by Mark Curtis

Modernist furniture is all the rage for many people these days because it& well, because it fits.
"The construction language" of new housing in Toronto, says Robert Sidi, owner of higher-end retailer Kiosk, has likely created demand for furniture that is "more compatible and more of the same period as the construction."
"The best reason is why not?" is Sidis wonderfully enigmatic reply to the question why now for a return to modern. He believes Toronto was more modern in the 1970s, but now that a new generation of European furniture design company managers are taking notice of smaller markets like Canada, a pull towards modernism seems inevitable.
Sidi isnt complaining. Hes moved from an 1,800 square-foot contract showroom to a 6,000 square foot retail space in the renovated former Planters Peanuts building at Dupont and Christie. In June, hes planning to open an even larger downtown store at Jarvis and Adelaide. The current location will be dedicated to the products of Ligne Rosset, an established French furniture manufacturer.
Kiosks bestseller at the moment is SMALA, an articulated sofa from Ligne Rosset. Sidi calls the French companys look a soft modernism. The stores best-selling chair is the Bali, by Potocco of Italy. Sidi receives a container load of Italian furniture each month and hell be at the Milan furniture fair this week to secure new contracts.
Sidis favourite chair design right now is the Gas chair by Stua, a small Spanish manufacturer. With one arm he hoists the chair by its back and extends his other arm in a gesture of reverence. "Its a seminal chair thats going to mark a period," Sidi declares. The seat and back can be either mesh, plastic, or upholstery and the frame is polished aluminium. Apart from its unique fluid lines, the chair is remarkable for its strength and light weight, Sidi says.
If modernist design was meant for the masses, as Germanys Bauhaus contended, then Toronto retailer Up Country may be living proof theres a mainstream market for the clean, unfussy lines of modern furniture. Granted, the Up Country take on modernism wont startle anyone, but the stores furniture designs certainly acknowledge modernist innovation.
Up Countrys new Continental collection includes more than 30 pieces, from credenzas and coffee tables to small, medium, and large-sized ottomans. The series woods are ebony ash, maple, and cherry. Prices range from a $300 nesting table to a $3,525 credenza and bookcase combination.
Michele Jerrard, assistant manager at Up Countrys flagship location at King and Sherbourne, says much of the stores furniture is designed with low profiles to better complement loft and condo living. The finishes are neutral so homeowners can add their own colour choices. "Its a classic look thats easy to incorporate with others," Jerrard says, noting that anything from antiques to ultra modern pieces can be set off by the Up Country furniture designs.
Store owner Terry Iwaskiw designs much of the upholstered items and 90 percent of the furniture is produced in Canada. Beauty, as Don Cherry would say.
Up Country gets down and funky with their Vintage collection. Iwaskiw sources old industrial furniture and removes any offending old paint jobs. Items such as tanker desks and file cabinets are restored to a good-as-new steel or aluminium state.
Vintage medical cabinets at the King and Sherbourne store make for a quirky display thats reminiscent of some classic film noir. The stores overall look, though, is decidedly more upbeat. Along with a warm spring breeze through open upper floor windows, the exposed brick and wood support beams let you forget the rumble of King streetcars and imagine the blue sparkle of a Muskoka lake. A country mood for moderns.
For design fans with champagne tastes and beer budgets, Studio Brillantine is a good place to find inspiration. Store owner Ferdinand Suzara has assembled an impressive variety of home products by big-name designers in this small retail space. Studio Brillantine is off the beaten path, at Queen Street West and Dovercourt, but a steady stream of customers on a recent Saturday afternoon revealed that the store is hardly a secret.
If you would like to own a piece by acclaimed British designer Jasper Morrison but are not ready to drop a few thousand on his new sofa for Cappellini, Studio Brillantine stocks Morrisons combination salad, fruit, and serving bowl for $62. The simply executed two-piece bowl resembles the Hollywood version of a UFO without the flashing lights, of course. Suzara is selling the Morrison bowl in at least two colours green apple and ice white.
French design superstar Philippe Starck is represented here with his Dr. Kiss toothbrush and Dr. Skud fly swatter. The $13 toothbrush has a cellulose acetate handle and is available in colours such as amber and violet. The fly swatter retails and de-bugs for $20.
Legends of Italian design such as Achille Castiglioni, Ettore Sottsass, and Marco Zanuso make their presence known with their collections of flatware. Enzo Maris designs are particular favourites of Suzara. The retailer stocks Maris thermoplastic polymer multi-purpose storage box for Danese Milano, as well as the Italian designers turquoise-coloured colander for Alessi.
For Canadian content, Suzara features Douglas Couplands line of modernist tables for Pure Design of Edmonton and the anthropomorphic Jub Jub table/storage container by Victoria, B.C.s Peter Andringa. Toronto designers work on show at Studio Brillantine includes the Jim stool by James Breuer and Scot Laughton, and the Biscuit chair by 3rd Uncle.
Despite the overwhelming number of products, the good-mannered Suzara has managed to retain an uncluttered look to his shop. He opened its doors for the first time in 1997 and has since doubled his space to more than 1,000 square feet. Originally from the Philippines, the 35-year-old Suzara is a fine arts graduate from Vancouvers Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. He worked at Queen Wests Urban Mode before setting up his own shop.
"Im interested in pieces that are significant in design," Suzara says. As well as the big names, hes not hesitant to stock mass produced items from the Far East if they catch his eye.
Modernist pioneers are not overlooked either. Studio Brillantine stocks design re-issues by Germanys Bauhaus such as an egg coddler ($25) and an ashtray ($168). George Nelsons metal and acrylic lacquer Sunburst clock retails at $425.
Suzaras passion for the products is evident in the design descriptions which accompany each item on display. And if you still havent found the perfect item, you can also purchase original artwork by the owner. Never mind the 1980s electro-pop playing on the stores sound system. Many of Suzaras choices are a welcome to a new space age.
For those of you who like the idea of beer on tap in the comfort of your own home, Queen Streets Barfly has tapped into nostalgic design to find a perfect solution. Ann Chiu and partner Russell Smith hatched a plan to sell refurbished 1940s and 50s refrigerators after a local microbrewery restored a vintage fridge at the couples request.
Chiu and Smith rented space at the 2000 Interior Design Show and easily sold their on-hand stock of funky fridges. Last September the couple opened Barfly on Queen, just west of Bathurst. Buyers include creative companies who want to up the hip factor in the office, as well as homeowners looking for a retro look at home or the cottage.
Chiu says only 40s and 50s models such as Philco, Westinghouse, and Crosley make the Barfly grade because once the 1960s began, refrigerator designs became increasingly standardized. The Barfly fridges are stripped, sanded, and treated to a base and clear coat of high end car paint. Colours include Kharmann Ghia Blue, British Racing Green, and Batmobile Black. The $1,525 fridges can hold beer kegs of up to 50 litres, but most hold kegs in the 20 to 30 litre range.
Barflys inventory is rounded out by a professional line of bar glasses from Italy, various bar accessories, and stainless steel bar carts. Besides the retro design efforts of Chiu and Smith, the store also sells a concrete table series by Toronto designers Joan Zinger and Mike Kreiger. The Praying Mantis chair by local designer Diane Pinnoch is featured as well.
Once your guests see that beer tap right on your fridge door, theyll know youre serious about entertaining in this Wallpaper age.


For more information on Canadian design, contact the Design Exchange, 234 Bay Street, at 416-216-2160, or visit their websites at www.dx.org and www.dxnet.net.