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Tag Archive | "Vintage"

Treasure Hunting in Cobourg, Ontario

Friday, January 13, 2012

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Here's a post that's been in the can for months. Back in September when I scouted Waddington's new Cobourg outpost, I went on a little treasure hunt along tiny Covert Street, which I discovered thanks to my friend Susan Forint and her SAF Affect blog. Then, before I got a chance to post my thrifty finds, I learned that I had overlooked Cobourg's biggest claim to vintage fame, the massive Legacy salvage yard. So back I went with my Ajax friends Denise and Larry who kindly provided the transport.

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Real Style on a Real Budget

Sunday, December 25, 2011

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Today's post is a Christmas present to myself, the big reveal after a one-month makeover of a home in Oakville, Ontario. My client, Nikola, is a 28-year-old bachelor with a three-bedroom, detached home in a newish development. The location screams suburbs but Nikola wanted a space that was "modern and trendy, incorporating 'unique' vintage pieces and original art," according to the brief I distilled from our initial meeting. The client's wishlist included a revamp of the living room, dining room and master bedroom, if possible, on a budget of $5,000, which would include my 30 per cent decorating fee.

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Mod Pieces: Old Lamps Get A New Lease

Friday, December 16, 2011

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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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It’s a Small World (After All)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

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My friend Susan was over a couple of weeks ago to drop off a Craigslist purchase she very kindly volunteered to pick up for me since she was in the area on a CL run of her own. With the new chairs — a client purchase — temporarily in my space, and Liza's coffee table jacked up on my dining table the place looked more like a workshop/storage space than a home. And while Suz chuckled at the state of things she later sent me the photo above of her own dirty little secret. "Filtering, downsizing, editing, whatever you call the act of getting rid of superfluous furnishings, great buys and awesome next projects, the fact remains that a purge, no matter how necessary can be bloody hard to accomplish," writes Susan.

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European Flare on Dundas West

Saturday, December 3, 2011

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Further to Thursday's post about Old Fashioned Restoration, proprietor Emanuel Calleja isn't just a master furniture restorer, he's also a dealer with a great eye who does the bulk of his picking on annual European buying trips. The cost of trans-Atlantic shipping means this is no bargain basement, but if you're in the market for high-quality vintage and antique pieces, 3068 Dundas Street West should be on your shopping itinerary. Although Calleja has a number of very fine antiques — his spectacular German marquetry bedroom set was featured on the Antiques Roadshow — the dealer has a particular taste for early 20th century furnishings and lighting, especially art deco.

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