Canadian Interiors May June 2019

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05/062019 Features

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IT ALL FITS Multi-purpose spaces often suffer from too much purpose. But Reflect Architecture finds clever ways to make a lot out of a little. By Matthew Hague

47 CLOSER TO HOME Imperatori Design turns a cavernous space into a micro-city for Montréal creatives who wanted to feel a positive vibe immediately upon entering.

By Susan Nerberg

Regulars

17 CAUGHT OUR EYE 21 SEEN Highlights and insights from the Salone del Mobile in Milan; Heimtextil in Frankfurt; and IMM in Cologne. 37 THE GOODS For im-

proved collaboration, productivity and well-being, today’s most progressive and stylesavvy offices bring flexible furniture options into play. 52 SCENE 54 OVER & OUT An all-in-one integrated solution supports universal access and dignity.

COVER – A flexible integration of office, sales centre and event space, North Drive’s new headquarters, by Reflect Architecture, puts a retail spin on the modern workplace. Photo by Riley Snelling

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5/6 2019 CANADIAN INTERIORS

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KPMB KPMB Architects brought the warmth from their former timber loft studios to their sleek new offices.

Capital One IBI Group designed five unique workspaces over five floors for the fintech firm’s new Canadian head office.

The best and brightest of Canadian design!

Fantini Piero Lissoni’s renovation and expansion of Fantini’s headquarters both takes advantage of and pays respect to the company’s long history on Lake Orta.

Campus1 MTL Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, a former Montréal hotel across from McGill University has been transformed to support a student residence and learning environment.

www.canadianinteriors.com

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May| June 2019 / V56 #3

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Ditch the Machine

Social media has been on my mind a lot recently, and I have to admit: I have deep concerns about what it is doing to us culturally in both a general sense but also the design culture in particular. I had the chance to talk at length about this topic with my friend Arnaud Marthouret on his podcast series Single Serves, where we explored its effect on traditional media as well as architectural criticism, and to be blunt, things look bleak.

Social media is engineered to support content that generates strong reactions, otherwise known as “engagements.” It amplifies content that hits strong emotional registers, like joy and indignation, which is why you see so many posts about babies and puppies alongside hate speech and “alternative facts.” Filter bubbles reward people with more of what they want, narrowing fields of vision and creating echo chambers of reinforced belief. It rewards comfort and predictability, and does this with hearts and emojis, shares and comments. Sober, measured accounts of anything have no chance on social media.

Social media works powerfully in the service of motivation and horribly against the service of deliberation. This is clearly not good for journalism, or social discourse, or democracy. Or, for that matter, design. This fact was chewed on at length over a lunch I had with another friend of mine recently, a senior associate and design director at a major Toronto design firm. He told me how concerned he is now witnessing design juniors coming into visioning meetings for new projects armed with reams of examples they found on Instagram. This is the opposite of the proper design process, he feels. Inspiration doesn’t come from just recycling what you saw on someone else’s feed, especially when that feed is not an objective archive of a range of work, but the expression of an algorithm engineered to promote what you already like.

To combat the growth of design echo chambers, he is instituting a new project at his firm, brilliantly called Sketches Not Precedents, and the mandate is simple: do not come to a vision meeting with social media references. Just your own ideas. Good design needs both motivation and deliberation, but social media is not designed to give you both, which means designers must actively work to limit the creation of filter bubbles by looking for unconventional friends and sources. Good ideas will never come from confirmation biases.

14 Peter Sobchak

psobchak@canadianinteriors.com

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caught our eye

Into the Mist Solo was a two-day exhibition of the photographic works of Elie Kimbembe sponsored

by Up Cannabis and designed by Toronto-based Stacklab. The gallery featured a series of vaulted chambers in the space between diffusely lit fabric wells. “Harnessing Einstein’s theories on the curvature of space, each ‘well’ appears to have been stretched from the top-down, emitting a deluge of ultrasonic mist across the luminous floor plane,” explains Jeffrey Forrest, founder of Stacklab. “Contrasted against the gravity of the conic piers, Elie’s 16 photographs hung in the quiet, vaporous space between them.” www.stacklab.ca

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5/6 2019 CANADIAN INTERIORS

caught our eye

Tomorrow Today The hydrogen-powered Toyota Fine-Comfort Ride Premium Sedan Concept vehicle made its Canadian debut at the 2019 Canadian International Autoshow in Toronto. In an obvious embrace of the coming realities of autonomousdriving vehicles, the seating arrangement swivels so up to six adults can face each other, and a new array of touch displays arranged around the seats give tablet-style connectivity to passengers. www.toyota.ca

Sippie Cups California-based Natural Plasticity brought their oversized disposable plastic replicas to lobbies in buildings near the intersection of Yonge St. and St. Clair Ave. and owned by exhibit sponsor Slate Asset Management.

In honour of Earth Month, the exhibit raised questions about consumer behaviours and included a giant single-use plastic cup, a 22-ft.-tall plastic water bottle and 25-ft.-tall disposable straw.

CANADIAN INTERIORS 5/6 2019

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seen

The Litta Variations / Opus 5 A historic residence in the heart of Milan, Palazzo Litta is an anchor among the plethora of off-site events that overtake the city during Design Week. A warren of rooms and corridors within the residence form a network of galleries for dozens of makers and artists, but the focus begins and ends in the main courtyard, where Chilean studio Pezo von Ellrichshausen had the honour of erecting Echo.

A mirrored surface reflects the baroque colonnade and the two upper orders that make up the courtyard of the building, while the interior reveals the sky, a natural element isolated from the city.

Photo by Mauricio Pezo

Ciao, PTSD!

By Peter Sobchak

The fairground alone was a zoo, with 386,236 (official number) bodies cramming aisles to see a couple thousand exhibitors split among the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Euroluce, Workplace3.0, and S.Project.

Add entire neighbourhoods like Brera, Tortona, 5vie, La Triennale and Ventura Centrale with twice that many gawkers, and it’s natural to wonder where they put the trauma centres to help deal with the PTSD (post-traumatic Salone disorder).

