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23covet gardeninspiration grows here

iza &olive

a homecoming for a globe-trotting

mother and daughter

covetgarden.com 32 issue 23

contents4 the space Welcome to a world of visual wonder

26 Q & A

28 the style Retro-feel clothes for kids

30 the project Just bead it!

32 the project No more boring wire hangers

35 the drink A tonic for the heat

36 inspiration Going for a dipwelcome

A visiting friend from the UK told us that what she loved about Covet Garden was that the spaces had personality, and the people in the homes felt like “one of us.”

Iza and her daughter, Olive, show just how true that statement can be. While our friend is single and lives in a small London flat, she can still relate to Iza’s home and Olive’s colourful kid’s room because she can appreciate the creative flair. What’s most appealing about Iza’s home is that it’s about what she loves, not about what she bought—and we can all support that.

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contributors

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even more inspiration!

MAYA VISNYEIphotographer

Maya discovered her passion for photography at age 13, when she stole her sister’s Nikon. She currently works as a freelance food and travel photographer.

mayavisnyei.com

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ASHLEY CAPPphotographer

Ashley’s interest in photo-graphy started in high school, where she had access to a full darkroom and an early version of Photoshop. She joined a local camera club and has never looked back. Special-izing in food, interiors and lifestyle photography, Ashley has contributed to such publications as Canadian House & Home, Clean Eating and Sears Advantage. ashleycapp.com

ALISON REIDcopy editor

Alison, longtime editor, has worked on fiction and non- fiction books for various Canadian publishers.


A world-travelling mom sets down roots in a sweet west-end home photography by Ashley Capp

IN THE CITY

the space


we’ve written about globe-trotters before. About folks who found their decor inspi-

ration from visiting far-flung corners of the earth. But this month’s space is different: it’s informed by the journey and the destination. Iza is an art-ist, photographer and teacher. She’s also mom to Olive, age three. After living all over Europe and the UK, the mother and daughter found a cozy home in Toronto’s up-and-coming Junction area.

This neighbourhood has always welcomed wan-derers. The former village got its name because it was once the hub for four railway lines. Inde-pendent bus and streetcar lines also wove their way through the bustling village, connecting the largely immigrant community to the countryside and back to the factories and stockyards of the city. And while generations of families have come and gone, the storefronts, warehouses and houses often remained unchanged.

the spaceFamily-friendly

touches, such as this Donna Wilson

fox pillow and a portrait of Olive

by Iza, flank the fireplace.


the space

‘I buy things based on packaging, like boxes of foreign foods. I love forms and objects’

O f course that was in the twen-tieth century. But the ’hood still serves as a waystation. Back in

Canada, Iza found herself attracted to a cute two-storey house, just blocks away from her old high school. The Junction neighbourhood had changed a lot since her teen years, and now it has a creative buzz (without the bustle and expense of artist enclaves downtown).

The house itself was built as a working-class sin-gle-family home in the first decades of the 1900s. “The house had amazing bones,” says Iza, “but it

needed everything done to it.” She has spent the last two years renovating and restoring the space.

Stripped down to their essentials, Iza’s rooms were ready to receive new life, largely in the form of art. The walls are a fantastic showcase for Iza’s own works, but they are also home to pieces by other (mostly Canadian) artists. “I do a lot of trades with artists,” she says of her growing col-lection. Themes that interest her include elements of mass production and packaging. Which, again, makes it interesting that her neighbourhood was once a hub of industry.

A second-hand chair, covered in fabric bought in

Thailand, anchors Iza’s art collection.


the space

There’s something about an excit-ing and inviting interior. You can just look at a picture of a kitchen

or a living room and fall in love without knowing anything about it. But the more you look at it, the more you want to know about it. You ask yourself, “Where did she get that terrarium?” or “Where did she get the fabric for that pillow?”

