New Product at Exotic Woods in Burlington - Hakwood

Last week was a very busy one in the Design/Decor world for me.  I attended many great events and got the goods on a lot of great products.  One such place I attended was Exotic Woods on Harvester Road in Burlington.  It is an amazing place for reclaimed and all other types of exotic wood species.  Their live edge and barnboard selections blow me away.  This particular evening was to meet, and learn about their newest product line, that of Hakwood.

Below is a look at some of the amazing and interesting pieces

Lovely Live Edge pieces

 

Mark Hak, founder of Hakwood,  a Dutch producer of top quality wide width, long length engineered wood flooring was on hand to discuss this newest addition to Exotic Woods.  Hakwood remains at the forefront of innovative flooring solutions.  With bold designs, endless variations in colour treatment, finish and surface texture, Hakwood flooring is the product of choice for top architects and designers in over 40 countries worldwide.  Hakwood comes in widths up to 9" and lengths up to 9'.

Below are some of the Hackwood displays

SOFA - Source of Furniture and Accessories

If you follow my blog you will notice that I am writing about SOFA on a regular basis and that is because I am up there quite a bit and they have fantastic showrooms and seminars. I attended a recent Marketing seminar which was great and then checked out a couple of new showrooms.

Today when I checked out Pab, which is a furniture design and build company owned and run by Philip Brown, I was fascinated.  Philip has a unique eye and his products are one of a kind and original.  He combines form and function as well as incredible design.  Check out his website Pab Furniture.

The other new addition to SOFA is David Pearl Cabinetry.   The doors are made in Britain and Italy and are the very best quality and standards.  They offer High End Custom Cabinetry with British & Italian Doors can produce Chic, Modern, Contemporary, Victorian or Traditional Kitchen Design.  Doors are made of both Painted MDF and also of Real Wood, using timbers such as Walnut, Maple, Pine & White Oak. 

Buying Firewood from a Guest Blogger

I recently had a request from Danielle McAnn, of Australia who wanted to write an article for my blog about firewood from an aesthetic perspective.  Danielle is working with a company in Australia 'The Green Centre' which is supplier of wood harvested from sustainably managed forests which prevents the illegal collection of firewood on a commercial basis and improves the long-term sustainability of the Australian Firewood industry.  

Here in North America we have suppliers who are harvesting from the sustainably managed forests, one in British Columbia being Elkington Forest.  I found it encouraging to see that someone from Australia wanted to spread the word about their organization and commitment to our future so I thought I would share her post.

As written by Danielle McAnn.....

I imaging  buying firewood has never occurred to you as an aesthetic decision. Those lucky enough to have an open fireplace or an outdoor bonfire to furnish with wood probably don't think about firewood as an aesthetic decision. But firewood is more than the sensual qualities it produces, that is, the heat and the scent when burned, although those are certainly very important considerations. Firewood is intended to produce a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere in a room, and a huge part of this effect is the way that it looks. Every single thing in an interior will contribute to the way that the room looks, whether intentional or not, nothing is exempt from aesthetics. You can put all of your effort into hanging a picture in the perfect spot and in perfect light on a wall, but it won't make the room look nice unless the rest of the room is working with it. There is no such thing as a quick fix in an interior. You must have every element of the room in concert together, or nothing at. If you spend hours and hours doing your hair, but then wear a tracksuit out to dinner, you still won't look presentable. That is why you should pay attention to your firewood, and why it should be of good quality. Because if it's going to be stacked in your room, next to your fire place, it's going to contribute to the aesthetic of your room.

As a Decorator I could continue on this topic but I think I will be posting some information in a future blog about Wood Burning Fireplaces.

GTA West Chapter Fall Event

A group of decorators from the GTA West Chapter met at Q Design in Mississauga for a presentation by Sun Glow Window Coverings, one of our affiliate members.  We were welcomed with a lovely breakfast and Marilyn and her daughter Lindsay of Q Design gave us information on the work they provide to Decorators and Designers, creating lovely bedding, slipcovers, draperies cushions, light upholstery, and so on.  

Following was a presentation by the representative from Sun Glow who provided us with information on all of the newest offerings available to us.  Sun Glow is very eco minded and are constantly sourcing & developing products that have environmentally friendly properties as well as superior quality and functionality.  Although Sun Glow's specialty is Roller Shades, they also offer Panel Track, Roman Shades, Fixed Shades, etc, etc.  The products can be manually operated or automated.

We saw many of the different fabric lines including those that offer not only UV protection but privacy.  Of course being in this field, we all loved the option of adding a little bling and Glamour.  Sun Glow offers trim with the Swarovski Crystal as well as pendants used as pulls.

TIFF has come and gone ....

Once again TIFF has come and gone and we know it to be one of the exciting events in Toronto in the Fall. This year I was invited to one of the parties and it was my first time. The city is so alive with people and stars mulling around.  A fellow decorator and I attended the party at The Windsor Arms Hotel last Thursday and met up with some other colleagues. The evening started with a panel discussion by Tommy Oliver, Stephen Bruno, Nicholas Taborak, and Nicole Quenqua from the movie industry discussing the different aspects of the industry.  It was very interesting to hear the Q and A's surrounding the Film Industry and this great Film Festival.  We can be proud of our city and country in general as we received such positive comments and I was so proud to be a Canadian taking part of an event is such a great city.  Over and over I hear the same phrase "Canadians are so nice".  I was at a seminar earlier that day and the speaker from the US said exactly the same thing.  

Of course the party that followed was a lot of fun.  Must go to more of them next year and see more of the movies as well.

