Room 2046
Exit Summerhill station, turn right up Yonge, past the manicure parlours and antique furniture stores. On the west side, inside a brown brick building, is Room 2046. A mutation of sorts, the new concept shop is equal parts boutique, design studio and espresso bar. The space, which was co-designed by owner Kumala Nio and Parisian art director Florent D’Heilly, is minimal, white and concrete-chic. Room 2046’s focus is on up and coming designers from around the world, many of whom nio discovered during her globe-trotting adventures. Her eclecticism manifests itself in exclusive offerings including luxurious fashion items and cheeky home accessories; from London’s Thelermont Hupton there are red “Hand Job” wall hooks giving the thumbs up, and coffee mugs that link together Lego-style to make carrying multiple cups easy; leather bags come in neon colours and various asymmetrical shapes, handmade in Milan by 72 Smalldivel and sunglasses by France's Waiting for the Sun have bamboo frames.
SHOP HERE FOR: Eccentric, international objets for the home. Take, for instance, the miniature porcelain tanks covered in whimsical floral patterns by Le Tête au cube ($85) and French ceramicist Fanny Laugier’s decorative bowl ($225) made of haphazardly woven porcelain bandages. The shop’s mix of clothing and jewellery also appeals to the all-round modernist, including Pico Design's upside down "Y" shaped earrings with wire detail ($106), a sexy salute to Santiago Calatrava's sweeping bridge designs.
BEST BET: The multi-faceted porcelain sake set ($175) by Japanese designer Daisaku cho for +d. Riffing on the traditional vessel and cup forms, it appears to twist into triangular and quadrangular forms.
BY SAMANTHA EDWARDS
PHOTOS BY NAOMI FINLAY
