Home / Andrea Yu – Toronto Freelance Writer

House & Home • 11th November 2020

Art Brings This Maximalist Living Room To Life

Interior designer Beth Diana Smith is best known for her eclectic maximalist style where colour, pattern and texture live in perfect harmony.

Toronto Life • 5th November 2020

A Toronto couple bought this Grimsby bungalow for $690,000

Stuck in a Humber Bay Shores apartment, paying $2,640 a month, the Shauches wanted more outdoor space for their dog.

Toronto Life • 23rd October 2020

“The borders closed after our second date”

Cross-border couple Silvia and Jess had their last date in Toronto in March. Silvia returned home to the U.S. the day before the Canadian borders closed.

Toronto Life • 21st October 2020

"I often feel like adrenalin is the only thing getting me through my classes"

Toronto high school teacher Joseph Galiwango on his classroom experience so far.

The Globe and Mail • 20th October 2020

A new model without tipping emerges for restaurant workers

A handful of Toronto eateries have implemented hospitality-inclusive pricing. Menu prices include tips, enabling employers to pay their staff a full salary.

thestar.com • 14th October 2020

Yard sheds get a promotion in our pandemic WFH habitats

For Luke Vigeant and his wife Alexandra, the only place to do their day jobs inside their two-bedroom west Toronto house is the kitchen peninsula.

Toronto Life • 1st October 2020

After their Airbnb wedding venue shut down, they had to plan another ceremony in eight days

Claudia and Jay were supposed to get married in Peru next year. Once Covid hit, they decided to do something small and intimate in Toronto.

The Globe and Mail • 30th September 2020

Résumé review: Can this Uber Eats driver find a role in his former career in customer service?

He's been applying for jobs for a year. What can he do to improve his job prospects?

The Globe and Mail • 25th September 2020

The Ladder Q&A with Van-lifer Julien Roussin Côté:

"Our calendar, that went from full to empty because of the pandemic, went from empty to extra-full in two weeks"

Toronto Life • 23rd September 2020

Adventures in real estate: “I gave up my basement apartment to live on a boat year-round”

I'd dreamed about living on a boat for years. The pandemic was the push I needed.

The Globe and Mail • 23rd September 2020

Resume Review: After 13 years in the travel industry, can this sales director pivot to tech?

Delilah's role at a luxury travel company was shuffled amid the start of COVID-19, and by August, she was furloughed due to cutbacks.

Toronto Life • 23rd September 2020

Adventures in real estate: “Once I saw how much interest rates dropped, I was able to buy a house with a yard”

I’m Jewish, and the number 18 is good luck in Judaism, so I placed an offer of $905,018, and I got it.

House & Home • 23rd September 2020

A Five-Year DIY Project Turned This Fixer Upper Into A Dream Home

Elena Lohse and her husband, Christoph abought a 1930s semi-detached fixer-upper that they DIYed over the next five years. Elena shares an intimate look at their bohemian-meets-Scandi space.

Toronto Life • 23rd September 2020

Adventures in real estate: “I finally moved out of my parents’ home in the suburbs”

Once the pandemic hit, I realized how much the rental market had dropped. I found a one-bedroom condo on King West for $1,800.

Toronto Life • 23rd September 2020

Adventures in real estate: "I bought an RV and hit the road"

Four Torontonians who traded real estate for wheel estate

Toronto Life • 19th September 2020

I transformed my garage into a 1,400-square-foot laneway suite. Now it's my work sanctuary

Pre-pandemic, David Shedd started converting his garage into a laneway suite. Then the pandemic hit, altering Shedd's plans for the $550,000 structure.

Toronto Life • 18th September 2020

We quit our jobs—and gave up a combined income of $400,000—to sell used kids' clothes online

Simon and Christine started their company, Beeja May, last year. When the pandemic hit, their business boomed. So Tan and Trinh both quit their jobs.

Toronto Life • 4th September 2020

We split our 1940s bungalow into two modern houses. It's pandemic perfect

Real estate agent Jordan Chong tore down his childhood home and rebuilt two brand new homes on the property. Here's his story.

Toronto Life • 2nd September 2020

We met on Tinder during the pandemic—and by the second date, I asked her if she'd join my bubble

In May, feeling lonely during lockdown, Ryan Zade logged onto Tinder. Within a couple of days, he matched with Vicki Braide.

HOUSE & HOME • 27th August 2020

Shops We Love: Poodle & Blonde Satisfies The Dog-Obsessed Design Lover

As Whinnie Williams' passion for interiors and design grew, she partnered with the London-based interior consultant Kierra Campbell to start Poodle & Blonde.