Innehållsförteckning för Winter 2015 från DESIGNLINES

Behind the lens Get to know three new-to-DL shutterbugs Name: Cindy Blažević What have you done for us lately? I photographed the home of architect Vanessa Fong and designer Ryan Taylor (p. 55). I can’t believe what they managed to accomplish with three toddlers and two dogs. I mean, c’mon! What was your first camera? A ’60s Minox “spy” camera that I permanently borrowed from my dad. I remember taking a photo of him with his head cut off (I was 8). Who is your favourite photographer? I tend to favour photographers who convey a sense of ridiculousness in their images. Martin Parr is a good example. Name: Arnaud Marthouret What have you done for us lately? I photographed a Scandinavian-style house by Practice of Everyday Design (p. 62). It’s…

Besides, she and her husband, Ryan Taylor, had already gone the open-concept route in their old house. “I got sick of looking at the sink and clutter of the kitchen counter from the living room,” says Taylor, a designer acclaimed for his plantable Babylon pendants. A cluster of the updated version, the Well Light, hangs in the dining room. But today, the couple lives in serene, semienclosed happiness — though some walls were knocked down and new doorways created — with their three young boys and two Italian greyhounds. Fong designed the renovation of the 290-square-metre Edwardian, which sits on a corner lot, and TAFbuilt executed the project. Furnishings here are sparse and purposeful with a warm mid-century modern vibe that reflects the couple’s shared tastes. A considered mix of…

Cambria This downtown space only showcases the stone countertop brand’s gleaming surfaces, but staff members are happy to direct visitors to local kitchen and bath dealers retailing its natural (mined in Canada) quartz slabs. The showroom artfully displays 46 of 103 colour options with easy-to-peruse framed samples, plus vignettes of shimmering kitchen countertops, bathtubs and custom sink inlays. 91 PARLIAMENT ST 416 363 8801 MON-FRI 9-6, SAT 11-4 CAMBRIACANADA.COM Centura Tile Founded in 1933, this flooring specialist sets itself apart with a high-fashion approach in its flagship store, designed by Kneider Architects. Two-storey windows soak the showroom – and upscale European lines like Mirage, Atlas Concorde and Italgraniti – in natural light. Displays line the perimeter and flaunt the latest trends: large-format tiles for seamless-looking floors and artisanal porcelain in…

Amati Canada AC’s kitchen and bath products range from traditional to contemporary – everything from LED-lit, painted-glass vanities to Japanesestyle, barrel-sized soaker tubs. Among the 50-plus brands in store are faucets by Blanco and Hansgrohe, rain showers by Aquabrass and Dornbracht, commercial grade sinks by Elkay, Porcher’s elegant freestanding soaker tubs and wall-mounted Duravit toilets designed by Philippe Starck. 105 DONCASTER AVE, THORNHILL 905 709 0881 MON-FRI 9-6, SAT 9-5 AMATICANADA.COM Appliance Canada With more than 60 electronic brands, AC has pretty much every appliance a home could need: Thermador’s high-performance range with built-in steam and convection oven; LG’s turbo washers; Avantgarde’s wine coolers with generous bottle capacity; and the standout, La Cornue’s spectacular island range. Crafted in France in cast iron, brass and enamel, it looks fit for a…

Amala Carpets Offering the most authentic Nepalese wool and Thai silk rugs you’re likely to find in Toronto, Amala’s award-winning pieces pair ancient weaving techniques with sustainable innovations. The butterfly inspired Nabi I, for example, is made with hand-reeled zee silk; Parda, which evokes the water reflection of a forest, is made of hand-carded Himalayan sheep wool. 990 ROSELAWN AVE 416 482 0998 Mon -Fri 9-6, sat & Sun BY APPT ONLY AMALACARPETS.COM Flor Modular and sustainable carpet tiles at Flor make it easy to jazz up any room. The vast array of textures and styles can be configured in any shape or size to create one-of-a-kind rugs, runners or wall-to-wall designs. Patterns range from It’s Snow Problem’s multi-level loops in subtle hues to Floweret’s flower print in 14 mix-and-match…

