There is a swaying sea of colour in some cities across Canada, and it’s a sure sign of spring: cherry blossoms are in bloom. Toronto’s High Park is famous for its canopy of flowering Sakura trees, which are now officially in peak bloom, according to the High Park Nature Centre. “That means more than 70 per cent of blossoms are now open,” said park spokesperson Rohith Rao. In Vancouver, pink “kanzan” blossoms have already wowed visitors. While most trees will have a peak-bloom period, the length of time it lasts depends on the location and weather conditions. Once the flowers are open, they are fragile to the elements. “Warm and unsettled weather means we can have shorter bloom periods. Cool and calm can extend that period,” said Rao. The typical bloom period is only between four and 10 days. Even with ideal conditions, the season can be short. The bountiful blooms attract hundreds of thousands to the Toronto park each year, and there’s even a “Cherry Blossom Hotline” for people to call and get the latest news. The nature centre monitors the blossoms, predicts peak bloom and tracks annual trends for cherry blossoms throughout the city. Blossom development is a temperature-sensitive process. Trees will bloom early when encouraged by warm weather, while cooler conditions will delay bloom. A woman walks past flowering cherry trees in Centennial Park, in Toronto, Monday, April 22, 2024. (Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press) Unpredictable flowers Vancouver has more than 43,000 cherry trees. But this year, many of the pink blossoms landed on the ground earlier than people could enjoy. “Our Akebono, which is a cultivar … came a little bit early,” said Andrea Arnot, executive director of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. The tree bloomed two weeks early following a stretch of record-warm weather in March. Then, the petals fell to the ground quickly. “They used to follow suit pretty well and come out predictably,” said festival founder Linda Poole. “Now, with climate change, this year was the most challenging.” Where did they come from? The trees can be found in cities across the country, and many of them were gifts from Japan. In Vancouver, in the early 1930s, mayors of Kobe and Yokohama presented the park board with 500 Japanese cherry trees to be planted at the Japanese cenotaph in Stanley Park, honouring Japanese Canadians who served in WWI. Years later, the trees were planted along city boulevards. In Toronto, the first trees were planted in 1959 during an event spearheaded by Japanese-Canadian leaders and community members with a vision to build a Japanese garden in a public park. After much fundraising, the Japanese ambassador to Canada presented 2,000 sakura trees to Toronto on behalf of Tokyo citizens. They were planted in appreciation of Toronto accepting re-located Japanese-Canadians following the Second World War.    Onlookers have enjoyed the yearly blooms ever since. “They’re magnificent. The aroma, the fragrance of the sakura cherry blossoms are just incredible,” said Alice Benlolo, who was visiting the trees at York University in Toronto.  “With all the political negativity going on,” said another visitor, Yoram Rostas. “this is so nice, to come take a break.”

A home in B.C.’s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom property is located on a rocky mountainside in Naramata, in an area that was previously scorched by flames. But the building, designed by acclaimed architect Omar Gandhi, has a fortress-like appearance intended to give an air of impermeability. Speaking to CTV News from his office in Halifax, Gandhi stressed that the home is not “fire-proof” – but does offer some degree of fire resistance that another home might not. “It’s going to buy you time,” he said. “When there’s a forest fire, you know, it can come down to seconds and minutes to kind of find shelter or to actually evacuate.” Given the region’s harsh summer heat – and the increasing threat of wildfires as global temperatures rise – local bylaws require the use of non-combustible materials such as cementitious boards for building exteriors. Gandhi said he decided to lean into the requirement, going above and beyond with a quarter-inch corten steel barrier. The architect, who is a fan of Star Wars, said the rust-coloured armour evokes the appearance of the Sand Crawler used by Jawas in the original 1977 film. “It’s kind of a menacing-looking figure in the landscape,” Gandi said. “But at the same time, if you squint your eyes, it kind of becomes the landscape.” Described by Sotheby’s International Realty as a “remote masterpiece,” the 1,450-square-foot home features floor-to-ceiling windows, making the most of the property’s elevated vantage point. The listing also promises sporadic views of roaming wildlife, from “elk and moose to the occasional mountain goat.” (Sotheby’s International Realty Canada) Gandi said he’s currently working on a number of other projects on the West Coast, including on Vancouver Island and in the Whistler area, but declined to provide details except to say his firm tends to seek out clients who are looking for a creative collaboration. “We’re just driven by fun – we love to tell these stories in the studio and imagine these kind of fantastical things,” he said. “We’re always looking for clients that I think are comfortable with the unknown, and seeing where it goes.”

Some people love to wash their car, and for others, it’s their most hated chore. It’s a necessity for car owners, so no matter where you fall on the love-hate spectrum, you want a car wash that’s going to give your car a deep clean that lasts. Automatic car washes are at almost any gas…

  When you take your car to the car wash, there are multiple add-ons available, and one common choice is spray-on wax. It may seem like it doesn’t make a difference, but there are some important benefits. And these benefits go beyond how shiny your will car looks. What Are the Benefits of Waxing Your…

Even when you are lucky enough to start with an empty room, it can be overwhelming to design an interior that you can enjoy for years to come. Following some basic interior design principles, you can transform your space into a relaxing room you will be comfortable and happy with. Decide what your focal point will be and build out from there.  For best results, keep proportion and scale in mind as you decorate as well as these tips!

 Deciding on Your Focal Point
Do you have a magnificent bay window with an incredible view?  Is there an ornate mantle that is the reason you fell in love with your home? Or is there something you absolutely MUST HAVE in the room? Situate your furniture around your chosen focal point to create balance and equilibrium. If your room does not already have an existing focal point, create one with oversized art or add an accent point like a free-standing fireplace, they come in a variety of sizes and styles. Symmetrically balance the room evenly so that both sides mirror one another.  This will help your chosen focal point stand out all the more! Use matching accent tables to flank your sofa or use different pieces of furniture to create a copacetic visual impact, like two similar armchairs to balance a sofa.
Repetition for Rhythm
Rhythm creates a flow and helps direct the eye to the differing visual elements in your room. Just as the notes of a favorite song repeat to create the rhythm, repetition in decor will create a rhythm throughout a home. Establish visual interests with a rhythm throughout your space by placing similar colours or patterns at intervals and repeat in artwork, cushions or area rugs.

Perfect Proportion and Suitable Scaling
Who doesn’t love a large, overstuffed chair? But if your room is on the smaller size it may look out of place and make your room seem even smaller than it is. Keep proportion in perspective. Proportion is the ratio between a piece of furniture and the size of a room. Scale is the size of a piece of furniture in relation to the other pieces of furniture in the room. A super large chair will overpower an apartment of loft size sofa or loveseat and create a sense of unbalance in the room.

Have your room humming harmoniously
Creating harmony will enhance how much you will continue to love your finished. Pull the room with a subdued colour palette for a pleasing, harmonious vibe.   together for a pleasing, harmonious look with a subdued color palette. You can also use a single colour for elements that vary in size and shape. Check out our blog on Doing White on White Right! for more tips!

What is the focal point in your room?  What is your best tip to find harmony and balance through your home?