Vertical gardens, which transform plain walls into lush landscapes, are being employed as signature architectural features in interior and exterior spaces. “Luxury clients, especially, perceive them as a differentiator, a status art piece,” says Irina Kim Sang, managing partner of Miami Vertical Garden.

The power of a sculpture on the viewer is markedly different than that of wall art. While paintings, photographs and tapestries tell a story or, in the case of non-representational art, which conveys a mood, three-dimensional works are often seen as having special attributes that elicit, arguably, more powerful responses.

When it comes to selling that all-important investment, your home, there are many factors to consider. In addition to freshening up the paint — a must before you list — here’s what savvy real-estate brokers across Canada recommend.

You have your home theater, and you’ve got your game room, your bar room, your home office, and now all you want is a little peace and quiet. What you need is a Zen room—a calming space to relax and recharge. “People are very much affected by the surroundings they’re in—their mood, their wellness,” says Rina Okawa of ZEN Associates, a landscape- and interior-design firm with offices in Boston and Washington, D.C. She describes a Zen room as “a personal and private space surrounded by beauty that can lift your spirits up, refresh your mind, and revive your five senses.” “Especially with all that chatter out in the world,” says New York–based interior designer Charles Pavarini III, “we need a space where we can realign our thoughts, our energies.”

There’s more to a quality home wet bar than an extensive liquor collection. Having on hand the right sleek, smart-looking gadgets to dispense and mix your drinks, and keep them ice cold, will make entertaining guests even easier. These devices will have you and your guests drinking in high style.

To understand the latest trends in art, architecture, and design, you have to go back to the time when objects were handcrafted, bricks were hand-molded and every element in the house was a work of art. Rediscovered and burnished by a new generation, these old ideals are setting a new style.

Whether it’s a country home or more permanent abode, many urbanites have entertained the idea of owning farmland outside the city. If you find that your daily commute is routinely filled with daydreams of greener pastures, it may be time to start getting serious about making your farmstead fantasies a reality. One property located in the idyllic New Jersey countryside makes a serious case for a rural retreat.

For land-scarce metropoli like New York, architectural innovations tend to scale vertically: without a place to spread outwards, development takes to the skies. Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, innovation can be found at sea. A district of water homes located on a string of artificial islands adjacent to the city’s historic canals feels distinctly Dutch: dubbed the WaterWonen project (translates literally to living in water), modern houseboats are moored at a harbor conceived by Danish architecture firm Monteflore (responsible for designing one of the city’s most luxurious hotels). The independently-sailing vessels include homes—like this spacious steel converted cargo ship—that invite guests to come down out of the clouds and enjoy the delights of open water.

Two of the world’s art and architecture stars, Theaster Gates and Sir David Adjaye, have collaborated with musician and activist, Bono, to CURATE THE THIRD (RED) AUCTION to support the fight against AIDS. Centered on the theme of light and the color red, the collection of contemporary art and design will be exhibited and auctioned during Art Basel in Miami Beach and Design Miami.

What makes a house a home isn’t just the interior—equally important is the setting of your home and the way the exterior inspires you. You’ll find yourself picking up gardening or learning tennis just for the chance to spend more time outside on these properties with remarkable acreages.

Montreal’s culture is a vibrant, eclectic mix of English and French, old and new, high-end and working-class. Whether you’re moving to the city or just planning a visit, the city’s walkable neighbourhoods, including thoroughfares, side streets and alleyways, are best explored on foot. Don’t let the winter put you off—the city’s snow-clearing chops are top-notch, and today’s parka design is quite fashionable.

There is nowhere quite like the Sapphire Residences – an exquisite collection of apartments and penthouses boasting uninterrupted panoramic views overlooking the Indian Ocean and the Beira Lake. Inspired by the famous Sri Lankan blue jewel, Sapphire Residences has been meticulously designed for those who expect the best things in life.

When it comes to rural escapes, it can be easy to be pulled in several directions at once. A cabin in the woods, or an escape by the sea? The timelessness of a log cabin or the bright refinement of an English country cottage? Whatever your aesthetic, you’re sure to find a detail to suit your taste from these two approaches to the weekend retreat—whether you’re leaving home on an adventure or bringing fresh design to your existing space and staying put.

One of Toronto’s quirkiest homes, the angular blue property at 1 Bond Ave. that made waves in cookie-cutter Don Mills when it was built in the late ’90s, is on the market. The house, along with its fraternal twin property at 3 Bond Ave., drew the chagrin of neighbours when it was built at the turn of the millennium.

Whether you’ve always dreamed of owning a vineyard or have only recently considered making one your home, there are many benefits to living and working among the vines. From European-style estates in California to a historic homestead in South Africa to a West Coast–style winery in Canada, there is no shortage of opportunities to make the dream a reality. Owning a vineyard is not only about running a business or winning acclaim—though those things are a major plus—it also offers a host of unexpected upsides. So whether you’re an enthusiast looking to bottle the next award-winning merlot, a hobbyist in pursuit of a weekend fascination, or a casual browser on the hunt for an idyllic vacation property, vineyard ownership is an adventure waiting to be discovered.

Toronto’s housing market showed more signs of stability in October as prices for condos and semi-detached homes jumped even as unit sales were little changed. The average selling price rose 1 per cent last month from September to a seasonally adjusted $810,881 (US$619,419), the first gain in three months. The benchmark price, which adjusts for the types of houses sold, rose 2.6 per cent from the same month last year.

With the inevitable shift from one season to the next comes a natural desire for change, not only in our wardrobes or our choice of weekend activities, but in our homes. As we welcome all of autumn’s cozy traditions, there is a distinct fall colour palette that emerges, both outside and in.

How consumer trends in personal luxury goods open up new possibilities for luxury real estate. The personal luxury market is in a constant state of flux. From art to watches to wine, the luxury market responds to increasing consumer demands for accessibility, personalization and secure service. Here’s how today’s agents can respond to what consumers are looking for next.

Artists, wrote the American poet Ezra Pound not long before the outbreak of the Great War, are the “antennae of the race”: they see or sense what is coming long before the journalists and politicians. Pound’s maxim has often been mocked, but in the case of the early 20th century his contention seems well-founded. As early as 1909, the Italian Futurists – whose visual brilliance has long since outlived their ugly and foolish ideology – not only saw war coming but eagerly welcomed it. “We will glorify war”, their poet leader Marinetti bragged in the Futurist Manifesto, seeing military conflict as a means of purging a decadent Europe of its nostalgia, its democratic levelling and its softness, and of asserting noble masculine values. They would not have long to wait.

Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again, the much-anticipated survey taking over more than half of the Whitney Museum of American Art in November, will be the first retrospective of Warhol's work in New York for 30 years. During this time the world has changed drastically, explains Jessica Beck, curator at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, who has contributed to the catalogue. “The dialogue around contemporary art has expanded and the perspective on Warhol’s work and life has also grown to include new sides of his practice: early advertising commissions, films, photography, television and publishing.”