Style & Decor Blog

As a confirmed Blue Willow junkie, I was immediately drawn to Toronto-based printmaker Emma Nishimura’s booth at the previous One of a Kind Show. The intricate Chinoiserie styling, bird motifs and pairing of cobalt blue with crisp white in Emma’s stunning “Flight” collection of art play out like a tribute to my all-time favourite china pattern, and immediately rose to the top of my “Most Coveted” list.

“Between the Gaps” -  7.5″ x 9″, etching with aquatint and thread

For this breathtaking series, Emma drew inspiration from Japanese textiles, poetry, quilting patterns and new printmaking techniques. “I experimented and challenged myself to create work that plays with ideas of flight, water, wind and air,” she says.

“Bird 1″ - Intaglio: etching and aquatint on gampi, 3″ x 3″

“The Colour of the Sky and Sea, the Air We Breathe, the Gap in the Air” - Etching with aquatint and thread, 5″ x 8.5″

“Bird 2″ - Etching and aquatint on gampi, 3″x 3″

All images from www.emmanishimura.com

The various sizes of Emma’s prints (there’s quite a range) would make for an ideal grouping on a single wall. Would love to create my own custom art installation with these beauties!

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Forget your reflection – it’s the faboosh frames on these mirrors that are the fairest ones of all. These beauties are from the Lillian August Collection, which is a fairly recent addition to the lines carried at Oakville, Ontario’s stunning Cocoon. Extraordinary attention to traditional detail and the “instant heirloom” appeal of antique-finished gold and silver – with the occasional bit of Eglomise – elevate these mirrors to works of art.

Regency Oval

Barbados

Beauvoir

Hyde

Imperial

Lafayette

I’m horning in on Mr. Sleuth’s territory one more time to give you my final wrap up on IDS10, held in Toronto last weekend. First up are my top three picks of the show.

No. 3 The Giant Steel Pinecone. I’m a bit of a nut for a great chunk of yard art and when you combine that with my belief in the pinecone as nature’s perfect accessory, well, this thing has can’t lose written all over it.

No. 2 Well, it was love at first sight when I met her Thurs. night at the gala as you know, and she’s one of the main reasons this booth — Lightform/Metalarte — was an award winner (more on that later in the post). Still love her, miss her…

No. 1 Oh my, it’s as if this was custom designed for me. Thanks Tristan Zimmermann of Science + Sons. So, here’s the deal: it’s called Radio Canada and it allows CBC Radio-addicted householders (that’s me) to switch from Radio 1 to Radio 2 without moving an old school dial through static (if you’re thinking digital tuning and presets already solved this, well, you just aren’t one of us, so skip along now). As a bonus it has MP3 player capacity for when Jonathan Goldstein is on. Anyhoo, this baby is a prototype so click on over to Science + Sons and sign up for the news on when production will begin.

I caught lots of inspiring speakers, including the PechaKucha — loved that! Met the super talented Ingrid Abramovitch and got a behind the covers tour of what it’s like to be the author of a stunning new book, Restoring a House in the City. V. JEALOUS!  Another highlight was being on the judging panel to distribute the design awards for booths at the show. I breezed in there thinking it would take 30 minutes, but more than 3 hours later I was still debating and assessing with fellow judges. I selected in the 400 sq ft booth category but didn’t hesitate to pressure fellow judges into going with my faves in their categories, too, ’cause that’s just the kind of girl I am.

Here come da judges (we even had official IDS clipboards). From left, John Tong of 3rd UNCLE Design, moi, Clayton Budd of 64th and Queen Design Agency.

For me, the challenge came down to which is most important: the product, the installation, the signage or the layout?? Well, I decided to go with product first, ’cause without that, the rest is gravy. So, I chose Lightform/Metalarte (see  lamp above) and Lema as my winners. Lema had just the most beautiful closet fittings I have ever seen. And the stylist in me loved the black paper suit jackets hanging in their closets. One simple idea to elevate the whole presentation.

Boo, this pic isn’t doing Lema justice, but it’s the best I can find.

See you at IDS11, Jan 27-30, 2011. Thanks Mr. Sleuth. - Guest blogger and STYLE AT HOME senior design editor Margot Austin signing out.

Happy New Year!

