Tag Archive | "Antiques"
Shops: Queen’s Key Antiques
After Saturday's item about the tortoise shell it occurred to me that I really should post about the shop where I bought it. Queen's Key Antiques is a quirky little store with a focus on antique and vintage lighting but there's really no telling what you'll find there: an African wood carving, below right ($25), a gilt Church altar, below left ($150) or a 30 foot Anaconda skin (not shown, $100); I purchased the ornate, gold, Chinese window screen there a few years ago for $40, above.
Cool & Unusual: A Collector’s Paradise
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Art Nouveau never really caught on in North America, which explains why you see so little of it in antique and vintage shops here in Toronto. So imagine my delight at stumbling upon Cool and Unusual Antiques & Curios (105 Danforth Avenue at Broadview), a secret vault of Art Nouveau, Jungendstil and genuine English Arts and Crafts treasures. I call it a secret vault because Cool & Unusual is tucked into a basement beneath a record shop and is only open Saturdays and Sundays from 12 - 5 pm.
Wood Refinishing 101: Start Small
Monday, September 21, 2009
What I know about woodworking is enough to fill a single blog post, this one. I'm as rank an amateur and you'll find. But that didn't stop me from trying to rehabilitate this teak bar cart which looks incredible now, thanks to a really good sanding and a rub-down with my new favorite product, polymerized tung oil.
Shops: Holy Cow!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Toronto-based globe-trotter and restaurateur Aristedes Pasparakis and his designer wife, Alexia von Beck, have taken the plunge into home decor with their latest endeavor, an exotic gift and furnishing shop on Toronto's Queen Street East. Holy Cow! is a celebration of all things South Asian.
Tips For Today’s Christie Antiques Show
Saturday, September 12, 2009
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.
Monday, October 12, 2009
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