Table of contents for Issue 1, 2021: Designer of the Year in DESIGNLINES

Even though it spans 2,400 square metres, you’d be forgiven for missing C-Horse, a massive mural by Toronto-based, eagle-helmetwearing street artist birdO. Unlike his towering illustrations of wildlife in Deer Park, The Grange and elsewhere, this sea horse, one of his latest pieces, is painted atop a Yorkville parkade and visible only from neighbouring buildings. Alternatively, you can see it inside Edition 6 of Romeo’s Gin. Following the launch of Romeo’s Gin in 2015, Quebec’s Duvernois Creative Spirits partnered with Montreal-based street artists for each of its first five editions. For its sixth, also the brand’s break into Ontario, it reached out to birdO. After two years of planning, the artist got to work. Mural-making is a process, one he kicked off this time with a drone. Flown over the…

IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS ONE In the early ’90s, when architects Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe set out to design a laneway house, there was little legal precedent. A few years earlier, Daniels Faculty architecture professor Jeffrey Stinson had built a house on a back alley in Kensington Market. Shim and Sutcliffe admired how secluded it felt, despite being in the city’s centre. The couple wanted something similarly cottage-like in Leslieville, shaded by treed backyards and removed from Main Street bustle. The local planner, city councillor and neighbours all objected – who would want to live in an alley, they asked. Almost 30 years later, as Shim sits facing her private, ivy-covered courtyard, she can laugh it off. “The neighbours now love that the laneway was activated,” she says.…

Amid the Victorian mansions of Parkdale – remnants of the neighbourhood’s 19th-century past as an upscale suburb – two modern homes beg pause from passersby. A brise-soleil creates an eye-catching screen and a secret art installation for the public: the shapes of crocodiles, camels and raccoons embedded in the graphic arrangement, visible only at certain times of day. Scaled to neighbouring houses and matching their red brick exteriors, the four-storey double duplex paradoxically seems to both blend in and stand out. It’s as though someone’s tossed into a twister the visual elements of the street – the bay-and-gable typology and the muted wood of the elderly elm trees – and combined them into something entirely new. Those someones are Andrew and Jodi Batay-Csorba, founders of an eponymous firm making its…

313 Design Market Brothers Chris and Mark Siemicki agree: “Home is where the heart is.” The two opened 313 in their childhood abode to house their shared passion: fun and playful design-forward objects by cool international brands. Home accessories from Dusen Dusen, MoMA, Poketo and Areaware happily mingle with throws and pillows by David Fussenegger. Also: watch for installations, pop-up markets, designrelated talks and workshops in this space. 313 RONCESVALLES AVE 416 537 2220 313DESIGNMARKET.COM Average Average is a collection of contemporary and classic home objects designed for everyday life. The revolving QW showroom’s founders hand-pick unique pieces from Japanese and European design houses. Find exquisite stationery from Notem, lumpy clay bookends from Valerie Objects and superfine merino blankets – designed by John Pawson – from Tekla Fabrics. Among the…

Advice from a Caterpillar This Yorkville lifestyle boutique caters to the designloving parent and child. Personalize your nursery with blankets from Autumn Paris, seagrass changing baskets from Olli Ella and beautiful rattan doll furniture from Bonton. Lovely home decor abounds: Astier de Villatte’s ceramic incense holders and candlesticks, Iris Hantverk’s eco-friendly tooth- and hairbrushes, Mifuko’s woven baskets and plenty of stay-cozy clothes. 41 HAZELTON AVE 416 960 2223 ADVICEFROMACATERPILLAR.CA BB Buggy Find everything that stylish soon-to-be parents want and little ones need at BBB, including rockers and bassinets, beds, bookshelves and changing tables. Canadian-made Natart cribs with matching dressers and handcrafted Dutailier gliders will add warmth to any nursery. Sleep sacks, organic loungers and Leander’s foam Matty changers make for chic baby-shower gifts. The Bugaboo play yard unfolds in seconds…

