Kitchen magic

How's this for a condo kitchen? I won't even show you the before picture, it was so hideous. And the reason I know is because this is my kitchen.

What is really amazing, to me at any rate, is that this little gem was created using product from Ikea. Yup, you read that right ... the big blue and yellow shed! The cabinets and the integrated appliances (except the LG fridge) are all from Ikea. The sink and faucet is from Blanco's Silgranit line (and they are Gorgeous with a capital G). Even the light fixtures and the dining table and chairs come from the Swedish manufacturer of all things hip. The floor is slate and backsplash is stainless (from the Tile Shoppe).

I am a very lucky girl, however, to have had a lot of help from my good friends, Colin and Justin, in pulling the look together. Oh, alright, truth be told they are 100 per cent responsible for the look, even pitching in to help me paint following the renovation.

Like I said, I am a very ucky girl!

All photos by Keith Beaty/Toronto Star

Speaking of Colin and Justin ...

In the leadup to the Fall Home Show, which was fabulous BTW, the Boyz and I hit the floor and had a wee peek around. Two exhibits really stood out for all of us; the Habitat for Humanity ReStore's Ultimate Upcycle Challenge, and the Casalife booth, where Leigh-Ann Allaire of CityLine worked her designer magic (above).

Leigh-Ann's use of colour is amazing -- I guess that why she works for Benjamin Moore -- and the hues of some of her vignettes were stunning. But don't take my word for, watch what Colin and Justin had to say on this wee video we created during our tour.

Below, a picture of the fabulous Leigh-Ann, taken by photographer Shaun Mitchell, in front of a stencilled wall. Watch the video, all is explained!

 

 

Is there anything better than tooling around the city in an electric car (in this case, the Chevy Volt)? Yes … tooling around with Star columnists and designers extraordinaire Colin and Justin.

We recently had brunch at the School restaurant in Liberty Village —  Brad Moore’s fabulous new eatery (try the cheesy French toast) — and took the Volt through its paces.

I have to say I really love this little charmer (the car, I mean). It handles wonderfully in city traffic and the electric engine is quick to respond. And, of course, it’s super quiet!

And the Boyz … they just love being chauffeured!

OHBA Awards of Distinction nominees named

B.Street Condos at Bloor St. W. and Bathurst St. is one of the projects up for highrise project of the year at the OHBA Awards of Distinction.

 

There are few highlights to my job as the Star’s real estate editor, but one of them is the annual OHBA Awards of Distinction ceremony, which this year will be held in the Village of Blue Mountain Conference Centre on Sept. 24.

It’s always great to see the industry’s heavyweights come together and celebrate each others’ hard work over the course of the last year year.

This year, the Home Builder of the Year finalists are the Minto Group, the Monarch Corp. and Reid’s Heritage Group, which is based in Cambridge. All three are deserving winners.

For a full list of nominees, click here.

 The nominees for the project of the year are:

Project of the Year Lowrise: Aspen Ridge Homes for “King Oaks” with credit to Suriano Design Consultants Inc. and Mike Niven Interior Design); Brookfield Homes (Ontario) Ltd. for “Pathways” with credit to RN Design and BAM; Geranium Homes for “Forest Trail Estates” with credit to Builder Insight Group, Stephen Hunt of Hunt Design Associates and Bryon Patton & Associates

Project of the Year High or Midrise: Lindvest Properties Ltd. for B.street Condos with credit to Hariri Pontarini Architects; Cecconi Simone Inc.; L.A. Inc. and the Communications Group; the Monarch Corp. and The Goldman Group for Picasso on Richmond with creit to Kelly Cray of Union31 Inc., The Brand Factory and the Communications Group; SigNature Communities for “Tao Boutique Condos on Bayview” with credit to Graziani & Corazza Architects, Decorenza and Blackjet Inc.

 

My only experience with electric vehicles up to this point has been golf carts and streetcars. Not exactly smooth rides as they both start and stop with a jolt; two speeds, really; stop and go.

So it was with some trepidation that I took at the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle for a test drive up to York Mills Rd. and Leslie St. to meet with the folks at the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD).

I was more than pleasantly surprised. I’d say it drove just like a regular car, which is mostly true, but there was one big difference — the Leaf doesn’t have a transmission, which means no gear changes, just smooth acceleration. And boy, did it accelerate! Step on the gas and off you go! Fast! It certainly made my heavy foot happy and it was a breeze to pass slower moving traffic up the Don Valley Parkway.

I had a great meeting at BILD and was happy to see my new toy sitting in the parking lot when I left. BILD, afterall, is on the leading edge of energy conservation, with solar panels from Pure Energies on their roof and green energy provider Bullfrog powering their electrical needs.

