Category: Cool Dwellings

Dreamy Dwellings: kitHAUS

You know I love me some modern architecture.  So of course, I love modular, pre-fab structures.  Check out this dandy by kitHAUS, featured on desire to inspire on Monday.

kitHAUS structures come in all different configurations and sizes.  They’re surprisingly affordable and easy to install.

Wouldn’t you love to find some wonderful place in the woods or on a secluded beach, and put one of these homes there?

Australian Beach House

It’s chilly willy and there’s some snow on the ground here in Toronto, so when I saw this posting on Desire to Inspire, I was overwhelmed with real estate envy.  This beach house in Noosa Sound, Queensland (Australia) has such a gorgeous blend of modern design with beach-house casual coziness.

If you have an extra 5 million, it can be yours… here’s the real estate listing.

Covet Garden

Covet Garden is a new Toronto-based online lifestyle magazine.   In their own words, “Covet Garden is for folks who are curious about real spaces. We take a peek into the homes and lives of some of the city’s most interesting people—spaces that have not been styled by interior decorators. Covet Garden is inspirational, not aspirational.”

I like it because it’s short – it’s more like a story book than a magazine, as it features one family/one dwelling in each issue.  And of course, because it’s Toronto-based, all of the sources are handy.  And I love that the first two issues feature families in the East End – proving once again that my neighbourhood is where it’s at.  Make a cup of tea, and spend 15 minutes reading Covet Garden – you won’t be disappointed.  Read the first issue online (for free) here, and the second issue here.

Kitchens to Drool Over

Ian and I are in the first stages of planning a massive kitchen reno in our house (many more details about that to come).  So I’ve had kitchens on the brain, and when I saw this roundup of Michael Robinson’s photography on Desire To Inspire, my jaw dropped.  He photographs lots of different interiors, but his kitchen photographs are amazing.  Give yourself a 10 minute break and check out Robinson’s portfolio of images on his website.  You’ll be house-jealous and inspired, I guarantee.

Frank Lloyd Wright Sleepover

How cool is this?  You can rent The Palmer House – the home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for William and Mary Palmer in 1950.  The house is in Ann Arbour, Michigan (only a 5 hour drive from Toronto).  It’s renting for the rather reasonable rate of $400 a night for the 3-bedroom house and neighbouring tea house (3rd picture above – isn’t it lovely?).  Split that with another couple, and that’s a deal.

More info on Palmer House can be found here, and the rental listing on HomeAway can be found here.

Stylish RVs: T@B Trailers

I love camping with Ian and our dog Isabel.  We go “car camping” to various provincial parks in Ontario.  I love being outside and having a campfire, but I also need a few creature comforts (oh come on, bringing a blowup bed and duvet to a campsite is NOT prissy.  It’s comfortable).

I’ve been fascinated with camper vans and RVs – they seem to take camping to the next level.  Camping and road tripping?  Sign me up!  I would LOVE to camp in some of the big parks in the US (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Tetons…).  Too bad most camper vans and RVs are disgustingly ugly, expensive, or hard to pull behind our small SUV.

Then Ian told me he saw a T@B micro-RV parked in someone’s driveway.  How cool are these?  They’re small enough (and light enough) to be pulled by our car, and have just enough space and functionality to go for a long camping trip.  Perfect for two people and a dog.  I have no idea how much these cost, but it really doesn’t matter.  I don’t have a place to keep one (no garage at our Toronto house).  So for now, I have to just dream…