Light work

It's been quite mega busy, what with the Interior Design Show (Did you go? What did you think btw?), major painting and priming happening at our place (we've sorted out the main floor, yay! Pics to come...), and then taping CityLine yesterday morning (watch for the show next Monday!). But of course I took time to slack off yesterday and hit my fav Goodwill with my friend Jasmine. I do have my reasons - we still need a long low dresser for the bedroom - but I still managed to find lovely stuff we definitely don't need, like a tooled brass vase-shaped lamp base that sat smartly on a black plinth. All for $9.99. How could I say no? Ummm, I had to, the last thing we need right now is another vintage lamp with 'personality'; if I bought all the ones that spoke to me I'd be tripping over them by now, lol.

While I was sourcing for CityLine I stumbled across this pendant fixture from West Elm and thought it was just so darned interesting that it was worth a post. I'm all over the mix between old and new; it has the feel of one of those star fixtures, but the faceting takes it an entirely different direction.

5 quick questions - Matt Carr

Matt Carr, Umbra's Design Director, is a difficult guy to pin down. When I first e-mailed him he was somewhere in China, Shanghai I think, so I'm amazed that he was finally able to spend time and answer a few questions. As Matt mentions below, he's participating in the Pecha Kucha presentation at the Interior Design Show today - I'm moderating the presentation, which should be a laugh. Hopefully it will be fun and fast paced; Pecha Kucha is Japanese for chit-chat, each presenter gets 20 slides and 20 seconds per slide to speak to the theme of 'Inspiration'. So if you're at the show today, make sure to stop by. In case that wasn't enough, he and his girlfriend, Joyce Lo, have also designed one of the spaces at Come Up To My Room at the Gladstone Hotel - A v. cool exhibit that runs until Sunday, Feb 8th.

I asked Matt to pick out a few of his favourite pieces that he's designed for Umbra. From the top: The Mixalabra, my current fav candleholder. The Rolly Desk, check out the rest of the Rolly line too. The Teatime Clock, love all those vintage teacups. And finally the Biblioteca bookcase, snapped in Matt's own living space. Click here to check out more 5 Quick Question interviews.

Arren Williams: Can you describe your style?

Matt Carr: Style is always evolving. Lately I have been really into industrial vintage antiques with a touch of folk and a little glam. Ransacking through the aisles of the St. Lawrence antique market has become somewhat of a Sunday morning tradition. I am not a huge fan of slick contemporary as I love blemishes and inconsistencies…the little things that give pieces character and a story. Neither contemporary nor traditional, my home is a complete mixed bag of pieces that work together to make a comfortable informal living space.

AW: What's really got you excited in the world of design?

MC: Technology continues to change the face of design. From new materials and processes that I was just checking out in factories in Asia to how we develop product in our Toronto design studio. We have been using a 3D printer to generate exact models from our computer renderings. It is such an amazing tool to explore and understand forms, surfaces, and ergonomics. It’s kinda like our little design oven.

AW: What's the next thing you'll be buying for your place?

MC: Moving from a loft to a house meant a lot more furniture to acquire. The to do list for the house is still long, but I think the next investment piece will be a great armoire to hide the TV and unsightly electronics that go with it.

AW: Anything, décor wise, that you totally hate and think should be banned?

MC: Ha! Hate is a strong word but when I visit Mimi’s, my fave Pho restaurant on Gerrard Street I cannot get over the peach coloured sponge job they went for. Almost so bad it’s good…

AW: What's next for you?

MC: The last month has been a busy one. Just got back from a trip to Hong Kong and China then headed to NYC for the NYIGF. My girlfriend and I are just putting the finishing touches on our “In My Heart” installation for this weekend's COME UP TO MY ROOM event. We were inspired by the experiences people share in hotel rooms. Whether it be a honeymoon or a torrid affair, hotel rooms have a long association with love and lovers. Using light, holograms and typography, In My Heart is an installation that explores these relationships. Also presenting a Pecha Kucha speech during IDS focusing on how we are constantly surrounded by inspiration…even in the most mundane everyday experiences.

