Style & Decor Blog

Waterford Wedgwood had a pretty spectacular table vignette at their booth at the Canadian Gift & Tableware Association show this summer.

With eight Louis Ghost chairs set around a table that’s swathed in rouched, silky linens, the effect is totally ethereal, and quite dreamy.

Each place setting represented a different designer’s contributions to the Waterford Wedgwood collection, including this subtle and sophisticated arrangement of Jasper Conran’s Tulle platinum-band bone china.

Love the signature Jasper Conran teacup handle - definitely one of the most important features to consider when selecting a china pattern. Seriously!

Making a statement in a home’s entryway is so important. It’s the first glimpse a guest has of your interior, and as such, it’s got to make an immediate impression. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to get away with something daring, as it’s a space that you don’t spend a great deal of time in, and can afford to go beyond beige without getting sick of it too quickly.

The pairing of a console table and mirror in the front hallway is a tried-and-true formula that is both practical (your last chance to check your lippy before you dash out the door, and a surface to toss your keys) and an opportunity to inject some “pretty”.

I was struck by the pretty pairings of consoles and mirrors this morning while touring the showroom of Barrymore Furniture. Their visual merchandisers have really got a handle on how to pair these two front hall furnishings without falling into the “matchy-matchy” trap. Just look at these stunning vignettes…

I love the exotic eastern flavour achieved by pairing the glamorous gold leaf bombe chest with an artisanal painted glass mirror. The radiant metallic chest would be a perfect solution to a dark and dreary foyer.

Ooh, shiny! (I’m such a magpie!) Mirrored furniture is still so hot, and against a backdrop of luscious lilac, it brings the notion of a beautiful boudoir to the front hall. I like the subtle nod to trendy chain-link in the mirror frame.

Stunning Chinoiserie wallpaper from Cole & Son frames the white lacquer pairing of Christopher Guy console and mirror. Gotta love those curves! 

A similar pairing, but in black. I like how the striped-paint treatment on the demi-lune chest redefines the traditional form of the piece.

Alright, so this is a piece of art in lieu of a mirror, but the idea’s the same. The symmetry makes for a truly arresting arrangement.

All pieces, Barrymore Furniture, Toronto, 416-532-2891

Ooh, have I got a treat in store for you…

My colleague and fave sweetie-pie Samantha Pynn has invited me down to Pure Design’s new production office! In the midst of producing the smash-hit’s sophomore season, Samantha decided that her base of operations here in Toronto needed a shot of the same chic she injects in each of her TV makeovers. I’m going to take you behind the scenes at Pure Design to show you the amazing before & after transformation of Samantha’s own office, right here on Style Sleuth… Can’t wait!

I’ll keep you posted…

In the meantime, check out Samantha’s greatest hits from Season One — you can still watch them online on HGTV!

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For years, Anthropologie’s been at the top of my list of “American stores that should open Canadian locations”. It’s nice to know that someone’s been paying attention to my listmaking.

Scheduled for a grand opening on April 22, Anthropologie’s first Canadian storefront — at the new Shops At Don Mills outdoor shopping centre in Toronto (which my friend Janine Falcon likens to The Grove in L.A.!) — is generating not so much a buzz, as it is a deafening drone. I mean, it’s impossible to overstate how big of a deal this is. Whereas we used to only be able to order “small, gorgeous things” from Anthropologie’s website (glamorous knobs and cabinet hardware, sweet stitched monogram table linens…), we now have full access to big, yummy lighting, rugs and furniture that we’ve drooled over in each issue of the Anthropologie catalogue, but couldn’t order due to shipping restrictions. 

There’s no sneak peek at the store interior itself (the image at top is from one of Anthropologie’s 121 already-existing U.S. locations), but my peeps at Anthropologie H.Q. say the 8,000 square foot store will have “a rustic modern feel, realized with reclaimed materials and work by artists and artisans, such as surfaces hand-crafted from plaster, paper and fabric”.

