New Colours for the New Season!

Last summer it was all about neon – bold, bright and great against a nice tan.  This season we’re seeing more pastels, which are easier to wear but most importantly, they’re easier to incorporate into your home.  

Whether you’re looking for a new colour to go on the walls, a new sofa in a fresher colour than that ordinary grey, or headboard with an impact, pastels are where it’s at.  They’re sophisticated, timeless, and work well together.  

Louis Vuitton SS2012, photo from Garance Dore

Chanel SS2012, photo from Garance Dore

Prada Clutch for the working girl, photo from Columbine Smille

Zara pumps

Our new Nicole Storage bed has a headboard upholstered in a supple cream, one of the most versatile colours.  It's soft, as most pastels are, and goes beautifully against our mint-green wall. (The photo doesn't do any justice to the colour on the wall - come check it out in our showroom for the full effect!) 

 The minty-green wall, see colour below

Palladian Blue from Benjamin Moore

Blogging through Pictures: Pinterest

They say a picture says a thousand words...

Last week, Condobox started its own pinterest account. Pinterest is a pinboard-style photo sharing website. It allows you to ‘pin’ images that you love on the web onto virtual ‘pinboards.’ No longer do we need to keep a shoebox full of magazine clippings that inspire us (and collect dust) – it can all be done online and neatly organized into themed pinboards.

CX clients can now build their own pinboard of images that they love and bring them into the showroom on their smart phone to give the CX designer they are working with a sense of their design aesthetic.  


Here are some of the images that we have pinned under our board, 'Inspiration':

Mason Jars seem to have so many uses these days - but this chandelier is pretty fun.

A chalkboard headboard - a simple way to keep track of your dreams! Just be careful of chalk dust...

Pack your things in style! Pre-labelled storage boxes.

Great fabric!

Unexpected...

Follow us on Pinterest and check out some of our design projects, products, and the things that inspire us.

Looking Back: CX History

Our first logo!

The year was 2003. It was 10am on March 12^th. Roomy, a 800sqft furniture store opened its doors for the first day of business, ready to conquer the small space market. Joanna, owner, designer and the only employee of Roomy at that time, made her first sale that day– a sweet smelling candle for $4. Who knew that this would transform into what is now, Condobox.

Our first custom storage bed! At this time, we also offered custom artwork.

Joanna Kakkavas, CEO of Condobox, always says that when things are meant to be – they happen. In grade 9, Joanna remembers hearing the description of ‘entrepreneur’ in her marketing class for the first time, at that moment she said to herself “that’s going to be me” Fast forward 15 years later and not feeling very inspired by working for someone else (and frankly – sick of only being able to take 2 weeks of vacation) she knew it was her time to take a leap of faith and go for it on her own. 

July 10th, 2003. Roomy is featured in the Toronto Star.

Walking down King Street, Joanna stepped into a store that was selling wall beds that was very suitable for her concept of furnishing small condos.  The owner asked her where her showroom would be and she didn’t quite know, he happened to mention the building next door would be available for rent in two weeks and Joanna didn’t hesitate. When things start to flow you have to go with it—and move quickly! The next month, Roomy opened up on 250 King East.

Our first showroom! Now Yoo's Deli & Variety.

During the first year in Buisness, Roomy raised $900 for breast cancer (a modest start). Since the beginning, giving back to our community has been very important to us. We are so excited to have launched the Open Box Foundation Dec. 2011.

With only 25K in savings, just enough to cover first and last month’s rent and inventory – the business needed to take off quickly. And did it ever. Roomy got a lot of attention as being one of the only furniture store specializing in condo living. (In fact, Joanna only signed a two year lease – because she knew that if the business didn’t grow within two years, it wouldn’t be worth it.) Sure enough, within two years Roomy expanded to a larger location down the street, to its current location – doubling in size.

House and Home, 2003. Roomy is described as, "a mecca for condo and apartment dwellers"

That first year of business, Joanna remembers living very conservatively. Moving back in with her parents, she was able to reinvest all of her earnings into the business to make grow without over extending herself.  At the two month point, Joanna hired her first employee, Melanie, her accountant who still works with us today. Joanna knew she couldn’t focus on the big picture while focusing on the small details of the business at the same time. She also met local wood workers that first year after she was approached by a customer who wanted a custom side table.  In those days Joanna didn’t say NO, so she sought to find someone to build it. The next day a local woodworker came into the store just starting out who brought with him a beautiful handmade paddock wood vase.  Joanna showed him her sketch and the story continues as he to this day builds a lot of our custom designs for our clients.\

So many things were set into place during those first 12 months – business connections were developed, the Roomy brand started to spread throughout the city, and Joanna became known for her ability to make small spaces feel well.... Roomy.

Butterfly Art

Check out this new art!  I love seeing something unusual yet practical to bring a little extra sparkle to a space.

These enchanting collections of butterflies come from The Butterfly People gallery, established in 1970 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  And don't worry, all the butterflies enjoy their short life span and die of natural causes before they're collected from around the world and preserved to create unique art that can last forever.

The tropical butterflies are stored in acrylic cases and I think they're beautiful on their own or as an addition to an existing art collection. They would be great in a child's room or above a sleek white desk.  The cases are also deep enough to stand upright instead of hanging on the wall, so they would work by a lamp on a console too.

Innovative Design in Architecture: 8 House, Copenhagen

A view of 8 house from above.

8 House in Copenhagen is an incredibly intriguing concept of sustainably mixing suburban and urban life, a concept which I believe will become increasingly attractive.  This building complex creates a full neighbourhood in one city block with an innovative design in the shape of a number 8.  Starting at ground level, the building height rises as it twists forming the number 8 before lowering back to ground level at the southwest corner.  This height variation creates amazing views over the Copenhagen Canal. 

A view from the center shows the different uses incorporated in the building design.

While the design is definitely visually stimulating, the idea behind the design to create a neighbourhood incorporating the best of the suburban and urban lifestyles is even more inspiring.   8 House is a mixed-use building, with offices, parks, retail and three types of residences providing nearly 500 homes.  Rather than zoning into sections, these uses are spread out horizontally throughout the building to create a thoroughly mixed environment.   But what I love most is the continuous pedestrian and bicycle zone that extends from ground level to the top of the building.

Habitat 67, designed by architect Moshe Safdie. 

Canada has its own sustainable, urban-inspired building complex: Habitat 67 in Montreal.  Habitat was designed by Canadian architect Moshe Safdie, creating nearly 150 residences with concrete blocks stacked in what looks like a haphazard pattern to a height of twelve stories.  The idea behind the design was to provide every residence with green space, fresh air and privacy within realistic limits of an urban space – a combination of suburban and urban environments.  In 1967, when sustainable building and living weren’t household concepts, this was a building beyond its time.  8 House reminds me of a new version of Habitat, with the design adjusted to the new century.