Canadian Interiors November December 2023

CDN $8.95 NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2023

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Model FORMALIA design Vittore Niolu

TORONTO SHOWROOM 1330 Castlefield Avenue Phone 416 961-2929 www.scavolinitoronto.com

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Designer > HOK | Project > Professional Services Firm Photo > Klassen photography

Congratulations to the Best of Canada award winners and entries. Your remarkable contributions have set a high standard in our industry, and we’re truly grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with such visionary professionals.

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Designer > Jeffrey Beers | Project > Roc Nation Offices in Chelsea Photo > Eric Laignel

Svend Nielsen Ltd has proudly served the interior design community for over 45 years. Our commitment to excellence and craftsmanship allows us to specialize in next-level furniture that shapes the way you live and work.

Through creating designers’ visions into realities, we continually strive to push ourselves and the meaning of “Never Say It Can’t Be Done”

nielsen@svendnielsen.com • www.svendnielsen.com

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UKIYO [u-key-yo] · Japanese (n.) living in the moment, detached from the bothers of life.

“The floating world”

A new collection design by Claudia Afshar.

Two structured patterns available in five colours that transform the identity of interior cladding.

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Find inspiration at cosentino.com F ò @CosentinoCanada @cosentinocityvancouver @cosentinocitytoronto @cosentinocitymontreal

COSENTINO CENTRE CALGARY 10301 19th St. N.E. Unit 101, Calgary, AB T3J 0R1 I 587.538.8301 CENTRE OTTAWA 903 Ages Dr, Ottawa K1G 6L3, ON I 343.804.0551 CENTRE QUEBEC 240 Chemin des Ursulines, Stan stead, QC JOB 3EO I 819.876.2123 CENTRE TORONTO NORTH 8905 Highway 50, Units 3-4, Vaughan L4H5A1, ON I 647.350.6009 CENTRE TORONTO SOUTH 3455 N Service Rd, Burlington, ON L7N 3G2 | 289.816.2700 CENTRE VANCOUVER 8603 Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, BC V5J 0H6 I 778.508.9867 CENTRE WINNIPEG 3020 Red Fife Rd, Rosser ROH 1EO, MB I 204.515.7060 CITY MONTREAL 240 Rue Saint-Jacques Ouest, Suite 110, Montreal, QC H2Y1L9 I 514.335.8669 CITY TORONTO 665 Caledonia Road ,Toronto, ON M6E 4V8 I 416.247.9090 CITY VANCOUVER 1640 W 3rd Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1K2 I 604.900.8011

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Congratulations to all the winners!

Proud supplier of the winning projects ‘Centre Culturel Desjardins’

by Atelier TAG ‘Luxe Artisan Chocolates’

by Janks Design Group Residence Y - Saint Hippolyte’

by STGM Design ‘Daphne’ by Studio Paolo Ferrari ‘Google Montreal’ by iN STUDIO

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11/12/2023 PROJECT OF THE YEAR Centre Culturel Desjardins 14 HOSPITALITY Yuan Chinese Cuisine 17 Daphne 18 Fortuna’s Row 20 Kicking Horse Coffee 21 Strip Joint 22

COVER – Photography by Adrien Williams

INSTITUTIONAL Science Complex – MIL Campus, Université De Montréal 24 Boston University Center for Computing & Data Sciences 25 Legacy Park Elementary School 26

36 Muskoka Lake House 37 Ice House 38 Leslieville Renovation 39 Historians’ Library 40 Residence Y RETAIL

41 FH Farmhouse 42 Glaze 43 Luxe Artisan Chocolates SINGLE DETAIL

45 Centennial College A Building 46 The Royal Hotel

OFFICE Shopify Ottawa Hubs 29 Google Montréal 30 Fahey et associés 31 Caivan/ABIC 32 Strategic Property Partners 34

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RESIDENCE

PRODUCTS

47 Marie Collection 48 Swav 49 Nieves Table 50 Oort Collection (Judges’ Pick)

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November | December 2023 / V60 #6 Editor in Chief

Peter Sobchak Art Director

Roy Gaiot Contributor

David Lasker Judging Support

Natalie Papanou Online Editor

Lucy Mazzucco Senior Publisher

Martin Spreer

416-441-2085 x4 mspreer@canadianinteriors.com Associate Publisher

Faria Ahmed

fahmed@canadianinteriors.com Slater™ Acoustic Wall Panel ©modularArts, Inc.

