New Atomic Ranch is here!

Despite the snow today, spring is around the corner. How do we know? We just got the new Spring 2012 issue of Atomic Ranch in!

Featuring stories on houses in Missouri, Montana and Santa Monica, a profile on Danish designer Nanna Ditzel, and DIY instructions on making a mid-mod bed for your pooch, this issue, as always is filled with lots of vintage modern goodies!

We also have a few issues left of the latest Modernism Magazine, so drop by the store and pick it up before we're sold out.

See you at the store!

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!

We all know how much Ethel loves animals. While we no longer have a store cat (she moved with the architecture firm when they moved out of our back room to their new digs), we do love having a menagerie of sorts here at the store. These animals don’t shed, and don’t need to be fed!

Who doesn’t love kitschy 50’s poodles? This vintage painted metal tissue box cover and spare toilet role holder are perfect for your fluffy pink powder room. Oooh la la!

Poodle theme bathroom set is $30

UPDATE: Poodle theme bathroom set has sold!

How about this pair of vintage desk organizers? This wire kitty and puppy keep your letters and papers neat and tidy, and they won’t beg for treats.

Desk organizers are $15 each

UPDATE: Kitty desk organizer has sold!

We’re not sure if antelope and rams would be friends or foes in the wild, but this pair of Art Deco style 1970‘s Studio Nova ceramic figures look like they’re best friends.

Figures are $15 each

This flying goose TV lamp looks like it’s about to take flight over the Blue Mountains. No, it’s not Blue Mountain Pottery, but a rare McCoy pottery TV lamp. Perfect for that retro man-cave.

Goose TV lamp is $45

This stemmed mod rooster jar is too small to hold cornflakes, but it looks better empty anyway!

Rooster jar is $12

UPDATE: Rooster jar has sold!

If fantasy animals are more your style, catch up on whats happening on The Planet of the Apes with this vintage comic book. Scarier than the movie!

Comic book is $6

UPDATE: Comic books have all sold!

How about a trip to the circus? This set of 7 vintage Libbey Carousel glasses from the 1950‘s are $6 each. Featuring tigers, elephants, horses, leopards and deers in frothy pastels, this set is perfect for iced tea with Dr. Dolittle!

Glasses are $6 each

UPDATE: only one glass left!

How about a set of vintage puzzle postcards? Each features vintage wildlife scenes, including a circus lady with her parrots. So much more fun than email!

Each set of 3 is only $2 each

Come by the store to see what other animals we have hanging around. Who knows, you may just find yourself a new furry or feathered friend.

See you at the store!

Model home is Model Perfect!

You all know that Ethel isn't just a fabulous vintage furniture store, we're interior designers as well! We love helping our clients and customers achieve their design dreams and making their homes a more beautiful space that suits their needs and lifestyle.

You can read all about our latest project here,

http://etheldesign.com/design/Blog/tabid/85/EntryId/8/Model-Home-is-Model-Perfect.aspx

on our sister site, http://etheldesign.com/design/Home.aspx

And remember, no project is too small for the Ethel gals!

See you at the store!

Ethel loves vintage fashion!

Sometimes when I can't be here, our friend Shannon fills in. She's become a real favourite with our Ethel customers, both for her sunshiny smile and her vast knowledge of vintage clothing. She's helped us sell a few things through her Etsy site from time to time, including a fabulous 80's Hermes dress we found when shopping for the store. We know vintage furniture, but Shannon is our go-to vintage fashion gal!

We're hoping to do more vintage clothing pop-up sales with her this year too, but for now, check out her Etsy site for some retro fashions.

http://www.etsy.com/people/houseofshaude

You can also follow Shannon's fashion adventures on her blog, A Second Life.

http://ascndlife.wordpress.com/

See you at the store!

Dated 80's becomes Beautiful Blue!

As most of you may know, we are not only a vintage furniture store, we are also interior designers, and one of our most favourite things to do is to help our design clients reinvent their furniture.

Take this pair of petite arm chairs.
They were languishing in a guest room, and our client wasn't sure if she wanted to replace them or re-do them. Don't let the dated 80's upholstery fool you! These beauties are British and have solid frames so we convinced our client it was well worth it to reupholster them.

We chose a lovely blue linen and coordinating crewelwork fabric for pillows, and we had new turned legs spray lacquered to match other furniture in the room. The new legs replace the old castors, giving the chairs a bit more height so they're more comfortable. We also opted to not do a skirt, so the chairs look more contemporary (and so you can see the lovely legs!) We replaced the existing ottoman with a new custom ottoman with coordinating legs to match, so her guests would have somewhere to put their feet up.

Don't they look darling?

The client loves her new/old chairs and is so happy she invested in their refurbishment. We think Princess Perfect (http://www.princessperfect.ca/) did an amazing job and so does our client.

Drop by the shop to ask us if YOUR furniture is worth re-doing.
See you at the store!

Ethel needs a new home....

For the past few weeks, we’ve been holding off on buying any new inventory for the shop. Our customers keep asking “when are you getting new stuff in” and we’ve been telling them that we do this every January, to help clear out old energy and to encourage new.

This year it’s different. Ethel is looking for a new home and we’re not buying any new inventory as we don’t want to have to move it.

We love Leslieville and would love to stay here, in our cozy space at 1091 Queen St. East, where the store has been located for the past 14+ years. However, our new landlord has other plans for the building so we find ourselves surfing MLS for retail space for lease, and we have our friends, family and trusty real estate agent Nancy Wilson of Remax, http://www.nancywilsonteam.com/, helping us search for Ethel's possible new home.

We’re hoping to stay in the east end, as this is where our customers know to find us, but we could be looking at setting up shop in a totally new neighborhood. We keep hearing interesting things about St. Clair West, and even Gerrard and Jones has it's potential. We'll keep you all posted and make sure everyone knows where we're headed.

Ethel's motto is “Life is too short for Beige”, which means we’re open to possibilities and new adventures. Wish us luck on this next step on our journey. (and if you know of any great retail space in a busy neighborhood, let us know!)

See you at the store (wherever that may be!)

Lollipop, lollipop. oooh, lolly lollipop!

We just got in this gorgeous set of 6 dining chairs and we are in love!

They are so reminiscent of the Robin Bush Lollipop seating (see above), but instead of a metal tandem base, these beauties are solid wood and were made in Milverton, Ontario by the Honderich Furniture Company. They've been reupholstered in maroon leather and are priced at $900 for the set of six.

Lollipop Lollipop, oooh lolly lollipop!

UPDATE: Chairs have sold!

See you at the store!