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Insight Magazine
The Colors Of Japandi Design
The beauty of Japanese and Scandinavian interior design styles are blending together this year. The result? Japandi design, which can be used to transform a house into a welcoming, comforting, and calm sanctuary. While both styles are grounded in minimalism, Japanese design operates on the Zen Buddhist ethos of wabi-sabi , where relaxation and a connection to nature are imperative, while rustic Scandinavian design emphasizes the cozy contentment inspired by hygge . For a foray into Japandi style, experience the benefits of its characteristic soft, nature-inspired hues that encourage simplicity and peace at home.
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The 7 Characteristics Of A Truly Smart Home
How can a luxury home enter a new strata? With the integration of the latest smart technology. When working in unison, the best home automation systems are woven into the house’s design and framework to make life more effortless, more secure, and even more eco-friendly. These seven characteristics of a truly smart home provide security, efficiency, and a seamless experience.
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5 Simple Upgrades to Increase Your Condo's Market Value
The surrounding city lights, fine dining on your doorstep, and a short commute to the financial district—condominium living is chock-full of conveniences. But when it comes time to refresh your space or put it on the market, it can be a challenge to know where to focus your efforts. For those looking for a return on investment, these condo upgrades are worth the effort.
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The Luxe Factor: Discover what homebuyers consider key when it comes to comfort
When it comes to luxury homes and their amenities, it’s no surprise that prospective buyers are looking for top-shelf. But unlike a decade ago, when a triple-car garage and swimming pool were deal breakers, now Canadians are making happiness and wellness their first priority when looking for their next home.
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Travel | Tales from Tokyo
On any given day, Shibuya Crossing is a blur of bodies traversing the street in every direction. At this famous intersection — said to be one of the busiest in the world — almost half a million pedestrians cross the scramble every day. But what might seem like a recipe for chaos is, in reality, a perfectly executed synchronized dance of locals and tourists. At night, the scene is similarly entrancing, as cars whiz through the busy junction, their lights glowing like fireflies. It’s one of the most iconic and enduring images of Tokyo, showcasing the city’s many unique singularities.
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Insight : The Art of Living - The Luxury Issue
The evolution of luxury is personal, and for many, it is defined by experience, not price | In this issue of Insight: The Art of Living , we introduce you to people and places that reflect the future of luxury, as defined by creativity, craftsmanship and elevated experience, rather than simply by the price tag. You will meet notable Canadian designers Liz Eeuwes and Calla Haynes whose experimental styles are invigorating the world of high-end carpet-making. We’ll take you on a global journey to meet gourmet chocolatiers, such as CXBO, which makes edible art in Toronto, and To’ak in Ecuador, whose aged tree-to-bar chocolate pairs with vintage wines and fine whisky. Then join us as we explore the culturally rich, dynamic cities of Montreal, London and Cape Town, where luxury and design are being taken to new levels.
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Less is More: 8 Minimalist Interior Design Trends
Less is More: 8 Minimalist Interior Design Trends | True minimal design is all about letting the design elements in a space speak for themselves. Whether you’re looking to completely renovate your home or simply update one room, these minimal interior design ideas will help you maximize the impact of your next project.
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Charging the Future
Charging the Future | To car aficionados, Michael Mauer is more prolific than any architect. Millions of examples of his work are on display all over the world. You might even be lucky enough to have one in your garage. His hobby of drawing cars in his youth eventually led Mauer to do it professionally in 1986 — and for some major international automakers.
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Natural Beauty
Natural Beauty | Ornamental grasses, lavender and echinacea sway with the breeze in the weathered-steel planter box fronting the work studio of landscape designer Joel Loblaw. The rusted metal’s warm orange, the earthy browns of fading perennials, errant red and gold fallen leaves — the planter is in sync with the season and it looks perfect, perfectly natural.
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Truly Eppich
Truly Eppich | mong jaw-dropping properties, every so often, one defies categorization as a residential home, making the leap to “landmark” instead. Case in point: Eppich House II. With its dazzling expanse of glass walls and revolutionary cascading steel-beam frame, this architectural wonder appears like a mirage high up on a West Vancouver hillside, nestled between mountain and sea, yet invisible from the road. Water elements add to its mystical quality — a shimmering koi pond, fed by a redirected creek, and an infinity-edge poolthat blends into the landscape.
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Photographer David Drebin Defines "Home"
Photographer and multidisciplinary artist David Drebin on the transitory nature of home. When we speak on the phone, David Drebin is at home, sort of. It is early July and the New York–based photographer and multidisciplinary artist is spending the summer in Toronto, where he was born and raised. But, he stresses, he is not here for R&R, taking it easy or chilling. “I don’t really relax and unwind, or take a break, because I love what I do,” he says. He’s working on post-production in Canada. Then he hits the road again.
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Alexandra Champalimaud's Luxurious Hotel Designs
For Alexandra Champalimaud, a hotel is far more than just a place for travellers to rest their heads. To this designer, who has spent the last three decades creating some of the most luxurious hotel interiors in the world, these spaces are reflections of the history, culture and art that surround them as much as the people who inhabit them. Yes, a hotel’s primary purpose is to provide food, lodging and comfort for weary travellers, but they have an altogether grander purpose in this designer’s mind — to provide a sense of place.