Circulation Manager

circulation@canadianinteriors.com President of iQ Business Media Inc.

Alex Papanou

Canadian Interiors magazine is published by iQ Business Media Inc. 126 Old Sheppard Ave, Toronto, ON M2J 3L9 Telephone 416-441-2085 e-mail: info@canadianinteriors.com website: www.canadianinteriors.com Canadian Interiors publishes six issues, plus a source guide, per year. Printed in Canada. The content of this publication is the property of Canadian Interiors and cannot be reproduced without permission from the publisher.

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Orbit Bubbles Chandelier Glass Artist Karli Sears Designer Drawing Room Architect

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Managing an awards program is grueling, but I never fail to be impressed when the dust has settled and I retreat a few paces and see a consistent feature: that awards produce honest results. I’ve heard critiques that design awards are subjective, and while this may carry a kernel of truth, it’s a truth that, paradoxically, underpins the validity of the results. While each design could be measured differently by a different jury, over time, the results are consistent. A retrospective gaze at the illustrious history of the Best of Canada Awards underscores this phenomenon. Even when I broaden my view to encompass other A&D awards programmes, the same pattern unfolds: certain projects traverse the circuit and receive deserving accolades. This principle extends to design teams; if you’re good, over time the results are there and consistency is rewarded.

I’ve been doing this long enough to see design teams elevate their design prowess while also perfecting their capacity for astute articulation. I recall a remark from a Best of Canada juror emphasizing that the jury is not merely endorsing aesthetic beauty but also meticulous exposition of processes and aspirations.

Another remarkable facet of design competitions lies in their capacity to level the playing field between big firms and fledgling enterprises. The Canadian Interiors’ Best of Canada Awards stands as a beacon in this regard, a realm that celebrates interior design endeavours without prejudice to dimensions, budgets, or locations. Here, it’s the innovation and novelty in design thinking that reign supreme. The results mirror this principle. Here, one again, we present a feast of creativity, inspiration, and knowledge as embodied in the most innovative and captivating interiors of the past 24 months.

As always, the two categories of Projects and Products require distinct judging exercises, which were held on separate days, both at the showroom of Black Bread + Jam and with their generous support. A dynamic and entertaining group of design professionals shouldered the burden of reviewing submissions and selecting this year’s crème de la crème. For Projects we enlisted four judges whose involvement in the design profession brings a tapestry of perspectives to an impressive list of submissions: Joanne Lam, principal and co-founder of Picnic Design; Fraser Greenberg, owner of Milky’s Coffee (itself a Best of Canada winner in 2021) and marketing director of flooring company Relative Space; Viz Saraby, CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2023

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professor and Coordinator of Interior Design at George Brown College; and Paul Sapounzi, president and managing principal at +VG Architects (The Ventin Group Ltd.). On the Products side, three judges put their in-the-trenches expertise to work analyzing Joanne Lam material: Reza Aliabadi, founder and principal of Atelier RZLBD; Heather Dubbeldam, founder and principal of Dubbeldam Architecture + Design; and Jimmy Rogers, principal of 39 Design + Engineering Inc. and president of the Association of Chartered Industrial Designers of Ontario (ACIDO).

Fraser Greenberg

Viz Saraby

Paul Sapounzi

Reza Aliabadi

Heather Dubbeldam

Jimmy Rogers

Ultimately, a total of 28 winners were chosen, which include four Products and 24 Projects representing a cross-Canada spectrum.

When it came to selecting Project of the Year, the judges spoke in unison when nominating the Centre Culturel Desjardins, the transformation of a performance hall that represents a harmonious blend of poetic expression and practicality, where form and function engage in a dialogue akin to the moralizing of Aaron Sorkin peppered with the wit of Noël Coward. “The Centre Culturel Desjardins is a visually striking project that is the result of a thoughtful, principled approach to the restoration of a theatre,” said Fraser Greenberg. “This project manages to take a program that is very specific in its requirements and elevate it. The seemingly simple moves belie the obvious thought and care behind the scene,” enthused Joanne Lam. “The colour blocking in the different areas is striking and impactful, with the more muted black and white opening into the stunning red. Extending the traditional red colour of theatre seats to the entire mezzanine unifies the space and makes it into a floating element. Not only does it make a strong statement but it also makes you look at the heritage details in a new light, re-interpreting the theatrical experience.”

