Style Sleuth

britney spears at pottery barn kids

brett — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:00:56 +0000

No, everyone’s favourite pop-tart isn’t launching a collection at Pottery Barn Kids… But I’ve heard she has been dropping some cash there recently while decking out her little guys’ digs.

Rumour has it, BritBrit snatched up…

…The Pottery Barn Kids’ Pirate Bed in a rich Sun Valley Espresso finish. The trundle makes it absolutely perfect for sleepovers. And check out the Pirate Mast & Sail mounted to the wall behind the headboard – what an awesome little detail, and a testament to how thoroughly PBK explores its themed collections for kids’ rooms.

Seriously, how fun is that for a little boy bed?!?

Britney also allegedly picked up a couple of these ginormous Sun Valley plush Santas. This stuffed St. Nick comes in two sizes, as depicted - a petite Pere Noel at 18-inches, and a whopping 40-inch version.

Available at: Pottery Barn Kids

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are you hgtv’s next big design star?

brett — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:12:58 +0000

What do Steven & Chris, Peter Fallico and the Suzanne Dimma all have in common?

Now household names across the country, they all got their start on hit shows produced by WestWind Pictures on HGTV.

Here’s the exciting bit… You now have a chance to join their ranks, with WestWind Pictures and HGTV Canada’s new hunt for the Next Big Design Star!

Canadidates have one month to produce a maximum 2-minute video to display their design savvy. The video must have a short intro with the candidate’s biographical details, and then maybe a quick do-it yourself project, or a design-on-a-dime idea. Throw out all the stops and wow the team with your energy, personality and talent (think Mary Tyler Moore show opening credits!), then email the compressed video file to the folks at WestWind by clicking here.

After the November 27th deadline, 20 to 30 of the best entries will be selected, and finalists will be contacted in early December for a live screen test.

Good luck!

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waterford wedgwood’s elegant table setting

brett — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:59:22 +0000

Waterford Wedgwood had a pretty spectacular table vignette at their booth at the Canadian Gift & Tableware Association show this summer.

With eight Louis Ghost chairs set around a table that’s swathed in rouched, silky linens, the effect is totally ethereal, and quite dreamy.

Each place setting represented a different designer’s contributions to the Waterford Wedgwood collection, including this subtle and sophisticated arrangement of Jasper Conran’s Tulle platinum-band bone china.

Love the signature Jasper Conran teacup handle - definitely one of the most important features to consider when selecting a china pattern. Seriously!

classy brass from martha sturdy

brett — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:15:46 +0000

Although I’ll always associate Canadian designer Martha Sturdy with her stunning and pioneering work in resin, she’s recently turned her attention to other materials - including brass. These recent brassy releases from her Vancouver-based studio really struck a chord with me, as I’m on a warm-metals kick and can’t seem to get enough of these autumnal-hued accessories…

Brass Tray #1210, 48 x 5 x 1″

Brass Lanterns #915 (5.5 x 5.5″); #916 (5.5 x 9″); #917 (5.5 x 12″)

Steel candleholders with brass wire wrap, 18″, 24″ and 36″

Martha Sturdy Studio, Vancouver, 604-872-5205

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ikea’s billy bookcase turns 30

brett — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:26:01 +0000

One of IKEA’s staple storage collections hits a milestone this year… Billy – the bestselling bookcase in the WORLD – is turning 30!

To celebrate the anniversary, IKEA’s pulling out all the stops, including the launch of a limited-edition Billy series called Billy Jader.

Billy Jader’s got a playful, graffiti-inspired feel, with what looks like Sharpie-marker scrawlings lining the interior. Look a bit closer and you’ll notice that designer Annika Bryngelson’s actually used quotations from Shakespeare’s love sonnets in the script… Cute!

Here’s the full assortment of colourways available in the new series, which will be in stores for a limited time only. Those colourful little “B” bookends (which I’m rather partial to, naturally) are also part of the Billy anniversary release.

But have you ever wondered who was behind this iconic design?

Oddly enough, his name isn’t “Billy”.

Gillis Lundgren designed Billy in 1979, but had actually joined IKEA as the fourth employee (Wild! IKEA now has more than 128,000 employees overall…) back in 1953. What’s more, he doesn’t even necessarily see Billy as his masterpiece. Instead, he considers the Tore drawer unit (below) he designed in 1958 as the design he’s most proud of. So interesting!

Lundgren is also the man who came up with the idea of the flat pack, which will very likely be his most enduring legacy.

