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Walk down Toronto’s spine and check out new changes in one of the city’s old neighbourhoods
There’s a trick to surviving a shop down the Rosedale strip on Yonge between St. Clair and Bloor. It doesn’t involve hiring a Town Car to whisk you between some of the city’s ritziest home decor shops. You won’t need to rent a designer handbag for the day to fit in with the luxe locals.
All it takes is knowing that you want to be going downhill.
Begin your descent at St. Clair, where streetcars zip across a curbed right-of-way and the view of downtown explains why you didn’t plan your retail the other way round.
Make your first stop at the Papery (1425 Yonge, 416-968-0706), where the cards are a sophisticated and stylish alternative to the colourful greetings at your local Shoppers.
Notebook aficionados can pick their favourite Moleskine from a library of reporter, day planner and sketch-pad options, and the Semikolon collection of boxes is great for wrapping gifts or stashing papers, collections and other homeless knick-knacks.
To maximize your card options, don’t forget to hop across the street to Paperboy Cards & Gifts (7 Pleasant, 416-926-8622).
Photo By Mark Coatsworth
Past the vintage neon CHUM radio sign and further down the hill sits Modern Living (1256 Yonge, 416-934-9998). In an area known for more traditional decorator shops, this two-floor space stands out for its sleek style and designer reproductions.
Barcelona-style daybeds in warm rust-coloured leather and marble-topped Saarinen tulip dining tables add a contemporary twist to any classic interior. Kyoto stools with candy-striped seats and backrests amp up condo breakfast bars.
Photo By Mark Coatsworth
Also on the modern home front, Dekla opened its new Rosedale showroom (980 Yonge, 416-961-2929) in the middle of March, and we’re betting the area experiences a boom in Scavolini kitchens now that spring reno season has begun. The chic Italian look is achieved with banks of glossy cabinets, cantilevered counters and boxy vanity-top wash basins.
The sleek look of shop owners Luiza Alexa and Horia Gruia’s own home, profiled in the current issue of DesignLines magazine, is enough to make the most traditional homeowner rip out her barnboard cupboards and start minimally from scratch.
Queen’s West’s Chatelet has its uptown outlet (1244A Yonge, 416-925-3863) full of crystal chandeliers, whitewashed antiques and other shabby chic pieces on this block. Further down the street, top decorators flutter between Department of Interiors (1234 Yonge, 416-322-7277), L’Atelier (1224 Yonge, 416-966-0200) and Hollace Cluny (1070 Yonge, 416-968-7894), searching out objets, antiques and statement furnishings that will elicit neighbour envy.
Photo By Mark Coatsworth
Propping up the Summerhill railway bridge is the LCBO’s downtown headquarters (10 Scrivener Square, 416-922-0403), built into the restored North Toronto train station. Each type of alcohol has its own rogets its own room created from the corridors that used to lead down to the train tracks (the Vintages section is labelled Track 5), while other nooks serve as teaching kitchens and tasting rooms. A Californian wine primer is up next on Wednesday (April 30), while Cowbell chef Mark Cutrara teaches a local food course May 27.
Grab a gourmet treat from Harvest Wagon (1103 Yonge, 416-923-7542) or All the Best Fine Foods (1099 Yonge, 416-928-3330) and have a mid-shop snack by the sleek fountain fronting the LCBO in Scrivener Square.
Tucked away in a cottagey space just off Yonge is Blossoms Rosedale (1 Rowanwood, 416-960-8903), the favourite florist of many local flower people. Stacked up on its stone steps are bunches of daffodils, tulips and bulbs sourced from local growers and Dutch greenhouses. Inside, arrangements are classic but casual, with an English garden feel sans the stuffiness. If you wonder how the topiary set keep their trees so green and trim, check out Blossoms’ selection of realistic faux bushes.
Photo By Mark Coatsworth
Across the road at Patachou (1120 Yonge, 416-927-1105), ladies and gentlemen who lunch nibble light quiches and fresh salads, but you know they’re just prepping their palates for dessert. Signature macaroons come in chocolate, mocha and lemon flavours, but it’s the perfectly crunchy pistachio treats that pack the most bang for their bite.
Photo By Mark Coatsworth
NOW’s top shop in these parts is Spotted Zebra (1062 Yonge, 416-944-0251). The gift store’s cheerful present picks cover your favourite gardener (maybe Taschen’s illustrated Book Of Plants?), co-worker (Fred’s Sign & Seal, a pup balancing a magnetic red pen on its nose) or newborn (Les Déglingos’ plush characters collaged together from swatches of corded velour, colourful tweed and other mismatched fabrics).
Down the street, pick out your favourite paint colour from the milky shades at Farrow & Ball (1054 Yonge, 416-920-0200) before the Yonge hill takes its last tumble toward Yorkville and equally tony spots like Ridpath’s (906 Yonge, 416-920-4441) and the Cookbook Store (850 Yonge, 416-920-2665).
fashion@nowtoronto.com
