Shops We Love: MADE
The two Toronto curators behind this showcase for innovative Canadian design run through 10 of their current favorites.
MADE
Knot Seating Object by Yvonne Ip
"Made of flexible, fiber material, it’s literally a knot of industrial felt, sliced into strips and wrestled into a knot. It usually takes several attempt to tie it. Kids love it; they run halfway across the store just to leap on it." -- Julie Nicholson
Founders: Shaun Moore and Julie Nicholson
Log Bowls by Loyal Loot Collective
"We’ve carried these from day one. Made by an Edmonton-based collective, they become more perfect, shinier and glossier over time. They’re a consistent big seller. They’re a little less functional, but people keep responding." -- Julie Nicholson
Opening Date: 2005
Patère Coat Rack by Les Archivistes
"The name of the piece is spelled out in braille on the coat rack, and the acrylic posts can be customized. It’s a great tactile feature, and it’s just clean and quite engaging." -- Julie Nicholson
"The word ‘patere’ has several meaning in French that don’t quite translate into English, so we really can’t quite understand it." -- Shaun Moore
Addresses: 867 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Toffel Chair by 608 Design
"We’ve worked with Evan Bare from 608 for a number of years. Great examples of clean design and structure." -- Julie Nicholson
"It sort of shows this ‘Canadiana’ style, but it’s more an example of someone working in a forward-thinking way that’s almost Scandinavian. There’s lots of thoughtfulness in that piece." -- Shaun Moore
Phone: (416) 607-6384
Big Walnut Bowl by On Our Table
"It’s clean and contemporary and well-crafted. It’s something you’re going to have forever. It speaks to contemporary life." -- Julie Nicholson
"It’s a gentle bowl, with this very beautiful, warm walnut." -- Shaun Moore
Look-I-Like Chair by Christina Zeidler & Deanne Lehtinen
"It’s a torso and lap. The two women who work on this, multimedia artist Christina Zeidler and furniture maker Deanne Lehtinen, transformed this flat image into an object. I like the idea of a simulacra." -- Shaun Moore
What’s It All About: Shaun Moore and Julie Nicholson both moved in art and design circles in Toronto, having worked overseas in Europe, and saw a lot of local Canadian designers who were being underserved. They decided to stop complaining about the fact that Toronto didn’t have a design store promoting these local designers and opened one themselves in 2005 on Dundas street. Everything they sell in the store (except for, as Moore pointed out, a hand-tufted rug), is Canadian made.
Stacked Crystal Planters by Carl & Rose
"Everyone one of these is individual and uses vintage crystal sourced from yard sales. between two and five pieces are used to create one vessel. It’s covered with a lacquer, and the color is very fresh and modern. It has this great Victorian and Pop Art feel to it." -- Julie Nicholson
Philosophy: "We follow our aesthetic in terms of the furniture and pieces we choose, things that speak to a knowledge of tradition, a knowledge of traditional skills and innovation." -- Julie Nicholson
Knit Laundry Line Bowl by Elsworthy Wang
"A husband and wife team make these pieces using knitting needles and unwieldy laundry line. The bowls end up being a soft structure that you can mold. There’s a tactility that you’re drawn to—you want to stop and play with it." -- Julie Nicholson
View our slideshow to see some of the store’s favorite pieces.
Redesigned Medalta Side Plates by Medalta
"Medalta is an historic site that was once the home to several potteries, and is known for quality porcelain. The factories went bankrupt, and thousands of these plates were left. Contemporary designers then made patterns that translated onto these plates. It’s now actually an active artist’s residency program." -- Julie Nicholson
"Its in Medicine Hat, Alberta. The imagery on the plates actually relates to the site. We’re the only store in Canada that carries these." -- Shaun Moore
(Designers clockwise from top: Jenna Stanton, Jenn Demke-Lange, Aaron Nelson & Tobie Laliberte)
'Prospect' Porcelain Plates by Jeremy Hatch
"The porcelain here is so finely detailed, you would think it’s styrofoam. You may not be able to see it in the photo, but there is a fine layer of gold particles, which play on the prospecting idea, a in, you could take apart the plate to find the gold." -- Julie Nicholson
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