Canadian Interiors November December 2022

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MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER PRETTY CEILING

The human mind is programmed to look for patterns in seemingly unrelated information. Known in scientific parlance as patternicity or apophenia, pattern recognition is an integral element in the learning process, particularly because it comes in very handy when trying to predict what outcomes to expect when faced with new situations. Every year during what I call my Best of Canada phase (beginning with submissions and ending with printing the Awards issue) I try to dial up the pattern recognition parts of my brain to see if any noticeable ones present themselves. Of particular interest this year was the number of entries completed during peak pandemic (a sizeable number, with roughly a fifth of submissions completed in the first half of 2022 alone) and I was curious to see how many designs would exhibit a telling response to the experience of lockdowns by potentially reimagining a space’s role post-COVID.

As it turned out, surprisingly few projects fit that expectation. In fact, projects that caught the judges’ eyes and survived through various levels of cutting showed different pattern sets: interior environments with defined yet sober aesthetics; delicate treatment of materials and details; the right balance of light, texture and proportion; and a clear, well-balanced vision that placed users’ quality of life at the forefront. It was immensely reassuring to see these fundamental design doctrines employed and then elevated to such a degree in the 25th annual Canadian Interiors’ Best of Canada Awards, the country’s only design competition to focus on interior design projects and products without regard to size, budget or location. Interior designers, architects, decorators, and crafts persons form the community of design leaders shaping our built future, and the quality of their submissions illustrate that the pandemic has not knocked them off track.

As always, the two categories of Projects and Products require distinct judging exercises, which were held on separate days, both at the Teknion Toronto Collaboration Hub and with Teknion’s support. A kinetic group of design professionals heeded the call and shouldered the burden of reviewing sub -

missions and selecting this year’s cream of the crop. For Projects we enlisted: Beverly Horii , managing director and principal at IA Interior Architects; Greg Parsons , Interior Design Director at DEXD; Arnaud Marthouret , founder of Revelateur Studio; and Barbora Vokac Taylor , principal of Barbora Vokac Taylor Architect Inc. On the Products side, three judges with decidedly different perspectives on the design profession put their expertise to work analyzing material from an impressive list: David Correa , Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture and a partner at experimental design collaboration llLab; Jonathan Nodrick , founder, CEO and creative director of custom wallpaper company Rollout; and Duane Lucas , business development manager at Black Bread + Jam.

Ultimately, a total of 27 winners were chosen, which include four Products and 23 Projects representing a cross-Canada spectrum. When it came to selecting Project of the Year, the judges debated vigorously and at length until finally nominating the Mouvement Desjardins Executive Floors at the Complexe Desjardins, a project that “deftly addresses what matters most right now in the workplace: diverse spaces that offer a variety of experiences for people to independently and collaboratively perform at their best,” enthuses Barbora Vokac Taylor. “The design intent is strong and responds sensitively to the needs of the current moment. The execution of the project is both skillful yet subtle; using thoughtful details to create an inspiring atmosphere in service of the people that use the space.”

The Best of Canada Awards also continues to celebrate the exceptional work of Canada’s interior product designers, with the honour of Judges’ Pick going to Appareil Atelier for Chaise Elsie, made in collaboration with l’Autre Atelier for Les Jardins de Métis. “The Elsie chair is simple, serene, sophisticated and portrays effortless elegance,” mused Duane Lucas.

Congratulations to all 27 winners! — Peter Sobchak

Barbora Vokac Taylor

A survey of this year’s entries is like a splash of cool water on our face, showing us that truly gifted Canadian design leaders are bringing their A-game to what feels like an emerging new era for the built environment.

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Canadian Interiors magazine is published by iQ Business Media Inc. 126 Old Sheppard Ave, Toronto, ON M2J 3L9 Telephone 416-441-2085 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.canadianinteriors.com

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Vionaro V8 Slim Drawer System.

Everything. Except ordinary .

