All posts filed under: Home Decor

I want - I got's Toronto Design Offsite Festival 2014 Picks

I want – I got’s Toronto Design Offsite Festival 2014 Picks

In Toronto the third week in January is all about design. Some really cool people I know help make the Toronto Design Offsite Festival a reality. The Toronto Design Offsite Festival (TO DO) is a not-for-profit, independent design festival happening annually at the end of January. TO DO’s aim is to provide exposure for local and national designers; to foster public understanding and knowledge of the practice of design; and to create an ongoing presence that promotes Canada’s creativity, drawing on great thinkers, practitioners, and educators to a deliver an innovative celebration of art and design. The TO DO Festival runs from January 20 – 26, 2014. Here are some I want – I got approved options if you are looking to check it out. A Film: Eames: The Architect and The Painter Tue, Jan 21, 2014 Herman Miller Canada Showroom | Film Narrated by James Franco, the film brings to light a virgin cache of archival material, visually stunning films, photographs and artifacts produced by Charles and Ray Eames with their talented staff during …

geekiviews: Sodastream

Believe the hype. The Sodastream is an amazing kitchen appliance. The Sodastream system allows you to carbonate plain old tap water at home. Pair this carbonated water with many of the different flavours of sodamix and you have an alternative to buying pre-packaged bottled and cans. Most Sodastream systems carbonates tap water without electricity or batteries. It uses an exchangeable CO2 carbonator that can be refilled with beverage-grade CO2 drawn from the air. The company also makes flavoured syrups so you can make your own drinks like cola, root beer and even tonic. The flavours have less calories and carbs than traditional sode and the major bonus of no awful aspartame and high-fructose corn syrup. Weeks before I got my hands on a Sodastream system I heard nothing but praise. “It’s a game changer” is something I’ve heard from more than one person when describing the Sodastream. These incredible endorsements from people I trust peaked my interest, perhaps I should invest in a Sodastream. I love pop and my local convenience store can attest to …

Hermes Spring Summer 2013 – Long Live Sport

Hermès does an incredible job with their product videos. They are extremely well done and hit that sweet spot of cute and whimsical that wins me over every time. The Sporting Life is the theme of the 2013 for Hermès and this set of four videos does a terrific job of conveying the theme. Each video takes items from the spring summer 2013 and incorporates them into sporty vignettes. Ping Pong features the Toolbox bag and the Rallye 24 Porcelain Collection. Rallye 24 Porcelain Collection: The new Hermès porcelain collection designed by Benoît-Pierre Emery and Damian O’Sullivan will be available in Canadian boutiques in May 2013. Rallye 24 has the emblematic anchor chain caught up in and propelled along by a new story on porcelain. It is playfully reworked as a car race track with its straight lines and oval corners, all short-circuiting with their foot to the floor.(source: Hermès PR) Toolbox bag: A slight family resemblance… A cousin of the Kelly, with a vanity-case touch, this bag unites the Hermès spirit and the practicality …

Come Up To My Room – 10 Year Archive Project

Come Up To My Room, The Alternative Design Show starts this week. I’ve always really liked the event and covered it extensively for blogTO in 2007 and 2008. Come Up To My Room (CUTMR) is the Gladstone Hotel’s annual alternative design event. CUTMR invites artists and designers to show us what goes on inside their heads. Coming together in dialogue and collaboration, participants are limited only by their imaginations, making CUTMR one of the most exciting shows in Toronto. As this is an important anniversary for this ever-expanding show, the tenth installment will emphasize the idea that formed the basis for the very first CUTMR – occupying and altering a space in a dramatic, conceptual, or experimental way. So, CUTMR is 10 years old and now you can view all of the past events thanks to the Come Up To My Room 10 Year Archive Project. Attend the event at The Gladstone Hotel this week and see what you missed over the years online.

