Style & Decor Blog

Yes, you read it right. The doyenne of dreamy domesticity is heading north of the border for a very brief stint at Canada Blooms - Canada’s largest flower & garden expo.

Miss Martha’s gracing the Grey Power Stage at the Direct Energy Centre from 2:00 - 2:30PM on Saturday, March 20, where she’ll be giving a demo on gardening, planting projects, and ideas for arranging inspiring outdoor spaces.

Get your tickets for Canada Blooms here!

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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.

Inspired by the fang-like rock formations that drop from cave ceilings, the Stalac Collection Coffee Table designed by The Practice of Everyday Design was one of the highlights of IDS10 in my books.

I love the juxtaposition of fluid, undulating base with the right angles of the tabletop.

Part of the juried Prototype Exhibition at the IDS, I’ve got my fingers crossed that this prototype gets picked up for production in the future. I had the chance to talk to David Long, one half of the creative duo behind Everyday Design, who said a series of vases and a chandelier were next to receive the stalactite treatment… Can’t wait to see them!

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Here’s our little home away from home at the Interior Design Show – the Style at Home booth as designed by superstylist Malcolm Patterson (whose gorgeous Toronto home graces our new March 2010 issue). Split down the middle (as we’re sharing the space with our sister publication, Canadian Gardening), it’s two takes on a breezy, summer dinner party. Delish!

On the Canadian Gardening side of the table (above), Malcolm’s arranged place settings of Jasper Conran’s gorgeous Chinoiserie Platinum for Waterford Wedgwood.

…And at the Style at Home end, we’ve got Kate Spade’s classic June Lane china. So pretty!

Stop by the booth tomorrow (Saturday, January 23) between 2:00 and 4:00PM to chat with Style at Home’s Senior Design Editor Margot Austin, Canadian Gardening’s Editor in Chief Erin McLaughlin and me! We’d love to meet you!

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Good morning, all! Thanks so much to my guest blogger Margot Austin, who must have pulled an all-nighter to deliver her post below on the lovely lighting at last night’s launch gala for the Interior Design Show.

Margot’s got a tough job ahead of her, as she’s been given the honour of judging booths for the IDS’s “best in show” awards later this weekend – not an easy decision by any means!

Having said that, year after year I’m staggered by the beauty of Snob’s booth. Snob owner Denise Zidel’s passion for African design is absolutely contagious, and with her exotic collection at IDS10, she’s truly outdone herself. It’s one of those booths that require you to stop for a few minutes and let your eyes soak in all the gorgeous little details. Here are a few of my Snob faves…

This orange leather console table is to die for… The nailhead trim runs along every edge, and the stiletto-legs are incredibly sexy. What a fantastic statement piece for my front hall… I’d even pair it with that perennial entryway fave of mine, the orange metal coatrack from Urban Outfitters. (Yes, I’m obsessed with high-impact entryways.)

How about a little plume-ination? This ostrich feather floor lamp diffuses a beautifully soft, warm glow.

…But the piece de resistance at Snob IMO is this series of Egyptian pierced metal pendants. The intricate detail on these hanging light fixtures is art gallery-worthy. I just don’t know which shape I’m more in love with – the globe, or the teardrop. I’m dying to see the teardrops arranged in multiples running the length of a rectangular dining table, or three globes of different sizes suspended at different heights over a circular dining table…

Even if you can’t make it down to the IDS this weekend, you can always check out Denise’s spectacular showroom at Snob, 388 Carlaw Ave., Suite 202F, Toronto; 416-778-8778.

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Off the top, a giant huzzah and merci beaucoup to my pal the Style Sleuth for inviting me to guest here in his regular cyber spot. I’m just back from the gala opening of the Interior Design Show 2010 at the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto and I have seen the light! I’ve been thinking a lot about light these days — or the lack of it around these parts this time of year — so it’s no wonder that great new lighting designs were my top takeaway from tonight’s first go ’round. Here’s what I spied:

Very cool sconces in one of the sheds designed for the 5 Small Rooms exhibit. This space by Stephane Chamard and Francoise Turner Larcarde of FTL+SC Studio.

Tout le monde was ooohing and aaaahing over these lovelies. 20 IKEA PS MASKROS — giant paper spheres inspired by dandelions. Simple, yet magical.

…And just a few booths away, the Moooi Raimond spheres at the Klaus booth.

An ethereal cascade of hand-blown glass spheres by Gregor Herman, some with colour, some with texture, each bouncing light every which way. J'adore.

Perfectly simple and modern by Secto Design.

Ok, I knew that Zac Ridgley of Ridgely Studio Works was talented, but this is ridic! This sconce looks like light peaking out of a crumpled sheet of solid gold. I'll take a pair please!

This floor lamp from Diesel for Foscarini is all 21st-century-loft-meets-'50s-beauty-parlor-hairdryer. no?

And for a dedicated Ilse Crawford fan such as moi, finally seeing this little lamp beauty with the saucy red cord in real life was as good as spotting a celeb. Have loved it from afar, but this was my first 3D meetup. Yum! Thanks to Stephanie Lees of Eye Spy Studio for bringing it in for her 5 Small Rooms space. And BTW, Stephanie's own place is amazing and we are shooting it soon for an upcoming issue of STYLE AT HOME. Stay tuned!