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 Creators of Objects for the Oort Collection. Although inspired by theoretical astronomical bodies orbiting just beyond our solar system, “They bring to mind a sand-polished glass fishing float washed ashore,” mused Jimmy Rogers, tapping into the spirit of plucking objects found adrift in unpredictable seas.

Visit the expanded digital edition at

www.canadianinteriors.com Congratulations to all 28 winners! — Peter Sobchak

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PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Centre Culturel Desjardins, Joliette, Québec Atelier TAG Inc., Montréal

If someone ever mounts a Broadway or West End play representing our current era, it should be called The Crucible of Necessity. Urgent climate change challenges coupled with the wallet-bruising effects of the pandemic have forced us all to recalibrate. With that in mind, the renewed Centre Culturel Desjardins — with its restored 1927 performance hall, where emphasis was placed on preserving existing structures and strategic repurposing of materials — would be the natural home of that stage production.

The auditorium, originally housed within the Académie Saint-Viateur and born in the Beaux-Arts style by Montréal architects Venne and Viau, boasts intricate neoclassical embellishments that extend beyond mere aesthetics, serving the space's acoustic ecology. Here, full-height curved panels have been introduced, meticulously calibrated through acoustic simulations. These panels possess a bifocal acoustic quality, absorbing and reflecting sound. This architectural concept exemplifies an economy of means, balancing the aesthetic and the utilitarian, allowing resources to flow into other innovative aspects of the project.

Once monochromatic, the 1927 auditorium now reclaims its chromatic memory. Inspired by archival photographs, a semitone chromatic palette oscillates between the original cream and the striking red of the first-generation seats: a universal symbol of theater. This dichotomy elevates the balcony above the parterre, casting the ceiling's craftsmanship in an immersive red glow. The gradient transition from black to gray within the parterre and proscenium arch serves both aesthetics and functionality, honouring the space's Beaux-Arts heritage through a contemporary lens. Beyond the theatre itself, the foyer has been reimagined as a cohesive architectural statement that creates dynamic sub-spaces facilitating social interactions. PS

“The project articulates a completely transformational perception and experience of heritage architecture using bold and fearless colour, lighting engineering and contemporary architectural language. This project serves as a shining example of how interior design can adapt to the challenges of our times while creating a new and progressing dialogue between its progressive interior design and the past. As a beacon of excellence and innovation in the field of interior design, the Centre Cultural Desjardins project sets a high standard for future endeavours in Canada and beyond as we take advantage of the embodied cumulative history and energy.”

– Paul Sapounzi, president and managing principal, +VG Architects CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2023

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Adrien Williams

Best of Canada text by Peter Sobchak and David Lasker

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CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2023

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H O S P I TA L I T Y

Yuan Chinese Cuisine, Toronto Dexign Matter Studio Inc., Richmond Hill, Ontario

Brian So

Step into a modern Chinese-style dining oasis, where the elegance of natural materials and the poetic essence of Chinese ink and wash painting converge. In the vestibule, walls are adorned with exquisite white veined black marble, chosen to mimic the gentle flow of a stream through a valley. Adjacent, a wood-finished accent wall houses a circular back-lit niche, where a wooden branch decor evokes the spirit of nature. At the heart of the space stands a bespoke counter, where a subtle green leaf silhouette is carved within rich black marble and backlit behind frosted glass, paying homage to traditional Chinese landscape painting. The expansive east and west walls serve as canvases for a monochromatic mural, reminiscent of ancient Chinese calligraphy, celebrating Chinese culture in a contemporary context. With a palette of neutral grays and rich walnut wood, this high-end modern Chinese restaurant exudes warmth and sophistication. PS

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H O S P I TA L I T Y

Daphne, Toronto Studio Paolo Ferrari, Toronto

Billing itself as “a contemporary reimagining of the quintessential American bistro,” the restaurant experience unfolds as a series of visual narratives. This sprawling establishment, divided into distinctive rooms, manages to pull off being both intimate yet grandiose, balancing eccentricity with sculptural elegance. Upon arrival, a transparent full-height wine cabinet hints at the dining rooms beyond. The voluminous Great Room, with its vaulted ceilings and dynamic open kitchen, radiates sophistication and energy. Guests witness the culinary spectacle, from plate finishing to prep, akin to a gracious home hosting. The Drawing Room, adorned in colour-blocked elegance, conceals surprises like pencil drawings and botanical-inspired pendants. A mirrored corridor, adorned with hand-painted landscapes, leads to the artistic bar, evoking the lushness of a conservatory, while custom designed furniture and lighting all add to what can almost be called a movie scene and that relies heavily on inspirations drawn from art, architecture, and photography. PS

