Some good friends of mine, that just happen to be clients of Gabriel Ross as well, are getting married soon and last year while planning their wedding date, they asked if it was possible to register with Gabriel Ross through our on-line store.  They live in Toronto and they were not having much luck finding a unique on-line wedding registry for modern products.

This has been a pretty common theme amongst people I have talked to since this first came to light. Well, through lots of hard work and hours of testing, our wedding/gift registry is up and running and guess who is the first couple to use it?

I just heard back from them today and word on the street is that their guests have found the registry really easy to use and they love the fact that they can order on-line at their own convenience and then have the item either shipped directly to the Bride and Groom, or to themselves, to bring to the wedding or shower. For people that have long distances to travel to the wedding, or for those that are unable to attend the wedding the ability to ship the gifts directly, is a definite advantage.

We have plenty of great ideas to continue to make this easy for everyone involved, so stay tuned.

Finally, the Home office gets dished up a nice serving of style!

A couple of years ago, when I was at ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) in New York, I remember telling several people at both Herman Miller and Knoll that there was a massive hole in the contemporary home office furniture market.

Ready, set, GO !!

And, the winner is…………….

Herman Miller

They are the first to respond with their newly released “Lifework Portfolio”There are several amazing pieces in the line and the timing couldn’t be better.

Check out the Airia desk, the Airia media cabinet and the cognita storage bench to name a few. (OK, I just gave away my favourites :p)

Herman Miller Lifework Portfolio Airia Desk and Cabinet

Other models include the Sense desk with an available desktop storage and a media cabinet and the Enchord desk and mobile cabinet.

Lifework Portfolio Sense Desk w/ Desktop Storage and Media Cabinet

Lifework Portfolio Enchord Desk with Mobile Cabinet

View all items in the Portfolio here:

http://www.gabrielross.com/lifework-portfolio-6/

We would love to hear what your favourites are.  Leave a comment below.

When I was a little kid, a livingroom pillow fort was my own pre-freedom version of today’s studio apartment.  Structure, privacy, colour and particularly spatial planning are some of the major considerations when building a skookum livingroom fort.  Not unlike today’s real estate market, location was also a very important factor… the edge of the sofa always worked well in conjunction with the coffee table, but the back of the sofa (if freestanding) allowed a brilliant “lean to” opportunity.  Of course, a fort is an intimate place for your favorite things, snuggles, safety, private thoughts, and only your most favorite people .  Thankfully, for nostalgic adults with no less need for these things, Vitra has the solution.  Feast your eyes on the Alcove sofa by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec:

Now that’s fort making at its finest.  No roof… but who needs it with towering walls, zippered corners, and a chrome tube surround.  Beautiful from any angle, the alcove brings our childhood efforts to fruition with a perfect elegance.  My thanks to Ronan and Erwan for nurturing a human need for “snuggle space” in a sophisticated and beautiful way.

Straight up, the first time I saw this sofa, I did not like it. Not at all. As far as I was concerned it was over-designed and had way too much going on for my personal taste.  Who buys this sort of thing?

Then, one day, I sat on a Maralunga and was forever changed.

Cassina Maralunga Sofa and 2 Chairs with LC4

Designed by Vico Magistretti  in 1973, this collection of chair, two and three seater sofas solves many problems. Especially for those height advantaged people that happen to live with height disadvantaged people. Also, for multi-use rooms that may be used for more formal entertaining on some occasions and at other times a more casual, climb on in and relax occasion.

2008 marked the 35th anniversary of this Iconic classic and what has changed in that time? Well, Gabriel Ross is now one of a very limited number of Cassina dealers in Canada and now when I see a Maralunga, which I just happen to everyday because there is a sofa and chair right outside my office, I just can’t fully understand my frame of mind, the first time I saw one.

Maralunga Sofa with 637 Utrecht Chair

It’s a new finish by Cherner Chair Co. and it looks delicious:

The high contrast coloured grain reminds me of the beautiful markings on the back of my cat’s neck… and simililary, I’m also strongly compelled to pet this chair!  purrrrrrrrrrrr.  Complimented by natural beech arms and legs, this wood will be an easy link for homes with varities of wood finishes.  An added bonus… Cherner’s also gone green by reducing VOC’s by switching to water base stains and clear coats.  Yay Cherner! … all around.