Winter cheer

SEVEN SINS

Leeza, the Montreal-based hard-surfacing specialist, chased away winter blahs by throwing a Seven Sins-themed party at the Spoke Club in Toronto.

1–Robert King, partner at Norma King Design; Prolific Marketing’s Linda Zuber; and interior designer Richard Eppstadt.
2–Guests would down shots of Sambuca, look at the number at the bottom of the shot glass, and body-paint the same-numbered spots on models Anna and Shannon.
3–Leeza’s Mark Hanna, president; Terry Lynn Young, Ryan Tisdall and Kelly Bates, sales; Mark Murphy, sales manager; and Kathy Ware, marketing manager.
4–Shawn Newman of One Shot Events; Leeza’s Tom Nemeth; and Andrew Pike and Justin Kersten of Andrew Pike Interiors.
5–Gail Pearson Calluori and Arlene Williams, account managers at Prolific Marketing, flank interior designer Trevor Kruse of Hudson Kruse.

URBAN MODE

John Christakos, co-founder and CEO of hip furniture maker Blu Dot (based in Minneapolis), and Urban Mode owner Myrlene Sundberg celebrated the launch of Blu Dot’s new home at the venerable Toronto design boutique.

1–Joan Redfern, CEO, Redfern Promotions (promoting home decor products), and interior designer Rafaell Cabrera.
2–Mike Kingsborough, creative lead at interactive design studio Kolody; Matthew Rutherford, regional sales manager, Design Deli; interior decorator Sasha Wright; and Ben Leoni, art director, Design Pilot.
3–Urban Mode owner Myrlene Sundberg and guest of honour John Christakos, co-founder and CEO, Blu Dot.

REMEMBERING SAARINEN

Knoll sponsored a Design Exchange lecture on mid-century design hero Eero Saarinen by Brian Lutz (author of Yale University Press’s new The Furniture of Eero Saarinen), after which everyone decamped to George Brown College’s School of Design to toast its Saarinen exhibit.

1–Carolyn Laidley Arn, sales rep at Lennard Commercial Realty; architect Sean Lawrence of Kohn Architects; architect Thomas Tampold of Tampold Architects; Esther Shipman, architecture and design curator at Cambridge Galleries in Cambridge and wife of Lawrence; and Barb Woolley, design director at visual communications agency Hambly & Woolley.
2–Author Brian Lutz; Luigi Ferrara, director, George Brown College School of Design; and Knoll’s Greg Rapier, regional manager, Canada, and Fabiana Stubrich, director of business development

INTERIOR DESIGN SHOW

New venue; new vibe. This year, the Interior Design Show moved to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, a more cozy, intimate setting than Exhibition Place.

1–Jewelry designer Rabie Matar, society hairdresser Jie Matar, and interior designer Moe Razi.
2–At the VIP lounge’s champagne reception: CBC TV’s Steven and Chris co-stars Chris Hyndman and Steven Sabados flank former CityTV news anchor Anne Mroczkowski.
3–Klaus and Beatrix Nienkmper.
4–Loraine Buyar, A&D manager at Teknion; interior designer and Kasian principal Dean Matsumoto; and Kasian senior designer Liana Butt.
5–The Cupcakery’s sweet Cupcake Lady (a.k.a. Courtney Douglas).
6–Enrico Bressan, co-founder, art director and CEO of Los Angeles-based design company Artecnica, and designer and Artecnica collaborator Tord Boontje flank Spanish artist and designer Jaime Hayn.
7–Eric McClelland, partner at interior designers Fleur-de-Lis and Room boutique on Eglinton West; Rob Jarschke, team leader, Figure3; and Jarschke’s wife, Corinne Drobot, marketing manager, PR, at HOK.
8–John Tong of 3rd Uncle Design and designer/developer Del Terrelonge.