Just add water

Sorry I didn't have a chance to catch up and post yestarday, I was taping CityLine (look for it next Monday at 9am), then visited a client and hit a Goodwill on the hunt for dining chairs, and when I was home the electricians had the phone lines unhooked for the last bit of wiring. I guess I could've tried Morse code, lol.

Anyhoo, I spied these gorgeous re-issued Arts & Crafts vases and thought I'd share. Yep, McCoy is still a hot collectible, but if you don't have the patience or savvy for eBay then Prairie Arts Teco Art Pottery Collection is well worth checking out. Teco was originally in production from 1899 to 1920 (read more history on the firm here) but Prairie Arts has revived the line, and has slowly been introducing pieces from the original catalogue. The forms are classic Arts & Crafts, and the glazes - 6 in all on the latest release of 5 new shapes - are super pretty. Take a look below at the new intros in Aqua, I think they'd look stunning lined up on a mantle. Click here to check out the full collection, and here for a listing of online retailers (sadly, no one in Canada currently stocks the line).

     

No sneaky sharing (but do go!)

Last night I ended up checking out the Junior League of Toronto's 2009 Showhouse at McLean House, and all I can say is WOW! More than 50 design teams put their best foot forward creating incredibly inspiring spaces, and with the ticket price of $25 I hafta say you'll definitely be getting your money's worth. Sadly I can't share any of the spaces on the blog (no matter how sneaky I might be) since they're destined for the Oct /09 issue of Canadian House & Home, so you'll just have to head and check the Showhouse in person. For more info click here, and to buy tickets click here, and to check out some behind the scenes action courtesy of House & Home click here. I have my faves (Katherine Newman, Kimberley Seldon, Jeanette Hlinka, Anne Hepfer, and Wiklem Design to name a few), but if you do go, please let me know which were your standouts! [Image: Canadian House & Home]

Snap judgement

I do love good photography, combine that with vintage modern objects that are for sale and I'm solid gone. Roan Barrion of Modern Love (who I've posted about here before) certainly has a way with a camera, and has an eye for finding special and unusual pieces that could finish off any interior. Take a peek below and you'll see what I mean. Oh, and Modern Love is based in Winnipeg which adds that nice dab of Canadian cool, though of course Roan will happily ship worldwide. He's also just launched a Facebook page for Modern Love (check it here), so I suggest you become a fan so you can instantly see all of his latest finds, not to mention all that brill photography.

  

Streamlining Louis

My mate Bev Hisey has had the vintage Louis loveseat below kicking around for the last 15 years. In its last incarnation - slipcovered in white denim - it leaned definitely to the Shabby Chic side of things. Then trouble struck, when Aisha, Bev's cute yet troublesome cat, decided to use the loveseat as a litter box one too many times. The slip was dumped and the loveseat was shipped off to collect dust in storage at the upholsterer's.

A while back Bev and I had hit the road to check out a fabric outlet where she discovered a tough as nails and terribly sharp slate grey wool; perfect for a re-do for the loveseat. Bev stuck with the distressed painted finish, had the guts entirely replaced (oh, Aisha...), then went for a severe yet chic upholstery job. I think it looks rather smashing, and just goes to show that a good frame can last years, survive both cats and Shabby Chic, and still look streamlined and modern.

 

Check, check, check it out

This morning is a busy one, calling a v. nice woman in Vienna on the hunt for a missing shot needed for Trendwatch for Canadian House & Home and rustling up contenders for the next Style Scout for the National Post newspaper's Posted Homes section. I was happily interrupted though, by a couple of mags thumping into the mailbox (thanks Postie!). It was the always anticipated arrival of June's House & Home and Bon Appetit.

Good news, since I was asked to hold off on telling you all about the posh and polished re-done House & Home website until the June issue reached subscribers. Okay, now I can let you in on the fact that it's v. cool, and jam-packed with tons of info (way more than before), videos, image galleries and Canadian resources. I do have a fave section though, and that's their brand new editor's blog. Click here to check it out. I'm loving, as usual, Stacey Smither's finds and will be avidly following Meg Crossley's basement reno adventures with The Sicilians (her trusty contractors). Have a poke around the site while you're there, you won't be disappointed, and check out the snaps below of the start of Meg's reno. That last image is Meg's current inspiration, an interior by Kay Douglass. [Image 3: Simon Upton]

  

No, don't put it over the fireplace

For those of you asking the perennial question Where do I put my flatscreen? this might be a swanky solution worth considering. The M21 Flat Panel Console from Visionary Boutique looks like it was swiped directly off the set of Mad Men yet is designed to fit your lcd or plasma. Each made-to-order piece is crafted in sustainably forested American Black Walnut then hand-rubbed with a non-toxic oil finish, and yep, that is actually vintage speaker cloth behind the latticework.

via Retro To Go 

Update on 2009-05-05 00:46 by Arren

I kindly heard back from Magda at Visionary Boutique - The M21 is designed and made by the very talented Joe Wilkerson of Wilkerson Furniture.

