DIY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS: PAPER SNOWFLAKES!

DIY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS: PAPER SNOWFLAKES!

There is nothing like a little Christmas crafting to get you and your space into the holiday spirit! Am I right?!

Since moving into our new Toronto Victorian home a few months ago, I have been so focused on getting our first floor renovations started that I didn’t expect to be able to celebrate Christmas in our new home. Perhaps overly ambitious on my part, I expected to be in the throws of renovations, unable to host festive soirees this year with friends and family but instead, I was given the gift of time. Time to slow down, settle in and savour the season.

So yesterday, I popped out to the store to grab some crafty materials to create these super cute paper snowflake to jazz up my space for the holiday season. I love how each paper snowflake has its own unique shape and look, and how impactful this inexpensive Christmas decor DIY can have on your space!

If you are looking for a fun and craft way to get into the holiday spirit, you are going to love this simple DIY Christmas decoration and new paper snowflake hack!

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ITEMS YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS SIMPLE CHRISTMAS DECOR TUTORIAL

Makes 1 Snowflake

MATERIALS:
8-10 Paper Lunch Bags - I purchased a variety of colours and sizes from the store
A Hot Glue Gun
1 Glue Sticks - this is plenty and more then enough for making one paper snowflake
Scissors
Tape or String to use for hanging/fastening the snowflake to the wall

Additional Optional Fun Materials:
Spray Paint - I spray painted some of mine silver and it looked really cute
Glitter
Adhesive Pearl Stickers

SIMPLE CHRISTMAS DECOR THAT MAKE A BIG IMPACT!

In the shape of a ‘T’, add hot glue to the backside of a paper bag before sticking another paper bag on top.

Repeat until you have done this for all 8-10 bags.

Using your scissors, cut a unique shape into the bag - it doesn’t have to be even or symmetrical.

Open and glue ends together to reveal your unique snowflake which is now ready to be taped to the wall, or added to your space!

Check out this video below for further clarification!

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I hope you enjoyed making these super cute DIY Christmas decorations as much a did. If you have any questions about this simple, paper snowflakes Christmas decor hack, feel free to share them in the comment sections below.

Happy crafting!

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TIPS FOR PICKING THE BEST KITCHEN APPLIANCES!

Want to hear a funny story?

When Adam and I moved into our Toronto Victorian home, so many appliances didn’t work.

The washer and dryer were both broken, my dishwasher was a glorified drying rack, my freezer was frozen shut. At one point, I opened the island cupboard and the door completely came off in my hand. The previous owners didn’t even put screws to attach the hinge! It was comical!

We knew the house needed work when be bought it but I didn’t expect our appliances to be in such bad shape when we moved in. Thankfully, Adam’s response to this series of unfortunate events was to give me the green light to start planning an entire first floor renovation which, if you haven’t already guessed, included a new dream kitchen and a slew of new appliances.

KITCHEN INSPO

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Now, something you should know about Adam is that he loves to cook as much as I do so designing a ‘chef’s kitchen’ and upgrading the range was a must for us. This meant I could splurge on a gas range with high BTU’s and a large electric oven but didn’t need nor want to go for expensive designer brand appliances for everything. As a matter of fact, if there is one thing I learned from the research I did comparing price to function to design for each appliance, it’s that there are tons of really beautiful, sleek appliances out there with great consumer reviews at palatable prices. You don’t need to spend $17,000 on a fridge to have the best kitchen appliances, trust me.

Fast forward to today and your girl has ordered all of her appliances! Since I know first hand how grueling the process of picking appliances can be, I though i’d come back and share a few tips for purchasing appliances, what I found to be the best brands for each appliance category (research backed) and what I ended up purchasing!

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TIPS FOR PICKING THE BEST KITCHEN APPLIANCES

TIP 1: FIGURE OUT YOUR NEEDS & BUDGET

If you are looking to buy the best kitchen appliances my first piece of advice would be to figure out your needs and budget before visiting showrooms, and doing your research. Appliances come in a range of prices and designer brands like Sub Zero and Wolf, La Cornue, Miele, Bosch, and Thermador offer super sleek designs with superior functionality but can come with a hefty price tag.

