styleNorth

I know you’re not supposed to buy art to match your sofa but what about a rug? The minute I saw Scott Young’s textural blue photograph, left, I knew I had to have it for my kitchen to go with those amazing flat weave carpets of mine. Scott’s image of an old door at the Distillery District captured second prize in the history category of Toronto’s Building A Great City Together photo contest. I tracked the photographer down and he was most obliging, selling me the 11″ x 14″ print, matted and ready to frame for just $99.

I might hang the photo at some point but right now I’m happy with it propped in the window where it’s the star of a pretty great show. As you enter the apartment you come into a foyer that looks straight through the kitchen to this vignette; it’s literally your first impression of my home and I want it to sing.

And speaking of flat weave rugs from St. Lawrence Market, I scored another one this past Saturday from Barb at Ephemera; it was priced at $35 but Barb gave me a deal because she’d sold me some prints awhile back and the frames fell apart. You know how I love orange, so the minute I saw this stripe (with taupe, black and cream) I knew the rug was coming home with me regardless of price or size; it’s in great shape, 4′ x 5′ and cost me a whopping $20. How could I say no?

Coming across this rug reminded me how important it is to shop for vintage goods early in the day. Barb was still unpacking when I spotted the rug in a clear plastic bag. If you know you’ll be shopping on your favorite vintage stroll — Toronto’s Queen Street East, for example — take my advice and hit the stores when they open at 11 am. The good stuff will be gone by noon.

I’ve just completed some back-to-back projects at work so I’m hoping to finally start blogging again here on styleNorth. I’ve got my eye on a hot stroll and I’ve had some reader mail I’m anxious to pass along so stay tuned. Your support has meant so much to me, now it’s time for me to repay the favour.

Mike moved out on Saturday leaving me with what felt like a nearly empty apartment. Of course, it wasn’t empty at all, it just needed some serious rearranging. Fortunately, my dear friends Nicola and Victor dropped in Sunday bearing breakfast and flowers and even more importantly, muscle. I needed help moving the birdseye maple credenza out of the office and into the living room where it ably filled the vacuum left by the dearly departed Louis XV settee. The room is barely functional without a sofa but it looks good.

I’ll be moving again myself in a few months, once the dust settles and the dogs have adjusted. For that reason, I won’t be painting or buying draperies, in fact, I’d barely hung a picture because I didn’t want to mark the walls. But a person needs to feel at home, however temporarily, so I’ve gone ahead and arranged a few things.

And wonder of wonders, it’s starting to feel like home again. It’s funny — it’s the same stuff that was in the old house but it feels completely fresh to me what with all the light and space.

I’m going to make an effort to post a little more frequently here on styleNorth, to get my groove back, as it were. Special thanks to Nic and Vic for their timely support and to all you wonderful commenters for the words of kindness and encouragement — it means the world to me.

If nature abhors a vacuum so does the auction business. WIth Ritchies in bankruptcy, new kid on the block A.H. Wilkens Auctions & Appraisals is stepping in to fill the gap, or would be if they could get their proverbial shit together. In my in-box this morning was a notice about the next Wilkens decorative arts auction, which happens to be TONIGHT! How about a bit of notice boys? Maybe a weekend-long preview to give folks a chance to peruse the merch? The woefully low resolution thumbnails in your downloadable catalogue are barely discernible.

More notice and better tech would go a long way to giving this fledgling business a boost. And there’s nothing I’d like more than to go bat for this start-up: I miss Ritchies soooo much and Waddington’s has moved more and more of its trade online, thus killing the buzz and fun of actually going to an auction. StyleNorth will endeavour to keep you in the loop.

A note on my recent MIA status; things have gone horribly awry in my personal life and even my new address may be short lived (please allow me to skip the gory details). Thanks for your patience . . . I don’t want to let styleNorth go completely and I’ll be trying to pick up the pieces in the days and weeks ahead.

Mike and I popped into a swish bedding store on the weekend in search of a sheet set to go with our amazing new crewel-work duvet cover. We found an expensive set of ivory sheets marked down 25 per cent but not even the discount made them affordable. This got me thinking about my discount standards and I came to the conclusion that generally speaking, I need to be saving at least 30 per cent off the suggested retail price before I’ll reach for my wallet. How about you? How big a price break do you require before your trigger finger gets itchy?

As for the new duvet set, Richard Cope the proprietor of Cose di Casa, gave me an extraordinarily good deal because he himself is in the process of moving and the more inventory he sells, the less he’ll have to haul around the corner to his new digs (more on that later). I also bought some fantastic Ikat linen panels that will likely become roman blinds in the new apartment. What do you think about the new bedspread? Too strong?

I note with some satisfaction that this is my 500th post on styleNorth. Holy smokes! I have to say I’m enjoying the less rigorous posting schedule and I’m thrilled that you keep coming back. Thanks for reading!

Continuum (707 Pape Avenue, 416.778.1200), a new decor store at Pape and Danforth in Toronto, is not what I expect from a “vintage” shop. For one thing, a lot of the inventory isn’t especially old, it just isn’t brand new. And much of the stock has been reborn under the fearless direction of store owner Daina Liepa who has a definite knack for updating tired furnishings. I can imagine how dreary the table at left was before Daina had her way with it; a few coats of stainless steel paint and voila, a side table that’s the essence of transitional. Truth be told, I’d never even heard of this paint, which Daina says people slap onto fridges and dishwashers to give them an updated look. On appliances, I expect the results are heinous (what’s wrong with a white fridge!?!), but I’m quite impressed with the treatment on this little table ($145).

Daina’s transformative powers are even more evident on the coffee table below. After sanding and painting, Daina fitted the piece with a belleved mirror top to create something that’s much more chic than shabby ($225).

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