{ Posts Tagged ‘trend’ }

reflect on these: new mirrored furnishings

Whenever I think interest in mirrored furnishings is on the wane, a gorgeous new collection fires things up again.

Check out the new Andrea line from the always-gorgeous Bungalow 5: Hollywood Regency, but a bit chunkier and more substantial than what you might expect. The desk is positively dreamy, albeit utterly impractical for my home office, as one of my hands would constantly be gripping the bottle of Windex. If they ever resurrect Dynasty, I can see Joan Collins seated behind this baby, brokering billion-dollar mergers and checking her makeup at the same time. Over the top elegance!

picture 3 reflect on these: new mirrored furnishings I think I could handle the side table though. They’d be very so pretty flanking the bed as nightstands…

picture 6 reflect on these: new mirrored furnishings

And then there’s the ever-innovative Jonathan Adler, whose new series of brass side tables go for the gold… Not really mirrored, per se, but polished to such a brilliant shine that the magpie in me just had to include them here. I’m blown away by those striking silhouettes! (The hourglass is my fave…)

picture 10 reflect on these: new mirrored furnishings

picture 9 reflect on these: new mirrored furnishings

picture 81 reflect on these: new mirrored furnishings

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turquoise delight on cityline

meandtracy turquoise delight on citylineImage courtesy CityLine

I finally did it: a vignette inspired by my vintage Hardy Boys collection. icon wink turquoise delight on cityline

Seriously, though – turquoise is a really hot hue that’s popping up everywhere we look, as you’ll see in my segment from yesterday’s episode of CityLine. (Watch it HERE!)

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window shopping: blue dining chairs

As my Style Statement on the last page of the hot-off-the-press May issue of Style at Home (our Colour special!), I chose an iconic Danish dining chair that’s been reimagined in a totally trendy colourway: a rich, cerulean blue. It didn’t strike me until afterwards that it’s actually rather rare to come across dining chairs in this hue. Sage greens, yellows and saturated reds, yes; but true-blues (I’m not counting those anemic pale-grey-blues) are only starting to rock the dining room. Let’s take a look at five of my fave options on the market…

I positively adore Camilla House’s bentwood-style bistro chair. In vintage French blue, the Camargue chair’s deliciously authentic looking cane seat and slightly distressed paint conspire to give it that instant heirloom appeal.

camillahouse window shopping: blue dining chairs

Joining the Crate and Barrel lineup this spring is the beechwood  Village side chair in this lovely Azzuro Blue option. Love the vertical slat back — relaxed country, without being corn-cob.

picture 33 window shopping: blue dining chairs

Venturing into style-for-less territory — which in this case, happens to border industrial chic — we’ve got IKEA’s Jules visitor chair; an absolute steal at only $50 a pop.

picture 53 window shopping: blue dining chairs

Pretty in PVC! Another fab find from Camilla House Imports — the Pop Louis chair has contemporary fun with a traditional frame.

picture 12 window shopping: blue dining chairs

And I know I said this bit of Window Shopping would only deal with rich, saturated blues, but Bungalow 5′s Chloe armchair in light blue lacquer was just too pretty to exclude… The chic Chinoiserie frame looks positively dreamy in that shade of blue.

picture 111 window shopping: blue dining chairs

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get the look: lady gaga and her tea cup

gagateacup get the look: lady gaga and her tea cupImage by Splash News

With a fashion sense best described as eccentric, it’s no surprise that pop princess Lady Gaga’s latest accessory is… A fabulously frumpy china tea cup and saucer.

Whether she’s out clubbing, lunching or shopping, whenever the “Just Dance” chanteuse has been snapped by the ever-present paparazzi recently, she’s had the staggeringly incongruous item grasped firmly in hand. 

The reason she prizes her little purple teacup is actually quite sweet, and something I think we can all relate to. In an interview with the UK Sun, the superstar says she used to enjoy tea with her mother every day out of china tea cups, and by continuing to do so, it helps her feel at home no matter where she finds herself on her current tour.

“I`ve made a habit of drinking out of china because it makes me feel grounded,” she tells reporters. ”I don`t think it`s a good lifestyle to always be eating and drinking out of paper. It`s very wasteful.”

Cute, and you’ve gotta give props to her environmental awareness!