i got: Tubereuse Noir Baxter of California Candle

My Barber at Hollow Ground Barber Shop introduced me to candles from Baxter of California.  Since 1965 Baxter of California have provided men with grooming products.  They have a range of skincare, shaving and hair care products.  In addition grooming accessories, candles and fragrances round out the product selection.  Baxter of California also collaborates with brands like Saturdays NYC, Porter and Unionmade. These soy wax-based candles are geared towards men and are produced with the brand Joya.  I love the Tubereuse Noir scent which has fragrance notes of  Tuberose, Bergamot, White Tea Rose, Geranium and Camellia.  The packaging, designed by Marc Atlan is very cool. You can get a wide selection of Baxter of California products (including the candles) at: Hollow Ground Barber Shop 1053 Bloor St W. Toronto image: baxterofcalifornia.com

I want – I got does Toronto Design Week: SUNG Outdoor Preview 2011

I attended some exhibits during Toronto Design Week from January 24-30, 2011. Toronto Design Week culminates with the Interior Design Show but many local designers showcase their exhibits at this time. It’s taken me some time to get my photos all together and organized. There is a lot of sorting, tagging, cataloging and purging of photos going on. It’s often a nightmare task I hate performing. It feels hella good when it’s done though. SUNG Outdoor held a special media preview for bloggers during Toronto Design Week. Bloggers got a chance to see the currently SUNG Outdoor collection and the special IDS11 Blackwatch collection. The limited edition SUNG Outdoor Blackwatch collection is different due to the colour scheme of black, blue and green. It was only available for purchase at IDS11 this year. Designer Alfred Sung and Saul Mimran, President of the Mimran Group were on hand to talk. See all my photos from the SUNG Outdoor preview.

I want – I got does Toronto Design Week: MADE at HOME 2011

I attended some exhibits during Toronto Design Week from January 24-30, 2011. Toronto Design Week culminates with the Interior Design Show but many local designers showcase their exhibits at this time. It’s taken me some time to get my photos all together and organized. There is a lot of sorting, tagging, cataloging and purging of photos going on. It’s often a nightmare task I hate performing. It feels hella good when it’s done though. MADE at Home is the new Radiant Dark in a way. Julie Nicholson and Shaun Moore have moved on from that project to new pastures with the MADE at Home show. I loved the presentation of this show because it felt so familiar. Turns out, I’ve attended creative exhibitions at this apartment on Dundas West before. This was the former apartment of Siya Chen, who is an artist and held installations in her home. There is an accelerating culture of craftsmanship and creative labour which lives here. Julie Nicholson and Shaun Moore of MADE will introduce 28 new Canadian designs highlighting …

I want – I got Reading Room: Toronto based Online Magazines

Thankfully people email me about their projects because I don’t have the time to keep on top of things. I was glad to learn about some great online magazines created here in Toronto recently. Some are by people I know and I think that’s pretty cool. Here’s a glimpse of what’s on my reading list right now. PERFECTO Mag is Diego Armand’s baby. He works with handful of local toronto musicians, designers and stylists. PERFECTO is his way of showing support for their work and the diversity in the community. The first issue is out now and I’m really loving Stefania Yarhi’s editorial (pictured above). There are interviews and videos as well as editorials in PERFECTO. The second issue will hit the streets in the spring. Plaid Magazine started in digital and has supplemented that offering with seasonal print issues. Odessa Paloma Parker, Editorial Director sent me a copy of the inaugural print edition for Fall 2010. The magazine has beautiful editorials, shop profiles and interviews. You can get a copy of the print issue …

Hermès Tableware

If you ever have visited a Hermès store you’ve seen the ornate tableware for sale.  I’ve never even thought of asking the prices because that would just be silly.  When viewing the Foot Ball film installation at Hermès, I had total access to go crazy with the Olympus E-PL1.

i want: Standard Plopp Stool

I first saw the Standard Plopp Stool at Moss in New York. I was on the I want – I got’s Bisha Adventure in New York City with Charles Khabouth owner of INK Entertainment and Alessandro Munge of Munge Leung Design Associates.  It was an Interior Design shopping adventure for the Bisha Hotel and Private Residences. First shown on the exhibition of Young Creative Polish Designers in September 2009, the new Plopp Family includes: Mini Stool, Standard Stool, Kitchen Stool and the Bar Stool with a foot rest. They work great socially – everyone will find a suitable height. Plopp stool is an icon and a bestseller of Zieta Prozessdesign. The unique, toy-looking and playful shape of Plopp is an effect of an innovative forming method – FIDU. FIDU technology means that two ultra-thin steel sheets are welded together around their edges and inflated under high pressure to give a 3d object. FIDU enables mass production of individualized shapes. Forms made in FIDU are very light but also very durable. Since its market release, Plopp …