ARD Outdoor ARD Outdoor has all the upscale patio furnishings and accessories you’ll need to transform your backyard or balcony into a resort-inspired retreat, including newly added European line Vondom. Seating abounds – sectionals, loveseats, accent chairs and canopied daybeds – in colourful Sunbrella fabrics. Cantilevered umbrellas and Tuuci parasols pair with dining tables in teak or powder-coated aluminum. Brighten your nights with a Dekko concrete firepit and ambiance lighting. 3019 DUFFERIN ST 416 551 6055 ARDOUTDOOR.COM Casualife Seeking furniture for outdoor entertainment spaces, exterior family rooms and private oases? Casualife’s on-staff designers excel in space planning and will navigate you through wares made from teak, aluminum and woven resin. Look for luxe daybeds, woven loungers with sunshades, and poufs with weather-resistant resin weave on aluminum frames that perform triple…

Atomic Design Lawrence Blairs’s compact boutique presents a tightly curated, high-end collection of authentic vintage art and design restored to glory. Current exceptional offerings include Hans Wegner’s iconic black leather Wing Chair, Tobia Scarpa’s architectural coffee table and a pair of Victor Vasarely black and white Cinetique serigraphs. AD’s smaller decor accents also delight: sculptural modernist lighting, abstract neon and a vibrant selection of Scandinavian and Italian art glass. 965 QUEEN ST W 416 912 2358 ATOMICDESIGN.CA Bungalow Aficionados of mid-century Scandinavian furniture and accents make Bungalow a regular stop, thanks to its rotating collection of impeccably maintained and refurbished vintage dining sets, modular wall units and occasional chairs from Domino, Dyrlund, Herman Miller, Vejle Stole and Niels Koefoed. Art glass from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s peppers the space,…

NEW Büro Klaus Klaus, the famous showroom run by Klaus Nienkämper, has reinvented itself. Büro Klaus carries contemporary and classic designs by such esteemed manufacturers as Lambert & Fils, e15, COR, Fredericia and &Tradition, as well as an in-house line that includes both reinterpretations of Nienkämper classics – iconic Canadian-made office furniture – and new furnishings developed in collaboration with renowned designers. The underlying theme is enduring furniture so beautiful that it serves equally well for residential or contract use. 296 KING ST E 416 362 3434 BUROKLAUS.COM Haworth Haworth’s affinity for the “resimercial” (commercial–home hybrid) model defines its showroom. Discover adaptability with pops of colour and texture in their dashing task chairs, desk sets and storage options, courtesy of design stars Marcel Wanders, Jasper Morrison and Patricia Urquiola. Find…

“Cute, fun and memorable.” Two of these words do not describe 2020, but all three certainly characterize Huey, a Toronto-born lighting studio in its infancy. And Cherub, shown here, is Huey’s aptly named first product. Because what better, dear home renovators, than a beautiful spirit-child – sans wings – to usher in a hopefully much lighter 2021? Product designer Bret Williams conjured Huey while renovating a dated warehouse condo a year and a half ago. “I quickly learned,” he says, “that the gap in the market for quality, accessible – yet elevated – lighting is present globally, and especially so in Canada. I wanted to support Canadian creators, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Specifically, stylish flush-mounts.” Williams, with the help of three talented local fabricators, quickly…

Multi-functional Minimalism For busy parents to four young children, the convenience of a spa a few steps from the bed is something precious. Akb Architects cleverly packs a potentially chaotic list of luxurious features into streamlined and seamless volumes. The vanity, a glorious three-metre stretch of custom storage, does it all with barely there details like concealed pulls, hidden outlets and sandblasted light strips on the face of a continuous, medicine cabinet–style mirror. Sink and counter combine in a monolithic, glacial white Corian “block” broken only by a slight reveal along the lower edges of the basin for invisible drainage. In a similarly uniform fashion, metre-wide marble-look porcelain slabs envelop a shower, tub and accent wall for visual unity, and floors in the same Laminam are levelled up with radiant…

California Closets CC’s customized organization and storage solutions maximize the potential of your rooms and closets. Think: Murphy beds, garage workbenches, tailored wardrobes with adjustable shelving, baskets and pullout hampers. Go beyond utilitarian and appoint a family room, library or home office with high-gloss smoke or champagne slab doors and hardware pulls in graphite or gold. Media centres featuring cubbies, integrated lighting and concealed wiring keep lived-in spaces tidy. 1400 CASTLEFIELD AVE 416 342 1717 (ALSO: 158 DAVENPORT RD 416 342 1717) CALIFORNIACLOSETS.COM Komandor Organization and style permeate Komandor’s offerings: fully customizable closets and doors, aluminum partitions, interior millwork and accessories. This Mississauga-based manufacturer uses European panels from brands Krono and Egger in an array of colours, finishes and even 3D textures to create efficient spaces for bedroom to kitchen…

