Style & Decor Blog

Check out Teatro Verde’s new digs!

A favourite haunt of Toronto’s top tastemakers, Teatro Verde is bidding adieu to its storefront in the Hazelton Lanes Shopping Centre (get down there soon because the sale on the remaining merch is INCREDIBLE!), and setting up shop in this grand Georgian mansion on Yorkville Avenue. Reno work on the building seems to be coming along well, considering the grand opening’s scheduled for May 15.

I’m so pumped to think of this ginormous space (9,000 square feet!) filled with Shawn Gibson and Michael Pellegrino’s impeccably edited collection of small, gorgeous things, merchandised to perfection and complemented with their breathtaking floral arrangements… More details to come!

Teatro Verde, Toronto, 888-483-2876

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No one will ever mistake me for a greenthumb, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate great gardening gear. No — let’s rephrase that. If I WERE to take up gardening, I know exactly what I’d want in my toolshed.

At the top of that list is The Tubby. The lightweight and flexible design has made it a hit in Europe, and this spring, it’s hitting the Canadian market courtesy of gardening gear giant Garant. Great for holding leaves, dumping soil, or mixing fertilizer, it comes in a riot of fun colours. I’ve actually had the chance to try this baby out (it doubles indoors as a laundry basket, I’ve found!), and feel like I’ve only tapped the beginning of its potential. (Moms with kids, take note — this may very well be the toy stash to end all toy stashes!)

I’ll be giving one of these terrific totes away at my latest talk on “Bringing the Garden Indoors“ at the Norwich Public Library in Norwich, Ontario, at 1:00PM on Saturday, May 2! Ask for Lynn at the library (519-863-3307) to RSVP.

The Tubby (26- or 40-litre capacities available)

Price: From $12 each

Available at: Garden centres, hardware stores, nurseries and home building centres across Canada.

Nothing says “Happy Valentine’s Day” like a bouquet of fresh flowers, and thanks to the folks at Canada Blooms and Pick Ontario, you have a chance at winning a spring-fresh arrangement just like the one depicted above through this very blog!

The perfect pairing, this give-away includes a lovely hand-tied bouquet of Ontario-grown flowers as well as four tickets to Canada Blooms, Canada’s largest flower and garden festival, with an approximate value of $125! Canada Blooms, hosted at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from March 18 to 22, celebrates the best of Canadian gardens, exploring the tradition of gardening and horticultural excellence from across the country. 

How to win?

Simply answer me this: “What’s your favourite cut flower?”

What florals work best in your interior spaces? How do you arrange them for maximum impact? What vessels work best with that particular type of flower?

Post your response as a comment on this blog, and I’ll choose a winning response on Tuesday, February 10, 2009. Canada Blooms will ship the tickets and arrangement to the lucky winner just in time for Cupid’s arrow to strike.

*Contest closes February 9, 2009. Open to all residents of Canada, except those in Quebec. Not open to any Transcontinental Media employees, their families, or any other persons with whom they reside.*

He’ll tell you what you need, what you really, really need!

(Yes, I’m still haunted by the Spice Girls.)

Karl Lohnes, our very own Contributing Style Editor, will present “What You Really Need: Decorating for 2009″ at the College Park location of DeBoer’s on Saturday, February 7. If you’ve never had the chance to see Karl live, I strongly suggest you RSVP online right away because space is limited. With his wealth of experience — and armed with a razor-sharp wit — Karl’s presentations are always a huge hit at trade shows, and in the intimate setting of DeBoer’s gorgeous College Park showroom (an inspiration in itself), this is not to be missed. Karl’s gonna dish on decorating trends for the upcoming year, suggest the new must-have accessories, furniture and paint colours, and he may even hold the solution to your design dilemma… Oh, and it’s FREE.

See you there!