Fast facts:

* 41,000,000 - Number of Billy bookcases manufactured since 1979

* 15 - Number of Billy bookcase manufactured each minute at IKEA’s Gyllensvaan furniture factory

* Lundgren’s design philosophy: “At the end of the day, I designed for the many people,” he says. “I want to make solutions for everyday life, based on people’s needs. All my products are simple, practical and timeless. They should be useful no matter how old you are, or what your life situation is.”

Billy anniversary series, IKEA, 866-866-4532

halloween block party with eddie ross

brett — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:53:55 +0000

My fave master of reinvention is at it again!

Eddie Ross, whose fantabulous flea market makeovers were subject to my STYLE AT HOME feature earlier this year, hit the airwaves in the States last night with HGTV’s Halloween Block Party. In the one-off special, Eddie takes the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and applies the aesthetic to a neighbourhood home with delightfully creepy results… Check out the before & after!

BEFORE…

AFTER!

Check out Eddie’s amazing work on the interior here!

No word yet on whether or not HGTV Canada will be airing the special… I’ve dropped them a line to check, and will keep you posted! Fingers crossed… Eddie tells me there might even be a STYLE AT HOME cameo at one point during the program… So citing!

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painting for the cure

brett — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:09:11 +0000

There’s always a slew of pretty n’ pink items that come out in October in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness, and Sico’s developed one of the coolest in this year’s range…

For each gallon of disappearing-pink Flat for Ceilings Paint that’s sold, Sico will make a contribution of $1.25 to the Canadian Cancer Society. Sico’s goal? Selling 40,000 cans, resulting in $50,000 towards vital breast cancer studies.

Flat for Ceilings latex paint rolls on pink and dries to white, ensuring you don’t miss a spot. Pick some up today to get the job done right in your home, and to make a difference in someone’s life.

Price: $27 per gallon

Available at: Sico, 800-463-7426

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party planning - arabian nights style!

brett — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:52:53 +0000

The current issue of STYLE AT HOME magazine – our Entertaining special – is all about party planning: sprucing up your space for guests, what to serve, and secrets for laying stylish spreads on the table. As always, there wasn’t enough room in the magazine to pack in all the party planning gems we came across in our scouting, and this in particular was something I knew I had to share on my blog…

Believe it or not, this is someone’s basement.

Albeit, a basement transformed into a magnificent Moroccan soiree by Nisha Chandra of Nisha Designer Events. How much FUN does this look?!? From the low cushion seating to the pierced metal lanterns, it totally takes you away… Nisha even installed a little lounge area off to one corner – complete with hookah!

Nisha actually called the look of this party “Spice Route” after the warm, spicy reds, oranges and burnt yellows at play. What an unforgettable dinner party this would’ve been!

Nisha Designer Events, 647-239-4626

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decorating for fall - copper bird garland

brett — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:36:37 +0000

If you associate fall decorating with dusty garlands of plastic burnt-yellow leaves, you might want to take a look at what I found at Vancouver Island’s Indaba Trading…

This stunning wire garland takes on-trend bird motifs and weaves them into an equally trendy warm copper-coloured wire garland.

“This fall it’s all about bringing the outdoors in and using motifs and objects that reflect the wonder and beauty of the natural world,” says Irene Gillespie, Indaba’s owner and CEO.

I’d love to see this garland on a tabletop, weaving its way through various centerpiece ornaments, or even crumpled into a bird’s nest (pardon the pun) and displayed in a rose bowl… So pretty! What’s more, this garland has seasonal staying-power, and will work just as well over the holidays.

Photography by Felix Wedgwood

Indaba Trading wire bird garland in copper

Price: $10 per three-foot strand

Available at: Urban Barn, Chintz & Co., or Indaba Trading for all stores

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malachite accessories at decorum

brett — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:40:45 +0000

I was chatting with Tommy Smythe from Sarah Richardson Design the other day, and he told me I just had to stop in at Decorum Decorative Finds to check out their malachite accessories. (Tommy’s crazy about the colour of malachite, and his passion is highly contagious.)

Look at those whorls! The fascinating patterns on this malachite plate remind me of a whacked-out contour map. And that rich blue-green combined with the gold key motif absolutely screams luxe…

A smaller hit of malachite, but no less luxe is this little sphere on a gold dragon/fish plinth. Pure Art Deco deliciousness.

Decorum Decorative Finds, Toronto, 416-966-6829