Iza’s amazing kitchen invites these questions and more. Of course, the answer is never as simple as “I went to the store and bought it.” Even though

Iza has found and embellished existing objects or created new ones herself, she’s kept the room’s lines clean and functional. The butcher-block counter-tops are uncluttered. The rest of the surfaces are a mix of industrial metal finishes and muted blues and greens.

Good things are often born of challenge and com-promise. The kitchen floor was worn, but there was no time or budget to replace it, so Iza decided to paint it. She wanted something bold, so she used a stencil to apply a graphic zigzag pattern.

nathalie létéIza is a big fan of the Parisienne graphic art-ist Nathalie Lété’s kids’ books. She cleverly framed one of Lété’s decorative scarves and gave it pride of place in the kitchen. If you’re looking for a Lété piece, Anthropologie sells an affordable tableware collection.

left: Emmène-Moi Au Cirque, $25; above: Coeur Rouge dinner plate, $24


the spaceIza designed and painted the glass backsplash herself, using images inspired by tattoos and children’s books.


the spaceNikole’s great-

grandmother made the painting in her

dining area back in 1900. “My grand-mother gave it to

me five years ago. It goes wherever I go.”

T he only room that was totally renovated was the upstairs bath-room. The existing bath was too

small, and the fixtures were old-fashioned in a not-quaint way. “I was wanting a bathroom that functioned better, maximized space and was low maintenance,” Iza says. For example, “the cedar wall was a solution to having a tiny bit more space between the end of the tub and the wall. I didn’t want to use tiles and really like cedar for its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.”

The size of the room did not change, but refram-ing the walls freed up extra space by allowing for storage to be sunk into the walls. “I also made the window smaller, as it’s in the shower, and I didn’t want water pooling on the sill.”

To keep to her budget, Iza bought her double sink in the Ikea “As Is” section. She chose inexpensive but classic white subway tiles and a plain medium-grey floor. This let her invest in a long-lasting Toto toilet and a fancy rain showerhead.

Iza has made the most of her small bath, but if you need to find some extra square footage in your reno, we recommend one of these sleek, wall-mounted beauties. They free up your floor space and add a modern look.

Philippe Starck-designed Duravit Starck 3 wall-mounted toilet, $272

The bathroom required a total overhaul. The small space was transformed by the open look of white ceramic and wood.

pretty efficient

VitrA by Nameeks Form500 wall- mounted toilet in white, $348


The more you look around the rest of the house, the more visual de-lights you discover. For example, a

tiny deer lives inside a terrarium. In her bedroom, Iza uses a night table to house an amber neck-lace—a treasure from her homeland of Poland.

Iza’s family left Poland back in the days of Com-munism. They lived in Austria for a spell before finally immigrating to Canada. Global motifs and materials, such as the rattan headboard, can be found throughout the house.

By the window stands a fantastic sidewalk find, an old iron lamp (pictured on the next page next to a child-sized Acapulco chair). “The things peo-ple throw away!” says Iza. She repainted it black, and a friend gave her an old lampshade. “I love colour very much,” she says. “In Paris, there’s a children’s clothing store called Bonpoint. There’s a banister for a staircase that’s entirely wrapped in ribbon. I thought, What an amazing idea.” So she stripped the shade of its old covering and wrapped it in a rainbow of fabrics. For Iza, the methodical process was as alluring as the colour.

the space

The peachy wall colour of the bath-room was inspired

by a trip to Farrow & Ball and their selec-

tion of historic hued, hand mixed (and

low odour, minimal VOC) paints.

‘I absolutely love modernism, but I also love maintaining a sense of history’


‘Most stuff has travelled from apartment to We just tried to find ways to make it work.’

opposite right: “Those shoes,” says Iza. “After I’d had a baby,

I found they were for sitting in and

display only.”

the space


O live’s room is the perfect example of past and future really coming together. “From

the get-go I knew that I wanted her room and environment to be stimulating,” says Iza. Aside from some plush toys and books, she made or painted most of the things in Olive’s room, in-cluding the bed, an Ikea hack based on a much more expensive Danish convertible crib-to-junior bunk. “I love making things,” she says. “For the longest time I had trouble justifying that.”

