Room of the Week

Easy Breezy Dining
Let this dining room be a lesson to us all that you only need a few elements and a little bit of vision to make a room sing. Pinched from Domino magazine, the teal blue feature wall is an unexpected yet ideal backdrop for the mainly mid-century elements of the room including the mismatched (iconic) dining chairs, shapely grey pendant lamp and handsome teak dining table. The simple wallpaper scroll is a lovely alternative to traditional artwork, along with the playful pillows that beg for company. The rug grounds the space and adds a little warmth and layering. But that blue — that’s one to take to the hardware store for a quick colour match!! Enjoy.

Room of the Week

Kids Rooms, and Small Spaces

Perhaps it's because we welcomed a new baby into our family this week, but fabulous (small) kids rooms have been on my mind lately. We are putting our two girls into one room now and giving the baby a room of his own so I'm on the hunt for inspiration. What I love about this image (from Domino magazine) is it's very classic yet fresh, youthful yet elegant and most of all FUN. It tells me, and may it be a lesson to us all, that you don't need a lot of space to create an impactful look, which is good because many of us don't have much -- or there's always that one small bedroom that's hard to figure out. Here, the matching single beds with custom zebra headboards are clever, and work well with gramma-chic quilts, exotic rugs and hits of pink. And look at those drapes! When selling a home, play up a small space and have fun with it. Fill walls with big bold artwork, or a fabulous piece of furniture, play up a bright window with amazing drapery -- show those buyers that sure it may be small, but good things do come in small packages. Later!

New service from http://www.AmalgamDesign.com

We are super excited to announce an awesome new e-newsletter that we’ll be adopting later this month! Toronto is a city of neighbourhoods. ShopTorontoStyle.com is a new web site dedicated to promoting our neighbourhoods and the local businesses that make each one unique. They’re offering a great new service to Toronto Realtors that will allow agents like Emily and I to send each of our clients an interesting, stylish, community-oriented e-blast that will feature original photography and tell you something neat about where you live! We hope that you will enjoy learning more about your community, and that that you will try to get out there and support some of the fantastic local businesses that ShopTorontoStyle.com will feature each month! Watch for more details, and do feel free to get in touch for more info!

New blog address!

Hi!

We're moving our blog to Wordpress.com to take advantage of more tools and greater flexibility - all to make your reading experience better. Please check us out at http://simonandemily.wordpress.com/ right now!

We'll keep going here for the time being, too, but we do really hope that you will join us there!

Cheers,
Simon & Emily

Room of the Week

Okay, how much do I love this room. Starting with the trio of oversized industrial lights, adding an unexpected element of sparkle and shine to this beautiful kitchen. Then there's the Carrera marble kitchen table that's stunning but also very clean and casual, flanked with the faux-bamboo chairs that I really adore and have yet to tire of. The ceiling and floor details round out the interest factor in the room that still remains calm, fresh and neutral because of the predominent shades of white throughout. I for one can picture many a dinner, lunch or breakfast with friends and family -- that feeling of warmth and comfort is what a great room should really be about.

http://www.nationalpost.com/homes/story.html?id=1338575

Classic Beach-Style Home
The Beach
National Post Published: Saturday, February 28, 2009
Related Topics
Emily Norris
Simon Milberry


191 Balsam Ave. (Kingston and Victoria Park roads)
Asking price: $1.259-million
Sold for: $1.2-million
Sold for: $875,000 (2005)
Sold for: $550,000 (1999)
Taxes: $7,489 (2008)
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 5
Time on the market: 34 days
This home "embraces the authentic charm of the classic Beach-style along with rejuvenated modern details," says listing agent Emily Norris. "It was featured on the cover of House & Home magazine in 2006."
The five-bedroom, fivebathroom brick home has a fireplace and french doors in the living room, a plate rail and bow window in the dining room and a pantry in the renovated eat-in kitchen.
French doors in the main-floor family room and a four-piece ensuite bathroom in the third-floor master suite are other highlights. The lower level has a nanny's suite with a fireplace.
The 67x42-foot irregular lot has parking for two cars.
Listing Broker: Re/Max Hallmark Realty Ltd. (Emily Norris and Simon Milberry)

Room of the Week

Fresh Mix, Spring Fix

Just in time for the big seasonal thaw that WILL be here soon (!), we thought it would be fun to profile a fabulous Room of the Week on our blog. You know, to help inspire the starting or finishing of a neglected room, to pick up an idea or two, or to simply gaze at how the other half live. I know that I, for one, am planning on a fairly involved Spring Project that involves expanding our home in preparation for our ever expanding family. Yup, since baby #3 will be here any day now, we really can't prolong the inevidable crunch for space any longer. But, back to the room here -- it's really just beautiful. I love the palette of soft cream and the punch of blue, and the mixing of casual cozy pieces with more formal and exotic ones. Layering rugs has always been a personal favourite detail of mine, especially a classic zebra over soft sisal. I hope you like what you see here too. Look forward to more coming soon! By the way -- there are some serious deals to be had in the Toronto real estate market these days, don't hesitate to call myself or Simon to discover those gems too!