R 20th Century Design

R 20th Century Design showroom was the first stop of the day. R 20th Century represents a distinguished group of historical and contemporary designers whose work is among the most innovative and finely crafted of their time. Zesty Meyers and Evan Snyderman founded R 20th Century in 1997 to realize their combined goal of promoting a closer study, appreciation and preservation of 20th and 21st century design. R is currently developing exhibitions and publications on the designers it represents — a diverse program that includes work from North America, South America, Europe and Asia produced between 1945 and today.(source) Evan walked us through the store and talked about some of the artists they represent. He was very friendly, knowledgeable and cute. I was really intrigued by artists Hugo França, Jeff Zimmerman and David Wiseman. Hugo França creates functional and sculptural work from discarded wood found in Brasil. Finding wood left behind by deforestation requires constant scouting in the Trancoso, Bahia, area. Finding his way on foot, by donkey or canoe, he relies on the Pataxo …

Craig Van Den Brulle

The second stop was Craig Van Den Brulle. Craig Van Den Brulle is the owner of the upscale Craig Van Den Brulle furniture store in the Nolita section of Manhattan, which opened in October 2007. Van Den Brulle has been in the home furnishings industry for over 10 years. In 1997 he opened Capitol Furnishings; the celebrated boutique featuring 20th Century home furnishings and his own “urban classic” designs. Capitol quickly became an essential shopping destination for the city’s most influential architects, interior designers and collectors. Van Den Brulle has now expanded from the original Capitol Furnishings to a 3,000 square foot flagship store which is just one block away on Elizabeth Street. He is the designer of the VAN DEN BRULLE signature collection, a line of upscale furniture and home essentials inspired by clean lines and modern simplicity. In addition to selling home furnishings, Craig Van Den Brulle buys modern designer pieces from the 1930’s to the 1980’s. They also have a rental service for the film, television, and magazine industries. To complete this …

Todd Merrill Antiques

Todd Merrill is located in a building with beautiful stone carvings.  It was another store that was packed to the gills with furnishings.   You always were discovering something new that was missed in this store. Todd Merrill Antiques features American and European vintage furniture, antiques and lighting from the 1920’s to the 2000’s. Including rare and unique furniture by Paul Evans, Karl Springer, James Mont, Gio Ponti, Adnet, Fornasetti, Venini, Tommi Parzinger, LaVerne, Vladimir Kagan and many more. Todd Merrill Antiques has opened a new 4000 square foot shop focusing on American and European designer furniture and lighting from the 1920s through the 1980s, at 65 Bleecker Street in New York City. The new showroom is on the ground floor of the Bayard-Condict Building, New York’s only building by esteemed architect Louis Sullivan. The historic landmark space is located at the top of Crosby Street at the intersection of Bleecker Street, and looks directly down into the heart of Soho.(source) It was at Todd Merrill that I finally began to understand how important Paul Evans …

Moss

Moss is one part of a space that holds three stores. The other two are Flos and Moroso. This trio of stores were my favourites on this trip. In 1994, former fashion entrepreneur Murray Moss opened Moss in a small gallery space in Soho, with a determination to transform the public perception of industrial product design. The store quickly became internationally known for its product selection and presentation, with clients ranging from highly informed design professionals, to celebrities, students, and tourists with maps. The shop grew and evolved — expanding to nearly 7000 square feet in late 1999 when Moss’s partner Franklin Getchell joined the company. Together they expanded the product base to include furniture, especially from Italian manufacturers, lighting, watches and jewelry, books, tabletop and a significantly increased focus on the studio work of the designers we offered(source). Moss also has a small section of unusual jewellery and watches. It’s just as eclectic as the other offerings in the store.  They aim to have more than just home furnishings for sale which attracts a …

