Design Accessories
Average
Average is a collection of contemporary and classic home objects designed for everyday life. Its founders hand-pick unique pieces from Japanese and European design houses. Find exquisite stationery from Notem, clay kitchenware by 2016/ Arita and fashionforward bedding from Tekla Fabrics. Moebe’s modular shelving systems that fasten with wood wedges and Please Wait to Be Seated’s tray-bearing metal-frame coffee tables are covetable.
1081 QUEEN ST W 416 822 8374 AVERAGE.IS
Bergo Designs
Boasting home accessories from top European manufacturers, BD offers an eclectic array of international design. Discover a medley of objects and whimsical gifts, watches, jewellery and gadgets. Peruse impressive collections: Cec Lepage’s colourful Lucite vases, Seletti’s unusual Hybrid tableware fusing east and west influences, and Toronto’s largest selection of Georg Jensen’s house decor and Alessi products (think shiny carafes and space-agey juicers).
28 TANK HOUSE LN 416 861 1821 BERGODESIGNS.CA
Bookhou
With most of its items fashioned on site, Bookhou offers small-batch local furniture and accessories at their best. Natural materials are at the forefront: pouches and totes in linen and waxed canvas adorned with geometrics or hand-drawn designs. Other gems include screen-printed linen storage buckets and, among the custom hardwood pieces, delicate folded-veneer mobiles that recall birds on a wire.
798 DUNDAS ST W 416 203 2549 BOOKHOU.COM
Brika
Brika is a destination of choice for whimsical home decor, gifts and stationery by artisans from North America and around the world. Favourite housewares include natural bath and body care handmade in Toronto by Bridlewood Soaps, Vancouver Candle Co.’s line of neighbourhood-inspired candles (including Yorkville and Queen West) and dainty silk reminder bracelets from Mai Lin Jewelry.
642 QUEEN ST W 844 472 7452 (ALSO: 768 QUEEN ST E 844 472 7452) BRIKA.COM
Cambie Design
CD is a trove of thoughtfully curated objects that Marie Kondo would be proud to display. Explore a range of bright textiles sourced from Morocco and Peru: fringed alpaca-blend throw blankets, pompom-trimmed pillow covers and patterned wool rugs made in the Andes Mountains. Other housewares include speckled porcelain mugs and sculptural wall hangings from Sandbox Ceramics and hand-blown smoked glass bud vases from Jesse Bromm.
1048 QUEEN ST W 416 516 7132 CAMBIEDESIGN.COM
Cocktail Emporium
At-home mixologists shouldn’t miss the glassware, utensils and boozy novelty items at this boutique for everything cocktail. Past a wall of over 200 flavours of bitters are new and vintage glassware and bar sets. Zero in on CE’S selection of minimalist Japanese-made bar tools, renowned for their precision and quality, as well as recipe books, absinthe fountains and tiki mugs.
972 QUEEN ST W 647
727 3600 (ALSO: 20 KENSINGTON AVE 416 858 2932) COCKTAILEMPORIUM.COM
Craft Ontario Shop
More than 400 artisans contribute to the collection of handcrafted-in-canada art and design objects that’s adroitly displayed in this gallery-like showroom. The selection ranges from functional housewares and giftables – Daphne Wang’s abstract graphic ceramics, Julie Moon’s stoneware jewellery and Gold & Ginger’s hand-sewn bags – to such conversation pieces as Inukshuk carvings and prints from various Inuit and Indigenous artists.
1106 QUEEN ST W 416 921 1721 CRAFTONTARIOSHOP.COM
Cubeshops
Specializing in Japanese housewares and desktop accessories, Cubeshops elevates basic objects into super-kawaii works of art. Appreciate botanical life through Usagi no Nedoko’s preserved plants in acrylic cubes or Iwashi Kinzokuka’s magnificently detailed metal sea creatures. Terada Mokei creates a tiny world at a 1:100 scale, garnishing coasters and greeting cards with “I’m sorry” messages to cheer even your grouchiest co-worker.
11 BALDWIN ST 416 260 0710 CUBESHOPS.COM
Drake General Store
DGS’S flagship is the place to stock up on the store’s signature tongue-in-cheek Canadianainspired goods. There are Arborist’s Mountie-printed beer steins, adult onesies, pop-culture pins and vintage-inspired provincial pennants, as well as cotton waffleknit throws for curling up and getting cozy. If home goods with an international flair are more your thing, look to Malin+goetz’s candles and Meraki apothecary products.
1151 QUEEN
ST W 647 346 0742 (ALSO: HUDSON’S BAY, 176 YONGE ST, LOWER LEVEL 416 861 6009; HUDSON’S BAY, 44 BLOOR ST E 416 972 3333 x4137; 2607 YONGE ST 416 966 0553; 61 FRONT ST 416 214 6449) DRAKEGENERALSTORE.CA
East Pavilion
After working at design studios in Beijing and Shanghai, architect Lily Huang and interior designer Teresa Leung saw an opportunity to introduce designed-in-china home accents to Canada. Nankeen textiles, in pillow and pouch form, feature a 3000-year-old indigo dying technique from China. For the kitchen, the cast-iron Ding casserole, inspired by ancient bronze cookware, feels perfect for our slow-food-loving moment.
EASTPAVILION.CA
Easy Tiger
ET is a haven for sophisticated minimalist housewares from around the world. Hay takes tray service to a new level with its nestled geometric shapes, while Rami Kim’s ceramic hanging face pots “spark joy.” A selection of everyday essentials elevated through luxe materials and savvy design includes plenty of perfect gifts for the designophile: think linen-covered Shinola notebooks and One Sky Turkish hammam towels.
1447 DUNDAS ST W 647 748 6161 EASYTIGERGOODS.COM
Eclectisaurus
Leslie Zysman’s longstanding Cabbagetown shop carries inventory that highlights art and design from the 1900s to the 1990s. With an emphasis on the postmodern and mid-century modern design movements, Eclectisaurus offers an ever-changing array of furniture, lighting, art, glass, ceramics and textiles. We recently found the 1970s acid-etched brass furniture of Canadian artist Bernhard Rohne and a 1980s Foscarini Italian glass sconce.
249 GERRARD ST E 416 934 9009 ECLECTISAURUS.COM
Fabrique 1840
Simons’s all-canadian online marketplace offers all the hygge and wabi-sabi looks you want. For those with minimalist restraint, check out floating nightstands from Kroft, geometric art prints by Catherine Lavoie and hydroponic cultivation shelves from Îlot. “Canadian design needs to be as celebrated as Scandinavian or Japanese design is,” says