Building Block

Stack €™em to create centrepieces and bookends or display them on a bookshelf. Whatever you choose, Sancal's solid-wood Icon blocks (from $85 each) will take you back to playtime in the sandbox. pompandcircumstance.ca

Queen’s Guard

Board-game night goes high design with West Elm's acrylic chess set ($209). It's an object that will challenge your mind as much as it will jazz up your coffee table. westelm.ca

Day by Day

Stay on track with the mountain cabin desk calendar ($28) from Vancouver's Cabin
and Cub. The handmade birch-wood base comes with 12 calendar months and is laser-cut with outlines of evergreens for a hit of West Coast cool. etsy.ca

Dine In

Take the KISS principle€”that's keep it simple, silly€”to the kitchen with Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over ($34) by New York Times food columnist Alison Roman. Filled with easy-to-pull-off recipes and bright, beautiful imagery, it'll be your new secret weapon for dinner parties both big and intimate. indigo.ca

Tea Party

Scandi simplicity meets Japanese sensibility in Stelton's Theo line (from $41 for mug with coaster to $130 for coffee maker), now available in a soothing sand hue. The matte finish and natural bamboo accents make the stoneware pieces apropos for afternoon cuppas and grand tea ceremonies alike. providehome.com

Breaking Dishes

Vancouver-based Fable makes modern, high-quality dinnerware, including the Aesop dinner plate ($60 for set of four in speckled white or noir), at an accessible price point. Plus, a portion of each sale goes toward helping end youth hunger. fablehome.co

Beam Me Up

A light beam reimagined for the tabletop, the Beam lamp ($349)€”designed by Vancouver-born Tom Chung for Muuto€” emits adjustable levels of brightness from both ends of its cylindrical body. shop.vanspecial.com