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On Trend: Gyroscope Pendants

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 by Chris

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Gyroscope-inspired pendant lamps have taken the design world by storm; the shots, left, are from the April 2011 issues of Style at Home (photo by Stacey Van Berkel-Haines), House Beautiful, obviously (photo by Francesco Lagnese) and Canadian House and Home (photo by Michael Graydon). Why gyroscopes and why now? The answer is anybody's guess; it's one of those crazy, decorating zeitgeist things, like suzanis or capiz chandeliers or Beni Ourain carpets, out of nowhere they're suddenly everywhere. Last week, I hit the streets of Toronto to find great local examples in a range of materials and price points.

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He Sells Seashells

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 by Chris

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I was scouting on Friday for a couple of upcoming projects and couldn't help noticing the plethora of nautilus-inspired decorative items at Toronto's Chair, Table, Lamp (1156 Yonge St., 416-934-1021) where the sales girl confirmed that shop owner Kevin J. Austin has a bit of a fetish for seashells (maybe a longing to be at the beach instead of on the shady side of Yonge Street). The silver plated, footed dish is $69.95 but Austin's extensive selection of shells in various materials and colours comes at just about every price point, all the way down to $11.95.

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Dear StyleNorth . . .

Saturday, February 19, 2011 by Chris

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The power of the internet never ceases to amaze me. StyleNorth reader Sarah recently left a comment on a two-year-old post called The Dog House about my and my former partner's passion for dog art. In the post, Sarah spotted a print titled W.C. Privé, which I found at an estate sale and really love (it hangs in my bathroom, appropriately enough). The point of this post is that Sarah knew all about the art and the artist -- she owns three prints in the series, left -- while I knew absolutely nothing aside from the fact that the estate seller said he purchased the print in Paris. The signature is indecipherable.

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Dynamite Dinette Sets

Sunday, January 9, 2011 by Chris

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I've come across a trio of well-priced, retro dinette sets recently that I thought I'd share with you. As much as the idea of a dinette set seems old hat, I think good sets like these are poised for a comeback since they're perfect for today's small condos. Okay, they're not elegant dining suites, but how many people with one-bedroom apartments ever serve dinner for more than four? Tea for two is probably more like it. Hence the practicality of a table in the 36" - 42" size range. My favorite of the bunch is this set at Toronto consignment shop Anything Goes in Cumberland Terrace. OMG, how I love those adorable, yellow flower seats (or are they four-leaf clovers?)! The set is Italian and the seats are beautifully stitched leather, not vinyl or naughahyde; the legs have charming little ball feet and the ultra-simplified backs with their single post and curving rests are the essence of modernism.

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Continuum: Transformation Inspiration

Sunday, January 10, 2010 by Chris

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Continuum, a new decor store at Pape and Danforth in Toronto, is not what I expect from a "vintage" shop. For one thing, a lot of the inventory isn't especially old, it just isn't brand new. And much of the stock has been reborn under the fearless direction of store owner Daina Liepa who has a definite knack for updating tired furnishings.

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