Recently, I attended a spring preview for new furniture and accessories to watch out for this spring. And with April-like temperatures in Ontario recently, spring must be on its way. Either way, all of these items are already available in stores, so watch out for them.
Here are my picks:
This convertible coffee table from Canada's own Modern Sensibility actually transforms into a small dining table — brilliant! This piece would be perfect for a small condo or apartment, and their prices won't break the bank. Right now, they're located in the north-west corner of Toronto, but they'll be opening a store downtown later this year. Milan coffee table, $699. At Modern Sensibility.
They also make this functional Waterloo sofa that can be rearranged to fit any size of room. It's made up of six pieces including two ottomans that slide together to create a double bed — again, perfect for condos with tight square footage. Watch a video of the different modular arrangements it can make! Plus, it's available in 17 — yes, 17 — colours, including some in microfibre. 130" x 65" (as pictured here). Starting at $1,039. At Modern Sensibility.
This luxurious area rug from Canadian company FHE would add warmth and texture to a living room or bedroom. It's available in a range of on-trend colours including grey, black, white and chartreuse. 4' x 6'. $150. At Home Outfitters.
These Tissue Bath Mats, also from FHE, would be the perfect swap for cold winter months — layers of fabric make them super soft underfoot. Plus, you can throw them in the washing machine and store away for next winter! $30 each. At Home Outfitters.
Rowenta — one of Lynda's favourite lines — unveiled their new DW6000 Eco Intelligent Iron. Apart from looking great, it uses 25% less energy than other irons. The steam setting refreshes and smooths clothing and linens without the chemicals of dry cleaning, and adjusts steam output accordingly for different types of fabric, never using more steam than you need. $140. Available in stores across Canada in March 2012.
All in all, some great items to check out.
For more affordable trend items for 2012, browse this photo gallery.
Photo credits:
1-5. Gwen McAuley
Valentine's day is just around the corner, but here at H&H we're busy planning the May issue — hooray for spring! — which is one of my favourites of the year. Its indoor-outdoor living theme is the mandate of my dream home, which I imagine having fold-away glass walls, vases full of flowering branches and scads of natural light. It would also be filled with beautiful furniture, which brings me to legendary Danish architect Finn Juhl.
A little history: Last Monday, January 30th, would have been Juhl's 100th birthday, and in preparation for his centennial, his home in Denmark was recently restored and opened to the public in September as part of the Ordrupgaard Museum. (The museum also hired architect Zaha Hadid in 2005 to give it a futuristic extension. Yep, I want to go to there.)
The house, which Juhl designed as a young architect in 1942, looks almost exactly as it did when he died a celebrated pioneer of the Danish modern movement in 1989. Shaped like an L, the home's two ends are joined by an entrance hall that opens onto the garden — just like in my dream home! In fact, no matter where you are in the house, there's always a view to the garden, and the ceilings are painted a pale yellow that gives the rooms a warm sunny glow.
The furniture — mostly designed by Juhl himself — is organic in shape, with soft inviting curves. One chair (pictured above right) is called the Pelican, but I think it looks like a brilliant spring bloom.
A few years ago, the only way you could get your hands on Juhl's furniture was to luck into it at an auction or stumble across it on eBay. It had been out of production for decades and was increasingly scarce. Then Juhl's widow asked Denmark's OneCollection to reproduce a piece for her. One thing led to another, and now Juhl's designs are once again being made (available through Design Within Reach in Canada).
And the lovin' is growing: to celebrate Juhl's 100th, a 1:1 copy of his house was built in Gifu, Japan by the Finn Juhl Art Museum Club (Juhl is big in Japan.) This year will also see the restoration of the Trusteeship Council Chamber in the United Nations Headquarters in New York, which Juhl designed in the 1950s. Click here to see archive photos and a video of the on-going restoration. If my Valentine is smart, he's already plotting a pilgrimage for next year, when the space is completed. In the meantime, I'll keep planning my dream home, with its lush garden views and a Poet sofa in a cosy corner.
