Archive | Trade Secrets RSS feed for this section
Good Rental Karma
A lot of you will think I'm nuts but I'm going to share my latest project with you anyway. The bathroom tiles in my soon to be former apartment are original to the 1952 building and look it thanks to years of paint splatters and God knows what else. I knew that an easy fix would be to give the floor a once-over with my favorite paint stripper, a biodegradable, green product (if you can believe it) available through Lee Valley (below). What a difference!
Tips For Today’s Christie Antiques Show
Saturday, September 12, 2009 by Chris
If you're checking in with styleNorth this morning on your way out to the Christie Antiques Show — Canada's largest — here are a few tips: Wear comfortable shoes! Take a little more cash than you'd be comfortable spending. You will inevitably find something fabulous that you just can't live without and to come up short, well it would be criminal wouldn't it? Clear out the trunk of your car before you set off. Pack a lunch if you have special dietary requirements and take some bottled water. There is a "food court" at the show but the line-ups are long and you'll have cross a very large site if you feel peckish. If you find something wonderful, buy it. Don't resolve to "be back" because you'll never locate that particular stall again and if you do, the thing you're chasing will inevitably be gone. Go slow: There is so much to see that you'll feel urgency nipping at your heels — ignore it. Take your time, enjoy the day and kibitz with the dealers who also want to have a good time.
VIP Seating: Product Placement at TIFF
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 by Chris
High-end Toronto furniture retailer KIOSK has partnered with publicity machines M.LINK (Los Angeles) and GAT (Toronto) to outfit a rented Yorkville townhouse, ground zero for the promotion of 17 festival films including Suck, London River, Bunny and the Bull and The Good Heart. Like a fashion designer who loans a gown to a starlet for a red carpet appearance, KIOSK has provided floor models to leverage some of TIFF's buzz.
When Paper And Paste Are Bred In The Bone
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 by Chris
Hanging wallpaper isn't rocket science but it's not a walk in the park either, especially if the walls being dressed have lots of cut-outs, corners or slopes. When I asked professional painter and paper hanger Mike Scapillati for tips on how to do the deed well, his advice was simple, "Hire a professional! High-end papers can cost upwards of $500 per roll," he says, "and in a lot of cases the order turnaround is six or even eight weeks. If you mess up the application of just one sheet of paper it could leave you looking at half-finished walls for a couple of months."
Trade Secrets: Crazy Joe’s
Thursday, May 21, 2009 by Chris
An upholsterer I know recommended Crazy Joe’s for inexpensive fabric and when someone in the trade makes a referral, I pay attention. Joe’s tagline is, “if you don’t shop at Crazy Joe’s you pay too much!” With three locations – two in Toronto and one in Mississauga — I figure Joe must be doing something right . . .
Friday, April 2, 2010 by Chris
15 Comments