On the other hand, brands like LG, Samsung, Kitchen Aid and GE are considered more affordable and offer a larger range of products with great ratings at decent prices. These more affordable brands still offer great appliances with good capabilities but they tend not to have as many bells and whistles as the designer brands and aren’t as ‘sleek’; although they have gotten way better in recent years!

Adam and I ended up giving ourselves a healthy budget for kitchen appliances knowing that we wanted to splurge on a designer duel range while also still needing a new microwave, dishwasher, fridge, hood vent, washer and dryer. We also knew mixing and matching designer appliances brands with non-designer brands would help us keep our cost down significantly while still allowing us to build our dream kitchen with the best kitchen appliances.

Kitchen Inspiration - Sourced from Pinterest

TIP 2: PICK WHICH APPLIANCE TO UPGRADE

Once you have outlined your needs and budget you can then pick which appliance you feel you would benefit the most from upgrading (if any). Do you hate doing dishes? Perhaps a high performance dish washer will be the most beneficial. Do you love cooking and need a stove with high BTU’s for searing? Perhaps a designer range is the item you should splurge on. Do you have a big household and need a larger fridge or freezer to accommodate all the groceries you buy? Asking yourself these questions will not only help you pick the right appliances, but will also help you narrow down budget allotments for each appliance.

SINGLE VS. DUEL RANGES

One thing I learned while visiting showrooms for the best kitchen appliances is that designer ranges tend to offer higher BTU’s than more affordable brands. Additionally, many designer brands also offer duel systems meaning you can have a gas range AND an electric oven. The benefit of having an electric oven is that the temperature for baking is more accurate and even compared to gas because the temperature is measured using inferred in gas ovens, making temperature harder to control and less accurate relative to electric. However, when it comes to the range, gas allows you to cook at higher temperatures and brings things to a boil faster than electric. For this reason, duel ranges tend to be more expensive than single ranges and since this was the kitchen appliance Adam and I decided to splurge on we allotted the largest proportion of our budget to it.

A La Cornue ConfuFé 110 duel range in white with brass trim

Although Sub Zero Wolf, Thermador, and Miele all offer great gas ranges, I fell in love with the look and capabilities of the La Cornue CornuFé 110. The range itself features 5 powerful burners - one 17,500 BTU central burner, three 12,000 BTU burners, and one 6,000 BTU burner for simmering; two electric convection ovens - one of which is a seven mode multifunction oven; and one large storage drawer. We ended up going with the classic French dark navy blue with polished brass trim accents which we plan to build the rest of the kitchen around. It’s like a piece of art you can cook with! Adam will have the searing power he loves and desires while I will have the two electric ovens for optimal non-stop baking. I can’t wait!

TIP 3: GET CONSUMER REPORTS

Once you have figured out your budget and what appliances you would benefit most from upgrading, I would highly recommend going online to Consumer Reports to check out the rankings and reviews for each appliance category you are interested in. Doing so will help you narrow down which brand is making the best kitchen appliances for that specific category and make choosing the right one for you less overwhelming. I love going to this website when purchasing any electronic or kitchen appliance because it ranks its performance, its reliability, how environmentally friendly it is and the overall customer satisfaction with the product.

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I turned to Consumer Reports for help choosing the remainder of the appliances and that’s how I ended up going for another designer brand appliance - the stainless steel Bosch Ascente SHX3AR75UC dishwasher. The reviews for this dishwasher were amazing and the price was surprisingly reasonable for a designer brand appliance. According to consumer reports, Bosch makes great, high performance, reliable dish washers with great load capacity that are super water and energy efficient. After watching a few review Youtube videos and seeing how well it ranked, going with the Bosch Ascante was a no brainer. In addition to Bosch, Thermador also rose to the top as one of the best kitchen appliance brands in the dishwasher category according to Consumer Report rankings.

TIP 4: GO INTO THE SHOWROOMS

After doing your research and narrowing down which brands make the best kitchen appliances in each category, you should then go into the showroom and check them out in person. Doing so will help you visualize what your kitchen will look like and help you narrow down the features and visual aesthetic you want to go for. I actually learned a lot more about fridges by doing this including the difference between ‘counter depth’ and ‘cabinet depth’.

