Our living room lighting situation consists of overhead halogen pot lights that are about a million light years away (crazy 14 ft ceiling) so by the time the light gets to us while sitting on the sofa, we live in a world of dimness.

For almost a year now, we’ve been looking for a task lamp that we could affix to the wall next to the sofa. We loved the Swing Arm Lamp from Stylegarage, but it didn’t quite meet our needs.

Swing Arm Lamp from Stylegarage (credit Stylegarage)

Another light we’ve been coveting is the ever-cute LUXO L-1, however the clamp base would prove to be difficult to use when there is nothing to clamp it to!

LUXO L-1 (pictured with base, but there is also a
clamp version that is otherwise the same – credit LUXO)

Just the other day John came across the Lytegem, a Michael Lax design from 1965. We are big Michael Lax fans–lately we have been collecting his Copco kitchen wares full force. I am pleased to report that just yesterday we got rid of our toxic Teflon pans and we are now using our Copco enamel/cast iron pans exclusively. Not only do these pans look good, but they feel good to use. But I digress.

I grabbed this vintage advertisement off Flickr
(they have some cool vintage ads on their page).

Design Within Reach has a limited commemorative edition of Lytegem lamps for sale – but they only have white left. I presume that once they run out, that’s it (for now). They have a sale on right now which makes me crazy because we just bought the light right before the sale.

Read the rest of this entry »

A few years ago I found myself unemployed (self-inflicted) and going back to school to find myself (update: found). I had some time on my hands and wanted to do something meaningful. Literally a few days before I finished at my job, I came across an advertisement in NOW Magazine for an event that peaked my interest. It was the Framework Foundation Timeraiser, an art auction where you bid your time in volunteer hours for a piece of art.

A quick overview of the event: The first two hours you are able to mingle, eat hors d’oevres, have a drink, look at the art (and make the difficult decision of which one you want the most), and most importantly, talk with agencies to find out which ones you’d fit with the most. There is a huge variety of agencies to volunteer for, from the arts, environmental concerns, social services, health, sports, international development and more. Then, the one-hour bidding period for the silent auction begins. At the end of that you know whether you won your piece and how many hours you will have to fulfill in order to finally receive the piece. What I think is so neat about this event is that everyone who registers to attend the event pledges to complete 20 hours of volunteering, regardless of if they bid on artwork.

The concept was right up my alley and I had been wanting to get into volunteering, so I solicited my friend Marie-Claire to come with me. Read the rest of this entry »

We were just alerted to a great PAID summer internship for students/recent graduates. Gosh, I wish I could apply! Here are the details:

Calling all students!
Samsung Canada and House & Home Media seek Summer Style Intern

WHAT:  Samsung Canada and House & Home Media, two of Canada’s most innovative companies, kick off their search for a Summer Style Intern.  One talented individual will be selected for a three-month paid internship, from June through August, where they will learn all facets of magazine publishing, lifestyle branding, marketing and advertising.

The successful applicant will be put up in a fully-furnished, all expenses paid suite in a trendy Toronto neighbourhood, including an incredible line-up of Samsung technology. The intern will be featured in a Canadian House & Home Magazine advertorial, which will highlight their experience and time at both Samsung and House & Home Media, and will document his or her experience with weekly blog posts at Houseandhome.com.

WHO:    College, university or trade-school students, or recent graduates who have completed their studies within the last three years with a flare for media, design and technology.
WHEN: Applications accepted now through March 27, 2009.

HOW:    Applicants need to submit at least one of the following to explain what makes them innovative:
- A written essay (250 words or less)
- A video (3 minutes maximum)
- An illustrated or photo essay

A judging panel will narrow applications down to three semi-finalists whose submissions will be posted on Houseandhome.com. Members of the public will then be asked to vote for their favourite semi-finalist and the individual with the most votes will be awarded the internship position.

WHERE:  Apply online at www.houseandhome.com/innovate.

Good luck, and let us know if you apply, or even better, if you get the internship!

Last week we stumbled across the “Form 24″ Tea & Coffee Pot by Danish Designer Henning Koppel for Bing & Grondahl. I must admit that this might be the biggest score we’ll have this year considering we only paid $50 for the set!

In doing some research of the value of these vessels, the prices seem to stretch quite a bit, ranging from $250 to $450 for a single coffee pot.

Regardless of price, the minimalist design and long tapered teak handles are so very beautiful; this set will definitely stay with us for a very long time.

Hello everyone!

As you may or may not know, here at Kitka we have a great love for teak furniture. So we’ve decided to dedicate an entire week to Teak! Showcasing an object from a different designer everyday of the week that used Teak as a medium to shape their ideas.

How can you help, you ask?

Send us photos of your favorite Teak pieces around your place!
It could be a table, a chair, a stool, bowls, cutlery, whatever it is we want to see it! Just include a brief description of what it is and where you found it!

email us at: info[at]kitkadesigntoronto.com

photo credit: www.retromoderndesign.com

Usually we try to report on things that we have actually owned or used, but these greeting cards are so new to Toronto, we haven’t even had the chance! Designed by acclaimed Brazilian illustrator Geraldo Valerio, Urubbu cards are printed reproductions of his original art, which are collages made from cut paper that is mostly from recycled magazines.

At once retro, fantastical and contemporary, colourful birds, botanicals, and whimsical animals dominate.

I love this one! The fish is perfect and reminds me of these Scandinavian fish tea towels we were going to buy.

aooooooooo! Even the wolf has a mod carpet.

In the words of Stephen T. Colbert. BEARS!

Brr, those were getting too wintry. I think it’s time to put some spring in our steps.

Urubbu has recently relocated from Vancouver so they are slowly becoming available in shops around the city. Leslieville shop Eyespy (1100 Queen Street East) and Fawn Ceramics & Home in the Distillery (55 Mill Street, Bldg. 54) both now carry Urubbu. And for those of you who are not in Toronto, the cards are also available in BC, Alberta, Quebec, and Sask. E-mail them ( info@urubbu.com) to get on their contact list in order to get updates on where their cards will be stocked in Toronto/Ontario and beyond.

Visit their website to see more! (click on logo below)