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Joel Esposito

Architec Architec Photogr

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Architectural Linear Series Brick – Custom (Walnut) Architect: Matière Première Architecture + Nu Drom Photography: Ian Balmorel

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H O S P I TA L I T Y

Fortuna’s Row, Calgary Mera Studio Architects, Calgary

CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2023

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Colin Way

In a remarkable transformation, a once austere concrete shell has been reborn into a Latin American culinary destination. Inspired by Mesoamerican motifs, this restaurant employs an array of wood accents, woven leathers, rattan furnishings, handmade tiles, and lush greenery throughout 10,000 square feet divided into two zones: the primary restaurant and a vaulting cocktail bar with a custom 16-ft. sculptural concrete wall at the entrance, which clearly serves as the centerpiece. Further exploration reveals a central planter, mirrored bar shelves reflecting the room’s cenote-inspired ceiling, and diverse dining areas with distinct atmospheres. This design marries modern elements with raw finishes, incorporating existing features like pipes into planters and juxtaposing wood millwork against rough concrete. Symmetrical placement of concrete columns and well-placed skylights ensure an abundance of natural light, while closely arranged seating fosters intimate connections, filling the room with vibrant energy. This restaurant celebrates Latin American heritage with grace and style. PS

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H O S P I TA L I T Y

Kicking Horse Coffee, Invermere, British Columbia The Marc Boutin Architectural Collaborative, Calgary

Chris Amat

A coffee-centric ethos is at the heart of a renovated 5,000-sq.-ft. café: monochromatic blacks and greys echo the roasting process while nodding to the natural mountain landscape. Three key design elements — a coffee bar as a stage; a canopy resembling a proscenium; and a wooden screen acting as a metaphorical curtain — shape the atmosphere and are a clear theatrical ode to the beverage Raymond Chandler once called “The life blood of tired men.” Folded metal plates form the proscenium and not only define spatial flow but also animate the café, while the wooden screen, a transitional threshold, blurs interior and exterior. Crafted from locally sourced cross laminated cedar, the screen mimics the surrounding forests’ materiality while its organic form doubles as seating and product display spaces, mirroring the area’s topography. PS

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H O S P I TA L I T Y

Strip Joint, Calgary Amanda Hamilton Interior Design, Calgary

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Joel Klassen

This 2,200-sq.-ft. eatery is a visual riot. Bold colour blocking, geometric and curvilinear shapes, vibrant neon lights, terrazzo accents, and multicoloured acrylics converge to create a tableau that is as energized as the food. In a fiercely competitive fast-casual market, the key was to stand out, so the designers sought to craft a space that embodied irreverence, captivated patron’s attention, inspire return visits and grab as many Insta posts along the way as possible. The space accommodates both dine-in and take-out customers through a well-thought-out pickup system that doesn’t disrupt the dine-in experience. Aesthetically, the interior’s not-so-subtle design elements play off the name, employing Pantone colours, custom wallpapers and brand-inspired neons. The entire space serves as both canvas and wayfinder, guiding patrons to the ordering area. Coloured lighting adds depth and character, while custom furniture blends playfulness with sculptural chic. This space is more than a restaurant; it’s a conversation-worthy visual playground that embodies the brand’s identity. PS

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INSTITUTIONAL

Science Complex – MIL Campus, Université De Montréal Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux | Lemay | NFOE Architectes, Montréal

CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2023

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Stéphane Brügger

Situated on the former Outremont marshalling yard, this facility serves as both a hub for scientific research and a catalyst for the revitalization of its surroundings. The spatial composition of the public circulation is conceived as a ramification, connecting diverse spaces at various levels, including classrooms, labs, the library, and an agora, promoting interdisciplinarity and pedagogical innovation. A user-centric approach caters to the 2,400 daily occupants, resulting in adaptable, inspiring spaces. By linking Science and Education through a dynamic library, the design creates open, well-lit environments with panoramic views of the complex. The Science sector centres around a bustling atrium, while the Education pole integrates cafes and gathering spots with the Science Library. Additionally, the layout encourages interdepartmental collaboration, fostering resource sharing. Transparent, accessible facilities include amphitheaters and an agora for conferences and symposia. This LEED Gold project redefines education and research environments, setting the stage for a vibrant academic community. PS

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INSTITUTIONAL

Boston University Center for Computing & Data Sciences, Boston, U.S.A. KPMB Architects, Toronto