MORE KITCHEN INSPO

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COUNTER DEPTH VS CABINET DEPTH

One of the biggest differences between designer brands and non-designer brands (other than the massive price difference) was that designer brand appliances come in ‘cabinet depth’ whereas non-designer brands tend to be ‘counter depth’ or deeper. This means that designer fridges are shallower in depth and look more seamless or flush when installed alongside cabinetry. I also noticed that designer fridges tend to be taller then non designer fridges and the compressors usually don’t eat into the freezer space as much as non designer fridges. Just something to think about…

Although important, a designer fridge was not something Adam and I thought we needed to splurge on (they can go beyond $17,000). This, in addition to not being fussed about it sticking out beyond the counter by three inches or not having extra height (finally it pays to be short), we decided something more budget friendly would suit our needs and aesthetic which is why we started looking at non-designer French door fridges.

Three Birds Renovations - Kitchen Inspiration - Sourced from Pinterest

To my surprise and after further research, I learned that LG actually outperformed many of the designer brands when it came to overall customer satisfaction. Although their fridges may not be as tall or shallow as a designer fridge, LG makes great, energy efficient fridges that have temperature uniformity and are reliable. Adam and I ended up choosing a counter depth french door LG (LFCC22426S) fridge in stainless steal which not only matched our Bosch dishwasher quite well but performed really well against other top non-designer brands in this category like GE, Samsung and Kitchen Aid, in addition to designer brands like Dacor, Thermador and Jenn-Air.

TIP 5: MATCH AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

My last tip for picking the best kitchen appliances for you is to try to make your appliances match as much as possible. This will add a cohesiveness to the space and make it look more visually appealing. You can do this easily by picking all stainless steal appliances, by going with the same brand for everything, or by choosing appliances with similar looking handles. Adam and I chose to get everything in stainless steel to make matching them together easy and lucked out with our fridge handles matching our dishwasher handle despite being from different brands.

Further, for our washer and dryer, we ended up going with matching LG units because not only does it give a cohesive look but the reviews were really great. LG recently came out with new front load washer (LG WM4500HBA) and electric dryer (LG DLEX4500B) with 5.8 cubic feet load capacity - the largest yet. It got a 5/5 for washing performance, energy efficient and water efficiency and can easily be stacked on top of one another if you want to eventually put it in a closet like us.

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Lastly, for our microwave, we wanted to have something that looked built in so we went with the Panasonic NNST663SC and added on a stainless steel trim kit so it would match our other appliances. It was more expensive than what I expected a microwave to cost but Panasonic as a brand performed well in this appliance category especially when it came to defrosting evenness, speed of heating and overall reliability. Other brands that performed well in this category include GE and Oster.

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So there you have it! My tips for choosing the best kitchen appliances and recommendations for kitchen appliance brands in each catagory. I know figuring out what appliances are reliable and high performing can be a daunting/grueling process but the last thing you want to do is spend your hard earned money on complete crap that has to be replaced in a few years. I hope this blog post helped you along a little bit and provided additional knowledge on the differences between designer brands and non-designer brands, as well as which brands are performing the best in each category. Feel free to share what appliances you ended up going with below too! I would love to know!

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5 TIPS FOR STYLING YOUR HOLIDAY FRONT DOOR

Since moving into my new Toronto Victorian home, I have been so eager to start decorating from scratch. Unfortunately, with plans to renovate the main floor starting soon, decorating my front door for fall may be the only chance I get to do something festive before the end of the year! So, upon the immediate arrival of pumpkin season, I decided to take the liberty to start decorating my fall front door right away!

In preparation for this exciting occasion, I took to my favorite social media platform - Pinterest - for some holiday and fall decor inspiration. However, It didn’t take me long to notice that many of the doors and stoops I saw didn’t really resemble mine. Thankfully, my expertise in photography and food styling kicked in and I realized that if I applied the same styling principles from taking photos of food, I should be able to create something eye catching and tailored for my space. Now having gone through the process, I also have come to realize how much easier this made procuring decor items in the proper proportions and quantity as well!

