Score + Soldier Terrariums

I spent the last few days scouting some of my favourite shops in Calgary. The best and worst thing about scouting? You come away with a pretty long wish list for your own place. Now that I’m officially moving into a new place with plenty of windows, I’ve decided try my hand at an indoor gardenscape again (something I was once skilled at, then decidedly less so).

These Score and Solder terrariums I spotted at Kit in Calgary are the perfect gateway back in—terrariums love a relatively dry environment, which was my downfall in the past (just how do people remember to water their plants?!).

Score and Solder terrariums, from $110. Available in Vancouver at Old Faithful Shop; in Calgary at Kit

Stacked by Muuto

I’m mere moments away from signing the dotting line on a new place, which means I’m also already scoping out the new furniture pieces I’ll need. Can I ever have enough storage? Impossible.

To wit, I’m coveting this super-flexible, super-stylish “Stacked” system from Danish uber-cool design company Muuto. Created in two shades of MDF, in specific measurements that fit everyday items, Stacked can be forever shifted to fit whatever space I move to next. Beautiful.

Stacked by Muuto, pieces from $159, available in Vancouver atVancouver Special; in Calgary at Kit

Moroccan-Inspired Lighting

On a rainy night last week, I was out on United Boulevard in Coquitlam for an annual party thrown by Muse & Merchant and ScanDesigns—and there’s nothing like a dark and cold night to put you in the mood for some Moroccan-inspired warmth. Muse has a terrific display of these intricately designed pendants in a variety of colours, gathered together at varying heights in one corner. They’re perfect for that eclectic look: a modern sofa, a mid-century coffee table and a grouping of these lights in the corner. Beautiful.

Marrakech drop lamp, from $428, museandmerchant.com.

Modern Blue Sofa

I’ve spent a couple of months trying to find the perfect new sofa: that ultimate combination of style and comfort, a piece long enough to stretch out on for movie, but not so big that my petite living room suddenly feels all sofa. And I may have hit the sweet spot with this one: the Gus* Modern Atwood sofa in just the shade of blue that I’ve been considering for an accent wall. I love the tight back (loose-pillowed sofas always trigger a little OCD in me trying to get them to sit properly) and the walnut finish on the legs, and I can feel good about owning it too: Canadian company Gus* Modern uses FSC-certified wood. Now, to find the perfect side chair…

Atwood sofa ($2,150) available at Stylegarage in Vancouver, stylegarage.com, and 4Living in Calgary, 4living.ca.

Cool Terrarium Bowl

I’ve decided that my green thumb has officially left the building. There was a period in my teens and twenties when I was actually pretty good at raising my own greenhouse of plants (I worked at a garden centre in high school), but my last unhappy Christmas cactus gave up the ghost last week. Instead, I’m going to go for low-maintenance décor (and possibly the odd cacti), starting with this Glasscape bowl from Aruliden. It’s pretty as a fish bowl, but given my record with plants I’m not going to be introducing goldfish into the mix. Bring on the air plants.Glasscape by Aruliden, $140, available at Pomp and Circumstance in Calgary and online at aruliden.com.