White, white, white

I was feeling terribly uninspired today until I saw this; the French home of designer Jane Whitfield, Marc Jacob's right hand woman at Louis Vuitton. It's quite the de-lovely modern rustic place with lots of white, white, white. Setting off all the white are scads of vintage finds and wallpaper (that's Farrow & Ball Silvergate in the first shot). I'll let the beautiful images speak for themselves, so take a look and enjoy, and click here to read the full article on the Telegraph newspaper's site. [Images: Birgitta Wolfgang Drejer]

Via Telegraph 

Gone to pot (coffee and tea)

I am an inveterate collector so parting with anything is always difficult, but with an upcoming Street Sale that we're participating in, part with things I must. Unpacking boxes the other day I came across, ahem, close to a dozen coffee and tea pots that I had picked up as far afield as a car boot sale in London and the mondo Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts. Some of them, very sadly, will have to go in the sale, so discovering the beautiful coffee sets below from Sargadelos absolutely perked me up. After all, if I get rid of quite a few wouldn't we have room for one or two of these lovelies? And would it be totally off to try and convince David that we have to go on vacation to Spain just so we could at least check them out. I'm only (half) joking on that last part...

First up is Concha which has a wonderfully surreal quality, next is F-73 which has a sweet leaf motif. Monteferico feels very cool and odd with that strange bird-like handle, Portomarinica is possibly my absolute favourite (and available through the Conran Shop in NYC), and finally Pomba; which has such a sensually curved 60's vibe to it. Click here for worldwide availability, though sadly no one in Canada currently stocks the line, and click here to see the rest of the Sargadelos collections.

    

Fast love

Just a quick one - The rain has just stopped bucketing down (finally) and I must pop out and get that grass seed done. Yesterday we ran out of daylight prepping the soil and digging out all the bleedin' weeds on out on our hands and knees so it's now or never! The lovely print below arrived in the mail yesterday from some wonderful friends in Scotland and totally made my day (thanks Sara, Steve and Eve!!!) so I thought I'd let you see it too. It's the Love print in Poppy Red by Bold & Noble in the UK (take a boo in the April issue of Living Etc to see more of their work). Yes, they will happily ship to Canada and they also have some luvverly kid's alphabet prints too, so they're definitely worth checking out.

  

Montreal mon amour

I love Montreal. There, I said it, I moved to Toronto years ago and I still miss MTL and try (albeit unsuccessfully) to stop in for a few days at least once a year. So this morning, researching new gear that was debuting at Design Week in Milan, I ended up - somehow - on a pretty new online store called Montreal State Of Mind. The site is dedicated to Montreal based designers from the worlds of fashion, art and decor and there were a few things that caught my eye that were totally worth sharing. The doormats from Couper Croiser are so sweet and cool, and way more fun than the yawn inducing mats usually on offer (yep, the second one can be customized), and that arty piece following the mats is actually a numbered hand silk-screened scarf by atelier b that I think would look totally smashing framed as artwork, or stitched into a pillow. Seeya, I'm off to rake our freshly roto-tilled garden into shape and get the Eco-Lawn seeded! 

   

Fun with Mikey

I've had a blast over the last couple of weeks, prop styling on a cookbook that will launch in September (shout out to the crazy/cool authors, Julie and Lisa!). The crew on the shoot was just stellar - photography by Michael Alberstat and food styling by Ian Muggridge - and the whole shebang is being put together by Bruce Mau Design. I can't wait until it hits the shelves, and hopefully I'll be able to share a few of the snaps with you when it does.

Michael and I have known each other for years, and have worked together a fair bit too (there's a bunch of shots we did together in my portfolio here), so I wanted to share some of his glorious interior shots with you. He is ace with light and has such an eye for style. Take a boo below and you'll see what I mean. The first is a glossy and modern Ikea kitchen that I designed and we shot for the now sadly defunct Wish Magazine (it was on CityLine too). The second is from Wish as well, and shows Suzanne Dimma's swish kitchen (as you probably know, she's now the big kahuna at House & Home). The third is a lovely dining room shot for House & Home, and the final is a really fab bedroom snapped for Wish. Enjoy, and make sure to check out the rest of Michael's portfolio here.

   

5 quick questions: Alex Bates

I was lucky enough to have a fascinating chat with Alex Bates, West Elm's creative director, back when West Elm opened up in Liberty Village in October of last year. She was just back from a whistle-stop tour of incredibly inspiring places and was starting to plan the next collections for the affordably on-trend brand (which also happens to be one of my fave places to shop). To continue that conversation I recently asked Alex if she wouldn't mind answering a couple of questions on her personal style and she happily obliged. And, from the sound of it, she's also racking up more Air Miles as we speak.

