June, Already?

So it's the sixth month of the year. Not to overwhelm you, dear reader, but we have almost reached the half way point of 2013. (As I write this, it is day 155 of the calendar year.) 

We've also been experiencing the benefits of seasonal change, with longer days and warmer nights. Summer is edging ever closer, and the good vibes can be felt around Toronto. Although June is the month in the Northern hemisphere with the longest daylight hours, it is the month for the Southern hemisphere that has the shortest days. So, with a global perspective in mind, welcome to summer! And! Welcome to winter! (Depending where you are reading this from.)

This posting, along with a warm welcoming for summer, kicks off a special series of postings for the next few months. Each month we will be spotlighting members of the Creative Matters team, introducing you to the people behind under our rugs, and in our offices, that help bring our design vision to the world.

This month we feature three members of our administrative team. These superstars of efficiency and organization keep the company creative by providing seamless operational support. 

Julie Baldwin, Office Manager

Overseeing the operations and management of the office, Julie has been with Creative Matters for almost 10 years. With her wealth of knowledge of our administrative systems, and her calm approach to answering questions, Julie is the go-to for both internal and external inquiries.

Julie holds an Honours BA in English, enjoys trying new foods, and keeps active by cycling. Materiality and tactility are what interest her in textiles, and her favourite colour is blue. Her favourite thing about Art Day is the comradery and team building that it encourages.

Jane Addie, Financial Manager

Jane has been with Creative Matters for more than a decade. Her responsibilities include financial management, accounting, bookkeeping, and supplying the team with laughter through her sassy sense of humour.

The freedom and playfulness of creation are what Jane enjoys most about Art Day. She also likes the feeling of helping the design team with inspiration for their creative process.

Ashley Solymar, Junior Administrative Assistant

Ashley Solymar is the newest member at Creative Matters Inc.  in the role of Junior Administrative Assistant.  She is a graduate of the Interior Decorating program at Humber College.  She admires the colours, textures and patterns of textiles and is fond of abstract and contemporary design.  Ashley is passionate about creativity and design and looks forward to her first Art Day.

Happy June!

Hello, May! Hello, Flowers! Hello, Inspiration!

Ah, the first days of May!

The sun is shining, it's above 20˚C, buds are emerging from the trees, and magnolias are in full bloom. It's a lovely day today, and truly the first signs of summer have arrived!

This month at Creative Matters, we're thinking about florals. Flowers have been a clear inspiration for many other artists, designers, and creative people throughout history. Flowers have also been a clear inspiration for some of our designs over the last 25 years, such as these examples from our Art Day archives:

CMI Designer: Ange Yake

CMI Designer: Ange Yake

CMI Designer: Tiffany Wu

Thinking about the impact of flowers on the creatively minded, I've rounded up a few good quotes to inspire during this month: 

“Just living is not enough... One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." 
- Hans Christian Andersen

“The artist is the confidant of nature, flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms. Every flower has a cordial word which nature directs towards him.” 
- Auguste Rodin

“The earth laughs in flowers.” 
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I hate flowers. I only paint them because they're cheaper than models and they don't move.”

- Georgia O'Keefe

For more inspiration, I thought I would also share an informal gathering of the favourite flowers of Creative Matters:

1. Tulips

These flowers exist in over 100 varieties.

2. Lilac

Did you know this flower belongs to the olive family?

3. Bachelor's Button (Cornflower)

Aww, these flowers are worn by young men in love.

3. Peonies

This flower is named after the Greek god of medicine and healing.

4. Carnations

This flower represents love... except in France. (In France they symbolize misfortune.)

5. Bird of Paradise

The real name of this flower is Strelitzia.

6. Orchids

There are over 20,000 species of this flower.

7. Cherry Blossoms

This flower is edible.

Happy May!

April: Gateway of Spring, Month of Excitement

April is an interesting month.

The thought that April showers bring May flowers might make you think that April's purpose is to open the door to the joys of May. But April has its own excitement, that this author feels might often go unnoticed.

First thing, April first. The month starts off with pranks. Perhaps this is a good indication of what April weather is like (at least in Toronto this year; it seems like each day has had a not-so-subtle dash of "just kidding!")

Secondly, according to my Wikipedia research, many organizations choose to elect April as their advocacy month. Not only is it Jazz Appreciation month, but also National Poetry Month in the States.

World Health Day and Earth Day both occur in April. Thailand, Laos, Burma, and Cambodia celebrate the New Year, and the much loved Record Store Day takes place in cities around the globe.

April is an exciting month, and we've had our own share of the fun that April holds.

Carol and Donna took a trip to Milan mid-month to visit the annual Milan Furniture Fair. As the largest event of its kind, the city becomes a swath of curated design.

Our #74 in Sepia from the Art Day Collection was a featured rug in Cover Magazine's Forza Tappeti: The Rug Revolution, amongst a selection of other esteemed international rug designs.

The Milan trip wasn't just for rugs, though. Carol and Donna had a chance to explore some of the other exhibits.

Here's a round-up of what they found inspiring at Milan 2013:


1. Glass

There was a variety of stunning glass works, but a stand-out for Carol and Donna were these lighting pieces from the Arbor Collection by Baroncelli.

2. Wallcoverings

Although Carnovsky first displayed these wallcoverings in 2010, they remain captivating and inspiring. Carol and Donna enjoyed the playfulness of the changing pattern.

