The Tom Dixon Bash Vessel is made of brass and shaped by hand into its crumpled form. It can be used as a vase, fruit bowl or as a contemporary sculpture.Tom Mannion
Hopson Grace
1120 Yonge St., 416-926-1120, hopsongrace.com
The owners
Andrea Hopson and Martha Grace McKimm
In a nutshell
Decorative and practical products to inspire your next dinner party or enhance your home.
The story
Our hope is that the pieces in our store inspire enthusiasm for dining and entertaining, and encourage families to gather around the table. We both come from families that did a lot of entertaining, and we really saw a gap in the market. The foodie world is in such an explosion, yet there's a lack of options in terms of tableware in the country. We both come from corporate backgrounds, so we have experience in luxury goods and retail. The idea of so many people eating on the go and not with loved ones percolated in our minds and we came around to the concept of Hopson Grace.
The philosophy
Come back to the table. Put away technology and re-engage with your partners, children, friends and colleagues in a way that isn't distracted by the increasingly hectic lives we all lead. We also have different cultures merging together in this country and therefore different food rituals, yet an entire generation of people is rejecting the ways our parents used to go about eating. There's been a loss of knowledge along the way. We're trying to re-educate people on basic things such as etiquette through newsletters and events hosted on our second floor.
The stock
We have mostly exclusive lines of products that are sourced from Canada and around the world. We have everything from salad bowls made by a wood-turner near Collingwood to Tom Dixon, a British designer who has very industrial, modern-looking items, to pewter handmade in northern Italy. There are varying price points and varying styles – we have everything from contemporary to traditional and low to high. One thing that unifies it all is great design and great craftsmanship.
The buy
The Tom Dixon Bash Vessel is made of brass and shaped by hand into its crumpled form. The Bash Vessel can be used as a vase, fruit bowl or as a contemporary sculpture. His work has been purchased by the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. He's said that he designs "for longevity – I want my designs to be anti-fashion." ($350)
This interview has been edited and condensed.