Style & Decor Blog

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

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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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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If I could have awarded a booth at the 2009 Interior Design Show with a big red ribbon reading “Most Inspirational”, it surely would have gone to Snob. Almost as if we were drawn there magnetically, Samantha, Lynn Spence and I converged on Snob’s uber-exotic show space at the same time, and I’m sure anyone around us thought we were nuts. (Yes, there was that much “ooh-ing” and “ahh-ing”!) Snob is a Toronto retail destination that specializes in past and present African design — a HUGE trend that’s poised to peak this summer, methinks — and the booth was a vertitable trove of owner Denise Zidel’s truly stunning finds. Above, you’ll see just a few of the African artefacts on display during the show, arranged on a new shelving system that Denise has designed. Imagine that unit in a small apartment or condo being used as a barely-there room divider! Ooh! The stitched hide rug is also so beautiful — and that’s saying something, because normally I’m not the biggest fan of hide.

Here’s Snob’s iconic “Cow Chair”. I love the webbed seat!

This floor lamp was a showstopper as well.

Check out more of Snob’s trendsetting treasures by visiting online or at the Toronto retail location!

Snob, Toronto, 388 Carlaw Ave., Unit 202F, 416-778-8778

Stretching your decorating dollar has never been more important, and there are very few retailers that allow you to stretch that dollar quite like Bouclair. Bouclair’s spring look-book is a revelation for “Style For Less” hunters, like myself — light, bright and airy, and with a price tag that won’t break the bank. I’m absolutely in love with the ridiculously inexpensive glass table lamps flanking the bed. The clear glass obelisk bases are a total breath of fresh air, especially if — like me — you’re sick of those overdone lucite bubble base lamps, but still covet that look of breezy transparency. The overscale print on the duvet cover is so spring-fresh, and the symmetrically arranged mirrors are great cheap n’ chic statement pieces. Bring on Spring!

Sun mirrors, $100 each

Glass lamps, $50 each

Marigold duvet cover (double), $80

Cushions, from $17 each

Available at: Bouclair, 800-268-2524

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

Oh, Dad… Perennially, the hardest person to shop for at Christmas. Let’s think about the criteria involved: it’s got to be a tool, it’s got to be affordable (lest you get a lecture on how you shouldn’t have spent so much…), and if it makes an onerous job easier on the bod, that’s the icing on the cake. How about this fantastic multitasker from Garant? The innovative Twinter works double-time as a car snowbrush and an outdoor broom: a two-in-one timesaver that makes cleaning steps, around doors and balconies as well as car roofs and windshields a scratch-free cinch! If this winter’s anything like last year’s, I’d act soon on this one — it’s sure to sell out as quickly as sidewalk salt!

Garant’s Twinter Snow Broom

Price: From $20

Available at: Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, Home Hardware, RONA