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In reading the Design Within Reach newsletter today I was pleasantly surprised to see that they are opening their first International DWR Studio in Toronto this weekend. The 5000 square foot studio will be located at 435 King St West (at Spadina) and will be open to the public Saturday, February 23rd at 10am. For those of you not familiar with DWR, check out my review here describing their modern site packed full of the latest and greatest furniture and design items. They have shipped to Canada now for awhile however having a studio here (a) likely makes it easier and less expensive for them to ship larger items to Canadian customers and (b) enables purchasing with confidence as you can check out their goods in person and talk design ad nauseum to their knowledgeable staff.

It will also be great to have a studio in Toronto since they hold fab design events that are open to the public - I would encourage you to sign up for their newsletter to stay abreast of what will be coming up this Spring. I am very excited that they are opening here (it makes up for Bo Concept only opening a store in Vancouver) and I will definitely be attending their Grand Opening Event next month.

Photos: www.dwr.com

Colour trends in interior design follow a year or two behind what’s happening on the runways. A few years ago we said enough with the khakis and white tees (read: boring beige), and took a leap towards colour. Suddenly, we saw the resurgence of pink in our wardrobes. (Above: dress available at www.guess.ca, Gozzi slides from www.forzieri.com, Miu Miu wallet from www.net-a-porter.com).

Within the last couple of years colour also came bursting back onto the interior design scene, and yes ladies and gentlemen, pink is back. I’m not talking about your grandmother’s boudoir powder-puff pink or 1980s bubble gum. I’m talking about rich, intense, look at me I’m making a statement pink. Check out some of the pics above to see how it’s done. (And check out that crazy faux bois side table!) Remember, the best way to use a strong colour is as an accent. Too much and you could get a bit of a headache.  

So what about the rest of the room? What do you pair with the colourful accents to show them off and not over-do it? The answer is neutrals, but neutral doesn’t necessarily mean beige. Neutrals can be whites, taupes, browns…these days even greens and blues are acting as neutrals, but this year the big news in neutral is grey. It’s not the cool stark grey we saw in the 80s, but a warmer, softer, friendlier version and it’s taking over as the neutral de jour. This year’s greys have a hint of brown, green or even lavender in them, which makes them work with all sorts of colour schemes. Pair a silvery grey with a grey-brown and you’ve got a gorgeous combination, like this bedroom by Oly on the left. Then see what happens if you add a hit of pink! (Left Oly bed available from South Hill Home, top right fabrics and wallpaper from ROMO, bottom right from KAI).

So what’s coming next? My prediction is yellow. We’ve started to see a lot of yellow gowns on the red carpet this season, so keep your eyes open for yellow fabrics and accessories next spring. A strong yellow accent with crisp white and soft grey – stunning!

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Guest Swishlister Laura Stein is a Toronto-based interior designer.

We all know that last year “green” became the next big thing in just about every consumer category, and interior design was no exception. Thinking green has got us heading back to nature and organic design motifs are showing up everywhere.

Large graphic patterns have been on trend for the last few years, but this year the damasks are heading out and huge stylized florals are in. Check out these gorgeous fabrics and wallpapers from KAI, a new fabric and wall coverings brand out of the UK (available in Canada from Crown Wallpaper through the trade). According to their web site, “the KAI name was derived from the concept of its meaning ‘earth’, ‘sea’, and ‘tree’, which represent the ever-changing nature of the elements”. If you don’t have a designer and want something similar, take a trip to Ontario Paint and Wallpaper in Toronto. You’ll have to weed through things, but they have some beautiful papers. Check out the collection from ROMO below - stunning!

Another nature-inspired design trend for ‘08 is, well, nature itself. Designers are taking a walk in the woods and bringing back all sorts of raw natural materials. We’re seeing stone counter tops with rough unfinished edges, tree-stump side tables (check out the cover of this month’s Canadian House & Home) and all sorts of accessories made from trees and bark. Umbra has a bed in their Toronto flagship store made of birch tree trunks, bark and all. We’re also seeing lighter, warmer wood-tones, and more interesting visible grain.

If you prefer something a little more sleek without the risk of poison ivy, check out these fantastic side tables and accessories available from AT Design Group. Also hot for this year are white lacquered faux trophies (that’s wall mounted dear heads, for you non-outdoorsy types), animal themed silhouette wall tattoos (from Ferm Living shown below) and anything faux bois (which means fake wood).

As with all trends, make sure you don’t go overboard. The idea is to enlighten your space with a touch of nature, not recreate the enchanted forest in your living room.

Photos:www.kaidistribution.co.uk, www.romofabrics.com, www.atdesignhome.com, www.fermlivingshop.us

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Guest Swisher Laura Stein is a Toronto-based interior designer.

My previous wall stickers post proved popular so I wanted to do another little update with some fantastic additions to the dVider portfolio. They have decided to launch a Limited Edition Guest Artist Series with their first feature artist, Jill Malek. I love these organic, sea-inspired shapes so much…the white on any colour feature wall or maybe the olive or turquoise on white below.

