MY FAVOURITE ROOM
Why this is Linda Wade’s favourite room
The Globe and Mail
Published Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015 12:00AM EDT
When she was a student of interior design at Toronto’s Humber College, Linda Wade visited a Victorian row house on Macpherson Avenue that one of her classmates had transformed as part of a term project. It was love at first sight. Promising herself that she’d one day own a house just like it, for years she trolled the same Rosedale street in hopes that the property of her dreams would come up for sale. With her late husband, Martin Dwyer, Wade opened Putti Fine Furnishings on nearby Yonge Street in 1994, partly as a way of keeping tabs on the neighbourhood. She told everyone who entered what was top of her bucket list and, as luck would have it, one of her customers – Hilary Farr, co-host of the television show Love It or List It – had what she was looking for. Not only was Farr’s 1895 property on Macpherson, it had exactly the same layout as the one Wade had fallen for during her student days. Before you could say kismet, Wade bought it. That was 17 years ago, and ever since, the indulgent homeowner has been doting on the interior, decorating it with Paris-inspired looks borrowed from her store. The resulting rooms are very pretty, but it’s the living room that most catches the eye. “I love the light,” says Wade, who rents her place out on Airbnb while on professional buying trips to Europe. “It’s where I entertain when people come over.”
The prints
“This herbarium was the first thing I brought into the house. My husband and I had done one up for the store using a herbarium portfolio from France from the 1800s. We liked it so much we had 24 made for the house. I love symmetry, and the fireplace, to me, cried out to have something symmetrical on the flanking walls, and hung from floor to ceiling.”
The daybeds
“I love those daybeds! They are from Oly Studios in California. I found them in a showroom in North Carolina. I had only one at first, but with my love of symmetry I decided to add a second. I like how they frame the sitting area. They are made of hand-carved wood and raffia topped by a stuffed white cotton mattress. They recently became discontinued but I carry something similar looking in my store.”
The mirror
“This was in the shop – and for a number of years. No one had bought it, and after I purchased the house I brought it in and found that it fit perfectly, as if I had had it custom made for the space above the mantel. It’s a gilded antique French mirror also from the 1800s.”
The dogs
“We used to sell these ceramic dogs in the store; I just loved them. They were discontinued and I held on to the last pair my suppliers had for myself. When I was away on a buying trip, a customer came into the store wanting two, and without realizing how very attached I was to them, my store manager, Michael Stewart, went into my house, took what I had, and sold them. I was devastated. It took him over a year of searching but eventually he found another pair for me. He had to drive down to Buffalo to get them. He gave them to me last year for Christmas. They remain among my favourite things in the home.”
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Head: Bergamot, Kaffir Lime, Spices
Heart: Turkish Rose, Egyptian Jasmine, Chinese Camellia
Base: Indonesian Sandalwood, White Musk, Iris
Joséphine, Cire Trudon’s new candle, tells the tale of Napoléon’s first wife’s passion for flowers.
Marie Joseph Rose Tascher de la Page was born on the 23rd of June 1763, on the island of Martinique. Her love for fauna and flora takes seed in the fertile earth of that island paradise. She grows up on a sugar plantation. The young créole liked to observe flowers and stroll in the green forests filled with delicate scents. However, at the age of 16, she is obliged to leave her beloved island for her wedding in France.
She marries the president of the ‘Assemblée Nationale’ and thus becomes Joséphine de Beauharnais. Unfortunately, her husband is guillotined during the revolution. She finds herself a widow, but not for long… After two years of grief, she meets General Bonaparte, who falls madly in love with her. Joséphine remarries.
While her new husband soars through Italy, then Egypt, with the French Army, Joséphine looks for a domain where they can settle down once the wars are over. She falls under the spell of a ‘château’ in Rueil Malmaison. She buys it. Very quickly, she wishes to build a garden there between sky and earth that would have ‘its feet in stone and its head in the clouds’, free and sinuous.
Filled with nostalgia for her native land, the newlywed aspires to plant a selection of plants that smell like America. After the Brumaire coup d’Etat led by Bonaparte, she becomes Empress. The year 1804 has begun and the ‘château’ of Rueil makes its entrance in French History. Protected from all the political turmoil, it becomes the ideal refuge. She pursues her ambition of creating an atypical botanical garden. She seizes the opportunities offered by the Emperor’s campaigns abroad and the scientific expeditions organized by the Government, and imports rare plants.
