-spangly this year, with a Swarovski-sponsored “Crystal Clear” exhibit, and boasting design stars on an international scale. (I’m so pumped for the chance to snag Dutch designer Piet Boon for a quick Q&A… Fingers crossed!) New to the show this year is the “Luxehome” exhibit, promising a haute collection of couture home fashions, including Y & Co.‘s to-die-for chocolate Ikat rug (shown above) — covet!

Interior Design Show 2009

Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto

February 5 – 8, 2009

Tickets: Available online