Global view

I have a feature coming up for the National Post's Post Homes magazine for September that I've spent a fair bit of time working on this week. Much of that time has me searching through online catalogues to see what's new and what will fit the feel and direction of the story. Mostly it's point, click, snore - especially when I can't find exactly what I'm looking for. Design Within Reach is always a go-to site for me because, well, they just have the right stuff - A well edited and stylishly modern collection of 'tools for living' (I cribbed that from their website, lol, but I think it says is all!).

The globes below are new additions at DWR, and I'm very glad for their arrival. Set on a vintage credenza or stashed in a bookshelf, they're just the ticket for a well-travelled, modern design object. The mint globe has a slight 40's feel, while the black is all business.

Rich and woodsy

I know, the rich and woodsy shots below aren't exactly seasonal, but there's a good chance that you haven't seen them before so I thought it would be fun to share. I totally enjoy doing tabletop styling for food shoots, it's such a welcome change from working on big unwieldy room sets. I love shopping for props too, and have quite the collection of vintage and new bits and pieces, picked up whenever we're travelling and snagged at spots like Value Village. Keep an eye out for shoots I did with Canadian Family, coming up later this year.

Art Director and friend, Jason Kang, kindly sent these shots through. I've asked Jason to check since we all worked on this quite a while back, but I'm remembering these were all shot by the same crew - Top photographer, George Whiteside, and lucious food styling by Lasha Andrushko. And, have you guessed who these were shot for? Well, I suppose I'll let the cat out of the bag - Kraft.


Hot shot

I love a good espresso (not expresso, please, lol), and starting my day with a shot is quite the best thing since sliced bread. We have the Nespresso Le Cube espresso machine in white, which looked awfully posh in our last kitchen (take a look here) and now sits rather snugly on our teensy temporary apartment countertop. Apart from the fact that it's practically idiot-proof (the foil capsules take care of that) the design is clean, simple and modern - All you need in a countertop appliance.

Now Nespresso is jacking things up for Fall with more choice in their colour finishes. A racy and kinda Eighties hi-tech matte Black and a v. lovely Bronze Patina (which would look very swish with Jenn-Air's Oiled Bronze appliances). Plus, and this is a big plus, they're also intro-ing a larger sized milk heater / frother; the Aeroccino Plus. Which (again with the idiot-proof) does a masterful job of making the kind of cappuccino foam that a seasoned barista would be proud of. All this new gear is available in September - check out Nespresso online, or visit one of their two Canadian boutiques at The Bay in downtown Toronto and Vancouver. Take a peek at the Le Cube Bronze Patina and Aeroccino Plus below.

Quick pick

After a long drive to Cambridge to check out a bedroom for a makeover I'll be doing for CityLine (look for it on the show mid-September) I had to get to business and do the un-glamorous side of my job - Returning things bought for shoots. Honestly, my car is usually jammed with scads of shopping bags waiting dolefully for me to get around to lugging them back to the stores. Ugh.

At the cash of Home Outfiiters, staring off into space, the Rakku Shoe Wheel caught my attention. Now, while we're nowhere near the Imelda level of shoe obsessions we do have tons of sneakers (currently filling 2 drawers of a large filing cabinet and smothering the floor of the coat closet); maybe this is a solution?

Hot towels

I've collected a few things over the years - clocks, Art Deco bits and pieces, scientific glassware, white pottery, souvenir silk scarves and tea-towels to name a few. They've all kind of ebbed and flowed depending on storage space and usefuleness, but the tea-towels, well, we have lots and I keep on finding more. Maybe it's a British thing, or maybe it's a pattern thing - Most are vintage and I do really hunt for good Irish linen too (just the best for glassware), but then there are often new patterns that catch my eye.

I love this article on Chow called Upgrade Your Rags that shows a smashing selection. I already have a few they show (Kaiku by Marimekko is a favourite), but it's a newer company called Simrin. with a modern sensibility that references gorgeous botanical patterns, that made me look further. Love their colourways, love the prints and I can't wait to get my hands on their gear! Take a look -

Junior envy

There's been quite the overload of kid's well-designed furniture recently, and honestly, isn't it about time? Enough of the dullsville offering that has been on the market for years, now creative parents want their kid's spaces to be just as cool as the rest of the house (after all, If it's all B&B Italia in the living room why should Junior have to suffer).

Nurseryworks (available at stores across Canada) is at the top of the kiddie food chain when it comes to cool gear. Their latest offering for Fall /08 is uber swanky and has me all envious - The Vale and Harvard headboards are quite the chicest thing but only come in twin and full. Darn.