1925 Workbench 1925 makes barn doors – in woods ranging from pine to teak and complete with crafted-right-here hardware – for clients across North America. Recent projects include stained pine and frostedglass-panel doors to hide a home office while still allowing light in; and a two-metre-wide poplar version, painted dandelion yellow with a handforged metal rail and horseshoe-style brackets. 30 ST. MARKS RD 416 878 1869 BY APPT ONLY 1925WORKBENCH.COM Alleens The pros here have window treatments for every need and budget, so let them guide you through textiles by Robert Allen, Joanne Fabrics and Kravet; shutters from Eclipse; and numerous shoji screens. There are also motorized skylight blinds by Hunter Douglas, wall coverings by Crown Wallpaper and retractable awnings by Somfy. 444 YONGE ST 416 847 0947 MON-WED &…

Thirty-five years ago, Toronto’s most accomplished interior design firm hung out its shingle and it is still going strong today. Yabu Pushelberg’s revamped studio on Booth Avenue is home to 75 designers, while another 40-plus work out of the New York shop. The firm’s impressive portfolio – including hotels, restaurants, retail spaces and residences, both here and abroad – is being celebrated at this year’s Intersection gala event at the Design Exchange (November 7). Here’s a look inside the beautiful minds of Yabu Pushelberg’s visionary founders, George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg. DL: How did you get into design? Glenn: I fell into it by default. I really wanted to go into the arts, and from there I started looking at fine art schools. However, the practical side of me soon…

Archery District Unleash your inner Katniss Everdeen at this Archery Tag facility. Played like dodgeball but with bows and arrows on an artificial grass court, this growing phenomenon is safer than it sounds: arrows are foam-tipped, and competitors wear protective masks. Bunkers decked in toxic-waste symbols provide refuge on the playing field. $25/PERSON/HOUR, 770 BIRCHMOUNT RD 647 955 3111 MON-THU BY APPT ONLY, FRI 4-1, SAT 10-1, SUN 10-10 ARCHERYDISTRICT.COM Generate Fitness Forget counting calories – this eco-friendly athletic club encourages its members to track their exercise in kilowatt-hours. SportsArt Eco-Powr elliptical machines and bikes capture energy expended during workouts and use it to offset the gym’s power consumption. Non-toxic paints throughout reinforce the facility’s do-good ethos. $25/CLASS, 2199 BLOOR ST W 416 512 1821 MON-THU 6-9, FRI 6-8, SAT…

Akroyd Furniture Visitors to this Distillery District studio will find a range of custom furnishings crafted from walnut, cherry, white oak and maple – all sourced from regional woodlots. The company’s wares boast a timeless aesthetic in everything from built-in media cabinetry to slab dining tables and platform beds with storage drawers. 15 CASE GOODS LN, STE #101-102 416 367 5757 WED-SUN 12-5 OR BY APPT AKROYDFURNITURE.CA ALX Home This family business has nearly 40 years of experience in custom furniture, and its commercial portfolio boasts casegoods for the Drake General Store. This retail outpost focuses on built-to-order condo basics made from local wood. Platform beds, in walnut or cherry, are equipped with as many as six integrated drawers. 100 FOUR VALLEY DR, UNIT D, VAUGHAN 905 738 2307 MON-SAT…

Bang & Olufsen High fidelity meets high design at this wellappointed showroom. The Danish electronics brand offers stylish speakers, home theatre setups and even telephones. BeoVision’s Avant 4K TV adjusts for ambient light levels to maintain an always-vivid picture, while the BeoPlay A9 one-point music system on legs is crafted like a piece of fine Nordic furniture. 175 AVENUE RD 416 935 1919 MON-SAT 10-6 BANG-OLUFSEN.COM Bay Bloor Radio Home to Canada’s first Bose store, this threefloor showroom now houses the brand’s complete range of products. Other highlights include UHD/4K TVs from Samsung, Sony and Panasonic; music-streaming systems from Sonos; speakers from Totem Acoustic and Sonance; and audio equipment from McIntosh, Naim, NAD, Yamaha and Arcam. Customization, consultation and installation are available. 55 BLOOR ST W 416 967 1122 MON-WED…

