A Dream Not Meant to Be

File this one away in the "Dream that Will Never Be Realized" category. Okay, so I never really expected that it would be, but now the dream appears to be completely gone and dead.

Our old neighbourhood in Toronto was actually a pretty historic area of the city. A lot of the houses and buildings standing were very old, including a building that was once a hotel frequented by farmer's heading into the city to sell their produce, and a mental hospital which is now used for some really cool things. 

{via New Toronto Historical Society}

Yup - the history was really part of what I loved so much about the neighbourhood. Then of course, there were a lot of the older historic homes that lined Lakeshore itself. Sadly, many have been torn down and turned into huge modern homes. They are beautiful in their own way, but it breaks my heart to see all of those gorgeous older homes disappear. One home in particular sat empty the entire time we lived there, and every time we passed I would always tell B how much I loved it. The outside always had so much potential to be more than it was, and I can only imagine that the interior was just as unloved and in need of some TLC. 

(All below pictures were found on this real estate website, which I assume may be from the previous time it went on the market in 2008)

The view from the yard

When I was back in Toronto in March, I drove past this old house and saw a for sale sign on the lawn. I couldn't believe it. After doing some research I read that it had previously been scheduled for demolition, but it never happened as there was no building permit to put a new building in it's place. I was unable to find a current listing for it, but I assume it was probably listed around the same price point, if not higher. Of course, $2.5M+ is way out of our price range, so the beautiful 1930's mansion on the water would always be just a pipe dream for me (unless some investor fell out of the sky and gave us the money to love this place back to life). 

Well, last week I started researching again to see what was to become of the beautiful house. While using Google as my weapon of choice, I came across a meeting agenda for the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority from this past September.

Now, I know that the "For Sale" sign is a lot more recent than the meeting agenda, but for all I know the house went on sale last year after we left and it just never came down. The new owners could be working out plans for the new construction as I type this... or even worse, the house could be gone already.

It just makes me so sad that people need to rip down these beautiful old homes. I look at this house and think it's a great size in a great location and could be something really beautiful. Does this break anyone else's heart as much as it does mine? 

Dream Home - A Thai Villa for Heather

Time for another Tuesday afternoon escape. Today's Dream Home is for fellow Toronto blogger Heather, who asked me to find her a stunning home in Thailand... so I did just that. Thanks to Sotheby's Realty, I found this beautiful 4 Bedroom, 5 Bathroom Villa, listed for $7.27M!


Located in Cape Panwa, this home has some seriously incredible views and such a relaxed and laid back vibe. I'd love to call this gorgeous villa home!

... Location, Location, Location indeed! WOW! As beautiful as the views are, I need to save the best for last, so we'll head inside first!

The bright, airy and open living areas are perfect for just hanging out or entertaining a group of friends...

Those ceilings are absolutely fantastic! And speaking of entertaining - this kitchen and dining space are the perfect spots to cook up and serve a fabulous dinner party - don't you agree?

Love that bright white and airy kitchen, and the dark and moody dining room. I can imagine that dining room would be great with some low mood lighting for a lovely dinner. Really - the best part of the whole home though, is the exterior - check out this back deck...

Imagine having that bedroom in the last photo!? To fall asleep and wake up to those breath taking views!? Yes please!

And the view from the outdoor dining area (I don't think I would ever eat inside if I had a place like this to dine from...)

No doubt - there would be a ton of time spent poolside as well...

Is this the type of place you dream of calling home? Maybe you are dreaming of something different, in another far off land... or just something stunning close to home. I love real estate stalking, so let me know what you're dreaming of and I'd be happy to search out your own personal Dream Home!

Dream Home - A Penthouse in Prague

Well... it's been quite a while since I've had a Tuesday afternoon escape to a Dream Home somewhere. I figured that this first Tuesday of my maternity leave was the perfect time to get back to it. Since I'm trying to stick close to home until Peanut arrives, it's nice to imagine getting away somewhere exciting... and today is pretty exciting. I've found a gorgeous Penthouse in Prague, somewhere I always dream of travelling to, and of course I found it on Sotheby's lovely real estate website. 


This single family penthouse is 5,673 square feet and is listed at $8.7M US! But with the stunning views and incredible indoor pool, right in the city - I'd part with that (if I had the money of course)! Before I get to the real selling points, lets take a look at the interior spaces...

A bright, modern, clean lined kitchen... what's not too love?

Also - lots of warm wood tones used throughout the rooms...

Maybe a bit too much wood used for my taste in the bedroom, but you could always lighten it up with a lighter bed and area rug, and also some artwork. I think a huge upholstered headboard would make all the difference in this bedroom!

My favourite room on the interior would have to be the spacious dressing room...

Check out those windows... and the lighting in the FLOORS! Fantastic! Just like the bedroom it would be easy to make it more feminine with a lighter area rug, some pretty window treatments, and maybe even a fantastic chandelier. 

Then, heading up to the roof - this is what you would find first...

I wouldn't mind taking an early morning dip in this indoor pool... followed up by breakfast in my rooftop garden with stunning views...

Not a bad place to spend your time, and so close to a bustling city! Not your kind of place? Where do you dream of living? Leave me a comment or shoot me an email - I'd be happy to search our your Dream Home for you!

