Posts Tagged ‘Downtown’

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!

The second rendering of the week is brought to you by the letter “S” and the number “8″… “S” being for Streetcar Developments and “8″ being for 8 Gladstone!

The homies at BuzzBuzzHome first tweeted the rendering, sending the online world buzzing for info.  8 Gladstone will be larger than it’s neighbour and close relative 2 Gladstone (also built by Streetcar Developments).  It’s similar in design, with the exception of what looks like 2 story penthouses.  I’m only going off the renderings, so clarification is still needed! It also looks like most units will have access to outside space either by way of balcony or terrace.

Only 86 units will be available, with sales starting shortly!  I should have more info on specific details by mid next week.  If you’d like to be notified further on when sales will be starting at 8 Gladstone, send me some details in the form below! Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve run out of jokes for my “Make You Laugh Mondays” and have made the executive  decision to reinvent the often boring start of the week to “MUST HAVE MONDAYS”.

Must Have Mondays will be a collection of furniture or accessories that I think every cool condo dweller must have!

The inaugural item for this series is the super-cool iRetrofone.  The trendy device was hand-sculpted Artist Scott Freeland.  It’s a fully functional charging dock that’s USB compatible and is also a working handset!  It’s fully compatible will all iPhones, and even allows users to sync data with their computer.  The iRetrofone is available online and comes in a variety of styles and colours.  I like this particular one for it’s gold accents. I could see it working well in hard loft, alongside other nostalgic pieces from it’s time.  It blends our old stagnant methods of  communicating with today’s mobile world!

Feel free to send me suggestions of other eclectic items you’d like to see covered on the blog!

Toronto got it’s first real taste of summer yesterday, and with it came a message from above! Claritin took to the sky and plastered it with a message of relief to suffering Torontonians with allergies…Live Claritin Clear Today.

Depending on where you were in the city, the message may have been upside down or even backwards! I was indoors at a conference during the arial graffiti show, but several people txt and emailed me with photos. The one above was taken downtown while the one below was from midtown.

… Will we be seeing more of these this summer?

A special thanks to Lauren for giving me the heads up on the YouTube video documenting the sky show!

Over the weekend I got to experience the Interior Design Show for my very first time!  It was a really good opportunity to see the direction and shapes are places of living will take in the coming years. The challenge I find with buying preconstruction is choosing a finishing package that not only looks good now, but will also be in style 5 years down the road once the building is finally complete! Attending the show only complicated this problem for me as there was soooooo many cool finishes to choose from… and then there was the accessories!  The lamp above is a limited edition Band Boom by Ingo Maurer. Each sheet of parchment paper has a graphic comic character or graphic word on it, allowing you to be even more creative by placing them however you like on the lamp!  The lamp is available from Eurolite in Toronto.

The Studio North and Prototype section was the most enjoyable for me!  Over 60 displays were shown by some of Canada’s best talent.  If you live in standard cookie cutter condo, these pieces may be just what you need to separate your unit from the rest! Here’s a look at a few of my favorite exhibits:

On first look the chair seemed rather uncomfortable and large, but given the storage it provides and the angle is shaped it, it’s actually quite efficient!  And besides, everybody needs a wine chair!

Artist Dean Jackson was on hand to show off his curvy sculptures called the Aero Pod.   Dean is able to customize each pod in to a variety of things including humidors (a much needed accessory for a cigar smoking bachelor!), liquor cabinet, watches, collectibles or jewelry cases. The front features a grill similar to that found on a hot rod! The Aero Pod stands at 3 feet tall and has over 200 hours of work spent on each!

I have no clue what these are or how one would incorporate it into the home, but they did reminded me of twizzlers!

This looked like something right out of a Tim Burton movie and can definitely work in a variety of spaces!

This piece answers the question: How do you hide a 40″ LCD TV inside a 6″ deep space?

Answer –

I haven’t the slightest clue who would want to wipe their rear with multicoloured paper…but I do know this booth was paaacked!  The company sells toilet paper and paper towels in a variety of bright colours!

The legs on the coffee table are supposed to be changed with the months…it’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Part of the Prototype Collection, the Tired Chair (as we called it) was very resourceful.  Made out of old tires and wood, a lot of people gravitated to it.  I wanted to take it for a test drive but that little white sign in the left hand corner prevented that from happening!

Every downtown condo needs its signature piece of art…and for some, this may be exactly it!  A closer look shows that the picture has and overlay of smaller photos covering the background!

The glass work below the painting makes for a some great accent pieces!

I found this to be simple, yet effective.  Combines your love of cooking with your love of art and add a little flare to the kitchen…who’s kidding who, throw a skyline on anything and I’d have something positive to say!

Here is something I’d definitely love to see more of!  Available from Aquabrass, they take a variety of faucet styles and offer them and various colours.  The matte black really works well, but pairing a blue faucet and drain can equally work well!

Another feature from Aquabrass was their crystal customization…nothing says “ballin” like a gold coloured faucet with crystals!

Below are several collections that inspired me on various levels…and I hope do the same for you!

“Honesty is the best Poetry” … that’s some pretty deep words for the back of construction hoarding!  I found this message on a recent trip to a condo sales centre.  A couple of things caught my attention:

1. the message – I’ll leave that up to the reader to interpret.

2. the application – This isn’t your typical graffiti.  Yes, spray paint was used, but it wasn’t done in a way to deface the property.  You’ll notice (presumably Gregory Alan Elliott) put it up using nails.  Instead of painting over it or hiring a graffiti removal company, the sales centre can simply pull it down if not wanted.

3. the location – Was the message directed at the sales centre? Did it’s author have a bad experience? Or did the artist just figure it was a high traffic area, and a good location to be displayed?

I don’t know too much about  Gregory Alan Elliott as a street artist, (aside from a few google searches) but I’m seeing more of his “smiley faced hearts” pop up on road repair signs through out the City. Whoever you are Gregory Alan Elliott…good stuff!  Keep the City smiling :)