RSS

Tag Archive | "Design Classics"

Tim’s Holiday House Tour

Thursday, December 23, 2010

8 Comments

In Apartment Therapy's 2010 Room For Colour Contest the top three international entries were all from Toronto -- yay team! The winner by more than a length was Tim (yours truly placed second) who kindly agreed to let me show off his gorgeous waterfront condo, which was beautifully decorated for the holiday season. What impressed me most about my visit to Tim's is his lavish attention to detail. Every corner, every shelf boasts a well-composed vignette, no opportunity for display is wasted -- it's like being in a showroom but without the homogeneity that the description suggests.

Full post and comments...

Shelter: Raising the Bar on Knock-Offs

Monday, December 6, 2010

9 Comments

Shelter is a mammoth new 22,000 square foot showroom at 885 Caledonia Road in Toronto targeted at the tragically hip. Partner Jesse Rockett, who I know from his days at Morba on Queen West, was reluctant to pigeonhole the store’s offerings to lofts and condos but that’s assuredly where most of these furnishings and accessories will be headed The retailer has contracted manufactures in Mexico, Thailand, China and Canada to produce a wide range of classic knock-offs and new, original designs, some of them closely modeled on iconic furnishings. Rockett noted that Shelter’s repros are based on exacting specs and made with quality materials that have upped the knock-off ante.

Full post and comments...

Mid-Century Marvel

Sunday, November 28, 2010

6 Comments

I wouldn’t be surprised to find such an impressive assemblage of original mid-century furnishings and accessories in the home of a wealthy collector but my sense is that the couple who live in this 1,400-square foot apartment above a store not far from Toronto’s High Park, isn’t especially well-to-do. This is the story of how they pulled together such an astonishingly fine collection of vintage designer pieces by shopping smart and buying what they loved; pedigree and provenance are secondary.

Full post and comments...

I Can Talk Myself Into Anything

Monday, November 15, 2010

7 Comments

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.

Full post and comments...

Hot Mess

Thursday, November 11, 2010

8 Comments

It was probably inevitable, especially after Canadian Tire got into the game. This week's Costco flyer features none other than an Eames Lounger knock-off, here called the Soho armchair and ottoman, only $989.99 (after the $150 coupon discount). Does anyone still covet the real thing after seeing this classic brought so low? Two pics to the left of the Eames wannabe is something called the Trevi Chair and barstool collection, a set of Kartell Ghost Chair send-ups priced almost as high as the originals (Costco armchair $329, Kartell armchair $451). What really made me laugh though was the iComfort Massage Chair ($3,499.99) dubbed a "hot buy." More like a hot mess if you ask me.

Full post and comments...
« Previous Entries
Next Entries »