Tom Arban Photography

This 19-storey LEED Platinum building, soaring above the Charles River, unites the mathematics, statistics, and computer science departments in a collaborative model accommodating 3,000 individuals. A central atrium and interconnected 13-storey staircase fosters synergy and chance encounters among faculty and students. Expansive river views envelop the open interiors on three sides, with classrooms and collaboration spaces basking in natural light through floor-to-ceiling windows. Whiteboard walls invite collaborative ideation. Movement and nature integration are emphasized, and materials were selected with occupant well-being air quality and carbon reduction in mind, such as finished concrete floors, carbon neutral carpet and rubber flooring.

Warm wood accents harmonize with a vibrant primary colour palette of red, green, yellow, blue and purple, imbuing spaces with optimism and serving as wayfinding elements. Active chilled beams provide personalized temperature control for offices and classrooms, ensuring comfort and energy efficiency. PS

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INSTITUTIONAL

Legacy Park Elementary School, Weyburn, Saskatchewan 1080 Architecture, Planning + Interiors, Regina | NumberTen Architectural Group, Winnipeg

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Lindsay Reid Photography

This project’s mission was to merge three existing schools into a modern environment that cultivates an intimate learning atmosphere for 650 K-6 students. The solution divided the space into six neighbourhoods, each accommodating 125 students. The classic children’s book The Giving Tree was a major design inspiration, evident in abstract leaf patterns on the media centre ceiling and cobblestone-inspired carpet tiles.

Unique “cave” spaces, reminiscent of tree knots, offer cozy nooks to explore. An amphitheatre stair is designed for gathering, projects and performance, providing active space to contrast the more intimate ones.

Environmental graphics feature a motif based on the Fibonacci triangle, creating captivating patterns and doubling as a teaching tool for geometry and fractals. Meticulous consideration of light and shadow patterns throughout the day and year guided the lighting design, and a thoughtful colour-coded scheme aids passive wayfinding, creating small communities within the larger school, fostering a sense of belonging. PS

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Level Set™ Textured Stones A00308 Light Concrete

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T:9"

T:10.875"

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SWAV. A BEST OF CANADA AWARD WINNER.

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OFFICE

Shopify Ottawa Hubs, Ottawa iN STUDIO, Toronto

Christian Lalonde

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It was fun while it lasted, but many tech firms that announced a “permanent” work-at-home policy for their employees during Covid’s early days have since clawed it back. For Ottawa-based e-commerce company Shopify, notwithstanding chief executive Tobi Lutke’s declaration that “office centricity is over,” Shopifolk can continue to do individual work remotely, but collaborative tasks must be done in the office. To sweeten that bitter pill for die-hard home-office workers, iN STUDIO took a trompe l’oeil, so to speak, approach by disguising Corporateland as a series of hospitality vignettes rather than traditional office applications. Employees can spend their time on site in a faux coffee shop, trendy bar, karaoke lounge, service bar or energetic evening lounge. By offering enjoyable experiences such as these, which are unattainable in the home office, Shopify’s work environment encourages its people to come in, serendipitously interact, imbibe the company culture and build relationships. DL

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OFFICE

Google Montréal, Montréal iN STUDIO, Toronto

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Gillian Jackson

The floor plans for Google Montréal show clusters of workstations efficiently occupying five storeys of a Montréal office building including the 13th floor. There are no unusual stands out here except that triskaidekaphobia is evidently not a thing in La Belle Province. The build-out, however, tells a different story. Through the choice of materials, details and use of Québecois and Indigenous artwork, each floor celebrates the history and culture of an iconic Montréal neighbourhood: Le Vieux Port, Chinatown or Little Italy. The art integrates with the large supergraphics on the walls and dropped ceiling sector that are the first thing one sees when leaving a stair or elevator. The supergraphics, in turn, figure in the inclusive wayfinding, which includes braille elements and high-contrast signage. In addition to meeting LEED Gold criteria, the project boasts filtered-water stations close to all work zones and workstations with natural light. DL

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OFFICE

Fahey et associés, Montréal blanchette archi.design, Montréal

Alex Lesage

For a client specializing in landscape architecture and urban planning, the design team created a new Montréal headquarters based, appropriately, on the concept of urbanity. Throughout the project, a unified vision of minimalist custom furnishings and wall treatments speaks loud and clear. Dominating the reception area are two monolithic monochrome volumes: a reception desk made of black granite quarried in Saint-Henri-de-Taillon backed by a cove-lit arched bulkhead clad in stainless-steel sheets. The sequence of enclosed offices hints at garage doors and wooden sheds in an alleyway. Light and airy bookcases reference scaffolding. In the kitchen/dining area, the plants and blocky tables and stools reminiscent of outdoor furniture signify a metaphorical park.

