TCHFM introduces Market Must Have product favorites

Michael J. Knell -- Furniture Today, January 10, 2013

The Market Must Have tent card will identify a panel of judges’ favorite products at this weekend’s TCHFM.

TORONTO — Organizers of this weekend's Canadian Home Furnishings Market here have introduced Market Must Haves to aid in its efforts to recognize and highlight the diversity of product shown at the event as well as the latest trends.

TCHFM opens for its annual four-day run at the International Centre this Saturday, Jan. 12.

The market's organizer, the Quebec Furniture Manufacturers Assn., asked a panel including two journalists and an interior designer to identify their Market Must Have products on the show floor. Each will identify their favored products using personalized tent cards, and will also write why they selected those particular pieces.

Panel members include television personality and interior designer Jane Lockhart; Danny Sinopoli, lifestyle editor for the Globe & Mail; and writer and columnist Chantal Lapointe of Idées de ma maison.

Their evaluations will be based on a variety of factors, including originality, creativity, authenticity, innovative use of materials, aesthetic appeal, functionality, local design, value and eco awareness (as perceived by each judge).

In a statement, the organizers said the Market Must Haves should prove to be "a true celebration of the charm, appeal and variety of the very best products our exhibitors have to offer."
All products chosen will be photographed and then compiled in a book that will be published shortly after the market.
Lockhart has been practicing interior design in Toronto since 1997 as principal of Jane Lockhart Interior Design. She was also creative director and host of W Network's top ranked "Colour Confidential," which also aired on HGTV in the U.S. for six seasons.

Sinopoli joined the Globe & Mail in 2007 and has been the editor of its weekend Style section since 2009. Prior to joining Canada's national newspaper, he was a senior editor at home and garden magazines Canadian House & Home and Gardening Life. He speaks frequently on design and decor trends and is a regular contributor to such publications as Canadian Architecture.
For over 12 years, Lapointe has been a stylist and columnist for Idées de ma Maison and has been a regular contributor to magazines such as Chez Soi and Chatelaine. She was also one of the judges on renovation television show "La Maison Rona" and is a regular blogger for CASA, sharing her product discoveries and décor projects and offering advice on home trends.