It’s chilly willy and there’s some snow on the ground here in Toronto, so when I saw this posting on Desire to Inspire, I was overwhelmed with real estate envy.  This beach house in Noosa Sound, Queensland (Australia) has such a gorgeous blend of modern design with beach-house casual coziness.

If you have an extra 5 million, it can be yours… here’s the real estate listing.

Andy and Kate Spade’s home was featured on The Selby last week.  Doesn’t it look so warm and inviting?  I want my house to be like this.  Full of art and books and colour and personality, but somehow it looks pulled together and not cluttered.  Delightful.

Covet Garden is a new Toronto-based online lifestyle magazine.   In their own words, “Covet Garden is for folks who are curious about real spaces. We take a peek into the homes and lives of some of the city’s most interesting people—spaces that have not been styled by interior decorators. Covet Garden is inspirational, not aspirational.”

I like it because it’s short – it’s more like a story book than a magazine, as it features one family/one dwelling in each issue.  And of course, because it’s Toronto-based, all of the sources are handy.  And I love that the first two issues feature families in the East End – proving once again that my neighbourhood is where it’s at.  Make a cup of tea, and spend 15 minutes reading Covet Garden – you won’t be disappointed.  Read the first issue online (for free) here, and the second issue here.

Ian and I are in the first stages of planning a massive kitchen reno in our house (many more details about that to come).  So I’ve had kitchens on the brain, and when I saw this roundup of Michael Robinson’s photography on Desire To Inspire, my jaw dropped.  He photographs lots of different interiors, but his kitchen photographs are amazing.  Give yourself a 10 minute break and check out Robinson’s portfolio of images on his website.  You’ll be house-jealous and inspired, I guarantee.

Did you see this gorgeous beach cottage on Design*Sponge today?  If not, go check it out – the pictures of the interior are so lovely.

How cool is this?  You can rent The Palmer House – the home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for William and Mary Palmer in 1950.  The house is in Ann Arbour, Michigan (only a 5 hour drive from Toronto).  It’s renting for the rather reasonable rate of $400 a night for the 3-bedroom house and neighbouring tea house (3rd picture above – isn’t it lovely?).  Split that with another couple, and that’s a deal.

More info on Palmer House can be found here, and the rental listing on HomeAway can be found here.

I love camping with Ian and our dog Isabel.  We go “car camping” to various provincial parks in Ontario.  I love being outside and having a campfire, but I also need a few creature comforts (oh come on, bringing a blowup bed and duvet to a campsite is NOT prissy.  It’s comfortable).

I’ve been fascinated with camper vans and RVs – they seem to take camping to the next level.  Camping and road tripping?  Sign me up!  I would LOVE to camp in some of the big parks in the US (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Tetons…).  Too bad most camper vans and RVs are disgustingly ugly, expensive, or hard to pull behind our small SUV.

Then Ian told me he saw a T@B micro-RV parked in someone’s driveway.  How cool are these?  They’re small enough (and light enough) to be pulled by our car, and have just enough space and functionality to go for a long camping trip.  Perfect for two people and a dog.  I have no idea how much these cost, but it really doesn’t matter.  I don’t have a place to keep one (no garage at our Toronto house).  So for now, I have to just dream…

I’m having a serious case of life envy right now.  No, not in the Single White Female kind of way – more in line with admiration and inspiration.  It’s all for Rosie Brown, a Scottish designer and stylist.  I read about her on Design*Sponge in 3 different posts (which also define why I think she’s the coolest and kind of want her life):

1. Sneak Peak into Rosie Brown’s gorgeous home in Edinburgh

2. Sneak Peak into Rosie Brown’s gorgeous home in rural Scotland, where they moved to after leaving Edinburgh

3. A recent feature on Papa Stour, an online shop run by Brown, featuring the best of Scottish contemporary design.  Just look at these awesome Scottish items. I love the posters with taglines from Scottish treats, like “Taking Over Teatime” from Tunnock’s Teacakes.  Or “It’s the National Treat” from Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers.

Oh, and while perusing the Papa Stour website, I noticed this – they’re renting out their holiday cottage in the Highlands.  I’ve seen this cottage before – I keep coming across it when I’m daydreaming of trips to Scotland.  Could this be a sign?  Am I supposed to rent this cottage in Scotland?  I just might have to…

Oh wow, don’t you wish you were here?  I found this vacation home on Shelter Island, New York, on Dwell Magazine’s website.  View the slideshow here.

I love this building, and how the architect owner designed the entire thing around the location.  It doesn’t need air conditioning, due to the smart placement of windows to take advantage of ocean breezes.  Each bedroom was designed to be within earshot of the sound of the waves outside.  And just look at that shower (above).  Even it was designed for optimal natural light.

I’m having a HUGE case of vacation home envy right now.  Sigh.

Vanity Fair Magazine recently “asked the world’s leading architects, critics, and deans of architecture schools two questions: what are the five most important buildings, bridges, or monuments constructed since 1980, and what is the greatest work of architecture thus far in the 21st century?”

Here’s what they came up with.  Frank Gehry’s Bilbao Guggenheim is the clear winner – no surprise there.  I enjoy Peter Zumthor’s Thermal Baths in Switzerland (pictured above).  But there are so many iconic and interesting structures that are missing from this list.  Vanity Fair, I’m disappointed.