Posts Tagged ‘Downtown’

My mother often says “i’m worst than her with all the shoes I have”…and this past weekend, I discovered she may very well be right!  I’ve got my running shoes, working shoes, weekend shoes, house shoes, water shoes, gardening shoes etc etc. BUT what I don’t have is a lot of space to keep all these shoes.

In an effort to solve my shoe collection of a problem, I came across two creations from brothers Jaime & Mark Antoniades of J-Me Original Design.  The two work out of London’s Oxo Tower,and follow a focused design ethos which results in a range of products that encompass original, intelligent design and everyday function.

The Horizontal Shoe Rack was the first possible solution that caught my eye.  It’s a stainless steel shoe rack that can be mounted to a wall giving it a floating look while holding up to 4 or 7 pair’s of shoes (available in two lengths). Stacking 3 or 4 of these above each other can create a wall of shoes allowing for quick access an open display.

The second choice was the Freestanding Nest Shoe Rack (also available to mount on the wall).  It comes in one size and holds about 7 shoes.  I like this one because even without shoes it looks like a steel sculpture that can be on display as is!

Both can be purchased online from the brother’s website … or if you’d like a space big enough to fit all your shoes without resorting to a rack, Contact Me, I’d love to help!

 

 

 

Love’m or hate’m, tall towers are as much a part of Toronto as the “gravy train” was to Rob Ford winning the election!  The growth of these towers, both in height and numbers, has attracted a of attention from various members of the community. The biggest complaint I hear from people on the opposing side of condos isn’t so much the number of them being built, but rather the heights at which they’re reaching… which leads to the age old question:

How tall is too tall?

Award winning architecture studio RAW invites all architecture buffs, shutterbugs and those interested in city design to contribute photos to a new Harbourfront Centre exhibit ‘TOO TALL?’ launching Sept 30.  In conjunction with the Toronto Society of Architects, Harbourfront has invited top architecture firms including RAW, Architects Alliance, KPMB and visual artist Douglas Walker to engage the public in a debate on the role, benefit and beauty of tall buildings.

RAW Architects (you may remember them from the wicked awesome bread party the held in May, or the fresh building design they delivered for Downtown Mini Cooper) is offering the general public a rare opportunity submit photos to the exhibit and put the debate over tall buildings into perspective.  Hundreds of images are needed!  Examining scale as a relative term, people are encouraged to send in a quick pic using any device of ANY building they consider to be tall, framed between their thumb and index finger. Could be a building people like or hate, just put it in perspective with a caption up to 140 characters.  Pictures will be incorporated into RAW’s ‘TALL IS MORE’ digital installation. Deadline for image submissions is Monday, September 26^th.

Images can be submitted via Facebook, Twitter or Email and should include a brief description up to 140 characters. Max file size is 600×800 pixels.

 Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/RAW-architects-and-designers/133960586658656

Twitter http://twitter.com/rawdesignTO

Email      tall@rawdesign.ca

‘TOO TALL?’ will launch with a VIP event Friday, September 30^th, and will be open to thepublic from October 1^st, 2011 through December 31^st, 2011. Harbourfront Centre is located at 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON M5J 2G8. For more information, please visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com

 

During the next few months I’ll be introducing my readers to a slew of new condo developments coming to Toronto…before I do, I thought it would be a good idea to share a story of a different note!

Back in January I wrote a post about a rather creative marriage proposal that caught the attention of several on lookers including the residents of Domus, and myself!  I never did find out how the proposal turned out…but I did stumble upon an even better marriage proposal.

This one is right in line with what my past post discussed.  It’s creative, different, passionate and perfectly planned out! I don’t know too many details about who the couple are, but I do know that it ranks right up there with “The Office” spoofed wedding entrance …annnd it happened in Toronto!

The proposal is broken down into two video’s and well worth the watch, check out her response below!

Fella’s…step your game up!  Ladies, keep a Kleenex near by…and to the lucky couple, if you need a place of your own to start your family, give me a call, I’d love to help!

Congratulations, and all the best in the years to come!

