Your home (decor) away from home

BAILA LAZARUS EDITOR

The daffodils poking up in front of my bedroom window aren't the only harbingers of spring in the city. Long before puddles dry up and sliding glass doors get slid open for the day, the season's effect can be seen in fashion of all type. This is true for the let's-freshen-up-your-place crowd as spring colors make their way onto home decor shelves faster than you can say, "Pour me a margarita." Looking for some trendy ideas, the Bulletin headed over to West 4th Avenue.

Topping the charts for the most colorful, fun and eye-popping decor is Hafatzim (2028 West 4th). And no, I'm not biased because this is an Israeli company; the store is definitely easy on the eyes. The two-floor showroom packs every color of the rainbow for smaller items and offers furniture that ranges from funky to elegant. In the former category are some great retro vinyl chairs, starting at only $99, in cherry red. In the latter you'll find beautiful wood furniture, such as an exquisite rotating book table for $750 and a two-drawer hall table for $275. The sofa/bed with thrown cushions reminded me a little too much of my "hand-me-down chic" university days and the wooden garden lounge chair looked like it was made for a Boston Celtic but, aside from those two questionable choices, this is a store whose contents I love to check up on.

Some of the more unique items that would make for great home decor gifts are at Moulé (1994 West 4th). Owned by Winnipegger Michael Gorenstein, the West 4th store is one of three in the chain. Others are in Winnipeg and Park Royal Mall. For larger home items, besides its upscale vases and four-foot-high candle holders, Moulé is importing a line of handmade Luna Bella clocks and lamps from Florida. Currently, a grandfather clock is the only one on the floor. ("The matching lamp went to Goldie Hawn in Malibu," according to the sales woman.) At $1,850, the clock is definitely for the thick of wallet but the cost is not that surprising. It looks like artwork, as much as it does a functioning time piece, and Moulé generally has a higher price point than your average IKEA store. After all, a two-foot-by-three-foot cotton rug is $135. But you've got a good chance of getting something here that no one else will have. When another store in the area starts to carry similar products, Moulé will discontinue the line.

Just next to Moulé is Urban Barn (1992 West 4th). Perhaps the most varied in its range of home decoration, it's truly a one-stop shop. From simple picture frames to leather couches, the store is somewhat a cross between Bravura and Wonderbucks. In one area, a stunning Kyoto bar table is fully set and surrounded by matching chairs. A few feet away, baskets and mini-shelving units are falling over each other on the stairs.

"We're a fit between IKEA and a store with a higher price point," said manager Robbie Romu. In fact, the store has found such a perfect niche market, it was one of the 50 fastest growing companies in British Columbia. Two years ago, the company had 10 stores in Canada. It now has 21.

One of the reasons the store does so well is its attraction for new condo owners – you can furnish your whole place with just one visit; and its prices are reasonable – $1,299 for a six-and-a-half foot leather sofa or $40 for a stunning shadow box with Chinese jewelry. And it accommodates those space needs particular to smaller apartments, like space-saving sofas with attachés or ottomans that open up for extra storage.

For smaller items for your home, head to Motiv (2064 West 4th) or Brier's (2070 West 4th), just up the block from Hafatzim. Though Motiv carries mostly things like kitchen and bath decorating items, it also has mirrors, dining room chairs, stools, coffee tables and beautiful Barcelona chairs ($900) and otto-mans ($500). (The Barcelona chair was originally designed by Mies Van der Rohe for the Deutscher Werkbund Pavilion – which he also designed – at the Barcelona World Exposition in 1929. The chairs were to be used by the king and queen of Spain on their official visit to the exposition.)

Speaking of royalty, two doors away is Brier's, carrying the largest array of ... well ... just about everything from "Grow a new boss" gag items to "King" and "Queen" bath towels to full-size couches. Like Urban Barn, the store carries locally made furniture from Stylus in Burnaby. It also has quite a surprising collection of leather dining chairs and stools, some literature on Feng Shui to bring good karma into your home and more wine racks than you can shake a Merlot at.

To satisfy your environmental, back-to-nature side, Brook, across the street (2029 West 4th) sells recycled wood furniture, completely finished, made from fir and larch. Though the items would be beautiful in a country cottage, they didn't exactly scream "urban living" to me. And at $900 for a high boy and $50 for a small "treasure box," they weren't exactly inexpensive either. But did I think the 60-inch sofa table was a great deal at $400.

The south side of West 4th, just west of Burrard offers two destinations for bedroom decor – Northern Feather (1854 West 4th) and Majestic Futon (1828 West 4th). The former has a stunning collection of linens, including a line of Revelle Jacquard bed linen woven in Israel out of 100 per cent Supima cotton sateen. If that's Greek pillow talk to you, don't worry. The staff are not only incredibly knowledgeable about their products, a framed newspaper clipping greets you right at the entrance explaining everything you ever wanted to know about the fluffy stuff. A few of the things I learned: Jacquard is an type of intricate, textured weave; thread counts might not be real or "true"; Pima is an extra-long cotton grown in the United States, Australia, Peru and Israel; and pillows today are covered in beechwood cellulose. Who knew?

A few doors away, Majestic Futon has great ideas both for sleep sets, as well as living-room futons. Stop in to try the Viscoform memory foam. Developed by NASA, it molds to your shape and prevents motion transfer between bedmates. It feels like you're sinking slowly into an angel food cake. But as soon as you get up, the foam reshapes itself, perfectly flat. Some claim it gives you a better sleep, saying you're less likely to move around during the night. It's guaranteed for 15 to 20 years, depending on the thickness, but the $1,000 starting price tag for a single leaves one with a bit of sticker shock. I think I need to lie down.

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