Author Archives | stylenorthchris
stylenorthchris - who has written 537 posts on styleNorth.
StyleNorth founder Christopher Jones is a graphic designer and journalist who has written about homes for Toronto Life, the Globe and Mail, Canadian Living and the Toronto Star, among other publications. Chris has an unquenchable thirst for interior design and his stack of hard-cover, shelter porn books is now nearly as tall as he is. A wannabe decorator, his home—which he shares with partner Mike—is his laboratory.
Colour Story: Gustavian Blue
When a professional acquaintance, Ms. T, told me about her search for the perfect "Gustavian blue" my interest was piqued; when she mentioned the patchwork of paint samples on her dining room wall the hook was truly in – I requested a house tour. Like me, Ms. T is smitten with the Farrow & Ball palette though not necessarily with each of the colours. Her first misstep was Parma Blue, the base coat beneath the tester swatches. "It might be nice in a nursery," she acknowledges, "but not in a dining room."
Christie Antiques Show September 11
Saturday, August 28, 2010 by Chris
Thunderstorms are about the only thing that will keep me away from the fall 2010 Christie Antiques Show in Dundas, Ontario, Saturday, September 11. I've missed the last several Christie sales for a variety of reasons and even though I don't need a thing, I'm still looking forward to Canada's largest and arguably best vintage furniture fair. Christie was the source of many of Sarah Richardson's best finds on the most recent edition of HGTV's Sarah's House. See my earlier post for tips on how to make the most of this excellent day out.
Moroccan Seasoning
Sunday, August 22, 2010 by Chris
I’ve heard it said that the good we do comes back to us but I never imagined that included coffee tables. Many months ago I helped a friend pull together a new apartment. Now, circumstance is taking her in a new direction and she offered me the table back, one of my all-time favorite finds. And it just so happens that I recently purchased a vintage Moroccan berber carpet on Craiglist for the absurdly low price of $150 (the rug is 7’ x 11’ in amazing condition!). I know the rug is not to everyone’s taste. My friend Doreen came to dinner last night and thought it was one step up from hideous.
Debbie’s Back!
Friday, August 13, 2010 by Chris
I'd forgotten how much I missed Debbie Travis until I lucked into a one-on-one interview with the décor diva Wednesday at Toronto's SOHO Metropolitan Hotel where Canadian Tire had arranged a press day to promote its Christmas 2010 product line. That's right, Christmas! It was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk but never mind, upstairs in the penthouse a small army of publicists and product demonstrators was taking turns steering junketeers across three floors of ho-ho-holiday vignettes. Talk about surreal.
Upside Down? Or Rightside Up?
Monday, August 9, 2010 by Chris
While surfing 1stdibs.com today I came across this coffee table, which I instantly recognized from the August 2010 issue of Canadian House and Home (photo by Stacey Brandford). In my opinion, it was the most glamorous shot in the mag that month and I was crazy, absolutely crazy about the coffee table, which belongs to journalist Karen Von Hahn and her husband Thomas. I love that 1stdibs displays the table one way, like a letter M, and the Von Hahn's present it the other way, like a W. What's your preference? The M's a bit golden arches don't you think?
Thursday, September 2, 2010 by Chris
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