She has other neat designs so check it out.

 Photos: Dvider

Inspired by an early 18th century silk pattern, Ringwold wallpaper (pictured above) is handmade by Farrow & Ball. They recently opened a store in Toronto and have 25 patterns to choose from. You can order online, each roll is 10 metres in length, handmade and the colours are fantastic — did I say it’s $220 a roll (minimum order of three)?

When I mentioned wallpaper for our dining to my husband, Ringwold was the type of thing I had in mind. As the last wallpaper he could remember was in his Grandma’s house, he asked if our renovation was pre-maturely aging me.

He pictured something like this:

He didn’t know what we know, that wallpaper is back and there is a great selection is available online. Take influence from older patterns, but choose modern colours and prints. Think of it as an accessory in the room, rather than a cover. Use it in open plan rooms to define space, or in closed rooms as an accent for a wall. Ignore these suggestions and I will picture you in a cardigan, assume you drink Red Rose tea and call you Mavis.

As Farrow & Ball prices did give me a grey hair, I decided to look elsewhere. Home Depot has great choices. Some will appeal to Mavis, but not the Drama collection, that comes in patterns like Carmen - Chocolate (above left). Also, Dazzle is from British designer Julien Macdonald (above right). Prices are $69.00 a roll, which covers approximately 56 square feet.

Umbra now have a collection of wallpaper. Designed by people named Luciano, Thea and Dante, Colada (above left) or Bloomer (above right) are two of the ten patterns available. Both are $39 a roll, which covers 55 square feet. Not a Mavis in sight.

Rona has a handy wallpaper calculator. Make sure to order enough and a bit extra just in case.

If what’s old is new, the name Mavis is starting to grow on me. You?

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Guest Swishlister Claire Cameron is a writer who lives in Toronto. Her first novel, The Line Painter called is published by HarperCollins.

“…a masterful balancing act of suspense and relief, a dance between expectation and surprise…It’s a bravura performance.”
—The Globe & Mail

“The Line Painter fires along on its lean language and propulsive suspense, the kind of story you could swallow whole once you’re past the first page.”

—Andrew Pyper, author of Lost Girls and The Wildfire Seasons

Available at Chapters/Indigo or Amazon.ca.

Why does it always seem like I need a rug for some room in the house? I guess it is because I have many square feet of hardwood to cover but it seems never-ending. I figure that I can’t be the only one looking for affordable but stylish floor covering solutions so I decided to do a rug roundup today to share some good online resources. The first one I am going to mention I have given props to before and that is Flor. Aside from the fact that their carpet floor tiles look really modern and come in every colour and texture you could want, they are committed to using recycled materials and manufacturing without toxic glues and chemicals that off-gas into the air that you breathe. I ordered tiles to create two 6×8 rugs for the nursery and the total (including shipping, taxes, duties, etc.) was $750. You can see them pictured above - or pieces of them at least since the nursery isn’t quite finished so the photos conveniently leave out the messy bits. I thought that price was a steal considering some of the other prices I was getting for modern kids rugs. 

I was surfing the other day on a kid’s website based in Florida called Spunky Sprout and discovered that they have great rugs that I would use for any room. I love the Thomas Paul Collection, especially the Coral Flatweave in orange ($376 for a 5×8). Equally graphic and fabulous are his tufted wool Feather in Plum and Robin in Powder rugs ($676 for a 5×8). They ship to Canada with graduated shipping rates based on order value. There could be an oversize charge for a rug of this size but I still think they will be reasonable by the time they get to Canada - if you are on the market for something high quality and more unique than what you can find at your local Pottery Barn.

If you are looking for a little pattern, try Urban Outfitters for bright 3×5 Cotton Printed Rugs. The Cherry Blossom print would look great with a charcoal grey sofa and some white chairs. They are all $28, however shipping is $40 to Canada so you might want to add a few other things to your cart to make it worthwhile or take a trip to your local U.O. store to see if they stock them there.

For a soft shag underfoot try the 100% Cotton 5×7 Shag Area Rug on Furnituretoronto.com. For $600 it’s a great neutral base for a lounge or bedroom.

And finally, let’s go a little high end with my favourite rug designer of all who I am so pleased to see has been picked up by Design Within Reach - Melissa Raissina of Peace Industry. Her rugs are environmentally-friendly felted wool made by an age-old process in a small town in Northern Iran. She creates all of the amazing designs and colour combinations and I just love, love, love them. You can check out their website for more examples but DWR only carries the 2 shown above at the moment.

