A pitcher is worth...

I'm thinking calm thoughts - We are having painting issues. One bedroom is totally sorted, thanks to Zinsser Bulls-Eye 1-2-3 from Home Depot. We'd suspected we were dealing with oil-paint and wanted to play it safe (it's a transforming primer). For the second bedroom, in a wildly bad idea, we switched to a regular latex primer. Yeh, no. As soon as we started slapping it up the walls started to bubble and flake - somewhere underneath that old latex is a layer of oil paint that's causing nasty problems... We're going back to the house tonight to sand the walls and seal everything up with the Zinsser. Lesson learnt, lol.

So, in an effort to get to my 'happy place' here's a quick look at an instant collection that I'd love to make room for - Pitchers. The first is modern with a trad blue stripe, from the Chophouse line by Terence Conran for Royal Doulton. The second is an Ikea classic, Dryckjom, that has the look of a hand-thrown piece at a smidge of the price. The third has muscular minimalist lines; Cove from Crate & Barrel. The fourth, called Kooky Feathers, is all hand-painted and witty from Anthropologie (where else?). The fifth is a major splurge - the pretty Still Life Water Pitcher by Job Smeets from that temple of design; Moss.

     

Dry off with a Schnabel

A real artwork by Julian Schnabel is probably out of your snack bracket (mine too, lol) but in an odd pairing, dreampt up by Works on Whatever to help fund major civic artwork, you can splurge on a Schnabel beach towel for the princely sum of $50. The line for '09, launched at the most recent Art Basel Miami,  and made up of works by 4 top-line artists - Julian Schnabel, Raymond Pettibon, Ed Ruscha and Karen Kilimnik - is available through Works on Whatever as well as online through everyone's favourite; Target (though if you don't have any beach time planned, they'd also be quite the chic and swanky way to doll up an all-white bathroom).

Click here to order from Target (they definitely don't ship out of the US - ugh), and click here to see the full line from Works on Whatever (chuck them an e-mail to convince them to ship further afield). WOW is still showing last years collection as available too, which means I might be able to trade-up my kitschy WalMart hula girl for a Jeff Koons smiley monkey! From the top: Schnabel, Pettibon, Ruscha, Kilimnik.

   

Black and white and Italian

I love a bit of Piero Fornasetti, the Milanese artist and designer who's iconic imagery still feels as bizarre and fascinating today as it did when his work first appeared on the scene back in the '50's. His most recognizable designs are of a woman's face (apparently a 19th century opera singer called Lina Cavalieri) which became a central theme in a collection called Tema & Variazioni. Over 350 of his designs were originally produced as plates; depicting her enigmatic face in a slew of different aspects - tattooed, swallowed by a crocodile, turned into a butterfly, and poking out her tongue.

Get hooked up with the gorgeous plates at Palazetti, check out the Fornasetti Collection of wallpaper from Cole & Son, visit Fornasetti directly for access to original vintage items, and shop AT Design Home for accessories and more. But the latest news is of a limited edition Blu-ray disc from Detour Designs that takes Tema & Variazioni and artfully animates it into a surreal 50 minute tour de force for your flatscreen (I can't think of a chic-er way to unwind).

Take a look below at the disc and a couple of screenshots, as well as some of Fornasetti's other work.

Green, peace and cheers

Happy Hols one and all! I'm off for a couple of days of turkey and rest, after we dig out the car from a snow drift, lol, and head out of the city. Below is the Peace Bird, a collage by Christopher Bettig for Artists to Watch (a fab greeting card company), and my card of choice this year that I snagged at Urban Outfitters - I loved the design and since it was printed with soy ink on recycled paper, how could I resist? Cheers!

I'm not in London but I would like a teapot

I do like it when trad companies like Wedgwood get a little subversive. In place of all the lovely gear they normally do with folks like Martha Stewart and Barbara Barry they've taken an edgy side-step to collaborate with illustrator Will Broome on a line destined for Flash - a swanky yet short lived pop-up restaurant that has appeared in London, at The Royal Academy of Arts Burlington Gardens, as part of the Academy's GSK Contemporary Season. The restaurant closes for good on Jan 19th (click here if your heading to the UK and want to try and get a table), but the Will Broome collection, limited to 1000 pieces in each style, will continue to sell through Wedgwood until they've all found a good home.