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5/6 2019 CANADIAN INTERIORS

seen

Interweave | Artemide Designed by Pallavi Dean, suspended cylinders fixed to the ceiling or wall guide a flexible LED light line through sinuous holes, evoking a theme of connections as well as paths created by water. The cylindrical bodies come two sizes, and can have the sole function of supporting the line of light or become the base for spotlights or devices such as speakers and sensors. www.artemide.com

74 | Bocci This new LED spotlighting system designed by Omer Arbel is intended to rival conventional tracklighting systems. Using a system of polarized cables anchored to various points in a room, magnetic attachment points in spotlights housed inside spun metal and cast glass mirrored spheres grant users control over light trajectories. www.bocci.ca

Leria | Arturo Ă lvarez The newest addition to his Artwork series, the stainless steel mesh faces of Leria illuminated by LED come in three modalities: a table format that rotates due to magnets; a pendant where five pieces hang on threads and talk to each other; and a composition where the faces are integrated with the light source, causing the faces to be projected on the floor and ceiling. www.arturo-alvarez.com

DemĂŹ | Linea Light Group Part of the MA[&]DE Collection and already a Red Dot 2019 winner, this semicircular dome is as interesting when the light is off as on: off, the device is completely transparent; on, the LED circuit housed within a central ring of painted aluminium on top of the dome emits light through micro-engravings on the surface of the diffuser. www.linealight.com Tama Desk | Walter Knoll (Walter K) Designed by EOOS to look like a sculptured piece of furniture with multiple floating layers and accentuated by bold bronze blade legs, this working desk will give any office a sophisticated and elegant ambience reminiscent of Mad Men. www.walter-k.com

CANADIAN INTERIORS 5/6 2019

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Star Wars Collection | Kenneth Cobonpue Seeing a Star Wars tie-in at Salone is not what was surprising: what was surprising was not seeing more of it (for better or worse). Still, people were tripping over themselves to sit in this Imperial TIE Fighter Wings armchair and put their feet up on the Chewie rocking stool. The Philippine designer’s collaboration with Disney includes four furniture pieces and a home accessory inspired by characters and vehicles in the Star Wars pantheon.

Calvet Hanger | BD Barcelona Design Possibly the smallest item designed by Antoni Gaudí, this wall hanger dates back to 1903 when the finishing touches were being put on Casa Calvet, constructed by Gaudí for the heirs of textile maker Pedro Mártir Calvet. BD has revived this item in its Art Editions, now available in waxed natural oak and hand-forged iron with a burnished copper and varnished finish. www.bdarteditions.com

www.kennethcobonpue.com

Belle de Jour | Foscarini Ten new products by the likes of Tord Boontje, Andrea Anastasio, Ferruccio Laviani, Marc Sadler and others jammed their booth. My fave was Belle de Jour, an impressive floor lamp in technical fabric by Ilaria Marelli that cleverly explores asymmetry using floral concepts. The irregular hexagonal base develops vertically like a stem, opening corolla-like at an angle over the diffuser, like a blossoming flower. www.foscarini.com

Moka | Alessi Although nothing is more Italian than espresso, Alessi has asked many non-Italian designers to take a stab at perfecting its vessel. The newest is by English architect David Chipperfield: with nods to the 1930s original by Alfonso Bialetti (Alberto Alessi’s grandfather), this 11-sided version has a flat lid with side knob positioned for one-handed lid lifting, and the shape and positioning of the handle avoids it being accidentally melted by the flame. www.alessi.com

Parrot | Tobias Grau One of two new completely cable-free designs represents a whole new genre for the German brand, combining sculptural form with impressive mobility.

Inspired by Giacometti’s Walking Men sculptures, the lamp provides up to 100 hours of battery life, as well as height-adjustable body, integrated touch dimming and warmDIM colour adjustment. www.tobiasgrau.com

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5/6 2019 CANADIAN INTERIORS

seen

Uncover | Ligne Roset Extremely comfortable, fairly light and easy to move, simple and cleanly designed is this settee by French designer Marie Christine Dorner.

Uncover is especially eye-catching in the textured, graphically stitched, quilt-like Moby upholstery fabric.

Lazy Painter | BLOW by Job & Seletti While everyone else celebrates Bauhaus, the wonderfully tacky pop design combo of Stefano Seletti and Studio Job are celebrating Bunker – Archie Bunker, that is – with this new Barcalounger. Bright gestural brushstrokes on printed fabric with hints of Memphis and the hand-made give this low fashion chair a high fashion look. www.seletti.it

www.ligne-roset.com

Geisha | Sywawa Marcel Wanders has entered the parasol game with this nod to the mysterious Japanese tradition of the geisha: stylised flower motifs for both the inside and base, plus a metal bow adorns the top, a typical accessory on the kimono of a geisha. www.symoparasols.com

CANADIAN INTERIORS 5/6 2019

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Quadra | Viccarbe For this chair, designer Mario Ferrarini was greatly influenced by the elegance of the draftsman’s square typically found in the architectural field. Without any visible screws, it still has the sturdiness of a stout chair yet can be gracefully stacked in large quantities. www.viccarbe.com

Lounge Chair JH97 | Fritz Hansen Jaime Hayon has gone back to his roots: “The idea was to create a ‘typical’ Danish lounge chair, expressive and modern,” he says. Apparently “typical” means a solid frame (oak or black ash); an open, low-slung silhouette; decorative joints with gently rounded edges; and exaggerated armrests. www.fritzhansen.com

KN Collection | Knoll Piero Lissoni began the KN collection at last year’s Salone with the KN01 and KN02 swivel chairs models, and added to the line this year with the KN04 chair and KN05 settee.

Compact in proportion and texture, both have a fixed structure in chromium-plated or coated metal rod, and a shell produced in polyurethane and covered in leather or fabric. www.knoll.com

Balad with Upright/Offset Stand | Fermob French designer Tristan Lohner’s lamp family and its cool accessory stands are a clever addition to outdoor spaces.

The detachable and portable lamp, with battery life of up to 14 hours, is available in two sizes, multiple colours variations and with its three light setting is able to create different moods for your exterior soirée. www.fermob.com

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Babled | Offecct One day, French designer Emmanuel Babled saw “a butterfly leaning on a brick,” which gave him the idea for this chair. Originally prototyped in marble and shown as Salone 2018, this edition saw the launch of a commercial-ready version with an upholstered seat attached to a swivel base on one end of a rectangular foundation made of Corian or wood. www.offecct.com

5/6 2019 CANADIAN INTERIORS

seen

Band | Kettal Designed by Patricia Urquiola, the idea behind this collection is “less structure, more pieces.” The design abandons classic lines in favour of a conceptual programme made up of repetitive angular shapes and raw materials such as aluminium or teak wood, and parallel fabrics or leather. www.kettal.com

Angie | Minotti Clearly the most dominant feature of GamFratesi Studio’s design is the wing that embraces this armchair, sustaining the frame like a sculptural bustier and emphasized by the contrasts in texture between the saddle hide element, softness of the upholstered interior and Pewter-coloured die-cast aluminium legs. The family of products includes an armchair, footstool and dining chair, both with the same features but in different sizes.