If you are starting to feel festive and have plans to decorate your front porch for the upcoming holiday season, here are some basic styling principles to take into account when creating your perfect fall front porch setup. These simple tips can easily be applied to anything you are working on and when done right, will always result in a super cute and unique holiday setup curated to your taste and style. Happy decorating!

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5 TIPS FOR STYLING YOUR HOLIDAY FRONT DOOR

1. Layer in the decorations - No matter what I am styling, one principle I always keep top of mind is to layer in items. In the case of my fall front door I started with the two flower pots I bought a few months back and separated them to draw the eye from ‘top right to bottom left’ in the same direction and flow of the staircase. Next I layered in my larger sized pumpkins, staggering the amount on each side to avoid too much symmetry. Following this, I added in my medium sized pumpkins and small hay bales making sure to separate the white pumpkins and use the hay bales in spots that needed elevation like behind a large pumpkin or in front of a flower pot. Next I added in the remaining small and mini pumpkins, making sure to stack a few of the mini ones on top of each other to acheive an additional element of elevation, and staggering the rest to fill in empty pockets. Lastly, I added in my lanterns/lights. In this case I had two kinds - two big lanterns and 3 small tealight lanterns - which I staggered once again in spots that either needed a pop of black or steps that felt a little bare. Layering items like this always helps me to visualize how things are looking every step of the way while also making the result look more natural and less staged.

2. Always buy decor in odd amounts - Aside from the flower pots which I already had, everything else I bought was purchased in odd numbers. 5 large pumpkins, 5 lanterns/t-lights, 5 medium pumpkins in a mix of colours, 5 small orange pumpkins and 13 mini pumpkins in a mix of colours. Doing this automatically helps me avoid to much symmetry and always yields a more natural looking setup. When it comes to photos, the rule of odds states that having an odd number of objects in a photo produces a more appealing composition than an even amount, and clearly this rule works just as well for front doors as it does for food!

3. Add in a little greenery - Greenery is an important element to any festive decor you are styling, and not only adds colour and texture to whatever you’re working on but also adds another vibrant festive element to the overall look. Usually at Christmas when creating a centerpiece I start off with a lot of greenery as a base before adding additional candles and decoration on top. In the case of my front door, the flower pots add a pop of colour and texture while also breaking up the pumpkins. Just make sure you use resilient greenery that thrives in colder weather like purple cabbages, ornamental peppers or chrysanthemums for maximum longevity!

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4. Add some lights for additional night appeal - You didn’t create a beautiful fall front door only for it to disappear out of sight as soon as the sun sets. Adding in some lights to your fall front porch decor will not only give it some life but it can also help visitors notice your new setup while also helping them avoid tripping on a pumpkin. In the case of my front door I used tealights lanterns, but battery operated fairy lights are another great inexpensive alternative that dazzles.

5. Stay away from kitsch… unless that’s the vibe you are going for - The number of times I had to stop myself from picking up Halloween decor while shopping for this project was hilarious. I knew I wanted to decorate my front door with pumpkins but that didn’t mean I wanted to go full on ‘Halloween’. Reminding myself to stay away from anything too kitschy like scarecrows and jack-o-lanterns helped me avoid getting to wrapped up around one festive occasion and instead made achieving a fall front door that works for the entire fall season way easier. If you are like me and want your front door to last all season long, make sure to avoid purchasing any decor that confines you to a timeline.

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10 INTERIOR DESIGN TRENDS I AM LOVING!

My ‘marshmallow couches’ and new swivel chairs in the living room of my new Toronto Vicotiran house!

INTERIOR DESIGN TRENDS FOR 2021 AND 2022

With renovations soon to begin on my new Toronto Victorian home, I have been finding myself feeling a new sense of purpose and passion for interior design. What once was a collection of ‘wouldn’t it be nice’s’ and ‘maybe one day’s’ is now inspiration on my ‘First Floor Renovation’ Pinterest board and things just hit different. ‘Pinning’ is ‘planing’ and 2022 interior design trend reports, home decor colour trend boards and industry highlights are definitely what I have been gravitating to. For those who don’t find that stuff as sexy though, here’s a summery of what I learned and what I’m loving.

