Home renovations can be so bittersweet. The possibilities to customize your space are endless, but so is the stress, the delays and the supply chain issues. So how can you limit the headache, and actually enjoy the process of creating the perfect home for you and your family?

This episode of Real Estate Unplugged features a chat with my friend Tommy Smythe, one of Canada’s most talented interior designers and beloved TV personalities. He’s been perfecting and personalizing houses for over 20 years, and is a partner at TOM, a creative design firm in Toronto. He gives you tips you can use to make your home renovation as painless as possible, while staying true to your taste and bringing your vision of home to life.

Justine Deluce, Broker, Chestnut Park Real Estate Limited, Brokerage justine@justinedeluce.com

A neighbourhood is like a garden. As it blossoms and grows, you have to tend to it. Without intentional efforts to encourage arts and culture, displacement and gentrification can take over. So how exactly do spaces in Toronto foster that culture and creativity? How are old buildings reimagined? How are communities united?

Today’s guest is social entrepreneur and thought leader Tim Jones. Jones has been tending to Toronto’s “garden” since he moved to the city in his 20s. As CEO of Artscape from 1998 to 2021 and now a principal of Creative Placemaking Inc, Tim is helping communities engage arts and culture as a catalyst for change and renewal. He gives us a glance of the process behind revitalization projects like the Historic Distillery District and Regent Park, and helps us understand the impact and potential of arts and culture.

Justine Deluce, Broker, Chestnut Park Real Estate Limited, Brokerage justine@justinedeluce.com

When you think of real estate, you probably think of houses, condos and skyscrapers! But real estate has immense power to affect the people around it, and to shape entire communities. That power is something I hope our city’s architects and builders are thinking about as they continue to influence the way people live.

My guest today is Heela Omarkhail, VP of Social Impact at the Daniels Corporation, a leading builder-developer in Toronto with a special interest in strategic initiatives to build community and create positive change. She’s been working on the revitalization of Regent Park for over 12 years, and I’ll let her tell you how near and dear the neighbourhood is to her heart. In this episode we explore how bricks, tiles, roofs, and walls can impact people’s lives and influence the world around them. Can we create profit while tackling our city’s key social challenges? How are developers addressing affordability as they build new communities? Heela sets the record straight.

Justine Deluce, Broker, Chestnut Park Real Estate Limited, Brokerage justine@justinedeluce.com