Iza is trained as a photographer but creates work

in many media. Before Olive’s arrival, she made larger wall pieces that incorporated text. “I think my work became small and quiet when my daughter was born,” says Iza. She found that the process of crafting things for Olive inspired her artwork as well.

While there’s plenty of cute and colourful stuff in the room, Iza has also hung a lot of non-kid art in Olive’s room. For Iza, it’s about creating an atmo-sphere that’s appealing and lively with the objects you already love rather than buying a premade “princess room” package.

édition paumesTokyo-based creative types Hisashi Tokuyoshi and artist agent Fumie Shimoji have originated a collection of interior design books based on the spaces of their cool European designer friends. Paumes’ series of kids’ decor books inspired Iza’s interior esthetic, not just in Olive’s room but throughout the house.

the space

Chi


‘I would rather Olive wake up to original art than posters’

“I don’t have aspirations that Olive be an artist,” says Iza, “but I want her to be visu-ally literate.”

the space


In Iza’s bright, smallish studio, we are given a peek at her latest project: tiny furniture. “Lately I’ve been looking at

furniture,” she says. Working from photographs she builds little models of iconic designs such as the classic 1950s Ercol Bench, Alexander Taylor’s more recent Can I Take Your Coat, My Deer antler coat rack, Jean Prouvé’s chairs and Tom Dixon’s lamps. She then sets the pieces up in a built environment and photographs them.

She’s exploring industrial processes, but she’s also inspired by movie sets, like the speech thera-pist’s office from The King’s Speech. “I’m drawn to film,” says Iza, “and I’m in awe of that set.”

She’s also been framing objects from her own childhood, such as a collection of precisely rolled papers that her engineer father used to make. Rath-er than revisit the past, Iza is using history as a way to better live fully in the present.

opposite left: from the series, After (working title), 2012 right: Art and Artifact, 2010- ongoing.

the space


What’s your signature dance move? IZA: mimicking my daughter’s dance moves

Artist Iza Mokrosz was born in Poland, raised in Toronto and has lived and worked all over Canada and Europe. Her practice includes photography, drawing and painting, performance, sculpture and installation. As she is both an immigrant and expatriate, her work examines ideas of displacement, identity and language. Her most recent projects also explore the artist’s relationship to various personal and familial artifacts and objects.

Iza teaches photography at the Ontario College of Art and Design University.

the profile

What’s your greatest strength?IZA: My fire.

Whose talent do you wish you had? IZA: Ella Fitzgerald’s voice.

What object have you kept since childhood?IZA: A small collection of tiny plastic animal figurines I got from a vending machine in Austria circa 1979.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever given someone?IZA: According to my mom, making her a grandmother.

What’s your favourite place on earth? IZA: Home. But Cornwall, UK, is magic.

What’s your favourite place in Toronto?IZA: The island and High Park are a tie.

Forced to choose between night and day, which would you give up forever? And why? IZA: Night. I love colour too much not to be able to see it in daylight.

What do you carry with you everywhere? IZA: Sunglasses and phone.

iza’s current playlist

wha

t are

you

rea

ding

?1. “Such Great Heights” by The Postal Service

2. “A&E” by Goldfrapp

3. “The Fire” by The Roots

4. “Millionaire” by Kelis

5. “That’s Entertainment” by The Jam

who?

links• Iza’s blog

• Katharine Mulherin Gallery

• Little Collector


personal style

the style

While visiting Iza’s studio, we spotted the painting of the red dress pictured on the opposite page. It’s part of a series based on favourite togs from childhood. Inspired by her work, we started looking for children’s outfits that shared a retro reference. 1. Lovell Small Travel Bag in Blue Clover, $24; 2. Red Thread Design pleated skirt in Rose, $44; 3. Winter Water Factory halter dress in Danish Flowers red and pink, $59; 4. Joe Fresh Straw Hat, $8; 5. Tea Surf Lily top, $36; 6. Polarn O. Pyret Dancing Dot tank suit (child) in Pomegran-ate, $28; 7. Umi Kids Serenna sandals, $56

