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Design

How to use your senses to transform your home office

Mara Hauser, founder and CEO of 25N Coworking, has focused her entire career on design focusing on collaborative workspaces and innovative design.  She shares with us her top five ways to transform your home office space while you work from home. When I think about designing a home office, my first priority is to create a separation between home life and work-life on a mental and physiological level. To start, I always design my plans around the five senses. This ensures that I’m creating a cohesive space that can trigger focus and productivity as soon as you step into the room. Use your eyes. In order to establish a different headspace for work versus home life, try decorating your office differently than the rest of your home. This will immediately trigger your brain into “work mode” as soon as you walk in the door. In fact, create a space that’s…

Barbados

3 Women-Owned Souvenirs to Buy in Barbados

During your next trip to Barbados, here are three women-owned businesses on the island to pick up souvenirs from. Julia-Ann Holder, Owner of Hummingbird Soap Studio Julia-Ann took a passion and favourite pastime and turned it into a local favourite business. The Hummingbird Soap Studio was born in 2012, officially entering the local market in 2017. Julia-Ann started exploring soap making with her daughter, as their favourite afterschool and work activity, always eager to learn new and exciting methods and recipes. Having now built her beloved hobby into a thriving business, Julia-Ann participates in local events, like the Holetown Festival, to share her passion with her community. She aspires to break out into the international market to extend her passion globally. Nadja Soodeen, Owner of Banz Barbados The Caribbean-devoted jewellery line was inspired by Nadja’s desire for a Barbadian momento. Nadja wanted to create a piece of Barbados that she…

Travel News

Toronto Pearson Launches New COVID-19 Testing

TRAVEL NEWS – Today, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), operators of Toronto Pearson, announced a robust new COVID-19 PCR and antigen testing research program at Toronto Pearson. Testing starts on March 1, supported in part by funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP). The research is designed to explore the efficacy of antigen testing, compared with the rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, in a high-throughput, commercial environment, as well as to explore how to operationalize rapid PCR testing in an airport environment. Similar to the GTAA’s co-sponsoring of the McMaster Health Labs International Border Study in Fall 2020, this the next step in the GTAA’s efforts to support the government by offering new science and data that can contribute to a longer-term testing and recovery framework. This research program will lead to the creation of a new point-of-need testing capacity at…

Travel Tips

Contiki Canada Launches Free Virtual Travel Events

To help inspire your wanderlust at home,  Contiki Canada is hosting a “LIVE with Contiki” interactive Virtual Event series. The series features various guests having 30-minute conversations on wanderlust-inducing topics to keep Canadian travellers connected. Register to learn from their knowledgeable guests. Plus, there will be the opportunity to win a Contiki prize pack during each episode. Upcoming LIVE with Contiki Canada Events Taking a GAP Year – Here’s How to Make it Happen Tuesday, February 23rd at 7:00 p.m. EST Featuring: Michelle Dittmer, President & co-founder of the Canadian Gap Year Association & Zahida Machan, Marketing & Recruitment Coordinator for Lattitude Global Volunteering. Hola Colombia! The World’s Most Welcoming Destination Tuesday, March 9th at 7:00 p.m. EST Featuring: Santiago Aguirre, Tourism Promotion Expert Sláinte! Grab a Pint for Stories of Ireland Adventures Tuesday, March 16th at 7:00 p.m. EST Featuring: Sandra Moffat, Tourism Ireland How To Turn Your Love…

Fashion

L’Oreal Announces the 5th Annual Women of Worth Honourees

For the fifth year, L’Oréal Paris Canada has announced their Women of Worth honourees. Each year, an extraordinary group of strong, diverse, and passionate women leaders, who work tirelessly to implement global change and bring hope to Canadians. The 2021 Women of Worth honourees are held in high esteem for the considerable influence their actions have had across a variety of causes and initiatives. On International Women’s Day, a $10,000 grant will be presented to each honouree towards her charity. This year, three out of the ten honourees are from Toronto, giving back to their community. These remarkable women continue to push and innovate, especially during these current challenging times, and are being recognized for their on-going fight for positive and critical change. Vote for this year’s winner here. Rhonelle Bruder Project iRISE in Toronto, ON is a survivor-led organization that offers innovative skills and leadership development programs for at-risk…

