Metropolis Living is an inviting new store in the Junction that sells vintage home decor pieces. That description barely does justice to this fun shop. Something about the playful juxtapositions of objects and their skewed scales, or the smart re-purposing of materials brings a smile to my face. And I'm not alone - on two recent visits, I was amused to see others who were actually laughing out loud at the pieces for sale.

It's refreshing to see this trend of "value added" vintage taking root in Toronto. The key is that it's not just cleaning up some old piece of equipment and putting a price on it, but actually re-inventing a new, desirable piece out of something that would have been scrap. One of the best examples of this is a superb dining table that was created by grafting a section of a bowling lane onto table legs. Presto! Easily the coolest dinner table I've seen all summer. ($2,895)

Other stunners include a glass-topped table with a base made from an industrial cord spinning rig and a coffee table transformed from an industrial cart. ($1,895)

Many of the objects are just well-chosen pieces of history, like a 1940's miniature motorcycle taken from a carnival ride ($1,195), or an improbably cool tripod lamp with a spinning colour wheel ($595).

To suggest that these pieces will promote conversation is a given, but I'm happy just having such cool things around me to inspire me. My idea of something interesting to frame and put on my walls is an antique blueprint of a bridge ($350), so I was pleased to find a sterling example available of that here.

Signage letters are near and dear to me as well, and a nice selection is available. The collection included (past tense - it's sold) a monumental 10 foot tall M ($2,200) that someone smart snatched up for their garden.

With so much to look at and friendly staff, I'll be back soon.

Photos by Dennis Marciniak