Architecture: The Perimeter Institute

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A couple of weeks ago I attended the BrainStem festival at The Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario. The exhibits were very scientific, techy, and kid-friendly. It was an energetic and very public-friendly event. While the interactive science activities were pretty cool, I was really interested in the self-guided building tour. The Perimeter Institute event coordinators did an excellent job creating a tour that had us walking up and down the stairs and going through all the cool conference rooms.

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I am so impressed with the architectural gems in Waterloo. The Perimeter Institute and the CIGI Campus are just two of the buildings that have injected vibrancy and innovation into the city.

Photos by Jordana.

Event & Giveaway: Art Toronto 2013

It’s that time of year again (and I’m not talking about Tim Horton’s roll-up-the-rim campaign). It’s Art Toronto 2013! This month, art dealers from around the world will bring the best of the best art to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. I’ve been a regular attendee* for a few years now** and I am always impressed with the show. I encourage you to attend, browse, and buy at this impressive show. Let’s take a trip around the art world, shall we?

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Tamotsu Fujii, MA2 Gallery, Japan

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Elio Ciol, 3D Gallery, Italy

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Igal Pardo, Contempop, Israel

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Tae-hoo Park, Nine Gallery, Korea

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Liao Yibai, Mike Weiss Gallery, New York

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Caroline Attan, Bicha Gallery, London, UK

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Louise Nevelson, Caviar20, Toronto

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Otino Corsano, PM Gallery, Toronto

The show is from October 25-28th and general admission tickets are $18. More details can be found here.

Giveaway Details:

Want to attend for free? I’m pleased to announce that Art Toronto has generously sent over 2 pairs of tickets that I am happy to giveaway to 2 lucky readers! To enter, leave a comment below telling me why you would like to attend Art Toronto 2013. The contest will close on Thursday October 10th, 2013.

*One day I’m going to be a big spender. One day.

** 2011, 2012

Event: Brian Gluckstein & the Princess Margaret Show Home

As if my fondness for Brian Gluckstein could grow? Well, it did. Last week. Let me tell you about it.

I drove to Oakville one evening after work to attend a preview of the Oakville show home for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Welcome Home Sweepstakes. The house – from top to bottom – is pretty darn gorgeous. While it wasn’t all white, there was a lot of white and I was happy to see it. The open concept kitchen, family room, office, and a few bathrooms (I lost count of them, to be honest) were quite white. The other spaces were full of muted blue, grey, violet, and yellow. Each room was quite beautiful. It wasn’t the “don’t touch this because it’s so precious” kind of beautiful but more like the “have a seat, stay a while, get comfy, can I get you a coupe of champagne” beautiful. Ok, that’s kind of fancy too; but it didn’t feel untouchable.

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main floor living room

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upstairs grand hall

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kitchen

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kitchen cabinet detail

The furniture and many of the accessories is all from the Brian Gluckstein collection and the art was sourced from around the world. I didn’t sit on any of the furniture out of fear that I’d mess up a pillow and Brian would have to come and expertly re-chop it (chopping pillows is still in style, in case anyone wanted to know). But if he wasn’t around, I probably would have tested out every seat in the house.

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main floor – grand hall

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upstairs bedroom mirror

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substantial doors in a bedroom

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possibly my favourite piece of art in the house; Key by Tritan Braho

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pear art

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dining room details; my mom has this same antique tea set

I really eyed the details in all the bathrooms to see what details I could translate into my own home. The tile work and use of mirrors was lovely. And the towels were so new and fluffy.

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tile floor in the master bathroom

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basement bathroom; photo snapped by April

Ever the academic, I had to check out the office. I loved that it had a great big cork board (old school Pinterest) and a wall-to-wall desk. I’d really put that thing to work.

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main floor office

The mouldings, the fireplaces, the tiles, and the lighting were all very impressive.

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 lighting around the house

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fireplace in the main floor living room

So is there anything I don’t like in the home? Yes – two things. One: The wine cellar was a nice addition but I probably would have cut out the exercise room and made the wine cellar a whole lot bigger. Two: What really annoyed me as I walked through the house were all the TVs. Oh my goodness. There were a gazillion TVs in the house. They drove me crazy! Brian, Brian, Brian – why? How many TVs does one beautiful house need?

Overall, the house is really beautiful and the work that went into building it (in only 5 months) is incredibly impressive. Brian, the architect, the tradespeople, and all the other people who had a hand in this really did a phenomenal job.

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Did all bloggers listen to Brian Gluckstein and tweet at the same time? (I spy Jennifer, Leigh-Ann, Brittany, & Tim)

Mr. Brian Gluckstein remained friendly, warm, and funny as he talked about the house and his design career with all the guests. Oh – and I couldn’t leave the home without taking a photo with him. I also took the opportunity to ask him if the bathroom in his own home is still as beautiful as it was when it was photographed for House & Home. The answer? Yes. The books are all real and they’re still there.

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Me and Brian; photo snapped by Leigh-Ann

So? Did I convince you to buy your ticket? Good luck!

Many thanks to Brian, Cheryl, and the Princess Margaret Oakville show home team for welcoming us so warmly!

Related posts:
1. Remember when I toured the product design office of GlucksteinHome? That was fun!
2. Did you see that Brian Gluckstein was featured on The Coveteur? 

Photos by Jordana.

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