 

 

 

S.S. Keewatin comes home to Port McNicoll

Holy steamship, Batman, that was a loud homecoming.

As the S.S. Keewatin was towed into the southern end of Georgian Bay, past Beausoleil Island, a flotilla of 300-plus greeted her with horns blaring. It was my pure pleasure to be on one of those boats.

Of course, as any lady would, she repaid the compliment with a deep-throated bellow.

The Steam Ship Keewatin was heading back into her home port of Port McNicoll exactly 46 years to the day that she last departed, bound for Fort William.

The welcoming ceremony was hosted by HGTV star and Star columnist Bryan Baeumler, with a special guest appearance by hometown hero Mike Keenan, a Stanley Cup-winning coach.

The Keewatin was looking good for her age, and I heard that all her systems - including, miraculously, her engines - were in full operating order. But despite being able to sail under her own steam, the handsome tug Wendy Ann towed her back into port.

The Keewatin is a 350-foot-long passenger vessel and once the pride of the CP Rail's Great Lakes Fleet. She worked for over 60 years steaming passengers from her Georgian Bay port to Fort William (now Thunder Bay) in first-class style. 

The Keewatin - older than the Titanic - was sailing on the Great Lakes five years before the Titanic sank on April 17, 1912. It was built in Scotland by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering as Hull No. 453 and was the first ship on the Great Lakes equipped with radar.

The Keewatin was rescued by Toronto developer Gil Blutrich, president of Skyline Developments, who is creating a $1.6 billion vacation community in Port McNicoll. She'll serve as the community centre and will be used for special events. Skyline also owns Deerhurst Resort, Horseshoe Resort and Toronto's King Edward Hotel.

Read more about the Keewatin's return on Saturday in the Toronto Star's New in Homes & Condos section, or online at www.yourhome.ca. We'll post a large photo gallery of the Kee's special day.

The S.S. Keewatin is towed into Port McNicoll by the Wendy Anne.

Former NHL coach Mike Keenan and HGTV star Bryan Baeumler.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geranium Homes sets up shop in Woodstock

It’s not everyday a girl gets asked to have lunch in Woodstock.

It’s a town that isn’t on many people’s radar, but after a quick look around, I think it should be. It has some lovely heritage architecture, a weekly farmer’s market, 62 public parks, shops, boutiques and restaurants and a new hospital.

I think that’s why Boaz Feiner, the president of Geranium Homes, decided to take over the Village of Sally Creek, a master-planned adult lifestyle community that surrounds a 9-hole golf course (which will grow to 18 holes in time). And oh, the Sally Creek Golf Course is a thing of beauty! But only if you’re accurate; it’s a tight course, with lots of water and some treacherous blind doglegs. BTW, that's not me in the picture, above, that is my colleague Cindy Lloyd.

The community centre, which will include an indoor swimming pool, sauna, exercise facilities, a greenhouse solarium, games room, library, computer lab, crafts room and workshops, is about to open. And the restaurant in the club house is yummy, too.

And, of course, because Woodstock is "off the grid," houses are reasonably priced and built by BILD's Homebuilder of the Year. That's quality and value, all in one great package.

Got to www.sallycreek.com for more information on the Woodstock community, or www.geraniumhomes.com for more on Geranium Homes.

Sally Creek meanders through the golf course ... sometimes a trickle, and sometimes a torrent. Either way, it's a challenge.

The homes back onto the Sally Creek Golf Course.

 

A Great Father's Day gift

My favourite charity, Habitat for Humanity Toronto, presented six families with keys to their new homes at a dedication ceremony in the Victoria Park and Danforth neighbourhood today, Father’s Day. “Receiving keys to their home on a day that recognizes a parent truly emphasizes the relationship between homeownership and family. It couldn’t be more fitting,” says Habitat for Humanity Toronto’s CEO, Neil Hetherington. “These homes will give the families stability, while giving fathers, mothers and caregivers alike a community where their family can thrive and grow for years to come.” For Shaikh and Zohreh Ali, receiving a Habitat home will enable them to provide a better life for their three children, Muhammad (10), Mahjabeen (8) and Mozhdeh (4). Since 2003, the family has moved four times, finding it difficult to find a home that will comfortably fit the five of them and within their budget. The three children used to share one bedroom, with Shaikh in another bedroom (due to a lhip condition) and Zohreh slept in the living room. “A Habitat home will make our family’s dreams come true,” says Shaikh. “It will give us peace of mind and enable us to plan for our children’s futures.” Their new home will mean that Shaikh will be able to move freely about his home, and give his wife and children the space they so desperately need as well.

A canine love affair

There are times when I wonder what makes a house (or condo) a home.