Below you'll find a couple of snaps of recent West Elm intros - The Beanstalk bed linens, Beach Glass vases and Twist melamine dishware. Click here to check out more 5 Quick Questions interviews.

Arren Williams: What's inspiring you now?

Alex Bates: All things Calder. His recent show at the Whitney blew me away. The installation of his wire face sculptures was a stroke of genius. I also loved the Met’s exhibition of his jewelry – crazy and elegant. I’m loving simple wire and pencil sketches in general; especially Martin Ramirez’s black and white sketches at the American Folk Art Museum.

AW: What's the next thing you have your eye on for your own house?

AB: I am fixated with all shades of grey, still. You can see it manifested in our summer collection at West Elm. I’m dying to paint my front hall. I think it would be very cozy and create a great background for my art. There is also a pair of vintage Cherner Chairs I want. I know they would look like pieces of sculpture against the gray.

AW: How would you describe your current style, and how has it changed over the years?

AB: My house is more about collecting that decoration. It’s very laid back and comfortable with worn family antiques mixed with modern – and of course a lot of West Elm. It’s a hodge podge of things I absolutely couldn’t live without from years of traveling. Every wall is covered in paintings and tons of books. I am officially out of wall space and have stacks of paintings and books growing in the corners. I’m trying to pare back and I fantasize about a certain Piet Boon house – spare but cozy. I know my little bits would start to slowly creep back in.

AW: Is there anything that can drive you crazy when you walk into a room?

AB: Bad art. Fake flowers. “I Married Adventure” by Osa Johnson.

AW: What's next?

AB: Spring is a busy time for us. We just opened out our new West Elm store at Broadway and 62nd in New York with an amazing opening party and a fun collaboration with David Stark. We’re finishing up our spring 2010 collection and trying to continue to be as green as we can in our processes, materials, and finished products. Next we're off to Italy for the Milan furniture show and then India. We have started some great new partnerships, working with Craftmark and Aid to Artisans in India, and I’m excited to explore new ideas with them.

   

Sneak peek - Anthropologie

Last night was the press preview for the new Anthropologie store at the swanky Shops at Don Mills. Okay, I hafta say it's totally worth cadging a ride with a friend and heading up there. The store is bee-utiful, and crammed with the kind of pretty gear that Anthropologie does so well. My focus was the home goods - there's lots, and they're as colourful, eccentric and playfully chic as always - but the clothes and accessories are obviously boffo too, judging at the number of editors taking notes and tripping along with a hanger or two. I could have bought tons of stuff, but my faves, other than their classic latte bowls (which were only $5, btw), is the stunningly eclectic selection of hardware (click here to take a look) and all the odd and unusual vintage finds scattered about the store. And talking of vintage, just check out that wildly cool giant office lamp below. Anthropologie flings opens its doors for the first time today, and I've a feeling it's going to be busy...

   

A bit more Kips

Where did the warm weather go? It's totally looking all drab and grey out there, and yesterday there was a little too much horizontal rain for my liking. Time for a bit more fantasyland inspiration then from the Kips Bay Show House in NYC. This looks to be the pretty much last of it that is really my cup of tea (the rest is a tad fusty), though I'm still jonesing to see the whole thing in person. In the meantime I'll be traipsing through another glam showhouse soon enough - The Junior Leaugue of Toronto Showhouse, which will be running May 8th through to the 31st. Participating designers include Jeanette Hlinka, Katherine Newman and Timothy Mather; so it promises to be completely worth checking out!

The couple of rooms below totally have a thing for colour. The first is a bright living room designed by Eileen Kathryn Boyd (love that Homegrown Green rug by Edward Barber and Jay Ogersby for The Rug Company). The second is a bolthole designed for a swank recessionista by interior designer Christopher Coleman and fashion designer Angel Sanchez that's kitted out with an electric blue astroturf carpet and includes a slightly over-the-top mirror-polished steel ping-pong table (really!).

Via House Beautiful and Habitually Chic

Digging for victory

The garden is slowly being tamed. David started clearing out the junk on one of the first warm days a couple of weeks ago, digging out a fair few concrete blocks and bricks, lots and lots of bricks. We set to work again yesterday, removing the remainder of the bricks from what appears was once a pathway that ran right through the centre of the yard. Over the years we're guessing it had kinda sunk and ended up a couple of inches below the surface. Next up, we'll be bringing in the heavy equipment, a rototiller, to give the soil a going over before we seed with Eco-Lawn (a low maintenance, drought tolerant grass). Then with more heavy equipment, courtesy of David's dad, we'll be cutting the metal fence poles and removing the very tatty chain link fence. One step a time (lol), and hopefully the local woodchuck, who was sunning himself in the garden the other day, will approve.