    

Dark and cold

Last night, as the temperature dipped once again (ugh), I stopped in at the opening of Radiant Dark, and I have to say, the show is totally worth checking out. The mix of all-Canadian designed pieces on show bridges the line between concept, art and design with some exceptionally cool results. Take a look below for a couple of quick snaps I took -The Stag (Tapestry) by Grant Heaps crosses paint-by-numbers with pixelated 1" squares of fabric stitched together - how cool. And more of Bev Hisey's Dirty Dishes; circular rugs inspired by bacteria, viruses and Petrie dishes. Other highlights for me include the In The Round (Dining Table) by Luflic that pairs felted wool covered legs with a polished glass top, and Propellor Design's Dram (Chandelier) that re-cycles vintage glassware into a very covetable light fixture.

Radiant Dark, organized by the fabulous folks at Made, opens today and runs until Feb 8th, click here for more info.

 

On the carpet

If I haven't been carrying a box I've had a paintbrush in my hand (which is why I've missed out on posting on the blog), oh the joys of a new home, lol. Yesterday I escaped the drywall dust for a bit and met up with my mate, and rug designer extraordinaire, Bev Hisey. She's just launched her new designs for '09, one of which - Dity Dishes - will be debuting at Radiant Dark 2009, an exhibit of Canadian design curated by Made. The show runs from Feb 5th to the 8th, so make sure you check it out.

Some of hew new work comes with a back story, here's the deelio - Cross My Heart, in wool and silk, was inspired by a neighbour's heart surgery. Sightlines came about from Bev's recent eye exams. Dirty Dishes was inspired by a Petrie dish. Escort was patterned after shredded fishnets from her teenage daughter's punk phase (Bev is thankful it was a short lived phase!). One last important thing - Bev's rugs, as always, are stamped by Rugmark, guaranteeing no child labour was involved in their manufacture.

   

There will be dust

Well, we've finally made it - We moved into the new house on Friday. And, even though after every move I swear that we'll hire movers next time (David always pretends to hear me and then changes the subject) we found ourselves at Budget picking up a 16ft cube van at 7am on Friday morning. By 5pm we were done and completely knackered. Everything made it in one trip too; not too shabby if I do say so myself, though lugging a pair of steel horizontal file cabinets with David practically killed me.

The weekend was spent organizing, cleaning and priming as much of the drywall as we could (there's still lots to go). Getting rid of drywall dust is the main objective over this week, and so far the top floor is completely primed, semi-organized and mostly dust free. Two more floors to go... It isn't all fun and games though - The old thermostat can't seem to get the heat over 17C (we're waiting to change it out once all the dust is done with), so it's a wee bit chilly, and we've got no sinks or counters in the master bathroom or the kitchen, which means dishes get done in the basement bathroom. Thankfully our contactors will be hooking us up with a temporary sink in the kitchen over the next couple of days, and Home Depot will be popping by to template the Corian counters and sinks this week (yay!).

Through all this we have made a final decision on the fireplace surround, since we've managed to score some edgestone tiles that have a nice mid-century vibe. One teensy problem-o though; the stone colour reminds me of cat sick, so, much to the consternation of our contractors, we'll be slapping white paint on the tiles once they're done. Take a boo below at an inspiration shot of the tiles - if you can, squint to imagine them white - and a shot of the style of Montigo fireplace that Odyssey Fireplace installed on the main floor.

 

Over black?

The iPhone is such an iconic design object that's marvellous to hold and play with, let alone place a call, but, does it's slick black finish really match 'you'? Urban Outfiitters have stepped in with a series of happy/edgy/cool artist designed skins to mash things up a little, and take the look beyond basic black. I've picked a couple of my faves below which totally have a decor vibe - Blue Willow by Colin Thompson which, yep, happily borrows from your Gran's china, and Bunny Blossom by Kozyndan totally feels like a vintage wallpaper (I see it working with a navy velvet sofa, pea green wingbacks, a glass waterfall coffee table and an oak herringbone floor - but that's just me...).

