Showroom Visits along King St. East in Toronto

As mentioned in an earlier post I was busy last week.  It's that time of year.....
A group of Decorators headed to Toronto and had a great time checking out some of the great showrooms along King St. East.

First Stop was Cambria Studio on Parliament St.  It is gorgeous!  I have been there before but it is always worth a visit just to see all the newest in Quartz.

Next stop was Roche Bobois - Wow!!  Such a great mix of furnishings.  Not just modern, they have beautiful items from France. Anthony Ghanem, Manager and his wonderful staff treated us with the yummiest pastries and beverages including champagne cocktails!!  Now that is the way to start your day.

Roche Bobois has something for everyone!

Next on our list was Studio Bulthaup a high end extremely modern cabinet manufacturer our of Germany. Stefan Sybydlo gave us a tour of the showroom and explained the workings and possibilities of this sleek and fascinating cabinetry system.

The next stop was a visit to the two incredible showrooms of Jamie Alexander, Alexander Interiors and Inspired Interiors.  This is like being in a candy store of so many great design and decor items.  I personally could have spent all day just browsing.  Jamie has both spaces styled so well and carries so many of the necessary items required for completing a great space.  We were given an overview of Jamie's business model and future plans as well as all the information we would need to come and shop for our clients.  Of course Jamie really has our group figured out.  We cam away with information and a bag with great items including a bottle of wine.  As I said he knows us well!!  Cheers Jamie!  Very nice indeed.

As we headed back to our starting point we visited Luxe Thermador who carry not only Thermador but Bosch and Gaggenau appliances.  Very beautiful.  A surprise to us was a complete luncheon laid out including some vino.  We feasted, toured and heard about their product lines and upcoming events at the showroom.  They have cooking demos and upcoming will be Yanic Simard in the showroom.  Thanks to Joeanne and everyone for a very welcoming visit.

We finished our day back at the gorgeous Cambria Studio on Parliament @ King.  So beautiful and such a supportive company to the design and decorating professionals.  They have a superior quartz product and the amazing varieties get the creative juices flowing. I have written about this spot in the past and really appreciate that Margaret Macdonald orchestrated this fab day for us.  Of course we were treated to yet another great repast, with more vino, great main and then glorious chocolate covered strawberries and cupcakes.  Yum!  We were all taking the train so the vino was just fine.

Thanks again Margaret for making the arrangements for this wonderful day

Busy in Decor

Last week was once again a very busy week for moi!  Having returned from Thanksgiving weekend way way up north and full of Turkey, Ham etc, etc.... thanks to my daughter whom I now refer to as the new version of Martha Steward, I began another full week of design and decor.

The Window Committee I am part of transformed our window at SOFA into a 'Ladies' Boudoir'.  I made a visit to Toronto to stop into some of the great showrooms along King St. East and a whole lot more.  

In our recent window display, we went for an understated, elegant and lovely spot where a lady would like to rest her tootsies and unwind.  Thanks to the wonderful showrooms at SOFA we were able to source all of the items necessary and then we each contributed a few little bits and pieces to bring it together.

This group of decorators have been working on windows for a couple of years now and we have done 13 window displays.  We do this as a way to promote CDECA as well as a fun way to be creative without the budgetary constraints we face when working with clients.  We love clients, but it is also fun to just 'let go' and decorate.  There have been different members of this little group over the two years but the mainstay members are still working to create something that shows what we do as decorators.

I want to share with you who we are.....

Deb Darlington - Darlington Group
Debra Schaaf Clark - Schaaf Interiors
Jasmina Coffa - Interiors by Jasmina

Audrey Macdonald - Creative Interiors
Jeannette Wisby - Design Savvy

Thanks to our past members as well for your contribution.