3. Sculptural Chairs

Chairs are often a go-to for designer's who want to manifest their creative vision. Carol and Donna enjoyed these sculptural pieces by Umberto Dattola.

4. Innovative Booth Design

Probably the most talked about booth was Missoni's patterned environment (designed by Carnovsky), but Carol and Donna found another favourite with this interesting interactive space.

5. Geometry

Geometry was spotted throughout the exhibit, but what caught our leaders's eyes were the designs of Serbian origami artist, Uros Mihic.

Enjoy the rest of this lovely month, and see you amongst the flowers of May :)

Hello, March!

February was a busy month! After IDS13 we received some great press, and then even more great press, about our wallcoverings. We're happy to have made a splash with our newest venture!

So we've made it to March! It's the time of year when winter finally starts to ease up to spring, holidays with the family abound, and (if the snow's still good) we pack in as much end of season tobogganing as we can.

In Ancient Rome, March was the first month of the year. As wikipedia can tell you, this month is named after the Roman god, Mars, who you may know better as the Greek god of war, Ares. This month was traditionally (or rather, hellenistically) the month to start military campaigns. Similarly, in these contemporary times, many people choose March as the month to attack their homes with an annual onslaught of spring cleaning.  

It's also a luxurious time of year. Well, we consider it a luxurious time of year. 

As the snow melts away and the sun shines a bit longer each day, we can see the world beyond winter once more. To us, this is luxury. On a nice March day you can wear shoes... luxury! The birds fill the air with songs... luxury!

Or maybe March is still cold, and you're tired of being inside. So you decide to make it luxurious by going away for the weekend and staying in a nice hotel, or going out (window) shopping for your favourite luxury designs.

If you're into making luxury your March experience, we recommend the following:

1. Enjoying a night or two in New York.

The James Hotel in NYC is a boutique experience. It's also a great place to kick off your shoes and step down on some lovely carpet.

Creative Matters Inc. with Amanda Sullivan Studio Architect, New York, NY 

Our rugs have a way of making you feel right at home.

2. Shopping in Paris.

If you're interested in seeing some beautiful designs underfoot, while enjoying some sophisticated shopping, check out the department store Printemps.

Creative Matters Inc. with Yabu Pushelberg, Toronto, ON

Our custom carpets add to the luxury of the space!

3. Shopping in Hong Kong.

Maybe you really want to get away from the hustle and bustle of your city, to enjoy the luxurious hustle and bustle of one of the world's economic capitals. 

While you're there you may be interested in stepping onto some great design, so why not visit Louis Vuitton?

Creative Matters Inc. with Yabu Pushelberg, Toronto, ON

Original carpet designs to compliment an original design house.

So as the spring season starts, take a moment to reflect on the luxury around you, and especially the luxury under your feet.

And happy tobogganing!    

Art Day X

Our most recent Art Day was all about the free flowing art of water colour painting.

So much colour.

We gathered on a Thursday afternoon with our aprons on, to get a little messy while playing with paint. Inspiration was taken from nature books and design magazines, generating a line up at the photocopier to get the most inspiring angles and scale from the original images.

Preparing to make art!

Some inspiring books.

A brief introductory lesson in techniques gave us the footing we needed to start our colourful journey.

The methods used included wetting the paper to create an open field for the pigments, letting the paint tell its own story, and using a variety of brushes. We wanted to express a freedom and openness in movement that can be achieved by this medium. We also wanted to create fun, bold, and unusual designs.

Using wax as a resist and water on the paper to let the colour flow freely.

Wet paper with a fan brush.

Everyone was focused.

Painting from inspiration.

Water colours require some drying time, though. Our office became a landscape of drying art, requiring careful navigation as we eventually went back to our desks.

Some interesting and inspiring results from Art Day X!

We Popped Up in the Junction This Week

After almost 25 years as designers of custom carpets we decided to have our very first sample sale. Check out our evite!

We’ve taken over a lovely gallery space at 3109 Dundas Street West to promote our one-of-a-kind designs at once in a lifetime prices.

Our first day was a smashing success!

We had a great response from the community as well! 

"I'm at this once in a lifetime sale at my custom rug fabricators. This is an amazing 8X10. Regularly $8000. For $2900."

Shelley Kirsch, principle, Shelley Kirsch Interior Design

"Making the Junction hotter than ever" Claudine Crangle

Day two saw a slower start but had a very busy finish with many more happy customers walking away with our unique designs.

We’ve made it to day three, and the rugs are going fast. Come and join us before it ends! We’re having so much fun, and who knows if or when we’ll ever do it again. It’s such a great opportunity to buy our fair trade, wool and silk, designer rugs, at 70% off the usual retail price.

Hurry hurry!

Cascading waterfall staircase in ELLE Décor November 2012

ELLE Décors "Luxury Issue" gushes with opulent glamour as it takes the reader on a visual tour of the high life.  In the spread “An Eye for Elegance”, William Sofield gives a New York apartment a luxurious face-lift with delicate textures and tasteful embellishments.   Amongst the delicate textures are three of CMI’s hand-knotted custom rugs found in the bedroom, the office and the staircase. 

The staircase, in 100% silk, mimics the soothing flow of a waterfall cascading down each step.

Original Artwork © Creative Matters Incorporated