Ever come across a shop that just drops your jaw?
A while ago, I stopped into a well known Toronto store called Burnett – and haven’t stopped thinking about it ever since. The owners, Gord and Cathy Runge, are known for turning vintage furniture into modern pieces by changing hardware and using some paint. And the results are quite dramatic. Read the rest of this entry »
Are you looking for some fabulous fall decor inspiration? If you’re in the Toronto area, then you must check out the Fall Home Show.
With over 250 exhibitors, professional and celebrity designers and contractors, “Fall Favourite Finds”, and our very own Style at Home stage you can’t possibly walk away uninspired!
Don’t have tickets? No problem! We have eight pairs of tickets that we want to give to YOU!
It has been a long time coming now, but it’s worth the wait!
Though CB2 was supposed to arrive this summer, it hasn’t officially landed in Toronto yet… BUT they did share a sneak peek with us last night! True to CB2 form they brought their signature modern designs, showcasing pieces that add function and comfort to your home, with that perfect pop of colour.
So, friends, want the inside scoop??
Here’s a preview of what’s to come and, of course, the all-important when and where!
Read the rest of this entry »
Being pretty new to Toronto, I’ve been exploring the city left and right for the past couple of months. The best place to start for me has been the farmers’ markets. My favourite, so far, has been the one at Evergreen Brick Works.
Filled with all the seasonal produce you can think of, local artisans, a garden market and plenty of homemade goods to nibble on, it’s a great place to spend a few hours on a Saturday morning.
If you shop at supermarkets most of the time, it’s sometimes hard to remember that fruits and vegetables are not meant to be perfect round and shiny. The produce at the Evergreen market is a great reminder of what food should taste and look like! The tomatoes are beautifully uneven in shape, the lettuce is organically grown and the carrots are bountiful and filled with different hues of orange and crimson. Here are a few of my food photos from this past weekend.
Evergreen Brick Works Farmers’ Market
Saturdays from 9AM – 1PM
550 Bayview Ave, Toronto, Ontario
Jennifer Bartoli is a Toronto-based food writer, photographer and recipe developer who grew up in Paris. Her longstanding passion for food took her to New York City, where she studied at the French Culinary Institute. For delicious recipes and more, check out Jennifer’s blog Chocolate Shavings.
If you are ever in the Mt.Pleasant and Eglinton area of Toronto, I encourage you to pop into one of my favourite little stores, The Jacaranda Tree. It is my go-to store for hostess gifts if I am attending an event, or looking for a perfect gift for a family member or girlfriend.What I love about the store is that it mixes items that are manufactured present day, with antiques. The result is a little shop that is bursting with must-haves for your home. From vintage china, body lotion, furniture on the second floor, and linens, this little store is filled with beautiful pieces.
This may up my lame factor, but I have a confession to make…I always seem to be the last of my friends to buy the latest and the greatest gadgetry. In fact, when I finally make a purchase, there’s usually a new latest and greatest on the market (but hey, at least that means I get the item on sale, right?!). Still with me? Hmmm…probably not, but in my defence I do drool over the newest tech goodies just as much as the next gal…it’s just that my eyes don’t match my wallet. Thus, I get left behind - spitting dust, if you know what I mean!
Anyways, such is the case with my cellphone. While all of my friends have been happily glued to their smartphones (for several years), I’m still lugging around the standard mobile. I’ve got my eye on the new iPhone4 in white (doesn’t everybody?!); and, someday I WILL cave. Just not yet!
So here was my dilemma: I wanted to glam up my ol’ phone without putting a giant gouge in my wallet.
Enter GelaSkins. Made of laminated vinyl with a 3M adhesive backing, these “skins” are an easy and inexpensive way to dress up and protect all of your fav tech treasures (cellphones, laptops, tablets, e-readers, etc.)! Choose designs from their artists’ gallery or design your own. The “skins” go on in minutes and come off residue-free. The best part is that these beauties are made right in Toronto!
I’ve been obsessing over all things chevron and chose to design my own pattern in a lovely palette of grey-blue and creamy white (shown below). I’m gushing over the result and feel much better about my lil’ ol’ phone. What do you think? What prized tech goody would you cover with a GelaSkin? Leave a comment and let us know!
GelaSkins Inc., 201-2738 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON M6P 1Y3, Canada, www.gelaskins.com
Cheers, amy*
Amy Walters is a Winnipeg-based design enthusiast and blogger. For more design inspiration from Amy, check out her blog aDESIGNdock.
You may have heard about this – it’s slowly trickling through the grapevine thanks to Twitter, blog sites and the like – so forgive me if I’m sharing what you already know! It’s just that I’m so thrilled to be participating in Bloggers Give Back. Lindsay from Aubrey and Lindsay’s Little House Blog is the brains behind the operation. She has rounded up a bunch of amazing bloggers from Canada and beyond to re-vamp the overgrown, backyard garden at George Herman House, (a charity which offers supportive programs and safe housing for women with emotional and mental issues). *Side note: If the name “Aubrey + Lindsay’s Little House Blog” is ringing a bell for you, it’s probably because Lauren just profiled Lindsay’s blog a couple of weeks ago. Click here to revisit Lauren’s awesome post!