Caesarstone Consult Caesarstone professionals on your desired applications of their proprietary quartz slabs; this global innovator’s Toronto showroom features 62 varieties. Use Piatto’s deep black hues for dramatic kitchen islands and backsplashes. Calacatta’s greige oversized veins traverse a crisp white background, creating that marble-clad spa effect for your bathroom. If the industrial look is your thing, pair Oxidian countertops with gunmetal cabinetry and copper hardware. 350 CALDARI RD, CONCORD 416 479 8400 CAESARSTONE. CA Cambria Gallery Cambria’s Corktown gallery showcases Americanmade natural quartz surfaces in over 160 designs spanning from pale neutrals to rich jewel tones. See the brand’s durable, stain-resistant, maintenance-free lines on display in kitchen and bathroom vignettes. Think beyond countertops and backsplashes to clad walls, fireplaces and shower surrounds. Inject a sense of motion with bold charcoal…

Amati Canada AC’s focus is squarely on kitchen and bathroom fixtures. Among the 50-plus brands in store are faucets by Blanco and Hansgrohe, rain showers by Aquabrass and Dornbracht, commercial-grade sinks by Elkay, elegant free-standing soaker tubs by Porcher and therapeutic bath systems by BainUltra. Also in store: minimalist fixtures from Riobel, Philippe Starck’s wall-mounted toilets for Duravit and extraordinary faucets from Graff. 105 DONCASTER AVE 905 709 0881 AMATICANADA.COM Appliance Canada Find the latest innovations in ultra-premium appliances here, including Thermador ovens with patented Star Burner technology (which delivers superior flame spread) and Freedom induction cooktops that are controlled using a full-colour touchscreen. Consider Hestan wall ovens, refrigerators, wine cellars and outdoor grills with colourful finishes, and Fisher & Paykel dishwashers that offer the convenience of two independent drawers.…

Allan Rug Company ARC’s newly renovated 1,300-square-metre showroom boasts a staggering selection of versatile contemporary flooring solutions, from carpet and area rugs to hardwood, cork, laminate and luxury vinyl. Here, you’ll find contemporary solutions perfectly suited to home and office environments – such as extra-wide hardwood planks – as well as custom and handmade rugs in modern and traditional designs (by Missoni, Stanton and Nourison) that can be installed right away. 103 MIRANDA AVE 416 787 1707 ALLANRUG.COM Amala Carpets Amala’s house-designed artisanal rugs made with vegetable-based dyes in Nepalese wool and Thai silk pop against this whitewashed industrial showroom. The six-generation family business works directly with the craftspeople who harvest and weave its creations using sustainable methods. Zee Silk makes for an environmentally friendly carpet with shimmering hand-reeled silk…

Century Architexture Loft living without the cost and hassle of bricklaying: CA’s seven-millimetre-thick pre-engineered brick veneer wall panels affix to a mesh backing, making them a cinch to install. Locally hand-cast from gypsum to replicate the look and feel of century-old reclaimed brick, they’re incredibly convincing. The showroom’s own backsplashes, bathroom walls and media room exemplify a variety of uses for the manufactured-on-site panels. 34 JUTLAND RD, ETOBICOKE 416 503 3889 CENTURYARCHITEXTURE.COM Farrow & Ball Britain’s F&B offers a medley of handcrafted wallpapers showcasing the rich pigments it is best known for, as well as an expansive selection of paints ranging from contemporary neutrals to heritage tones. Chromologists will relish the latest hues from F&B’s collaboration with London’s Natural History Museum. Covetable metallic-print wallpapers with shimmering gold, silver and copper…

Space We Love Odami conjures up a home office from thin air Is anything more anathema to design lovers than wasted space? Tasked with providing an Edwardian with an aesthetic and functional refresh, Odami – the team behind Sara restaurant – took on the living room, foyer and (next to the kitchen) an empty, misused corner. It had potential, though, which Odami, working with Nick Day Design, realized with a pocket office space. The metre-wide white oak desk – a material match for the flooring, wall panel and pair of arching overhead cabinets – is spacious enough to get some real work done, while deskmounted outlets keep cables tidy. And, in keeping with the clean finish, linear LED lighting is embedded in the underside of the upper cabinet. Its central…

