Archive for the ‘Toronto’ Category

I’m often ammused by all the crazy kinds of fridge magnets I see on daily basis…From tattoo removal (as if that’s something you’ll need every day) to competing Realtors and their smiling grins, the fridge has become a popular space for brands to promote their messages in consumers homes! And yes, even I am guilty of such tactics with my “Savel And The City” magnets making their rounds on various fridges throughout the City.

I recently stumbled upon some real swanky magnets at a  showings!

“App Magnets” and as the websites description suggests:
Keeping stuff on you fridge? There’s an App for that. Set of 18 magnets, designed to look like iPhone Apps.

They retail for $16 on the UrbanOutfitters website and are a fun and playful way to post things on your fridge!

Pool season has officially begun! With the hot June summer weather rolling into town, 12 outdoor pools opened their doors early this year. On Saturday June 26, the City’s remaining 47 outdoor pools opened up along with more than 100 wading pools. Outdoor pools and wading pools will remain open for the season, until September 5. It’s expected to be a hot one this year, so check out the City of Toronto’s website for a full list of pools, locations and hours of operation!

Trinity Lofts is running a summer special, offering buyers either $10,000 in cash back or $15,000 in upgrades on units priced over $350,000!  The  location of the lofts offers downtown living next door to the Distillery District and West Don Lands Redevelopment.

The 8 story building will have just 81 lofts plus 2 townhouses.  The building will also have a dog room on the main level, resident “bike share” program and a on-site autoshare parking space.  Below is an example of a 2 bedroom plus den.  The unit is approx. 813 sq.ft  plus a 101 sq.ft balcony.  This floor plan starts at $446,900 and includes parking, storage locker and HST!

(prices and specifications subject to change without notice.)

Give me a call or send me an email to set up an appointment to preview full floor plans and price lists!

Last week I attended the 6th annual PUGs, the peoples choice awards for architecture in the City! I’m a big fan of the PUG’s since it involves the products I make my lively-hood from…Toronto Condos! The awards allow the public to vote on their favorite residential and commercial buildings from 2009! This year the PUGs were held at the AGO (last years winner in the Commercial/Institutional category) with an hour and half discussion with the  2010 mayoral candidates. Sadly none really impressed me with their vision for architecture and planning of the City, but i’ll have more on that in another post ;)

On a positive note, this years winner was quite different from last.  One St. Thomas – a 29 storey multi million dollar limestone luxury condominium, won the award in 2009.  For 2010 it was the Housing Co-Operative at 60 Richmond East designed by Teeple Architects that took home the PUG!  It’s good to see that architecture in our city sees no division in social class.   It also gives inspiration and proof to other developers and architects that good design isn’t just for the rich, but rather for all to enjoy!

So how did your condo’s design preform at the PUGS?

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you have an extra 80 inches in length and 40 inches in width in that den of yours? If yes, then that’s just enough room for 2 beds! The clip above is from New-York-based Resource Furniture. Watch in awe (as I did) as they demonstrate how a little ingenuity can give a small space a lot of room!

I’ve never been a fan of the 300 sqf studio, be it for living or an investment but as the price of land in Toronto goes up; the spaces we call home are becoming smaller! It’s inevitable as developers try to facilitate as many units possible into their towers to maximize the profit on the project. Even traditional 2 bedroom units are being built with less square footage than their older counter parts.

If you look at a building like The Esplanade, it’s very common to see 1 bedroom units pushing 700 sqf. Compare that with many of the newer buildings going up and the same square footage is now housing 2 bedrooms! Space saving decor like the ones available from Resource Furniture are the key to using every square inch in your condo and making the most out of the limited space available!

…I wonder if there’s a foldable garden available?

Ready to find your own space in one of Toronto’s many condo towers? Give me a call or send me an email… I’d love to help!

And the award for Best Building Design goes to……….*drumroll*

RIVER CITY!!!

Congratulations to all that have been involved in making the project so special.  And even bigger congratulations goes to the purchasers who now live in the best designed building according to BILD (Building Industry and Land Development)

The first phase is over 70% sold with a variety of layouts still available.  Designed by Saucier + Perrotte, River City will be a four phased community of over 900 loft-style condominiums and townhouses, together with street level restaurants, cafes and boutiques!  I’ve been covering the project extensively since it first launched back in 2009 and will continue to as the West Don Lands transform into one of downtown Toronto’s newest neighbourhoods!

For floorplans, prices, and availability…give me a call or send me an email, I’d love to help!

Toronto is a City full things to see and do…and like most cities, one would have to pay in order to do them!  This weekend, (May 29th and 30th 2010) 150 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and/or social significance open their doors to the public.

A few of my ‘must-see’s’  are:

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Historic Walls – The southern section of the present CAMH historical wall was built by unpaid patient labourers at the then Provincial Lunatic Asylum.

City Hall- Podium Green Roof – From concrete to living garden, the Toronto City Hall podium roof, where visiting dignitaries were once welcomed at the “front door” of the Council Chamber, will be reopened as the city’s largest, publicly accessible green roof garden.

Stephan Caras Design Inc. - The building is currently owned and operated as the world headquarters and couture fashion house of Stephan Caras Design. The interior is stylistically modern and designed by Stephan Caras himself.

This is an excellent opportunity to get into some of Torontos hidden gems…and admission is FREEEEEE!

Check out the Cities website for a full list of participants.