Until recently, the very idea of reducing a drawer side to 8 millimetres and, above all, making industrial production commercially viable would have been unthinkable. The new slim drawer system not only offers the only 8-millimetre one-piece steel drawer side in the world – Vionaro V8 is also the first pure-metal drawer side with no plastic elements. All parts are made of steel and joined using cutting-edge laser welding technology. That produces maximum stability plus longevity and ensures an almost 100 per cent recycling rate.

PROJECT OF THE YEAR

If you are a co-operative that espouses values of community and equity, then it stands to reason that everyone should have access to nice things, not just those at the top, correct? This was certainly the guiding principle behind the reformation of the Complexe Desjardins executive floors for Mouvement Desjardins, a member-owned cooperative. However, “nice things” in this case did not mean an arcade of “faddish” design gimmicks; instead, the space oozes refined elegance. More Audrey Hepburn, less Kim Kardashian.

A light-filled reception space surrounding a central preserved core anchors the 39th floor, beyond which guests and executives are treated to multiple entertainment spaces, from lounges to break-out rooms to executive dining rooms that double as conference rooms, all

serviced by an executive kitchen. On the 40th floor, direct access to natural light serves as the common thread. Traditionally enclosed offices, in particular the ones at the building’s corners, have been turned over to quiet yet multi-functional meeting areas, with unassigned workstations throughout illustrating an embracement of the new era of flexible work. The quest for nice things continues in the materials palette, for which the designers didn’t have to look far. Locally sourced high-end materials were chosen wherever possible: floors are made of locally produced terrazzo tiles; work surfaces and wood panelling are made of locally sourced white oak; and 50 per cent of the furniture was sourced from Québec companies, with 40 per cent of the rest coming from other Canadian companies. Even Desjardins’ impressive art collection is primarily Canadian works. PS

PROJECT OF THE YEAR

“The space presented a calming and simple elegance, thoughtfully organized within a consistent and inviting backdrop, void of pretentiousness. Refined detailing inside a balanced environment, delivering a timeless solution that is beautifully executed and in perfect harmony. The experience can be likened to the feeling of running one’s fingers through velvet for the first time. A space that calms the soul.”

— Greg Parsons, Interior Design Director, DEXD

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Bevel is the podcast series where lovers and practitioners of design speak openly about their thoughts and experiences in the industry and ignite dialogue about a discipline always interested in making things better.

The brand-new first edition of Michelin Guide Toronto awarded a coveted star to Yorkville’s Osteria Giulia. Here, the guidebook says, “Flickering candlelight bounces off cream-coloured walls and blond-oak tables running down the length of this restaurant.” In the subdued space, partial-height curved walls made of delicately veined limestone, and a folded ceiling springing from a cove-lit datum above the limestone, create intimate dining nooks separated by fin-wall bulkheads. A shifting pattern of reveals incised in the long wood-panelled wall adds subtle detail to the otherwise spartan, even monastic, space. However, a refined sense of humour—a wry smile rather than a guffaw—lightens the mood: a central baptismal font-like water-serving fountain anchors the sculptural space while Kundalini Kushi suspension lamps, evoking oversize toothpick-speared cocktail onions, pop through ceiling portholes; a fluted front panel animates the bar. There’s impressive industrial design, too, in the custom spidery brass serving carts that park by wrapping around the edges of the fin walls. DL

HOSPITALITY

HOSPITALITY

Since its inception in Tokyo in 2006, Konjiki Ramen has done the classic noodle soup to Michelin standards, perennially winning Michelin’s Bib Gourmand, the guidebook’s award for outstanding, moderately priced food. Konjiki recently opened its second Toronto outpost at Yorkdale Mall, where a two-storey picture frame sets Konjiki’s entry apart from adjoining storefronts with theatrical flair. An abstract landscape mosaic of floral elements found in Japanese art clads the storefront’s second storey and partially wraps the entry on the first storey, where a smaller, one-storey-high picture frame delineates the small Saryo dessert café. However, most of the mall traffic walks through the doorway beside Saryo to enter the Konjiki Ramen dining room, where, under the black ceiling and skinny black lighting pendants, shadows play on the angled slats in the blond-wood wall screens lining the perimeter. The floral landscape mosaic continues along the entry corridor wall and into the dining room, on and above the long servery front and elsewhere. DL

