k i t c h i s s i pp i
Supplement to the Kitchissippi Times • Spring 2014
Homes+C ndos INSIDE!
STEP INSIDE
Kitchissippi
The signature design of
condoAP
guidepage+ 12M
Michael Courdin
Vera Cody
Photo: Mark Holleron
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Brown mohair covers a 1940s American metal chair in Michael Courdin’s living room.
ravelling to Italy a few years ago, Ottawa interior designer Michael Courdin visited the Vecchia Murano Glass Factory on Murano Island in Venice. On a shelf at the back of the store he spotted five grey-textured vases, prototypes for Giorgio Armani’s Home collection. Michael bought the vase that Armani had rejected for its shape, and now it has tripled in value and become his prize possession! Looking for the unusual and distinctive is his signature design sensibility. At the age of 20, armed with art and design courses from the Ontario College of Art & Design, he was initially unsure of his career path. His father wanted him to be an architect, although extensive testing and counselling at the University of Ottawa confirmed that interior design was his future.
With that comfort level established, his design career evolved. At his first job with Taarn Torontow Interiors, he met his mentor Bruce Summers, who guided him through the complex process of successful interior design. More than 30 years later, with clients all over the world, Michael creatively incorporates timeless and eclectic design in all his projects.
What was the design world like in Ottawa when you began? At that time there was a design company called Raintree Interiors on Bank Street and they were true designers. Some of the shops were retail decorators and some were retail design. Eventually it became more sophisticated as clientele became more demanding. You had to perform bigger tasks. Design furniture. Do renovations. It
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