For more mid-century furniture pieces, browse our Iconic Furniture gallery.
Photo credits:
1, 3a, 4a. Ordrupgaard Museum
2. Poet Sofa, Design Within Reach
3b. Finn Juhl Art Museum Club
4b. Pelican Chair, Design Within Reach
5. Baker Sofa in Fabric A, Design Within Reach
6a. Chieftains Chair, Design Within Reach
6b. Eye Table, Design Within Reach
I attended the semi-annual Chapters and Indigo Books + Music sneak peek last week, and this is what I rounded up from the event to get you excited for spring:
Heather Reisman, the founder and CEO of the company, says Indigo is quickly becoming a lifestyle department store, selling everything from tableware to kids toys, suntan lotion, electronics, fruity Napa olive oil, candy, and of course, books!
The retailer's spring and summer line-up included this decidedly man-centric setup. The barbecue spice rub in the jar up front was created just for Indigo. Reisman says they're going to be creating more and more signature products for the shops.
I don't know what these amazing Covered Bridge creamy dill chips were doing in the man-scape section. Kettle cooked potato chip eating is clearly women's work. Especially when said chips come wrapped in chic burlap bags.
Trish Magwood — who was also featured in our October 2011 issue — is a buyer for Indigo, spotting both the latest food trends and must-have culinary classics. She told me to check out Botanical Bakery's lavender shortbreads, and Roger's Chocolates from Victoria (above). She didn't have to tell me twice. I love Roger's cream-filled chocolates (and not just because I'm a pig and they're massive.)
The best part of the event was catching with the great chef Lynn Crawford (above), whose new cookbook Pitchin' In (2012 Penguin), is sure to win every Can-lit cookery book award in the coming year. It's gorgeous and delicious-looking and the recipes look doable, which is exactly what you want out of a cookbook. (See some of Chef Crawford's recipes from her food emporium Ruby Eats.)
Photo credits:
1-5. Amy Rosen
This past Saturday, I attended the third Canadian Design Bloggers Meetup. The event was held at Toronto's Brassaii, a perfect spot to mingle, network and listen to special talks from some of the best industry leaders out there. Design bloggers from all over Canada braved the snow to attend the event, which is expanding every year. Along with more than 120 attendees, organizers Vitania Liscio, Daniella Zitella and Amy Boudreau Parrag also had a few special guest speakers on hand!
House & Home sponsored the event, along with great brands like Ikea, CIL and Aya Kitchens.
Delta was also a sponsor, and donated this sleek faucet with touch technology as a giveaway. This year's top design books were also part of the raffle.
Vitania Liscio of Verdigris Vie (right) planned the event, which went off without a hitch. (Thanks again, Vitania!) She was lucky enough to land Cassandra LaValle (left) of Coco + Kelley as a guest speaker (all the way from Seattle!).
Here are Amanda (far left) and Justyna (middle left) from Aya Kitchens, Jeanette of This Dusty House and Kimberley of Restoration House.
Smile, bloggers! Here are Maureen Coates of Modecor (left), Sonya Kinkade of Sonya Kinkade Design, Lisa Goulet of Lisa Goulet Design, Kelly James of Jax Does Design, Nicole Duguay of Solace Interiors and Donna Hargrove of DH Designs.
Here is designer Glen Peloso (left), H&H's online director Lisa Murphy, Michele of Modmissy and Aya Kitchens president David Marcus.
House & Home's Cameron MacNeil took to the podium to share the upcoming trends for 2012, while Lisa Murphy spoke about H&H, blogs and our new iPad and mobile apps.
Coco + Kelley's Cassandra LaValle shared her tips on how to jump-start a successful design blog. Do: adopt your own voice and offer readers something they aren't seeing elsewhere. Don't: underestimate your value and readership when approaching advertisers. She started Coco + Kelley back in 2007, and has since been featured on Marthastewart.com and in House Beautiful, along with being credited as one of the 50 Best Design Blogs by The London Times.