   

 

A sad day

The sad news just broke - Domino Magazine is ceasing publication. March /09 will be their last issue, and the word is they'll be shutting their online presence too. Like it or not (it was one of my faves), Domino had become incredibly influential; they've definitely put their well decorated stamp firmly on the world of decor.

In an effort to stay cheery I'm posting this fab limited edition wallpaper that I spotted over on Rachel Best's blog (Rachel's post on Twitter alerted me to the news about Domino). Topo Azul is the name of the paper - from the v. quirkily titled design firm Alan, The Gallant from Barcelona. I'm totally digging the pattern's hand drawn vibe...

 

Once more with feeling

Sometimes seeing a classic re-interpreted just makes you go hmmm, and that's what happened when I saw this shot of Bergere chairs; upholstered in a fantastic tropical leaf print and finished with a black frame and nailhead trim. Will we ever get tired of Bergeres? I think they've transcended the trend and have become part of our current design vernacular so, if you want my two cents, 'no' is the answer to that. 

I have chairs on the brain right now - along with lots of other stuff - since I'm on the hunt for occasional chairs for our new place. On my travels I've spied a pair of 40's-ish side chairs in a local mechanic's waiting room (of all places), that I'd love to get a hold of and re-upholster in African batik. Errr, I just re-read that last sentence and think that I might sound potentially certifiable, lol...

Via Swank Lighting's blog

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.

     

Under glass

I love a good window display, they can be just so inspiring. In fact it was one of my first jobs, working in the display department at Selfridges in London, errrrr, a very long time ago...

I happened upon the three windows below, designed for the Big Window Challenge; a competition that's happening right this minute in NYC, dreampt up by the savvy folks at Bloomingdales & Apartment Therapy New York. The first, called Bridget's Bridge and designed by Curtis Robertson, is inspired by a paint-by-numbers painting. The second, The Downtown Chalet designed by Jane Mount, is meant to make you feel a little Swiss. The third, The Bachelor Party designed by Patrick J. Hamilton, is styled to evoke New York at night.

Take a minute and click here to vote for your fave, take a look at more shots of the spaces, and to guess which I voted for (it's currently in the lead...).

via laidbackchick on Twitter

Absolutely bananas

This totally made me laugh this morning - I needed it since a wee bit of stress is kicking in about us packing and moving into a semi-ready house, plus we still need a ceiling fixture for the new living room, and this one is just about the coolest/funniest one I've seen.

The Chiquita Chandelier, yep, made of Chiquita Banana boxes, was designed back in '03 by Netherlands based designer, Anneke Jakobs, who was obviously way ahead of the curve with the trend of 'upcycling'. And, if you fancy your very own chandelier chez vous, Anneke gives you two choices; either order one directly from her, or get thrifty and crafty by downloading the PDF instructions (here) to make one yourself. If there's a run on banana boxes at your local grocery store, don't blame me...

 

Via Elle Decoration South Africa

Top style from down under

Ummm, hello? Why aren't we all living in Australia? Amazing weather, amazing style, and the food - mmmm. And, while it's hovering around minus I-don't-know-what here, down there they're wandering around in flipflops enjoying sizzling temperatures. How fair is that?

Back to Australian style - I recently stumbled across the Deborah Bibby's blog (take a look here), editor of Real Living magazine, and was totally wowed by the pages she's been posting from her mag. Ultra stylish, bright, fresh and fearlessly colourful they totally spoke to me (and hopefully they'll do the same to you!). Take a boo at some of my fave shots below from their Jan/Feb /09 and Nov /08 issues - I want every single one of the lamps...

And major kudos to Poppytalk and Desire to Inspire for getting picked as part of Real Living's '14 websites that will change the way you live'!

   

Saved by Saralisa and Sagan

I've been driving myself bananas looking at options for shower curtains, hooks, towel rails and toilet roll holders for the basement bathroom (have a look here). I'd hit every fancy bath supply store I could think of (ummm, no, I won't spend $80+ on a toilet roll holder) and stopped in at every big box imaginable and, seriously, there was bupkis worth lugging home. So luckily yesterday, on a run through Ikea scouting for a makeover I'm working on for CityLine, inspiration struck.

