Mi Casa, Tu Casa

From pastoral pieces to colourful complements, these additions will accessorize your home, no matter what your style.

Packed with recipes from Italy’s Calabria region, Rosetta Costantino brings old-world fare inspired by the seasonal ingredients from her family’s garden to the North American kitchen in her cookbook, My Calabria. www.chapters.indigo.ca

You can hang this spherical copper light alone or in groups to form shiny chandeliers. Either way, this gleaming Tom Dixon fixture reflects its stunning surroundings. www.abchome.com

Wrapped in smooth leather and accented with orderly nail studs, the Yucca Chair from Zilli Home brings life to any room, adding a distinct, edgy look. Read more

At Home with Decorium

Any home can be beautiful when all the right elements are in place. But it takes time, experience and good taste to achieve this. Enter design destination Decorium, a wonderland of expertise and everything you need to craft your surroundings into spaces that reflect your lifestyle and budget. “We’re family owned, and we’re on-site to create the home that so many people have trouble creating,” says CEO Steve Forberg.

From premium furniture, home accessories and occasional pieces, to lighting, children’s furniture, bedroom and dining sets, Decorium is more than just your average furniture store. With a showroom that soars at 60,000 sq.ft., unending styles are conveniently divided into five design categories. Noting the confusion that comes with packed big box furniture stores that don’t offer one-on-one design consultations and fashion advice, Forberg asks, Read more

Sunshine Window Fashions

As one of the only Hunter Douglas Gallery showrooms in the GTA, Sunshine Window Fashions has been revamping the look of living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and offices with its innovative selection of custom blinds, shades, shutters and drapes for years.

One of the first cosmetic alterations homeowners tend to make is replacing their windows. While this can make a major esthetic impact on a home, it’s important to consider the transformative power of dressing your new or pre-existing windows with quality blinds and shades. Read more

Always a Season Ahead: Yabu Pushelberg

If you’ve ever had a nightcap at the W Hotel in Times Square New York, sipped a Lipstick Martini at Toronto’s Bymark, waltzed into Tiffany & Co. on Wall Street or snagged a bag at Louis Vuitton, Hong Kong, then it’s fair to say you’ve already shaken the figurative hands of George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg. With their innovative personalities strewn like rose petals across the interiors of international landmarks, this interior duo has become globally known for leaving its 21st century signature on every space. “No matter what type of project it is, interiors should evoke an emotion,” says Pushelberg, who speaks for one half of the award-winning Yabu Pushelberg design firm.

There’s another reason why their names might ring a bell. The ambitious partners were commissioned to design the entrance lobbies, spa, ballroom, conference facilities Read more

Designer Notebook

City Life’s favourite design sources will fit seamlessly in your home.

1. Roche Bobois waves its contemporary wand in this dynamic dining room. Vibrant wool upholstered chairs from the Chabada collection will make any modern interior stand out. With a palette of 18 colours, there’s no need to play musical chairs. www.roche-bobois.ca

2. Dazzling plum sequins bring a dash of drama to your home’s décor. Accent a chair, sofa or bed with this fun and fearless Starlight Cushion from Bouclair Home. www.bouclair.com

3. Drop your passport and pick up a paint brush with CIL Paints’ exciting new decorating concept. Destination painting lets you travel around the globe from the comfort of your abode. The Asian-inspired colours seen here are CIL’s Oriental Poppy, Read more

Backyard Escapes with Andrew Richard Designs

If summertime barbeques and backyard parties are on your menu, don’t just settle for the traditional passé plastic of big box store furniture – add some style and comfort. And where better to liven up your alfresco living space than at Andrew Richard Designs (ARD).

Founded by brothers Andrew and Richard Bockner, the team at ARD feels backyards and patios are extensions of the home and should create the same comfortable feelings as any other room in your dwelling. “It’s about lounging and enjoying it, having the space to do so, letting your mind go, distressing and relaxing. That’s what I believe outdoor living is about,” says Andrew Bockner.

Striving to refurnish dated outdoor memes, Bockner crafts furniture for the modern individual who craves tranquil feelings from their outdoor seating. “The way to go is to get some Read more

Backyard Escapes with Prima Lighting

When the sun goes down, playtime begins, and what better place to get the good times rolling than in the privacy of your backyard? Without proper lighting, however, your once-exciting celebration can turn into a shadowy game of Marco Polo. With the right luminosity, this outdoor locale can become an intimately lit escape.

There once was a time when you strung some patio lanterns here, threw a spotlight there – no big deal. Today, the team at Prima Lighting understands that the art of illumination takes more than arbitrary lamp placement. “You have to be very careful with the number of lights and where they’re positioned,” says Luca Filice, co-owner of Prima Lighting. “Every light has it’s own job and it’s own unique style.” Read more

Backyard Escapes with Jennifer Hayman Design Group

Greater Toronto Area homeowners know that every square foot holds great value. With limited residential space and a 9 to 5-plus work life that can often confine you to an overcast cubicle, there’s never been more of an incentive to make use of your sunny backyard space. This is where gardening guru Jennifer Hayman comes in. “In Toronto, space is at such a premium that rather than having neglected, unused lawns and gardens, why not make it a series of outdoor rooms that flow and connect and allow you and your family the opportunity to relax and really maximize your time outside.” Hayman is the founder of Toronto’s award-winning landscape design-build firm Jennifer Hayman Design Group.

While Hayman’s firm fulfills a diverse array of landscaping dreams, she says that a rising trend in outdoor space solutions is to take existing abandoned garages and transform Read more

Backyard Escapes with Gib-San Pool & Landscape Creations

Have you always wanted to spend your summer days in a lush tropical lagoon instead of an ordinary backyard? This longing need not remain a mere fantasy – you can transform your yard into a sultry oasis with a breathtaking pool as the focal point.

“It’s like having your own waterfront property,” says Ed Gibbs, president of Gib-San Pool & Landscape Creations. The world’s first ISO-certified pool company and a member of the coveted Master Pools Guild, Gib-San is more than just a pool-builder. For over 40 years, it has been designing and creating pristine properties, renovating backyards into little pieces of paradise. “You really have to have designers and architects involved if you want to achieve something more than an average backyard and pool,” he adds. Read more

Wood Staining Tips with Claudio Grisolia of Steeles Paint

If there’s one thing that can tarnish your backyard’s good name, it’s a poor-looking deck and fence. Over time, sun and moisture can damage exposed decks and fences, giving an undesirable weathered look. To ensure the longevity and durability of your wooden deck and fence, applying a good quality wood stain is a must. But before the brushing begins, there are a few important points to consider.

First and foremost, the wood must be prepared. If your deck and fence has seen a few winters and you’re looking to recoat the lumber, cleaning is crucial. “It removes any mould, grime and dirt from the wood, and gives the finished product a more pristine look,” says Claudio Grisolia, owner of Steeles Paint.

If this is the first season for your timber, you’re in luck: no cleaning is required. However, if you just recently built Read more

Next Page »