Art for your shelves and floors
A vintage wooden motoscafo speedboat gliding through emerald waters, dodging islands in the Venetian lagoons. The shores of Murano drawing closer, historic buildings in every shade of brick coming into focus. Streaks of every blue in the sky, fresh air, sparkling sun.
This was the scene last summer as I travelled from Venice to the legendary home of the oldest glassworking art houses one can find. Murano, a tight cluster of islands linked by bridges, is like the tiny, sea-bound Paris or Milan of fashioning glass. The finest artists are found here and their exquisite work is sent to boutiques and shops the world over.
I took in the studio and factory of the amazing Barovier&Toso, one of the oldest companies in the world. The family business has been producing glassware since 1295 and their centuries of experience shows. Their hand-blowing skills were awe-inspiring. A small part of me wanted to stay forever on this simple island.
But an eight-hour flight later, I was back in Canada and eager to share my new passion for glass with my Cityline audience. I typically like to show a whole spectrum of decor goods, from highend masterpieces to affordable finds, but, after this trip, I wanted viewers to be inspired by the best of the best, just as I had been. So I borrowed some real treasures from Avenue Road (located on the street the store is named after) — and brought out the white gloves.
Although each glass creation is equally delicate and finely crafted, no two pieces have the same look. I learned the material can be tempered, bubbled, fine sandblasted or quartz-blasted to create so many different surfaces, and no other material can provide radiant, cascading colour in quite the same way.
Avenue Road’s collection included some delicately painted glass with a butterfly motif, cool sculptural smoked glass vases with ceramic cloud-like interiors, and some incredibly thin Mousseline quartz glass. Cityline host Tracy Moore was so nervous every time I touched one of these pieces, and I have to admit I was more nervous than I let on — although not too nervous to resist fake-dropping a piece, just to make Tracy jump.
Then came a horrible sound: the loud crack of glass hitting a table just a little too hard. We both froze, glad to not be on camera at the time. Luckily, despite my heart stopping, the only casualty turned out to be a Cityline coffee mug.
While showing all these beautiful objects, I wanted to teach a quick design lesson by placing them on a glass-topped table. There is a natural instinct to display glassware on a transparent shelf, but I recommend against this — the translucent materials are visually lost without a weighty backdrop. Contrast is key.
Wood is a smart option, especially a deep rich tone, since it is subtle enough to let the glassware take the spotlight, but textured enough to make a shining surface stand out. To go more glam, you can use a lustrous metal — just avoid overly reflective surfaces. To really finish styling your glass collection, remember that the ultimate beauty of a crystalline piece is in the way it sparkles under the right lighting. Try to provide light from several sources and angles, including at least one spotlight for that jewelrycase twinkle. The under-mount lighting that is so practical in your kitchen is pure magic here, as tiny fixtures under each shelf add the professional touch of glitz your investments deserve.
LOOKING DOWN
It’s easy to spot a glass vase or other accessory in a boutique, fall in love and find a way to fit it into your decor scheme. But choosing the right rug takes a little more planning. Sadly, I didn’t have the time to fly off to Tibet to see the great factories in person (I would love to be able to travel for every segment). Instead, I turned to the finest carpets Canada has to offer. On Cityline’s Feb. 25 episode, I showed five bold selections. Two celebrity portraits from Reznick Carpets’ Modallion line highlighted the potential for an area rug to be more than just a supporting player. The image of Lady Gaga is a oneof-a-kind novelty made on an artist’s whim, while the portrait of Frida Kahlo, an acclaimed artist herself, is available for any homeowner with modernist tastes (and a love for Swarovski crystals, which are mixed in with the wild colours). Two other painterly rugs reflect carpet as a form of canvas: the I Love You Rug from Weaver’s Art, with its incredibly dense 150 knot count capturing the subtle details of a watercolour in high resolution; and the Graffiti Rug by Creative Matters recreating hand-drawn abstract forms produced by the in-house art studio sessions. Lastly, an affordable accent rug from Korhani’s French Affair collection, at only $90, carries a fun lace-look print at a price (and recyclable material) that takes the guilt out of replacing it a few years later if your whims do change. As a general guideline, I recommend budgeting the same amount for your living room rug (often the largest in your home) as you would for your sofa. Investing what you can up front will yield a beautiful part of your decor collection for years down the road.
Be careful not to choose a rug too small for the space. It’s better to overestimate here, and have a little extra to tuck under the legs of furniture, than to have an island of sisal stranded in a sea of flooring.
Most of all, consider the rug to be an opportunity to have some fun, rather than a dull obligation. An area rug is the perfect place to add a splash of colour and take a risk.
It’s also easy to play with, since it can move from room to room between seasons, layer with smaller rugs for a luxe look, or even roll up to be stored away for a spell. If you hunt for a work of art you really love, you’ll always be able to find the right place to put it.
The citizens of Murano live in such beautiful surroundings every day. If my time in Italy taught me one thing, it’s that we should all strive to keep our homes just as passionately furnished, and be brave enough to live with true art.