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6retro girls

This season’s most adorable clothing for girls takes a page from the past painting by Iza Mokrosz

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whatgoesaround

Create your own colourful jewellery with wooden beads and fluorescent gouache photograph by Jessica Reid

acrylic paintfine paintbrush(es)wooden beadspainting tape (optional)acrylic gel medium or Modge Podgewaxed cotton cord

1. Paint beads as desired. In order to avoid handling them while painting and to keep lines straight, we fed a spare paintbrush end through the hole in the bead to hold on to while painting.

If you find it difficult to paint a straight line by hand, you can use painting tape to mask off the area you’d like to paint up to.

2. Once the paint has dried, apply a coat of acrylic gel medium (in either matte or shiny finish) to protect the paint.

3. Cut a piece of cotton cord to your desired length and string the beads. Tie a knot, and you’re done!

the project

Holbein Acryla Gouache is our paint of choice. This paint comes in amazing colours (like the neon pink we used here), is easy to work with, has great coverage and is waterproof when dry!

Find a great selection of wooden beads at Arton Beads in Toronto, or online at the Beaded Bead.

p

p


HANGIN’ AROUNDWhy not display some treasured clothing items as art on these lovely fabric hangers? how-to photographs by Ashley Capp

You’ll need:• a pack of plastic hangers preferably without strap hooks (we were able to snap off the little hooks our hangers had)• a stack of fun fabrics• masking tape

1. Cut your fabric into long 1”-1½” strips. You can leave the edges raw and a little frayed if you like, or fold the frayed edge of fabric under as you wrap the fabric if you want a cleaner look.

2. Start at the tip of the hanger’s hook. Wrap the fabric over the end, tape in place, then start wrapping tightly around the entire hanger until you run out of fabric.

3. When your fabric ends, tape it down and start again, always disguising the tape from the previous strip.

4. When you get back around to where you started, tie your fabric off in a knot or bow and trim to desired length.

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the project


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Here’s a tall, cool drink for a long, hot summer afternoonphotography by Maya Visnyei

Pimm’s No. 1 is a British fave that Iza discovered while visiting a friend on Ward’s Island. Citrussy and refreshing, Pimm’s can be Canucked up with a splash of Canada Dry.

2 ounces Pimm’s No. 1ginger aleslices of cucumber1. Pour the Pimm’s and ginger ale into a chilled highball glass over ice.

2. Stir and garnish with cucumber slices.

the drink

covetgarden.com 35


1. Cassandra Smith Painted Antler, $89 2. Wind & Willow Home Dipped Wooden Mini Bowl (set of 2), $16 3. Poketo colour-dipped mug, $28 4. Toms Classic 202 sunglasses in black, $119 5. Mark Rothko by Jeffrey Weiss, $30 6. Philippe White End Table, contact for pricing 7. Tory Burch Idina Small Cosmetic Case, $75 8. Susan Dwyer for Up in the Air Somewhere dip cups, $32 9. Irojiten Colour Dictionary Pencil Set of 30 in Rainforest, $60 10. A Merry Mishap Hot Pink Gold-Dipped Triangle Earrings, $17 11. Madewell Kiterunner Dress in Fuchsia, $165 12. Best Made Company Banderole American Felling Axe, $300 13. Hand-dyed sleeved knot rope necklace, $150 14. Judith Seng Trift stool in purple, $1225 15. Dip-Dyed Baguette Board, $128 16. Ercol Windsor Love Seat, $1,500

inspiration

two toneInspired by Iza’s painted chair, we found some of the season’s best dip-dyed designs

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38 issue 23

in the next issue...Deepen your appreciation for hand-made with a visit to Xenia, Steven and Pearl’s artful abode

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