Lynn Spence at Wicker Emporium

I recently was invited to, and attended an event hosted by Wicker Emporium, at their Heartland location in Mississauga, called “Inside Out:, bringing the indoors out with Wicker Emporium".  The guest speaker was the delightful and humorous Lynn Spence, seen regularly on Cityline.  Lynn presented several tablescapes capturing an elegance in the dining and entertaining experience.

Being that Mother Nature is trying her best to bring about spring and summer I wanted to see what Lynn would do at this event and I really wanted to meet and talk with her.  She is just like on TV and so gracious and so talented.  

Wicker Emporium has several locations and fantastic products and pricing.  I have shopped there for myself and for clients and an thrilled with everything that has been purchased. Wicker Emporium is a family owned business which originated in Halifax and has moved west and will continue to grow.  I have met the owners and they really do care about product and customer satisfaction.   If you are reading this and have not visited a Wicker Emporium showroom, you must!!  They carry many pieces, not all wicker and have exotic woods like teak, acacia and rosewood to name a few.   They have everything, including some wicker and a fairly large selection of ready made drapes, cushions, throws, lamps, area rugs, accessories and the list goes on and on....

I am incredibly supportive of this company and write a monthly post on their recently created Blog -  check it out.

Lynn created several tablescapes to create different moods as seen below and then some indoor vignettes as well.  There were three dining table settings and one game table set up.  Which is your favourite??

I

The table setting below was my favourite, however I would be 
happy with any of them.  Using the aqua accents gives it a 
'beachy, hamptons' look, using a teak table and a mixture of 
chairs and a bench

The second tablescape was a little more casual, perhaps a nice
brunch, done in bright and happy colours of orange & yellow



The third dining setting was a driftwood table with more of the soft
blues as well as two larger head chairs made comfy with the addition
of throws for a cool evening.

For a little fun, Lynn created a 'game table' setting using a round, 
pedestal Mango wood table and Acacia wood stools.

Lynn also took us around the showroom highlighting some of
the wonderful vignettes she created.  This cozy area below beckons
one to take a little time and read a good book

   A lovely piece that would make a wonderful island in any kitchen

          Yours truly with Lynn Spence

Design Event At Toute Suite in Mississauga

Yesterday was not such a great day with all the rain we experienced but last evening turned into a great night.  The rain ceased and the fun began with a Spring Open House Event at Toute Suite Custom Decor.  Many of the public and Designers/Decorators were seen enjoying the  incredible hors d'oeuvres from Rocos Plum Tomato Catering & Restaurants which can be found on Islington Ave and The Queensway;  while viewing the great Canadian Made furnishings as well.  Toute Suite has everything including beautiful ready made drapery from Faab.   To top that off Jane Lockhart, well known and extremely talented designer was on hand to present some spring design tips and her new line Jane by Jane Lockhart which will be available at Toute Suite.  

Some of the Design Tips shared were that we will be seeing a lot of colour and pattern.  She talked about graphics, geometric, and the all time favourite stripes.  You will also see a lot of furniture with the nail head treatment, contrast piping, tufting and once again yellow metal is showing up as in brass and copper.  As for colour there is an abundance with Pantonne's Colour of the Year being Emerald Green leading the way. We also see mirrored case goods which really help to expand a space.

One can start small with the accessories to add colour to our neutral larger pieces.  White will always be popular and when you add colour and pattern it really gives it some impact.  Below I share some of the photos from last night and you will see I selected mostly grey and light neutral pieces, which I am personally fond of, but there is a myriad of colourful and patterned fabrics available to have smaller custom pieces created to work with your neutrals. If you are ready to go full out any of the pieces below and in the showroom can definitely be fabricated in a bright and colourful pattern!

As we had a chance to network, check out the newest in home decor and of course eat very well, we were also treated to live music from Angelica Ganea who has the voice of an angel.  Check her out on you tube as well.  www.youtube.com/AngelicaGanea

Wow, I would say that Toute Suite really knows how to host a party!!  Thanks to Vish and staff

  

 

I just had to add this one of a kind piece - Wow!

Celebrating the Season.....

Our GTA West Chapter of CDECA had a nice celebration just prior to Christmas at the studio/showroom of one of our members.  Check out Parsons Interiors in Mississauga and Jackie Connolly will be happy to help you with your decorating requirements.www.parsonsinteriors.com. 

We had a great time and actually covered chapter business but more important - the food was great.  Unfortunately there are more photos of us having a good time and eating than of the lovely pieces in the showroom, so you will just have to stop by to see them!!

 

Great Day at SOFA...

Today, I was up at SOFA www.visitsofa.com with at least 50 other designers & decorators to view the recently opened New Showrooms and they are amazing.  We had lovely refreshments (always a great idea for us) and then had tours.  They are really putting it out there for designers and decorators and they recognize the importance of dealing with 'trades' only and not selling to the public. They really support us in our businesses.   Great place to deal with and all due to the Marketing Director, Linda Kafka who has changed the face of SOFA since she arrived.  We had a meeting outlining all the fabulous changes and events coming before we visited the wonderful showrooms.  Some are new and some have been there a while.

 

 Now on to the fabulous tour.....

 

Thought I would start with Distinctive Appliances www.distinctive-online.com who have opened a huge showroom featuring 13 high end brands from Europe including condo size appliances.  They will be hosting cooking demos and lessons as well as private client appreciation dinners in future.

 

 So many fan hoods...

 And how about this outdoor cooking centre...

 Out next stop was the marketplace where there will be several companies displaying their products

 One I love is the  French Market Collection of  Furniture, located within the Marketplace, http://www.frenchmarketcollection.com display....

 A new showroom will be Ultra Luxe Linens  www.ultraluxelinens.com who by the way are President Obama's preferred supplier!  They  had some sample books, however product lines will arrive very soon.  The offered these delicious cupcakes to tide us over!

 Another new showroom is Dudson Group http://www.dudson.com which features high end tableware from England including a "green product' which has been fired only once, to cut down on the carbon footprint.  Good for them!!

 Some of their 'buffet' type serving pieces

 Love this "appetizer" tree where you attach individual appetizers for everyone to select from.

 How fun!!

 Beautiful China

Durham Furniture http://www.durhamfurniture.com  - great Canadian Made pieces with so many options. 

Minster Interiors http://www.minsterinteriors.com offers the most gorgeous area rugs available from all over the world.  They offer every price point from machine knotted to hand knotted, silk, wool, etc.  They have a wonderful designer/decorator program

 

 As well as area rugs they now offer gorgeous chandeliers of Swarovski Crystals

 And very unique Metal Art....

 Another new addition to SOFA is Surya Rugs http://www.surya.com/  who also have gorgeous offerings and a wonderful Designer/Decorator program.  they also have original art, pillows that are 'color matched' to the rugs and throws & 'pouffs'.  A beautiful showroom

 This interesting rug looks like rocks

 Some of their pillows...

We finished off with Canadel,  http://www.canadel.ca a furniture maker who not only creates beautiful pieces, but they have their own forest where they grow the trees, harvest the wood and dry it so that it stands up to Canadian temperature changes.  How unique!! 

Jane Lockhart just re-designed their showroom and it is lovely

Some of the different wood finishes available.

 

 

So if you are reading this blog and are either a designer, decorator or someone who wants to make some changes in their home, get  yourself a designer/decorator and head on up to SOFA, located in the International Centre. You will be glad you did!!

 

Thanks to everyone who welcomed us today.  It was fabulous!!