Anyone else think of that Joni Michell song when they see this picture? Of course, today’s version would probably read something like: “They paved a parking lot and put up a condo”

It should come as no surprise that Toronto has taken a commanding lead in the market for highrise construction…but I’m sure you don’t me to tell you that, just take a drive downtown and you’ll see all the cranes working on projects under development.

Fall is on pace to be one of the busiest markets ever!  According to info gathered from BuzzBuzzHome, RealNet Canada, Tridel and BMO, we can expect over 75 launches from now until year end. Though not all of these will be in Toronto, it’s still mind blowing to think how much our skyline will change over the next few years.

Now that summer is pretty much over, I’m getting back into blogging and will focus on a few projects that I think will really offer some great options to purchasers.  Stay tuned as I’ll be covering a few Fall launches in the coming posts!  Until then check out another awesome infograph from BuzzBuzzHome:

If I had to pick the most asked question I get, it would have to be: “how is the Real Estate market, and is it a good time to by?” Shortly after that comes the “well I heard in the news that _______” or “My friend knows a guy that’s well connected on Bay St, and he said _______”.  I’m sure by now you get the point, or maybe even caught yourself asking/saying the very same…not that there’s anything wrong with that!

I’m going to let you in on a little secret of the Real Estate world and whether other Realtors want to admit it or not, the truth is NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THE MARKET IS GOING! (well at least not as far down the road as some of these predicitons have been given) Sure, there’s market “indicators” that can give us a general sense of the market but truthfully you shouldn’t waste your time listening to any forecasts further than 3 months!

I for one completely tune out all “reports” on a national level. Real estate is local, and in my market each and every condo building can produce a different result.  So if the price of potatoes in P.E.I. goes down resulting in less condo sales out east, it really doesn’t effect the market in Toronto.  And vice versa, if sales are red hot here, it doesn’t mean the rest of the country is following suit. Soooo if you’re going to open a ear to any predictions, at least let it be a local one! Read the rest of this entry »

ATTENTION EVERYONE! Please add “planking” to the list of things to do in Toronto!!!

With so many unique structures, streets, parks and planters…I think it’s only a matter of time before the planking craze hits the City in a BIG way!  For those unfamiliar with the name of the game, allow me to share the rules.  Essentially all one has to do is take a photo of themselves lying face down with there arms firmly at the their sides…and as the name suggest, like a plank!

My mother was kind enough to demonstrate in the photo below:

Notice the great form she possesses while showing how easy the game can be played. Hands firmly at side, face down, with your back as straight as a board.  As a prop we used gardening soil and a picnic table.

My form is not as good as my mothers, but for illurstration purposes, I’ve included a photo of me planking with three simple guidelines to follow:

In an effort to jump start the craze, I’ll be running a contest open to anyone with a picture of themselves planking in Toronto!  To enter, send your photo to marksavel@gmail.com.  Please include where you took the picture as well as your contact info.  The contest runs until Friday July 29th, 2011.  Me and a panel of experienced plankers will be picking the best photo and rewarding them with a $100 gift certificate!  Check out photos of the latest plankers here.

The lawyers in my life wanted me to note that I have the right to change the rules at my discretion, and that by sending me your photo you give me the right to post them on my blog! So have fun, be safe, and get creative.

Happy Planking!

We all know the importance of having concentration and focus while driving…but with all the cranes and holes popping up in the City, it’s often tempting to get distracted!

As was the case on drive down Dovercourt the other day.  Just as the road merges into Sudbury St, sits a half empty hole that get’s bigger by the day!  My curiosity got the better of me as I pulled over to snap a few shots of the excavation at the Art Condos construction site.  They’ve been diligently working away for since the start of they year, first demolishing the building, then shoring and now excavating.

Click on the thumbnails below for more photos from the site!

A trend is starting to form for boutique style condos going up in West Queen West.  Art along with 2 Gladstone both experienced great launches and because of this, can expect pretty accurate build times. Projects like these make the preconstruction process even more enjoyable for purchasers because they can plan their move times with more accuracy! For those who looking to buy in either building, units are still available!