Stylegarage
Stylegarage on Ossington is a big step up from their former location on Queen at Shaw . The new space took over the AWOL Gallery and the old elevator warehouse, and after extensive renovations this fall, made over the full two floors - and 8400 square feet - into their new home base.
You'd expect an interior design, home furnishings showroom to pull out all the stops, and Stylegarage doesn't disappoint. Many of the walls have been brought back to the original brick, and the floors sanded and polished, revealing a beautiful patina that's developed over the building's many incarnations (including some paint splatters from the old artist studios).
You'd think this historic details might be an incongruous backdrop for the contemporary Canadian furniture lines of Stylegarage and Gus* Modern but they actually provide a perfect foil, softening and making even more welcoming the slick lines.
The new space, run by owner Neil James and manager Andrew Guay, expands on the original idea, born out of a basement in 2002, and must make the original 14 founders of the design line, very proud.
The main floor features the custom and made-to-order furniture on offer, while upstairs houses the Gus* modern line.
They occasionally have a rare non-local piece, and many of the accessories are from away , but fundamentally the new Stylegarage highlights those pieces - single sofas ranging from $1850-3250, covered in lush green velvet, flecked rose cotton or tweed gray wools, or sleek wood dining room sets, bed frames, credenzas and media stands, coffee and side tables for which the company is known.
An impressive piece is the modular Junction sofa on display on the main level. Covered in a variety of fabrics, from wool to leather, as a whole it is grand (and $7560) but you can get a sense of how you could mix and match the parts to suit your home and tastes.
Many of the accessories have a decidedly Canadiana feel, from pillow with the Great Lakes screen printed on them, to the Douglas fir "Chunks" ($250) that serve as end tables, stools, or just interior inspiration form nature.
The Faribault Woolen Mill blankets are a nice touch to the beds and couches, as are the Italian staplers ($30), various notebooks, journals and writing papers available for purchase alongside the desks and shelving currently on display.
The overall feel of the new Stylegarage is one of enlightened domesticity, combining well-executed designs with a respectful sense of the history, and the potential of spaces. And just in time for the holidays.
Writing by Erinn Beth Langille. Photos by Jesse Milns.