Marianne Kearney - Marianne Kearney Design
Christina Mogk - meccinteriors@sympatico.ca
Heather Wallace - hwallaceinteriordesign@bell.net

Dorota Amirmansour - Dorota Decor

Karen Stephens - Karen's Creatives

Here is our recent window....   If you would like to see the others, click on the tab "GTA West Window Displays at SOFA"

Retro, Reclaimed & Vintage

These days we are hearing terms like “Reclaimed, Retro  and  Vintage” when talking about home furnishings.  The show "Mad Men" has brought the era back into our lives making the retro 60's style a modern decor trend.  This style brings back a time of simplicity.

Another factor driving the popularity of this style is the younger furniture buyers.  This younger generation want a home and do not want clutter or the formality that their parents would have had.  There are more women with more buying power who are more involved in selecting and purchasing the furnishings.  Technology plays a large part as well as our concern for the environment.  Our living spaces are much smaller with many younger adults choosing to live in big cities in very small condos.  The drives the need for smaller profiles in furnishings as well as multifunctional pieces.  People want to streamline their lives and moving away from the large, bulky furnishings to a more contemporary style.  This is not only the younger, first time home owners but our empty nester population are leaving the large suburban homes with traditional styling and moving into condos and selecting more contemporary pieces as well.  Less clutter in the home, leads to a feeling of relaxation.

Retro and Vintage furniture are green on many counts. The finishes, though not originally non-toxic, have finished off-gassing so they are safe for indoor air. By buying or using inherited vintage furniture you rescue it from going to landfills. Since it has survived so many years, it has a chance of being well made and therefore durable.  If you are purchasing a “retro look” piece it will be constructed by today’s standards keeping in mind the importance of our environment.

Furniture design is similar to fashion in that designers gain inspiration from the past and fuse it with modern details and inspiration. If you are looking to “update” your home with retro furniture but don’t know where to start, take a look at some of the pieces available through Wicker Emporium.

Have you noticed the infamous 60’s inspired sunburst mirrors are gracing the walls of your latest home interior magazines along with retro clocks, and other home décor accessories?

When we look at the huge lean toward Reclaimed furniture pieces which has gained popularity for several years now, we see it not going away but gaining in popularity.  Cutting back on carbon footprints during the manufacturing process while creating spectacular, one-of-a-kind pieces distinguishes reclaimed wood designs from all of the mass-produced products on the market.   Barn board is back with a vengeance.

Salvaged wood can be incredibly sturdy and durable, while minimizing the impact of the forestry industry. From refurbished and revamped furniture to recycled vintage accessories, solid wood designs are made to stay with a timelessness that will last throughout future generations of style.   You do not have to sacrifice quality or style in order to be considerate of the environment.  Unique pieces are one of the great ways to furnish your home and let your own individuality and personality shine through.

A few samples of the Reclaimed furniture in showrooms lately.  Below are authentic pieces, however there are many great repros of the look available as well

And now a few of the retro pieces

Upcoming Toronto Fall Home Show

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN..... FALL HOME SHOWS

The fall brings a sense of rejuvenation and we all gravitate back inside after spending many hours enjoying the wonderful outdoors during the spring and summer months.  We also look at what needs to be done in our homes and of course we attend Home Shows and Trade Shows to see what is new and exciting.  This year I am proud to be one of the decorators taking part in the Habitat for Humanity Upcycle Challenge at the upcoming Toronto Fall Home Show which runs from October 3rd to 6th and is being held in the Better Living Centre, at Exhibition Place .

I have always believed in re-using and re-making items even before it became common to do.  My son was always saying 'why do you bring home all this junk', why not just buy what you want like other people do'. Of course he was the person who got stuck lugging it around when I had my bi-annual 'shifting of the junk' as he referred to it.  I believe he sees what can be gained by re-cycling now and even if it wasn't something smart to do, I still enjoy re-creating things.  I have a fantastic turn of the century sofa that I found in the garbage and of course it was my son who had to bring it home.

Drop by the Habitat display.  You will be inspired!!