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Puerto Escondido - Mexico's New Cultural Hot Spot
Flying over the southern Pacific coast of Mexico, travellers get a bird’s-eye preview of the topographical contrasts awaiting them at their final destination. A magnificent panorama of rugged mountains dotted with farms and villages gives way to pristine beaches and the jewel-toned waters of the aptly named Emerald Coast.
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Vancouver's West Coast Ambience
One of the reasons the Hollywood set loves filming in Vancouver — aka Hollywood North — is because this Canadian city is blessed with bountiful natural beauty. Lovely movie-set locales aside, however, a slew of other factors ranks Vancouver right up there among the best places in North America to live in, as well as to visit.
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The Elegant Symmetry of Chelster Hall
The moment you enter through the gates of Chelster Hall, a grand home in Oakville, Ont., it feels like you’ve entered a retreat where all stress and worry seem to disappear. Once you’re past the wide front doors, a magnificent chandelier comes into view. Hanging from a domed ceiling some 30 feet above you, it’s in perfect elegant symmetry with the custom oval Persian carpet underfoot. Just ahead of you are vistas of Lake Ontario sparkling in the distance. On a cold winter day, you can see the mist rising from Niagara Falls.
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Canadian Lighting Designers Shining on Global Stage
Lighting and shelter are often intertwined, as they evoke the warmth and familiarity of home — the porch light as a welcoming beacon or, perhaps, seen from the street through the windows, a glow hinting at the lively gathering inside.
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Napa Valley's Comeback
Now more than a year since the devastating wildfires in Northern California’s Napa Valley, it’s business as usual in this beloved wine region. Known for its full-bodied cabernets and fruity merlots, Napa Valley is recovering from disaster by nurturing its community- building efforts, two of which are major annual fundraisers — Premiere Napa Valley, a by-invitation-only event in February that supports the local wine industry, and Auction Napa Valley, which promotes local health and educational programs.
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Art Installations in Private Homes
The power of a sculpture on the viewer is markedly different than that of wall art. While paintings, photographs and tapestries tell a story or, in the case of non-representational art, which conveys a mood, three-dimensional works are often seen as having special attributes that elicit, arguably, more powerful responses.
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Tips for Selling Your Home from Our Agents Across Canada
When it comes to selling that all-important investment, your home, there are many factors to consider. In addition to freshening up the paint — a must before you list — here’s what savvy real-estate brokers across Canada recommend.
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How to Design Your Home with Autumnal Colours
With the inevitable shift from one season to the next comes a natural desire for change, not only in our wardrobes or our choice of weekend activities, but in our homes. As we welcome all of autumn’s cozy traditions, there is a distinct fall colour palette that emerges, both outside and in.
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Prepare For Shorter Days With These Home Design Tips
Sunny skies, warm weather, and days that seem to go on forever—spring and summer pull us into the great outdoors. But as the days grow shorter, autumn and winter draw us back into our homes—to visit and to enjoy quiet moments as dusk falls, leaves turn, and winter arrives. Our homes are the centrepieces of the colder seasons, and a few simple design ideas, from lighting to furniture configurations, can help us show them at their very best.
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Handsome Girls
Sisters Chloé and Parris Gordon have been, to put it bluntly, crushing it since their debut collection launched at Toronto Fashion Week back in 2011 — their first show after graduating from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Local boutiques were swift to pick up pieces from the collection. Realizing their school project was getting serious, the Gordon sisters renamed the brand in 2013 — from Chloé Comme Parris to Beaufille — and set about cultivating a signature look that blends hard elements (think structured neoprene and gloss-coated wools) with soft (shirred Victorian collars, ultra-wide flares).
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Artistry In An Oasis
International art fairs, world-class museums and a thriving vibrant design district — Marrakech has evolved into a global arts mecca. Meryanne Loum-Martin is greeting her guests, here at her candlelit compound at La Palmeraie in Marrakech. Among those in attendance are His Excellency Dwight L. Bush Sr., the U.S. ambassador to Morocco under President Barack Obama, and Bozoma “Boz” A. Saint John, Uber’s chief brand officer. Loum- Martin ushers them into her vast lush gardens, designed by her ethnobotanist husband, Gary Martin. On the agenda — free-flowing cocktails (no wine, hard liquor only), a sit-down dinner for 180 and a fabulous Congolese band. Welcome to the arts scene in Marrakesh.
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Retro Rides
The younger generations are disinterested in driving — or so futurists, politicians and even some auto industry executives keep reminding us — and someday soon, they will simply summon rides in self-driving pods rather than buy their own cars. And yet, the fastest, finest, most extraordinary automobiles of yesteryears continue to grow more precious (and lucrative), evidenced in the most unlikely of places — Blenheim, in south- western Ontario — and courtesy of Rob Myers. Myers restored his Edsel Corsair in a one-car garage in Chatham, Ontario, in 1976 and started a business fixing vintage cars, eventually earn- ing himself an impressive reputation. News spread — mainly of his exacting standards — and increasingly, worthy automobiles arrived for Myers, who by then had officially formed RM Auto Restoration, one of the world’s leading automobile restorers and auctioneers.
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