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More, More, More From IDS 12

Sunday, January 29, 2012 by Chris

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Visitors to this year's Interior Design Show ascend to fair level through a vast curtain of felt dubbed "Strip Tease" by Toronto's RAW Design. Composed of approximately 1,300 long strips of felt that collectively tip the scale at 3,700 lbs, the purpose of the installation is not at all apparent until you enter the show and see it from the convention floor where it transforms into a giant screen for video and still image projections. (Photo above by William Suarez). There were lots of great booths and exhibits on the IDS floor and today's post features a few of my favorites.

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IDS 12: A Few of My Favorite Things

Saturday, January 28, 2012 by Chris

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This is NOT a comprehensive look at this year's Interior Design Show in Toronto. By 11 pm, after an entire day of talks and exhibitions — including a guided tour of the Gladstone Hotel's annual Come Up to My Room — I was knocked down and dragged out. Lineups dissuaded me from touring the always popular IDS demonstration spaces (How Do You Live?) and I completely missed the DesignGenNext, the show of promising student work from Ryerson, Sheridan, OCAD, Humber and George Brown. Even without those pieces of the puzzle my IDS experience was exhilarating. This year, I started with the Studio North exhibition of new work by Canadian designers and Prototype, a launching pad for innovative new products.

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Mod Pieces: Old Lamps Get A New Lease

Friday, December 16, 2011 by Chris

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Lia Fagan's timing could not have been better. The proprietor of Mod Pieces wrote to me several weeks ago promoting her business restyling vintage lamps and constructing custom lampshades. Well, it just so happens that Lia is based in Burlington, Ontario, around the corner from my latest decorating client in Oakville for whom I had sourced some amazing vintage lamps that required shades. Lia used the frame and fabric I provided to construct a new shade that better suits the room in which it now resides. She charged $75 for the reconstruction, an extremely reasonable rate, as anyone who has bought shades recently will know.

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Karen J’s Big Ambition

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 by Chris

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I've been stopping by the Mosaicworks blog ever since I discovered Karen Johnston's wonderful work back in 2008 and when I saw her latest post I just knew I had to pick it up. Karen usually crafts her beautiful mosaic mirrors in her basement studio but her latest project, the biggest piece she has tackled to date, could only be done in her dining room. Karen's beautiful, time-consuming pieces aren't cheap so I shudder to think what this custom monster would have cost; at least we know the buyer has money and taste, a rare combination.

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Bev Hisey Studio Sale This Weekend

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 by Chris

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With a storefront facing Trinity Bellwoods Park not far from Ossington Avenue, Toronto textile designer Bev Hisey doesn't need to do the One of a Kind Show (on now until December 4 at Direct Energy Centre), she just has to throw open her door. And that's exactly what she's doing this weekend with her annual Studio Sale (Saturday 11 am - 6 pm and Sunday 12 - 5 pm). Featuring cut rate prices on some of her most popular designs Bev all but promises you won't walk away empty handed. I'll be there for sure, hopefully ahead of you in line for the best stuff. Foundstyle is teaming up with Bev to do a mini pop-up store of vintage treasures just to keep things extra interesting.

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