Decorating & Design
November 30, 2016
Editor’s Picks: 10 Highlights From Toronto’s One Of A Kind Christmas Show
Senior editor Morgan Michener shares the artisanal items that caught her eye.
It’s that time of year again: The Christmas edition of Toronto’s One of a Kind Show & Sale is in full swing! At this year’s show, my colleague Meg Crossley and I had the opportunity to do a little chat about styling your home for the holidays, festive entertaining, and all the great finds at OOAK this year. And believe me: we had a hard time narrowing it down. Meeting so many artisans in person and learning about the story behind their eye-catching pieces was nothing short of inspiring.
Here are some of the highlights from my own visit to the Show, but if you’ve never attended, consider checking it out for yourself. Shopping the event is a great way to support Canadian artisans and “The Handmade Revolution.”
This year’s One of a Kind Show is held at the Enercare Centre at Toronto’s Exhibition Place, and will run until December 4th. Head to oneofakindshow.com to find out more.
One thing Meg and I discussed in our talk was styling up your coffee table — a perfect way to get party guests out of the kitchen and into the living space! This fun Lazy Susan from MacLean’s Outdoor Living is made from an old barrel top, is food-safe and would be the perfect piece to anchor a little hors d’oeuvres station.
A pitcher can always do double duty; it works on a bar, or to hold an informal floral arrangement. These ones by Toronto artist Patrick Yeung Ceramics are absolute stunners!
The same holds true for a good, large bowl: It works as a decorative item, and is a hardworking addition to the kitchen. I loved the marble effect on this bowl by Gordie Ishizuka (foreground). Gordie creates it by surrounding the ceramics with wood smoke after glazing.
A classic, and always the perfect gift, nothing can beat a beautiful, turned-wood bowl. This one from Stinson Studios immediately caught my eye.
I thought these lovely, reasonably priced gift tags from Gotamago would make great place cards at the table over the holidays. The designs are prints of the designer’s original watercolors, and are also available in greeting card and art print form.
Halifax-based Keephouse Modern Housewares stopped me in my tracks with this fab, nostalgic calendar tea towel.
These gorgeous silk velvet pillows and boiled wooden throws are the peak of chic, and a fraction of the cost of ones I’ve seen on the market. Again: all local and handmade.
These fun milk-bottle candles with a “hot drink” theme would be a great hostess gift (and they smelled just as good as their names suggest!).
This stylish print from Baltic Club, a company based in Montreal, is a must have for any bathroom in need of some artwork.
Finally, these lovely wooden ornaments by Kiriki would be pretty tied to any gift — but I love them hung simply on a wall. This collection of figures would look perfect mounted in a child’s room.