Style & Decor Blog

Sometimes seeing how something’s made can alter your enjoyment of the finished product. As much as I love hot dogs grilled on the barbeque every summer, for instance, I never, ever want to see how wieners are made. Ever.

On the other hand, when it comes to fine furniture craftsmanship, seeing the artful process of how it’s manufactured can enhance your appreciation of it, elevating something as taken-for-franted as a simple slipper chair to a true work of art.

Last week, I had the chance to go behind-the-scenes at Toronto’s Barrymore Furniture to see how their soft furnishings are made, and it just reinforced the beauty of their custom collection of sofas and armchairs.

It all starts, of course, with fabric. Barrymore offers a huge selection of upholstery options in their own fabric line, as well as high-end threads from the likes of Robert Allen and Kravet. Just take a look at their sample room… So pretty!

…And behind-the-scenes lies Barrymore’s fabric storeroom. Bolt after bolt of trendy textiles. Before it’s cut, each length of fabric is completely unrolled and inspected for quality control on a giant roller.

The selected fabric is then cut (by hand!) according to draft forms. These racks contain all the templates for each sofa and chair model Barrymore carries.

Springs are hand-tied into position into the (heavy – but so durable!) hardwood frame in preparation for upholstery. Barrymore uses a special string that resists that annoying “squeak” after you’ve been plunking down in the same spot for a number of years.

Exposed wood elements of the furniture frame are taken to the spraying room for stain treatment. Doesn’t this look like a Star Wars set?

Now we’re ready for that upholstery…

This is what tufting looks like – from the side of the chair we never see!

…Et voila! A completed sofa, upholstered in a lovely Larry Laslo fabric.

These particular sofas are on their way to various Canadian embassies all around the world! (Nice to see Canadian diplomats abroad still remember to buy Canadian!) Kind of cool, as well, to think that dignitaries across the globe are able to enjoy Canadian craftsmanship each time they visit the embassies!

If it looks like they’ve got the process down to a science, there’s a reason: Barrymore’s been at this for over 90 years now. What a great “Made in Canada” success story!

Barrymore Furniture, Toronto, 416-532-2891

Photography by Daniel Harrison

I got so much wonderful feedback from my “From A To Zoo” story on the animalia-decorating craze in the May 2009 issue of Style At Home magazine, and one of my – and your! – fave elements of the feature was the gorgeous Galbraith & Paul “Birds” linen fabric hanging on the right. Natural linen, hand-block printed in muted citrus yellow, orange and green, it’s a work of art in its own right.

But if you thought it was pretty against a window, take a look at this…

That’s right… The Birds print (on silk, this time) is being applied to a funnel pendant lamp shade at Galbraith & Paul’s Philadelphia, PA, headquarters. 

And here’s the finished product, to the extreme left of this grouping of Galbraith & Paul’s silk funnel pendants.

Love it!!!

Check out the other stellar shapes in the Galbraith & Paul lighting collection…

 Galbraith & Paul Hex Pendants

Galbraith & Paul Drum Pendants

These pretty pendants are available at 2Modern – a U.S. etailer that ships to Canada. Yay!

Lighting images courtesy Galbraith & Paul

I don’t think anything could prepare me for the experience of dining at a waterside cafe in Nyhavn. A harbour canal in Copenhagen (the name “Nyhavn” literally translates into “New Harbour”) that’s dotted with moored old sailing ships, it’s possibly the most atmospheric place in the Danish capital. It’s along this canal that world-famous fairytale writer, Hans Christian Anderson, lived for a time; but now it’s packed with posh eateries and antique shops.

Most of the houses along the canal are more than 300 years old, and have been restored in breathtaking colours (some of which actually reminded me of the new Hacienda Style palette from Pittsburgh Paints that I mentioned last week). A feast for the eyes! 

One of the sweetest surprises of dining on the canal? Once the evening chill sets in, restaurant staff provided us with blankets so that we could remain outdoors. Naturally, they were IKEA.

What a thoughtful idea for your next al fresco soiree! 

Here I am modeling the latest in Nyhavn evening wraps with the fab Olivia Stren. (Thanks to Canadian Living’s Karen Kirk for providing the shot!)

Irma 67-by-51″ fleece throw blanket, $4, IKEA

If the colour green was issued a report card, it would most certainly read, “plays well with others”.

When I was presenting a floral seminar recently, I suggested to the group that they start thinking of green as a neutral. Of course, there are different undertones to each green that make certain hues work better than others in a space, but the point I was making was that it’s much easier to “go green” (chromatically speaking) than you may have thought.

I was chatting with my good friend, IKEA Canada’s National PR specialist (and former Style At Home Associate Design Editor!) Tamara Robbins Griffith about this the other day, and found a fellow fan of this totally on-trend colourway.

“Green goes with every other hue,” Tamara says. “It integrates easily into existing decor, not just as accessories, but in larger furniture pieces as well.”

I asked Tamara to share her fave friendly greens currently in-store at IKEA, and she prepared this hot list for me, along with a few of her expert tips on how to make the most of these summery shades…

Karlstad sofa, $500, Karlstad sofa cover in Korndal green, $299

“Pick cushions that have different patterns or colours on each side,” Tamara says. “It’s like having two pillows in one!”

Jorun cushion cover, $6

“Bird motifs are playing a major role in home decor right now,” Tamara raves. “Textiles with nature-inspired patterns are perfect design fodder for drapery panels, roman shades or bedding.”

