The next time you need a gift or kitchen gadget or just want to treat yourself, consider stopping by the stylish new home decor store on the northwest corner of Warden and Kingston Rd., a few doors down from Taylor Library.
Luxe Home Decor offers a curated approach to home decor and sells a mix of functional and decorative items including kitchen, bath, storage, organizational, seasonal and giftware. The store is stocked with brand names including Cuisinart, Breville and Umbra, to name a few.
The shop is the brainchild of Birch Cliff mom, Caroline Pius, who’s worked as a corporate buyer at major companies such as Hudson’s Bay Company, Shoppers Drug Mart, and most recently Sears, which closed all of its stores last year after filing for bankruptcy protection.
“After that fiasco I decided that was it,” said Pius, who opened the shop on June 28. “I was done and I was going to try something on my own. With all the condos coming up, I think this area is really going to pick up. I thought it might as well invest in something for myself.”
When talking to Pius, one gets the sense right away that she knows her retail. She said her sourcing background has allowed her to carry some storage and organizational lines that nobody else is selling as well as some exclusive brands such as Baker and Salt from the UK.
“I know the brands that are really good value for money, good quality and that’s what I’ve tried to bring to the store so even though somebody might say it’s a more limited selection, I think it’s more of a curated selection because I know the statistics from being in the corporate environment. So I’ve kind of implemented them here,” Pius said.
Pius also said the artwork in the store, by Suzanne McRury, is also exclusive to Luxe. The photography on sale is by Kim Spencer and the pillows were a custom order from Judith Romagnolo of Fab Home Fashions.
Pius said she’s knows she’s taking a risk opening a store on Kingston Rd. but she’s optimistic because 96 percent of home decor sales in Canada are still done in brick and mortar stores and shopping online can pose problems with returns.
Pius said she’s excited about the opportunity to open her own shop and is looking forward to nurturing it and watching it grow.
”I think being part of the community and actually having a discussion and giving a service, a personalized service, I think that’s really important and that’s what I can do in a store.”
Scroll down for more photos from Luxe Home Decor.
Luxe carries Baker & Salt from the UK as well as the Ricardo line.
Via Facebook.
Italian milled soaps.
Fun for the little ones.
All the gadgets a chef could want.
