HandyMan and I made a trip yesterday to Designer Fabrics in downtown Toronto. Though I didn't bump into Sarah Richardson while I was there, many of Toronto's well-known designers frequent this fabulous shop.

Our mission was to find a nice silk for the drapes in the dining room. That was easy enough and we picked out 6 samples to take home with us. Yes - take home, I said. Designer Fabrics lets you 'rent' fabric samples for free! You can take up to 8 samples for ten days (and sneaky HandyMan and I took 16 for the two of us ;) ). This is such a great idea and I wish all fabric stores offered it. 

So now, we've got the samples hung up with some painters tape, and will assess how we like them in various light conditions. Here's a peek:

We also stopped by Restoration Hardware to pick up the drapery rod we chose for dining room. Its a beautiful antique silver that goes well with the antique metal of the Robert Abbey chandelier. I especially love the pineapple finials that tie in with the whole 'plantation' theme of the room. We have a little bit of an issue as the centre bracket won't fit in the gap between the crown molding and the window trim so HandyMan is off to trudge through the snow and buy a chisel at Home Depot.