Media were invited to view pieces from CB2, Crate and Barrel‘s sister store yesterday. CB2 will be opening its first Canadian store at the corner of Queen and Bathurst this November – right at former home of the Big Bop.  CB2 distinguishes itself from Crate and Barrel with smaller, more scaled back and modern pieces, perfect for Toronto’s downtown condo dweller.  Besides furniture, it also has very interesting artwork (many pieces are limited edition prints, with most at very affordable prices) as well as dining pieces.  One of my favourites are the appetizer plates featuring “Oliver” – a cute stick figure (“doodle dude,” according to the website) found in many of their pieces.  Two Canadian-specific ones were created for the launch, one with Oliver dressed as a Mountie and another with him as a hockey player.

Oliver plates ($2.95 each) made especially for the Canadian launch

Other favourites include:

“New York Minute” by Parvez Taj ($999) – a one time only, limited edition print consisting of three panels

Marta glasses ($1.50-2.50) – these are named after CB2’s director and are made of lightweight glass.  They are also dishwasher friendly!

Hancock Chartruese bookshelves ($249) – love the industrial-esque feel!

Though CB2 doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar store in Toronto yet, everything (with the exception of the Canadian-exclusive Oliver plates) can be ordered online.  Online prices include duty.  Note that larger pieces such as the bookshelves or artwork need to be ordered by phone.

CB2 will also be opening in Vancouver in early 2012.