Looking for real

Yesterday was a difficult day - Plumbing issues on a reno I'm working on (we only need 2 handles in the shower, not 3!) and then hours and hours spent walking the halls at the Toronto Gift Show, aka the CGTA. As usual I found some great, beautifully designed authentic gear, more of which you'll see later, but, also as usual, there was tons of terrible stuff. It's almost as if a great idea gets photocopied again and again until you're just seeing a sad ghostly image of the original. So, when I saw a bad rip of Eva Zeisel's fab Century Dinnerware (the real thing is available from Crate & Barrel) I knew it was time to call it a day.

I've heard the word 'authentic' alot recently and it's been really resonating with me - Whether it's things or experiences I think we're all looking for the real deal. Ilse Crawford is someone who I admire greatly, a designer and creative director who I think has that concept down in spades. She started Elle Decoration UK back in the day, and I've been avidly following her work ever since. Her company, StudioIlse, works on some amazing projects, including a recent store design for Aesop, restaurant and hotel design, and also show flats for Notting Hill London. Take a look at one of the flats below.


Brighton bizarre

As a kid I spent lots of time in Brighton, on the south coast of England. And now, whenever we travel back to the UK, we always try and head down to walk the Promenade and see the sights. One of those particular sights is The Royal Pavilion which, to this day, still takes my breath away. How crazy/amazing is it? Well, take a look below. Yup, it's in England, not India (and the interiors are just as bizarre as the exterior, with a dragon in the dining room and palm trees in the kitchen). And, while the warm beige stone exterior adds a nice air of class, I do miss the garish old pink and blue paintjob that I remember from my childhood.

For a touch of updated Regency madness I thought I'd include this charming Currey & Co table, which I think would look just smashing set next to a clean-lined modern sofa.

Image copyright The Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove


Chic and easy

By now everyone and their best friend has had a chance to peruse the new Ikea catalogue and dog ear pages, me included. I thought I'd post a couple of favourite roomsets that get my vote for their lashings of inspirational style (love those Kelly green closet doors) as well as being super affordable. Chic and easy on the wallet - Who can beat that?

The first shows the Grimen bed, that rocks a way Italian vibe at just a smidge of the price, the second shows just what a bit of imagination and a few Ribba frames can do.

Men at work

After all the ugliness with that bricked up garage door in the basement (take a look here) we had to take drastic action and a fab crew was called in to take care of it. They arrived bright and early Saturday morning with heavy equipment and set to it. The backhoe sliced through the asphalt like buttah and then made quick work of the fill (basically construction scrap and garbage) to reveal the drain and the soon to be replaced brick wall.

It's just lovely to see good work replace bad, taking us one step further to getting stuck in to the interiors. Not to be outdone, David and I kept busy by fishing out black crud from a basement drain that was slightly on the blocked side. Will the fun never end? lol 

Destruction part deux

The more ripping out we do ourselves, the better our budget will be stretched over the long term on the house.- smart words, though the reality is a fair bit dustier.

So far most of the walls on the main floor have gone, add in the walls dividing the basement, and a few up on the top floor and you can see why we've already filled two skips to the brim (there's still more to do). I must admit it's fun swinging a sledgehammer, and I've become quite the dab hand with a crowbar too. Add in the fact that this, for the most part, isn't your regular 2008 drywall that we're ripping out, nope, it's vintage 1965 built-to-last concrete board with a nice layer of plaster. Quite the workout.

For extra giggles it's always fun to see what's behind the walls, or ceilings; a showering of mousepoop is always a refreshing remider that the house has had a few occupants over the years.

Below you can see me smothered in dust, bemasked and protected by thick suede gloves and a v. cool hardhat (cheers M and C).

5 quick questions - Suzanne Dimma

In between takes yesterday, and in the midst of the semi-controlled madness of a Style Dept makeover, I grabbed Suzanne to ask her a few questions. As you might know, she's just been named as the new editor of Canadian House & Home Magazine - So, congrats!

AW: What's your current fave colour palette?

SD: I'm the queen of white, but if I had to pick I'd go with a greeny-aqua-blue mixed with stone and a hit of pumpkin orange.

AW: What's the next piece you want to buy for your place?

SD: I'd like to find a great open style lantern in gold to switch out for the dusty glass apothecary lamp in my front hall, and for the cottage I just saw an outdoor teak table, part of the Veneto line at Design Within Reach, that would be the perfect coffee table.

AW: What's one thing that should be banished from decor?

SD: Anything cranberry red or forest green!

AW: How do you feel about your new gig?

SD:Oh my god, I'm so excited for the challenge! I really see it as the next chapter.

