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Toronto's Design Exchange, more commonly known as the DX, exists to change this taking-for-granted. Housed in the former Toronto Stock Exchange, a spacious Art Deco structure on Toronto's Bay Street, it has as its mandate the promotion of Canadian Design. As such, it creates exhibitions to give us an idea how marvelous Canadian design really is. If you are like me, you tire of those who tout 'European' design as being somehow superior to our own. At the same time, the DX offers courses to adults and, during vacation times, to youngsters to help them learn to appreciate design.

At the DX you will soon discover that Canada rather than lagging behind Europe, it has sometimes run ahead of the crowd, especially when it involved wood and metal objects. Rather than being intimidated by Europe, as we so often are, we should revel in our own and be proud of it.

It must be stated here, however, that the DX also imports exhibitions from outside Canada. To that extend, it had a display of Mediterranean & Israeli designs last March, and it will have a Norwegian design & craft exhibit starting November 17.

Right now the DX has a number of small and large displays of some outstanding Canadian designed objects, and of interior spaces. On its third floor is the above mentioned Bent Out of Shape, Canadian Design 1945 to the Present. It runs to October 10, so there is plenty of time to view it. The ground floor offers a look at current interior design through a photographic display that is not only based on practicality, but on visually pleasing shapes and settings.

The DX Shop, located in the lobby of the building, is also a new innovation. If you are looking for a gift for someone that is designed and made in Canada, this is where to shop for original ideas and objects. All of its proceeds support the DX's non-profit causes. The objects sold there are both decorative and utilitarian, and there are some very unique toys as well.

But back to Bent out of Shape, which is a combination of articles from the DX's collection of more than 1,000 'antique' objects, and those being created by today's designers. The show's curator, AnneMarie Minardi, has chosen to explain various sections with posters that borrow heavily from the late American artist Roy Lichtenstein. Now, one can say that in this instance, art inspired the design. But, of course, we must remember that Lichtenstein was inspired by cartoonists, who can be identified as graphic artists. The Bent Out of Shape posters, in themselves, are collectors' items, as far as I am concerned. They would look grand on a non-traditional home's walls.

As one enters the third floor exhibition space, the first thing one encounters is a wall covered in yellow and black wallpaper. As it turned out, the irregular dotted black squares on the yellow background of the wallpaper are a variety of QR codes that can be turned into apps for cell phones. RIM made several Blackberrys available for people to try out these apps. At the opening, some individuals were also busy loading them on their own phones. The designer of the wallpaper is a member of Rollout, a Vancouver firm that specializes in made-to-order wallpapers, often with designs created by the customer who ordered it.

On entering the actual exhibition area, one discovers a large number of household items from the past that includes radios, kitchen appliances and also lamps. Here is not just design to be found but a bit of Canadian history. It seems that few Canadians know that the electric tea kettle is a Canadian invention and that its original shape was long seen as the ideal design. Now, of course, electric tea kettles are known in most parts of the world and every country brings out its own designs. But, that iconic first tea kettle has shaped our vision of an electric kettle for decades. Its stainless steel, bowl-shaped top with its plastic handle curved towards the spout stood for several decades in the forefront as the definitive object that should grace a modern home's kitchen counter.

Canada's rich aluminum deposits began to inspire designers, architects and manufacturers to work with this light-weight material. This resulted is the aluminum office furniture and home cookware that came into fashion after WWII, when Canada had a surplus of the metal. One of the designers who excelled in creating household items and office furniture with this metal is Jack Luck. There are colored aluminum pots on display by this designer from 1955, manufactured by WearEver in Toronto. At the same time aluminum began to be used as cladding on homes and buildings. Perhaps one of the most famous architectural structures clad in aluminum is Place Ville Marie in Montreal.

A variety of chairs are on view that one might be describe as typical late 1940s to mid-60s styles. Two, which I found particularly intriguing, are spanned with braided cords for the seat and backrest. These 1953 chairs, which have a wooden frame, are pleasingly classic, with clean lines that even today will fit into home as well as office decor. They are the brainchild of designer Jacques Guillon, who created these deceptively simple and light looking chairs.

There are also contemporary chairs created by currently practicing designers. The Brothers Dressler are represented by several recliners and other wooden chairs. These Toronto furniture designers often use found objects which end up as limited editions or one-of-a-kind. One of their chairs was placed in front of an attractive wool carpet designed by Bev Hisey. Her studio is also in Toronto. She creates not only carpets that are woven in India, but also makes cushions, place mats and even carpets out of felt.

A set of four very quirky chairs, which have antler-like, interwoven chair backs, are the brainchild of Toronto-based industrial designer Rob Southcott. He named them United as each chair rests on the other. He is also represented by some lamps and other furnishings, as well as his stackable tea cups in which each cup forms a section of a totem pole.

I can go on and on, but suffice it to say that this show is a treasure drove of ideas that shows Canadian designers have the knowhow to please our senses.