Her olfactory memory plays an important role in the creation of this particular garden. She tenders for all the plants that remind her of the West Indies, like a crimson-flowered magnolia that becomes her favorite tree. The Empress demands the construction of very costly greenhouses where more than 200 new plants flower for the first time in France like the camellia, the phlox or the dahlia. She asks the renowned botanist Pierre Ventenat to make her green kingdom a botanical reference. The illustrator Pierre-Joseph Redouté draws every species of the garden. Daisies, tuberoses, peonies, lilacs, nasturtiums, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, tulips, hyacinths and roses: not one flower can escape his brushes. He will even publish a book on the subject, ‘The Malmaison Garden’, which is a great success in France and Europe.
In 1809, confronted with the impossibility of conceiving a child together, Napoleon and Joséphine divorce. The Emperor leaves the Rueil ‘chateau’ to his first love. The fallen Empress stays there in solitude, surrounded by her flowers and her birds.
]]>Joséphine Bonaparte in her garden of Malmaison, painted by Auguste Garneray in 1814. She inspired the Cire Trudon's new candle.
We won the Cavalcade of Lights Window Competition! Thank you to all of our customers and friends who took the time to vote or us and those who loved it so much they posted it and forwarded it on to their friends. A special thank you to the very talented Fabrizio Sclocco...who took a little idea I had and turned it in to two windows more beautiful than I had imagined them....and to the rest of my staff for tirelessly campaigning to let customers and friends know about the competition.... oh and thank you to Max for figuring out how to get those darn snowflakes to stick to the window....Clear silicone is the answer for any one wanting to do it at home.
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The winner will be announced after the tree lighting ceremony at the event this Saturday November 30th
Abahna is a British luxury brand dedicated to making the ritual of our daily bath or shower a special experience. Founded and run by Ed and Claire Croft, Abahna is a family run business and together the couple are passionate about sourcing natural ingredients and creating products that enhance your mood. From nourishing bath oils to subtle home fragrances, with elegant packaging and thoughtful touches, Abahna brings a little much needed, luxurious pampering into our busy lives.
Abahna strives to be a natural, simple and effective brand, respecting skin as well as nature and the wider world. Product ingredients are taken from plants, flowers, herbs and fruits. Base oils are of vegetable and plant origin rather than mineral oils and paraffin and where possible, organic ingredients such as New Zealand wild flower honey and aloe vera are used. Refined formulations such as a triple milled soap, bath foam which envelopes you in rich bubbles and a deeply nourishing bath oil will create a bathing ritual that you will want to savour.
Aesthetics are central to lending a sense of ceremony to bath time and Abahna’s luxurious and stylish packaging makes it even more desirable. With etched glass bottles, beautiful signature designs and delightful details, Abahna proves that natural can be stylish. Unsurprisingly, the brand’s place in the British luxury goods market was secured in 2010 when Abahna won a prestigious Walpole Brand of Tomorrow Award.
It is the latest trend in sleep ware from the UK....the onesie for todlers through to preteens. Who else to better embrace this trend than Powell Craft Uk who has been making onesies for infants for over fifty years. Their classic baby all in one is now available in sizes 2 to 3 years, 4 to 5 years, 6 to 7 years, 8 to 9 years and 10 to 12 years. We are hoping they will make them for teens and adults next! All styles available in store and online at www.putti.ca. Order now to ensure delivery in time for christmas.
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This past Saturday was the perfect day for the Christies Antique show held at the Christies Lake Conservation Area.It started out chilly for all of us early birds...but it turned in to a beautiful day.This bi-annual event showcases goods from hundreds of Canada's top antique dealers.
]]>The show is filled with treasures.....so many beautiful things. Some of the prices can be quite high..comparable to a fine antique store...but for the trained eye there are bargains to be had!
The show opens at 8am. To get the best pieces you need to get there right as it opens. You have to have a system to tackle a fair like this. When I arrive I go through very quickly making a beeline to my favorite vendors. They are always in the same spot year after year so it is easy to find the booths that you have bought from in the past.
In the first hour I make decisions very quickly, If you love it and the price is good...buy it on the spot..because it will be gone. After I have secured some premium pieces, I can take my time and spent the rest of the day scouring each booth. I usually go round the entire fair twice. It is amazing that even with my keen eye I can miss things on the first round. Also some vendors are still unpacking at eight am.
The other wonderful thing bout this fair is how well organized it is. After 25 years they have it running to perfection. To start with there are no pre dawn buyers allowed in. The gates open at eight and no dealers are let in early. We have to line up just like the rest of you so everyone has a fair chance.Admission is only 10 dollars. The fairs in England are 20 pounds!
If you buy your big pieces early you can get a sales slip from your booth and take it over to the pickup tent. They will send a little cart over to pick up your heavy items and have them sitting ready and waiting for in the pickup area with a convenient loading area beside it. The wait time at 9:00 am is about an hour but by mid day you might have to wait over two hours. If the wait is too long they will loan you a dolly so that you can get your piece to the car yourself.
