The first surprise is coming upon the elegant storefront with its clean modern window display -- not in an upscale urban neighbourhood, but on the historic main street of Cobourg, Ont. The second surprise is when you enter and find the owner is warm, bubbling Robin De Groot, an interior designer who has made his career as a home, retail and garden consultant in Toronto, and frequently offers design tips on TV and radio (his own garden was recently featured in Style at Home).
Third pleasant surprise: The carefully edited array of handsome furniture and accessories displayed here so, well, freshly, comes at remarkably affordable prices -- about a third less than what you'd expect in that large city an hour's drive along Lake Ontario to the west. That includes De Groot's custom designs. And he'll deliver, free.
Is that the thundering herd heading for the 401 Eastbound now?
It all happened by accident, when De Groot got lost driving from Toronto to Montreal. "I had never heard of Cobourg, but I was awestruck," he says. After taking in the impressive town hall and other heritage architecture, walking on the beach and exploring the community ("I felt a huge sense of welcome"), De Groot didn't waste time setting up his dream shop, which opened last summer.
He has already expanded to a second storefront a few doors down (King Antiques), which features reproductions and one-of-a-kind pieces, including "over-the-top" garden elements. And on Feb. 25, he'll open an additional 5,000 square feet on his second floor, which will feature kitchen, bath, bedding and music as well as a yoga centre and cooking classes given by some of the chefs De Groot will feature on his upcoming TV show, HGTV's Restaurant Makeover.
The flagship storefront, once the site of the Northumberland County telegraph office, required restoration to reveal the generous original windows and high ceilings obscured under the drabness. "About five layers of linoleum" was also pulled up, replaced with a mahogany sheet. The space is now bright, airy and filled with everything from teapots and bathmats to garden accessories, solid wood dining tables ("no veneers"), cowhide ottomans and ultrasuede sectional sofas.
De Groot oversees the design and construction of all the furniture, which is manufactured in a Toronto-area plant. If you don't see what you are looking for, he can whip you up something in another colour or fabric. Sofas range from $1,250 to $3,000; dining tables from $1,500 to $2,500. A ruby red leather "Paloma chair" can be had for $325; a sleek Shinto-inspired bar for $725.
A self-described glass fanatic, De Groot travels regularly to Eastern Europe, where small factories manufacture his designs; a three-foot mouth-blown vase with ultramarine veining, for example, is $39. In Cobourg, he has employed local artists to design unique chairs and tables, and sells their artworks too. He has even started his own line of natural, preservative-free soaps; a hefty bar of Milk Glow will set you back about $7.50.
De Groot thinks of his shop as "truly a lifestyle store," and defines fresh living as "ageless, beautiful, functional, with a little sexiness." He likes things tactile and for furniture to work in today's mixed-use spaces. Along with conventional items like sofas and tables, Fresh Living stocks multifunctional pieces such as a tall standing mirror that pivots to reveal itself as a wardrobe -- furniture with a "small footprint" suitable for a studio or loft.
"It's good to be layered and eclectic, to have antiques along with simple, pure, lines," he says. Hence, he'll soften the cushioned arm of a contemporary leather easy chair with a layer of down. "You can stay modern," he says, "with an echo of something from the past."
Fresh Living, 29 King St. W., Cobourg, Ont., 905-372-1200, .