Pyrrha Game of Thrones Talismans

I’m an admitted pop culture junkie, and love to wax on about whatever my current binge-watch is (is anyone else feeling traumatized by this past Sunday’s The Good Wife?). But confession: I’ve never jumped into Game Of Thrones. I often wish I was one of the masses that’s become obsessive about the show (I love becoming obsessive!) but the, erm, beheading in first episode was a little too much for my squeamishness (and I know it was tame compared to, say, a wedding?). I am, however, a huge fan of the Vancouver design team (and former Western Living Designers of the Year) Pyrrha. And I absolutely love their latest project: talismans, created from wax seals, based on the sigils of the powerful houses of Westeros from Game of Thrones: Targaryen, Stark, Baratheon, Tyrell, Lannister and Greyjoy. Created using the same techniques that Pyrrha has developed for their personal wax seals, the Game series essentially become conversation pieces—right up my alley. Perhaps I’m finally ready to jump into the series.

Pyrrha Game of Thrones talismans, $226, available April 4 in Vancouver at Walrus, walrushome.com; in Calgary at Rubaiyat,rubaiyatcalgary.com

Microplane Elite Zester

Every year I host a traditional Slovak feast, and there’s one dish that requires a lot of grated potato. A lot. I used to find it crippling—until I discovered the Microplane, that is. It makes grating a dream, and it’s quickly become the top tool in my kitchen—not just for potatoes, but for grating ginger, garlic, citrus rind, cheese, chocolate (and I’m sure a lot of other things I’m forgetting right now). (It turns out it was a Canadian woman who’s credited for bringing the traditional woodworking tool into the kitchen—she grabbed her husband’s Microplane to grate an orange, and the rest is history.) They’ve just launched a new Elite Zester that will soon be in my baking rotation: it includes a transparent cover that doubles as a measurement tool for when I’m zesting limes and oranges for my favourite cream-cheese icing recipe. And nothing says spring (it’s coming, right?) like confetti-coloured icing atop a coconut cake.

Elite Zester, $19.95, available in Vancouver and Calgary at London Drugs, londondrugs.com

Textured Shower Curtain

I live in a historic, 1910-era building in Vancouver’s West End—a place I love for its wide corridors, vintage details and ample square footage. But the downside? I still haven’t figured out what colour to paint the bathroom. It’s a big room with beautiful penny tile flooring, but the former owner opted for a too-blue shade of cornflower to match the blue border on the tile, and the result is, well, too blue. In the meantime, while I suffer from decision paralysis, I’ve started accessorizing in neutrals to tone down my mornings—and for that, I’m loving the new line that Style at Home has released in Sears this month. The “Stretch” shower curtain comes in four colours—white, teal, shale and buiscuit—and features as subtle wave print, a good match for both vintage and modern eclectic spaces. The white will lighten up my morning blues, and best of all, it’s a steal at $39.99.

Stretch shower curtain from Style at Home Collection, $39.99, sears.ca

Le Creuset Dutch Oven

I’ve developed a new Sunday afternoon ritual, perfect for the extra-chilly winter we’ve had this year: I test out a new, warming recipe that will get me through dinner that night, and a few lunches that week. (Yesterday’s recipe was a particularly yummy one from Vij’s Relax, Honey cookbook: mung beans in coconut curry.) I’ve noticed, however, that the trusty Dutch oven a friend gave me (about, oh, a dozen years ago or so) has started to show its wear, and the handles are threatening to give way at an inopportune moment (like say, when the pot is full of hot curry). So I’ve got my eyes on the gold standard of Dutch ovens, a new Le Creuset, in my favourite Colour of the Year, Radiant Orchid (or Cassis, if you’re talking in Le Creuset-speak.) They’re perfect for stove top to oven to table, and with a container this pretty, I know whatever I make will be perfect.

Le Creuset Dutch Oven, from $170, available in Vancouver and Calgary at Williams-Sonoma  williams-sonoma.com

MEC Travel Light Day Pack

I’m off to Colorado this week to catch a few runs at Aspen and Crested Butte, and I’ll be packing along my new favourite ski accessory: MEC’s Travel Light Day Pack. I’m one for packing a bottle of water and a Lara bar, but it’s also, frankly, a bit of a drag when it means a dragging around a bulky backpack. The Travel Light weighs in at just 225 grams, so I honestly don’t even notice it’s there – and best of all, it’s totally collapsible, meaning I can easily squeeze it into the corner of my carry-on. (The pretty leaf-green colour is a nice bonus too – my friends won’t miss me on the slopes.)

