Let’s play a little game. Imagine you have a $15 million real estate budget. You can buy any house, anywhere. What matters to you? What a $15 million house looks like varies—both in terms of square-footage and amenities—depending on the home’s location around the world. Most everyone knows that real estate in New York City or Monaco, for example, is more expensive in terms of square footage than, say, in Houston or Atlanta. Would you prefer to spend the $15 million on roughly 2,418 square feet of space in the hustle and bustle of New York City? Or would you splurge on 11,248 square feet (not to mention the 1.71 acres of land) in quieter Houston?

There’s a subtle shift under way in the Greater Toronto Area’s presale condominium market in 2018: As developers are launching fewer towering projects designed to woo investors, they are finding there’s still a strong market for people looking to pay a little more money for a larger, family-friendly unit in neighbourhoods outside the downtown core.

With 50 Scollard, the developer set out to build something for the ages.

At this point in the architecture history of downtown Toronto, with each new building aspiring to outshine what came before, it’s not easy to build something iconic.

But when Lanterra Developments, the company behind much-praised projects like Ice Condominiums at York Centre, The Brit Residences at Bay and Wellesley and One Bedford, acquired 50 Scollard Street, they knew they had all the ingredients to make something special. The prime Yorkville location, at the corner of Bay and Scollard across from the Peter Clewes-designed Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Toronto, certainly demanded excellence and elegance.

International art fairs, world-class museums and a thriving vibrant design district — Marrakech has evolved into a global arts mecca.

Meryanne Loum-Martin is greeting her guests, here at her candlelit compound at La Palmeraie in Marrakech. Among those in attendance are His Excellency Dwight L. Bush Sr., the U.S. ambassador to Morocco under President Barack Obama, and Bozoma “Boz” A. Saint John, Uber’s chief brand officer. Loum- Martin ushers them into her vast lush gardens, designed by her ethnobotanist husband, Gary Martin. On the agenda — free-flowing cocktails (no wine, hard liquor only), a sit-down dinner for 180 and a fabulous Congolese band. Welcome to the arts scene in Marrakesh.

The younger generations are disinterested in driving — or so futurists, politicians and even some auto industry executives keep reminding us — and someday soon, they will simply summon rides in self-driving pods rather than buy their own cars. And yet, the fastest, finest, most extraordinary automobiles of yesteryears continue to grow more precious (and lucrative), evidenced in the most unlikely of places — Blenheim, in south- western Ontario — and courtesy of Rob Myers. Myers restored his Edsel Corsair in a one-car garage in Chatham, Ontario, in 1976 and started a business fixing vintage cars, eventually earn- ing himself an impressive reputation. News spread — mainly of his exacting standards — and increasingly, worthy automobiles arrived for Myers, who by then had officially formed RM Auto Restoration, one of the world’s leading automobile restorers and auctioneers.

Amazon has made its first foray in prefab construction, investing in a company known for sustainable construction and smart home technology.

Today’s announcement of Amazon’s investment in Plant Prefab, a startup based in Rialto, California, comes on the heels of the company’s announcement of a new line of Alexa-enabled smart home devices, suggesting a potential new avenue of smart home development, experimentation, and expansion.

It is no surprise that Roche Bobois has stayed true to its motto — art de vivre (the art of living). The iconic French retailer has been on the forefront of modern design for more than 65 years. With 250-plus showrooms around the world — including the more recent openings in Tokyo, Singapore, Jakarta and Sofia, Bulgaria (in Canada, there are stores in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and four in the province of Quebec) — the brand’s ultra-stylish pieces have become a mainstay in design-chic homes-away-from-home, such as The Langham in New York, Palazzo Ridolfi in Florence, and Hôtel Version Maquis Citadelle in Corsica. But it is Roche Bobois’s commitment to collaboration and innovation that solidifies the company’s reputation as a designer favourite in today’s fickle and ever-changing world of décor.

Canada’s biggest science and technology incubator is expanding to Toronto’s eastern waterfront as it joins a host of other companies jostling for extra space in the city to grow.

MaRS Discovery District, which houses some of the country’s biggest AI hubs and more than 50 startups, is in the final stages of securing a lease with Menkes Developments Ltd. for 24,000 square feet (2,230 square meters) at a new development by the Lake Ontario waterfront, according to a statement Tuesday.

