Archive | Trade Secrets RSS feed for this section
Turning to a Pro For Help
StyleNorth reader Liza wrote to me seeking some help finding a well-priced coffee table (up to $250). Liza lives in North Bay, Ontario, where the Craigslist pickings are slim to non-existent so after discussing size and style, I pulled scads of Toronto-area options for her to consider. Liza found the winner herself, above, but there was a caveat (or two, as it turned out). There were a couple of pronounced, white watermarks on the surface that I was pretty sure I could tackle and turn into a good blog post (this one!).
Full post and comments...IIDEX/NeoCon Megatrends
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 by Chris
On Thursday, for the second year running, IIDEX/NEOCON presents a conference session with professional trend spotter Jamie Thomas. This year the Stylesight trend director looks ahead to spring/summer 2013 and sees four big-picture trends all basking in the shade of a single epochal umbrella, which Thomas pithily describes as “East is the new West.” “We're talking about a worldwide shift away from Europe and America and toward the East,” she says. “This is a long wave trend that will affect fashion, design and interiors for the next 10 to 20 years.”
Full post and comments...Repost: Tips For Christie Antiques Show
Saturday, May 28, 2011 by Chris
If you're checking in with styleNorth this morning on your way out to the Christie Antiques Show — Canada's largest — here are a few tips: Wear comfortable shoes! Take a little more cash than you'd be comfortable spending. You will inevitably find something fabulous that you just can't live without and to come up short, well it would be criminal wouldn't it? Clear out the trunk of your car before you set off. Pack a lunch if you have special dietary requirements and take some bottled water. There is a "food court" at the show but the line-ups are long and you'll have cross a very large site if you feel peckish. If you find something wonderful, buy it. Don't resolve to "be back" because you'll never locate that particular stall again and if you do, the thing you're chasing will inevitably be gone. Go slow: There is so much to see that you'll feel urgency nipping at your heels — ignore it. Take your time, enjoy the day and kibitz with the dealers who also want to have a good time.
Full post and comments...Lousy Styling, Great Tip
Sunday, April 17, 2011 by Chris
Apologies for the sorry styling of this pic but it was taken on the fly at yesterday's wildly successful styleNorth Garage Sale just before a sweet young couple carried the table off to their new loft/condo. I bought it on Craigslist after several price drops because the brass plate and the original dimensions of the piece were conspiring to keep buyers at bay. The mint-condition marble top was beyond luxe but the table was 28" square and 21" high, which meant it was too large for a side table but too high for a coffee table. Enter my cheap, easy fix; I took the legs to my local Home Hardware where they cut them down to 15" for just $3 per leg. My $12 outlay doubled the value of an item that was previously unsellable.
Full post and comments...When a Pair Beats Three of a Kind
Monday, February 21, 2011 by Chris
I've written before about my admiration for interior designer Michael S. Smith and the cover story in the latest Architectural Digest (all photos by Pieter Estersohn) is yet more proof of his incomparable abilities. I tend to analyze Smith's work carefully and after going over the AD feature with a nit comb I noticed that in many of his tabletop vignettes the designer prefers pairs over threes, which are favoured by so many other stylists (notice the small bronze urns on the side table above). A lot of designers rely on symmetry to balance their rooms and I see Smith's taste for twins as an extension of this preference. It's a bit of an eye-opener to see him use the trick over and over in this swish Manhattan apartment.
Full post and comments...
- Love It or List It: Advantage Hilary (97)
- Decorator Nightmare (48)
- All Blogged Out (43)
- Comments: No Registration Required (41)
- Lamp Rehab: Before OR After? (39)
- Strip Brass With Oven Cleaner (30)
- With a Little Help From My Friends (28)
- Making Sense of HomeSense (26)
- High Contrast (26)
- Real Style on a Real Budget (24)
- More, More, More From IDS 12
- IDS 12: A Few of My Favorite Things
- Starstruck at IDS
- IDS 12: Let the Fun Begin
- Tribute Decor Uniquely Positioned
- CB2 Uncorks Queen West
- Hardware: Inside and Out
- CB2 Unwraps Toronto
- Treasure Hunting in Cobourg, Ontario
- Awesome Lighting at Philz
Thursday, December 1, 2011 by Chris
5 Comments