Step Inside Arcade Home, Oakville’s Artisanal Decor Shop

If, as Diana Vreeland quipped, “the eye has to travel,” consider Emily Cade’s particularly well trained. The interior designer is known for pared-back rooms that balance contemporary furnishings with original artwork and one-off objets. “My aesthetic tends to be global modern or modern eclectic,” she says. “For me, it’s a mix of old and new, where layers of textures meet world-travelled pieces.” In September, Cade and partner Melissa Sheppard opened Arcade Home, a retail store and design studio in downtown Oakville, putting her in the company of a growing number of designers in the GTHA who now have a shoppable aspect to their design business.

“As a designer, I am interested in expanding into a multidisciplinary, multifaceted design presence,” says Cade, who is the principal furniture designer for Arcade’s collection. “So many people want a piece of a designer’s style — Instagram plays a part in that, but they can’t necessarily hire them. Having a retail presence offers that special attention, brings that touch to their space.”

Taking its name from Europe’s time-worn arched shopping plazas, Arcade Home lives up to its promise. The 2,500-square-foot space is divided into three distinct rooms, connected by a series of arches. The first features foundational furniture including an eight-piece collection of case goods, tables and dining chairs. All are locally made in Oakville and available in a range of stone and wood finishes. Upholstered pieces will be added to the house line in 2023.

The second room, dubbed “The Arcade Room,” has tiled checkerboard floors and a plaster-finished feature wall displaying shapely ceramics from 101 Copenhagen. At the back, a marketplace includes one-off finds from buying trips mixed with new household essentials such as Last Light Collection bed linens, Steelwood Design serving boards, and Konzuk’s raw-edge concrete vessels and candles.

Throughout the space, original artwork provides a framework and visual interest. Currently on view are works by Toronto artists Murray Duncan, Suzanne Metz, Holly Young, and Cade’s father, Paul Cade. The selection will change and expand over time, lending a gallery feel that’s singular, personal and always evolving. ARCADEHOME.COM