In this gorge shell, Anthropologie’s famed visual merchandisers (they’ve actually hired a full-time TEAM of visual merchandisers!) will be crafting creative and innovative window and store displays “that possess a sense of surprise and discovery.” Their theme for the store launch?  Bees!  ”The store’s bee-themed windows will reflect in abstract ways upon their role in our world. Bee-related iconography like hives and honeycombs will be recreated with unexpected materials and whimsy.” For a store that’s generating so much buzz, it’s hard to imagine anything more appropriate. ;) 

Anthropologie, Shops At Don Mills, 1090 Don Mills Rd., Toronto

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Images courtesy of Anthropologie

Goodbye, Ultra Supper Club; hello Ultra! The radical redesign and rebranding of Toronto’s elegant eatery reestablishes Ultra as the place to see and be seen in the hip Queen & Soho neighbourhood. If you’re not distracted by playing “spot the celeb”, check out the 15 ft. tall roosters, rendered on soaring screens from iconic photographer Stephen Green-Armytage. At the hub of Ultra’s “social dining experience”, the daring Canadian designers at Castor have crafted a grand solid oak dining table that seats 24. The 25-foot behemoth also doubles as a runway! Delish madness! Would you care for a catwalk after your cocktails?

Check out the hand-carved legs of Castor’s dining table. Incredible detail!

Acclaimed design duo munge//leung have delivered a delightfully tongue-in-cheek-global-chic vibe for the space. The cavernous entrance is lit by Moroccan-style lanterns and establishes a surprisingly intimate atmosphere. So gorgeous!

Ultra, 314 Queen St. W., Toronto, 416-263-0330

Photos by Device 222

Have you been to Toronto’s Crate and Barrel yet? If not, here’s a little added incentive.

They’re picking one lucky winner a month, now through December 31, 2009, to win a $500 in-store shopping spree! Just sign up at the store kiosk, and you’ll automatically be entered into the month draw. Sign up every month for a new chance to win. 

While you’re waiting for April’s draw, here are some of the droolworthy pieces to add to your wish list… Now this is a home office I wouldn’t mind lugging my laptop home to! (How much do you love those prints?!)

Spotlight desk, $599

Think office chair (without arms), $699

Boka lamp, $190

Classical symmetry prints, $90 each (set of six, $500)

Available at: Crate and Barrel, 888-657-4108

When it comes to buzzworthy events on my calendar, the Opening Night Party of the Interior Design Show is probably at the top of my list. For that one night of the year, the “Who’s Who” of Canadian interior design is under one roof; 5,000 of our country’s most talented tastemakers cruising through the exhibits and schmoozin’ up a storm… It’s a total scream! Just three and a half weeks away now,  IDS 09 promises to be super-spangly this year, with a Swarovski-sponsored “Crystal Clear” exhibit, and boasting design stars on an international scale. (I’m so pumped for the chance to snag Dutch designer Piet Boon for a quick Q&A… Fingers crossed!) New to the show this year is the “Luxehome” exhibit, promising a haute collection of couture home fashions, including Y & Co.’s to-die-for chocolate Ikat rug (shown above) — covet!

Interior Design Show 2009

Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto

February 5 - 8, 2009

Tickets: Available online

Moleskine’s City Notebooks are the “little black book” for the stylish globetrotter. These handsome journals based on design destinations like Paris, London and New York include city-specific maps, ample space for note-taking, conversion charts, and sticky sheets to overlay on maps so that you can trace your route as you go, serving as both a guide AND souvenir of worldly meanderings. The Autumn 2008 Moleskine lineup sees two more Canadian cities included in the series - Toronto and Vancouver, joining the pre-existing Montreal offering -  a sure sign of the increasing recognition Canada’s earning among the world’s top design destinations! Yay us!

Price: $23

Available at: Chapters and Indigo Books & Music, 800-832-7569.