Dream Home - Movin' to Mauritius

Tuesday afternoon... which for me, is a time to dream. Tuesday is that day that isn't Monday, so you can't really dislike it as much, and it's not quite the middle of the week. It's just that day of the week that I'm never to sure how to feel about. That's why I always give myself a little dream getaway every Tuesday afternoon - quite perfect, don't you agree?

This afternoon we'll be escaping to a luxury villa on Mauritius Island, just off the coast of Madagascar. The villa itself is located inside the luxury resort of ANAHITA, but if you were to purchase this lovely home - it'd be all yours on a freehold basis. To find out more about, you can check out the listing over at Sotheby's Realty.

To really get you interested in this home, I'll first give you a look at an aerial shot that is included with the listing...

Yeah... check out the colour of that water. Mentally... I'm already there... probably right in this exact spot...

Okay... enough. Yes, the island is beautiful... but so is the house. So let's take a look...

How about that roof top patio... or the pool deck? I could spend all day alternating between those two spots and be quite content! Once I had enough of the sun (if that was ever possible), I'd retire to the exotic covered patio...

Or, if I really wanted to escape the sun... head on inside to the light and airy interior...

You still have a fantastic view out to the pool...

The bedrooms look just as cool and relaxing. Exactly what you'd want in a place with warm temperatures like this... just a place to escape to.

The bathroom... in my opinion, is simple but still beautiful. Well done - you never want too much in a place where the location and exterior of the home are the main appeal...

I'm so loving those huge mirrors! Great way to emphasize the height of the ceilings!

There's a lot more beauty to check out - including some really great aerials of the island over at the complete listing - so check it out. Is this your kind of island retreat - or do you dream of something complete different?

Dream Home - Dreamin' of Down Under

Today's Dream Home hails from Down Under - in Camberwell, Victoria to be exact. To find the entire listing, you can visit here - but for now, let's jump into this gorgeous home and check out all of it's beautiful details. I must say... the Australians sure do it right!

This 5 Bedroom, 2 Bath home is absolutely stunning, and I'm sure you will agree...

Are you in love yet? I loved it from that first photo - then I saw this pool with that glass fence, and immediately knew it would be my next dream home... even without seeing this stunning interior!

I assume the above is the front entrance. Everything about it is just gorgeous. The contrast of the dark and light wood is perfect and how charming is that stained glass? It's carried throughout the home! Exactly the type of details I love about purchasing an older home. I don't think B and I will ever be the type of couple that buys a new build (Unless we build our own home one day).

This living space is so dreamy with all of those big beautiful windows, and that moulding on the ceiling. How lovely to be able to retreat to this space for a little relaxation!

I would love to cook (or most likely in my case, bake) up something delicious in this traditional looking kitchen... and then serve it up in one of the gorgeous dining spaces below...

My favorite part of this whole house, however, had to be this cozy little nook...

Those windows! Need I say more? This would be the perfect place to start my day, with breakfast and a tea... and a little, or a lot, of blog reading.

What do you love most about this beautiful Australian home? Maybe it's not quite your style... what kind of home do you dream of, and where? I'm always looking for new places to search out beautiful homes to share with my readers. Leave me a comment or shoot me an email and I'd be happy to pull up what you're looking for!

Dream Home - French Riviera Villa

My Dream Home posts seem to be rather sporadic recently... I'm trying to work on it. This past weekend B and I took a few days to get out of the city for a bit. It was by no means a "romantic escape", and not the most ideal place to visit... but we'd never been and thought it would be nice to get away for a bit (plus it was really a baseball game that sold us on going). Since we're just returning today, thought I'd share with you somewhere we would have rather been.

Last week I stumbled across this great site, Unique Living that caters specifically to homes in certain areas of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and The Balearics. I decided to check out what was available in France, and loved this 5 bedroom villa located in Beaulieu Sur Mer in the French Riviera. There weren't a ton of pictures, but it was enough to convince me it would be a great place to escape to. Listed at  €19,000,000, it's definitely a dream home, but isn't that what this fun series is all about?

The first image I saw of this villa was the exterior - looks like the perfect place to be lounging on a glorious sunny day....

What a fantastic yard! I don't think I would ever be indoors if our yard looked like this. Of course, there is also some great space for outdoor entertaining...

The space and those views are just to die for!

If you're not up for entertaining outdoors, the indoor dining space is not only beautiful, but also offers from great views as well...

I'm a huge fan of all of the lighting in this home. The ones over the dining table are beautiful, but check out those pieces hanging over the stairs! Aren't they stunning?

The kitchen looks large and updated, and offers a ton of natural light. Not a bad place to prepare a meal whether you plan on dining indoors or out...

The living area is bright and open, and looks like the perfect place to kick back and relax after a long day of lounging in the sun.

Seems that you just cannot escape those views... but who would complain?

I only wish our past weekend getaway could have been as luxurious as this! Nope, instead we decided on a driving destination based on where B's favorite MLB team was playing - those are the only hints you're getting until I give you a little recap of our weekend escape.

Did you get away to anywhere exciting this past weekend (Canadians) or have plans to get away this coming weekend (for my American friends)? Or maybe you're just sticking it close to home dreaming of an escape? If you could escape to anywhere now... where would you choose?