modern home: 2015

The holidays are about spending time with family and friends. To help to make life simpler, we've come up with a curated collection of gifts for this holiday season. Check for current stock availability as new products are arriving daily.

clarity holiday collection

We're dreaming of a bright (and neon) Christmas! Put a new spin on Christmas with our Clarity Christmas collection - a vibrant cutting-edge range of neon bright Christmas decorations. These cheerful, modern accessories in our Clarity holiday collection are laser cut with crisp edges that glow like neon lights but require no extension cords or searching for defective bulbs! Prices range from $5.95 to $36.95.

cascade bubble glasses

These gorgeous glasses are perfect for a lazy brunch or a high-end dinner party. Their elegant blue ombre finish includes tiny bubbles in the glass to create a truly decadent wine experience. Choose from white, red, and flute glasses, as well as highball and old-fashioned. Perfect as a gift for your favourite wine aficionado!$11.95 each.

Add new dimension to your photo displays with this prismatic, 5x7" brass wire frame, in which a photo floats between two panes of glass. Can alternately sit on the desk or be hung on the wall.
Comes in gift packaging.
Mounting Hardware included - See more at: http://www.mushaa.com/UMBRA-Prisma-Frame-Matte-Brass#sthash.Ov4guIJB.dpuf

Prism photo frames

Add new dimension to your photo displays with this prismatic, 5x7" brass wire frame, in which a photo floats between two panes of glass. Can alternately sit on the desk or be hung on the wall.
Comes in gift packaging.
Add new dimension to your photo displays with this prismatic, brass wire frame, in which a photo floats between two panes of glass. Can alternately sit on the desk or be hung on the wall.

Add new dimension to your photo displays with this prismatic, 5x7" brass wire frame, in which a photo floats between two panes of glass. Can alternately sit on the desk or be hung on the wall.Comes in gift packaging. Mounting hardware included. Various sizes are in stock, ranging in price from $13.95 to $34.95.

Frida pillow collection

Reminiscent not only of colourful Mexican designs, but also including artistic motifs, our Frida collection is named after Frida Kahlo, one of the best artists of our time. These beautifully constructed and designed pillows make the perfect accent for any room!$69.95 each.

Wood grain log holder

This intricate and unique Wood Grain log holder has the look of wood for an organic texture in an otherwise modern piece. Perfect as a piece to set off décor in any home.$79.95 each.

6-Hole balancing wine rack

These wine racks appear to balance wine bottles in mid-air! Our elegant clear acrylic wine racks lend a touch of modernity and elegance to kitchens and dining rooms. Choose from 3 holes, or 6 holes, to display your wine collection with ease! $79.95 each.

iPrep Tablet stand

View your favourite online recipes with ease with the iPrep Tablet Stand, with stylus, 6 x 6.5" / 15 x 16.5cm. The iPrep fits all popular tablets horizontally or vertically, with four angle settings for optimum viewing. A stylus is included to keep the screen clean of messy hands. A weighted base and non-slip rubber grip keeps it stable. Folds down for compact storage. Gift boxed. $29.95.

Working in line with Royal Doulton’s ethos to create design-led ceramics, the Hemingway design collection offers contemporary accessories for decoration, as well as everyday use. Each piece has been created to improve things that matter in life – a philosophy that was introduced by well-known founder Wayne Hemingway and one that is applied to all HemingwayDesign.

Jumbo Ice Ball maker

Jumbo Ice Ball Maker, set of 2, 2.5" / 6.4cm dia, BPA free. Perfect for whiskey, scotch, vodka, cocktails and more. Keeps drinks colder longer without diluting. Makes 2.5" / 6.4cm round orbs of chill. Fill with water, juice, lemon or lime segments, mint leaves, basil, berries and more! Dishwasher safe. Gift boxed. $8.99 each.

Chilewich Dahlia coasters

Inspired by the success of the innovative Dahlia placemats, Chilewich has introduced elegant miniature Dahlias. These original pieces sold in packages of six are beautiful on their own or offer a great backdrop for all the small objects in your home. Dahlia Coasters will enhance any table surface both indoors and out. Set of six. $19.95 each.

Tea Time Tea Bottle

Steep. Sip. Relax. Made of heat-resistant borosilicate glass, this modern traveler lets you take your favorite tea on the go, infusing your favorite blends while minimizing spills. The strainer holds loose-leaf tea or tea bags, and a twist-and-click top lets you know when it's open or closed, preventing leaks. And with an insulating cork sleeve that protects your hands, this is everyone's cup of tea. Dishwasher safe (without cork). Tea Bottle, 19oz / 562mL, borosilicate glass, plastic, rubber, cork, BPA free.$34.99 each.

