The History of Motorcycles: PART I Motorcycles and the War: a two-wheeled legacy of service
As you spend time this summer driving throughout the beautiful backroads and winding highways in and around Dufferin and Wellington counties, it’s not long before you’ll see a motorcycle rider enjoying the day as well; the sun and wind in their face as they lean through the curves. My husband and I spend many a summer weekend just this way, twisting the throttle on our Harley-Davidson (affectionately known as “Mickey”), enjoying the...
ARTIST PROFILE: Paul Morin, the Artist and the Gallery
Paul Morin, the artist, and the Paul Morin Gallery are one, inseparable in fact. Let me explain further. What you see in the gallery, is only one part of Paul Morin the artist, who because of his ability has been able to put the village of Alton on the map! THE PAUL MORIN GALLERY We begin with the gallery. As you pass through Alton, your first impression when you see Paul’s place of work may be that it is just another old church which...
Breathe New Life Into That Old Family Friend
Sometimes, a piece of furniture takes on a life of its own. That living room sofa has endured your rambunctious kids bouncing on its cushions, provided a comfortable settee for important visitors and served as an impromptu bed when you came home from an exhausting outing and needed a nap. Its springs, legs, arms and backrest have absorbed a lifetime of household history to the point where it’s a family member in its own right. Yet,...
Success in Our Community: Student Profiles
Having an institution of higher education located right here in our backyard, is a true asset of our community. Not only because of its positive effect on the people, economy, and strength of the community, but that it provides people from all walks of life an opportunity to further themselves, in a way that can be customized to who they are, and what they need. For our spring edition, we are thrilled to profile two students who took...
Customer Service & Community Pride
Headwaters Home Improvement Centre is really a one-stop shop for everything “home improvement”, serving people from Orangeville to Guelph. It is the brainchild of Chris Naraysingh, who opened it four years ago after spending 30 years in materials handling and manufacturing. His objective is to provide a local home improvement centre emphasizing quality products, service and exceptional prices. No Matter What Your Need, They Have It...
As the Saying Goes; “Your Home is Your Castle”
It comes as no surprise that people might wish to beautify the grounds of their special abode. Maybe you’ll see vine-covered pergolas functioning as portals to a backyard oasis filled with colourful and meticulously-kept gardens; a place where shutters and awnings compliment the landscape to create that perfect touch. In this, the 21st century, the ancient practice of residential beautification can blend with cyber age technology in...
Beauty and Warmth for a Newly Built Home
We’ve been very fortunate here at LivingSpaces & Lifestyles to have had “inside access” to some of the most beautiful homes in our region. And one thing that all these beautiful homes have in common is having used and enjoyed the services of many of the talented retailers and contractors in our area. Cover-Ups Carpet and Flooring, with locations in both Arthur and Fergus, is one such talented business, as this team has all your...
When Friendship Gets Down to Business
What do you get when you pair home owners who are in the construction business with a talented designer who just happen to be friends? An incredible home renovation, that is beautiful, functional, and filled with love. Paula Coffey, owner of The Plumber’s Wife in Arthur Ontario, is well known throughout the area for her design expertise, and appealing decorative style. Not to mention her beautiful retail storefront and showroom, with...
Ask the Landscape Architect Expert: Integrated Gardening…Beautiful and Edible
I love this idea! Creating beautiful gardens with some of your favourite perennials, and then adding in vegetables, fruits, and herbs to provide edibles as part of your overall landscape. And who better to speak with regarding this growing “return to roots” in landscape design then Paul Brydges, award-winning Landscape Architect, and owner of Brydges Landscape Architecture and Design. “There are so many ‘edible options’ to plant in...
Iceland: A nation of extreme contrasts, moulded by fire and ice.
It’s no wonder Iceland’s unique otherworldly environment is used for filming fantasy movies. This isolated island, straddling the Arctic Circle has an allure of dramatic landscapes, abrupt headlands, massive glaciers and gigantic waterfalls that are humbling in size. The Icelandic peoples, originally Viking (since mid 9th c.) and northern Scandinavian descent, have been influenced by Denmark since the early 1400s....
