household

Shops We Love: 31 Westgate

Halifax designers Colin Blanchard and Ken McRobbie wanted an simpler way (rather than hopping on a plane) to offer luxury brands of furniture, lighting and accessories for clients’ homes. They opened 31 Westgate — named after their first design project together — to bring the trendy pieces they were searching for to the east Coast.

Blanchard and McRobbie treated the boxy, 2,000-square-foot store like one of their projects, dressing it up with crown molding and hanging chandeliers for oomph. “We wanted to add a sense of history, and for the shop to feel like our clients’ homes,” says Blanchard. four rooms showcase seasonal vignettes that reveal the duo’s skill with pattern and proportion, and their willingness to mingle classic toile with Moroccan prints or graphic stripes. Throughout, pieces from luxury brands like Ralph Lauren Home, Baker and Thomas Pheasant mix with vintage objects collected during the partners’ travels.

Located at 2698 Agricola St., Halifax.