Flos New York

Flos occupies the corner of the shared building with Moss and Moroso.  It’s home to some seriously hot looking light fixtures. You can find designers like Philippe Starck, Jasper Morrison and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni here. Today Flos is an international organization that offers a complete range of residential, commercial and even custom-made lighting products that can be seamlessly integrated in any office, hotel, or store, together with a specifically designed line of informative materials, among which a corporate manual. Flos contract division assists architects with the know-how it acquired over its forty years of experience not only as a manufacturer, but also as a specialty lighting systems designer for a wide-range of challenging environments, such as museums, stores, and theatres.(source) The store itself is quite minimal with a few tables. Most pieces are displayed on shelving built into the walls.  The standout item in the store is the oversized Kelvin LED lamp design by Antonio Citterio with Toan Nguyen in 2009. The Hooo!!! & Haaa!!! Lamp By Philippe Starck, Jenny Holzer, Moritz Waldemeyer and Baccarat …

Todd Selby in Toronto

Todd Selby in Toronto

Todd Selby (aka The Selby) came to Toronto to promote his new book, The Selby is in your House.   Holt Renfrew hosted a public book signing session in the Bloor street store.  A party in his honour at was held at Parts & Labour the night before. It was at this party I would learn about Todd’s site and why I was always hearing his name in fashion circles. Yep, I was that ignorant about the man. I don’t follow interiors that much and since he loves to photograph homes I can see why I never really bothered to check him out.  I knew he was important, the why was never that important to me. For those of you not familiar with The Selby, he takes photos of people’s homes. These people are usually creative types and many big players in the fashion industry. My first exposure to The Selby was on the walls of P&L. Holt Renfrew had printed all the pages of his book on these panels that lined the walls.  There were …

Drake Hotel General Store x Shared

Drake Hotel General Store x Shared

It seemed like yesterday that the Drake Hotel General Store expanded to into Rosedale. Here they go expanding again with a new storefront at Bathurst and King. Well the storefront isn’t new, it’s an expanded version of the Shared storefront. Carlo Colacci and Joyce Lo decided it would be a good idea to combine the Drake General Store and their Shared location. An additional 200 square feet was added and it really makes the place feel a lot larger. This Drake General Store x Shared space focuses on clothing and home decor. For the first time all the antique fixtures that everyone drools over in the store will be available for sale. Carlo and Joyce are serious vintage hunters, you can expect their one of a kind finds to be top notch. Shared clothing is prominent in the shop with additional labels like Levis, Cheap Monday, Insight Swimwear, Happy Socks, Sessun, Kostym and Fortnight.  You can still expect to find kitschy items like fabric cacti and mini flasks that make great gifts.   Also check out …

ELLE Decoration Suite by Jean Paul Gaultier

ELLE Decoration Suite by Jean Paul Gaultier

Jean Paul Gaultier is collaborating with French furniture brand Roche Bobois. It will be released in the second half of the year. Gaultier was invited to renovate Elle Decoration suite which is situated on the top floor of the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris. It was a former apartment designed by Jacques Carlu, the architect behind the Palais Chaillot in the 1930s. “Clothes are my job, and as I only know how to dress, I dressed this ELLE Decoration suite in the Cité de l’architecture & du patrimoine, with various touches that already grace my collections. First, the marine touch. Navy stripes are deployed and deformed on the walls, they are draped and curl around the furniture, a little “marine morphing” lounge that disappears in the white canvas. Then comes the green touch. Nature opens its doors ! Plants are invited in, a garden is printed on the walls! Ivy weaves into the sofa; lichen grows over the woven chairs in the shade of a tree, and moss, like green velvet, carpets …

Diesel x Foscarini Lighting

I mentioned how much I liked the Diesel x Foscarini Lighting in my IDS10: I want – I got Favourite Things Part 1 post. The photos were just a small subset of what is available. I got a catalogue and scanned it. Diesel x Foscarini Lighting is available at the Diesel store in Montreal and Lightform’s Toronto and Vancouver locations

