Bent Out Of Shape explores the full range of Canada's design output, historically and geographically. Running until October 10, the exhibit combines the DX's mid-century-focused permanent collection with contemporary Canadian work by the likes of Rob Southcott, Bev Hisey, Brothers Dressler, Not Made In China, Bookhou and many more. The show represents a year's worth of research and collaboration. Says curator Anne Marie Minardi, "We did a call for new designers last summer, as well as selected from our own research here and designers we have worked with in previous capacities." Her personal favourite of these newbies: "the Meridian series of lighting by Propellor."

While you're scoping out this country's past, current and future design scene, be sure to wander through Design Domestic, curated by Noa Bronstein, which opened last week and runs till August 19th. The exhibit delves into the homes of nine Canadian designers and artists, with photographs of their personal abodes. They include the owners of two of Toronto's hippest furniture showrooms, those of Jason MacIsaac at Ministry of the Interior and Shaun Moore of Made, as well as such architects as Anne Cormier of Montreal's Atelier Big City and Martin Kohn of Toronto's Kohn Schnier Architects.

One of the participants, An Te Liu, the Toronto architectural theorist and installation artist, describes the elements that come together to make his loft, complete with work area, unique: "The work area in my loft is a niche off the living room, wide enough for two big desks. These ones are designed by a great young designer, Derek McLeod. I love the reflective chrome frames. In front are two rolling storage cabinets which I clad in cowhide. On the wall are studies for a work in progress provisionally entitled 'Agenda', based on my appointment calendar over the last decade. The Eames bucket chair is one of a pair purchased for fifty dollars while I was a grad student in Los Angeles, and the early edition rocker is what I treated myself with as a graduation present, instead of paying rent. My favourite piece is the table found at the St. Lawrence antique market – three wavy legs supporting a solid section of tree trunk, all covered in a ton of verathane. Hailing from a manufacturer in Delhi, Ontario, it has more character than all my mid-century pieces combined. Partially seen here is my beloved gun blue steel coffee table – more of a slab really. It looks like the monolith in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and also makes a good dance floor when parties get going."

For architect Anne Cormier and her partner, Randy Cohen, also of Montreal’s Atelier Big City, their interior is a labour of love. They designed their own high-density fibreboard cabinets and made them stand out via a colour blocking scheme that sounds a lot like a recipe. Here's how Cormier puts it: “1/orange wall of storage, fridge, oven and micro-wave; 2/blue counter with sink and dishwasher; 3/grey for the cook top unit; 4/brown for the ‘vaisselier’. I guess the vaisselier’s colours are like the dark wood of the typical old piece of furniture that one would find in many households. Otherwise, it was more a matter of composition, of finding a combination of colours amongst the typical samples that seemed right. Of course, each of the four units had to be of a different colour.” They also improvised on IKEA furniture: the table is  a simple door set on IKEA-bought legs.

Jason MacIsaac’s interior mixes and matches the hip and high-end furnishings that he also sells in his Ossington shop with vintage finds, like a 1980s Japanese chair and a 1950s Jotul #4 woodstove. “I really like the woodstove,” he says. “I got it from an old Norwegian farmer outside of Ottawa.” But the modern wares are also of note, and they include the Easy chair by Klauser and Carpenter for Established and Sons; the Russian Doll coffee table by Rich, Brilliant, Willing; the Mushroom tables by Autoban; the Conversation vase, by Jaime Hayon from the Fantasy Collection for Lladro; a prototype of Daydream mirrors by Jason Miller for Areaware; and the Shelter sofa by (now-defunct) Norway Says.

Check out the Tweeted pics from the shows by Azure's Nina Boccia.

Bent Out of Shape runs until October 10 and Design Domestic is on until August 19 at the Design Exchange, 234 Bay St., (416)-363-6121.