From the rise of Japandi (Scandinavian functionality meets Japanese minimalism) to the fall of grey kitchens, 2021 and 2022 interior design trends seem to show a shift in how people are moving through life and feeling about their spaces. Now that they are forced to stay home, comforts and cozy atmospheres are a must as well as a need to incorporation more sustainable elements and natural materials into the home. If we can’t go out, we want to bring the outside world in and create beautiful spaces to enjoy while doing so. An emphasis on functionality has taken centre stage as we declutter our spaces and focus on having a few statement pieces rather than an abundance of décor and furniture. When it comes to paint, neutral and grounding colours are also being favoured over vibrant jewel tones and powerful patterns, but nothing has stolen my heart more than these 10 interior design trends for 2021 & 2022:

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Round and Irregular Shaped Mirrors - A useful tool when it comes to interior design, mirrors can help make a room feel larger, reflect light, or even add a splash of glamour to an otherwise stagnant space. Of course, hanging a few mirrors in a home is definitely a must, but one 2021 interior design trend that I am absolutely loving is the use of round and irregular shaped mirrors to unify a room or add a statement. One such mirror that I am currently coveting from Ferm Living is called ‘The Pond’. In some ways it reminds me of Salvador Dali’s melted clock because of it’s similar ‘melted’ characteristics. I especially love to see round and irregular mirrors used as a way to add juxtaposition to a room that otherwise would have a lot of sharp edges like a dining room or a tiled bathroom. Further, irregular or round mirrors perform the double duty of being a design element that is both functional and eye catching while still reflecting light around the room.

Crittall Doors, Windows and Partitions - Not only are they edgy and versatile, but Crittall frames are incredibly eye catching and work well with all types of aesthetics including industrial, mid-century or Scandinavian interiors. Characterized by the grid-like frames and modern lines, the use of Crittall allows both light and space to feel abundant while creating zoned areas within it. Although traditionally used for doors and windows, lately I have seen Crittal also being used to create walls around at-home office space, as doors to pantries, as shower screens and even as partition between rooms. It’s definitely something I’ve been pinning a lot and can guarantee it will be showing up in my new home.

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Moody and Dark Kitchen Cabinets - A white kitchens may be timeless but nothing can do ‘sleek and striking’ better than dark kitchen cabinetry. The industry has seen a strong gravitational pull towards dark cabinet kitchens when previous overlooked as purely an 'accent' colour. Black walls, cabinetry and work surfaces are having something of a moment as dark grounding colours feel liveable, luxe and inviting. Mix in some floating shelves made of textured woods and the spaces now feels warm, rustic and inviting. Earthy tones such as terracotta and sand continue to be popular as we aim to create natural, grounding environments to help us truly disconnect from our busy lives. Same holds true for appliances. Back Stainless Steel appliances are now being offered by brands like Bosch, LG, KitchenAid, and Samsung. I myself, feel its gravitation pull and recently purchased a La Cornue stove for my new kitchen in a dramatic dark navy with brass knobs! It’s going to look SO YUM, I can’t wait!

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PHOTO CREDIT: @oldstockantiques

Natural Elements - Bringing nature in doesn’t have to be as literal as filling your place with a million new plant babies. Instead, switching furnishings out in favour of those that incorporate more natural fibres such as rattan, wicker, cane, and wood are a great place to start! Fabrics such as wool, linen and cotton are also being used to add texture to a room along with terracotta vases, dried flowers, marble coffee tables, and wicker baskets. These all add warmth to a room while creating an atmosphere that feels organic, relaxed, and calming. 

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Accent Lighting - Lighting doesn’t just need to be functional, it needs to make a statement and much of the inspiration I have been pinning these days for the living room in my Victorian house include a beautiful chandeliers. Emphasis on luxurious lighting offers a great opportunity to draw the eye upwards accentuating high ceilings in a house like mine. If you don’t have high ceilings, no worries, you should still think of lighting as a form of jewelry. Make sure to choose something that provides some sort of opulent grandeur without overwhelming the entire look of the room.

