Toronto’s Chicest Shoppable Apartment Opens Tomorrow and We Love It!

by Noreen Flanagan February 8, 2019

The tableware and home accessories you’ll find at Hopson Grace are impeccably tasteful, worldly and elegantly understated—just like the two women behind the Toronto lifestyle concept store.

Andrea Hopson and Martha Grace McKimm opened their boutique four years ago after they made the inspired (brave) decision to leave their corporate lives behind. (Hopson was the VP Canada for Tiffany & Co., and McKimm was a senior marketing communications executive with a background in luxury goods.)

Their dream was to offer an edited selection of tableware and decorative pieces from brands like Richard Ginori, Jim Lorriman and Ichendorf Milano. “Life’s best moments are often around a table with wine, food and good conversation,” says McKimm. “We want our pieces to enrich that experience.”

With the opening of their new shoppable apartment, which is located just above their 1120 Yonge Street location, the pair will now bring that same thoughtful aesthetic to other areas of your home. As with the main floor, there is a range of prices from a $30 hand-blown glass olive oil cruet from Italy to an Alonpi cashmere throw from Peru for $1,850.

“We didn’t want this to be a traditional retail environment,” explains Hopson. “We wanted to show our products more in situ. It was about bringing our theatrical vision to life. We want someone to look at the bedroom and think ‘That’s the one I’ve always imagined I could have.’”

Walking through the 1,200-square feet of space is like being immersed in a shoppable Instagram-worthy apartment. For foodies, the custom kitchen by Scavolini will induce instant envy. On the counters and inside the cupboards is an edited collection of small electrical appliances, like a stainless steel soda machine from Aark, as well as intricately carved Japanese knives by Miyabi to Skeppshult cast iron Dutch Ovens. The Black Forest Collection from Dibbern, with its sketched bare winter tree on white fine bone china, is poetic.

The rest of apartment is furnished with pieces from J Gibson Interiors, the McGill Design Group’s Plum Furniture Collection and carpets from Kate Thornley-Hall. For dog lovers there are bowls from Brooklyn-based Mr. Dog and tweed beds from the U.K.’s British Tweedmill. In the dream bedroom, you’ll find linens by Sferra, monogrammed towels by Matouk and brass and bronze vanity accessories from Decor Walther from Germany.

“Whatever we fall in love with, that’s what you’ll find in the store,” says Grace.

When you visit their boutique, you’re bound to fall in love too.

Here’s what we fell for.