“The cheese guy knows me by name,” says Lia Bruschetta of her frequent trips to St. Lawrence Market, just down the street from the condo she rents near King and Sherbourne. There’s a lot she loves about living on King East (she can walk to work! she’s across the street from Betty’s pub!) but being able to slip down to the market for fresh ingredients is probably the biggest perk for the young litigator, who likes to cook and host friends once a week. Next up, the associate at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, now going into her fourth year, is throwing a get-together for the people she articled with.
Wood you? Bruschetta’s dining room is the focal point of her apartment, a space warmed by bright artwork and old teak furniture. She keeps the wood looking fresh with “a three-step process that involves turpentine, two coats of oil and a whole bunch of really fine steel wool.”
Stuck on you Bruschetta used sticky9.com to turn her Instagram photos into magnets ($16 for nine, shipping included), adding a personal touch to her kitchen.
Room with a view Bruschetta fell in love with the cityscape outside her living room window on the first day she moved in. “I had no furniture, just sitting in that little nook, with a bottle of wine, in awe of the view all the way down King Street.”
Called to the bar Bruschetta turned this old medical cabinet into a bar cart, where she stocks her bourbon collection and glassware from the Drake General Store.
Colour theory Bruschetta bought this print by Maya Hayuk as “a great way to get a piece of art from an artist that I love without spending a couple thousand or more.”
Game on When Bruschetta picked up this 1922 plinko game from the Queen West Antique Centre, she “fell in love with it, despite the fact that it was covered in rusty nails.” She goes vintage shopping every few weeks, but scours her favourite shops’ blogs in between visits to watch for good finds.
“What do I love most? The bones of the place: the concrete walls, the concrete ceiling and the ductwork. It gives it a raw look that makes it fun to play with the space.”
The lowdown: Lia Bruschetta
Firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Area of practice: Litigation
Year of call: 2011
Neighbourhood: King East Design District, Toronto
Home profile: Two-bedroom, 830-square-foot condo rented since March 2013
Photography by Nancy Tong