Buying Guides

Hot American decor stores we want in Canada

Hot American decor stores we want in Canada

Hot American decor stores we want in Canada Author: Style At Home

Buying Guides

Hot American decor stores we want in Canada

With much-loved American decor chain Crate & Barrel opening its first Canadian location this fall, decor lovers are wondering what's coming next. When it comes to great decor shopping, many Canadians have been blessed in the past decade with a number of long-anticipated Canadian launches, such as Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma and Lowes, as well as the arrival earlier this year of modern-design heavyweights Design Within Reach. Styleathome.com wanted to know what else was coming down the pike, so we checked in with some of our fave US decorating and design chains. Here's what we discovered. (Hint: claims of an American invasion may be premature.)

Chain: CB2 Style
Crate & Barrel's more casual, entry-level brand offers a fun and fresh take on condo-friendly, family-friendly design in a warm-contemporary flavour.

Canadian expansion plans: For now there are no plans to open any CB2 stores in Canada, says Crate & Barrel's Canadian PR rep, nor will the new Crate & Barrel store carry any CB2 merchandise.

For now get your fix: Cozying up to Canada's first Crate & Barrel shop. Also, take comfort knowing that CB2 ships to Canada.

Chain: Anthropologie Style
Upscale bohemian finds ranging from cool cut-glass vintage knobs and tongue-in-chic frilly aprons, to patchwork armchairs and artful bedcovers. Picture the older, more confident, more affluent sister of Urban Outfitters (its sister company, incidentally).

Canadian expansion plans:
Although its style is anything but shopping-mall cookie-cutter, the chain makes its first inroad into Canada via a flagship store at the West Edmonton Mall, slated to open October 2008.

For now get your fix: If you can't make it to Edmonton, take heart knowing anthropologie.com ships to Canada.

Chain: Z Gallerie Style
This California-based prop-stylist fave offers a mish-mash of decor finds big and small, ranging from affordable art prints to arty rugs, tableware and cushions, plus sofas and outdoor furniture. Its style is almost HomeSense-like in its eclecticism. Mix a dollop of Pottery Barn with a cup of Pier One, stir in a touch of Crate & Barrel and sprinkle in a dash of Bombay, and you've got the Z Gallerie flavour.

Canadian expansion plans: No plans to open here, says a store rep. Sadly, they don't ship here either.

For now, get your fix: At HomeSense, if you're after the thrill of the find. Otherwise, hit any of the other shops we mentioned. Or, if you're in interior BC, visit the similarly named but unrelated Z Decor Home, which offers an array of sophisticated finds for the home, including prestige brands like Martha Sturdy, Jonathan Adler and Kartell.Chain: Delia's Style
A cult-fave among tweens and teens, Delia's is known primarily for its cute clothing, but it also distinguishes itself with a small, smartly edited array of decor finds perfect for style-savvy young decoristas, including bedding, draperies, bulletin boards, throw pillows, frames and other must-haves for the teen retreat. Whether your daughter's planning a bedroom makeover or getting prepared to decorate her university dorm, Delia's is a no-brainer when it comes to setting the scene.

Canadian expansion plans: Zilch. A store rep says they're still focusing on expanding their original catalogue and web business into larger numbers of stores across the US.

For now get your fix: At Urban Outfitters or via Delia's website.

Chain: Target Style
Target (a.k.a. "tar-jay", as some like to pronounce it) is the chain that revolutionized the mass-tige trend. Before Target, discount-store shopping was a sad, demoralizing experience, good for scoring cheap detergent, but bad for scoring cool housewares. Nowadays, mixing luxe designer clothing or decor finds alongside mass-produced trend pieces is second nature to style-seekers across North America. Target was one of the first major retailers to create the phenomenon of affordable private-label design collections, bringing in world-class designers like Thomas O'Brien, Philippe Starck, Michael Graves, Cynthia Rowley and Rachel Ashwell (who invented Shabby Chic). Cheers to the democratization of design! No one does it better than Target.

Canadian expansion plans: Sadly, none as yet. However, a company spokesperson revealed that, "We keep [store requests] in mind when we plan our future Target stores. We'll make your request available to our real estate department for future consideration." Hmm, something tells me that you, too, should send a suggestion that they open up shop here. Send the email to: guest.relations@target.com.

For now get your fix:
Unfortunately, Target.com doesn't ship to Canada, so your best bet is to (again) email a request to guest.relations@target.com. Or bite the bullet and drive to the US. Or, pay top dollar for designer goods at the usual upscale shops and art-gallery gift shops, with the exception of Rachel Ashwell; you can channel her shabby-chic vibe by hitting local flea markets and antique shows yourself.

Comments

Share X
Buying Guides

Hot American decor stores we want in Canada