A Home for a Lovely Family; Delivered by a Talented Family
You have plans to build your dream home. You want a home to share and entertain with family, friends, and loved ones, building memories, and enjoying life. You also need a home that requires some special attention to functionality, to meet the needs of everyone who lives and visits there. It requires an area dedicated to professional space that, while providing privacy, still flows with the entire design. To meet the demands of this...
Staycation! Why Leave Home?
A new term entered the English lexicon a decade or so ago and its most common use occurs in residential landscaping circles. The term is “staycation” and it mostly deals with homeowners’ desires to have the benefits of a vacation without leaving the house. To achieve this, they often have a backyard pool surrounded by exquisite rockeries, foliage arrangements and other accoutrements; a veritable oasis on their own property. The jaded...
The Olive Experience Inc. “experience”
It seems that most of us buy our olive oil in the supermarket, and we generally just look for the words “virgin” and “cold-pressed” if we are feeling a little pickier. I have even heard it said now that these words don’t really matter anymore on labels, as with modern technology, they can be taken as “given”. But “Whoa”! You’ll discover first hand that there’s much, much more to it when you visit “The Olive Experience Inc” in Guelph!...
Milestones – PART I: The Importance of Short Term Goals
How do you define a ‘milestone’? Is it something you check off your bucket list? Is it a birthday or anniversary? Is it triumphing in the face of adversity? To me, milestones are a long-term goal made real. Setting a goal for yourself and working to achieve it. They are integral to a happy life because people need to celebrate their triumphs, individually and socially. Celebrating milestones gives us strength, hope, meaning, community...
Family Home Kitchen Renovation
Picture this; Audrey Hepburn and Dean Martin design a kitchen together. Elegant, warm, inviting, and dare I say, a little sexy. So, with Lorie Martin-Pessot, the owner of kitchENvision working her magic, this kitchen renovation is both stunning to look at, and a joy to be in. This renovation began in the kitchen and incorporates the front entrance, enhancing the flow of the entire main floor. Our homeowners just happened to have...
A Hillside Haven
Tumber Landscape Design & Build is a landscape company that came to be in 1976 when the original owner found that he could couple his “pure love of horticulture” with landscape design and construction. As the company matured over the years it became a thriving full service business that focuses on “naturalized and mature environments” and thus provides a very unique, elegant and original approach to their projects, from start to...
FEATURED RESTAURANT: Deja Vu Diner
When you walk in here, you’re family. Not only do I speak from experience, but Jennifer Betz, the owner of Deja Vu Diner in Orangeville, ON, will tell you that’s just how she and her staff want every customer to feel, just as if you’re coming home. While the host and serving staff will make you feel comfortable and well taken care of, it’s the incredible kitchen crew’s homemade cooked meals that’ll keep you coming back for more. “I’ve...
Your Number 1 Vacation Spot!
What better way to spend your weekends than in your own backyard. Cedarcroft Landscape and Design believe this is a time to be enjoyed by all and can be your number one vacation spot! Zach Koolen is the owner of Cedarcroft Landscape and Design, located in Orangeville. He has been in the business approximately ten years. He comes by his craft honestly, initially working for his father – owner of New Wave Pools and Spas in Orangeville....
Beauty Your Home’s Exterior
Whenever anyone strolls onto your property, they are going to inevitably end up at your front door, and so if you want to make a good first impression, make sure you get an exceptional front door! “Instead of doing a whole (exterior) renovation, just changing the front door can give the home a whole new look,” says Joe of Onyx Windows & Doors. “It can really make it stand out.” When evaluating the cost of installing a new entry...
![Layers [Lairs] in Time: Anthony’s Farm](https://greatlivingspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Layers-in-Time-feature-image.jpg)
Layers [Lairs] in Time: Anthony’s Farm
When you drive by local places on outings, do you ever wonder about their roots? Take Weybread Hill Farm between Orangeville, Fergus and Erin, for example. Passing by its sign on the 11th Line, East Garafraxa, it tells you this beautiful farm offers riding lessons and horse boarding. Superficially you can glance at the sign and the old house and barn on lovely rolling hills with beautiful views, and well drained pastures, and just...