The Interior Design Show is just around the corner (yes, they’ve brought the date forward this year!), and I’m already getting pumped to make the rounds, browse the booths and see the amazing schedule of speakers they’ve got lined up. My favourite aspect of the Interior Design Show, though, is the opportunity to meet some of Canada’s rising stars in interior and product design. Some new names to know are already emerging in the pre-show buzz, and one of the ones I’m watching is Katherine Morley, a Toronto-based industrial designer working primarily in textiles and ceramics. I had the chance to chat with the talented Ms Morley a few weeks back, and just had to introduce you all.

Canada, meet Katherine!

Name: Katherine Morley

Home base: Toronto

Claim to fame: Textile and ceramic design with a creative twist on Canadiana

Style Sleuth: What does the IDS mean to you?

Katherine Morley: “The IDS has evolved for me over the years. In my pre-design years, as a young homeowner, it was an outing I’d look forward to all year long. I would literally pack a bag with a weekend’s worth of snacks, and have an IDS marathon, exploring, researching, planning, and of course, shopping! Later, as an industrial design student, it became a magical place of possibility. Being there was exciting and very intimidating. I would walk down the aisles barely daring to wonder what it would be like to have an exhibit there. Now, my first year IN the show, it’s quite an honour to have been chosen to take part in both Studio North, and the Weaver’s Art “E.R.A. Evolution of Rug Artistry” exhibit, in which my “Une Affaire de Coeur carpet will be unveiled. I responded to an open call for submissions, and “Une Affaire de Couer” was selected as one of the 10 winning designs. It feels like a huge step in my career as a designer.”

SS: What else are you debuting at IDS 10?

Katherine: “My ‘Low Profile Bowls’ - a series of large ceramic bowls honouring great but under-celebrated Canadians - will be part of Limited Edition at Studio North. First in the series are Celia Franca, Pierre Berton, Jane Jacobs and Chief Dan George. The subjects have been carefully chosen not only for the quality, but also for the broad scope of their accomplishments.These are true Canadian luminaries that too many Canadians have never heard of.”

Celia Franca bowl, view of underside

Celia Franca bowl, from top

Chief Dan George bowl, view of underside

Chief Dan George bowl, from top

SS: What was your last home purchase?

Katherine: “I recently design a wall-unit and had it built by Space Furniture, using reclaimed wood from Urban Tree Salvage. The wood was salvaged from a recently torn-up Toronto Whart. It’s 400 year-old pine, which had been submerged since the late 1700s. It’s beautiful, and incredible to have that much Canadian history sitting in my living room!”

SS: Where is design going in 2010?

Katherine: “This is the decade in which Canadian design matures. In the ’10s, Canadian designers will begin to explore the more subtle aspects of Canadian identity, moving beyond the likeable but tired stereotypes. Canada is a sophisticated and diverse nation, and deserves to be represented globally by high-quality, innovative Canadian design - no mascots required. On that note, the emergence of the Toronto International Design Festival (TIDF) is a big step in the right direction. We needed an official, coordinated international design event to call attention to the fact that design is thriving in Canada, and has been for years. We just needed to put a name on it and embrace our own excellence!”

SS: What’s your favourite colour of the moment?

Katherine: “Any colour that reminds me of candy.”

SS: What else have you got on the go, in addition to the IDS?

Katherine: “This year marks the inauguration of the Toronto International Design Festival (TIDF), and I will be involved in two other TIDF shows as well. For Radiant Dark ‘10, I’ll be debuting “Saving Seas”, which is a series of porcelain objects designed to replace harvested coral and other reef life in hobby aquariums. The pieces also “survive outside the tank”, and can be used as vases or decorative objects. Also, I’m once again co-curating Come Up To My Room, Toronto’s largest annual alternative design event at the Gladstone Hotel.”

See Katherine’s work at the Interior Design Show, January 21 - 24, 2010, Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll bring you more names to know among the Rising Stars of the IDS!

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I’ve blogged about my passion for Ontario’s scenic Long Point region before, so it should come as no surprise that I immediately fell for Mississauga artist Joseph Sampson’s incredible waterscapes when I came across his booth at the recent One of a Kind Show.

Although a handful of his oil-on-canvas creations actually depict the north shore of Lake Erie that I call home, many of them convey the dynamic beauty of Ontario’s south coast, regardless of where exactly Joseph drew inspiration from. I had to get up close just to assure myself these weren’t photographs… You can almost hear the crashing surf and feel the brisk lake wind whipping your hair.

Gorgeous stuff, and a remarkable way of bringing the outdoors in. Check out the rest of Joseph’s portfolio at the Sampson Studio website here.

Sampson Studio, 416-878-3327 for pre-show studio viewing

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