An afternoon at the National Home Show and Canada Blooms
By Silvana Longo
Going to the National Home Show combined with Canada Blooms yesterday afternoon at the Direct Energy Centre was like a kid going to Disneyland for the first time. With 600,000 square feet of display space, and more than 700 retailers and industry experts, where do you begin to take it all in and savour the experience?
After an enchanting walk through the Taipei garden, designed by landscape architect, Ronald Holbrook, this is Canada Blooms’ first international garden featuring the city of Taipei. Set against the backgrounds of the Taiwanese tea fields, this contemporary garden, created with pink rhododendrons, the official flower of Taipei, and plantings in the tones of purple, fuchsia, blue, white was a magical place and I just wanted to linger there as long as I could.
I couldn’t capture the entire masterpiece but there is something about the sound of a trickling water garden that spells O-A-S-I-S to me.
Next I found myself in landscaping, decks and patio land…endless options to embellish your backyard, front yard, pathways–and maximize the function of outdoor living. Once upon a time, the idea of an outdoor kitchen complete with mini fridge, barbecue, granite counter top and bar, seemed silly to me living in Canada but after the winter that never was, and the 26-degree day in Toronto yesterday as I walked the grounds at the Ex, the idea of indulging in the outdoors at least half the year seems plausible…and worth the investment.
After chatting with a landscape designer from Italy who offered me a quick espresso from Faema (a welcome Italian afternoon ritual… Mille grazie Roberto!) before I continued the tour and visited booth after booth (in heels sadly) of make-my-home beautiful products, from customized address signs where you can choose from 13 different fonts to create an elegant look to the exterior of your home to the I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-real grass world of no maintenance lawns. The volume of must-see items will depend on the area of your home and outdoor living space you want to improve this year and naturally your budget. My advice is to stay focused, hydrated and wear flat shoes. By the end, it’s no wonder I was drawn to this wonderful Xavier Double Day Bed, perfect for relaxing after an arduous afternoon of booth-hopping at the Home Show in four-inch heels.
Xavier Day Bed gppatio.com
Leave a Comment March 23, 2012
