Earlier this month, CANADIAN HOUSE & HOME magazine held their annual trends breakfast. LYNDA REEVES' (publisher and founder) reminded us that cocooning was born during the last recession (along with cultural phenomena like the VCR and microwave popcorn). And while this time around, it may be called ANCHORING, it's all about taking shelter... implying a trend toward making one's shelter cozy and comfortable with items that are of great quality and stand for goodness ... "it's the death of the Consumer and the birth of the Citizen", she announced...last week in THE GLOBE AND MAIL LifeSTYLE section, columnist KAREN VON HAHN, wrote a phony appeal to the board to keep her job in the name of stimulating the economy...after all, she explained if she is out of work, there go the estheticians, hairstylists, clothing boutiques and scented candles...while in jest, it certainly drove the message home...so here is our part...gift ideas to anchor your clients and friends for the holiday season while also doing your little part to help fuel the economy...... with barely a week until Christmas, you better get going...

ROSELAND GALLERY's Fioca Vase by the master Italian designer GAETANO PESCE, is a flexible resin vase that bears the Fish Design logo, the progressive number,  and the designer's name....or bring a little "still life" into the home with pewter birds that can be arranged in a group or as an individual piece. ...dress the desk with accessories by Italy's ARTE & CUOIO, available through AVENUE ROAD...the Noce Collection is a series of square boxes, desk pads, paper trays and more in black walnut wood covered in grained, naturally tanned leather...pray to the gods with a decorative prayer wheel sculpture handmade by Toronto-based KOSOY AND BOUCHARD...sit cool in the lobster trap chair by FISHBOL with your own issue of AZURE magazine, whose subscription now comes with a special gift...your very own PESCE designed by Gaetano Pesce (Pesce means fish in Italian and in keeping with his name and history as an iconoclast, New York-based Pesce created a fish for AZURE that is hand-moulded out of plastic resin and polyester fibre).

... run away on a romantic design weekend at the SOHO METROPOLITAN hotel...or celebrate your newfound optimism at aMUSE, the IDS Opening Night Party on February 5th...we look forward to seeing everyone at IDS 09...COMPLIMENTARY TRADE DAY REGISTRATION complimentary trade day registration ends on January 2nd...here's to peace, health, and anchoring...BEST WISHES

IN THE LAST MATRIX, IT WAS INCORRECTLY STATED THAT THE AXOR BRAND WAS DESIGNED BY CITTERO AND STARCK. THEY EACH HAVE COLLECTIONS WITHIN THE BRAND, BUT THERE ARE OTHER DESIGNERS WITH COLLECTIONS AS WELL (AND NON-DESIGNER COLLECTIONS). THE CORRECT LINK FOR AXOR IS WWW.AXOR-DESIGN.COM