I turned a corner and there was Saralisa; a new line of fabric that just landed the shelves that has the chops to make an absolutely boffo shower curtain. Not sure whether I'll be plunking for the white or the black, but y'know, at a chintzy $6.99 a yard maybe I'll make 2! The other big save was Sagan for all the hook, rail and toilet roll holder business. Hefty and modern in a bright chrome finish - Just what I'd been searching for, and that swish little roll holder is a very budget friendly $14.99...

   

Cut a rug

I've always been a fan of the laser-cut woodgrain vinyl floor mats by Arzu Firuz, especially after I had the chance to see them in person at last Fall's Maison&Objet design trade show in Paris. I love her work, since it picks up on influences from trad Turkish crafts and wittily re-interprets them in fresh and modern ways. But sadly, according to Arzu's retailer list (see here), no-one in Canada had picked up her de-lovely line - A shame since they're quite the showstopping pieces and, from what I can tell, they won't completely break the bank.

Now there's a bit of a glimmer of hope, since Ligne Roset recently released designs by Arzu named Azra; there's a rectangular rug, a floor runner, and a circular rug, all available in black vinyl. Take a look below to get the gist and pop in to the retailers in Edmonton, Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto (click here for the list) for more info. And, for a taste or Arzu's current line - love that hand-cut plastic canvas panel - take a look at the last shot below.

  

And in this corner...

It's been a big week for the house project and I have to say, after popping in there today, that it really does look like we'll get in there by Feb 1st.

On the kitchen front, Home Depot's Installation Services have done a bang-up job on the initial install on the Venicia cabinetry in prep for the appliances that arrive next Tuesday (yay Jenn-Air!). Once the appliances are in, the countertop will be templated (we're going with a Corian surface and an integral sink). And then, when the counter arrives (in around a week to 10 days), we'll be able to finish by tiling the backsplash.

One thing we had our fingers crossed for was a fireplace for the main floor and yep, we managed to squeeze it into the budget. It's a swish letterbox style direct vent gas unit by Montigo (the flue goes straight out the exterior wall) that we sourced through Odyssey Fireplaces, who installed it nice and swiftly a couple of days back. Cera Stone, our great contractors, will be framing and finishing the surround this week. Take a boo at how it looks right now, and how it might look once finished, though we're currently kind of taken with the fireplace surround in that Marimekko shot in the post below...

And finally, under all that protective paper, is our delish new bamboo floor that we scored at Home Depot - Quality Craft carbonized bamboo in a Gunstock stain (it's the middle tone in the sample board below). While I was researching flooring choices the whole sustainable side of bamboo made so much sense - Bamboo can be harvested in 3 years, while oak needs 125 years to reach maturity.

To check up on the reno, and to see what's happened so far, click here.

     

Fresh and Finnish

I'd given you a sneaky look at Marimekko's Spring /09 releases here, but since there's so much smashing gear from them this season I wanted to post more. The patterns range from playful to edgy in colourways that span warm and bright to high contrast black, white and grey. In fact, after looking through their new line and continuing collections, I think we might be picking one of their fabrics as a drapery choice for our new living space (it's a toss-up between Frekvenssi by Harri Koskinen and Marhaba by Ikka Suppanen).

Another hot announcement is the launch of a new line of Marimekko wallpapers, produced by Italian firm Sirpi S.p.a. The papers are expected to hit shelves sometime after April and will be debuting shortly at all the best design trade shows (take a boo at the first shot below to see one of the papers, the following three shots are a taste of Spring). And, talking of wallpaper, if you'd like a Marimekko background wallpaper for your computer click here.

In Canada, touch base with the wonderful Marimekko Vancouver for info on the collections (they can get their hands on the whole shebang) and, of course, to have anything shipped chez vous. [Images: Copyright 2009 Marimekko Corporation. All rights reserved]

   

Urban goes garden

I know, it's all bare branches and frostbitten ground out there (at least in this neck of the woods) but soon enough it'll be time to think green and garden, and guess what? Last year Urban Outfitters rather slyly opened up a new home and garden concept called Terrain that would be totally worth the drive to, errr, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania (outside of Philly). Terrain at Styer's is the full name, since they've set up shop in the old Styer's nursery and the goal, says Urban Outfitters, is 'to transform the local garden center into an experience that celebrates the beauty and abundance of nature, while offering an eclectic mix of garden-inspired products tailored for the contemporary customer.' This is all especially exciting since the plan is to eventually open up to 50 locations across the country, though sadly, who know's now whether that'll go ahead...