What with the demolition of Toronto Pearson International Airport’s original Terminal One, the Bata Shoe headquarters in Don Mills, and several renovation campaigns at the Art Gallery of Ontario, precious little remains of the legacy of John C. Parkin. So, it’s gratifying to see his International Style Union Station in suburban Ottawa, which opened in 1966 and was listed as a heritage building in 1996, being not only preserved but upgraded with this sleek renovation to its businessclass lounge. The project is part of a redevelopment aimed at sustainable mobility and at attracting more business passengers. Entrances and elevators were added for easier access and the curtainwall was renewed with the addition of new windows that bring in daylight and views of railway activity while adding rhythm to the space. The business lounge, featuring honed terrazzo floor tiles and white-oak wall panelling, was doubled in size and the colour palette, deriving from VIA Rail’s corporate yellow and dark grey, is a prototype that will roll out to other VIA Rail facilities. DL

HOSPITALITY

A forerunner of the small boutique experience in Toronto, the Drake Hotel built a five-storey addition with a new street-front bar, meeting and event spaces, a sculptural check-in desk created by Odami design studio and a living room-style lobby. Or, perhaps “suburban rec-room style” more accurately describes the lobby. Subtle refinement was not on the agenda; the new interiors bask in the hotel’s hipster reputation with their in-your-face, low-brow retro design. The lobby’s focal point is a cane-and-tambour wood banquette. From the front, however, it presents as a more-tailored version of those cushy floating low-budget sofas at Lastman’s Bad Boy Superstore. The tongue-in-cheek fun continues with pops of colour and jazzy patterns in the furniture, wall art, carpet and terrazzo floor, set against the whitewashed brick fireplace. Guest rooms feature saturated colour palettes, original art and signature wallpapers ranging from traditional Arts and Crafts to Op Art geometrics. The bar’s prime perch, pressed close to a curved, fullheight window, brings the street to the bar and vice versa. DL

Milky’s Cloud Room, Toronto

Stackt Market bills itself as North America’s largest shipping-container market. Here, specialty coffee purveyor Milky’s opened its second Toronto location. The “Cloud Room” moniker comes from lighting effects, mimicking the shadows cast by clouds, projected by concealed intelligent light fixtures onto the cream-coloured travertine walls and ceiling. The theme of formal, repetitive inlay patterns continues in the herringbone parquet flooring. Full Fat Design credits Batay-Csorba Architects with the pattern for the machine-sculpted travertine marquetry surfaces as well as the project’s “architectural language.” Batay-Csorba, in turn, explains that the system’s modular logic produces “a highcontrast tessellation that expands and contracts, shifts and realigns in a series of strata, enveloping the customer in a ‘caffeinated’ space.” All other elements within the shop are subservient to this graphic counterpoint: brewing equipment is powder-coated white while display shelves rest on travertine wall mounts whose profile is an extrusion of the triangle that forms part of the repetitive pattern language. DL

HOSPITALITY

HOSPITALITY

Located in Banff National Park, this retro-inspired Japanese BBQ sushi joint and karaoke bar is described by the designers as “Japanese psychedelia meets Spaghetti Western, meets mountain cabin.” Its bold, playful aesthetic derives from Tadanori Yokoo, a Japanese graphic designer, illustrator, printmaker and painter whose style of psychedelia and pastiche is influential enough to have won his work a berth in New York’s MoMA. In the designer’s scenario, Yokoo ventured into the Canadian Rockies, sequestered in a cabin and devised Hello Sunshine. In its sit-down restaurant, cedar shakes adorn the knotty-grained wall panelling, while the open concept kitchen and bar at the back yield attention to two focal points: the indoor fire pits. Above them hover oversize tubular smoke hoods, their early-Eighties chunkiness emphasized by the cladding of burgundy ceramic tiles. Upon entering, the floor plan slowly reveals itself as one moves past the main seating area to explore the two private karaoke rooms ornamented with vintage hi-fi equipment and Lava lamps. DL

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A new way to divide.

