Another new shop opened up on Ossington.

As the name implies, the shop carries beautiful modern furniture with all the essential complements from lighting to wallpaper. They even carry marimekko bags and dwell home furnishings. Mmm, delicious….

Technorati Tags: design, furniture, interiors, lighting, marimekko, ossington

The alley north of Queen Street West, between Northcote Ave and Lisgar Street, has recently been transmogrified with absolutely amazing graffiti. I recommend checking it out. The detailing is intense, the colours vivid, textures fascinating and subjects humorous. I pulled together a few images from my visit… see below.

The graffiti was organized by a group called Style in Progress. They are a not-for-profit that promotes urban art, music and dance. This particular initiative was affiliated with the Drake Hotel. I love alleys in general — they’re such secret little passageways within the city, often uncharted territory — but these are some of the most interesting I’ve seen. Let me know if you have some great graffiti to show off in your hood.

Technorati Tags: design, graffiti, non, profit

I do love a good coffee. I suppose when I say that I actually mean espresso. I consider myself a latté addict. As with a love for wine, you can come to know a lot about espresso and really taste the difference. But with this type of love comes the downfall that you end up being, shall we say, difficult to please. After living in Portland and Seattle for more than half a decade my taste for espresso has developed to a new level.

I was most pleasantly surprised today by the latté that I had at Darkhorse Coffee. They really know their stuff. The flavour was rich and luscious – creamy without the acidity that you sometimes find. The milk was frothy through and through and to top it off… latte art. How I love the little leaves and hearts that a good barista can craft. Mmmm. You should give them a try when you are next in Riverdale. Their address is 682 Queen Street East, just west of Broadview.

Technorati Tags: coffee, hangout, Riverdale

Toronto’s Urban Forest Canopy is so good to us, but we’re currently losing more trees than are being planted. Trees help reduce the urban heat island effect, they provide shade so we can use less air conditioning, help prevent global warming by sequestering CO2, make Kyoto Protocol targets attainable, look great, provide habitat, prevent erosion, contribute to biodiversity, mitigate urban storm water runoff, and make neighbourhoods beautiful. Recent studies have proven that they even reduce crime. Need I go on? Time to get planting!

We are lucky in Toronto to have organizations that help with our City’s beautification. Trees that would normally run between $350-$600, with planting that could set you back an additional $200, are being heavily subsidized for city residents.

A local non-profit group LEAF is offering backyard tree planting in Toronto for the reduced cost of about $80-$130. This is amazing. LEAF is dedicated to improving Toronto’s urban forest, so if your backyard could also use a little sprucing up (pardon the pun) then you should contact them at:

LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests)
Subsidized trees for your yard
T 416 413 9244

LEAF’s service includes on-site advice on appropriate species and planting location, a 1.2 to 1.8m tall native tree, and the planting service. Native shrubs are also available.

If are interested in planning a tree on your front lawn you can get a free tree from the City of Toronto. Urban Forestry Services plants trees on City owned street allowances fronting residential properties for free.

City of Toronto Urban Forestry Services
Free tree for your front lawn
T 416 338 8733

Thanks to our local tree-hugger Alissa for pointing out these great resources! I recently planted two trees and have to say that they make me happy every day.

Technorati Tags: environment, garden, planting, trees

The historic 1912 movie house on Roncesvalles closed in June of 2006 after operating solidly for 94 years. The building has classical Edwardian detail and is apparently typical of the World War 1 era. The marquee, which came dramatically crashing down last February, was in an Art Deco style, added later to the original structure.

It seemed the entire neighbourhood was mourning the loss of its local theatre, as most neighbourhoods do when the quaint movie houses are replaced by shopping mall behemoth multiplexes that have the air-conditioning on too high and are plastered in bad carpet. The rarest of rare happy endings came about when local residents Danny and Letty Mullin bought the old theatre. They are two generous souls who wanted to bring back their childhood theatre to the neighbourhood they love. Can you believe it?They then leased it to the Revue Film Society that will run it on a not-for-profit community-based model.

The theatre is slated to reopen in August. The last movie to play at the Revue was Lawrence of Arabia. What will be the first?

They still need donations to fix up the theatre and pay staff to get it running. I’m going to give them something. http://revuecinema.ca/

Technorati Tags: philanthropy, roncesvalles, theatre

The House of Spy is a super cool local brand that I’m sure you’ve heard of. It’s time for their big sale this coming Saturday July 17, 2007 from noon to seven. Shall we say hot… and double hot. Check out houseofspy.com/ .

The pieces that Wendy comes up with are sweet in their detailing, fabric choices and cut. As a biologist she has a sense for the human body, and as a vintage queen she has an eye for style.

I am told this sale is going to be a damned good one. The address is 967 Queen West, just east of Shaw. See you there!

Technorati Tags: clothes, designer, queen street west, sale

Welcome to the Mukodu Blog: a whimsical exploration of Toronto’s random nooks and quirky crannies, its many unique neighbourhoods, and the lives of its citizens. Mukodu is about culture, places, people, and goings-on around the city.

What’s the motivation? Well, I’m interested in city life on the local and personal scale: ideas just starting to blossom, secrets just starting to unfold, things you hear about through the grapevine. That’s part of why I like Toronto so much: there’s so much good stuff going on – more than meets the eye or any one person can possibly keep pace with. My adventures are those of finding a handful of these good nuggets, which I plan to share with you, and I hope you will do the same in return.

If you have ideas that you think are worth talking about, please send me a note via mukodublog at mukodu.com!