/Get Inspired/Toronto Design Week

Best of Design Week, Pt 4: Knitted Cacti and Gorgeous Gardening Tools

Our favourites from west-end hotspots Mjölk, Smash and more


We are awarding 100 of the best products, installations and artworks we spot throughout Toronto Design Week with our Designlines Loves tags, specially designed by Sali Tabacchi.

Below is the second batch of designs that caught our attention. Keep track of everything we’ve tagged in our master list and check back as we spotlight more of our great finds in the days ahead.

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1 SI Clothing Rack
Shown as part of an exhibition of designs by students in OCAD U’s furniture program, Anne Kwon’s lean-ton garment rack with shoe shelf pairs maple and silicone. The silicone casings allow the piece to lean without scratching the walls and the shelf’s silicone insert provides good grip and is easy to clean.
Tagged by Tory Healy on Jan 21 at Tables, Chairs and Other Unrelated Objects, OCAD U Student Gallery, 52 McCaul St

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2 Sado
Looking like a playful cross between an Eames Elephant and an equestrian saddle, Martin Luu’s rotating, pine-and-steel desk stool design – meant to be used in a kneeling position – encourages good posture.
Tagged by Eric Mutrie on Jan 21 at Tables, Chairs and Other Unrelated Objects, OCAD U Student Gallery, 52 McCaul St

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3 April 30, 1904
Graphic design studio Tung strung together 10,000 bottle caps to honour the crowd of people who swarmed the Junction on the day before Prohibition started. In the building’s lobby area, a nicely-designed map marks the seven liquor establishments open in the Junction at the time, while a timeline tracks the history of the area’s alcohol ban.
Tagged by Eric Mutrie on Jan 21 at Coolearth Architecture Inc., 386 Pacific Ave

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4 Min Watering Can
It’ll be easier to remember to water your plants when your watering can looks this good. Designed by Norwegian design studio Anderssen Voll in collaboration with Mjölk, the handmade-in-Toronto cans feature handles made by Urban Product. They’re part of an indoor gardening collection that also includes cacti and herb pots, as well as glass water savers. A retrospective of the studio’s past work – including S & P grinders, sofas and even a fireplace, designed for the likes of Muuto, Foscarini and Wrong for Hay – is also on display.
Tagged by Tory Healy on Jan 21 at Mjölk, 2959 Dundas St W

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5 Calgary Outside the Box
Calgary designer-makers were in the house, err window, in Junction’s Opticianado. A variety of materials were well utilized but I particularly enjoyed the the expressive prints of Natalie Gerber, including these linen wristlet purses and tea towels.
Tagged by Tory Healy on Jan 21 at Opticianado, 2919 Dundas St W

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6 Tree of Life
There’s something maternally-embracive about this gorgeous Baobab tree by Sandra Brewster that makes me want to reach out and touch it, or curl up and stay awhile. Made of vintage fabric remnants from collected by Forever Interiors’s owner Martin Scott.
Tagged by Tory Healy on Jan 21 at Forever Interiors, 2903 Dundas St W

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7 Smash Conservatory
Inspired by Victorian garden conservatories, installation master Kalpna Pattel – well known, among other things, for her Type Bookstore window displays – converted salvage stalwart Smash’s storefront into a wintery desert featuring giant versions of Shannon Gerard’s Plants You Can’t Kill.
Tagged by Tory Healy on Jan 21 at Smash, 2880 Dundas St W

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8 Urbanproduct Showroom
We’re a longtime fan of Stephen Lindsay’s work and we’re so pleased to see him open his own showroom featuring his incredible concrete tiles, furniture (check out this credenza), and lighting. Just beyond a set of gigantic doors, which he made from antique pews, is the studio so a visit to the shop is also a peek at progress.
Tagged by Tory Healy on Jan 21 at Urbanproduct, 225 Sterling Rd, Unit #23

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9 Blackbirds
… or birds of paradise? Crafted by the unbeatable Erin Mccutcheon, each bird is sculptural perfection: amazing to touch and fun to try to determine what each tilt of their heads mean. Simply gorgeous. See more of her work on Instagram: @epmccutcheon
Tagged by Tory Healy on Jan 21 at Urbanproduct, 225 Sterling Rd, Unit #23

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10 Icon Wheelchair
Urbanproduct designed the wooden seat for this super-customizable Icon wheelchair. The Toronto-based company creates polished chairs that allow owners to adjust specifications as their body and needs change.
Tagged by Eric Mutrie on Jan 21 at Urbanproduct, 225 Sterling Rd, Unit #23

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11 Helve Haft & Handle Knives
Handmade in Toronto by small woodworking studio Helve Haft & Handle, these kitchen knives are made from recycled, refurbished and repurposed materials, so they look as well-loved as an oft-referenced recipe card passed down from your grandparents. Available in a number of woods including apricot and pear, the gorgeous handles are rich in character.
Tagged by Eric Mutrie on Jan 21 at Zebuu, 1265 Bloor St W


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