tidbits from toronto

I spent the weekend visiting an exceptional friend in Toronto who gave me a personal tour of some of the city's hotspot design and decorating stores (and restaurants and clothing boutiques and and and...). To be honest, I didn't mentally document everything as much as I thought I would because I was enjoying the moment too much to plan ahead for future blogging posts. HOWEVER, a few spots did stand out...

I had no difficultly understanding why Commute Home received so many raves. The store's handmade, on-location-crafted furniture pieces are gorgeous, unique and that perfect blend of modern-meets-antique. I already want to go back and take a second look.

The other stand-out stop was Ministry of the Interior, a design store/ gallery space that happened to be featuring some of Jason Miller's work (including the daydream mirror above), which for me was a chance of perfect-timing as I'd just read Dwell's article on him a few days earlier (only available in hardcopy). I love it when that happens - you read about an artist and their work and then get to put it into focus by unexpectedly coming across it in person soon after. Uber cool.

One thing's for sure, my tidbit taste of Toronto left me with an appetite for more and cast Ottawa's limited design scene into even paler light. Good thing the distance from here to there isn't as wide as the gulf between reality and dreams in Miller's conceptual art meets contemporary design objects...