Historical Sackets Harbour over Labour Day Weekend

I recently spent Labour Day weekend down in Sackets Harbour, USA.  It is a quaint and beautiful little town bordering Lake Ontario, specifically sitting in Black River Bay.  Sackets Harbour has quite a history, going back in time and was one of the sites of the war of 1812.  The main street is lined with beautiful architectural buildings and several shops and restaurants.  We stayed in the Marina Inn at Madison Barracks which is one of the country's oldest military bases and stands overlooking the bay.   There are several old abandoned buildings which are now being refreshed into living quarters and several new buildings being erected with the look of the older style.  Our spot was lovely and we could sit outside our room and see the water as well as walk a few feet to a little bistro which had outside dining overlooking the water.

The revitalized  "Marina Inn" at Madison Barracks

I always love to see older buildings refurbished rather than torn down

 One of the abandoned buildings.  Love the Turret                                                                                                                                                                                  

 
 and another just waiting to be refurbished into something great

This one has an interesting entrance.  I hope they can do something with it

 

All of the above buildings surrounded a huge green space which would have been used for military maneuvers and was also used as a Polo fieldThe view of the harbour from our suite

Some of the lovely buildings on the main street

 

Our favourite spot to eat outdoors - Tin Pan Galley

The outdoor dining is always packed as it  has a great ambience and feels like you are either in a European bistro or down south

 

Hubby and I - he always closes his eyes...

Flexible Stone, wood and much more from Surface Innovation

The Beauty of Natural stone, wood…and other incredible materials                                                                  

Natural materials have always been considered luxurious and can create a wonderful atmosphere in home décor whether it is contemporary, traditional, country or any style you desire depending on what you select. 

Natural stone has been valued throughout the millennia for its sculptural and architectural qualities.

There is a unique new surface innovation for architects, designers, kitchen cabinet and furniture manufacturers and more!  Real slate, sandstone, granite and marble are now available in lightweight, and in some cases flexible, veneer sheets, their use limited only by the imagination.  Put natural slate, sandstone and granite where it was never before possible with SlateFlex, SandFlex and GraniteLite! These revolutionary veneer sheets are a thin slice of real stone, not man made composite imitations.    

While attending IDS 2010, I visited the booth of SurfaceInnovation Inc., a company located in Parry Sound, ON and for the first time viewed their “Flexible Slate Veneer” available for the Canadian market.  This product is real slate available in lightweight, flexible veneer sheets. Since that time they have evolved into many more product lines. 

Slate is an exotic and unique natural stone that is stately, sturdy, and durable; this earthy stone just exudes warmth. Who doesn’t love slate?   The character of slate allows it to fit into a traditional design with an informal time worn, classic, old world feel; as well as an upscale rich, sophisticated, sleek look of the refined, modern design of a high-rise. This stone is versatile almost everywhere.

Slate is commonly used in its rigid form regardless of its application.  How many more creative applications could be utilized if it were flexible?? This product comes in many distinctive slate colours and sandstone and is suitable for vertical interior and wet applications. Slate can be applied to surfaces where it was never before possible.  Think about the possibilities in kitchen and bath design, even furniture and curved walls.   It can be used on a backsplash, cabinetry, and columns (curved), curved walls, furniture, lighting, signage and feature walls.  Certainly we have seen it on some of these applications in its rigid form, however, with the lightweight and flexible nature of the veneer the possibilities are limited only by the imagination.

How is this possible??  This slate veneer is made from adding a fiberglass layer to the slate slabs and then peeling it off when it adheres to the stone.  The rough split texture is a raw stone surface covering a wide range of the colour pallet.  Both natural and quartzite slabs are available.

The Slate Flex veneer product is not only very flexible (approximately 2mm thick) it is also lightweight (approximately ½ lb per sq. Ft) which allows for many creative applications. A standard sheet size is 2’ x 4’ and can be processed with standard tools and readily available adhesives.  Slate Flex can be cut with heavy snips, table saw with masonry disc, metal shear or wet saw. 

The rough stone surface should be treated against contamination with standard stone sealers.  With the properties of natural slate being anti-bacterial, stain-resistant, non-absorbent (even with no sealant) and fireproof, this is definitely a low-maintenance and durable product now available at great cost savings.  

When looking at the transportation cost, fuel and space required in shipping and handling standard stone products, the extreme lightweight property of Slate Flex adds to its desirability of being eco conscious in reducing the carbon footprint.

IIDEX 2011 saw Surface Innovation roll out it’s new booth design and a number of new products.  Numerous architects and designers were introduced to two exciting new products, Marblelite and NatureFlex.  They were pleased to receive a bronze award for booth design.  

Many projects are currently underway as a result of the show.  Surface Innovation, based in Parry Sound, Ontario, specializes in products that can clad almost any vertical surface in your home with thin, decorative, natural materials. Options include: several types of stone, shells and even water hyacinth.  The veneers are thin enough to wrap concave and convex surfaces in natural stone.

The Flex series of products are far lighter than traditional stone products with a far smaller carbon footprint of transportation. Also, they are a much more efficient use of natural resources as only a thin layer of surface material is used.

The Barnwood product line features reclaimed barn-wood mounted on fabric, which allows for application to a multitude of different surfaces. The use of low VOC finishes is a safe and eco-friendly option for those who want to avoid harsh emissions. 

Surface Innovations has a representative in Southern Ontario or can be purchased through The DecoratingCentre in Burlington, ON.

Below are a few photos of the possibilities!!  Check out their website for the many other great ways to use this fantastic product.