MEC Travel Light Day Pack, $26, available in Vancouver and Calgary at MEC mec.ca

Muuto Restore Baskets

True, it’s only mid-February, but now that the days are gradually getting longer, I’m starting to get on a bit of a spring-cleaning (and more importantly, spring-organizing) kick. One of our stylists, Nicole Sjöstedt, swears by Muuto’s Restore baskets (and in fact, she’ll be chatting about them when we do our talk at the BC Home and Garden Show this Friday. Made of recycled PET bottles, the felt-like baskets are perfect for always-growing my magazine collection in one room, and as a catch-all for guests to use in my spare room. Plus, they’re an easy way to add a shot of colour—there are nine to choose from.

Restore box by Muuto, $129. Available in Vancouver at Vancouver Special vanspecial.com, in Calgary at Kit kitinteriorobjects.com

Roundish Mini Bowls

One of our stylists, Nicole Sjõstedt, and I are going to be at the BC Home and Garden Show next Friday, February 21, to talk about “Everyday Colour,” so I was in a colour frame of mind when I poked around Robson Street on the weekend. I fell for these candy-coloured “roundish” mini bowls from CB2. They’re right on trend with the ’80s-inspired colours and designs we’re seeing in both fashion and homewares (I also happened to be wearing a puffed sleeve top at the time, natch) and perfect for Friday night get-togethers—a few small bites alongside a glass (or two) of wine.

Roundish Mini Bowls, $2.95 each, available at CB2, cb2.com

Zoë Pawlak Rug Collection

I’ve admired artist Zoë Pawlak’s work for some time (you might recognize her paintings from a few of the homes in profiled Western Living and our sister publication, Western Living Condo), and now her work has been transformed to be even larger scale—though under foot. I got a sneak peek of her new rug collection with Burritt Bros. just before Christmas, where it was displayed, gallery-like, from the walls of an old warehouse, and it’s truly stunning. The graphic Over Oceans area rugs transform her paintings into five unique perspectives on colour and movement by cropping and distressing the original work into something new and wonderful.

Over Oceans Area Rugs, price on request, Burritt Bros.burrittcarpets.com

Global Sai Chef Knife

I spent the weekend with a few friends at a cabin in Mt. Baker in Washington State. We’re ostensibly there to ski—and we did have a bluebird day up on the mountain on Saturday—but I’d say 60 percent of what has made this an annual trip are the meals we prep together. We’re always well stocked with ingredients (thanks to a few pitstops at Trader Joe’s and the Community Co-op) and wine (critical for meal prep, of course), but every year I kick myself for not bringing the crucial element to really making cooking fun: a great knife. Hands down, my favourite chef’s knife is from Global line: the handle is comfortable (and sanitary, without any grooves or grommets), the blade is hand-hammered (which creates air pockets, allowing the food to be more easily released) and most importantly, it slices and dices like a charm. (Which is more than I can say for a rental cabin-supplied knife.)

Global Sai Chef knife, $224.99, available in Vancouver at House of Knives, houseofknives.ca; in Calgary at Williams-Sonoma, williams-sonoma.com

Ikea Trendig Cabinet

We’re just a few days away from Chinese New Year (stay tuned to next week’s newsletter for a terrific recipe to help you ring in the Year of the Horse). And just in time, Ikea has released a capsule collection of Scandinavian-meets-Chinese design, Trendig, developed when the company’s Swedish design team travelled to China to collaborate with local designers and technicians. The collection has a limited colour palette—just two shades of red and two shades of green, paired with blonde wood—with playful nods, like the dinnerware adorned with goldfish. My favourite from the lineup, the Trendig cabinet, is a modern update of classic 19th Century provincial Chinese furniture—right down to the medallion-type handles on the front door. Perfect for both an eclectic and modern décor scheme.

Trendig cabinet, $249, available as of February 2014 at Ikea ikea.com