CB2

I recently ventured to CB2, Crate&Barrel's younger, hipper, and (relatively) cheaper counterpart. CB2 opened their first Canadian store at Queen and Bathurst in Toronto on January 20, 2012. The 2-story store is actually a heritage building that was built in the 1800s. Most Torontonian's are familiar with the building in its previous state - purple, and lots of it. CB2 spent $3 million restoring the exterior of the building to its original beautiful state, which involved stripping the brick of the purple and gutting the interior, but they did keep a few pieces of nostalgia, most notably The Big Bop sign hanging in the stairway to the second floor (you can see it on the top right photo)

Photos sources clockwise from top left: 1/2/3/4

The store was packed when I visited and was stocked full with new spring 2012 collection. There were lots of bold colours as well as neutrals to round them out, and I noticed a pretty heavy Scandinavian influence - simple lines and natural woods.


Here are a few items that caught my eye:

I loved these plates - the salisbury steak one for my meat-loving man, and the tofu steak one for me :) The white bookshelf is also great. Kevin and I have been eyeing the Expedit unit from Ikea, but this one has some potential too...

Have you checked out CB2 yet?

Discuss: Is Martha Stewart's Reign Over?

In keeping with my New Year's Resolutions, I have been following @TorontoStarNews and @CP24. Both have been doing a great job at keeping me in-the-know. This morning, I saw a tweet by @TorontoStarNews that said, "Is Martha Stewart's Reign Over?" It lead me to an article by Tony Wong that really spoke to me. Here are a few snippets for ya

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“In the current economic climate, this newer generation may not find the Martha Stewart lifestyle financially plausible or attractive,” says Jay Handelman, an associate professor of marketing at Queen’s University. “She has been known to a generation as representing certain lifestyle ideals — old-world cooking, fussy household nesting, and so on. It is likely that her style has come to be out of touch with a newer generation who are now just getting into home ownership...Issues of frugality and environmental sustainability speak to the current generation, and I don’t think Martha Stewart resonates on those issues,” says Handelman.

The explosion of the internet has also meant that it’s difficult to rule with authority even if you have your own TV show and printing press. An explosion of websites such as pinterest.com, where consumers can assemble different looks — from crafts to home design to fashion — has meant a democratization of design. Everyone can be a stylist.

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I have been reading decor, design and DIY blogs for a few years now. During that time, the trend has definitely leaned more towards saving money by buying second hand, DIY-ing, and buying local where possible. Sure, I'd love to have a whole house filled with designer goods, but who can afford that?? If I think I can save money by trying to create something myself, I'll do it. I love saving the money, but half the fun is doing it myself. I love being able to point to my dresser and say, "I refinished that." Or point to some tissue paper poufs at a party I'm throwing and say, "I made those." I enjoy the sense of accomplishment. 

And Pinterest.... ahh Pinterest. I love it. Who doesn't. I have about a dozen boards on Pinterest and most of them are for projects that I would like to do, but haven't, for rooms in houses I would love, but will never have, for hairstyles and clothes I'd like to try, but won't. Pinterest doesn't make you a stylist, but it definitely helps narrow down your sense of style and can help inspire projects. This about sums up Pinterest for probably 90% of its users:

   

If you're laughing right now, you know it's true!

What do you think about this article and the movement towards frugality and environmental responsibility... or do you still live the Martha Stewart lifestyle? Bloggers and non-bloggers alike, what are your reasons for DIY-ing? What are your thoughts on Pinterest? Is it a useful tool or just a place for dreams?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

 

image: here

Canadian House & Home - August Roundup

Here's my roundup of Canadian House & Home's August issue.  I noticed they focused on lighting and I saw some really cool stuff in this issue!

The bases of the two top right lamps here really caught my eye. I love their organic shapes. These lamp bases are all really unique looking with classic shades.

 

These are some fun, colourfully patterned lamp shades. I would pair these shades with more classic bases - opposite to the lamps in the photo above. I've actually recovered my bedroom lamp shades with some fun purple fabric. I'll post about those some time soon!

