Toronto Archives - The Curated House

PLAYING DRESS UP AT THE DISTILLERY’S LATEST GEM | GILDING THE LILY

IT’S BEEN JUST OVER 8 MONTHS SINCE LITTLE MAN TATE ARRIVED ON THE SCENE AND THIS MAMA HAS BEEN FEELING THE NEED FOR A WARDROBE REFRESH. So when we booked our annual Fall famjam photo shoot with the incomparable Gaby, I went in search of some inspiration. Little did I know I would find it right next to our new family favourite restaurant Cluny Bistro & Boulangerie in the Distillery District of Toronto.

They’ve really been upping their game in the Distillery of late with some great renovations and new introductions. Turns out, the cherry-on-top is actually more like a sparkly, pavé diamond cherry at the top of the lane. Friends, meet Gilding The Lily. Nestled at the top end of the cobblestone laneway that also houses hotspots like Bergo and Soma Chocolates, Gilding The Lily is officially THE it jewellery store to arrive on the Toronto scene in, like, forever. But don’t just take my word for it. Take a gander at these gorgeous gems I got to play dress up with for our photo shoot!

I love the subtle edge to this Olympia Ring {above} by Carbon & Hyde. It’s delicate and feminine yet totally rock-and-roll glam all at once. The over-the-knuckle styling is fresh and very of the moment, and it’s surprisingly comfortable to wear.

The truth is, I didn’t see a single piece in the store that didn’t make me a little weak in the knees. Chalk that up to the killer eye of the owner, LA-based celebrity stylist Annie Jagger. Jagger’s work has been featured in iconic publications like Vogue, W, InStyle, Jane and Rolling Stone. How lucky are we that she decided to make her first foray into retail right here in Toronto!

I am still swooning over the dreamy quality of Smith + Mara‘s Constellation necklace {top, above}, and paired with Carbon & Hyde‘s Gold Bar necklace {bottom, above} I felt layered to perfection and all kinds of fabulous.

The lovely store manager Christine was amazing in helping me style my look. We bonded over interior design as Christine selected pieces and shared some of her story. She and Annie met in LA and Christine worked for her as her assistant for a hot minute before moving into interior design, moving to Toronto, designing the store and becoming the manager. Something of a diamond-paved path, if you ask me!

When Christine first showed me this Starburst Ear Jacket by Jacquie Aiche, I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. I mean, when stars like Selena Gomez, Kate Walsh and Jessica Alba are spotted wearing these edgy pieces…ya know? But. Then. I. Put. It. On. And it was like rays of sunshine peaking out from behind my ear. Who doesn’t need to carry a few rays of sunshine with them everywhere they go?

I’ll share the rest of my outfit details in an upcoming post, but I just had to shine the spotlight on Gilding The Lily all on their own. They’d be worth a visit to the Distillery District if they were the only boutique there, but they are truly the pièce de résistance in one of Toronto’s hottest neighbourhoods. Quite simply not to be missed.

xx
s.

All photographs by Gabriela Hansen

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|November 3rd, 2014|0 Comments

The Curated Collection | David Leventi

I have a confession to make: I am fascinated by the history of art, architecture, music and cultured society as represented by the opera houses that have been built around the world over the centuries. To me, they represent the coming together of many creative disciplines for the greater goal of thrilling the soul by engaging all of the senses. So when I came across David Leventi‘s series of photographs -meticulously depicting the interiors of world-famous opera houses – I gasped, I lingered. And when I learned the story and inspiration behind the series, I just knew I had to share them with you.

Leventi’s series “Bjoerling’s Larynx” is photographed entirely with either 4″ x 5” or 8″ x 10” Arca-Swiss cameras to maximize detail. Architecturally meticulous, this body of work serves to historically document these national and cultural landmarks.

This latest series from Leventi was inspired in large part by the story of his grandfather, Anton Gutman who was a cantor trained right after World War II. He was trained by Helge Rosvaenge, a famous Danish operatic tenor who sang regularly with the State Operas in Berlin and Vienna, but Gutman was never afforded the opportunity to perform in these venues himself as he was interned as a prisoner-of-war. While living in a concentration camp in the Soviet Union, he performed for the prisoners and officers. “Nearly a half-century later, I grew up listening to him sing while he walked around our living room. As the son of two architects, I now experience an almost religious feeling walking into a grand space such as an opera house,”says Leventi.

I can’t help imagining Leventi’s grandfather, Anton Gutman, standing on these majestic stages and making his debut to audiences who would no doubt be as enrapt by his voice as by his courage and the story that brought him there. Leventi has certainly created a fittingly spectacular tribute to the life and legacy of his grandfather, and I can’t escape the narrative woven into the images now that I know their family story.

Leventi’s next solo exhibition will take place at Bau-Xi Photo Gallery, October 5-17th, in Toronto. I hope his story and his stunning images have inspired you and that you’ll find time to make it out to see this series of stunning images in person.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|September 16th, 2013|1 Comment

New Christmas Traditions | Cutting Down Our Own Tree

I love good traditions. Not tradition for tradition’s sake {I kind of hate that}, but traditions that imbue meaning and memories to the special seasons of our lives. The truth is, the holidays can be tough for a lot of us as we recall some not-so-happy times gathered around the old family Christmas tree. But I believe that for those of us for whom that is true, we get to redeem the meaningful seasons on our calendars and in our lives and by making them special now.

So this year, we’ve started a new tradition, and I thought I’d share with you a few shots from our family adventure of cutting down our very own tree for ourselves for the very first time.

The day was in fact kind of magical to start in that we had the first frost the night before, so the morning had a misty-grey filter that had washed over everything: sky, earth, trees. I managed to get a few shots {above} of the incredible details of the frost. Truly winter wonderland kind of stuff.

Gratefully, the day warmed and the frost melted by the time we headed to Will’s Christmas Tree Farm.

Greeted by an open wagon filled with people in the front and trees in the back bumping along past us, we pulled into the lot and walked through to the fields of trees to begin our search.

Buckle & Bridle Cardigan via Anthropologie

We were looking for a tree that was not too big {so as to not swallow our living room whole}.

And not too small {though it was sweet to see the beginnings of Christmas Trees Future growing up out of the mossy earth}.

After perusing the rows with a critical eye, we spotted the Douglas Fir that would display our ornaments and shelter our gifts this year. With the saw provided by the farm, my guys set about cutting it down {to the delight of our 9 year old who felt like the embodiment of a lumberjack in that moment}.

It came down with surprising ease {says the girl behind the camera} and my strong and noble husband then decided to forgo waiting for the wagon in favour of carrying it back himself.

The last step in the process was the coolest. This giant, whirly Christmas-tree-bundler-upper packaged up the trees in the blink of an eye. So much easier to get them home like that, and so fun to watch!

And with that, we had successfully started a new tradition! What are you favourite and most meaningful Christmas traditions? I’d love to learn from you as we craft our own unique rhythm for this season.

Tomorrow watch for some special photos with inspiration on trimming the tree {and yourselves} for the season.

Happy Thursday!

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|December 6th, 2012|2 Comments