Can’t wait to head down to the show again tomorrow and Sat. After all, couldn’t exactly do the whole show tonight wearing these:

Ta for now, your faithful guest blogger and STYLE AT HOME senior design editor, Margot Austin.

With the lavish opening night gala just hours away, I’ve got time for one more sneak peek at the 2010 Interior Design Show… The last in my “names to know” at the IDS series are Eva Milinkovic and Kris Gene of Tsunami Glassworks, a design duo whose modern organic sculptures in glass have been making some serious waves (sorry, couldn’t resist) since 2005.

Names: Eva Milinkovic & Kris Gene of Tsunami Glassworks

Home base: Windsor, Ontario

Claim to fame: Sleek, stunning and sculptural blown glass

Style Sleuth: What does the Interior Design Show mean to you?

Eva and Kris: “IDS is one of those amazing venues that showcases some of the best current design, and features some of the greatest Canadian designers. It’s a great way for young and emerging designers to show off their designs to the public, design professionals, and the press.”

Eva and Kris making a giant wisp.

SS: What are you debuting at IDS10?

Eva and Kris: “This year we’ll be showcasing sculptural lighting, playing with organic forms made from black glass suspended in space.”

Tsunami’s Hypervoxel Chandelier:

(Hand blown glass components suspended from lighting unit by steel cables. By using multiples to create scale, Hypervoxel operates as a sculptural chandelier custom-tailored for large or small applications.)

SS: What was your last home purchase?

Eva & Kris: “A modern-looking rectangular tub by Neptune for our bathroom renovation.”

SS: Where is design going in 2010?

Eva & Kris: “The top directional trends for design in 2010 will be a balance of past and future, with the emphasis on sustainability using reclaimed materials and the utilization of 21st century tools like computer assisted design and advances in manufacturing practices.”

SS: What are your fave colours of-the-moment?

Eva: “Lime green.”

Kris: “Gun metal grey.”

Check out the latest from Tsunami Glassworks at the Interior Design Show, January 21-24, Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

If you’re heading down to the Interior Design Show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday, January 23, be sure to stop by the Style At Home booth! Style At Home’s Senior Design Editor Margot Austin and I will be on-hand from 2:00-4:00PM, and we’d love to meet you! Speaking of which, Margot will be guest blogging from the IDS right here on Style Sleuth, beginning tomorrow night after the lavish Opening Night Gala! Stay tuned to Style Sleuth for all the glamour, guts and gossip!

Next up for my series of “Ones to Watch” at the Interior Design Show are twin woodworkers Jason and Lars of Brothers Dressler: up-and-coming “upcyclers” who are turning salvage into a whole lotta sexy.

Name: Brothers Dressler

Home base: Toronto

Claim to fame: Eco-chic custom furniture crafted from repurposed and salvaged objects and responsibly-harvested materials.

Style Sleuth: What does the Interior Design Show mean to you?

Brothers Dressler: “It’s a great opportunity to show our work to a new audience, but more importantly it allows Canadian and local Toronto designers to be exposed to the Toronto market and beyond. It’s an opportunity to bring our small-scale local craft level work to an industry that’s dominated by large scale manufacturing.”

SS: What are you debuting at IDS 10?

Brothers Dressler: “Our limited line of salvaged School chairs, updated and refurbished for the contemporary market as part of Limited Edition in Studio North. We think the elegant and simple constructions from the past are worth saving, so we use the existing strength and function of an old chair and add to its form to reinforce and transform it. We came across a number of chairs saved from a defunct felt factory in a salvage store in the Junction. We saw the potential in these well-used chairs and took all 93 of them. They’re tubular steel frame school assembly chairs with flat maple plywood seats and curved plywood backs. Many interpretations of this chair will come out of our workshop. The frame, seat, back and legs will be old and new, added-to and reinforced to create chairs that will begin again, and avoid a premature end.”

The salvage chairs Lars and Jason bought… (All 93 of them!)

…And after the Brothers Dressler transformation!

Lars and Jason have reinforced the old institutional icon with solid wood braces as new legs. The brothers are offering the legs in a number of solid woods, including Douglas fir (salvaged from a factory torn down in the west end of Toronto), reclaimed elm (from a barn north of Toronto) and walnut (sourced from local, responsible suppliers). By adding braces of different sizes, they can make the chair into a standard 18″ model, tall 24″ dining chairs, 24-30″ bar stools, chairs with arms, and even 4-8′ benches!

SS: What was your last home purchase?

Jason Dressler: “My latest home purchase was an environmentally-friendly California king mattress – the first mattress that I can actually stretch out on!”

SS: Where is design going in 2010?

Brothers Dressler: “Although we don’t subscribe to trends, we’re happy to see more people becoming aware of sustainability and timeless design. We see the direction of design continuing to focus on conscious design, where prospective clients are aware of the impact of where their furniture is built and what it’s made from. Factors like responsible and reclaimed sources, fair wage and local manufacturing and longevity of design will continue to gain value.”

SS: What’s your fave colour of-the-moment?

Brothers Dressler: “We’re always partial to natural colours, and we also appreciate the creative use of bold colours. Warm, woodsy tones combined with the natural green of plants can make any interior fresh and inviting.”

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

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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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