What really stands out these days?

+ some favorites from a visit to Toronto

Since I first started working on Designed to Last a few years ago, I’ve amassed an archive of thousands of photos. Some of which I’ve posted, with others that are still yet to be shared. In general, I try to keep the page a mix of both iconic architecture, and community submitted photos / random homes that have popped on my timeline.

Recently, I’ve noticed a huge shift towards people buying and promoting whatever the pièce du jour is, rather than actually creating a unique space for themselves. After looking at these photos day in and day out, most of what’s on Instagram starts to look the same and nothing really stands out.

That being said, there are still plenty of pages that I love, so I figured I’d shout-out a few of my personal favourites:

---

motif.1

Located in the Heyri Art Village of Paju, South Korea the home @motif.1, is filled with books and features large windows that allows in plenty of natural light. I recently learned that their guesthouse is actually available to rent, which has re-inspired me to look into visiting Korea for the first time.

---

Take Sunset

Run by LA real estate agent Rob Kallick, one of my favorite follows on Instagram is @takesunset. Through his agency Take Sunset, Rob shares a mix of homes that his team sells, as well as other listings and iconic California real estate. Pictured above is the home of Architect Vernon F. Duckett’s, which I also recently shared on @designed.to.last.

---

metahaiku

Although I’ve seen it plenty of times on my feed, the home & studio of @metahaiku in Los Angeles always stands out to me. To me, it strikes the perfect balance of feeling lived in, while not looking overly cluttered. The incredibly high ceilings don’t hurt either.

---

On another note…

Last week I had to opportunity to go to Toronto for the first time. It was a work trip and was quite busy, but I still had some time explore the city. Here are a few of the highlights:

The AGO