Blush In Bedrooms and Bathrooms - Although not a new colour, earthy pinks are super popular when it comes to 2022 interior color trends and textiles. Perhaps it’s because they mix so well with earthy pigments such as terracotta and sand or natural materials like rattan and woven jute, but I have been very attracted to a rose pink palette when it comes to master bedrooms and powder rooms. There is something so subtle, sophisticated and delicate about it that it evokes feels of relaxed romance for me. I will definitely be incorporating this colour into my home after renovations are complete and am already banking a ton of inspiration for my master bedroom in this colour.

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Marshmallow Couches - Definitely not an industry term but instead 100% something I just made up, marshmallow couches and/or curved and shapely furniture have been gracing the IG pages of so many of my favourite home decor accounts for the past few years. Of course striking lighting can make a statement but nothing makes a living room more welcoming than an enticing sofa. Curved couches invite your gaze to dance across a room and nubby textile like bouclé appeal to the touch drawing you further in. I have already began to embrace this 2021 living room decor trend and have procured two couches in this ultra comfy style. I also found two swivel chairs that I plan to reupholstered in bouclé to help me create the dreamiest living room setup!

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Rattan, Cane & Wicker - Two things I have been swooning over for what feels like an eternity is rattan, cane and wicker! Although woven furniture styles have been gaining popularity in the last few years, they have always had a place in my heart. Growing up there was a lot of rattan and cane in my home and to me, it feels nostalgic. Natural materials like rattan and wicker add warmth and lightness to home decor while adding texture and natural elements. Both weaves are lightweight and versatile with the ability to work in every room of your home as well as outside! Think rattan garden furniture or cane dining chairs! I will definitely be incorporating a lot of this kind of furniture into my new home as I already have a few DIY’s planned and my eye on a few pieces!

Dramatic Flooring - One things Adam and I are super excited about updating in our new Victorian home are the floors. Currently we have four different kinds of flooring on just our first floor and in order to make the room feel more cohesive, we knew changing the floor was going to be a priority. I have always loved Parisian apartments and Scandinavian interiors which is why we are opting for herringbone flooring. If you’re renting or looking for a lower commitment solution, another way to jazz up your floors is to add a dramatic carpet, animal hide or animal-printed rug to your space.

Swoon-Worthy Ceilings - Accent walls have been around for a while but swoon worthy ceilings are gaining popularity especially if dramatic flooring is not in the budget. Instead of adding wallpaper to one wall, more and more people are opting in for neutrality on their wall and instead using easy stick wallpapers on their ceiling for added flair. I know when Adam and I were house hunting we came across a few Toronto Victorian homes with tin kitchen ceilings and I couldn’t help but fall head over heels in love with them. Thankfully swoon worthy ceilings are in vogue once again and I look forward to incorporating this trend into my home in some aspect.

CREDIT: Peter Salerno, Wyckoff kitchen & bath designers, NJ. Stratta tile design. Rangecraft hood. Peter Rymwid photo

So there you have it! Ten 2021 & 2022 interior design trends that I am currently loving. If you are curious to see how my first floor renovations turn out I invite you to follow along. I am planning to post a lot more video’s documenting the process on my Instagram and YouTube channel as well as write a lot more blog posts like this one, so feel free to subscribe! If you think this list is missing big trends or you are obsessed with anything I shared above, feel free to let me know in the comments below!

Until next time!

- Soheila

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HOME SWEET HOME - A PRE RENO HOUSE TOUR!

Welcome To My New Victorian House!

This past August was a whirlwind of a month to say the least! My fiance and I got back from our trip to Powell River only to celebrate my birthday and take possession of our new house all in the same day! It took us a good three days to get all of our stuff into the new place (with a lot of unexpected surprises along the way), but we are finally here!

I honestly could not be more thrilled to share my new house journey with you, but if you are new and are just tuning in now, this new chapter has been almost a year in the making. I vividly remember last September when Adam (my boyfriend at the time) and I deciding to sell my condo and start looking for a house together. I had just spent the entire summer at his family cottage and loved having the extra living space to enjoy. The idea of returning to condo life in a city still under COVID restrictions felt very daunting and I knew one day soon I wanted to find a house in the city instead. Little did I know, selling my condo was going to be even more challenging than I anticipated!