Of course, it's the things I surround myself, the things I love and things that are special to me. But I am a dog owner, a lover of all things canine, and my condo was made a home by my loving companions.

For me, it's Murphy, my West Highland terrier, and Joey, a cairn terrier who thinks he is a clown. I love them both, but Murphy is, or was, my special girl.

Murphy died Tuesday, April 24. She was eight days short of her 13^th birthday.

Murphy had been ailing for a long time. Some six years ago she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and she had surgery to remove the tumour, followed by six rounds of chemo therapy (and yes, she lost her hair; she looked like a white sausage). It seemed to be successful, but a short year later the tumour reappeared. In consultation with a wonderful veterinarian, Dr. Alan Norris at the Veterinary Emergency Hospital near Yonge and Bloor, we decided not to peruse any further treatment (chemo or radiation). She would live out her life with as much quality as I could possibly give her. 

Her tumour grew (I laughingly called it her goitre as it grew to the size of a tennis ball), but it didn't seem to stop her. She ate, and walked (oh boy, she loved her walks), she played and she gave Joey heck whenever he annoyed her, which was just about 100 per cent of the time.

But her health was always a concern, and I was alway anxious about her.

Murphy and I had a special bond, which, if you are not a pet owner, you may not understand. But the two of us knew what each other were thinking – all we had to do was look in each other's eyes.

Murphy's health took a turn for the worse earlier this year. I believe she had bladder cancer.

In late March, she started peeing blood – a lot of it. Tests didn't show any sign of infection, and antibiotics didn't help. And then she passed blood clots. A lot of them. I worried, but Murphy didn't seem to be in any pain, and she still loved her walks and was eating like crazy (the thyroid tumour meant she needed lots of calories).

I knew the end was coming, she was getting older, but I was putting off making the decision. “She's not in pain,” I kept telling myself, “and she still loves her walks and her dinner.”

But on Monday, April 23 I came home from work and found her on the sofa, shaking in pain. I called the vet. The decision was made. I would not let her live in pain.

The next morning, my friend, Helen, and I took Murphy (who was loaded up with children's Advil) for a walk ... off her leash. She loved that! What a special treat! And then I feed her miles of liver! She loved that, too!

And then we went to the vet's office, where she happily chased the office's bunny rabbit around ... always a terrier!

I know my gorgeous little girl was ready to go. She had had enough. Her eyes – and her body – were tired.

It was a difficult day, and then wonderful friends sent me the “Rainbow Bridge Poem.” It got me through the night.

THE RAINBOW BRIDGE: 

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to the Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together. 

Author unknown.

 

 

 

Habitat for Humanity Toronto on the move again

One of my all-time favourtie organizations is, without a doubt, Habitat for Humanity.

It helps low-income families build and buy simple, decent affordable homes though a no-interest, no-profit mortgage with payments set at less than 30 per cent of gross income, according to its website.

Today was a very busy day for the Toronto chapter of Habitat as they broke ground at their new Ritchie Ave. site in the Roncesvalles neighbourhood of Toronto. Loblaw Properties Ltd. generously donated the land.

The first home to be built will be a two-bedroom, fully accessible home for Lorena Sinato and her son, Bryan, who suffers from cerebral palsy and is legally blind.

Since arriving in Canada from Brazil in 2002, Lorena has been struggling to provide for Bryan, 9, who requires a lot of extra care.

“I will be able to give Bryan a real home with all the space he deserves,” Lorena said at the event.

Habitat for Humanity does such great work at providing affording homes around the globe, and Toronto CEO Neil Hetherington is one of my real heroes! I know he’s been involved in builds in many different third-world countries, including a recent foray to Haiti, where gun play and riots were a normal part of the work day.

Today, Neil was pleased to be in Toronto and welcoming the Sinato family to their site of their new home.

“Breaking ground to mark the beginning of a build is a truly touching event,” he said. ays Neil Hetherington, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Toronto. “It brings together the partner family, donors, community members, and those alike to witness the start of a new chapter in the life of a family who deserve it.”

Habitat for Humanity also insists that families volunteer 500 hours of “sweat equity” toward the construction of their home, a new community or volunteer in other programs that Habitat runs.

For more information on Habitat for Humanity and their programs, go to torontohabitat.ca or follow them on Twitter at @HabitatToronto. You can also follow Neil Hetherington at Twitter at @NCHetherington.

From left, Neil Hetherington, CEO Habitat for Humanity Toronto; Cheri DiNova, MPP of Parkdale-High Park; Gord Perks, Toronto City Councillor; Gina Morsillo, manager of the Dundas/Bloor Loblaws store; Paul Finkbeiner, President of Great West Life; Gale Kelly, board member for Habitat for Humanity Toronto; and Lorena Sinato and her son Bryan at the ground breaking.