There is no separation of art and design for Ekow Nimako. Through his Lego-made creations, the artist masterfully reimagines African architecture and artifacts, and sometimes disregards them entirely to engineer his own, with futuristic themes. With their roots in Afrofuturism and African mythology, Nimako’s sculptures expand Black diaspora folklore and iconography by using storytelling to situate his pieces simultaneously within our world and worlds of their own. The Ghanaian–Canadian, who first played with Lego as a child, had his interest in the plastic bricks piqued again when he began purchasing sets for his children. Playful construction became earnest art-making, and in 2014, he had an epiphany that informed his current approach. “A lot of the merit of a Lego creation is that it’s made of Lego,” he says. “I strive…

Bay Bloor Radio A long-standing institution, BBR is a centre for sight and sound from the world’s leading brands. Drawing on the best TVs from Sony and Samsung, high-fidelity sound options in a range of price points and a topnotch selection of headphones and turntables, BBR’s custom design department will advise you on all your AV installation needs. Standouts include Samsung’s atypical The Frame television, invisible speakers from Bowers & Wilkins and media consoles from BDI. MANULIFE CENTRE, 55 BLOOR ST W 416 967 1122 BAYBLOORRADIO.COM Great Metropolitan Sound This audiovisual design and installation hub’s services include lighting, shade- and climate-control automation and computer networking. Integrating the latest from RTI, Crestron, Sonos, NAD, Bluesound and Marantz, the team installs multi-room music systems and surround-sound home theatres, all controlled from your…

The Adelaide Project Here’s something a little different: innovative luminaires in a lovingly restored and fully furnished heritage home where consumers and industry pros alike can explore functional vignettes of architectural and decorative lighting. Good ideas abound: Nod suspension lights by XAL in the bedroom create a variety of moods thanks to a rotatable head and changeable height; in the living room, the fabric diffuser of the celestial Manto suspension lamp by Axolight provides the perfect balance of illumination and ambiance. 509 ADELAIDE ST W 416 538 6548 BY APPT ONLY THEADELAIDEPROJECT.COM AM Studio AM’s versatile custom lighting studio is home to intricate and imaginative fixtures handmade in Toronto. The gallery is aglow with Swarovski crystal, metal and glass fused, blown and drawn into dramatic sculptural forms. Find shapely porcelain…

JF & Co. This trade-only showroom specializes in fabric and drapery from such high-end brands as MissoniHome, Scalamandré, Ashley Wilde, Pindler and Maxwell. JF&C’s equally impressive wallcovering collection features sumptuous silks, grasscloth, paper weaves, cork, screen-printed novelties and digital prints that are sure to enliven any room. A sweeping drapery hardware line and decorative tapes, tassels and trims for those finishing touches are also available here. 326 DAVENPORT RD 416 238 5254 JFANDCO.CA Kate Thornley-Hall Collaborating with artists, local designer KT-H transforms their work into home furnishings, wallpapers, decorative flat-weaves and custom handwoven wool and silk rugs, or what we call “art you can walk on.” Patterns include butterflies and bees, playful birds, peacock feathers and decorative florals. A new partnership with design and media personality Tommy Smythe delivers traditional…

1925Workbench This charming maker-studio builds custom handcrafted wooden doors and furniture in white oak, walnut, poplar, fir and pine, all finished with brass, stainless steel or heavy metal hardware. Highlights include patented single-track bypass barn-door hardware, walnut slab doors with transom-like cut-outs and nearly five-metre-tall rolling or hook ladders. Here, it’s a true love of craft: solid wood and traditional techniques. 198 THIRTIETH ST, ETOBICOKE 416 878 1869 BY APPT ONLY 1925WORKBENCH.COM ADH Fine Hardware ADH offers tried-and-true solutions – in traditional and contemporary styles – from Baldwin, Emtek and Rocky Mountain. Unlock your creative side with stylish jewelled knobs by Matthew Studios, leather loop straps by Scrim or custom forged bronze handles by Hamilton Sinkler. Or go the minimalist route: tiny knurled pulls by Vesta or barely there designs…