Take a boo below to get a taste of the place - It's eclectic, rustic and thoughtful and yes, it all looks gorgeously lush and inspiring. On site there's a hothouse, a seasonal exterior plant area, landscape services, and a cafe (what a pretty place to tie the knot!) as well as a beautifully merchandised store. [Images 2, 4, 5 by mytoenailcameoff on Flickr]

      

Ticking over

I've always been intrigued by clocks and must've caught the fascination quite young; my Dad had a dozen antique clocks in the living room, a few of which chimed on the quarter hour, though never quite in synch, which I'm sure got in the way of me watching Blue Peter and Doctor Who. The black and white clocks I picked below are, imo, all a bit on the cool side and, in a lucky twist, none cost a gazillion dollars.

The first is from Seiko and, strangely, I stumbled across it at a watch repair booth at Sears and not on the shelves of a posh design store. This 8" diameter clock has a modern feel, a hefty chrome frame and can either sit on a surface (it has a stand) or wall mount. If you fancy hunting it down the code is QXG124K, and expect to shell out $55. The second was first manufactured back in the 1930's - the Kit-Cat Clock, who's comical expression, swinging tail and hilariously googly eyes that roll back and forth have made it quite the iconic timepiece. Touch base with Ergo Industries for a Canadian retailer (this little black and white kitty sells for around $73), or check out Kit-Cat in the US for all the other available colours. Finally, in another odd discovery, I found the classic wind-up Big Ben alarm clock - designed by Ellworth Danz for Westclox in the mid-sixties - on the shelves at Wal-Mart for a smidge under $20.

   

It's all going O.K.

It's official, Orla Kiely has ruined my weekend - We're heading off for a bit of cross-border fun and of course will be hitting Target, who have just released the fact that they'll be launching an Orla Kiely line of housewares that'll hit shelves Feb 1st. Ummm, I'll be there this weekend, not February!

The line of tableware, storage and even swanky aprons is all happily patterned with her trademark look (yes, the de-lovely pear print makes an appearance) and will most probably sell out within minutes. C'est la vie is all I can say...

Not content with cornering the housewares side of things, Ms. Kiely's line of mid-Century inspired furniture, for Heal's in the UK, has also set hearts a flutter. The rich walnut collection is peppered with Orla's patterns and warm colours, and has a classic style that echoes vintage Brit and Swedish furniture. The Lusk Sofa, as well as the Rowan dining table and chairs (all below) are some of my fave's. And, just to confirm that she obviously plans to take over the world, Bewley's Tea in Ireland recently released a Kiely designed tea caddy for their Gold Blend, which has already been spotted on eBay.

   

Orla Kiely for Target via sfgirlbybay 

3x modern kitchens, 1x sexy chair

I'm apparently well and truly kitchen obsessed. Now any glimpse of a swish new cabinet or sleek countertop has me all googly-eyed, so of course, when I caught sight of DWR's latest - a capsule collection of cabinetry (pardon the alliteration) - I was, well, drooling.

Designed exclusively by Nilus de Matran for Design Within Reach, DWR: Kitchen is set to order in three finishes; black oak, white and walnut. The line is entirely free of exterior hardware, which is thankfully one less excruciating decision if you ask me and, since the cabinetry is designed as a modular system, it's built to be portable, so when you move it can come along with you!

Of course I can't leave it there. Another DWR exclusive for /09 is a petite group of chairs designed for Emeco by iconic French designer Andree Putman for the recently redesigned Morgans Hotel in NYC. The Morgans chair, handmade of 80% recycled aluminum, is available in a trio of sexy finishes - brushed anodized aluminum, satin black and gloss white. Mmmmm, is all I can say to that.