City guide: Toronto

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Retro furnishings and vintage clothing make Bungalow (273 Augusta Ave., 416-598-0204; bungalow.to) a one-stop shop filled with stylish charm. Located in the heart of trendy Kensington Market, the funky store mixes Danish teak tables and wall units with vintage dishes and lamps, West German pottery, 1960s-era wooden bowls, and charming fondue pots, as well as contemporary furniture from Herman Miller and Finn Juul.

More than 44 years ago, Ely's Glass (1801 Avenue Rd., 416-789-7331; 11130 Yonge St., Richmond Hill, Ont., 905-508-7441; elysglass.com) opened its doors as a window repair shop. Since then, the company has expanded its services and its stock and, in 2003, opened its second store. Both locations offer Murano glass and Venetian-inspired mirrors ranging from eight by 10 inches to 60 by 90 inches. You'll also find colourful figurines and mirrored columns, Moroccan oil lamps and Murano glass flowers. If you're considering an extensive home renovation, both stores offer shower enclosures, mirrored walls, sandblasted glass treatments and window installation.

“Functional metal art for the home and garden” is how owner and designer Wendy Kelloway describes everything at Weld-Done Designs (388 Carlaw Ave., Unit 121, 416-469-5242). Wendy has been creating metal pieces for eight years in Toronto's artsy Carlaw and Dundas area. Her offerings include candlesticks, bed frames, garden art and custom metal designs. Customers can choose pieces from Wendy's studio, order items from her portfolio or have her work from sketches and photos they provide. You'll also find her designs at other retailers, like Hardware on Queen Street, as well as Greentree Emporium in Collingwood, Ont.

Meld high-quality goods, reasonable prices and contemporary design and you've got Modern Living (5511 Yonge St., 416-225-9588; modernliving.ca). This furniture store features the designs of Charles Eames, Eileen Gray, Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe. It focuses on tasteful and compact pieces perfect for condo dwellers -- Barcelona chairs, lacquered square end tables, leather-and-chrome Pony chaises, and plywood occasional tables to name just a few.

South Hill Home (200 Dupont St., 416-924-7224; southhillhome.com) offers traditional, transitional and contemporary furnishings. Owners Sandra De Luca, Nella De Luca and Paul Harper select every item, including Bontempi Casa beds, American Leather sectionals, Belvedere lighting and Bolier & Company furniture. New this year is Penta lighting, the Oly collection and outdoor lines by Brown-Jordan, Andrew Richard and more.

In November 2003, EcoItaly (120 Ossington Ave., 416-534-3734; ecoitaly.ca) opened its doors to reveal an incredible selection of eco-friendly Italian furniture and accessories. Since then, the store has expanded its stock with ceramics, floor lamps and unbleached placemats. Kibily furniture is stained or sealed with beeswax and built without hardware -- interlocking pieces of wood hold it together, and rather than knobs and pulls, there are grooves to access drawers.

For affordable furnishings and textiles imported from Southeast Asia, head to Jalan (699 Queen St. W., 416-504-3473). Owner Ron Prouk has been travelling to China and Indonesia for 25 years, selecting fabulous treasures for the home, like marble and wood-based religious sculptures, handcrafted Chinese elm and Indonesian teak cabinetry and dining sets, as well as hand-painted Chinese elm storage boxes in a variety of sizes and colours.

To create a more spacious environment in small spaces, Roomy (250 King St. E., 416-203-6813; roomy.ca) offers furniture that's practical, multifunctional and innovative. “Vignettes are set up to reflect small condo living/dining spaces, allowing our customers to visualize to scale what furniture would best suit their lifestyle,” says owner Joanna Kakkavas. Furnishings include a modern coffee/dining table from Maraschino by Calligaris that can be raised to five different heights, and a futon-style sofa bed that has storage compartments underneath. You'll also find home decorative accents like vases, clocks, original artwork, and custom-made pillows upholstered with stripes of colourful ribbons.

Planning on venturing farther afield? Check out ELLE Canada's top 10 travel destinations!

Image courtesy of Toronto Tourism