If you’re in a similar life stage as me, you may have already started paying attention to the real estate market. Perhaps you are thinking it’s a great way to invest you money and want a place to call your own - which it is - but since the beginning of the pandemic, the real estate market has been going crazy in big cities like Toronto. Condo’s have seen huge fluctuations in demand and value. Further, home prices have skyrocketed thanks to low interest rates and a lack of supply. Needless to say, what I thought would be a quick transaction turned into a few months of my condo being on the market before I accepted an offer I was happy with.

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The next phase of actually buying a house did not get any easier. Between skyrocketing prices, shady antics from agents, and lack of supply, it took us 4-5 months of searching, over 50 viewings, and 11 offers before we won a bid. If you’re looking to start your own house hunting journey soon, you should read my recent blog post about tips for first time home buyers on how to psychologically prepare. It was a really tough process for me - harder then I ever imagined - but I’m happy to say now it was worth the sweat, mental frustration, and tears because in the end I landed a beautiful home that is beyond anything I imagined I would end up with and I can’t wait to share it with you!

Since starting our house hunting journey a lot has also happened in my personal life including getting engaged to my boyfriend at the end of May. A few weeks later, we visited this beautiful Victorian style house in one of the most coveted neighborhoods in downtown Toronto and I instantly fell in love. The house is over 125 years old, and had so much original character, putting in an offer was a no brainier.

One of the first things that caught my eye was the beautifully arched brick entrance way! You could tell that the front of the house had been landscaped recently with a cobble stone pathway and large stone slab stairs, not to mention it was hard to miss the glorious smoke bush tree out front that provides a bit of privacy to anyone sitting in the front living room. It felt like it could be a scene from a movie - one where a young couple runs up to the front archway trying to duck out of the rain right before one of them gets the courage to lean in and steal their first kiss. Can you see it? Haha!

Perhaps it’s the romantic in me but the love affair with this house didn’t stop at the front door. The house also featured so much original molding and stain glass that I instantly became smitten.

Prior to even starting our house hunt in Toronto I had always loved old homes. Downtown Toronto is full of old homes and Victorian style houses are definitely my favorite, but unfortunately as we learned, a lot of them are not being very well taken care of, and the ones that are have lost a lot of their original charms due to updates/renovation. 90% of what we saw during our house hunting journey were that Victorian house style and I think at one point I started to drive my boyfriend nuts because I wouldn’t budge on what I wanted. But there is no denying the beauty of a Victorian home! Especially ones still full of original character! It’s rare, trust me I’ve looked! Lesson being, I am so glad I stuck to my guns!

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Original Stain Glass Windows

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Decorative Molding

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As I walked through the house, my romantic entanglement only grew. The front living room definitely became (and still is) my favorite room in the entire house as it feature so much original Victorian house interior character and a beautiful stain glass motif! In the morning, warm light shines through the window and casts large rainbows of light on the walls inside! There is something very bright and airy about the space that always gives me really good vibes anytime I spend time in here. Since moving in, it has definitely become the room I enjoy working from the most - as a matter of fact, I am writing this very blog post from it now!

Even though we fell in love with the house after only one visit, we do have plans to do some renovations to it. Since the house is actually broken up into two units (check out the video below for the full tour) we originally planned on renting half of it out to Adam’s brother. As fate would have it (and unexpected issues with the house and our ‘new’ appliances) we decided to push up the renovations and start them this fall. Don’t worry, we are keeping as much of the original Victorian charm as we can!

Turning our house back into a single family home is going to be a lot of work but I’m really looking forward to starting renovations in a few months and putting in my dream kitchen. Before we start the renovations though, I wanted to do a quick home tour with you so you can see the canvas I am working with. In this video I will be walking you through my downtown Toronto Victorian house as well as giving you a little sneak peek on what we are planning on changing.

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I hope you fell in love with the house as much as I did when I first saw it. If you have any questions or comments about this video, feel free to leave them down below!

I'm also going to be creating a lot of new content around my new home (renovations, home DIY's, and sharing about my interior decorating journey) so if you are interested in following along, feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel or follow me on Instagram @IsThatSoh!

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MORE FUN VIDEOS FROM OUR ‘FIRST TIME HOME BUYER’ JOURNEY IN TORONTO!

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