These are the coolest looking hanging lights! The bowler hat light is way more whimsical than anything I'd put in my house, but I can definitely appreciate the aesthetic. I also don't think it would diffuse light very well, but who cares?! It would be a great conversation piece! The hand-blown glass one has an industrial feel to it and I like it. Are exposed bulbs making a comeback? I'm seeing them in all the magazines lately...

Houses Gone Wild

Animal print wild, that is!

While reading Apartment Therapy yesterday, I came across a post called Is There A Line Between Quirky and Eccentric? The author, Jason Loper, discusses the differences between quirky and eccentric designs - honestly,  I use them interchangeably - pot-AY-to, pot-AH-to!. 

But he posts about this house in his neighbourhood as an example to eccentric design. This house looks like it's got a major case of go-big-or-go-home. And while I think it's cool, would I want it on my (hypothetical) house? Hell to the no. There's also a building in Toronto that has huge animal print on it (pictured below), but it resonates a bit better with me because it would probably help to draw attention to your business.

Here's the photo from the post:

Here's the building on Bloor Street West (at Dundas Avenue) in Toronto.

Is this a new trend I don't know about..? For me, animal prints are on par with tattoos. I like them...in small doses... and um, on other people. They're just too far out of my comfort zone for me to commit to them in my house or with my clothes. My sister, on the other hand, is in a whole other ballpark when it comes to animal print. She loves the stuff - can't get enough. Well, maybe she'd draw the line at a leopard or giraffe print house :-P

What do you think of animal print? Do you have any in your home? On your home? Or maybe you just have it sprinkled here and there in your wardrobe...

Magazine Addiction

Hello, my name is Emily-Jane and I'm addicted to magazines...

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YM Magazine was my go to magazine as a teenager. This issue specifically, YM March 1997, was the first magazine I ever bought. I had a serious addiction and owned HUNDREDS of magazine, which is saying a lot considering magazines only publish 10-12 copies a year! Over time, my taste in magazines has changed; I got really into Glamour and Self, both of which I still love, and Style at Home (I love reading Canadian decor/style magazines because the prices and sources are relevant). I have a subscription to S@H (thanks for a group buy website I got my subscription for 75% off :-), but the good news is you don't even need magazine subscriptions anymore because they offer most/all of the content online! Also, I like to stop by my local library a couple times a month and borrow the latest magazines. I don't know if they're all like this, but the library near my house has 1 week loans on all magazines, even brand new ones, so I take them out and usually renew once so I get them for 2 weeks.

This week, the new issue of Style at Home arrived in the mail. I love pouring over each page and making mental notes* of things I like. I think the reason why I love decor/style magazines so much is because I get to look inside people's homes. It satisfies the voyeur in me. That's probably why I spend so much time on MLS too, with no intention of buying anything :P

Anyway, here are some great pics from this month's issue of S@H:

I love built-ins! These ones are beautiful and that chair is gorgeous. Even though I spend more time than I should at a computer, I love the idea of having a "non-computer chair" chair at my desk. Perks the place up a bit!

I have a feeling Riley would love this cat shelf.. too bad it's $150. As it is, we always catch her sleeping on the bookshelf. I could've sworn I had a picture somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

I'm such a fan of light, bright colours, especially around spring time. I love the mix of patterns on those cushions!

Apparently zigzags are making it big right now in the decor world. I like them when there isn't too much contrast and the zigzags are finer, like with the chair below. The super colourful rug in the bottom right corner immediately made me think of Sue the Napkin from Young House Love when I saw it. What do you guys think of this new trend?

On a final note, I hope everyone's having a good weekend and enjoying the fantastic weather in Toronto today! I went on a lovely walk through the city with some cool people and took some pretty pictures. I'll post 'em up shortly...

*Mental notes don't work for me.  Case in point: Each month, I make a "mental note" to buy a Metropass before the first of the month arrives. When the first of the month arrives, I almost always have to wake up my boyfriend and ask him if he has enough cash for me to buy a Metropass (doubtful, as it's $121...) or if he has a token for me to use. I even keep about $100 hidden away for such emergencies and make a "mental note" to remember I tucked money away. Fifty percent of the time, I forget I put it there. The other fifty percent, I remember all too well that I have money in the house and I spend it... womp womp.