Toronto Home Show: Ty Pennington and the Cube house

Went to the Home Show today with an old friend.

There were so many great exhibitors, 

we actually ran out of time, and had to skip part of the show!

Thats okay, because the Eurodale Dream Home was not ready on time, 

and we couldn't tour it, so I may pop back in next week (i'll share pics).

Found an amazing synthetic ice company, SuperGlide,

 who can install a backyard rink for me that is usable year-round and has a 10 year guarantee - add that to the wish list.

 perfect for the kiddies ;)

Down a ways to the 2010 Green Book booth - 

they provide listings for Construction and engineering services.

But the back wall of their booth looked like this!!

These are custom tiles, they can be made in any shape or size. This is the type of thing I was imagining in my earlier post on customizable wall art.  Absolutely beautiful.

Onward to the Cube House.

A fab pre-fab, built by Challenger,

this is a one bedroom plus den, two storey design.

It was packed with small space solutions.

Large five foot windows let in abundant natural light,

a second floor balcony off the bedroom was a great bonus space.

Challenger will work with your own design, or provide you a designer

to customize your space. 

They are working on a green-roof product, making these homes a perfect city dwelling.

The details of this space are proof of superior interior finishing - gorgeous cabinetry, well-designed hardware and small details, such as custom flush floor vents that become a decorative feature rather than an eyesore.

If ever I am lucky enough to have a little piece of heaven on a lake somewhere, you can bet your

booty I will be building something like this.

We drooled over a Perola Kitchen, dream pools at Gibsan,

and this panelled fireplace and wall by Sergio Galli Architectural Design.

Finally aching feet found their way to my favourite part of the show - The Dream Gardens.

I loved this design, which featured two seating areas,

a pond, a fountain, and a sculptural take on a waterfall

along with a zen sand display.  

Green Apple Landscaping was here at the show, with their living walls (endless possibilities) and living roofs.  

Toronto has passed a new bylaw requiring new development incorperates green space on rooftops and this technology just keeps improving.  

Their roof at the show was blooming - pink flowers, so cool.

On our way out, we realized Ty Pennington had taken to the stage, 

and had to stop and listen to him speak.

He is so compassionate, and it really comes through in the genuine way he treats everyone.

He had us all laughing and inspired to create wonderful spaces that nurture the people in them.

It's amazing that he came from a dreary beginning like Trading Places

and became such a positive force in the design world.

 Cheers, Ty!

So a great day at the show, and I didn't even make it to the Neighbourhood Marketplace to check out all the best local boutiques - hopefully next week i can share a bit of that with you...

for now i'm off to dream of a landscape design for our completely empty yard ;)

til next time...