I bought many large pieces and they were all there waiting for me when I pulled up with my truck that I affectionately call " Big Red". They even loaded it all for me and roped it off and secured it. All of the staff were so helpful and courteous.Don't forget to tip!I am off to England tonight. Heading over for the big Newark and Linconshire antique fairs. Yes there will be beautiful things there but they are 3500 miles away... this fair is just an hour away!
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Putti plural of put-to
(plural noun) - Putti are those plump little naked boys with wings that one often sees in Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo art. Typically a Putto (the singular form) depicts an angel or a cherub, but he may come in the form of a cupid.
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(plural noun) - Putti are those plump little naked boys with wings that one often sees in Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo art. Typically a Putto (the singular form) depicts an angel or a cherub, but he may come in the form of a cupid. In either case a putto’s presence symbolizes love, whether divine or of a more earthly nature. Incidentally you never run across ugly putti in art; they’re so cute you could just pinch them.
We are always getting asked where the name "Putti" came from. For as long as I can remember I have been collecting angels and cherubs. Eighteen years ago when we were thinking of names for the store,we were thinking of names like Angel ...Ange in French. Then my husband Martin said how about Italian...Angelo? Then he said Putti and that was it.I just like the way it sounds...a bit like Gucci or Pucci. The addition of Fine Furnishings comes from our English background as most home furnishings stores in England in the early part of this century referred to themselves as fine furnishing stores. So the name was born "Putti Fine Furnishings" unusual but no one ever forgets it.
"The Flea Markets of France" by Toronto author Sandy Price has been one of my must have recommendations for years for anyone with a passion for antiques and is traveling to France. Her latest book "The Vintage and Antique Fairs of England" is soon to be my new favorite. Just published on May 2, 2013.
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Publication Details:
Published May 2, 2013
Binding: Paperback, 248 pages
ISBN: 9780711233416
Format: 152 mm x 152 mm
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
The Guardian just published an article by Sandy Price this past weekend. I think you will find it interesting and will make you want to run out and by a copy of her book...maybe both of them. We will have them in the shop by the end of May. Just in time for my next trip to England.
I have included excerpts about my two favorite markets. Follow this link for a full read
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2013/may/03/england-vintage-markets-antiques-fairs
England's best vintage markets and antique fairs
For bargains, design classics and retro kitsch, the best hunting grounds are vintage and antiques fairs in venues all over England. Sandy Price selects 10 favourites
Lincon,Lincolnshire
The bi-monthly fair that takes place at the Lincolnshire Showground is large without feeling overwhelming. This fair is diverse, offering a huge scope in terms of wares and prices. It is held almost back-to-back with the Newark fair nearby and is a popular destination for foreign and domestic professional buyers, though it also attracts many casual collectors and browsers, some no doubt drawn by a much-reduced entrance fee on the second day.
This is a longstanding and well-organised fair, held indoors and outdoors. At stalls in the marquees, vendors offer furniture and finer collectables. At pitches in the rest of the field you'll find more rustic items, kitchenware, vintage of various sorts and generally more modestly priced goods. The buildings themselves house vendors of smaller decorative items: china, glassware, silver, figurines, jewellery, watches, vintage handbags, ginger beer bottles, ice cream moulds, linens, cameras and canes, toys.
• Lincolnshire International Antiques and Home Show, Lincolnshire Showground (arthurswallowfairs.co.uk).Mon-Tue, six times a year. Entry £20 Mon, £5 Tue
Newark international Collectors Fair, Nottinghamshire
The huge and longstanding Newark International Antiques and Collectors Fair enjoys the distinction of being included in the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. The fair is a magnet for dealers from across Europe, North America and Asia who, along with domestic buyers and collectors, make regular pilgrimages here for some serious purchasing.
The atmosphere is lively and busy; there is a buzz here, a feeling of energy. This is a compact and crowded fair, with vendors in a number of buildings around the showground site as well as in marquees, or exposed to the elements outside. Fortunately, is also a well-organised event, with facilities and services aimed at making your visit a smooth and enjoyable one. The great appeal lies in the huge amount of choice for every conceivable collecting taste, from traditional to offbeat. In addition to fine decorative antiques and collectibles – china, glassware, silver, paintings, jewellery – the fair features rustic items and unique signature pieces – gardenware, metal advertising signs, wicker chairs, industrial lighting, distressed metal cabinets, stained glass windows — sought after by home decor professionals and enthusiasts. The quality is usually high and vendors tend to be knowledgeable about what they're selling.
• Newark and Nottinghamshire Showground (01636 702326, iacf.co.uk). Thur-Fri, up to six times a year. Entry £20 Thur, £5 Fri