I love the quiet confidence of King Street. Nestled beyond the busy downtown campus of George Brown College at Jarvis and stretching as far west as Bathurst, King serves it all. I am a definitely a foodie and a clothes horse but a designer first, so will focus on furniture so as not to make this post epic.
Although a design destination, King doesn’t take itself too seriously. It hasn’t engaged marketing to create some assumed persona for the address – like the Distillery District (does one distillery a district make?) or Designer’s Walk – it has just ‘become’. I like that it is unassuming and a well kept secret.
Here are some of my favs:
Design Within Reach – Accessible, price-conscious modern design. I found Carl Hansen’s Wishbone chairs here for a client for about 30% less than a Summerhill retailer. Same. Product. Service is lovely and generous – none of that uppity, ‘serve yourself’ business that has overtaken all too many retailers. If I want snobbery, I will shop at Holts, thank you very much.
Grange – Like walking through a gloriously French je ne sais quoi – I was waiting for Edith Piaf to appear. These are classic, timeless, investment pieces that buck all trends. Love, love their library cabinets, smaller case pieces and finishes. And Myriam, the store manager, offers oodles of insight to the product and is never short on time to answer questions – delivered with the most lyrical French accent. It is like she is singing.
KIOSK – Sparse and museum-like, I love shopping here. The service is inspired, thoughtful and knowledgeable. The space is generous leaving heaps of negative space making it easy to decipher between pieces and mix and match in your head. Most of the offering is European where fine craftsmanship does not appear to be in any risk of being replaced by the urgency of the Asian knock off factories. Certainly, not lost on me. Their statement lighting is jaw-dropping, especially BOCCI, a Canadian lighting designer from the west coast. Stunning.
Anthenion Gallery – This one requires vision. Most definitely. It is a bit of an indoor garage sale but there are gems to be found. Try to look past finish and upholstery – both can be repaired and swapped out. Instead, take in the architecture – I found a few stunning occasional chairs, sadly not in pairs, that are worth more than asking. Grab a coffee before and take your time. And please look through the LPs. Yes. LPs.
studio B – Always worth the walk through. I do love me some Barbara Barry, Baker and DEDON even if I can’t possibly afford the relationships. The design stories are so beautifully assembled – thoughtful, complete. Plan B is an off-shoot of this showroom featuring Herman Miller showing classics like Noguchi’s famed glass top coffee table and sculptural base which has been knocked off as many times as the Barcelona Chair. These are the real thing. Authentic. Service is icy – probably because I am emitting the ‘don’t bother’ scent through my Sorels and sloppy hat.
Its only downfall is parking. As a suburbanite in a former life, city parking still makes me itch. There is a shortage here but worse, the parking enforcement are Nazis on King. If you snag a spot, load up on your paid parking. Two hours will fly. Trust me.
Next Week: Hitting the Interior Design Show tonight – the lowdown on the coming year in design.