Pùka | ImperfettoLab It may look like a black hole (or something else) threatening to pull you down, but this armchair – a leather-wrapped fiberglass shell on a metal frame designed by Verter Turroni — is actually very comfortable.

www.minotti.it

www.imperfettoLab.com

Touch Down Unit | UniFor Studio Klass has created a self-contained mobile workstation for activity-based workers who do not require dedicated office space. A simple, compact rectangular worktop sits over a small enclosed volume that opens to reveal containers with various accessory elements. The mobile unit has a metal structure consisting of a base with a wired central upright that supports the worktop, and features vertical and horizontal positioning devices. The upright also contains a battery (charged on a specially-designed station overnight), along with power and USB outlets, for recharging electronic devices. www.unifor.it

CANADIAN INTERIORS 5/6 2019

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Samara | LUUM The London-based lighting studio’s 2019 collections are all intently geometric, for example the intersection between two disk shapes seen here.

While the effect is graphic, the light is inspired by the natural shape of the papery winged seeds that fly from maple, ash and elm trees. Available in wall, pendant, table and chandelier versions in custom sizes and finishes. www.madebyluum.com

Nuvem | Slamp “We didn’t make a lamp, we made a ceiling,” is how Miguel Arruda describes his work with Slamp. The modular system started as a sculpture he did in 1980, which Slamp’s R&D department transformed into folded and jointed metre-long hexagonal modular sections, illuminated by bi-directional spotlights. www.slamp.com

Walt | Paola Lenti Designed by Francesco Rota, this seating series is composed of a three-person sofa and linear or shaped sectional elements, with or without removable seat cushions. The structure is padded with stress-resistant expanded polyurethane; the upholstery cover is removable and available in Paola Lenti’s signature indoor fabrics. www.paolalenti.it

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5/6 2019 CANADIAN INTERIORS

seen

MaterialMaterialMessage | Snarkitecture In a dark room in Teatro Arsenale, a building that dates back to 1272 in Milan’s 5Vie district (a growing player in the active off-site neighbourhoods of FuoriSalone), Laufen asked New York-based Snarkitecture to convey its story in a material vocabulary. At the entrance, visitors are squeezed between mountains: to the left, 198 tons of raw clay, the same material stocked in Laufen’s warehouses that become the basis of all manufacturing; to the right, a monumental three-dimensional construction composed of 701 Laufen washstands in SaphirKeramik. www.laufen.com

Connecting Experiences | Poltrona Frau Architect Michele De Lucchi viewed Poltrona Frau’s headquarters on via Manzoni as a blank slate in which to explore his previously unrealised architectural project, called Earth Stations. Overall, the idea was to illustrate how technology (particularly AI) will free us to focus more on communication, work and leisure, so De Lucchi subdivided the facility into zones (of which the palazzo seen here was one part) promoting such activities. www.poltronafrau.com

CANADIAN INTERIORS 5/6 2019

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Notes from Salone:

Resurrecting The Sublime

other design works, each vying for a piece of the viewers’ attention. In that moment, and in its installation within the behemoth of a show titled Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival, this project may have failed. That being said, it is still a very noteworthy and important work that speaks to the times we exist in.

The definition of design has broadened and now encompasses numerous disciplines, and yet all three of the main collaborators in this work identify as artists working within design. On that observation, design becomes a method, and one of design’s achievements is the insistence on collaboration. In a period where current global problems seem beyond the capacities of any single person, this insistence on multiple collaborations doesn’t seem naïve, it seems necessary. Each flower that has been selected for study in Resurrecting the Sublime all went extinct as a direct result of colonial activity. This post-colonial revisionism that focuses on the method at which colonising power sought to subdue other human populations and nature works as a valuable foil from which to understand the Anthropocene. Many of the current problems experienced today had their direct roots in the infrastructure laid down by colonialism, such as extraction, profit and disregard for otherness.

By Coltrane McDowell

If it wasn’t for faintly aromatic warm air you would nearly miss it.

Located in a hall in the Triennale di Milano, a deconstructed scene including a rock, a scent and a short video were part of a larger piece of work by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg in collaboration with scent artist Sissel Tolass and Gingko Bio-Works. Called Resurrecting the Sublime, the project seemed simple at first glance, yet, what one smelled was the intelligent estimation of a team of synthetic biologists, reconstructing the vivid molecular scent of a flower that went extinct on the slopes of a volcano in Maui, Hawaii. With the last tree on that island felled in 1912 (the result of exploitative colonial ranching, the only existing evidence of it now remains pressed between wax sheets in the archives of the Harvard University herbarium), this project was an attempt to cross time and space, to reflect on the history of the natural world and to highlight our current precarious predicament, with widespread species annihilation a very possible reality.

A show like Broken Nature is indicative of the time we live in. It is a cry to change the world, embedded in hubristic egos and the shiny veneer of solution-oriented design. Resurrecting the Sublime does not attempt to provide answers, only a warning. As is always the case, observation affects the role of objects or artworks: humans do not merely observe, they experience. They become the connected linkage between a dead past, a reconstructed present, and a foreboding warning of a future.

A slight electrical hum beneath your nose grating next to the rough hard blackness of the lava rock, one might wonder where exactly this sense of sublimity comes, sandwiched in a small hall, surrounded by numerous

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Pierre Grasset

Installation view of Resurrecting the Sublime at Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne, March 2019. Left: Hibiscadelphus wilderianus Rock (vitrine with smell diffusion, lava boulders, animation). Right: Orbexilum stipulatum (vitrine with smell diffusion, limestone boulders, animation).

5/6 2019 CANADIAN INTERIORS

By Martin Spreer

Shape | Ardo Textile AS “PacMan meets Tetris” is the best way to describe the fascinating geometric structural patterns of this fabric, designed by Turkish textile specialist Ardo’s in-house design team. www.ardotekstil.com

Incredibly Tradigital

Lines – 10013 | Caselio Inventive French company Caselio designed the Lines wallpaper, available in a number of colour options, to offer intriguing and changing perspectives which are created by the integrated metallic lines catching and reflecting the light in different ways from different angles. www.caselio.fr Gerrit | Imatex SpA Bauhaus’ pervasive influence is glaringly obvious in the special 3D weaving effect that Italian company Imatex gave to its Gerrit fabric, creating a beautifully understated yet striking geometric motif. www.imatex.it

Heimtextil, Frankfurt’s blockbuster textile show, upped the ante in the wow department by highlighting the growing trend of textile patterns inspired by digital art, as well as some beautifully iridescent colour choices.

CANADIAN INTERIORS 5/6 2019

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Skai Solino En Lime | Konrad Hornschuch AG The irregular, criss-crossed quilting seam patterns on the pleated surface of the Skai Solino upholstery material are created by using a special vacuum embossing technology in the manufacturing process. www.skai.com Prism Coral Wallpaper | Graham & Brown Bold colours, clean delicate lines, structured prism-like forms with a mid-century modern twist give this wallpaper a full-throated decorative yell in any space. www.grahambrown.com Simply Impossible Orchid | Cristina Orozco Cuevas This Mexico City-based textile designer has been making incredible designs for years and this line, inspired by black holes and other intergalactic effects, is no different. Part of the Oxymoron collection which replicates the flow of water as little dots, leading to an impossible dimension. www.cristinaorozcocuevas.com Leikki | IIIIK INTO Oy Leikki, Finnish for “play,” certainly lives up to its name.