Cecilia cotton textile, $3/metre

Green is, of course, more than just a colour, Tamara says – it’s also a state of mind. “Stackable chairs save storage space as well as transportation emissions,” she points out. “This makes them a more environmentally-friendly choice.”

Urban chair in green, $50

All available at: IKEA, 866-866-4532

Woah.

Talk about a match made in heaven.

Check out the new Marimekko collection of custom IKEA furniture slipcovers from Bemz… Without a doubt, the best fabric options Bemz has put out yet.

Hello, fuchsia! What a striking statement piece… (Bemz also scores extra points for styling this shot with my all-time favourite bowl in the background - the red, stemmed Maribowl from Iittala!)

Marimekko is a Finnish design studio that absolutely epitomizes “freshness”. Their designers have basically defined the superchic Scandinavian modern aesthetic that’s now a global phenomenon.

Marimekko’s poppy print (”Unikko”) is probably the studio’s single most iconic contribution to design. Here, it breathes new life into IKEA’s Henriksdal Parsons chair.

And here, IKEA’s Klippan sofa gets the Unikko treatment.

There’s only 13 days left until these very merry Marimekko upholstery options are launched from the Bemz website… Check out the live countdown here!

I’ve been doing a lot of antique hunting lately, and have fallen hard for antique embroidered table linens. There’s something about a stately monogram that elevates an already stylishly-set dining table to epic levels of elegance. 

That’s why I decided it was time to splurge for my very own, old-school, hotel chic, crisp white monogrammed napkins. But where to find them?

Monogrammes, in the historic downtown of Port Hope, Ont., is renowned for custom monogramming (even home retail giants like Elte and Ginger’s Bath employ their services for custom embroidery), stitching lovely letters onto everything from table linens to cushions to handbags. 

Above, you’ll see some of the samples they prepared for me in my hunt for the perfect monogrammed napkins… I’m so cited! Such an amazing assortment of styles… Which one do you think should I choose? I think I’ve made up my mind, but want to hear your thoughts first…

Embroidered hotel napkins, $36 per set of four (What a steal!!!)

Monogrammes, 14 Ontario St., Port Hope, Ont.; 866-239-9967

Let’s face it – we’re more inclined to be pulling the “staycation” this summer. Instead of flying to some far-flung, sun-drenched vacation resort, we’re going to invest in our own nest and hunker down in our own private havens.

But that doesn’t mean abandoning glamour, of course. Even in the depths of a gloomy economy, you can bring the look of a haute hotel terrace home with a few well-chosen bargains from HomeSense. Yes, ladies and gents – that vignette above is strictly style-for-less stuff, pulled together entirely from HomeSense!

Here’s the lowdown on those low-priced, high-style outdoor essentials:

Outdoor daybed, $1,300

Metallic cushions, from $20 - $35 each

Decorative handblown glass vases, from $10 - $15 each

Glass ice bucket, $50

Coming soon to a HomeSense near you!

Subscribe to Style Sleuth so you don’t miss out!

Bargain hunters, be warned. You will covet the fantastic finds I recently scouted from the HomeSense summer preview… Because really, to borrow a phrase from those inane credit card commercials, “Can you afford not to”?

Ready? Let’s go!

High-gloss ginger jars, from $25 each

If you only buy one accessory this summer, make it a ginger jar. “Must have” is a term that’s over-used, but these shapely stunners really do work just about anywhere.

Embroidered cushions, $25 each

Crewelwork and embroidery are hot hot hot, and it’s rare to see such elaborate stitching at such an amazing price point… Snatch’em up!

Etched-glass drinkware, $4 each

Taking design cues from on-trend Moroccan tea glasses, these little gems would make for lovely votives as well.

Retro-inspired glass goblets, $3 each

These beauties will have your guests wondering how much you’ve just plunked down for antique Depression-era glassware. Borrowing the jewel-like tones of those 1930s antiques, but updated in a global medley of pressed-glass forms, these goblets are a surefire way of introducing a splash of summer to any tabletop.

These pieces are trickling into HomeSense locations across the country… Happy hunting!

Check out HomeSense or 866-466-3707 for the location nearest you!

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To me, summer means Galbraith & Paul fabric. The Philadelphia-based design duo of Liz Galbraith and Ephraim Paul specialize in the art of hand-block printing — pressing carved wooden (or foam rubber) blocks coated with coloured vegetable dyes onto fabric to make patterns. It’s a thousand-year-old process that’s Galbraith & Paul have brought into the 21st century with their penchant for stunning patterns and pretty palette of over 80 colours.

Fern (above) is a new hand-block printed pattern for Spring 2009, and Birds Silhouette (below) is a new variation of my all-time favourite Galbraith & Paul fabric, Birds (a citrusy, multicoloured version of the same pattern — on linen it’s positively dreamy). Wouldn’t these make the prettiest throw pillows for the cottage?

Love the Birds Silhouette in black, too… So striking!

For more information, visit www.galbraithandpaul.com or call 215-508-0800.

Is your Ektorp looking a little worse for wear?

Does your Klippan need a facelift?

Breathe new life into your fave IKEA furnishings with washable slipcovers from Bemz! Designed specifically to fit IKEA’s most popular furniture frames snugly, Bemz is the perfect solution for updating a sofa or chair at a fraction of the cost of custom reupholstering. They’ve recently added to their slipcover options this plush new chenille option in Cinnabar Red — a fantastic way to add a punch of colour over the holidays, and what could be cosier than curling up on chenille? 

Bemz 100% cotton Chenille slipcover in Cinnabar Red (on IKEA’s Karlanda two-seater sofa)

Slipcover price: $309

Available at: Bemz