Retail
Going home
Fendi's new line of home decore and lifestyle accessories includes tableware, glassware, textiles, candles and even tabletop games.Paolo Fichera/Handout
Earlier this month, the heritage Roman fashion house Fendi added home decor and lifestyle accessories to its Fendi Casa collection of furnishings. Overseen by creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi, the new line includes tableware, glassware, textiles, candles and even tabletop games, all inspired by Fendi’s colours, design details and the ready-to-wear fashion collections. Coinciding with the launch, Fendi Casa opened the doors to its new boutique in the Miami Design District, its first home-focused flagship store in North America.
Fendi Casa, 4120 NE 2nd Ave., Miami, fendi.com.
Trending
Carnival core
'Carnival Core' is an aesthetic meant to evoke carefree childhood visits to the circus.Handout
After years of Scandi-inspired minimalism and subdued, earthy tones, a spirit of playfulness is returning to home decor. It’s a design shift that’s taken to the extreme by “carnival core,” an aesthetic that evokes carefree childhood visits to the circus. In home goods, that means incorporating circuslike elements such as tent-inspired fabric accents, neon lights and bold, impactful shapes and colours (for inspiration, search model and actor Cara Delevingne’s Los Angeles home, where Italian architect Nicolo Bini installed a red-and-white ball pit). More recently, Bini created custom bamboo bunk beds complete with a banana yellow slide. For her new wallpaper and fabric pattern Chess (pictured here), which was introduced in November, Eskayel (eskayel.com) designer Shanan Campanaro approached the classic checkered pattern in a relaxed and playful way, favouring bright, complementary colours that bring the fun spirit of the game to life.
Business
Design student supports
A panel discussion featuring renowned design experts Ian Rolston, Brian K. Porter and Natalie Ramtahal was hosted by the Disrupting Design Program from JennAir.Handout
Premium home appliance brand JennAir (jennair.ca) has launched the new Disrupting Design program as part of the industry’s effort to break down some of the structural barriers faced by Black, Indigenous and racialized people in Canada in accessing study and work in the design sector. “As the community broadens to be more inclusive, it just makes everybody stronger and smarter and I think you end up with better design and better thinking,” says Gary Power, vice-president and general manager of Whirlpool Canada, JennAir’s parent company. The three main components of the Disrupting Design program include the JennAir Scholars Award, which is a five-year commitment and $375,000 scholarship donation for BIPOC students enrolled in the Toronto Metropolitan University’s Interior Design program, an advisory board consisting of BIPOC industry professionals and partnerships with industry leaders to employ and support graduates of the JennAir Scholars Award.
Obsession
Waste not
Montreal’s Cyrc transforms unwanted bioplastic into vases, bowls, organizers, pots and planters using 3-D printing.Handout
At Montreal’s Cyrc (cyrcdesign.com), founders Guy Snover and Daniel Martinez are transforming unwanted bioplastic into decor objects using 3-D printing. “We know we don’t want to make products that become garbage,” Martinez says. To that end, Cyrc is also fully circular and will accept returns of their products at their end-of-life to be remanufactured into something new. With a current assortment of vases, bowls, organizers, pots and planters featuring thoughtful details and a timeless, rather than trend-drive, aesthetic, the founders have plans to expand into furniture next year, beginning with smaller pieces like end tables and stools. “What we really aim to do is be a model and give people the experience of owning something that will not become waste,” Snover says.
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Toast mastery
Moët & Chandon is personalizing select bottles of their bubbly with a unique message spelled out in calligraphy at locations across Canada leading up to Dec. 31.TOBIAS WANG/Handout
If ringing in the New Year with the pop of a Champagne cork is how you like to celebrate, Moët & Chandon is making the ritual even more special though The Art of Gifting. The bespoke holiday experience allows bubbly lovers to personalize their Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut and Rosé bottles with a unique message spelled out in calligraphy. The complimentary customization experience is being hosted at locations across Canada leading up to Dec. 31, including at Holt Renfrew’s Bloor Street location in Toronto. There, the luxury retailer is also offering Moët & Chandon pairing menus at its Holts Cafe. Gift wrapping is also available at select liquor stores in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial, $74.30, Brut Rosé Champagne, $90.75, at Holt Renfrew and liquor stores across Canada (moet.com).