Purposefully designed for high traffic environments such as restaurants, child care and other high-demand public interiors applications, the fabric is hand woven in the studio, followed by a special digital print to add durability. www.intocdc.com

8 Dessin | Transfertex GmbH This thin and semi-transparent printed fabric turned out to be a personal favourite among the cacophony of products on display at Heimtextil. The bright colours and virtual aesthetic offer this elegant curtain fabric many different and unique looks under varying lighting condition. www.transfertex.de

9 Boyd | Vescom Holland’s contract-fabric specialist Vescom designed the Boyd wallcovering’s beautiful geometric tile-like pattern by combining a woven textured cotton backing with an applied vinyl finish for extra durability. Available in numerous colour choices. www.vescom.com 10 Manaus | Texteis Penedo S.A This modern yet understated, sturdy, soft, light and flexible acrylic Jacquard fabric, by Portuguese company Texteis Penedo S.A, has multicoloured circular geometric patterns woven directly into the fabric. www.tpenedo.pt

11 Salta | Neutex The polyester fabric’s centre line design is created by a complex manufacturing process incorporating lines of different lengths to create an abstracted, uneven wave effect. This sliding curtain operates with an aluminum panel carrier and bottom weight bar to complete the floating airy feel of the design. www.neutex.com 12 Ebru | Pala Suni Deri This Turkey-based artificial leather manufacturer had numerous interesting designs on display, but the faux leather Ebru, inspired by the Turkish art of paper marbling, was a standout with its eye-catching iridescent colour treatment. www.pala.com.tr 13 Kumpu | IIIIK INTO Oy Finland’s super trendy design company that specializes in experimental fire retardant textiles had numerous interesting products on display. Fittingly named Kumpu, Finnish for “hill,” this knitted 3D surface fabric, designed to be used as throws, pillow cases or as wall or ceiling surface material, is available in merino wool or Trevira CS. www.intocdc.com

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5/6 2019 CANADIAN INTERIORS

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seen

C.Drop Light | Scholle-Deubzer Every drop of the C.Drop is completely handmade in a Bavarian workshop, which means each fixture shape is completely unique. The warm red, green and blue LEDs can be manipulated with the accompanying app to create an atmospheric wavy light pattern resembling underwater light projections. www.scholle-deubzer.de

99 (coral coloured) Luftballons

By Martin Spreer

IMM 2019 was another strong showing for Cologne, and its neverending array of furniture in muted coral pink, green and blue colours beamed me right back to my childhood days in Germany’s prosperous 1980s. The coral trend continues, but the real stars of the show were found in more artisan products as well as beautifully designed lighting.

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1 Lata Bench & Butler Side Table | Hejmo Designed by Ado Avdagic, this bench is made from solid oak, ash or walnut and constructed with a unique leg positioning to allow for a width of up to three metres. The comfortable cushioning upholstery including pocket springs is available in a number of fabrics and leather options. The accompanying Butler side is made from die cast coated/anodized aluminum available in multiple colours, a wooden base and a table top with a 360 degree rotation. www.hejmo.ba

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2 Taraba | Nunc Designed by Katerina Trpkovska of Skopje-based Rinocca, this fully modular partition/room divider by Croatian company Nunc is constructed of four simple elements: bases; wooden bars; metal couplings; and fabric partitions, giving the Taraba a playful yet unobtrusive quality. www.nunc.design

3 Keramiek Kroonluchter | Piet Hein Eek The Small Ceramic Lamp Chandelier,

by Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek, combines multiple ceramic lamps handmade in his workshop and available in an assortment of colours with warm and dimmable LED lights to create an eye-catching sculptural fixture. Both the lamp shades and chandelier shape are completely customizable in height, composition and form. www.pietheineek.nl

4 Stellar Grape Big | Pulpo This standing lamp, by German “can do no wrong� designer Sebastian Herkner, with its handblown frosted and ripple glass textured spheres on a plain black powder coated steel base, make a sophisticated and intriguing addition to any interior space. www.pulpoproducts.com

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5 Typography | Rakumba Australia’s Rakumba teamed up with Studio Truly Truly to create a flexible floor lamp designed around a rail system with the ability to be easily edited, by adding or removing different lighting elements for a selection of up to seven fixtures. www.rakumba.com 6 Ikat Credenza | Indo Designed by New Delhi natives Manan Narang and Urvi Sharma while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design, this credenza is inspired by the Ikat fabric weaving process of India and Central Asia. Each slat of the sliding door is hand-dyed prior to assembly, giving the tambour surface a beautifully uneven aesthetic. www.indo-made.com 7 Aërias | ClassiCon ClassiCon has a knack of producing simple, understated yet elegant designs and the Aërias chair, by German designer Tilla Goldberg, is no exception. The leather wickerwork straps, which can be multi-coloured, are stretched around a wooden frame to create a remarkably comfortable chair with a simple minimal classic look. www.classicon.com 8 Seismic Table - Edition #2 | Studio Truly Truly Super hip Rotterdam-based design Studio Truly Truly, founded by Australian designers Joel and Kate Booy, launched the original Seismic table back in 2014, and although beautiful, it was just a little busy. This second incarnation, handmade in Holland and inspired by the movement and vibrations of an earthquake, perfectly combines the mix of a hardened glass top and bent metal rods to form a simple and unique geometric pattern. www.studiotrulytruly.com

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FINALLY, CONFERENCING AUDIO AS RELIABLE AS THOSE THAT INSTALL IT.

Introducing Shure Microflex® Complete Wireless (MXCW). It’s everything systems integrators and rental agents demand in a wireless conferencing system. Wireless—so it sets up in a snap.

Flexible — it performs reliably in virtually any size room or seating configuration. Best of all, MXCW is engineered to detect and avoid interference so words are not dropped—but heard exactly the way they were intended.

Want to hear more? Visit shure.com/mxcw © 2019 Shure Incorporated

the goods

Scout | Eureka With over 20,000 colour, size and geometry com­binations, Eureka’s Scout family of architectural luminaires can fit virtually any style or space.

Each cylindrical light can be wall-mounted, suspended or ceiling-mounted, and contains hidden seams and hardware for a clean and uncluttered look. The luminaires are also available with three light beam angles for varying degrees of focused or diffused light. www.eurekalighting.com

Flexible Fixtures

BuzziBracks | BuzziSpace This modular framework system by Alain Gilles invites users to carve out small, designated working areas within larger, open-plan zones. Entirely customizable, the units contain lighting and storage solutions, as well as Kvadrat-fabric curtains specially engineered to absorb sound. Whether installed for individual or shared use, BuzziBracks offer instant privacy in an easily accessible and aesthetically pleasing way. www.buzzi.space

By Shannon Moore

For improved collaboration, productivity and well-being, today’s most progressive and style-savvy offices bring flexible furniture options into play.

