Table of contents for Issue 2, 2021: Bringing the Outdoors Inside in DESIGNLINES

There’s no mistaking Rudy Wallman’s house for his neighbours’. Situated among Riverdale’s Victorian and postwar homes, the translucent glass box was designed by Wallman – principal of Wallman Architects and a specialist in glass high-rise design – for his family of three. “We really wanted something that had no connection to the surrounding houses,” says Wallman. Freed from the constraints of peaked roofs and brick facades, and inspired by the iconic glass houses of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson, Wallman’s 320-square-metre home also maximizes outdoor space and interior light. To make use of the small, sloping lot, Wallman spread the house over five levels, with the main floor set one metre below grade. “Unlike the houses on the street with porches, we did the opposite,” he says.…

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 American-made 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 veins…

Allan Rug Company ARC’s newly renovated 1,263-square-metre showroom boasts a staggering selection of versatile flooring solutions suited to home and office environments. This long-standing family-owned business – one of Toronto’s largest carpet and flooring showrooms – carries Missoni, Nourison, Stanton, Karastan, Bloomsburg and many more. Also at ARC: custom and hand-knotted rugs in modern and traditional designs. Cork, laminate and extra-wide hardwood and vinyl planks from Lauzon and Fuzion Flooring round out the selection. 103 MIRANDA AVE 416 787 1707 ALLANRUG.COM Amala Carpets For their local, in-house-designed artisanal rugs, Amala uses Nepalese wool and Thai silk. The six-generation family business works directly with the craftspeople who harvest and weave creations using sustainable methods and vegetable-based dyes. Find exquisite transitional and contemporary designs in hand-trimmed Himalayan sheep’s wool and shimmering hand-reeled…

SETTING THE BAR When treated with iron oxide, red oak develops a ruddy, patinated complexion. When Daniel Gruetter shapes it with mortise, tenon and an upholstered seat, it becomes an heirloom-quality bar stool. $2500 ea, at DANIELGRUETTER.COM ALL OF THE ABOVE With its rigid white ash frame and pillowy leather upholstery, Atelier Arking’s Lami dining chair is equally at home as a statement piece, everyday seating or both. From $620 ea, at ARKING.CA AYE AYE Despite its commanding presence, Nicholas Hamilton Holmes’s rounded take on pin and tenon joints – which poke through the marble tabletop – gives his white oak Captain’s dining table a playful feel, too. From $3700, at HAMILTONHOLMES.COM BENEATH THE SURFACE With bevelled legs, turned knobs and straight-lined design, Heidi Earnshaw’s made-to-order Half Hathaway strikes a…

When architect Anya Moryoussef describes the East End home she designed for Laurel Hutchison, a retired schoolteacher, she uses contradictory terms. “It’s a cocoon,” she says of the rebuild, “that has a magical connection to the outdoors.” It’s easy to see how the home fits the protective bill. The tiny modern house (built by Desar Construction) is tucked away on Craven Road, an unusual thoroughfare where tiny cottages line one side of the street; the other is taken up by the densely treed backyards of houses on Ashdale Avenue. Like many of the neighbours’, Hutchison’s residence is a 70-square-metre bungalow with a narrow face that leaves little room for big windows and nosey views inside. But this house is hardly a pod. As you step through the vestibule into the…

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 top-notch 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, as well as its own in-house collection. 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 KTH transforms their work into home furnishings, wallpapers, decorative flatweaves 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…

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…

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 that…

Past the construction cranes and concrete pours that define North York’s skyline, a new chapter in Toronto’s urban evolution is quietly unfolding. Dubbed Tyndale Green, the upcoming mixed-income, pedestrian-oriented community is the inaugural project for Markee Developments, a company founded by Jennifer Keesmaat and Jason Marks. We caught up with her about this future community and the process of rethinking housing. Beyond Short-Term Profits “There’s a gap in how we’re delivering housing in Canada,” says Keesmaat. “What if we took the highest aspirations regarding city-building and brought them to affordable housing? That’s what we’re trying to do. At Tyndale Green, we want to demonstrate that it’s possible to design, build and deliver housing in a way that is primarily driven by inclusion and the broader public interest. It’s a partnership…

Toronto, like any well-worn city, is full of exquisitely weird spaces hidden in plain sight. Renovating them is an architectural dance; often, the best interventions don’t erase eccentric features – they double down on their offbeat potential. Take this recent facelift by architectural design studio Odami. The one-of-a-kind condo boasts no fewer than five levels of cascading rooms, born of the building’s previous life as a parkade. These platforms and recesses lend the home theatricality and autonomy of spaces, but a dark, jumbled layout disguised their power and allure. The studio celebrates them in their redesign of the two-bedroom unit, reimagining their skylights to better connect them to the world outside. First, the cramped kitchen was opened up and married to the skylit dining room, while an elevated study in…

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, design-related 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 handpick 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 design-loving 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 toothand 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 for…

ARD Outdoor Transforming your backyard or balcony into a resort-inspired retreat? ARD Outdoor has all the upscale patio furnishings and accessories you’ll need, including futuristic European line Vondom. Seating abounds in colourful Sunbrella fabrics – sectionals, loveseats, accent chairs and canopied daybeds. Cantilevered umbrellas and Tuuci parasols pair with dining tables in teak, resin and powder-coated aluminum. Maximize your nighttime downtime with a Dekko concrete firepit and ambiance lighting. 3019 DUFFERIN ST 416 551 6055 ARDOUTDOOR.COM Casualife Outdoor Living If you are seeking furniture for outdoor entertainment spaces, exterior family rooms and private oases, Casualife’s on-staff designers will navigate you through wares made from teak, aluminum and woven resin. Look for luxe daybeds, loungers with sunshades, and poufs that perform triple-duty as side tables, footstools and seating. Create ambiance with…

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 in Kensington Market 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…

1925Workbench A true love of craft – for solid wood and traditional techniques – is on full display at 1925, with its studio in the front, workshop in the back. And the specialty: handcrafted solid wooden doors and furniture, panel and glass doors, and hand-welded metal. Highlights include patented single-track bypass barn-door hardware (made in Canada), walnut slab doors with transom-like cut-outs and nearly five-metre-tall rolling or hook ladders. 198 30TH 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…