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For too long, Toronto was one of the only major North American cities with a large LGBTQ+ population notably bereft of an integrated health centre. Not anymore. Architecture Counsel was tasked with transforming a clinic once solely focussed on HIV treatment into a new space dedicated to a more holistic concept of well-being, culture, comfort, community, inclusivity, and positivity. It was still crucial to create highly functional technical spaces complete with current expectations for accessibility and infection prevention and control, but now in an environment that feels decidedly un-clinical. Nature and Indigenous culture were primary sources for inspiration. Neutral tones of the furnishings and fixtures lend themselves to a calming ambiance, while accentuating colourful art adorning the walls. A semi-circular front desk crafted from stained white oak greets visitors in the main entry. Natural wood is used in all the common areas to provide a sense of comfort, warmth, as well as sound attenuation. PS

INSTITUTIONAL

The campus of one of Canada’s newest universities focussed on French-language education in Ontario is a fit-out renovation filling 50,000 square feet of the second floor of a mixed-use building at Toronto’s waterfront. Taking advantage of every inch of the industrial aesthetic, program areas are extruded between angled exterior walls and irregularly spaced columns; a white bulkhead suspended over the reception desk lowers the 25-ft. high ceilings and builds a portal to smaller “vessels;” and custom LED “light ladders” formed by integrating linear fixtures extend through circulation spaces, connecting each vessel and encouraging the eye to climb onward. Anchoring the centre are two agoras meant to bridge the public and the campus with community events, linked by a transitional seating area with the ability to shift between an open lounge and a programmed classroom, or work in hybrid to form an entirely new use. Wrapping this layer cake of multi-use spaces is floor-to-ceiling glazing with 360-degree views of the city on all sides. PS

Every piece of design in this building is intended to amplify the glory of speed, from its fluid oval shape to its branding and wayfinding strategy. A first for the province and the largest of its kind in North America, the Centre contains a 400-m. indoor ice ring, two Olympicsized rinks for various ice sports, as well as a three-lane, 465-m. running track. The structure features a 360-degree band of windows, which not only flood the interior with natural light but also makes the sports complex appear as though it were floating above the ground. Inside and above the ring is a multimedia banner integrated in a way that conceals the building’s inner mechanics, and an abundant use of wood alongside steel cladding throughout not only creates better control of acoustics within what at times is a raucous environment, but also creates a sense of warmth in a space intentionally meant for cool temperatures. A clear yet discreet visual wayfinding language coherent for locals as well as international visitors is blended into the smooth lines of the interior. PS

INSTITUTIONAL

Designer Alyssa Anselmo was approached by a client with a project brief inflected by some very specific desires: incorporate a Reggio Emilia philosophy (a student-centred self-guided curriculum that uses self-directed, experiential learning in relationship-driven environments) with an emphasis on strong biophilic design motifs. The results certainly check all those boxes. This 10,000-sq.-ft. open concept childcare centre has high ceilings with loads of natural lighting and materials. Eight individual classrooms are connected to a central piazza via their own “pony swing doors,” designed such that the children will always be able to interact with the full space. Within the piazza, rice paper shades of different sizes are hung at different heights to give a “grand, magical” perspective to the children, exaggerated even more by a giant eightfoot-long cloud hanging above a sunken conversation pit. Over 1,000 wooden birch slats separated by a cream-coloured negative space created by the wall behind it surround the pit, and the concrete floor has been heavily grinded to make the aggregate resemble a rocky beach. PS

