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Edward and I used to live in Etobicoke, just minutes away from The Kingsway before we moved out into the burbs. We would drive down the old neighbourhood and just stare at the fantastic homes standing along the side of the roads. I lived my whole life in Toronto but never have I been so drawn to a specific neighbourhood. We would park on Bloor St and walk around the town pick up the best croissants at the local french bakery, fruits from the vendors and sipping on a star bucks coffee we decided one day that this would be our future neighbourhood - the neighbourhood we would raise our kids in.
So, recently I started doing a little research on The Kingsway.
The Kingsway is situated on former Clergy Reserve lands that were deeded to the Church of England in the early 1800s. The church leased this property to farmers until 1908 when it was acquired by Robert Home Smith, the visionary who planned The Kingsway neighbourhood.
Home Smith and Company began marketing this subdivision in 1912. However the sale of homes in The Kingsway was stalled by the outbreak of World War I.
Home Smith's motto for The Kingsway was "a little bit of England far from England". His lofty ideal was to establish an English-style garden suburb of the highest integrity and beauty. It is Robert Home Smith's legacy that The Kingsway endures today as one Toronto's finest neighbourhoods.
This well planned community was designed for families. The houses and properties are a good size, the streets are pedestrian friendly, and the schools, shopping, churches, and recreation are all within walking distance. These houses were built between 1924 and 1947 and include some of the finest examples of Old English classical and vernacular architecture in Toronto.
Many houses in The Kingway feature handsome stone exteriors, intricate tapestry brick patterns, and elaborate stucco and half timbering designs. These homes also feature solid oak doors, leaded glass windows, fanciful bay and oriel windows, and decorative wrought iron railings and porch lamps.
Now that I just gave you an entire history lesson on The Kingsway, there are the great original English style homes built by Robert Home Smith that we fell in love with!
images by Ettml
like many women, my husband has a shoe fetish. but unlike many women, his passion for shoes does not come from the specific shade of red or the height of the heels and tag that lies inside, rather his passion falls on high top, limited edition air force ones!
for his 33rd birthday yesterday, i managed to pull myself together to purchase him this CB25 limited edition $300 shoes that i know he will never wear! why would i do such a think you might ask yourself - simply because i love him and he would never expect a cheap arsh like myself to ever put down that kind of money for something that will never be utilized! so this post goes out to my husband...
happy birthday baby
everyone should be living GREEN these days.
here are some great eco style's from LivingEtc
Recycle, Reduce, Reuse... currently my garbage bin, recycling bin and food composte bin are all outside in the garage. I would love something like this inside without it being too distracting.
If you're a big wine drinker like myself, you probably have a case full of empty wine bottles that you've been storing for some extra cash, well what a great idea to turn some of them into pieces of art or decor. Old wine bottles, painted in black gloss and black matt spray paint, or chalk board paint and you can write on them, use them as center pieces or just dramatic eye candy! this is definitely a project i want to try out.
photo from flickr, by JennyCornation Park, Oakville
edward & i went for a long drive out of town yesterday to clear our heads and to soak in some good fresh ideas for the upcoming month. we'll both be celebrating our birthdays in a few days and as much as i love to idea of birthdays, i don't like them being mine!
he asked me a question, "what would make you happy right now...?" to which i couldn't give an answer right away. i thought about it for awhile and now that question has consumed my entire body.
what would make me happy? ....
driving around town made me happy. visiting new and exciting places i've never seen before. i started to jot down intersections, addresses, locations and side notes of all the fantastic spots along the way as reference points to where i would want to come back to if i had a photoshoot or a set design. i was able to think freely without any boundries of client requests or budgets, for the first time in a very long time i felt free to do what i wanted to do and it felt great.
edward and i went to the Interior Design Show 2008 this past saturday like many others and i always say this but next year i'm not going on a "public's" night. man was it crowded! i don't do well in crowds.
i had to work and couldn't make trades night on thursday so a few of my fellow designers and i trecked down to check out the show over the weekend. needless to say, there were many great exhibits, but many of the same faces, same booths and names we all love and know.
if you had a chance to go, i would love to hear what you all thought of the show.
Family Day: The holiday that isn't really a holiday
for all of us in toronto, ontario, today is a holiday that isn't really a holiday. our very first family day, stat holiday.
i'm sitting in front of my laptop at home today with my husband on one computer and my brother on another looking for books to start our book club off with. beats sitting in the office anyday! but it's too bad that this holiday has already taken on a bit of tarnish. as stated in the Star today ...
"Family Day is turning out to be a logistical nightmare for many, and it isn't even panning out as a universal holiday for everyone in Ontario.
Instead of a province at leisure, as Premier Dalton McGuinty promised during the provincial election campaign last fall, an estimated 40 per cent of us will be reporting to work first thing Monday morning, trudging through more snow and sleet while the other 60 per cent, including our neighbours and friends, stay home in their flannel pyjamas doing battle with their kids for time on the computer.
But as McGuinty himself noted, it is our first Family Day holiday, and perhaps there are a few wrinkles that still need ironing out.
wrinkle out the bumps Premier, i'm going to enjoy my day at home and i suggest you all do the same too torontonians! Happy Family Day!
my girlfriend Adrie and i are starting a bookclub
can't wait to get myself a bookshelf like this one day
if your bookshelf has a ladder, you better have an impressive book collection