Should you find yourself wanting to jump aboard the Gaga trendwagon, might I suggest the following florid purple florals… 

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Maxwell & Williams Chintz Cream Pansy cup & saucer and tea plate set, $25, Sears

sears get the look: lady gaga and her tea cup

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Royal Albert 1990 Hartington Lane three-piece cup and saucer set, $100, Sears
royalalbert get the look: lady gaga and her tea cup

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Personally, I’m more inclined to lug around my Barbara Barry Musical Chairs No. 16 teacup and saucer, Waterford Wedgwood
barbarabarry get the look: lady gaga and her tea cup

art shoppe balcony sofa

artshoppe2 art shoppe balcony sofa

I love outdoor furniture that could work just as well indoors, and this super-luxe number fits the bill perfectly. Let’s play “spot the on-trend elements” with Art Shoppe’s stunning Balcony Sofa:

* Glossy finish (Love the lacquer look!)

* Fretwork frame (So fresh and summery!)

* Versatility (Imagine this in a front entryway as a place to perch when you’re taking off your shoes; OR pulled up to an extended dining table as an alternative seating arrangement; OR on the balcony…)

* Full weather resistance (It’s going to take a licking and keep on ticking!) 

Doesn’t it make you want to host a garden party? I can definitely see myself curled up on this beauty with a pile of cucumber sandwiches…

Balcony sofa in Orchid White (90 x 31 x 40″)

Available at: Art Shoppe, Toronto, 416-487-3211

recession style

blogpic recession style

Sir Terence Conran, Kirstie Allsopp and Philippe Starck (Photo by David Levene)

The global economic crisis (I feel like that needs a little “TM” at the end of it… How can it sound like a cliche already?) is obviously having an impact on the world of decorating and design. But, besides bankruptcies, what influence is it having on the actual direction of design? Design icons Sir Terence Conran, Kirstie Allsopp and Philippe Starck butt heads on this very issue in a fascinating Q&A for British newspaper, The Guardian — click here for the full story. Phillippe in particular sees the entire design landscape changing, and the death of the design superstar… What do you think?

must have: bird cake mould

moule bird must have: bird cake mouldSilhouettes are showing no signs of slowing down! We first did a feature on the rising popularity of this age-old art form back in the February 2008 issue of STYLE AT HOME (check out my interview with world-renowned cut-paper silhouette artist Karl Johnson here!), and the market is now positively booming with ever-more innovative decorative applications. I particularly love small and sweet animal silhouettes that pop up in totally unexpected places, like at the bottom of this Limoges porcelain cake mould from Iddko — a fantastic Canadian e-tail site that you *must* check out!

 

Price: $75

Available at: Iddko

red lacquer

hs c3 red lacquerThe November issue of STYLE AT HOME is now gracing newsstands across the country! I’ve taken the mantle of producing the Home & Style column this time around, and as an opening page to this section of what’s hot in home decor, I highlight red lacquer as a trend that we’re spotting absolutely everywhere. Love the sheen, love the dramatic shot of colour. Here’s a fave piece that I found while scouting for the column that I just couldn’t squeeze onto the page… How sweet would this scarlet stunner be in a space-strapped front hall, anchoring a curvaceous mirror? If that’s not enough to make you drool, check out the rock-bottom price tag.

High-gloss lacquer side table

Price: $159

Available at: HomeSense, 866-466-3707 for stores.

in defence of objets

picture 1 in defence of objetsI love the word “objets”. It’s a pretty, all-encompassing term for anything in a home that’s relatively small and gorgeous, and unabashedly afunctional outside the fact that it exists to be beautiful. An Eames house bird. A crystal paperweight. My Colin & Justin desktop bobbleheads. These are objets.

But what the heck are “bibelots”? I’ve seen this word pop up more and more in design literature, and as with anything I find that’s unusual and vaguely irritating, I ignored it and hoped it would go away. I finally broke down and looked it up this morning – apparently, it’s pronounced “beeble-ohs” – and it turns out it’s just an ultra-pretentious (not to mention silly sounding) synonym for “objets”.

Just as trends shape home decor, so do trends sweep through home decor jargon. I just hope this one’s short-lived.

More importantly, what’s on-trend in the world of objets? Just pop into Teatro Verde and take a look – these guys are honestly Toronto’s tastemakers when it comes to those small, gorgeous things that make a house a home.

Amber bubble spheres

Price: From $30 (3-3/4″ diameter)

Available at: Teatro Verde, 888-483-2876; Toronto, 416-966-2227