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Vention, Montréal

The client wanted more space – in the space they were already occupying. “The challenge was to tell a new story alongside the existing one,” say the designers. Their solution: design a new building within the old building and use that new building as the nucleus around which the rest of the space grows (an approach any student of ancient urban design would recognize). An imposing cubic volume dominates the centre, with work and meeting spaces radiating out in a manner that cribs urban planning motifs like thoroughfares and public plazas. There is even a monumental arch, which, beyond the threshold symbolism, serves a functional need of linking two existing technical conduits. Elsewhere in the 15,000-sq.-ft. space, an adaptive podium serves as the town’s parvis. Nods to the client’s industrial automation specialization provided modern design cues, such as brand-specific deep blue hues and structural shapes reminiscent of Meccano toys supporting the building’s cantilevered roof and interior cube’s walls. PS

Asked to describe a space for a highly competitive, time-based and risk-accepting financial business, one often recalls scenes from The Wolf of Wall Street; sets that bear little resemblance to this project. In response to a brief asking for an interior that supports high-pressure and high-performance activity, the designers employed elements that eschew pressure cooker in favour of sobriety and stability. Expansive stretch-fabric overhead light and cream-coloured flooring in the lobby frame walls lined in charcoal slate tiles, projecting a serenity that is complemented by white oak ceilings and flooring that signal circulation pathways. A custom glass screen panel system inspired by Japanese design uses an interior oak lattice structure between two sheets of glass to allow both acoustic privacy and light to penetrate. Break-out spaces are lined with acoustic ceiling panels with faceting that absorbs sound, while their symmetrical geometry lend a sense of stability and calm. All-important “circulation space encounters” are further encouraged thanks to the company’s impressive art collection. PS

Built in 1907 to house a high-pressure water system for downtown area firefighting, this historic landmark has been sitting vacant since 1986. But to the City of Winnipeg’s credit, a new attempt to preserve the building (17th attempt in 14 years) was undertaken, with architects taking on the challenge to find a new future for it. The result is a tapestry of uses that feed off the machine aesthetic landscape anchored and energized by the existing pumps. New entries at the east and west ends, connected to residential buildings via exterior bridges, provide access to a new office plate suspended eight feet above grade and 20 feet above the Great Pump Hall on existing gantry crane rails, complete with new stair and elevator access and a restaurant on the lower level. To keep costs down, the developer hired daily labourers to construct the interior and the architects helped by designing a repetitive wall and ceiling system that could be precisely surveyed and then constructed using less skilled labour. Ultimately, improvement costs came in at $50 per square foot, well below industry standard. PS

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Congratulations to all the Best of Canada Award winners and thank you for your continued support in specifying Benjamin Moore Product and Colour. To reach your local A&D representative: [email protected] or 1-866-708-9181

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Exquisite details abound in this duplex converted into a single-family residence on Mount-Royal Plateau, such as the master suite’s triangular wall of oak door fronts, each framed in trim with a similar grain, on the storage closet tucked under the attic’s pitched roof. At the stair landings, a tubular handrail wraps around, but doesn’t touch, the solid white plane of the stairway balustrade, just like the spiral staircase at Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye. Indeed, the staircase is a bold architectural element, visible from the communal living space and through the first storey’s glass floor. Other daylight-drawing measures include the terrace made of wood openwork to bring light into the basement, and the lack of light-blocking risers on the four storeys of the staircase. Despite the kitchen’s lower ceiling height, the ceiling opening for the stairway gives the impression of greater height. Wood millwork lends warmth to the predominantly clear, neutral colour palette, except in the children’s bathroom, where the counter, sink and shower shelf are sculpted in a sandstone porcelain with red polka dots. DL