What You Really Need: Decorating for 2009

Saturday, February 7, 11:00AM - 12:00NOON

DeBoer’s College Park, 444 Yonge St., Toronto

RSVP online at  events at deboers.com or 800-265-2637

The CGTA comes to town this Sunday, but they’ve already doled out the gold! The Canadian Gift and Tableware Association’s prize for 2008 Canadian Retailer of the Year goes to… Acheson’s Fashion Gifts & Home Decor! If you’ve ever been to Orangeville, Ontario, you’ve surely stopped in at this 5,000 square foot decor destination. They popped onto my radar a few years back when I was on the hunt for a black Christmas tree (quite controversial at the time, as it was the first year for that as a trend! And yes, they had them in stock!), but as you can see from the store shot above, they’ve got some great vignettes throughout the store, and have really earned this distinction. Congrats! Definitely a store to pencil it in for a summer daytrip!

I’m off to browse the 1,100 exhibitors the CGTA myself on Monday… Gotta find some comfy shoes…

Acheson’s, Orangeville, Ont., 519-940-4719; Harriston, Ont., 519-338-3230

Tickets always make for a great gift, in my opinion. Buy someone a pair of tickets to an upcoming show, and more often than not, they’ll feel obliged to take you as a guest. Nice how that works out, isn’t it?

For only $16 a pop, available throughout December, you can order tickets to the Canada Blooms Flower and Garden Festival online — a thoughtful prezzie for any greenthumb on your gift-giving list. From Wednesday, March 18, to Sunday, March 22, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre becomes a haven for horticulture’s latest and greatest: a staggering six-acres of plantable projects and expert advice just in time for spring seed-selection. What a great stocking stuffer!

Ticket price: $16 each ($18 at the door)

Available at: Canada Blooms

I’m so excited to be able to bring “The Butler Diaries” on the road!

“The Butler Diaries” (aka “My experience at Butler Boot-Camp”) was my favourite story to produce for the November 2008 issue of STYLE AT HOME. My assignment? Spend an evening with a nationally-renowned butler to get a sense of the roles and responsibilities of Jeeves in the 21st century.

On November 22, I’ll be sharing my experiences at Butler Boot-Camp at the Norwich Public Library in Norwich, Ontario, as a wrap-up to the library’s month-long “holiday entertaining” seminar series. You’ll learn how to apply a butler’s tips and tricks to your next holiday get-together, along with other great holiday entertaining ideas for centerpieces, table settings and more.

Space is limited, so register now with Lynn or Brett at 519-863-3307! See you there!

I’m *so* pumped about this…

We’ve got an incredible celeb lineup in store for you at the Style At Home Show – just take a look at this list of presenters! – but what I can’t stop telling everyone about is what we’re offering at the IKEA Design Cafe: One-on-one consultations with your favourite design personalities! We’re talking Tommy Smythe, Samantha Pynn, Kimberley Seldon, Margot Austin, and more, and the chance to get some design directions from the pros! Book your 15 minute appointment online now!

And YES, we’ve got Colin & Justin! Although they won’t be available for the one-on-one design consultations, they’ll be at the show on Sunday, October 19, presenting on the HomeSense stage at both 11AM and 3:30PM. Here’s Margot at the recent launch of the boys’ new book, “Colin & Justin’s Home Heist Style Guide”. If you haven’t yet had the chance to see the guys live, you HAVE to make it down on Sunday. They’re an absolute scream!

Where: Style At Home Show, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto

When: October 17, 18 and 19, 2008

Get your tickets online!

I met Jeanne Beker this morning at an event in Toronto’s Distillery District, fresh off the plane from a Paris showing of Vivienne Westwood’s latest. JEANNE BEKER! (To say I’m excited is an understatement.) This woman is indeed an icon of style, and I’ve got to say I was a little bit starstruck. But what does one discuss with the face of Fashion Television – now in its astonishing 23rd season? Why, the intersection of fashion and home decor, of course. She told me that one of the major trends sweeping the fashion world is the synthesis of “high” and “low”, pairing a big-name designer top with H&M jeans, for instance. This, of course, is something that we’ve always put into practice at STYLE AT HOME as the formula to a balanced (and affordable!) interior; splurging on some key pieces, and saving on others. For more on the fusion of fashion and decor, check out my Home & Style column in the November 2008 issue, on newsstands now!