The past few days have been so cold it's hard to believe we're almost three weeks into Spring. Despite this temperamental weather so typical to Toronto winters, I've been trying to make the best of it by forcing myself out of the apartment and exploring what the city has to offer.

Some high points include: a post Star Wars seafood feast at the Captain's Boil; coffee break at the trendy Sorry Coffee Co. in Yorkville (I love Ben Johnston's typography); a "Down-town Abbey" New Year's Eve bash at the Gladstone Hotel; seeking out new design trends at IDS 2016; checking out some amazing bars and restaurants like Cocina Economica, i'll be seeing you, Böehmer, Hawker Bar, and Thoroughbred; the opening of Zara at Scarborough Town Centre (so happy!); the highly acclaimed Outsiders: American Photography and Film exhibit at the AGO; and finally finishing a photo book for my parents of personal photographs from our travels around the world (Pikto 's quality and craftsmanship are unrivaled). Looking forward to Summer 2016!

Check out my VSCO Grid and Instagram for more of my photos.

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On an unseasonably beautiful Sunday a few weekends ago, I eagerly headed to the east end to check out this year's winners of Winter Stations. Scattered throughout Kew, Balmy, and Ashbridges Bay beaches, Winter Stations is an annual design competition that sees the lifeguard stands along Toronto's beachfront re-imagined for the winter landscape.

I loved the creativity behind last year's installations - you can check out my post here - so naturally, I had high hopes for the 2016 exhibit. However, I was a little disappointed. There was obvious disparity between the concept and execution of some of the installations - great ideas on paper that fell flat once built. Whether this was due to poor foresight in the design stage or just the obvious wear and tear of Toronto winters (and the fact I caught the exhibit close to the end), I'm hoping we see some great installations in 2017.