    

Free art now!

You've gotta love ReadyMade magazine, and their cool DIY take on design and living. Their latest jolly jape lets you download and print your own artist designed posters from their website (click here). Dubbed 'Poster Children', the collection of five pieces is inspired by state-sponsored artwork produced in the US during the Great Depression, and used to promote everything from hygiene and health to vacations and theater.

Here we go - The first is by Nick Dewar, the second is from Mike Perry, the third is courtesy Christopher Silas Neal, Open created the fourth and, last but not least, Christoph Niemann came up with the fifth. Oh, and people, did I mention that they're free!?! Grab some high quality paper, choose 'best' in properties and get printing.

  

  

Say hello to Helen

I've kind of secretly been a fan of Helen Acraman's work, and now everyone and their magazine reading best friend knows, since I blabbed about it in the Jan '09 issue of Canadian House & Home. So much for keeping secrets, lol.

Helen's artwork is storybook cool, bright, happy and quirky; it's just the thing to give a blah wall a decorative slap in the chops, and is waaaay affordable too. A fresh green 20 is all you'll need to score one of her limited edition prints, and that's pretty unbeatable if you ask me - I bet one of her works would make the perfect prezzie either for someone on your list over the hols, or for a housewarming bringalong. Check out Helen's Etsy shop here (her seller name is zukzuk) and click here to take a boo at her sweet blog.

     

No milk, just cool gear

I've had a soft spot for the Drake Hotel in Toronto ever since we held my 40th birthday there a couple of years back (it was a raucous, well-attended affair with a hot playlist from DJ D Parie, all jammed in the Underground bar). Now, apart from all the regular goings on at the Drake too numerous to mention, they've taken it upon themselves to open the Drake Hotel General Store in a vacant storefront next door.

The space is so fresh they haven't even had an opening party yet - that happens tonight - but fear not, they're already packed to the gills and the paint has dried. It's kind of a corner store / art installation / quirky design gallery all mashed into one with vintage shop fixtures that look they were grabbed from Goodwill and given a quick wipedown before being pressed into service.

Theirs is quite the kooky selection of goods, from ultra saucy x-rated colouring books to lollipops, clothing and accessories. My quick faves are below - The rhino, grizzly bear and moose shot glasses in goth black glass, the gnome dishware (yes, there's more than the pitcher) and mini wind-up music boxes that play 'Singing in the Rain' and 'Stairway to Heaven'. In other words, while you won't be popping in for a carton of milk, the shelves are stocked with the kind of cool finds that you didn't know you needed, but really, really do. [Images 2 and 3 by Justin Adam]

   

  

 

 

A crafty institution

Toronto's bi-annual One of a Kind Show is quite the handmade, craft and artwork institution, so much so that the folks behind the show have now brought One of a Kind's to Vancouver, New York and Chicago. I can't remember the last show I missed and walking it, other than the excercise (lol), is always so inspirational since there's just such a feast for the eyes.

As always, I've ended up picking out a few best-in-show that I thought would be worth sharing -

Wendy Walgate's world is dreamy, odd and Alice in Wonderland-ish. My friend Morgan turned me onto her work, and I must say I became an instant fan - I love how her artwork plays with memories, collections and colour. 

Flakes stationary has a collaged feel that I totally get (love those Holiday cards). Ashley Stapleton's work is witty and pretty and her new calendars, debuting at the show, are smashing.

Kyla Francis caught me with her hand-printed enamel sneaker design as well as that hilarious mug inspired by haircuts spotted at the One of a Kind. She has such an irreverent, modern and young take on decorative work.

The show runs until Dec 7th, so make sure you get down there and hit the aisles!

