A VISIT TO CIRE TRUDON'S PARIS BOUTIQUE

While in Paris for the Maison & Objet show, we made time to visit the Cire Trudon boutique in St. Germain de pres on the rue de Seine. It is a beautiful space that displays this very special brand's product in unique and imaginative ways. For over four centuries, Cire Trudon has built an unrivalled candle manufacturing expertise. Skillful and demanding, Maison Trudon draws its talent from its craftsmanship heritage and never ceases to innovate. With a wax paste made of vegetable substances, forming a unique blend, miscible with any fragrance and allowing a perfect long-lasting combustion.

Provide has been carrying the scented candles for a few months now (and they have had a great reception), but it was wonderful to see the pillers, sprays, wax busts, accessories and more all merchandised with such flair. We just may have to offer that Napoleon bust soon.

Visit Cire Trudon at providehome.com.

WOVEN LINES SEEN AT MAISON & OBJET IN PARIS

Another strong theme coming out of the recent Maison & Objet show in Paris was texture and specifically the idea of an exaggerated weave or thick line. Shown above are different variations of this theme and in different materials. The bottom image is from the very impressive Missoni Home booth that showcased new products and textiles for the coming season. We absolutely loved this print of an over scaled weave, sometimes in solid colours and other times in the classic Missoni chevron pattern in a range of colours from the seasonal collection. Provide is excited about offering more Missoni Home, stay posted for details on that in the coming months.

GEOMETRICS SEEN AT MAISON & OBJET IN PARIS

We have just finished three full days of walking the halls of Maison & Objet in Paris and there are several themes emerging for us that will influence our buying decisions for the coming few seasons. Of course I am partial to this first one, as Geometrics was a very big part of our Provide Made debut collection. It popped-up in several places and the above photographs illustrate some of the collections that we are very interested in bringing to Provide – look for details on this coming soon.

MEETING WITH SANDY CHILEWICH DURING DAY 1 OF MAISON & OBJET

Robert and myself attended the first day of Maison & Objet with budding interior designers (and good friends) Angela and Lawrence. It was great to see the show (at least part of it) through their eyes and get feedback on what caught our attention. Passing by Chilewich's booth, we were lucky enough to meet Sandy Chilewhich herself who very graciously spent some time with us discussing her new designs and her thoughts for the upcoming spring season. We loved the new grid placemats available in four different colours including the very fresh looking chartreuse. She showed us some different layering options and her personal favourite – using the metallic lace placemats and runners over the grid to great interesting texture and depth. Very stylish!

Stay tuned for more from the show.

MARTHA STURDY NEW YORK GIFT SHOW PREVIEW

Just before leaving for Maison et Objet in Paris, we visited the Martha Sturdy showroom while they were preparing for the New York Gift Show happening later this month. We were lucky enough to get a preview of some beautiful designs in their new charcoal marble colour We immediately placed an order for several items (look for them to arrive later this week) and we have our eye on this fabulous new lamp – it will look very stylish behind the cash desk at Provide!

A LOCAL DESIGN COLLABORATION RESULTS IN THIS SPECTACULAR TABLE

Provide is now showcasing more locally made furniture and is very pleased to champion the exceptional creative talent that we have right here in Vancouver. This striking solid walnut dining table is the result of a design collaboration between furniture designer/builder Christian Woo and interior designer Gaile Guevara. It's modern, clean lines and generous proportions make it a piece a functional art – intended to be used for everyday living.

The table is hand-crafted from carefully selected wood and supported by a steel inner frame powder coated in black (also available in White, Charcoal, and Blue). At 95 inches long (38 inches wide), this table can easily seat 8 for dinner. For pricing and for other sizes, please enquire at 604.632.0095 or visit our website at providehome.com.

EKOBO - SUSTAINABLE, SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS, BEAUTIFUL DESIGN

Provide is pleased to announce that we are now stocking Ekobo bamboo kitchen and tabletop products.

Ekobo champions and protects the ancient know-how and competence of bamboo craft by working directly with artisans in small villages – an arrangement that provides the artisans with a steady flow of well paid and skill building work and results in the realization of Ekobo's designs.

Pictured above are the innovative Bamboo knife blocks (available in black and white) that are filled with skewers and allow you to insert any number of of knives in any formation, the bamboo fruit bowl (available in aubergine) and the bamboo set of salad tongs with a sleek and contemporary design.