I have been a big fan of the grey colour palette in decorating lately (painted my fireplace surround grey, bought wall sconces with grey glass, painted my backyard brick wall and fence charcoal grey, putting grey glass as a backsplash in the kitchen…) and I wanted to share this dreamy post from Remodelista on Jan.22. Do you have a small guest room to re-do? Have you been meaning to update your master bedroom but just haven’t been inspired yet? My suggestion is to add layer upon layer of gorgeous greys, from silver to charcoal. It creates a very soft, sophisticated but calming look which is why it is perfect for a bedroom. Remodelista displayed two of the items I have on my ‘to-buy’ list - West Elm’s Taksim Tile Rug and Ikea’s Ludde grey sheepskin throw, both shown above. Unfortunately West Elm doesn’t ship to Canada yet but if you have a US friend or shipping address, this rug would be worth carrying home on the plane. A simple recipe for a guest room = pale grey sheets and pillow cases + existing white duvet + medium grey textured blanket at the end of the bed + silvery oblong silk throw pillows + West Elm rug + Ikea grey sheepskin slung over an existing bedroom chair + second-hand mercury glass lamp + painted bedside table. A glamourous and beautiful new bedroom for under $1000.

This painted grey kitchen table is also a great inspiration for those looking to update their dining room. Find a second-hand Harvest table on Craigslist, paint it a perfect stone grey and ta da, looks like a million bucks. It is a perfect neutral that goes with any wood and pairs nicely with fresh colour pops like red, orange and well…it really looks good with anything. Check out the rest of Remodelista’s post here.

Photos: Remodelista

Considering I have been stuck at home on doctor-ordered bedrest for the last week, I am feeling a bit more into Home topics than Beauty. So I think I will save my girly, feminine entries for next week, when we start thinking about the approach of V-Day, and keep today about decorating. We have just started a kitchen project at our house so cabinetry, tables, chairs and countertops have been pretty top-of-mind. Still looking for a dining room table…I love the simple, modern design of the Joyn Table by Vitra in white shown above, it even comes in a 9-foot long tabletop. This table however is close to $5000 in Canada and that’s just out of our price range. I have a back-up plan, I am just waiting for a quote from my cabinet-maker.

Next, countertops. Despite all of the stone salesmen’s best efforts to talk us out of Carrera marble, that was what I was set on. Hey, if you can walk on it for hundreds of years, I can certainly put it in my kitchen, right? However, with the hiccup with our custom dining table we had to re-think our colour scheme. Now that we are going for a white dining table, we are choosing dark counters. I am sure that we will all be happier in the long run, post red wine spills and tomato sauce debaucles. We are looking at this kind of look - glossy cabinets with dark counters and backsplash.

We chose a beautiful charcoal grey stone with a bit of white marbling  - just enough to make it look interesting and more like a natural material. It will contrast perfectly with the glossy white lacquer cabinets. Now I just have to choose a colour for the glass backsplash. We were thinking a serene grey when the counters were Carrera but I want to make sure that it highlights the dark stone somehow. Any ideas?

I like the idea of doing something a bit quirkier like a favourite wallpaper behind glass but I am afraid my taste changes too often to choose a pattern. I also need to stick to classic materials since we have exposed brick and that in itself creates enough pattern. Okay, if anyone has a favourite resource for online kitchen inspiration please let us know in the comments…you can find some on my Flickr site here.

Photos: Living Etc, Domino Mag

Don’t get too excited…you can’t shop online yet but what you can do is peruse the online catalog and order what you like from the new-ish Vancouver BoConcept store. I was first introduced to BoConcept when I lived in the UK as a clean-lined, Danish alternative to affordable design furniture and accessories. A studio then opened in Boston when I was living there and again, I was drawn to the modern, urban pieces that matched my budget and my decorating aesthetic. In sourcing a new dining room table (the woodworker we hired in Quebec to make our custom table unfortunately didn’t work out) I fell in like with their Extendable Dining Table in white lacquer with brushed steel legs for $1850. I actually called today to order it but discovered that the extension piece in the center wasn’t the same colour as the tabletop - it’s a chrome colour to match the legs. Since we planned on keeping the extension in on a regular basis that really didn’t appeal to me Back to the drawing board. If anyone has seen a reasonably priced white lacquer table extendable to at least 8 feet then please let me know.

I also fell for this walnut sideboard that would look great with the walnut bent plywood chairs that we already bought for the dining room. The white dining table would make it all look so crisp and be easy to care for with two little ones on the way. You can look at the BoConcept online catalog here. Or you can order a hard copy if you are into glossy pages.

Photos: Boconcept

The new Poppy Talk Handmade Market is now open with a focus on Valentine’s Day and Weddings. As an update to my wall stickers entry, she features some great modern wall graphics by etsy seller one up wall graphics. I really love the owl perched on a branch pictured above - owl’s are hot this year for some reason and I am definitely on board with the trend. 

The Market also features many paper goods designers and my favourite of the bunch has got to be jengs shop. Her doodle and nature inspired notecards, notebooks and prints are the best little gifts for you or your friends. I added a few of the ones that I found interesting above. Put the print in a $15 white shadow box from IKEA for your bathroom wall. 

Finally, the market features lush bella, a whimsical and original artwork and handmade jewelry designer. I especially like her delicate and original jewelry, like the Sumerian Queen bamboo earrings and Queen’s Ransom brass rings with royal coloured stones. I love the way she showcases her pieces against a backdrop of hand-printed papers that add to the spirit of the designs. There are many other designers in the market so check it out for yourself.

Photos: www.poppytalkhandmade.com