Toronto’s Queen Street East is the city’s best mid-century shopping drag and sometimes a trip down there can be the cause of considerable heartache. Like yesterday, for instance.
At Phil’z (792 Queen Street East, 416.461.9913) I fell in love with what my companions and I dubbed the Hammock Chair. I concede that the piece has a whiff of ’60s hippie about it but up close it’s got presence to burn and feels utterly modern. Made of lightweight aluminum, the seat section pivots all the way up and down inside a stable base; it’s a fantastic design. The profile is amazing and I love the brassy finish of the metal; the wicker is also in fine condition. Priced at $1,450 (and probably negotiable) the chair is within reach financially, or would be if it wasn’t tax season and time for the dogs’ annual check-up. Alas.
Down the block at Zig Zag my heart skipped another beat. There in the window, shop owner Joe Graafmans is featuring a most charming Leif Jacobsen loveseat in its original 1970s upholstery, which is in astonishingly good condition. I love the shape and scale of the piece and adore the nubby, chenille-style fabric. And at $1,125, the piece is well-priced for a name designer. There’s also two side chairs available ($650), one in matching fabric, another in red that needs new foam. After some serious deliberation, and I do mean serious, I’ve talked myself down off the ledge and back into the realm of financial responsibility.
And finally, although teak’s not really my thing, fantastic deals certainly are and Captain’s Treasures, the newest addition to the strip, has an amazing vintage dining set in its window this weekend. Designed in the 1950s by N.O. Møller, the signed set features a large oval table with two leaves and six chairs in very good condition, all for $4,000. If that sounds like a lot to you, be advised that the suite is still being produced today and will set you back around $10,000 CAD, plus shipping costs from Denmark.
So there you go, my dear readers, I turn these wonderful finds over to you. May your homes be forever chic and unique.
March 27th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Good evening, alas, tax time, how those two small words can turn me to financial terror. I love the look, prices reasonable, did I mention Tax Time ****sigh****
May 20th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Danish auction house Lauritz will sell these for around 400$
January 29th, 2011 at 11:48 am
I absolutely love that teak dining set, too bad this post is almost a year old!