The heritage front on a Victorian semi-detached house in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood barely hints at the renovation and expansion inside. The redesign of the 130-year-old, 2,500-sq.-ft. home involved a total overhaul of the interior, building a 440-sq.-ft. addition at the rear to enlarge the kitchen and accommodate three kids’ bedrooms on the second floor, and a newly built third-storey aerie for the relocated master bedroom. The crisply rectilinear front façade gives way to softly curving forms on the interior, influenced by the connection of the client, a ceramicist, to sculpture and pottery. Tactility and a sense of craft abound in details such as the smoothing of right angles and the choice of materials and fixtures. With its aesthetic of fluid lines, the house’s interior elements appear to have been sculpted rather than built, most evident in the corkscrew stairway which functions as a light tunnel, its three storeys illuminated by the skylight overhead. The rear elevation, clad in understated charcoal-toned cement board, steps back on multiple planes to disappear further among the lush plantings. DL

So-named for its sliding of rectilinear geometries within a grid, a play on solids and voids created opportunities for corner windows, generous roof overhangs and two balconies on the second floor that provide access to outdoor space. The glazed rear elevation connects the family to the surrounding environment, with a double-height atrium providing an expansive view of mature trees. An open plan where rooms flow gently into one another met the family’s request for a home meant for entertaining. Occupying the central core is a sculptural staircase defined by a solid balustrade of white oak and Baltic birch. Its scissor configuration forms a compelling three-dimensional geometric composition, animated by family members zigzagging up and down the stairs. The rift-cut blond wood and the varying blue contrasting walls are a nod to the clients’ love of Scandinavian design. The textural and tonal contrast of charcoal grey and Western red cedar cladding on the exterior carries through to the interior with white-oak floors and millwork; charcoal grey, black slate and walnut accents; and the grey-blue wall and furniture pieces. DL

Bennington Farmhouse, Toronto

The gable end of a roof is a totemic image for children and one of the first things they learn to draw. For grown-ups, the form signifies home, hearth and security. Post Architecture played up those associations in Toronto’s Bennington Heights neighbourhood, where their new build pays homage to the demolished original, smaller, white-gabled structure. The replacement features a new two-storey white-gabled core, flanked by flat-roofed additions on three sides clad in a contrasting dark colour. This colour coding continues inside with light-coloured materials within the gabled sector and dark tones elsewhere. The front door opens onto a surprise: in lieu of typical views of living room, dining room and family room, the visitor is greeted by a monumental, multifunctional black millwork cube containing a bench, coat closet and powder room. In the living room, ribbed and textured grey quartz clads the floating hearth. The dining room is on axis with the living room, its space delineated from the family room by another freestanding millwork unit, this one white. DL

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Dyson digital motor V4

Using digital pulse technology, the Dyson digital motor V4 spins up to 75,000 times a minute in Max mode.

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Ergonomic design

Straight line configuration allows for simpler air flow paths, meaning less energy consumption. And efficient aerodynamics means the Dyson digital motor draws up to 87% less energy than a warm air hand dryer and lowers costs to just $19/year running in Eco mode.3

HEPA filter

Fleece-lined glass fiber HEPA filter captures 99.97% of particles,4 including bacteria and viruses, from the washroom air.

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Ergonomic drying angle and Curved Blade™ design follow the curves of your hands to remove water quickly, for fast, comfortable hand drying.

RETAIL

The Australian company paid homage to the Yorkville neighbourhood’s history and architectural character in its new Toronto store to ensure an inviting, domestic atmosphere. Traditional spindly wooden balusters characteristic of the Victorian porches and staircases in nearby houses are used in an unfamiliar, surreal, tightly spaced configuration as wainscoting. This element, along with walls, ceiling and shelves, is painted oxblood red to evoke the dusky warmth of a Victorian interior. Seating and counters coloured to match the walls blend into the background, while pale-beige units with sinks for testing products stand out. The largest basin sits in the centre of the store and doubles as a tea station. Its shared wash basin reinterprets the geometry of Victorian pedestal sinks with their articulated corners, rounded edges and heavy top volume perched on a recessed base. In one wall segment, two tall revolving cylinders showcase an expanded fragrance line; the clearfronted third cylinder is an infusion chamber, the company’s first in Canada, where scents can waft onto customers’ clothing DL

