What to buy: Extendable dining tables
England medical-inspired glass vitrine, bar carts and an A-frame clothing rack. RETROWORKS.CA
Smash
Owner Paul Mercer snags the best doomedfor-demolition relics – think motel signage, display cases and industrial fixtures. You never know what you’ll find, but stock usually includes vintage character pieces in projectready multiples. Find stately iron gates, steel-framed factory windows and a diverse assortment of retro furnishings: rustic sawbuck tables, bevelled 1930s English mirrors and, to spark a little seat envy, period Sculptura chairs by Russell Woodard.
371 SHERMAN AVE N, HAMILTON 416 809 8730 SMASHSALVAGE.COM
Urban Tree Salvage
Husband-and-wife team Sean and Melissa
Gorham give new life to thousands of felled city trees in the form of rustic-cool furniture fashioned from trunks and limbs. Everything – coffee tables, consoles, benches and desks, as well as island and vanity tops – is milled, kilned and finished at their production facility. The duo’s bespoke reclaimed and salvaged live-edge slab boardroom and dining tables highlight pre-existing knots and grain.
689 WARDEN AVE, UNIT #7, SCARBOROUGH 647 438 7516 URBANTREESALVAGE.COM
What the Vintage
John Baltazar’s inventory is full of the midmod furniture and accessories a discerning vintage shopping hound would love to sniff out. Stock ranges from Danish teak buffets and writing desks to West German ceramic vases, framed serigraphs and Lotte lamps. Baltazar posts photos of his inventory online and offers free delivery to anyone in the city.
2468 KINGSTON RD, SCARBOROUGH 647 983 6059 WHATTHEVINTAGE.COM
Williamscraig + House of WC
The street frontage of interior design firm Williamscraig flaunts a curious and curated collection of vintage furniture and objects that runs the gamut from rustic to regal, with a few oddities thrown in. Specializing in conversation pieces for contemporary homes, WC carries reupholstered antique chairs, farmhouse cabinets and industrial lighting, plus such quirky accessories as primitive stoneware, vintage doll parts and even a blacksmith’s knife bin.
930 DUNDAS ST W 416
516 2177 WILLIAMSCRAIGDESIGN.COM
Zenporium
Committed to sustainability, Zenporium offers
guilt-free furniture made using reclaimed and responsibly harvested materials. Salvaged teak roots are spun into coffee and side tables or rustic decor. Petrified wood from Jurassic times, cut into slabs and polished to highlight its inherent beauty, is transformed into beguiling pedestals or tables atop minimalist steel bases. Other custom projects include bookcases, built-ins and barn-board wall cladding.
IMPROVE CANADA, 7250 KEELE ST, UNIT #46, VAUGHAN 855 891 8936 ZENPORIUM.COM
Zig Zag
Joe Graafmans’s vintage shop is a haven for fans of furniture and accessories with sleek mid-century style. Find a top-notch selection of Danish teak furniture including modular wall systems, sideboards and bar carts. This boutique’s lighting focus yields incredible finds, including a Curtis Jere Skyscraper floor lamp in chromed metal. More: a sandwich-thin compact folding sofa by Eames and a pair of sinuous Etcetera lounge chairs by Jan Ekselius. 985 QUEEN ST E 416 778 6495 ZIGZAGMIDCENTURY.COM + More vintage & reclaimed: Door Store, Door Studio, Eclectisaurus and Studio Pazo.