Fashion House From Runway to Hallway Designer Videos

I wrote about the Fashion House From Runway to Hallway preview in the summer of 2009. I’ve discovered some videos of the designers talking about the project. Celebrate the best in Canadian fashion in the heart of Toronto’s Fashion District. Eleven of Canada’s premier fashion designers have added their personal touches to the floors of Fashion House and will be on hand to toast Toronto’s first, award-winning fashion / condo project. This is your chance to mix, mingle and immerse yourself in all that is made-to-measure and ready to dwell. Fashion House – impeccable style from the inside, out. Andy The Anh Jeremy Laing Smythe Bustle Beckerman Michael Kale Jenny Bird Greta Constantine Joeffer Caoc Dean Davidson

More on SLIDE, Polyethylene Furniture and Lighting

At IDS10 I discovered SLIDE through their Concord based rep, Company B Inc. I grabbed their 2009 catalogue and found so many beautiful images of SLIDE products in use that I thought I would share. I thank my trusty scanner on days like this. Since its foundation in 2002, SLIDE has been satisfying functional and aesthetic home living needs through innovative and practical products with a clean ironic design, light and always breathtaking: not simply furnishing items but products which radiate light. This is a characteristic feature of all SLIDE products. There are three constant elements in production: the simplest plastic material – polyethylene –, the production technique – rotational moulding – and the creativity of the Italian and international designers involved with many catalogue products. Innovative, diverse and constantly updated, the SLIDE production range includes seats, tables, lamps, vases, bookcases and other items which combine just the right input of light with a lively choice of colour in a strong distinctive way, creating a unique suggestive atmosphere. Backed up by the “Made in Italy” …

Alfred Sung is expanding into home decor with SUNG Outdoor

I thought this little tidbit to hit my inbox was interesting. Alfred Sung is breaking his way into home decor in partnership with the Mimran Group Inc. I am proud to announce the introduction of SUNG Outdoor, a new collection of patio furniture from renowned Canadian style icon Alfred Sung. Created in partnership with Mimran Group Inc. and The Hudson’s Bay Company, SUNG Outdoor incorporates the same timeless sensibilities as the designers’ fashion and fragrance collections. Purity and simplicity of design are hallmarks of this new casual standard of living. Available March 2010 nationwide, exclusively at The Bay, the line was inspired by the unique outdoor lifestyle of various international destinations, such as Madrid, Capri and the French Riviera. Unique items include chic and minimal dining sets, innovative open-weave chaise lounges and textile inspired accent chairs with modern silhouettes. Each piece is hand-woven with all-weather faux wicker and features signature bengaline ribbed upholstery.

Casalife, Mi Casa Su Casa

The home furnishing and accessories store Casalife held an event called Mi Casa Su Casa. It was a like a mini design show which showcased prototypes created by local architects, fashion designers, and chefs. “It’s intended to invoke conversation and awareness of what it takes to come up with a great product these days,” Casalife owner Rob Whitfield said of the event. “The original concept was to invite people that don’t normally design furniture to propose an idea. We wanted to do three or four, but when the ball got rolling it rolled me over. We’re now doing 12 or 13 pieces, and we had to put the brakes on it or we would have had 40 of them. There might be a sequel.” (source) Anwar, Matt, and Allan from the Design Agency Christopher Bates, Ultra Menswear This post is pretty long so please check out the rest of the designs after the jump.

Tom Dixon in Toronto

Klaus by Nienkämper brought Tom Dixon to The Spoke Club last month to talk about his Utility 2009 collection. I was hoping to see some of his pieces up close but that wasn’t the case. Tom got up and spoke for about 20 minutes. He’s funny and very self deprecating. Accompanying his talk was a slide presentation that showed images that included pieces from the Utility collection and his influences. He even had a cartoon created for himself, how cool is that. Tom Dixon says: “I have always been inspired by the no nonsense approach of industrial artifacts and military engineering, science and mathematics, alongside materials and processes for manufacture. So this season, nothing has changed! Our theme for 2009 of Utility talks of usefulness and longevity, which feels appropriate right now.” As you can tell I’m a big fan of the light fixtures. I’ve been told that I gravitate to round things. That might explain my love of these light fixtures. Paul didn’t get any photos of Tom’s work but they were very good …