Situated on the Great Northern Way Campus in the False Creek Flats area, Perkins&Will created an office building and adjacent retail boutique known as the Red Pavilion, which acts as the front door to an emerging arts and design community. At the request of the pavilion’s occupant, Nemesis Coffeehouse, Perkins&Will also designed the interior space, which transforms from coffee shop in the morning to event space at night. The round structure comprises 10 CNC-cut birch plywood “petals” surfaced with red shingles, a metaphor continued inside with fins made of the gossamer fabric used in a photographer’s lighting soft box. Originating from a central oculus atop the structure and carrying soft LED strip lighting, the fins trace the plywood-petals’ “veins” while acting as acoustic baffles. When caught by a breeze, the rippling fins give the impression that the space is taking a breath. Reflective surfaces dematerialize the back-of-house pod while providing a gradient of visual transparencies: from low-iron vision glass displaying the coffee roastery, to one-way mirror glass partially obscuring the kitchen DL

In a land where recreational cannabis shops outnumber bank branches and every shop sells the same provincially regulated product, design plays a crucial role in differentiating vendors and attracting customers. To enable cannabis supplier Cannoe to stand apart in its highly saturated market, the goal was to create a brand that integrates into communities to become as much a part of everyday life as the neighbourhood coffee shop. Williamson Williamson sought to make each Cannoe store contextual, with a unique palette anchored by the colour green. At the new location on Toronto’s Queen Street East, the buffcoloured brick bud bar makes a big statement with a nod to the building material of the area’s Victorian houses. The bricks’ modular size and sand-moulded solid body allows them to stack, twist and cantilever to create a curved seating area at the end of the bar and stepped and herringbone details at the linear areas of the counter. The warm brick complements the deep forest-green wall and light-green powdercoated shelving, giving a colour pop to the space. DL

The word “brasserie” is French for “brewery” and, by extension, “the brewing business,” which by further extension signifies “casual full-service restaurant.” Such was the inspiration for this pop-up pavilion to anchor events in Cossette’s new office gathering space, while also expressing the ad agency’s corporate DNA in a memorable way. After Cossette proposed the brasserie metaphor in the initial design brief, the concept was stripped down to its essentials, focusing on the familiar image of a 24-pack of “tall boy” aluminum beer cans. The pop-up’s mirror finish enhances the liveliness of the space while alluding to the reflective stainless-steel surfaces of brewing equipment seen in brewpubs. The mirror-surface cylinders playfully distort users’ reflections while adding a sense of buzz to the hubbub. To deliver the desired effect of an oversize, mysterious monolithic object, special attention was given to concealing hardware and components, especially for the sliding-doors assembly. They open to reveal a pristine white space within the pop-up equipped with shelves, a beer fridge and pegboard walls. DL

SINGLE DETAIL

SINGLE DETAIL

Peppered with offices for tech giants like Yahoo and Google plus dozens of start-ups, Kitchener-Waterloo is considered Canada’s Silicon North. In such a competitive atmosphere, workplace amenities are important to attract highly skilled workers. Created for the lobby atrium of a tech company’s new office building, Binary Spectrum is a site-specific, threestorey installation comprising 8,000 translucent acrylic discs in complementary warm and cool colours, suspended on 650 cables. The installation was created with parametric modelling software and expresses the yin-yang relationship of the tangible (representing the rich local history of manufactured goods) and intangible (representing the new digital realm), not to mention a sense of fun. The repetitive arrangement of the discs suggests digital processes and fractal patterns found in science. The faceted furniture was specified to co-ordinate with blue-coloured seating deployed within the lobby to offer multiple vantage points for viewing the installation. As people move in the atrium, the cables sway back and forth, animating this exuberant piece of eye candy. DL

ONIRIKA

CENTRE

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As the behaviour of workers in an office space evolves, so too do all the physical elements within that space. Being in the era of the office nomad, with employees moving to and fro between the home and the office and within the office itself, means they come with stuff and need a place to put it. Hence the need for creative storage solutions, something Office Specialty has been dealing with for 130 years. The 2Stor collection includes seven new product lines to help manage workplace storage, and of particular interest is the Caddy: bring your stuff with you from touchdown spaces to assigned seating to transitional zones, and the magnetic trays can be easily removed and stored in a locker when you leave the campus. Rounded edges and hundreds of colour and finish combinations including Inscape’s 24 different Nuform finishes can be used to blend in or stand out with any office style.