To set the project in motion, each of the participating bloggers were asked to create a mood board to illustrate their vision for the new garden design. I had so much fun creating my mood board. Not only did I stumble across some gorgeous products, but it also provided me with a much needed escape from the lousy weather we were having in Winnipeg! The jumping off point for my garden design concept was the fresh, yet classic Roxo Outdoor Series by Ikea. I love the beige and white striped cushion cover and white frame of the Roxo Easy Chair. It has a bit of a nautical vibe, without screaming “sailor”! The punch of green on the bistro chair keeps things lively and exciting.
Roxo Outdoor Easy Chair (in Beige), Ikea
Roxo Chair (in Green), Ikea
Just like it is with any indoor room design, no garden design is complete without some fab fabric accents! I selected these vibrant outdoor pillows from Tonic Living. I just love the pillows’ juicy colours and bold patterns.
Outdoor Pillow, Soho (in Kiwi), Tonic Living
Outdoor Pillow, Soho (in Mink), Tonic Living
Outdoor Pillow, Cool Strip (in Sorbet), Tonic Living
I hope this was a good teaser for you as you wait for spring to bloom! For more teasers and pleasers, check out all of the bloggers’ garden mood boards on the Bloggers Give Back website. Then leave us a comment sharing which design is most “you”!
amy*
Amy Walters is a Winnipeg-based design enthusiast and blogger. For more design inspiration from Amy, check out her blog aDESIGNdock.
It only seems natural that Kimberley Seldon should assume the design duties for the model suite at Toronto’s covetable new California Condos. My favourite Californian-Canadian unveiled her big, bold & brilliantly blue take on the 695-square foot space last week (you may even have seen it on Kimberley’s June 22nd CityLine appearance), and it’s a stunning example of small space decorating… Here’s a peek!
I loves me a good, old-fashioned galley kitchen layout… The open-concept kitchen, dining and sitting room would be great for entertaining.
Kimberley’s cleverly repeated the Moorish tile pattern from the sitting room cushions on the dining room walls, blown-up to epic proportions.
I’ve coveted those lattice-framed mirrors from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams for ages…
Hanging pendants over the nightstands instead of using more conventional table lamps is a great way to keep surfaces clear.
The suites at this Camrost-Felcorp project range in size from 455 to 1,120 sq. ft. The starting price? A cool $229,900.
For more on California Condos, check out lifebythelake.ca.
Congrats, Kimberley! I do believe this is Canada’s Next Top Model Suite. 
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Looking down at the showroom floor at Pottery Barn’s 100 Bloor St. W. location in Toronto
It’s Top Five List time!
Summer has hit Pottery Barn showrooms across the country, and I had the opportunity to take a gander at the goods this morning. Here’s my scoop on their new summer essentials…
1. Natural Curiosity Melamine Collection
Remember that coffee table book that everyone had (but never read) a few years back? The Cabinet of Natural Curiosities? Well, this melamine is the rather delicious dinnerware version of the illustrations in that book. Pretty, upscale prints that add a touch of sophistication to a summer table setting.
2. Townsend Occasional Tables
Like so much of Pottery Barn’s summer offerings, this classy cocktail table (which retails for $499) leaves room for you to put your own personal stamp on it. The tabletop lifts, revealing little niches in which you can display seasonal smalls.
The Townsend also comes in this sleek console version ($499 as well), which I’d love have in the bedroom to display and store my ever-growing arsenal of neckties. How pretty would that look?
3. Starfish Duvet Cover & Sham
Beachy blue and turquoise starfish, block-printed on crisp white cotton voile… Airy, artisanal and incredibly covetable.
4. Crewel lampshades
Exquisite crewelwork elevates these shades into works of art. What a fantastically easy way to reinvent a nondescript lamp base! Would love to pair this with a bulky balustrade lamp base in a weathered, cerused wood finish…
5. Crab placecard holders
Clawfully cute. I’d sworn off animal motif placecard holders after the holiday market got saturated with silly reindeer versions, but I’ll make an exception for these sweet silica glass sculptures. 
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There’s something truly charming about a simple gingham print. These endearingly humble black and white gingham table linens are from Mjolk — a new Scandinavian-style superstore in The Junction neighbourhood of Toronto that I’m dying to scout…
The timeworn look of the gingham lends itself to low-maintenance — I’d certainly never bother ironing these beauties. Wrinkles and loose folds in the linen simply add to the back-to-basics appeal.
The black and white gingham even translates beautifully onto a shopping tote. So sweet!
Fog Linen 100% linen placemat, napkin, tablecloth and tote, from $12 each, Mjolk
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Médias Transcontinental
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