Sweet Slumber at the Auberge Saint-Antoine

 All photos courtesy of Auberge Saint-Antoine. There is something particularly magical about visiting Quebec City during the winter.  The city has a certain coziness, with the smell of wood-burning fireplaces filling the air, trees and shops everywhere adorned and lit up.  There’s also a romantic connection with the past that

Kayla Pongrac: Bringing Local Flavour to Life with Art and Design

 Photo credit: Blair Pongrac  When you head to one of Ottawa’s top restaurants, like Ace Mercado on Clarence Street, you go for the experience. It’s not just about the great food, but also the atmosphere, smells and sounds. A lot of thought, planning and passion go into creating that atmosphere

Astana – Modern Wonder of the World

 This year, Kazakhstan celebrates its 550th anniversary of statehood. Its rich history dates back to Gengis Khan, the journey of tradesmen and of travelers along the northern route of the Great Silk Road. However, interestingly, the Kazakh capital, Astana, is relatively young. In fact, July 6th marked its 17th year

A Delicious Weekend in Barbados

 The sky is clear and the sun is shining. Is there a better way to start off the weekend in beautiful Barbados? The answer is yes—and it happens when I am handed a rum punch upon entering the Radisson Aquatica Beach Resort. Get ready to unwind by lounging poolside or

Medieval Villages of the French Riviera: Saint-Paul de Vence and Èze

 (visited in May 2014) There is no doubt that French Riviera (la Côte d'Azur) is a hallmark of beauty in many things: architecture, design, views, people, food, and history. During my second visit to the region, I engaged a local tourist guide Boba (www.yourguideboba.com) to personalize my visit. What a

Timeless Elegance

 Home decor and trending styles, like all good things, regardless of their initial appeal, eventually come to an end. Fads such as colours, shapes, fabrics and textures have a very finite existence.  Luckily, home decor has a much longer shelf life than your average seasonal runway collection; however, this does

Jane’s Walk

 Who Says Ottawa is Boring?  Here is the perfect opportunity to explore the outdoors of the city we love to live in. Jane’s Walk Ottawa is a weekend festival of walking tours led by local volunteers who are passionate about living in Canada’s capital city. It’s an event that concentrates

Accessible Elegance for Family Living

 From its dramatic moody dining room wall colour and modern abstract art to its light-filled, south-facing kitchen and traditional butler’s pantry, this stately three-storey centre hall brick home in the Glebe is a study in contrasts: elegant and refined, but livable and modern for today’s busy family. With a Georgian-inspired

London Calling: Classic British Style

 Showcased in the model suite is the London Classic, one of three European styled interior collections, a vision of Ottawa-born, lawyer-turned-developer, John Thomas. As a tribute to this building’s British roots (the international award-winning PLP Architecture company from London), the London Classic was the first interior collection to reflect a

Modern SIMPLICITY: A Makeover in Alta Vista

 Designed originally for city privacy in the 1960s, this Alta Vista bungalow is best suited for display of an extensive art collection with its expansive walls, high ceilings, and minimal trim work. Original owners were the late Samuel and Caroline Baylin, who were a family of artists, she a painter

2nd Annual Spaces Issue

   Premier Ottawa designer Tanya Collins shows us that we can have a beautiful home even it’s filled with kids and pets. It's all about making the  right style and function choices. Tanya shares her tricks and  her sources for beautiful fixtures and finds.   London Calling: Classic British Style

Glasgow Transformed: Modern and Edgy

 Welcomed with shortbread cookies and a dram of whiskey, it was easy to be charmed by Scotland’s largest city, where every corner reveals a pub with a storied history or ingenious work of contemporary art. From one of the largest seaports in the world with a booming shipbuilding and trade

The Campania Contradiction

 Naples and the Amalfi coast —History and a passion for excellence collide under gaze of Mount Vesuvius As our plane made its final approach over the Sea of Sirens the view of the Neapolitan islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida with their imposing rock faces dotted with cliff-clinging edifices and lush

A Midwinter’s Bite of the Big Apple

 Got the winter blues or a little cabin fever? Well here’s the cure: New York City. David Letterman is right when he calls it the greatest city in the world. It is. Put aside the fact that it is the commerce centre of the universe or that its storied history

The master plan for the growth — A Plan for the Capital

 By Katharine Fletcher Capital cities are fortunate entities. Their unique role is to symbolize a people's concept of nationhood. As such, they present particular challenges to planners. Ottawa is no exception. Does Ottawa and the National Capital Region (NCR) embody a sense of Canadian-ness? Marcel Beaudry, chairman of the National