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the goods Cila Go | Arper Thanks to its castor base, the Cila Go chair can be easily rearranged to accommodate quick layout changes in high traffic and communal areas. Designed by Barcelona studio Lievore Altherr, the minimalist task chair can even be converted into a stool with a handy storage bin. Available with four-leg, sled or trestle bases, in five different colourways. www.arper.com Orign High Back | Keilhauer A variation on Keilhauer’s much-loved Orign conference chair, this high back version combines a slim silhouette with ergonomic functions that are entirely hidden from view. Made of recycled materials and minimal foam, the chair is engineered along two pivot points to allow for synchronized seat and back movements.

The 2018 Best of NeoCon Gold winner is available in three nylon colours and five aluminum finishes. www.keilhauer.com Nova | Humanscale The sustainably-engineered Nova task light benefits both the user and the planet. Its soft, glare-free light protects eyes from strain, while its occupancy sensor recognizes a lack of movement and automatically shuts off the fixture to conserve energy. Contributing to LEED, WELL and Living Building Challenge standards, the Energy Star-certified Nova is available in two sizes and three colours: black, light gray and white. www.humanscale.com

Clique | Studio TK With clean lines and a minimal footprint, Clique is ideal for offices in constant change. The versatile furniture system consists of benches with or without backs that can be unbolted and moved around to establish custom configurations. Ranging from two to eight seats, each bench is also available in a host of finishes, from upholstered to aluminum leg bases in polished or powdercoat colours. www.studiotk.com ACDC | Boss Design British designer Broome Jenkins’ ACDC tables encourage movement, improve posture, reduce fatigue and positively influence workplace behaviour.

From height-adjustable meeting tables to fully ergonomic sit-stand desks, each ACDC promotes shorter standing group meetings or individual, desk-focused work. The tables also incorporate the latest in noise-reducing motor technology. www.bossdesign.com Little Giraffe | Fritz Hansen Originally designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1959, the Giraffe chair earned its name from the height of its backrest. This new version for Fritz Hansen, available in fabric or leather, boasts a lower back and four-leg base. The Little Giraffe exudes the timelessness, craftsmanship and adaptability of mid-century Danish design. www.fritzhansen.com Altitude A8 | Allsteel and MNML Addressing common workplace frustrations, from poor cable management to problems with productivity caused by audio-visual distractions, this system’s under-desk power drawer conceals cables and consolidates them towards a single exit point near the floor. Similarly, upholstered privacy screens move in tandem with height adjustable tables, ensuring consistent privacy. www.allsteeloffice.com

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It All Fits Multi-purpose spaces often suffer from too much purpose. But Reflect Architecture finds clever ways to make a lot out of a little.

By Matthew Hague Photography by Riley Snelling

restaurants, chic décor stores, endless Edwardian mansions). Critically, their approach isn’t to simply plonk down alien invaders — structures that are hopelessly out of place or generic. They always respect the area, contributing rather than detracting from their surroundings.

The draw of many lively neighbourhoods is the multiplicity of happenings taking place all at one time. The most interesting, bustling corners of a city not only have beautiful architecture and cityscapes — parks, gardens, public space — but successfully leverage those spaces to engage lots and lots of people to work, relax and congregate.

As proof that they understand what makes a neighbourhood great, they’ve encapsulated a sense of ever-changing simultaneity in their own, newly completed headquarters. “The ethos of being contextually responsive inspires our design process,” says Jordan Morassutti, who, along with brother Taylor Morassutti and long-time friend Robert Fidani, co-founded North Drive (named for the street where the three grew up). “Our headquarters afforded us the opportunity to

Toronto-based development firm North Drive loves situating its new projects in such vibrant locales. The company has condos under construction in Forest Hill (an area of prestigious private schools, great bagel shops and the childhood home of Drake) and Yorkville (that rare place where someone can pick up cheap sushi and a $10,000 Chanel purse within steps of each other), and is planning one in Summerhill (tony

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Previous page North Drive’s flagship headquarters frames the streetscape at The High Park. This spread A flexible integration of office, sales centre and event space, North Drive’s new headquarters, by Reflect Architecture, puts a retail spin on the modern workplace, heavy on Nordic influences. Dramatic greenery hanging from above transforms the space, referencing elements from the surrounding park.

indulge in our personal aesthetics while delivering a design that reflects who we are as a company.”

The space is on the ground floor of The High Park, North Drive’s first completed project (an 11-story, clean-lined condo with large windows and terraces to take in Toronto’s largest, most famous green space). “When we made the decision to build out the space, we envisioned a convergence of functions,” says Jordan. “We needed a place for our day-to-day operations. We needed a venue for events and meetings. And we needed a space that would showcase our projects.”

“It’s something I’ve carried forward into my own practice. I’m not about imposing my own aesthetic. I’m more interested in creating designs that serve the people I’m working for to help them accomplish their business goals.” (Fitting, each of Reflect’s projects, including Toronto’s popular Wilbur Mexicana restaurant and the Brainstation + Quantum Coffee spaces, share little in terms of appearances other than the high quality of their finishes).

As such, the office has a complex, multi-pronged program. It triples as a sales showroom (featuring models of whatever development is currently underway); party space (a place to wine and dine prospective clients); and day-to-day work environment (there are clusters of desks for staff in addition to two large boardrooms). Impressively, it accommodates everything in less than 350 square meters, not because every room is really tiny, but because the design allows for various uses throughout.

To articulate the space, North Drive worked with a young design firm, Reflect Architecture. Principal Trevor Wallace started the practice five years ago, just shy of his 30th birthday (“It was my goal to be a business owner while I was still in my 20s,” he says). But previously, the Carleton University graduate spent six years working at Quadrangle, one of Toronto’s largest architecture studios.

With North Drive, “because the founders value context so highly, it was important to pull in elements of the neighbourhood,” says Wallace. “It was also important to allow for a sense of simultaneity while still allowing for a high degree of functionality.” Which was the major challenge of the project. Other than Swiss Army knives, how many multipurpose things actually work? Two-in-one shampoo conditions tend to do neither terribly well. Printer-slash-scanners are chiefly good at making paper jams. Sporks? Enough said.

“One thing I learned at Quadrangle was to be very attuned to the business needs and the brand identity of the client,” says Wallace.

