Hello friends!

It’s time to declare a vacation. Sadly, it’s not of the European kind, just a brief break from posting. On Monday we have a big day of moving and then NO internet connection for at least a few days. Hopefully we’ll have an update sometime next week! Maybe photos of the new apartment – hah! that’s ambitious. How does one decorate temporarily? Any tips from you renters out there? We can’t do too much as down the road we want to renovate fully.

A teaser of our new living room:

[if anyone is friends with the 3 guys that used to live here, please let them know that we are sorry and had no choice! and John would liked to have jammed with them…)

Also, the store construction will be in FULL SWING starting Nov 3rd. We have the brilliantly compatible Studio Junction on the team and it’s going to be AH-MA-ZING. Check in for photo updates of the progress!

I (Juli)  am currently brain dead due to countless hours calling utilities/phone/internet etc that I can’t even write any more. Hot Tip! If you are moving and you’re so tired of how much Bell Canada is charging that you think to yourself, I may as well just cancel my account, call them 30 days in advance or they charge an extra month as punishment. Not. Happy. Otherwise, things are moving along with normal amounts of stress and cats freaking out.

See you sometime next week, hopefully!!!

xox Juli & John

Ps. Still sorry about the slow loading time. I have NO idea how to fix it…my photo sizes of recent posts have been reduced drastically in size. No time to update the zillions of too big photos until more settled in. Bear with us! We appreciate it!

This is the most practical way of having floor to ceiling windows I have ever seen! I would love to do something like this with the new place if we could afford to have big glass windows in the back of our building.

We love the court yard house which is in our new neighborhood. They have used shoji screens to provide privacy for their bathroom but since they are translucent they allow natural light to pass through to the hallway.
via Studio Junction

A more traditional Japanese use of the shoji screen.
via Ryokan Maandini

Creeper

Here’s a modern interpretation of a Shoji screen being used as a large room divider / door. It’s pretty spectacular, I wonder what kind of hardware they used.

via spacious planet

Scandinavian influences + a shoji inspired screen that separates a guest bedroom from a “contemplation room”. How very zen!

via Architectural Digest

I have a feeling that everyone knows someone who has had cancer. All of my healthy granparents succumbed to it and my father also fought a hard battle.  Although my father subscribed to a more alternative mode of treatment, I recall sitting with him at Princess Margaret Hospital on a number of occasion. And it was a busy busy place, where my parents even ran into our old cottage neighbors who were also battling with cancer.

So, what can we do about it? Well, it’s time for another Princess Margaret Hospital Sweepstakes, in support of cancer care and research. The tickets might be a bit steep ($100 or $250 for 3-pack) but there are so many prizes that you actually have a chance at winning a cottage in the Muskokas, a downtown Toronto condo, a chalet at Blue Mountain, luxury cars, vacations, $$$ and an Oakville home designed by Lynda Reeves.

Lynda describes the home as being inspired by country homes in Belgium and France and I think she accomplished that rustic feeling while keeping it simple and modern. Head on over to House & Home to check out the video tours (new one loaded every week), design tips, resource guide or visit the house yourself for a free tour. And if you can, donate to the Princess Margaret Hospital either through the Sweepstakes or donate whatever you can directly to the Princess Margaret Foundation.

Nestled among the monotonious city scape lies a very interesting home.

The Sorte house by A.L.X. located in Tokyo.
Architecture from Japan is always so interesting and unique, this house is another great example. The dozens of little windows provide a nice source of light but also provide privacy.

A beautiful covered outdoor space.

The little windows remind me of OCAD.

I love the combination of light wood, and white everything.

I still don’t know if I can handle the glass bathrooms… Especially that close to the kitchen!

via Trendir

ASONO DAB1 radio designed by Norway Says. What a beautiful radio that also plays MP3s, and you can also purchase the additional speaker for listening in stereo.

via Norwaysays

Muji coffee maker designed by Kazushige Miyake. The next thing as cool as this is the coffee maker designed by Jasper Morrison for Rowenta that we have recently purchased. It’s honestly the best coffee maker out there, but it’s currently only available in the US.

Via dezeen

+-0 Fan designed by one of my favorite Japanese designers Naoto Fukasawa. There is something to be said about how beautiful Japanese designers make utilitarian products.

Via hi-id

Since we started the week off with art, it seems fitting to end it with art as well. On Thursday we were invited to a special media preview of the 10th Toronto International Art Fair. I have to admit, it was lovely being there almost by ourselves and as such we were able to get a lot of photos to share with you and to entice you to check it out this weekend. Everything is for sale. Yes, even Michael Snow, Betty Goodwin…the mid-century classics as well as Douglas Coupland, Annie Pootoogook, Ian Carr-Harris and other contemporary nationally-recognized artists…all with a more affordable crop of emerging Toronto talent!

The details:

Toronto International Art Fair
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
North Building, Exhibit Halls A & B
255 Front Street W, Toronto

Hours
Friday October 23 12-8
Saturday October 24 12 -8
Sunday October 25 12-6
Monday October 26 12-6

General Admission – $18
Groups, Students and Seniors – $14
4-day pass – $44
Children under 10 – FREE

In the following images, we share with you some of our favourites. As to who they are or where they are from (partially because over half weren’t even labeled yet), you’ll have to pop on over to the TIAF to find out for yourself. It’s worth it!

A selection from Art Toronto’s 2009 flagship exhibition Heart land, curated by Jeffrey Spalding:

It reads, “MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS LOOK AT ALL THE LINES”.

I could totally hazard a guess at who the artist is but just in case I won’t. We love graphic black and white art though!

A work by Nick and/or Sheila Pye.

Work by Shary Boyle.

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