LIVING & DESIGN
LOFT hunting.ca
Robert Van Rhijn
Broker
Bringing you the best in lofts, condos & urban homes. 647.637.6396 robert@lofthunting.ca www.LoftHunting.ca ■
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Top 1% of realtors for Toronto condos & lofts sold since 2010* over $8 million sold in 2011
Remax Condos Plus 679 King St West
*as per the Toronto Real Estate Board
Continued from page 9
This place is big, just under
The overall aesthetic of the place
2,500 square feet. Maureen, that
is Maureen’s. How do you feel
encouraged your love of abstract
about it, Val?
art, didn’t it?
VG: When I first walked in here I
MS: These big walls begged for art.
didn’t think, “Oh, my God,” and
The first painting I ever bought
back out slowly. I was like, “Wow,
was by a Quebec artist named
this is big art.” I very quickly
John Barcley. Then I discovered the
learned to love it.
Thompson Landry Gallery. That’s where I found the two painting by
You both love to travel. But you
Vivian Case-Fox and the two by
got more than you bargained for
Jean-Pierre Lafrance. I absolutely
recently.
love them. I love sitting in the liv-
VG: We went to New Zealand ear-
ing room and looking at them.
lier this year and were going to
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of them.
spend one day in Christchurch. That one day was Feb 22 [the day
Big modern furniture, big flam-
of the massive earthquake].
boyant chandelier, big abstract
MS: We were very fortunate. We
art… but not a lot of clutter.
were already outside, so we were
MS: Oh, no. Can’t stand clutter.
dressed for the cold weather. There
Keep it simple. Can’t stand dust
were all these people who ran out of
or dusting. No grass to mow. And
their homes in nothing but T-shirts
no carpets, so we don’t have to
and flip flops. And it looked liked
vacuum.
we were going to spend the night in
VG: [Laughing] But we do vacuum.
a park. But a lovely women opened
→ OPENNESS & PRIVACY Indirect light floods into Gow’s study with its custom shelving (below left) and the master bedroom with its 20-foot ceilings (bottom). The skull-andcrossbone kitchen tile (below right) is a holdover from Avril Lavigne.
up her home to us and two other couples. We were able to fly out the next day. Going through something like that gives you a new perspective when hearing about disasters recently in Japan and Turkey. •