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Beaumont Range Carpet Tile Collection

David Oakey took inspiration from the patterns and textures of a mountain landscape near his company’s headquarters to create a new carpet tile collection that brings to life the stone visuals and diversity of veining found within the rocky terrain. The collection includes three plank styles and a square carpet tile all available in shades ranging from slate greys to forest greens, and also expands upon the i2 design innovation, where the tiles are made to blend instead of match. This technique guarantees mergeable dye lots for the life of the install, reducing the need for attic stock and any concerns about selective replacement. Like all Interface products, the four styles in the Beaumont Range are carbon neutral across their full product lifecycle through the manufacturer’s third-party verified Carbon Neutral Floors program. PS

PRODUCTS

Rowan Lounge Collection

Toronto

Soft curves? Check. Clean silhouette? Check. Informally elegant? You bet. This is Yabu Pushelberg, after all. “We designed Rowan to imbue the comfort and warmth associated with a residence and paired it with clean, tailored finishes to elevate its physical demeanor to translate to a range of environments. It was important to us for the aura of the collection to read as soft and inviting, poised and compassionate while challenging the idea of what a contract collection can look like,” says George Yabu. “A contract collection is often associated with a formal, buttoned-up attitude; for us, what is innovative about the Rowan collection is that it turns the notion of what a contract collection can be on its head. The form, silhouette, and choices in materials, paired with the production techniques challenge the industry to think about the importance of evolving the notion of what a contract collection can offer.” PS

Summon your ultimate shower with a touch. With the intuitive design of digital controls, supreme power over water is now at your fingertips. Even Poseidon is impressed.

Classic is classic for a reason, and there are few things as classic as a hand-made wood chair. But doing it right is not easy. For this commission, Appareil Atelier in collaboration with l’Autre Atelier dug deep into their research on a wide range of chair types from the 19th century, finding inspiration in the simple yet popular forms. Their goal with the new Elsie line was to develop a new expression of that classic vocabulary by removing all superfluous elements while keeping the essence of the chair, its seat and back. Here, the four chair legs support the seat and continue upward where they become the back and the arms, with the thinness of the seat highlighting the seven bars that make up the chair and whose size is larger than traditionally seen. Made from rectangular pieces machined to give the impression of elegant curves, the chair is a mortise and tenon assembly where each visible component plays a supporting role, giving all aesthetic gestures a structural function. Using solid red oak from Québec forests in its construction is a nod to local craftsmanship and Quebec’s wood products. PS

“With elegant and minimalistic design, Elsie celebrates wood craftmanship and classic design lines in a contemporary context. The warmth and texture of Canadian red oak is brought to the forefront through precision milling and ingenious mortise and tenon joinery. Featuring two complementary designs, the chair is an invitation to play, at the office, home or the dining room. The chair is a focal point for any interior without compromising functionality. As a designer I just want to know where I can buy one.”

THIN BUILDING STONE

Take modern home designs to the next level.

Our elegant and durable Thin Building Stone products perfect that farmhouse chic vibe – whether it’s for fireplaces, feature walls, entryways, or mudrooms. Lightweight and low maintenance, our thin stone options deliver the aesthetic of full bed stone, yet offer the ease of thin stone installation. And, like all Arriscraft stone, our thin products deliver superior natural aesthetics and durability compared to other thin stone. We offer adhered stone in diverse styles, finishes and colours.

Learn more at www.arriscraft.com/interiors/

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2022 Canadian Interiors’ Best of Canada Awards competition !

Thank you for choosing Ciot for your projects !