According to Jordan Morassutti, though, “Reflect Architecture was able to translate all our needs into a physical space that flows seam-

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Left Office functions are framed inside a spacious glass box where the partners connect and host team collaborations. Taking cues from the Norwegian landscape, muted, clean materials and dramatic lighting frame the space.

lessly between uses.” Wallace achieved this by treating the office plan like a giant Venn diagram. All the programming that appropriately overlaps does, while the areas that need separation are given the due separation. Anything that’s possibly too close to the edges has thoughtful details that troubleshoot possible disturbances.

with vegetation; tendrils of vines, bits of ferns, lots of leaves. Installed

by ByNature Design, which also kitted out the washroom terrarium as well as a kitchen-side garden, the greenery all grew naturally but has been preserved in a resin to prevent rotting (as well as reduce the maintenance necessary to keep an upside down, ceiling garden going). To help the flora make a bigger impact, it’s offset against a spare, ultra-modern palette of greys, blacks and whites (though there is character within the cleanliness. Look close at the concrete columns.

They are scrawled with scribbles commonly applied in the building process, a lasting ode to the legacy of construction).

The public lobby is perhaps the best example of a successful overlap (there is a separate, side entrance for the staff so they can come and go during events). At first glance, the reception is only that. It has a clutch of cool, living room-worthy lounge furniture (including a custom, couch-cum-bookcase from Radform, and an ultra-comfy chair from Klaus) as well as a sculptural, Caesarstone-topped welcome desk. But the desk is large enough to accommodate scale models (one of the Summerhill project was recently installed), and the furniture can easily be moved around or simply aside if a crowd of people comes in for the launch of a new project.

The flowing ceiling beams fall short of the workstations, though, indicating an intentional separation. The desks are in their own zone, delineated by a simple white ceiling, but they aren’t walled off, to allow nature to filter though the office’s many windows. This meant Reflect had to deal with a problem increasingly common in today’s open-concept environments: North Drive’s staff often has to make phone calls — dealing with architects, planners and perspective clients — not to mention hear their own thoughts. How could the design mitigate the potentially clamorous atmosphere to allow for quietude? As a solution, Wallace clad the work stations all outfitted by Teknion towards soundabsorbing, light blue BuzziFelt panels from Buzzi Space.

The lobby is also smartly situated to quickly, efficiently disperse people to their various purposes. For those who have come for a work meeting, the principal boardroom is steps away (and elegantly articulated with a custom, white-oak table ringed with Italian-made, navy blue Appia Work chairs from Max Design). Event-goers, on the other hand, can either chill by reception or meander into the adjacent kitchen and bar area, possibly sitting on one of the bright orange, e15 counter stools designed by Stefan Diez. They can also rest their rosé on the glistening black quartz counter that juxtaposes a glass-tiled, herringbone backsplash. The wall is both top and bottom lit by LEDs tucked behind black steel shelves that uncannily seem to float in mid-air.

“These panels are amazing,” says Wallace. “People talk, but the felt just absorbs the noise. The partitions keep the space quiet, even though it’s open.” To highlight the importance of the panels, the felt is top-lit with cove lighting in the ceiling, creating a celestial, peaceful glow on the surfaces. “It has the feel of a Nordic nightfall,” says Wallace, noting how North Drive’s love of Scandinavian simplicity partly inspired the design.

To call it a kitchen might undersell it; it’s far fancier than the typical office job. But during non-event times, the cook space is adjacent to the work desks, and is indeed where staff comes together for lunch. Staff also enjoy other auxiliary spaces that are set up to impress the broader public. Instead of basic corporate washrooms (sad suspended ceilings that are too often, and too disturbingly, stained), the toilets are spacious and luxurious. The one across from the kitchen is accented by a glass-lined terrarium with a molded sink from Mr. Marble.

To reinforce the sense of movement between the spaces, as well as to pull in some of the colour of the neighbourhood, a series of curvy ceiling beams not only snake through the office, but are interspersed CANADIAN INTERIORS 5/6 2019

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For more collaborative yet private work, a second, glassed-in boardroom faces the open-concept workstations. It’s where North Drive’s three partners get together to brainstorm, and is lined by an armful of awards their developments have garnered since the company was founded in 2011. The desk is made of white oak and is lit by DeltaLight’s XY180, a kinetic chandelier designed by famed Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. “It’s such a cool piece,” says Wallace. “You can effortlessly tilt the lights as you want. Depending on how they are arranged, they completely change the feel of the room.” In other words, a little bit of flexibility that results in a lot of versatility.

Inscape

Inspired by today, built for tomorrow.

RockIt in private office application â„¢

www.myinscape.com

Colours shown: Benjamin Moore’s Jet Black (2120-10) and Monmouth Green (2038-40)

With a focus on three dimensional objects, London-based designer Emily Forgot’s multidisciplinary practice encompasses art, design and illustration. Experience her Design DNA feature at IDS Vancouver and purchase an Emily Forgot original with proceeds going to community partner Out in Schools.

Presented by

Interior Sept 26-29 Design 2019 Show Vancouver IDSVancouver.com

CLOSER TO HOME

A cavernous space is transformed into a microcity for Montréal creatives.

By Susan Nerberg

Photography by Stéphane Brügger

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As soon as you walk into the reception area of the media production company Attraction Media, you can smell there’s something different in the air. To the right of the rough-hewn pine reception, a barista is in full swing pulling espressos that leave scent trails through the open-concept space. Staff are soon drawn to the bar, grabbing their afternoon pickme-ups before sitting down at lounge areas created with mid-centurymodern armchairs and long sofas crafted in-situ using readily available pine boards. It’s a first impression that signals that this workspace is as much about feeling at home as it is about feeling energized.

Indeed, when the Montréal company — a group of creative firms producing television shows, feature films and advertising campaigns under the Attraction Media umbrella — decided it was time to pull everyone from separate offices and gather them under one roof, it specifically wanted a space that would exude a “positive vibe immediately upon entering.” It also sought a design capable of creating a lively environment that would at once be unified and heterogeneous. Attraction Media had its mind set on a scheme that would enable the happy union of a group of companies with distinct culCANADIAN INTERIORS 5/6 2019

tures, moving them from separate offices with fully divided work areas into a fruitful coexistence in a single, consolidated space.

Enter Imperatori Design. The Montréal-based interior design firm has made a name for itself with workspaces that make the most by dialling into the distinct personalities of its clients, be it a cutting-edge gaming studio or a conservative law office — or, as here, a multi-talented collective of artists, creators, copy writers and performers, whose numbers fluctuate somewhere around 200 to 300 people, depending on the production seasons particular to the entertainment industry. “What we do is a bit like design in reverse,” says Joanne Imperatori, the firm’s principal. “We look at the client first, then at how we can create a space that suits their personality and culture,” she says. “It’s different from conceiving a space that the client then has to adapt to or fit into. This approach makes the design process more interesting,” she adds, “because it is about people, about identity.”

