We have a great apartment. It’s filled with furniture we didn’t have to build ourselves. So why the less-than-fabulous kitchen gear?

To upgrade our cooking and table setting game, we’re hitting up Fracas! La Table, a new Laurier store. Stocked everything from gorgeous Perceval knives (designed by a Michelin-starred chef and available exclusively at Fracas) to kitchen linens imported straight from France and stunning dishes by Pillivuyt, the splurge-y shop is perfect for stepping up our tablewear game.

Our grown-up dinner parties have never looked so gorgeous. —Christine Laroche

90 Laurier Ave. W., Montreal, 514-507-3663, www.fracaslatable.com

It’s going to take a little bit more than that fact that it’s spring cleaning season to motivate us to start scrubbing.

Enter the latest edition of Method + Orla Kiely ($3.99 each). Much like a new Lululemon look gets us to downward dog more often, these gorgeous products, with labels by Irish designer Orla Kiely and lovely new scents like white nectarine, honeysuckle and tomato fine, help keep chores from being a total bore.  

Here’s to cleaning pretty! —Christine Laroche

www.methodhome.com

Whether you’re seeking a slight seasonal update or an extreme overhaul, your living quarters will thank you for visiting Quartier Dix30.

The Brossard shopping mega-complex is home to the very first Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids stores in Quebec, as well as the province’s second Williams Sonoma. Combined, the three stylish stores span 33,000 square feet of home décor delights.

Also in the new to the neighbourhood are hr2 and Lululemon – don’t miss ‘em! —Christine Laroche

www.quartierdix30.com

Romantic, modern, vintage, explorer, elegant… No matter what your style, Ethan Allen makes the furniture, fabric and accessories of your dreams.

And thanks to the brand’s sprawling new store/design centre in Les Cours Mont-Royal (the first in Quebec) and bilingual e-commerce site for Canada, these dreams can easily become reality.

From magnificent mirrored chests (worth the Windex investment!) to shabby chic coffee tables and industrial-esque lighting fixtures, we found ourselves wanting it all.

That we left with only a pair of (divine) candlesticks is a modern-day miracle, but we’ll be back. Soon. —Christine Laroche

998 de Maisonneuve Blvd., Montreal, www.ethanallen.ca

We recently stumbled upon a treasure trove of antiques but be warned: These are not grandma’s heirlooms!

Style Labo Deco may have a new home on St-Laurent Boulevard but it is still packed with fabulously unique, oh-so-cool finds. Think industrial chic furniture (we are in love with the vintage lockers and metal drawing tables), quirky finds (3D model of Lionel-Groulx metro, anyone?) and vast array of retro light fixtures.

Now all we need is an expansive Mile End loft to fill with all these treasures…. — Christine Laroche

5765 St-Laurent, Montreal, 514-658-9910, www.stylelabo-deco.com

Do not adjust your monitor. The pixilated print on the tumbler at right is the brainchild of Rodarte’s Mulleavy sisters, not a glitch in your screen.

We’re lining up at Starbucks not for a cup of joe (we tend to lean towards a stellar home brew, thankyouverymuch) but for an actual cup. Part of a limited edition collection by Rodarte for Starbucks (it also includes a tote, coffee cup sleeve and gift card), the ceramic tumbler ($13.95) is a coffee-loving fashionista’s must-have.

And caffeine chic was born. – Christine Laroche

1301 Ste-Catherine St., 514-904-5411, www.starbucks.ca

Wanting to buy everything we see in a store? Definitely trouble.

Despite the imminent danger, we can’t stay away from Griffintown store Mercer. From quirky wall art (a framed vintage cycling sign, $249, has our name written all over it) to unique furniture and small must-haves (nothing like a Voluspa candle to cozy up a space), Mercer stocks our dream décor – we’d move in in a flash!

And if you’re into owner Michael Stratulak’s aesthetic as much as we are, be sure to head down the street to Beige, his original Notre-Dame Street. store.

The only way to keep a budget in check? Leave the plastic at home.  —Christine Laroche

2658 Notre-Dame St. W., Montreal, 514-937-6996.

Thanks to the Lo-fi filter, we all have a little more colour in our cheeks. Instagram filters iron out the wrinkles and bring high wattage colour to the bleakest of days.

Montreal-based start-up Static Pixels takes your photos of topknots, graffiti and petits fours and turns them into little works of art. Each 5-inch square image is printed on corrugated board (made from a combination of recycled materials) and uses fade-resistant UV inks.

Cool, Canadian and eco-friendly.

Trifecta complete. —Athena Tsavliris

Four five-inch square “DeepSquare” prints for $25 (plus $10 shipping), www.staticpixels.com

Everyone knows that we can build blazing campfires, open beer bottles with our teeth and make sweet love in canoes (without tipping).

But even the hardiest Canadienne will accept a little help when offered. For a more efficient summer of love we’re snagging swish essentials from Victorinox Swiss Army. We’ll stand on guard for the Canadian Flag Sportsman ($32) - with corkscrew and bottle opener – and see thee rise on a red beach mat with carrying strap and built-in towel ($95). Also in stock, a cool collection of staples for fashion-forward outdoorsy types like moss green swim shorts ($85) and water-resistant shirt dresses ($295) with reflective detailing (perfect for sneaking around after dark).

Just remember, if the canoe’s rocking, don’t come knocking. —Marianne Wisenthal

Victorinox Swiss Army Knives available at Quincaillerie Dante, 6851 Rue St-Dominique, Montreal, 514-271-2057, www.victorinox.com

If the bicycle pillow in the window is a nod to a new St-Laurent Boulevard store’s previous roots – a bike shop – the rest of the new homewares shop couldn’t be more different.

Our biggest issue with V de V? The overwhelming desire to take everything home, including a large distressed wood table ($1,000), gorgeous vintage-inspired suspension lamp ($130) and fabulous statement-making ring (at $10, this one made it home!).

From quirky books and home accessories to vintage-esque hardware and furniture, we could spend hours scouring the stellar selection housed in the adorable two-floored store.

If home is where the heart is, ours is at V de V! –Christine Laroche

V de V, 5042 St-Laurent Blvd., 514-277-8484, www.vdevmaison.com