Everyone was thrilled when a surprise guest, Toronto designer Brian Gluckstein, stepped up to the podium! He spoke about how he ended up in interior design (he originally thought he might become a pediatrician!), why his cell phone camera always keeps him inspired to blog and why the blogosphere is so important in the design community. Here he is with Tim Lam (left) of Design Maze and Cheryl Kozoriz from GlucksteinHome.
Here are a few of the lucky prize winners: Anita from Delta (far left), Kerry of First Time Fancy (front), Lisa Ferguson of Decor Mentor, Iela Snow of Cultura Femenina and Jennifer Brouwer of JB Designs.
All in all, a fabulous night! It's such a great opportunity to meet new bloggers and we're looking forward to the next event! Read about the first meetup and last summer's meetup as well.
Photo credits:
1-6, 10-11. Alessia Lamonaca
7. Aya Kitchens
8-9. Gwen McAuley
My visit to the Interior Design Show in Toronto this past weekend was a confirmation of my belief in the virtue of simple design. It's easy in this business to have your head turned by endless experiments in embellishment, colour and pattern. But in the end it's the simple that always takes my breath away. Designs that are just enough and not too much. Here are my simple favourites spotted on the IDS floor:
The Hati chair by Piero Lissoni for Lema. Piero Lissoni was a special guest of the show. I'll admit that sometimes I find the big name Italians a tad high-brow for my liking. But look at this chair. It's all unpretentious perfection.
Counter stool by Shawn Place Designs. To my mind, the pace of condo building and hence the demand for great counter stool designs is far outpacing the availability of decent looking stools. So I welcome this beauty to the market with open arms. Thank you Shawn. P.S. 100% Canadian.
Side table by Heidi Earnshaw Design. I'm not completely immune to colour and this was a welcome relief from the experiments in Tangerine Tango evident on the show floor. What a handsome devil this is, all in a blue I'd call cobalt or maybe Yves Klein blue. This piece is also 100% Canadian.
The Biomega Amsterdam by Jens Martin Skibsted. This is the kind of beauty I would own if I were a loft-dwelling urbanite. Perfect for commuting but also a fantastic loft entryway accessory.
Jenn-Air white glass appliances. All hail the return of white appliances, I say. These sleek beauties make me think stainless steel is so Y2K.
AEG stacking laundry. They may look common to you, but as the member of a two-person household and someone who is currently designing a laundry room, these are a total find. North American laundry appliances are ballooning in proportion the same way that fridges are. It's a trend I dislike. So these petite high-performers are jewels to my eyes.
Mini hexagon tiles from Stone-Tile International. So small. So matte. So want.
The Odin collection by Jason Wu for Brizo. The faucet is so new that Brizo only had a prototype at the show and it was encased in a Lucite box so you couldn't touch. I sooo wanted to touch that satiny black finish! The line also includes the sexiest toilet flush lever and paper holder I have ever seen. Pure luxury. P.S. I estimate this to be about 40% Canadian, since Jason did live in Vancouver as a kid.
For more from IDS12, check out Gwen McAuley's picks.
Photo credits:
1-7. Margot Austin
8-9. Architectural Digest
Yes, we all have what others may deem unhealthy decorating obsessions. For me, I can't stop buying charcuterie boards. In fact, I was taught how to make them and included the lesson in our October 2011 issue on the Editor DIY page (you can also get the instructions here). So imagine how many I have in the house. It is getting silly.
But I did come across a great image that gave me pause — I could take one or two charcuterie boards out of rotation and use them for a totally different purpose. One of my long boards would be great across the tub for soaps and candles.
The board above has warm wood with rich graining — a great contrast to solid, often white bathroom fixtures. This one gives the tub — the whole bathroom, in fact — a little soul. So that means with two tubs in my house, two charcuterie boards used in bathrooms instead of entertaining, well, that just gives me an excuse to buy two new ones. Don't judge — I fully admit to my decorating obsession.
For more easy DIY projects, see our DIY Guide.
Photo credits:
1. House & Home October 2011 issue, photography by Kim Jeffery
2. Design*Sponge via A Tall Drink blog