With the proliferation of home rental sites like Airbnb and VRBO, it’s never been easier to rent your house for the additional revenue and flexibility afforded by letting a space on a short- or long-term basis. Homeowners in peak markets make an average of $20,000 a year by renting out their homes—and that’s just through Airbnb.

When it comes to refreshing bedrooms this fall, the latest hues for walls and décor are sunny, moody, and saturated. Pantone’s Color of the Year—Ultra Violet—has been influencing bedroom tones from plummy purple to aubergine, while marigold yellow is bringing whimsy and cheer to even the most traditional of spaces.

Take your cues from these three mood boards when starting down the path of your next bedroom overhaul, and let the trending colors of fall 2018 infuse your home.

Omar Gandhi was lost. It was his first day of high school and he found himself wandering in circles through the halls of Mayfield Secondary School, in the town of Caledon. For anyone else, this might have been standard first-day-of-grade-9 stuff — a minor embarrassment. For Gandhi, one of Canada’s foremost young architects, however, it proved to be a formative experience.

Meet three Canadian architectural firms who are using their talents to make an impact on society. In this age of mounting social and political activism, architects are making a powerful statement in their own right. They’re tackling issues close to their hearts, from helping the homeless to supporting the cause for sustainable food and building better cities through design. We’ve rounded up three leading Canadian architectural firms who are boldly breaking new ground — with a conscience.

Toronto architect Brian Brisbin wanted to look behind the curtain on one of the world’s buzziest buildings, Milan’s Bosco Verticale, two towers that are widely acknowledged as the world’s first vertical forest — green buildings designed specifically to counteract the smog and heat of a city.

It goes without saying that architects leave indelible marks on our lives; they are the masterminds behind the homes we live in and the homes we aspire to. From time to time, architects soar above the baseline notoriety of their peers, pushing the envelope, and creating pieces of live-in art that alter the landscape of their industry.

Over the years, home staging has graduated from necessary afterthought to elevated art form. Investing the effort to redesign and rearrange rooms in your home can reduce the amount of time a property is on the market. While the fundamentals of home staging are widely known and practiced—cleaning, decluttering, and making repairs, for instance—experts in the luxury real estate market employ a number of tricks that go beyond the basics. In order to conduct a stellar home staging, take into consideration these five expert tips for making your home the most attractive on the market.

The surrounding city lights, fine dining on your doorstep, and a short commute to the financial district—condominium living is chock-full of conveniences. But when it comes time to refresh your space or put it on the market, it can be a challenge to know where to focus your efforts. For those looking for a return on investment, these condo upgrades are worth the effort.

Fasten your seat belts for the Pierre Bergé sale this October. Described as “a passionate and voracious collector” by Madison Cox – Bergé’s widower – the businessman was as legendary for his taste as he was for his sharp tongue, fierce feuds and quick wit. The sale will consist of 800 lots taken from what Cox terms “rue Bonaparte and other homes that made up Pierre’s private universe”. Featuring exceptional pieces by Jean-Michel Frank, Francois-Xavier Lalanne and Pablo Picasso, as well as paintings by Bernard Buffet, Jean-Baptiste Debret and Jean-Jules-Antoine Lecomte de Nouÿ, it promises to be as eclectic and exciting as the man himself. Short, powerful and pugnacious, the Savile Row-clad Frenchman was ever aware of his reputation, claiming, “people may hate or love me, but they all want to brag that they once sat next to me.”

When Lisa Acker and her late husband Walter decided to purchase the property in 1995, it wasn’t much more than a concrete husk of its former glory. As recently reported in Bloomberg, “by the mid-1950s, the mining economy in Jerome collapsed, and the hotel fell into disrepair, along with the rest of the area.”

Strong design is a delicate balance of form and function. Homes need to reflect more than just our aesthetic principles—they need to suit our values as well. As global concern for climate change grows, so too do the number of “green” homes on the market. The challenge becomes finding an environmentally-conscious home where the luxury experience is not lost. Here are six eco-homes that manage to be both mindful and magnificent.

A vast land of lakes and rivers, quiet forests, and majestic fjords, Québec is the largest province in Canada—and one of the most geographically diverse. As such, its range of vacation properties will satisfy the most discerning buyer, no matter what particular features they may be looking for. Whether the holiday home of your dreams is a low-key lakefront oasis, a ski-friendly log cabin, a well-kept country cottage, or an architectural marvel from which to appreciate the stunning foliage of a French Canadian autumn, Québec has a luxury option for you.