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To bring together firms with disparate identities, Imperatori Design’s project team, led by Chantal Ladrie, embarked on an ideation process

that would take the openness of the new office space and make it into a material or building block in and of itself. Before the move to the new workspace, Attraction Media occupied a number of conventional, closed offices spread out over two floors in a former garment-factory building in Montréal’s Mile End neighbourhood. For the new office, located in the same building but on a single floor, the client wanted a design where the various identities could mingle. “They did not want a traditional set-up,” says Ladrie, “but a space that would exude and allow for personality.” The challenge was to come up with a space honouring these differences while also drawing those personalities together in a 53,000-sq.-ft. space. So Ladrie, Imperatori and team used the openness that dominated the new space as a connective tissue where the sightlines between areas — from one cluster of workstations to another, from person to person, from the reception desk to the ping-pong and foosball tables beyond — serve as the threads that hold it all together.

But while the open concept was the overarching theme, the designers didn’t want the office to feel like an empty, hangar-like hall. So they subdivided the floorplate by dropping in smaller work areas,

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Previous page and this spread The client’s mandate for Imperatori Design was summed up in one sentence: “Create a unified environment, heterogeneous, alive, where one would feel a positive vibe immediately upon entering.” Located in a typical Mile-End industrial building, the location had the advantage of having access to daylight on three sides as well as a polished concrete floor with a beautiful effect. The constraints were rows of industrial ducts beneath the high ceilings along with a very tight 13-week schedule.

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semi-private meeting rooms and break-out nooks, bringing the otherwise cavernous footprint to human scale. There are offices with only three walls; phone-booth-type cubbies partitioned using glass or translucent polycarbonate panels; banquet seating on raised platforms; and cafés and lounges that open to the main circulation space. What’s more, these defined yet mostly open areas ensure that even during slow production periods, when the number of staff on site goes down, the office doesn’t feel empty.

rooms. Instead, we inserted nooks.” Still, some smaller cubbies have been fashioned with sliding doors, and heavy velvet curtains that riff off the stage curtains in old theatres offer privacy, as does a double corridor that delineates the space occupied by the administrative team.

Indeed, strolling along the main street that connects and flows through this series of workspace typologies is a bit like walking through a city with different zones — or even floating between the public and private areas in someone’s home.

To enhance a sense of cohesion among the different company personalities, Imperatori Design came up with a scheme that mimics a city with a succession of airy, interconnected neighbourhoods. The wide circulation areas, then, are the streets that flow from one neighbourhood to the next, such as from the lunch area to the pop-up offices and studios in the back, or from the administrative corner around to the front of the office. It’s a device that responds to the client’s brief that there should be no closed doors. “We created a sequence of offices that are open to the common areas,” says Ladrie. “But staff can still find privacy; sure, other than the editing studios, there are no fully enclosed

And like a home, Attraction Media’s new office is created with different moods and atmospheres. “The atmosphere was different between the companies and their former work areas,” says Ladrie, explaining that the firms under the new Attraction Media roof still display different work styles, which called for flexibility in the design to meet varying requirements. There are the staff that need more silent space, such as the IT department, and so a corner was carved out for them where they can close doors in order to concentrate during troubleshooting. And the creative types, who might be tossing around ideas openly and loudly, can do so without interrupting the quieter work

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This spread Numerous cubes and small alcoves with various configurations, placed throughout the open areas, make it possible to escape the ambient hubbub when the task requires privacy or calm. However, the link with the community is never interrupted since the closed work spaces include transparent, if not open, partitions of polycarbonate or glass.

to form the hefty reception desk, setting a down-to-earth feel. Much of the old, white melamine workstations have been reused in the new space, but here the designers added slender metal partitions that conceal wiring brought down from the ceiling and hold planters with greenery that offers a sense of privacy.

The open design also makes room for flexibility that allows for modifications that adjust the space to the number of people working at any given time. Attraction Media sees much of its work happening on a cyclical basis, with TV shows, for instance, being produced in late fall and summer for winter and early fall show launches. A lot of the collaborators and contributors work on those shows on a contract basis, so there is a constant ebb and flow through the year of staff. This necessitated a flexible office space that can accommodate an influx of people during certain times, and not feel empty when those freelancers are gone during slower periods.

taking place in enclosed editing studios and semi-private offices. So even with the open concept, there are multiple opportunities for retreating into individual, cocoon-like nooks, including a library and a felt-partitioned room referred to as the “chalet,” for private conversations and downtime.

While the openness itself allowed for a rhythm to flow across the floorplate, that rhythm was enhanced by the strategic use and placement of materials. The laminated pine beams inserted close to the 12-foot ceilings connect the different “neighbourhoods” throughout, while adding a material warmth and serving as the attachment point for LED light fixtures that bounce light off the ceiling. Allowing sightlines to be preserved, screens made of wood or felt, or both, repeat in multiple areas. And a series of large ceiling light fixtures from Luminaire Authentique also help to bring spaces together. To keep to a tight budget, the bulk of the materials employed, from felt to wood to metal studs, are off-the-shelf, such as the standard-size pine 2x4s and beams the designers used to create pergolas; the pine slats for screens and dividers; and the rough-hewn pine logs stacked

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But perhaps more importantly, the open design is itself open to interpretation and adjustments. Each time Imperatori and Ladrie have been back since Attraction Media’s move-in this past fall, they’ve noticed a change or something new, such as a wall that has been moved, new seating or shelving that wasn’t part of the original design. “It’s not what we had envisioned, but it shows the client and their staff have adopted the place as their own. We gave them the structure; they ran with it,” says Ladrie. Imperatori agrees. “Our role was to bring the client into a space they didn’t expect but that would make them feel at home,” she adds. “And that’s the biggest reward for us: when the client is comfortable enough with our work that they feel free to modify it to their evolving needs.” If Attraction Media wanted a design where companies of different personalities and people of individual mindsets could come together to shape the imaginary lives of others — as well as their own working lives right in the office — it looks like they’ve got what they were asking for.

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Spring has Sprung!

Text and photos by David Lasker

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Scavolini soirée Scavolini hosted the North American launch of its new Mia kitchen design at their Castlefield Avenue showroom in north Toronto.

1—Scavolini’s Anna Urbaniak, design manager; Ovidiu Dumitriu, manager of installations, and his wife, Cornelia Dumitriu, accountant; spouses Luiza Alexa, VP and Horia Gruia, president Scavolini Toronto; Pesaro, Italy-based Gian Marco Scavolini, VP board of directors (and son of the company founder); and Francesco Farina, CEO, Scavolini USA. 2—From Moss & Lam studio: Michael Sproule, project manager; Jamie Stagnitta, operations director; Deborah Moss, founder; and Anna Guidoccio, designer. 3—Bruno Billio, artist-in-residence at the Gladstone Hotel; and Philippe Burnet, producer at TV production house Machine Gum Productions. 4—Standing behind their Gaggenau kitchen installation: Stefan Jones, district sales manager; Andrew Abrahamse, Ontario regional sales manager; and Steve Preiner, director, marketing at BSH Home Appliances 5—Scavolini Toronto senior designer Monica Bussoli; designers Madyson Kearns and Isabel Ordonez; senior designers Nanelda Priftat and Talia Silver; designer Anna de Pascali; senior designer Jelena Anic; designer Carla Martinez Alarcon; and Maeve Kehoe, manager, contract division.