Aquala Bath Caddy

The ultimate accessory for rest and relaxation. Made from bamboo, a highly renewable resource, this expandable bathtub caddy has a built in wine glass holder and fold away book support.

Wobble Chess Set

Motion is added to an otherwise still game. A concave landscape stabilizes freely quivering chess pieces, creating a lively interaction between board and pieces.$249 each.

Royal Doulton Street Art collection

Breaking the barrier between urban art and interior décor, Royal Doulton works with cutting-edge artists Pure Evil and Nick Walker to bring you Street Art. The collection offers a surprising alternative to art prints – combining progressive art with classic bone-china plates and mugs.

Frasier Fir candles

Some might call this a Christmas candle set. But it’s so much more! This festive scented candle set fills your home with crisp, just-cut forest fragrance that evokes seasonal celebrations, holidays and the winter solstice. A glowing focal point for entertaining, holiday décor, hostess gifts and more.

Kiri porcelain fish bowl

Hip, fun and bold colored patterns make these porcelain bowls a must have! Mix and match for everyday use. $6.95 each.

Dwell Studio bird bowls

Inspired by a peacock's graceful silhouette, this elegant bowl features subtle texture and an eye-catching shape.

cat and dog Victorian shaped pillows

Designed by Ross Menuez for Areaware, these colorful pets are fun to have around the house and don’t require any care. Inspired by Victorian shaped pillows, Areaware Fauna pillows with graphics is based on the first mass produced images from 19th century illustrations. Collect them all!

Spike Sphere Sculpture

Add interest to a table, room or wall with these powder coated silver and gold metal spheres, sculptures, napkin rings and candle holders.

EQ3 Ollie throw

Snuggle up with this warm, woven 100% wool throw by EQ3. $99.99 ea..

Branch coasters

For the nature lover! This Set of 4 Qingke Branch Coasters are assembled by slicing cross sections of tree branches that would otherwise be burned, then sizing the individual slices to form a kind of natural parquet pattern. The result is a naturally beautiful square coaster. Each piece has a felt backing to protect the surface they are placed on and can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. $19.95/set of 4.

Danica Animal Kingdom Mug

An orange fox takes centre stage amidst a ring of foliage in this porcelain mug. $8.95 each.

EQ3 Marble cheese board

Made from natural white marble with grey veining, this material is ideal for serving cheese. The natural surface keeps food cool. $19.99 each.

Hedge alarm clock

This digital clock mixes modern technology with natural appeal. The natural wood finish allows the numbers to shine through.$49.99 ea.

dd new dimension to your photo displays with this prismatic, 5x7" brass wire frame, in which a photo floats between two panes of glass. Can alternately sit on the desk or be hung on the wall.
Comes in gift packaging.
Mounting Hardware included - See more at: http://www.mushaa.com/UMBRA-Prisma-Frame-Matte-Brass#sthash.Ov4guIJB.dpuf

This past October marked our participation in the third year of Dine By Design East, a charity fundraiser that we co-founded with local decorator Jonathan Legate and East Coast Living Magazine. The event provides a wonderful venue for the design community to come together and raise funds for design scholarships for NSCAD University. To date approximately $60,000 has been raised.

Dine By Design East provides ten design teams with a blank canvas to create a 10' x 10' dining room, and and the opportunity to unleash their imagination, as there is no client providing parameters. Each year we create something very different from the year before. This year our inspiration was based on Instagram posting about a year ago by Christiane Lemieux, founder of Dwell Studio and author of Undecorate, of an image of de Gournay handpainted wallpaper:

The background imagery is based on Chinoiserie, a design influence since the 17th century, Chinoiserie, from 'chinois' the French for Chinese, was a style inspired by art and design from China, Japan and other Asian countries. During the time of Louis XV, entire rooms were painted with Chinoiserie compositions, often depicting garden scenes. European craftsmen developed fanciful furniture styles, including fretwork and glazing.

Our concept was to work with traditional Chinoiserie elements, and combine them with pieces with mid-century and modern influences. Because we were incorporating the garden theme into our design, we also wanted to integrate natural elements such as branches and birds. This is our inspiration board:

Being fine art graduates of NSCAD University, it's important to us to have something handmade in rooms that we create. We decided to take on the very ambitious project of doing six paintings, each 3'w x 7'h, for a total of nine feet in length on each wall, based on de Gournay's Japanese Garden. Internet searches revealed details, but with just some small jpgs to work with, we decided to tackle the drawing ourselves, use our imagination for the missing elements where necessary, plus add our own personal style.