Archive for the ‘Furniture’ Category

For the condo dweller who’s philosophy is “the skies the limit”, this weeks item is for you!

It’s called the “Aviator Wing Desk” and is a classic throwback to the World War Two era. The frame of the desk is made from solid hardwood, wrapped with aluminium patch work and held together with steel screws.  It’ll set you back $2200 (American) in pocketbook, but will also earn you some serious stripes for it’s cool factor.

The winged looking desk is one of those pieces that gets better with time… a couple of dings and scratches over the years would do the desk good by adding to the character of it!  Here’s a few more pictures:

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I was chatting with someone from Vancouver the other day, and they noted how few balconies in the City have plants or small gardens growing on them… take a drive around Toronto, it’s true!

The Hot Pot BBQ may be exactly what we need to keep up with our West end neighbours. Created by London design firm Black + Blum, the Hot Pot looks like a regular terracotta planter, but actually doubles as a BBQ below!  With a cooking area of a little less than a foot, users can sizzle some steaks in the summer time…with seasoning from the herbs above.  Check out the video below to see the pot in action!

The Hot Pot ships to Canada and can be or ordered from the companies website here.

If you’d like to find a terrace big enough to fit you and a few friends, contact me… I’d love to help!

“Just take those old records off the shelf,
I’ll sit and listen to ‘em by myself ,
Today’s music ain’t got the same soul,
I like that old time rock ‘n’ roll.”

Ain’t nothing like sliding across you living room floor wearing only socks, boxers and a dress shirt… music blaring, the words of Mr. Bob Seger in the background with not a worry in the world!  How’s that for a visual!

Sadly, some condo owners will never get to experience such a thing (or atleast not as loud as I like it).  Loud music is hot topic with condo living and is one of the biggest complaints I hear.  This weeks MUST HAVE MONDAY item can still give you the rocking look without noise.  It’s the The Deluxe Stratocaster® Table and is made from hand-selected solid maple, custom stained and varnished with a slightly tinted finish to resemble the tone and color of a vintage guitar.  According to the website: “The six tuning peg caps are chrome plated steel disks and flush mounted. Lettering is silk screened on first then lacquered over for protection. The three legs are originally designed and chromed plated. Each table is also identified with a metal tag with a stamped serial number.”

To statisy the strumming of the inner rock god in you, I’d also advise paring the table with the Blackface Hotseat!  The hand made seats are made to look just like the Fender amps, complete with volume knob and all.  These were only made in limited amounts and currently sold out…but check back often!

If you’d like to have a rock layer aka condo of your own, fill out the form below… I’d love to help! Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve run out of jokes for my “Make You Laugh Mondays” and have made the executive  decision to reinvent the often boring start of the week to “MUST HAVE MONDAYS”.

Must Have Mondays will be a collection of furniture or accessories that I think every cool condo dweller must have!

The inaugural item for this series is the super-cool iRetrofone.  The trendy device was hand-sculpted Artist Scott Freeland.  It’s a fully functional charging dock that’s USB compatible and is also a working handset!  It’s fully compatible will all iPhones, and even allows users to sync data with their computer.  The iRetrofone is available online and comes in a variety of styles and colours.  I like this particular one for it’s gold accents. I could see it working well in hard loft, alongside other nostalgic pieces from it’s time.  It blends our old stagnant methods of  communicating with today’s mobile world!

Feel free to send me suggestions of other eclectic items you’d like to see covered on the blog!

Over the weekend I got to experience the Interior Design Show for my very first time!  It was a really good opportunity to see the direction and shapes are places of living will take in the coming years. The challenge I find with buying preconstruction is choosing a finishing package that not only looks good now, but will also be in style 5 years down the road once the building is finally complete! Attending the show only complicated this problem for me as there was soooooo many cool finishes to choose from… and then there was the accessories!  The lamp above is a limited edition Band Boom by Ingo Maurer. Each sheet of parchment paper has a graphic comic character or graphic word on it, allowing you to be even more creative by placing them however you like on the lamp!  The lamp is available from Eurolite in Toronto.

The Studio North and Prototype section was the most enjoyable for me!  Over 60 displays were shown by some of Canada’s best talent.  If you live in standard cookie cutter condo, these pieces may be just what you need to separate your unit from the rest! Here’s a look at a few of my favorite exhibits:

On first look the chair seemed rather uncomfortable and large, but given the storage it provides and the angle is shaped it, it’s actually quite efficient!  And besides, everybody needs a wine chair!

Artist Dean Jackson was on hand to show off his curvy sculptures called the Aero Pod.   Dean is able to customize each pod in to a variety of things including humidors (a much needed accessory for a cigar smoking bachelor!), liquor cabinet, watches, collectibles or jewelry cases. The front features a grill similar to that found on a hot rod! The Aero Pod stands at 3 feet tall and has over 200 hours of work spent on each!

I have no clue what these are or how one would incorporate it into the home, but they did reminded me of twizzlers!

This looked like something right out of a Tim Burton movie and can definitely work in a variety of spaces!

This piece answers the question: How do you hide a 40″ LCD TV inside a 6″ deep space?

Answer –

I haven’t the slightest clue who would want to wipe their rear with multicoloured paper…but I do know this booth was paaacked!  The company sells toilet paper and paper towels in a variety of bright colours!

The legs on the coffee table are supposed to be changed with the months…it’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Part of the Prototype Collection, the Tired Chair (as we called it) was very resourceful.  Made out of old tires and wood, a lot of people gravitated to it.  I wanted to take it for a test drive but that little white sign in the left hand corner prevented that from happening!

Every downtown condo needs its signature piece of art…and for some, this may be exactly it!  A closer look shows that the picture has and overlay of smaller photos covering the background!

The glass work below the painting makes for a some great accent pieces!

I found this to be simple, yet effective.  Combines your love of cooking with your love of art and add a little flare to the kitchen…who’s kidding who, throw a skyline on anything and I’d have something positive to say!

Here is something I’d definitely love to see more of!  Available from Aquabrass, they take a variety of faucet styles and offer them and various colours.  The matte black really works well, but pairing a blue faucet and drain can equally work well!

Another feature from Aquabrass was their crystal customization…nothing says “ballin” like a gold coloured faucet with crystals!

Below are several collections that inspired me on various levels…and I hope do the same for you!

Have you ever wondered what happens to all the fancy furniture in condo sales centres?

Sometimes it’s re-used, sometimes it’s tossed…and on some rare occasions it sold at a bargain price!  On Saturday July 10th, 2010 from 10-2 all the left over furniture from the Freed showrooms will be put on sale.  One of Brad Lamb’s projects in King East had a similar sale a few months back.  I stopped by for that one and saw a ton of great furniture for crazy low prices!

I’m guessing this should be the same…or possibly even better!  The Freed sales centres are some of the best out there, so if you’re thinking of attending, SHOW UP EARLY!!!

…and if you need the condo before the furniture give me a call or send me an email.  I’d love to help!

I’m often ammused by all the crazy kinds of fridge magnets I see on daily basis…From tattoo removal (as if that’s something you’ll need every day) to competing Realtors and their smiling grins, the fridge has become a popular space for brands to promote their messages in consumers homes! And yes, even I am guilty of such tactics with my “Savel And The City” magnets making their rounds on various fridges throughout the City.

I recently stumbled upon some real swanky magnets at a  showings!

“App Magnets” and as the websites description suggests:
Keeping stuff on you fridge? There’s an App for that. Set of 18 magnets, designed to look like iPhone Apps.

They retail for $16 on the UrbanOutfitters website and are a fun and playful way to post things on your fridge!