AW: What's next?

SD: Wrapping my show and packing to go on a much needed vacation in the South of France.

 

Destruction

TV is filling my time right now; for the last couple of days I've been on set with The Style Dept, shooting the final episode. Of course the house stuff is still happening - Yesterday David (while chatting with our contractor) went hell for leather on the main floor to start removing drywall and exposing beams. A crowbar, a sledgehammer (and a fair amout of brute strength) and this is the result. 

  

Style blender

While you might think that I have completely my own way with the way the new place will look, think again. It's the same for us as for most couples - Compromise. Ugh, such a dirty word (lol). And David, who's quite the comedian, has given some thought on a design direction and has decreed that it should be Robot Chic. Robot Chic? Honestly, if he had his way we'd be living in a Daft Punk video wearing crash helmets with LED lights flashing across the visor. Cool, perhaps, but maybe not so livable (I think I might get a headache from all the glaring lights).

In an effort to be understanding I've found the perfect item that'll meet halfway between Robot Chic and, well, reality - The lampbase (very him) and shade (very me) are both available through the always edgy Urban Outfitters.

  

Get cultured

Object Factory, running at the Gardiner Museum until Sept 7th, is a must see exhibit. Featuring ceramics from a laundry list of big name artists and designers - like Cindy Sherman and Ettore Sottass  - they also have some lesser known, but no less cool, work on display too from edgy young firms like Industreal. Another one to check: The Ornamental Inheritance pieces by studio Jo Meesters, which takes vintage trad blue & white pieces and sanblasts them to create intricate urban landscapes. Take a look at the pic below, which riffs on a 17th century Dutch still life vibe.

In the details

 

After a frustrating week with the new house and a bumper crop of deadlines to get through (look for Style Scout in Saturday's National Post, Post Homes section) I could do with a bit of relief. Lawdy I need this long weekend like nobody's business.

Today an e-mail popped into my in-box from photographer Angus Fergusson, who'd kindly sent me through a couple of detail shots - one of the dresser in the bedroom, the other of a shelf in the bathroom - from the Canadian House & Home shoot of our old place. If you flick through the mag (Feb '08) you'll see they didn't make the cut, but still, I thought it might be nice for them to see the light of day. That mirror has travelled with me since the age of 12, when I first started collecting Art Deco, and the shelf in the bathroom is an Ikea classic (the Lack) that we customized with a piece of mirror.

  

Quick pick

I was out and about this afternoon scouting for an upcoming Trendwatch for Canadian House & Home that'll appear in the November issue. As usual, it's a bit like finding a needle in a haystack, but I do enjoy the hunt. While zipping around town I ended up Teatro Verde where this cute-as-a-button watering can caught my eye. The print is Cray, a lovely Arts & Crafts pattern by Williams Morris, and is part of the V&A Museum collection (one of my fave museums to check out whenever I'm in London). Sweet!

Swedish present

After that construction nastiness let us speak of other things, of cabbages and kings. Well, more importantly, my excitement for the new Ikea catalogue!

I was at the launch last night which was a huge laugh, take a look at the pics below (thanks Madeleine). The smarty-pants at Ikea have taken over a downtown Toronto storefront, on swanky King Street, to showcase all their new gear. Highlights include lots of black in both matte and gloss finishes, new kitchen cabinetry in Pop-y colours and cowhide rugs. In fact, it's open through the weekend, so if you want to take a look head to 143 King St East - I'm going to have to go back and check it out without the hordes of people. 

  

Pretty nasty

The basement at the house is a bit of a horror show; small dark rooms, icky vinyl floor and spiders, lots of spiders. And well, now things are a bit worse in basement-land... We knew there had been some funny business at some point with the house since the drive-dowwn garage had been bricked-up and the driveway levelled, all to make the basement larger. The funny business was confirmed when a neighbour mentioned that they'd gone to bed one night and woken up to see the work had been done. Funny indeed...

Now, this wasn't a major surprise since our house inspector had mentioned damp issues in this one wall, but still, y'know, in my head at least it's all butterflies and sunshine. We set too ripping off the drywall (well, after a brief trip to Home Depot to pick up the right tools since garden shears weren't quite doing the trick, lol) and you can see below what we discovered. Basically one layer of bricks, 2" x 4"s and some insulation (and a whole lotta damp) is the only thing holding up the driveway. Oh, and they'd kindly left the old wooden garage door frame in place too - Thanks.

Our contractor came over last night and gave us the lowdown - Removing the concrete and asphalt from the front of the house, digging down and removing and replacing the wall with something that's actually structurally sound and, oh, waterproof. Lovely.