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!!

Technology part 2...

Anybody who reads this blog regularly most likely saw my post about the trials and tribulations of my computer. Well I will not be deterred. I will forge my way through all this social media and have spent a fair portion of my time recently getting to know the ins and outs of it all. Recently I attended a great seminar at SOFA where we had a 'hands on' presentation and it really shed some light on the subject. Right now I am trying to figure out just how to get all those little icons on my website,blog, linked in etc. I will tackle this and succeed. One great thing is that they can all be attached to each other which will make it much easier since nobody can spend time updating several sites. So once again thanks to SOFA www.visitsofa.com and those who presented.

Pretty soon you will be seeing me everywhere..... tweeting, blogging, and uploading photos. Gotta love this!!

Bye for now... I think I will go and pin or tweet something..........

 

 

 

 

p.s. I got a new computer for my birthday so now I can really embrace all this social media!!

 

 

 

Entrances.....

There is curb appeal outside and then there are first impressions created when you open your front door and welcome people inside.  The entrance should give those who enter an idea of who lives there by the personal items and style within.  It should also say Welcome, come in and stay a while.  (well in most cases we want our visitors to stay a while) 

Here are some lovely and welcoming entrances that say welcome and offer a little insight into those who reside there.....

This entrance would give the impression the homeowners like to drink! or at least entertain

Guest Blogger from Arcadian Lighting

Hello, everyone! I'm Mari, a writer for Arcadian Lighting, a wonderful online place to find pendant lights, chandeliers, and light fixtures of all sorts. When you visit, please stop by our lighting blog and say hello. I'm so happy to be here with you today at Design Savvy to share a guest post about metal and glass pendant lights. On my list of favorite lights, pendants come in second only to chandeliers. I've pulled together eight rooms that are lit by these beautiful and functional fixtures that will enchant you with their many shapes and sizes. Please enjoy!

Three glass globe pendants shine down on a dining table with x legs, metal-covered top and nailhead trim. I love the cow artwork and botanical plates.

Another trio of pendants is lovely above the breakfast bar in this modern farmhouse style kitchen. The rich color of the metal contrasts nicely with mirrored interiors.

What could be better than this charming group of tiny glass pendant lights? Perhaps that same grouping combined with six Tolix chairs. What an inviting dining space!

This pendant with silvery metallic shade is a perfect companion for the Mid-Century Eames wire chairs. A cheerful sunny space for breakfast with the family.

Glass bell jar pendants with metal trim are a lovely choice for lighting foyers, small or large like this spacious inviting space.

This colorful dining area with banquette seating gets very stylish lighting in the form of a metallic gold lined white cone pendant above the antique table. It's a lovely eclectic mix of styles.

A large cluster of frosted globe pendants looks stunning in this chic dining room. The lights are a nice contrast to the stone pattern on the wall.

Glass cloches have been turned into a trio of lighting fixtures with metal fittings. The glass pendants seem to have been made to hang above this industrial style dining table—and indeed they were created especially for the space. Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 What do you think of these metal and glass pendant lights? Leave us some comments at the bottom and be sure to stop by our website for more ceiling lights, wall sconces, and lighting fixtures!