 

 

Gallery (s)hopping

Last night was the official opening 'do' for the AGO's Shop, so I headed down for a peek at what's on the shelves. I know, I should really have arrived early and toured the whole AGO, and I will - promise - I'm not quite as crass as infamous PR flack Edina Monsoon (of Ab Fab fame), who firmly believed that museums would be so much better if everything was on sale...

The store has quite the selection of fab stuff - I loved all the Frank Gehry pieces on show as well as the witty/cool references to all the Douglas Fir used in his design of the gallery, like the curly-whirly trivet below, and let's not forget the slew of artist designed limited edition t-shirts either (put me down for one of those) as well as tons of pre-framed art and a whole section with creative gear for the kiddies too. (Exterior image courtesy of the AGO)

 

Good cause, good art, good beats

What are you doing tomorrow night? Nothing, and you're in Toronto? Okay, well I've got something for you to hit up that's for a super good cause - It's the Cape Town Shakedown Fundraiser and Art Auction at Studio Gallery out on College Street. Head there between 7-11pm on the 20th for a silent auction on a slew of edgy and cool donated artwork from more than a dozen artists and hang to the beats of a couple of DJs. All the money raised is for The Cape Town Children's Scholarship Foundation: a not-for-profit charitable group that will award scholarships to poverty stricken kids living in the Khayelitsha Township, outside of Cape Town. Go, donate, bid, drop some cash and have a good time.

Take a peek at some of the artwork on offer below from Jesi The Elder and Ndeur (I'll get back to you about who's behind the Paris shot), as well as shots of those deserving kids in the Townships, and click here for more info on the event.

Feeling small, but pretty

Affordable art alert!!! Art Interiors (yes, they are one of my fave galleries) is just about to debut their latest show, the 15th Annual Festival of Smalls. Prices start at a way affordable $30 and max out at $250 at the top end for all sorts of beauties. Click here to shop online, and take a peek below at a few of my picks by Beverly Owens, Lizzie Vickery and Susan Fothergill.

 

Present-ly

Finding gear that's cool enough to be instantly giftable takes up a fair bit of my grey matter this time of year. Myself, and many of the folks I know, have been exhaustively hunting for the unusual and new, the special and the intriguing. In other words, gifts for the person who has everything.

Roseland Gallery is definitely worth a visit if you've hit that proverbial present wall. The place is always quite the cabinet of curiosities and this season is no exception - Françoise and Dante have tracked down scads of artful goods that include quirky snowglobes from artist Jeff Koons (whose gigant-o sculptures have recently graced the roof of the Met in NYC), standout vases by Mendini and Gatti and a flock of sweet pewter birds. You can put me down for a snowglobe, or maybe a pewter parrot...

  

Nail or coat hanger?

Affordable artwork, and people actually slapping art up on their walls, is one of the coolest major trends in design. With the advent of Etsy, and great local galleries like Art Interiors, buying art that you like doesn't have to be intimidating or fusty in any way; a huge break from the old days when walking into a gallery would have involved a staring contest as the person behind the desk sized up your net worth with x-ray vision (nasty).

But, would you buy the art and wear the matching t-shirt? Ummm, I would, lol. Online music retailer Insound got together with designer Jason Munn to create the Insound 20; a run of 20 different limited edition posters, matching t-shirts and hoodies inspired by a bunch of Insound's favourite bands. Cool? I think so. And yes, they ship to Canada.

 

 

 

Paper cuts

Click on a link, and you'll never know where it might take you - That's how I ended up visiting Royal Buffet's shop on Etsy, where I was totally enchanted. Mollie Green is the delicate hand behind the charmingly ethereal handmade paper cutouts, garlands and mobiles made of vintage French magazines and record albums. The Lady and Gentleman mobile is one of her latest pieces and a total favourite (love the scatter of butterflies over each figure), you'll see it below, along with a couple of playfully crafted paper garlands too. Just darling. 

 

   

More, please

You can never have too much art! The wonderfully quirky artwork below is the latest from Angela Adams, but you might know Angela better as a rug designer (her modern, arty rugs are available through Design Within Reach as well as Home Depot). When this appeared in my in-box yesterday I have to say I was immediately drawn to the colours and almost folky vibe, and then when I checked out the website I was even more surprised - The archival prints, taken from her rug designs, start at an eminently affordable $65 US. Not too shabby, and a delightfully personal way to dress up your walls! Click here to look at the full listing of prints (put me down for Rain in 12"x16").