Alexanian Carpet & Flooring

I recently met with Shelley Alexanian at their showroom in on Appleby Line in Burlington. Shelley is a lovely lady and toured me around the showroom pointing out the various product lines they carry.  I have seen the ads and knew that Alexanian carried more than broadloom and area rugs, wood, laminate, ceramic and; porcelain; stone; mosaics, vinyl, bamboo and cork.  What I didn't know was that they are now carrying a line of window fashions from Hunter Douglas, Eclipse, Jackson & Seventh Avenue.  In addition they are rolling out their new Custom Cabinetry & Hardware program to help with Kitchen & Bath Projects.  I was very impressed and love the idea of  'one stop shopping'.  It is very user friendly and great for my business and my clients.  I was excited to see not only the variety of carpets and area rugs but the options of going totally custom in both and when done in house, at reasonable rates.  I was also impressed with the variety of price points.  They carry items for every budget from entry level to luxurious offerings that rival Elte in both cost and quality.  Carpet and Upholstery cleaning is another great service they offer.

Shelley showing me some of their luxurious area rugs

A few close ups of some of their area rugs

A small sampling of the many wood flooring options

A super sized ceramic floor tile

Mosaic selections

Window Fashions

Custom Cabinetry & Hardware

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY UPCYCLING CHALLENGE at THE TORONTO HOME SHOW

If you are reading this you most likely will have seen me mention this event on my face book and linked in pages.  This year I am participating in the challenge where everyone involved was given the challenge to recreate/up cycle an old door into something new and useful.  Don't forget to vote for me...     http://a.pgtb.me/7vXrK

I had tons of ideas at first but then realized I had to select a door that I could carry and that would fit in my vehicle so that changed my thinking a lot.  I decided on a light weight door which I in turn created a fun Child's Creative Art and Organization Centre.  I had so much fun checking out what could be found at the Habitat Restores and a Reuse Centre I am familiar with.  Basically everything on my project is recycled except the tiny white board and chalk.  One doesn't find used chalk usually.  Some of the pieces I picked up were really ugly but I picked off the 'uglies' and sanded, painted and made them look good.  There was a box with tons of wooden cylinders with holes in them that nobody at the Restore  knew what they had been used for originally but I had a 'lightbulb' moment and took them off their hands. They were painted and the alphabet attached to them and they now adorn the top of my creation.   I also added a couple to the bottom to be used to hang a bag or hat on.   Below are the before and after photos .....

                

                    

       

 Opps!     I forgot to take a before of this little basket
   

My Final Creation

The Decorating Centre Annual Trade Show

It came, it was great and it offered many new product lines from suppliers at the 

Annual Decorating Centre Trade Show.

Every year the owners and staff provide Designers and Decorators with a Trade Show featuring their suppliers who in turn promote their newest and beautiful Interior Decor and Design products.  I look forward to this event every year because it is a chance to meet up with colleagues we may not have seen throughout the summer months and of course to see what is available for my clients.  In addition to the suppliers, there are also guest speakers from the industry and they are always informative and entertaining.

This year Bryan Baeumler, known from his presence on "HGTV's House of Bryan and Leave it to Bryan", as well as being a great Contractor, was one of the speakers.  He spoke about his business and his program "Baeumler Approved" which includes the trades he has worked with and formed relationships which allows him to feel comfortable recommending them to those who are visiting his website and looking for a trades person. This fall he opened his program to include Interior Decorators and Designers which is great and I am proud to say I am one of the first few Decorators to join this group.


Our other speaker was Sharon Grech from Benjamin Moore and known as a regular design expert on "CityLine".  She spoke about Colour and Design and some of the Key Influences and Emerging Colour effects.  I will elaborate in a future post.

 If that was not enough we also had a wonderful lunch and during it, we were shown the newest fabrics from JF Fabrics (also known as Joanne Fabrics) which introduced the new Studio J Fabrics Line and really offered inspiration for future projects. I love fabric!

What a great day, checking out the suppliers, listening to great speakers, enjoying a lovely lunch and then to top it all off there were tons of great door prizes given out.

Below are just a very few of the suppliers that attended the Trade Show