Mellow Yellow!

It may be cold outside but the sun is shining today!! so what better way to inspire you than a touch of yellow for your home! we are really loving the combination of yellow with neutrals such as tan, and natural materials  such as linen and wood, here are some ideas from the shop and from some of our favorite sites : creative mint & deco8

Have a wonderful day!

above pics by Leslie from a creative mint

Cotton Napkins with hemstitch border,  Set of 4 $28

  French Olive Wood Cutting Board $ 29 

Canvas Seagrass Placemat $10 

Latte bowls $9

 Russell & Hazel Assorted Stationary $8-$35

 Sea Salt Neroli House Keeping Products by Caldrea $8-28

 Twine rolls $9

How to start your day Argentinean style!

This is where it all started, a few years ago  with a cup of coffee in Buenos Aires,  Marcelo & I dreamt about our future Merceria!, we couldn't help but be inspired about the attention to detail ( I always thought it was lovely how you always get a small sweet treat with your coffee!)  and the devotion to such daily pleasures, last November we found ourselves in the same spots in BA  in awe that our dreams of opening the shop had become a reality and more inspired than ever! so we look forward to sharing that inspiration with you and to providing many more daily pleasures!

 

Winter Wonder

Its going to be a cold weekend, so instead of succumbing to the winter blues, we're making moves to get outside and enjoy the fresh snow. 

Yesterday was a beautiful day to go skating, bundled up and gliding beneath the glittering snowfall.. Whether you venture to the new skating trail that opened up in the west end, enjoy the city lights in nathan phillips square, or look out over lake ontario while skating at the harbourfront, we hope you have a wonderful winter weekend!

Toronto Interior Design Show, Jan 27 -30, 2011!

The Interior Design show is coming to Toronto next week! So many great international and local creative talent is being featured, we can't wait to check it out.. With exhibits throughout the city, there are a million options, these are just a few we hope to explore!

Design Within Reach brings the best of modern design, including incredible and exclusive Canadian creative output. 

DesignGenNext features the top design output from our Toronto design schools, some really interesting looking exhibits!

Jean-Marie Massaud is renowned as an innovative designer, inspired by nature to create efficient modern designs that seem to work without technology.

ROLLOUT is a fantastic Vancouver-based boutique creating wallpapers and surface design that are doing great things for the world of interiors, we can't wait to see these in person!

Winter Baking

January has been a chilly month, and while it's had some sunny fluffy snow dreamy days, we're a little bit ready for something warmer. So we've been indulging in great indoor activities to make us smile. We've been inspired to bake some delicious treats, and as we have a certain appreciation for all things coffee, we've been checking out some recipes from the New Complete Coffee Book by Sara Perry.

One of our favourite La Merceria products is this cookbook holder from Berard - gorgeous olive wood and tempered glass, it will prop up your book and protect the pages from the whiles of whipping up something delicious!

Berard Cookbook holder, $150. Pi'lo teatowel, $18. Cookspoon, $6.

Loving Fridays..

happy friday! gradient wine stains and natural textures work to create this simply beautiful piece. Enjoy!

image from a lovely morning

Keeping Toasty!

The falling snow is fluffy and cold, and while it makes going outside a real endeavour, what a reward to walk through the streets blanketed in a crisp white daze. 

We've fallen in love with a Tealish tea to carry us through the snowy days, the beautifully berry tinted Toasty Almond. Whether you enjoy it as a tea or a tea latte, the Toronto Star has heralded the Toasty Almond Latte as the winter drink to make these blustery days warm and delicious!

Focus!

We're loving the new year's ringing in of change, the desire to focus on our goals, and this energy  naturally brings the motivation to reprioritize, get things done, make lists. We have a great set of organizational mini binders and page inserts that are such an important element in getting us organized at La Merceria this year!

Russell & Hazel binders in charcoal, gold, and blue linen have the option of choosing the right sort of filler for your needs - from alphabet tabs, graph paper, pouches for loose paper, and stick on mini pockets to place wherever. We love this versatility in a line of beautiful paper supplies! They make a large size too if your work is full scale!

 

And for some of us, its a simple matter of having something beautiful to write with and on. A great notebook and beautiful pen or pencil can inspire the greatest of work! 

 

Russell & Hazel Binders, $19. Inserts, $12-15. Roost Pencil Crayon Set, $16. Roost Push Pins, $12. Snow & Graham Notepad, $12.

To change the arrangement

We've put away our red and green for the year,  found a second life for our beautiful handmade shell garland, and brought warm wood and shades of blue to our fresh winter palette. Refreshing our space  definitely has brought new life to our new year..It may be cold outside, but our days are only getting longer from here on!

Happy weekend to you!

Olive Wood, Olive Branch

We love Berard's Olive Wood kitchen pieces, hand crafted and thus each entirely unique in their beautiful grainlines and finish. We also love that they are the first new arrival at La Merceria this 2011!

Symbolic of peace, the olive is amongst the first crop of the season: to offer an olive branch is an offer of friendship, camaraderie, and knowledge, the exchange of which is said to maintain peace and happiness. A fabulous sentiment to start the year off with!

Feliz año nuevo!

Happiest New Year! We've had some time off, we've recharged, and are looking forward to fresh new directions and goals for 2011! January is a great time for planning new initiatives, undertaking the projects we've been meaning to delve into, starting a new hobby or challenge to help us grow and evolve into a year full of greatness!


Do you have any resolutions you'd care to share? Sometimes saying it out loud makes the world of difference :) Personally, we're striving to develop a better work/life balance so that we can enjoy the little things that much more!