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Pebble’s BIG deal at Bulthaup Architect Bjarke Ingels, founder of the stellar firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), based in Copenhagen, New York and London, was in Toronto last September to open his Serpentine Pavilion, the temporary structure made of stacked-fibreglass blocks on King Street West. Now, a BIG-designed condo is going up on the site.

On King Street East this past March, Bulthaup Toronto, the German-based, Bauhaus-inspired kitchendesign company, hosted the global launch of Pebble, a BIG-designed line of architectural hardware for Danish firm D Line and marketed online by Toronto-based Casson Hardware Specialties. Playfully round and chunky elliptical shapes distinguish the collection’s towel rail, toilet roll holder, coat hook, soap dispenser, shower shelf, toilet brush, lever handle, key escutcheon and thumb turn.

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1—Nathaniel Garcia, principal at boutique furniture agency Founded by Garcia; Casson Hardware Specialties directors Megan Cassidy and Jane Son; and party host and Bulthaup Toronto principal Stefan Sybydlo. 2—Therese Baron, marketing manager, Boszko & Verity Construction; and architects Nancy Chao, Gow Hastings Architects; and Luc Johnston, Lloydlondon Architects. 3—In front of Founded by Garcia’s Barcelona carpet by Urban Fabric: Interior designer Robert King, principal, Norma King Design; Deborah Wang, artistic director, DesignTO; Leslie Jen, marketing director at architecture firm Superkül; and Peter Sellar, principal photographer, Photoklik. 4—Tusch Seating International’s Chinny Sibeudu, A&D account executive, and Nino Hasan, president, flank architect Jenny Francis. 5—Architects Michaela Macleod, principal at architecture and landscape architecture firm Polymétis; and Ian Huff. 6—Interior designer Chris Koroknay, creative director, Studio CK; Cliff Smith, owner, furniture showroom and retail store Augustus Jones; Daisy Chan, managing director, Studio CK; and Jennifer Kreyssig, A&D rep, Milliken.

Havwoods Canadian launch Havwoods International, a fourth-generation, family-owned firm based near Manchester, England, manufactures engineered hardwood flooring and wall cladding. From across the pond and the company’s New York showroom, top brass helped launch their new Canadian showroom, in Toronto’s King Street East design district.

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1—Paul Moody, global head of digital, Havwoods; with Roomvo’s Pawel Rajszel, CEO, and Vaishnavy Gupta, customer development director. 2—Meghan Carter Design’s Susie Park and Madison Gellman, designers, flank the firm’s eponymous principal. 3—Monte Ray McMurchy and Havwoods New York showroom manager Sophie-Zacha Lameret. 4—Andrew Barnes, global CFO, Havwoods; Yoland Senik, designer, Relative Space; and Anthony Scott, global brands director, Havwoods. 5—Joe Mancuso, principal at Mancuso Homes; Sia Mahdieh, director of interior design, Pulsinelli. 6—Dana Bronikova, Toronto showroom manager, Havwoods; May Haymoor of her eponymous interior design firm; and Amanda Hodgson, inside sales team leader, Havwoods.

Formica new formats At Formica Canada’s Design+ event in Toronto’s Gardiner Museum, the surfacing company invited over 150 A&D professionals to learn about Formica’s new Living Impressions Collection, HardStop decorative-protection panels and Intentek wireless charging laminate surface.

1—Adamson Associates Architects’ Naoto Hayashi, technologist; Yupin Li, intern architect. 2—From interior design firm Connect: Kimberley Green, designer; Julie Moore, design director; Seamus Butterly, sales consultant; and Lisa Di Carlo, designer. 3—Formica Canada’s Christelle Locat-Rainville, marketing manager; Tatiana Alexandrova, marketing specialist; and territory managers Philip Roy and Johannie Sirois Paquette. 4—From Rogers Communications: Nickeisha Lewis, design specialist; Kaitie Riddell and Jaclyn Ferron, merchandising specialists; and Rosa Costanzo and Serena Prosser, retail designers.

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over & out

A Good Sit

An all-in-one integrated solution supports universal access and dignity.

By Leslie Jen

But most significantly, the Shape Shift Bench addresses the needs of a variety of differently abled people, responding to numerous height and mobility requirements, and preferred bodily positioning of sitting or standing. Bortolotto’s all-inclusive design approach manifests most obviously in the provision of two different counter heights (165 and 84 centimetres) across its 10-metre length, allowing for numerous workstations on either side. A great deal of flexibility is available to the students, who may choose to stand or sit on bar stools at the highest part of the Bench, while those in wheelchairs can easily pull up to the lower counter. In the centre, the Bench drops to a height of just 50 centimetres, inviting those who just want to take a seat for an opportunity to read, rest or work in a more casual manner. It takes another dip as it terminates at the vertical wall, creating a tidy space in which to tuck a printer.

A recent development from Toronto- and Hamilton-based architecture and design firm Bortolotto, the Shape Shift Bench makes its first appearance as an integral part of the firm’s renovation of Lakehead University’s Student Central in Thunder Bay. While the primary focus of the space is to provide students with information and access to services, the client brief specified the requirement of accommodating mobile devices such as laptops, tablets and phones while eliminating the potential tripping hazard caused by cords connected to power sources. Moreover, the space needed to be fully accessible, barrier-free, and capable of featuring a large LCD media screen for display and presentation.

The Bench packs all that into its definitively sculptural length, and represents an innovative response to a typical service counter that accommodates a variety of users. While its structure is comprised of wood and steel, the Bench is expressed in white Krion and white oak laminate as an almost topographical landscape of staggered heights.

The smooth, gleaming continuous counter surface is attractive yet lowmaintenance, and provides a pleasing contrast to the warmth and tactility of the patterned wood grain. “An important feature of the design,” says president Tania Bortolotto, “is that the Bench is powered through concealed cabling strung throughout its length,” which then travels up to the ceiling when it reaches its vertical terminus – a wall which, cleverly, serves as a surface upon which to mount the LCD screen.

CANADIAN INTERIORS 5/6 2019

The Shape Shift Bench is not the first time that the firm has moved beyond the strict confines of architecture and interior design; the firm’s portfolio includes examples of industrial, furniture and lighting design employed in previous projects. Bortolotto disclosed that her team is “in the process of determining the feasibility of mass production” to integrate the Bench in a potentially vast number of institutional and commercial settings.

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Design: IA Interior Architects Client: McMillan LLP Scope: Large-scale contour-cut vinyl with knit textured laminate

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