Europe

3 Casinos in Europe to add to your travel list

With vaccinations well underway in most countries of the world, there is some hope that the tourist season of this year may not go down the drain – and that making travel plans may not be completely futile.  For those with an affinity for the riskier things in life, like playing a game with a real-money stake, a trip to a casino might just be the perfect travel plan for 2021. Not for the games, mind you. Gaming outlets like JackpotCity offer a more than sufficient variety of those, often far exceeding what their land-based counterparts have to offer – not to mention the fact that the JackpotCity and its likes are immune (sic!) to pandemic-related lockdowns. But real-life casinos have their charm – and some of them have a hefty dose of history among their walls. Here are some that combine architecture, art, and gaming in a truly unique…

Italy

What to Cook While Watching Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy

As we near the anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the world stuck at home for the foreseeable future, we’re all looking for ways to escape from home. That’s why Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy could no premiere at a more perfect moment. The show will take viewers across Italy and explore the sites and flavours of the country’s regional cuisines.  As you’re preparing to watch the first episode that debuted tonight on Valentine’s Day, here is a recipe from the region that you can re-create at home from the Emilia Romagna (the location of the second episode on February 28th). TAGLIATELLE ALL’USO DI ROMAGNA Ingredients: 2 eggs, medium (already broken in a bowl) 200 gr (8 tablespoons) of all-purpose/plain wheat flour (DO NOT use self-rising or wholegrain) 4 fresh ripe tomatoes (or canned Italian tomato sauce) Two cloves of Garlic Parsley Basil leaves Salt Pepper Italian extra virgin olive…

Design

The Consequences of Covid-19 on Moving in 2020

The COVID-19 health crisis has affected our lives, habits and behaviors in significant ways, both at the personal and collective level. At MovingWaldo, Canada’s first free Moving Concierge Service and platform, they decided to conduct a study to know more about the impacts of Covid-19 on the moving industry. Has the confinement incited Canadians to move? Or, on the contrary, has the pandemic discouraged them from going about their future moving plans? A total of 1821 individuals who have moved in the past year responded to MovingWaldo’s in-house survey, and the results are very telling. The study puts light on how this pandemic has impacted Canadians’ moves, examining the ways in which the confinement influenced their decision-making process. The study reveals that in 2020, 1 out of 10 moves has been caused by Covid-19, and that nearly 1 out of 5 will be in 2021. Actually, 85% of Canadians said…

Design

Travel + Design Home Staging: A Bright 1 Bedroom Condo

Not only did we have the pleasure of decorating this condo, but we also work with our client when she recently sold the property to help reimagine the space for the real estate market.  The key to staging a home is to blend a mixture of the seller’s own items but display them in an elevated way to the space photographs well, and the client is able to live in the space during the process.  Our vision was inspired by the mid-century wood tones and European flair of a boutique condo. Luckily for us, this south-facing condo was filled during the day with natural light.  With enough light to illuminate the entire space during the day, we didn’t need to add additional features or LED bulbs to give it a brighter glow. The biggest focal element in this space was the large bookshelf. Before the sale, the bookshelf served as…

Design

3 Tips for Moving During a Pandemic

This pandemic has made us re-evaluate our lives and rethink how we spend our time, what we do for work, and even where we live. And with the way we live, work, and spend our time changing, we saw an unprecedented rise in the housing market this year, both in price and demand. If you’re looking for a little more space, a change of scenery, or to relocate to be closer to family, here are 3 tips for making moving during the pandemic a little less stressful. Have your movers hold your items in the truck overnight Moving day is often busy, filled with paperwork and things you’ll need to finalize to close your place. That’s why, if you can, having the moving company store your items overnight can be really helpful. This will give you the chance to clean your new place before your belongings arrive and take some…