AM Studio Each of this studio’s exquisite lights is either sourced from local and Israeli artists or created on site. The fixtures, many of which are LED, are crafted from Swarovski crystal, metal and handmade glass and made into dramatic sculptural forms – chandeliers of cascading plates and clusters of globes in frosted silver, amber or bronze. 1270 CASTLEFIELD AVE 416 783 4100 MON-FRI 10-5, SAT 12-5, SUN BY APPT AMSTUDIO.CA Artemide This Italian lighting manufacturer’s glass-walled, wedge-shaped showroom is an architectural gem in itself. Inside, the selection includes innovative dynamic pendants, outdoor fixtures and everything in-between. Among the recent additions to the LED offerings: the Scopas pendant that resembles Darth Vader’s Death Star; and Ilio, an aluminum floor lamp available in seven vibrant hues. 5 MILL ST 416 628…

Artemano Discover handcrafted wooden furniture sourced from India, Indonesia and Thailand in this Zen-like space. You won’t find anything lacquered here; the wood is in its most natural state. Bed frames, sideboards and dining tables come in both simple and live-edge styles. Look for teak-root bases fashioned into coffee tables and bookcases crafted from fishing boats. 698 CALEDONIA RD 416 548 7818 MON-SAT 10-6, SUN 11-6 ARTEMANO.CA Atomic Design Lawrence Blairs packs his store with Scandinavian glass, architectural jewellery and 20th-century modern furniture and accessories by such iconic designers as Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen. Latest finds include a conical pendant by Swedish designer Hans Agne Jakobsson and a Kundalini suspension lamp that evokes droplets of molten fibreglass in motion. 965 QUEEN ST W 416 912 2358 SUN…

Imageworks Old-school film devotees, take note: the technicians at this full-service lab will develop your 35mm rolls and scan the negatives for highresolution digital files. Art documentation is another specialty. Local collectors can enlist the photogs here to capture their canvases for digital archiving. Just looking for prints? Rest assured, IW’s output is museum-quality – landscape photographer Edward Burtynsky founded the print shop. 80 SPADINA AVE, STE #207 416 703 1999 MON-FRI 9-7, SAT 11-3 TORONTOIMAGEWORKS.COM Martha Snyder The before and after gallery on this digital retouching expert’s website demonstrates her Photoshop prowess. In one shot, she removed a rope that was keeping a ladder suspended, making it appear as though it was floating in the sky. Other typical edits include smoothing out blemishes, removing light switches in architectural shots,…

Robert Koblinsky and Jeff Forrest (with Charles) among, left to right: Stool by LMBRJK; bench by Partisans; Stacklab’s cementitious cubes and an Ash A356.0 series stool. When we first featured Stacklab in Fall 2012, Jeff Forrest’s fledgling design and fabrication studio was gaining traction for its refined take on salvaged wood furniture. But like many design upstarts, it was surviving on passion. By day, Forrest worked as a project manager on construction gigs with his now business partner, Robert Koblinsky. Through the night, he sketched furniture. Fast-forward and Stacklab is a triple threat: gallery-showroom, incubator of wild ideas and a one-stop architecture-to-construction shop, following Frank Lloyd Wright’s design-todoorknobs approach. If the studio has an aesthetic, it’s both heirloom and otherworldly, and when it veers into ornamentation, the result is a…

The design brief sounded like an architectural dare: use the footprint of a three-storey 1946 house with an attached cinder-block warehouse to create a home that can accommodate crowds of 200 yet still feels inviting when just one person is there. Stick to the square footage but add another bedroom. Make sure the space has lots of natural light, without adding windows that face the neighbours. The laundry-list of challenges only fuelled the creative process for Daniel Harland, principal designer (and co-founder) at Roundabout Studio, who overhauled the building alongside the team at Old Soul Carpentry. For decades it had been C.A. Cruikshank, a flower-bulb distributor. “It gives you something to work up against,” he says. The design became “about what you see and what you don’t see.” Cross section…

