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Architecture To Admire

Architecture
My friend Mark has excellent taste in vacation houses, often spotting exactly the kind of place I would want to reside in all year round! Here’s another stellar pick of his currently featured in ArchDaily.com.     This house in Melides, on the southern Alentejo Coast of Portugal, is by…
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Inspiration From Film – The King’s Speech

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On Saturday evening I trekked through a snow squall to meet friends at the Varsity Cinema to enjoy the film that is receiving a lot of Oscar buzz… “The King’s Speech”. I had been told this movie was charming, amusing, and engaging, but no one had mentioned the phenomenal set design. Set in mid 1930s…
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Four Seasons Centre For Performing Arts

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One of Toronto’s most impressive cultural institutions is the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Located on the southeast corner of University Avenue and Queen Street West, this spectacular performance space is home to the National Ballet of Canada and the Canadian Opera Company. Completed in 2006, this 2071-seat…
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Come Up To My Room Again K?

Design, Queen West, Restaurants
If exploring the Interior Design Show wasn’t enough fun for one this weekend past, going to the ‘Come Up To My Room’ exhibit at The Gladstone Hotel elevated my fun quotient even more! After my pals and I toured the ID Show we grabbed brunch at The Drake Hotel (it is…
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Interior Design Show 2011 Recap

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Right now winter has its grip on Toronto. And its near-strangling us! The Arctic deep freeze has brought heaps of snow, salty roads, slushy sidewalks, and icicles hanging from every eavestrough like icy claws slashing at unsuspecting passers-by. Brrrr. On the streets our teeth chatter and our bodies shiver enroute to locations offering hot steaming caffeinated beverages which stave our Canadian desire to hibernate. To fight off the…
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Come Up To My Room

Queen West
Don’t forget to catch The Gladstone Hotel’s (pics from their site) 8th annual “Come Up To My Room” Exhibition this weekend. Love It! As the official CUTMR website says “Come Up To My Room (CUTMR) is the Gladstone Hotel’s annual alternative design event. This year’s show, curated by Jeremy Vandermeij and…
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Understated Innovative Architecture

Architecture
While there is no denying that an amazing site can elevate any building, I still believe an essential key to successful residential architecture is to keep the form simple. the materials natural and the design humble…and by this I mean creating a structure that doesn’t scream “Look at Me!”. This 2400 square foot three bedroom…
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Welcoming Habitat For Humanity

College Street / Little Italy
Back in 1999 (see photo above), after three years of a detailed retrofit, the third adaptive reuse conversion I was engaged on became registered as ‘The Movie House’ condominium. Located in Toronto’s Little Italy on the northwest corner of College Street and Euclid Avenue, this former Metropolitan Review Cinema became an intimate 18 unit…
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