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Given that CB2‘s first Canadian store is housed in a former party palace it was fitting that the company blew the roof off last night with a major opening bash featuring DJs, drinks, local design celebs and a happy crush of pretty young things. Crate & Barrel’s younger sister showed off her colourful, hip style with a media preview followed by an invitational for local taste-makers.

The most popular observation I heard was about how much colour was on the floor. Atomic orange, kelly green, electric blue, triumph red, canary yellow — CB2 turns up the volume on saturated hues that dovetail perfectly with its young, urban demographic.

The other big surprise for many was how truly affordable most of the offerings are. A few of my favorite things include the juicy green Luck side table ($229), the Twine floor lamp ($229) and the industrial Victory pendant light ($179).

I’m crazy about the mustard velvet cushion on the Two Tone Club Chair ($899) and I’ll definitely be using my staff discount to buy one of the Liquid yellow bowls ($54.95), below right. Staff discount? Yes, yours truly is a part-time sales associate at CB2, part of my strategy for offsetting the pain of a potential labour disruption at my day job.

CB2 proudly surfs decor trends, frequently changing up its product line to stay in the curl of what’s current. But the company is also extremely savvy about providing supremely affordable housewares.

If candles are your thing then 651 Queen West is the only address you need to know.

To celebrate the opening of its first international store, CB2 is pulling out all the promotional stops including awarding gift cards ($10 off any $50 purchase) to the first 1,500 patrons in the store each day — a daily $500 spending spree is also among the welcome prizes during the shop’s first 40 days. So drop in and say hi and definitely tell my bosses I gave you the best customer service ever!