We like to call Matt Stokes our brother from another mother, because we share a love of Art Deco and Old Hollywood. About a year ago, Matt started tagging us on Twitter and sharing gorgeous pictures of Deco buildings, and we thought, "Who is this wonderful man?" We could not have been more excited when he approached us recently about starting up a brother blog to what we are doing, and we are thrilled to share this Q & A with you and let you learn a little about Matt, the Deco side of Toronto, and classic furniture restoration. And when you have a moment, hop on over to www.ArtDecoDivo.blogspot.com and check it out!
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Not only is he handsome, but he loves Art Deco! |
1. What is your day job? What can we find you doing in "real life?"
I work for hyper local
magazine/newspaper hybrid called The Grid. It’s a lifestyle publication
that targets a young, upwardly mobile reader that is interested in all
that Toronto has to offer. From Food and Drink, to Real Estate, Dating
and Design, The Grid approaches the city from a granular, behind the
scenes perspective. We also run several city-wide events like Burger
Week, Toronto Cocktail Week, with this year’s new additions being the
Beer and Cider Festival and the Toronto Music Run. As we are a free
publication, my job as an Account Manager is to generate advertising
sales to make sure we keep printing! I oversee a plethora of both Retail
and National accounts and also sell sponsorship and participation for
our events. A cool fact about The Grid is that we’ve actually been
awarded the World’s Best Designed Newspaper 3 years in a row by the
Society for News Design, based in New York. Check us out at
www.TheGridTO.com or on Twitter @TheGridTO.
2. How did the Art Deco love affair begin?
It’s tough to pinpoint a moment in time where my Art Deco love affair
began, but I can definitely see where and how it cultivated over time.
Growing up, we had my father parent’s occupy the second floor of our
family home, and as both of my parents worked full-time, I spent a lot
of time with them; my grandmother in particular. She was born in April
of 1912, just after the Titanic sank, spent her youth partying in 1930’s
England and thus grew up with Art Deco all around her. I just loved her
stories, her furniture, and her furs, ha ha. In her youth, she was a
model for Du Maurier! Her living room in our home was a time capsule
where I always felt comfortable. I guess I didn’t realize it at the
time, but Art Deco was a slow burning fire within, and when I started to
have my own apartments, I found myself looking at pieces that resembled
what my nana had. From there it spread like wild fire and here I am
today, Art Deco Divo.
3. What do you love about the Art Deco era?
Oh,
what a loaded question! What’s not to love?! I love the glamour of it
all. The luxurious fabrics, the exotic woods, the patterns, the chrome,
the lifestyle. I love Art Deco because it reflected a time where
everyone took pride in the way they looked. You never left the house
without looking flawless. Art Deco literally touched every aspect
design, from skyscrapers to a credenza, a restaurant to a hairbrush; it
really affected every facet of life. A complete, holistic, all
encompassing style that reflects old world decadence and glamour. These
are all things I feel that modern society has lost. I guess I’m an old
soul!
4. You're in Hollywood North, a.k.a. Toronto. What are some can't-miss Deco places to visit when in the city?
Toronto really is an Art Deco Mecca, if you keep your eyes peeled. As
Art Deco Divo grows, I’ll show the world not only the most notable and
grande locales, but the little known, often dismissed buildings that
pepper the city. That being said, The Carlu, Tip Top Lofts, The Bank of
Nova Scotia (King & Bay Streets), and the Bank of Commerce (CIBC –
Yonge & King Streets) are absolute must visits! All these (and
more) will be big featured on Art Deco Divo.
5. Tell us about your cool Art Deco bar and this business of restoring glamour to previously-loved pieces of furniture, please.
I love that bar, and there will be
a feature on it! The back story to this bar is that my fathers’ father
Alec was an architect in England. Unfortunately he passed away when my
dad was 5, but he too, loved Art Deco and built the bar himself using a
variety of woods. It was brought over with my grandmother Amy and her
new husband Nathaniel when they decided to live with us. At some point,
someone painted it this god-awful maroon colour and it just sat wasting
away in our basement. When I moved out, I took it with me and decided
that one I would do grandpa Alec proud and restore it.
It was a much bigger undertaking that I
had thought, with over 30 hours of sanding, cutting/polishing marble,
and multiple coats of stain and varathane, but was it ever worth it.
From there I started purchasing beat-up Art Deco and Mid Century
furniture for pennies, and would restore them to their former glory.
Resurrection. It was at that moment that I realized many people have
what they consider junk in their basements or attics, and from there
Restoring Hope was born. We accept these cast-aways as donations,
restore them and re-sell them with 50% of the proceeds going to a
charity of the donators choice. As we don’t have an indoor workshop,
it’s a backyard, summertime venture but it is rewarding, and it
scratches my itch to restore (it’s almost therapeutic!).
6. Is there a building you would love to visit in person one day?
I’ve
seen a lot of Art Deco in major cities around the globe but there is
one building that I recently fell in love with, and it’s the recently
restored Niagara Mohawk (Nimo) Building in Syracuse, New York. Seeing
photos took my breath away – I can only imagine standing in front of it!
7. Do you have a favorite classic film or song?
All
About Eve, hands down! First of all it’s got Bette Davis and that’s a
reason enough, but the writing is incredible. The plot is just amazing
and I don’t think there’s another film with as many quotable one-liners.
Also, all the wardrobe was designed by the legendary Edith Head. Enough
said! When it comes to music from a bygone era, I have a sweet spot for
the ever-tortured Billie Holiday. I used to listen to her a lot with my
mother, so it takes me back to those memories.
8. How can we follow all of your adventures? (Twitter, Instagram, Blog, etc.)
My personal adventures can be followed on Twitter: @mattdstokes, and Instagram: mattstokes
Then of course there is Twitter: @ArtDecoDivo, Instagram: @ArtDecoDivo, and the blog
www.ArtDecoDivo.Blogspot.com
And a bonus question...
9. We'd love to hear about the fabulous cat whose pictures we see on Instagram.
He’s a little rascal, but I love him to pieces.
His name is Percival, he’s 7 months old and I’ve had him since he was a
mere 6 weeks new. From 0.8lbs to the 9lbs he is now, I wonder if he’s
part Puma as he’s lean but really big. I’ve been really affectionate
with him since a young age and as a result, he is incredibly cuddly and
has turned such a handsome young man! He loves to jump all over the
furniture which gives me heart palpitations as I’ve personally restored
every piece in the house and don’t want anything scratched. Luckily,
he’s really well behaved apart from his
4:00am- 7:00am
witching hours where he feels the need to run around the place at
90MPH, like a cheetah after a gazelle. I’m sure he’ll make an appearance
on the blog at some point.