Oh, and if you're tweaking about the wallpaper - I got word that it's a sneak peek from Ms. Adam's new collection of sustainable contract wallcoverings, available early next year from MDC.

Keeping calm

For me at least, this is the design equivalent of a one-two punch - Keep Calm Gallery are a Brit firm and one of my total faves for affordable, graphically inspired art (they ship worldwide too). It all started with their 'Keep Calm and Carry On' print, inspired by a vintage WWII poster, that caught on with design types across the globe and has popped up in quite a few house shoots since. I've included their latest edition below, printed in metallic gold (v. on trend), because it's still so fab.

Well, now they branched into the world of tea-towels! Can I hear a woop-woop? Laugh as you might, this has got me extremely excited (click here to read more about my mania). The towels are printed on heavy-duty cotton and have the same smart graphic vibe as Keep Calm's posters - I love!

The towels can be ordered online from their new store The Manicule, and if you're in Toronto, head straight to Up To You to buy them in person. Look below to see 'Stand The Heat' and 'Tea Revives You'.


Art happens

Last night was the opening of Art Interiors 15th anniversary show which had the fun concept of letting 15 folks, me included, pop in and pick out a piece that they loved. Art Interiors is a very modern style of gallery - an un-fusty, relaxed and very un-intimidating place to visit that is usually stacked to the rafters with artwork large and small. You can even register here (I'd rather get art as a gift than a set of pots and pans any day). Looking around at the gallery walls the results couldn't have been more diverse, but the most interesting thing for me was reading each and every quote that gave the reasons why the piece was chosen. Art makes such a personal statement and is an integral part of any interior - 'the cherry on the cake' as one person said - so seeing what Suzanne Dimma, Samantha Pynn and Brian Gluckstein might actually hang on their walls is very cool indeed.

The show runs from September 26th to October 7th - Have a look below at the photography piece I picked, by artist Alex Taves; I was drawn to the dreamy blurry colours and the way it brought back childhood memories of travelling abroad (and that's just how everything looks once my specs are off).

Trash talk

I love an art intervention, something that can shake up daily life a bit and make you think, so was super interested in the work of artist Adrian Kondratowicz when it flickered across my screen the other day. It's all about trash - garbage, rubbish, refuse, call it what you like; we've just got too much of it and keep on dropping more at the curb.

So, rather than getting all apocalyptical, Kondratowicz has been working on bringing wit, humour and even a bit of glamour to idea of thinking about reduce, reuse, recycle and how much we actually toss on a daily basis. His project "Trash - anycolouryoulike" has been hitting spots around NYC, most recently in the Meatpacking District, and has caused quite the stir. Well, how can you ignore pink polka dot trash bags?

Check out his work here, you can buy the bags too (they're biodegradable and naturally scented to repel insects and vermin) or commision Kondratowicz for your very own trash intervention.

Good cause, good design

RugMark is a brilliant organization, working to end child labour in the carpet industry and to provide a chance at educational for kids in India, Nepal and Pakistan. Bev Hisey's rugs (who I've featured before, take a look here) are certified by RugMark, and I was excited to see an e-mail pop up from the wonderful folks at Creative Matters, who are working on a cool project with them.

RugMark's annual fundraising raffle features a gorgeous hand knotted wool and silk carpet, custom designed by Creative Matters, and valued at $5,350. Called 'Hariti' (Tibetan for Protectress of Children), it was inspired by a snap that Creative Matters partners, Carol Sebert and Donna Hastings, took while visiting Nepal. Take a look at the folds of fabric and sparkle of a pin in the little girl's jacket and you'll see the inspiration for the rug design on the right.

One ticket is $25, or buy two for $50 and you'll be paying for a year's worth of schooling, uniforms and textbooks for a child. Click here to buy (lots) of raffle tickets.