Antique Door & Hardware Looking for better-than-big-box options for your house numbers, latches, doorknobs and pulls? ADH has been in the biz for 46 years, and the tried-and-true solutions are all here: Baldwin, Emtek, Richelieu and Rocky Mountain in styles ranging from traditional to contemporary. Standouts include modern house numbers by Atlas Homewares, Simonswerk’s invisible hinges and super-slim pulls by Top Knobs. 1750 AVENUE RD 647 496 1968 MON-FRI 9-5, SAT 9-2 ADHHARDWARE.CA Atomic Toybot Christine Timms and Cory Bartlett caught the bug for designer vinyl toys a few years back and have been sharing their love ever since. On show: wares by local toymakers like WashyKong and Jaded Dragon, the ever-popular Funko and exclusive limited-edition Kidrobot vinyl, and an extensive selection of graphic novels and books on urban art.…

Advice from a Caterpillar It’s a family affair: Susan Dyer and her daughters Elizabeth and Emily frequently jet off to Paris to keep this stylish store for tots well stocked. Danish furniture from Leander, par exemple, includes a high chair and crib designed to grow with your child. Keep bedrooms clutter-free with Wool Fabrique’s storage hampers and bags. 8 PRICE ST 416 960 2223 MON-SAT 10‑6 ADVICEFROMACATERPILLAR. CA Baby on the Hip Buzzing with Leslieville families, BOTH is frequented for its eco-friendly furniture, toys and pint-sized clothing, like the silky bamboo Kyte sleep sacks. Other make-life-easier items include the BPA -free Lollacup sippy cup with its flexible straw and signature rooster lid; and the Bumbleride Indie, a lightweight and foldable jogging stroller that features a large canopy. 969 QUEEN ST…

Andrew Richard Designs Tropical plants, canopies and waterfalls provide a perfect backdrop for a wide assortment of outdoor dining furniture, lounge seating, daybeds, umbrellas and accessories. Available in a range of materials (including its patented all-weather Solartex weave), the selection has something to suit every sunbather and shade lover. Many of the latest wares pair reclaimed teak with stainless steel. 571 ADELAIDE ST E 416 601 1451 MON-WED & SAT 10-6, THU & FRI 10-7, SUN 12-5 ANDREWRICHARDDESIGNS.COM ARD Outdoor A spinoff of the luxurious Andrew Richard Designs brand, diversification of materials and styles – and price points – make this sunny 1,200-square-metre showroom shine. Suiting downtown condo requirements and the tastes of suburban homeowners, we love the pairing of woven poly-fibres with teak, cast aluminum, stainless steel, concrete and…

Are & Be Merike and Stephen Bauer stock wallpaper and floor coverings otherwise impossible to find in the city. Object Carpet’s six-pattern Supergraphic High Class collection makes a statement on the floor with loud lime-green stripes and jarring geometrics. For the walls, try Think Tank’s roomsized, picture-book illustrations or Elli Popp’s Victorian dreamscapes with a neo-romantic twist. 1213 BATHURST ST 416 533 3203 THU 12-5:30 OR BY APPT AREANDBE.COM Farrow & Ball Known for quality paints and wallpapers, F&B epitomizes British style. Elegant and classy remains its bread and butter, but the brand is now offering more modern options, including new hues in its heritage collection and wallpaper embracing slightly more avant-garde motifs. See Tourbillon: its segmented circles could be deco or fresh modern-day, depending on the colourway. 1054 YONGE…

Where to find unique gifts for everyone on your list Souvenir Nov 5–Dec 24 Not sure what to get that friend with impeccable taste? This shopping event is packed with charming gifts and homemade goods by emerging Canadian designers. Limited-edition items made exclusively for the shop are displayed alongside vintage treasures. Last year’s event offered alpaca blankets from Cambie Design, vessels by Akai Ceramic Studio and playful framed prints of foodstuffs by Designlines’ art director Sali Tabacchi. FREE, 1232 COLLEGE ST SOUVENIRSTUDIOS.COM Toronto Christmas Market Nov 20–Dec 20 The Distillery District’s historic grounds provide the backdrop for this Europeanstyle winter festival, at the heart of which stands a 15-metre-tall white spruce in the central courtyard. Food and gift stalls line the romantic cobblestone streets so shoppers can stock up on…