Show house envy

I loooooove a good showhouse, so the news that Kips Bay Decorator Show House opens its doors in NYC on April 17th has me excited. It's always an incredibly fascinating - and inspiring - view into the minds of a select bunch of top interior designers. Last year, rather than designing the interiors of a single home, they took over a half dozen apartments in a 1950's building and the results were simply fabulous. This year they're back in somehwhat familiar territory in a circa 1922 limestone mansion on the Upper East Side, 22 East 71st Street to be exact. The work of legendary designer Albert Hadley is this year's inspiration, and all the designers who created spaces either worked with him, had him as a mentor or have been inspired by him.

Take a boo below at the few snaps I've managed to find so far. I'm really hoping to go see it all in person, but since it might come down to re-upholstering a sofa or heading to New York for inspiration, I'm afraid the sofa might win out!

From the top - Designer Amy Lau collaborated with paper artist Jo Lynn Alcorn on an installation that dramatically highlights Maya Romanoff wallcoverings. A swanky master bath designed by Andrew Flesher. And finally, I swiped this shot from Heather Clawson over at her great blog, Habitually Chic. She got to hit the Kips Bay press day (jealous!!!) and chatted with designer Garrow Kedigan about his small yet chic space, read more here. [Images, 1 & 2, Maya Romanoff. 3, Gunkelman Flesher. 4, Bruce Buck]

Via Interior Design, Fabulous Over Forty, Habitually Chic

On and off and awol

Bananas. That's the only way I can desicrbe the past few days, not to mention how much the long weekend messed with my schedule. So, I'm taking a breath on a photoshoot for a new cookbook, all after taping CityLine this morning and before interviewing Kelly Wearstler this afternoon for the National Post Newspaper. Phew. Well, we've finally kinda found a cool living room light. The one below is currently in the running for permanent status, especially since I took a good hour to clean off all the grime. Check it out below switched on and off (yes, we need to get a dimmer). I think it has a solid 70's vibe with the the hexagonal shape, smoked plastic and chrome. Anyways, the price definitely makes it a keeper - $20 buckeroos from the rather junky yet cool Matter of Time (I think I got such a deal because I had to clamber over piled up furniture to grab it). What do you think?

  

Dishing up summer

When I first saw the Iittala Taika dishware back in '07 I was instantly drawn to the patterns and their wintry fairytale vibe. Klaus Haapaniemi, the designer behind Taika, has just had the oppurtunity to update the line and intro Satumetsä. The new line has a fresh, bright and summery feel, moving on from owls to deer as the focal point for the designs and not forgetting any of the magical influences of his original work. Lovely. Below you'll see the new 30cm dinner plate, followed along by the original Taika design. Click here to check out where Iittala products are available across Canada, Satumetsä is available from mid-April until the end of '09.

 

5 for the counter

There's lots of things we need for the new place (believe me, the list is a mile long) but one thing I've found myself mulling over recently is the two stools we need for the kitchen counter. They need to be backless, and I'd rather they had an industrial edge as opposed to veering towards swish and modern. So, here's the shortlist -

The Tolix stool comes in a bunch of colours, including this raw finish, but no matter how lovely it is it costs an arm and a leg.

This is the Modern Times Factory Stool from the Sundance catalogue. I like the scale of this one, but I'm a bit iffy about the faux banged up finish on the base.

The Lyon Workspace Stool from CSN Supply is a low cost alternative to the Tolix, but we'd most probably have to have it sprayed since the grey is a little on the dullsville side.

Also from CSN Supply is the quite smashing Safco Diesel stool. I hafta say, this one is definitely a fave, and yep, CSN Supply does ship to Canada.

Finally, the brushed aluminum Spin stool from Crate & Barrel is edging it's way to the top of the list too.

   

    

Nosy and skinny

Yes, I am on Twitter (you can find me here) which, whenever it's mentioned, either gets a raised eyebrow or a huh? It can be very useful, in fact I found about The Modern Location, a firm that specializes in cool spots to rent for film and tv shoots, from a Tweet by 20th Century Forum (check their forum out here, part of their site is dedicated to helping you identify any vintage glass and ceramics you might have scored).

Anyhoo, back to what I'm supposed to be waffling on about - The Modern Location is a brilliant way to let you do that nosy neighbour thing and peek into lots of cool and quirky homes scattered about the UK and beyond. This ultra skinny and kinda minimal converted Mews house found in North London caught my eye - Designed by architect Jack Hosea, I think it's a lovely mix between Puritanism and practicality.