http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog Real Canadians decorating Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:34:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/08/beware-hidden-shipping-charges/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/08/beware-hidden-shipping-charges/#comments Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:08:55 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=18123 In the future, when placing an order like this from a foreign vendor, I would ask the dealer to get explicit details from the shipping company about any further brokerage fees, duties or taxes required; this is their business and they should know the answers to the questions. If I had had that conversation with the dealer and then found myself on the hook for extra fees I likely would have sent the piece back. I admit my enjoyment of the lamp has been tainted a bit by the experience; had I known it would cost me $250 I would have taken a pass. Caveat emptor.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/08/beware-hidden-shipping-charges/feed/ 12 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/03/elte-outlet-%e2%80%94-worth-the-drive/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/03/elte-outlet-%e2%80%94-worth-the-drive/#comments Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:14:20 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=16669 Toronto's Elte used to consign it's clearance merchandise to a large back corner of its enormous flagship store in the Castlefield Design District. Now, that merch has moved to the new outlet store off Weston Road, north of Highway 7. Is it worth the drive? I'd have to say yes. Discounts range from 30 - 60 per cent off list prices, which puts some of the otherwise aspirational offerings within reach of the common man and woman. This being a clearance outlet, however, selection is spotty. Many tickets proclaim, "Last one," which means not only are you unlikely to find a mate for that perfect slipper or side chair, you also have to make up your mind on the spot because if you take a day or two to think it over the piece will be gone.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/03/elte-outlet-%e2%80%94-worth-the-drive/feed/ 9 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/02/does-howard-really-restore-a-finish/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/02/does-howard-really-restore-a-finish/#comments Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:04:05 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=16226 I've heard about Howard Restor-A-Finish but never actually used it until this past weekend when I helped my friend Ingrid breathe some new life into a couple of tired antiques. The product isn't widely available in Canada but Toronto's Queen West Antique Centre (1605 Queen Street West, 416.588.2212) stocks the full range of shades from light pine-maple to dark oak and ebony. Howard's slogan is "Restore it, Don't Strip it!" and I have to say I was very impressed with the product up to a point. The rub-on, wipe-off liquid was fantastically good at hiding minor dings and scratches and even removed old paint smudges with the help of some super-fine steel wool. ]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/02/does-howard-really-restore-a-finish/feed/ 9 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/02/as-the-table-turns/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/02/as-the-table-turns/#comments Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:40:12 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=16122 I deliberately delayed my post about my brass-slash-chrome coffee table until it was sold lest the buyer see my piece and balk at having paid a mark-up. Well, wouldn't you know it, the buyer turned out to be another Toronto-based decor blogger, Laura from Gracefully Searching. Laura has done a post about her fab new table (pictured above) and doesn't seem the least bit bothered by the fact that I made some money on my Craigslist flip. Or did I? The table took me about 6 hours to transform, which translates into a little over $18 per hour for my labour, considerably less than I make at my day job. Maybe I'm the one who should be upset.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/02/as-the-table-turns/feed/ 7 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/01/slumming-marty-millionaire/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/01/slumming-marty-millionaire/#comments Sat, 15 Jan 2011 13:27:14 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=15821 I have a confession to make: In two and a half years of blogging about Toronto's decor scene, until last week I had never set foot in local landmark, Marty Millionaire (345 Queen Street East). With a window stacked full of obviously cheap knock-offs, I could never be bothered even though shopping guru Rita Zekas told me she had some fun with the "irascible" owner. Inside Marty's is pretty much what you'd expect -- row upon row upon row of mostly repro junk. But wouldn't you know it, hiding amidst the crap were a few gems that I'd actually consider taking home.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/01/slumming-marty-millionaire/feed/ 0 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2010/12/something-sexy-about-mimi/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2010/12/something-sexy-about-mimi/#comments Thu, 16 Dec 2010 09:42:35 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=15448 There are always some great looking pieces at Toronto's Elte but it was these wonderful, three-legged Mimi Chairs ($1,795) that captured my eye and imagination while on a shopping trip with friends last weekend. The retailer has done Mimi a disservice by showing her in an all-white bedroom vignette where the tight, white leather chairs get lost, an afterthought instead of an exclamation point. The design is curvy but also chunky, Mimi is a stout girl with short chicken legs, certainly not a candidate for the catwalk. Her seat is low and wide, very comfortable and seemingly well made, which is more than we could say about a lot of what we saw at Elte that day.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2010/12/something-sexy-about-mimi/feed/ 5 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2010/11/falcon-chair-strikes-my-fancy/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2010/11/falcon-chair-strikes-my-fancy/#comments Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:20:28 +0000 Chris http://stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=15065 I am NOT supposed to be shopping. I'm supposed to be saving; recovering from the veterinary siphon that's been attached to my bank accounts since Punch got sick last spring. But there's nothing like a little retail therapy to salve a wound as deep as the one Judy left this week. Yesterday, while doing some errands in Toronto's Kensington Market, I spied an awesome Sigurd Russel Falcon Chair, above, in the window of Bungalow. It was tagged at $295 which instinct told me was an excellent price. The sales girl wouldn't budge an inch because it had just come on the floor. These chairs are selling anywhere from $1,200 - $3,000 on the high-end sites like Deconet and 1stdibs.com so the Bungalow chair was actually a steal. It's much easier to talk yourself into a purchase you shouldn't be making when you think you're bagging a bargain.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2010/11/falcon-chair-strikes-my-fancy/feed/ 7 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2010/01/discount-standards/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2010/01/discount-standards/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:12:11 +0000 Chris http://stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=13534 Mike and I popped into a swish bedding store on the weekend in search of a sheet set to go with our amazing new crewel-work duvet cover. We found an expensive set of ivory sheets marked down 25 per cent but not even the discount made them affordable. This got me thinking about my discount standards and I came to the conclusion that generally speaking, I need be saving at least 30 per cent off the suggested retail price before I'll reach for my wallet. How about you? How big a price break do you require before your trigger finger gets itchy?]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2010/01/discount-standards/feed/ 22 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2009/11/dear-stylenorth/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2009/11/dear-stylenorth/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:09:36 +0000 Chris http://stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=13238 I get letters like this frequently enough that I thought I'd make a post out of it since the principles can be applied to nearly any piece of potentially valuable furniture you want to cash in. StyleNorth contributor Susan writes . . . "A friend of mine is looking to sell her mother's Frem Rojle dining set, which is in great shape with original upholstery. She is debating whether to sell it privately (Craigslist or through contacts) or unload it to a dealer. I've seen prices of $1,500 to $2,500 but I don't know if that's reasonable. Thoughts?"]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2009/11/dear-stylenorth/feed/ 13 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2009/10/craigslist-crackheads/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2009/10/craigslist-crackheads/#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:30:19 +0000 Chris http://stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=13005 I firmly believe that everything will sell on Craigslist if priced correctly. If I haven't had a bite within a week of posting an item, my price is too high. It really doesn't matter where it came from or how much I paid, the market determines the value of a thing and the only way ascertain that value is to keep dropping your price until someone finally takes the bait. It's a hard lesson, apparently.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2009/10/craigslist-crackheads/feed/ 17