Curving, lowered ceiling heights at the threshold of this area and the design studio exemplify “the urban interstice.” Workstations are democratically deployed along the building’s perimeter, offering employees access to natural light and panoramic views of the Old Montréal neighbourhood, the St. Lawrence River and distant mountains. DL

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OFFICE

Caivan/ABIC, Ottawa Figurr Architects Collective, Ottawa

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Tom Arban Photography

The new two-storey, 65,000-sq.-ft. head office for land developer and homebuilder Caivan/Advanced Building Innovation Company, based in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven, includes administrative spaces, a reception area, a town hall atrium, a boardroom, meeting rooms, open and closed office space, a public sales centre, a design centre and an immersive “experience centre” with a mezzanine facing the adjoining manufacturing plant where prospective homeowners can enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at robots assembling prefabricated housing panel systems. The central town-hall atrium boasts a grand staircase combining normal steps and oversize treads that serve as stacked seating for assemblies. The space integrates steel columns and an exposed wood decking system. Mechanical ducts are hidden from view; electrical work is embedded in the structure. Sunlight streams through birdfriendly glass that prevents reflections (birds cannot differentiate between real and reflected habitat). The minimal expanse of south-facing glass attenuates solar heat gain. DL

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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.

Congratulations

on your BEST OF CANADA Award Winning Project:

“Caivan / ABIC Head Office”

by Figurr Architects Collective

Canadian Interiors conversations

Available at canadianinteriors.com/podcasts, as well as: Apple Podcasts

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OFFICE

Strategic Property Partners, Tampa, U.S.A. Cecconi Simone Inc., Toronto

CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2023

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Seamus Payne

The new headquarters, located in a former Cineplex theatre, retains the base building’s high ceilings and exposed steel columns. The materials palette comprises white walls, concrete floors, wood millwork, black accents and industrial metal mesh and plate steel. New black gridded windows add to the industrial vernacular. The neutral background sets off whimsical artwork, including a 14-ft. papier mâché white alligator descending the café wall. The long, narrow reception gallery is flanked by two-toned brick walls punctuated by horizontal niches displaying white scale project models and vertical niches for the concierge desk.

Wow factor abounds in the immersion room with its circular 16-ft. diameter scale model of Tampa with over 150 3D-printed buildings, roads and waterways illuminated by a projection mapping system. The town hall has tiered seating for meetings and events. In the café, a suspended sculpture with sea sponges in reclaimed fishing nets references the local Tarpon Springs sponge industry. TVs, whiteboards and corkboards scattered throughout encourage spur-of-the-moment idea sharing. DL

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RESIDENTIAL

Muskoka Lake House, Muskoka, Ont. Studio Paolo Ferrari, Toronto

CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2023

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Joel Esposito

Minimalist and uncluttered to the point of abstraction in form, colour and materials, this residential retreat makes extensive use of customdesigned built-ins and furnishings. As the design brief states, refined details in the house coexist with craggy, jagged surfaces in a nod to the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, which sets off subdued, austere beauty against rustic patina. Indeed, there is subdued beauty in the unrelenting rectilinearity of whitewashed Douglas fir planks in the ceilings, millwork and wall cladding, the flooring of limed Douglas fir (recognizable by its white-washed, distressed look) and the similar bold grain patterns in the millwork and flooring. Coarse-grained granite makes a bold and even startling contrast. The stone was used for the carved sinks in the bathroom and the rough-hewn kitchen island, where a large, unfinished block erupts like a rocky outcrop from the kitchen floor. The island makes a statement about wild irrepressible Mother Nature impinging on manmade artifice while gesturing to the granite escarpment eight feet from the windows running along the countertop. DL

2023-11-08 3:09 PM

RESIDENTIAL

Ice House, Toronto Nonument, Toronto

Scott Norsworthy

This two-storey, 1,500-sq.-ft. home in Toronto’s Pape Village neighbourhood started life in the late 1800s as a coach house and storage depot for Lake Simcoe Ice Ltd. Renovations over the years masked the building’s original function. As the design brief states, the latest iteration “strips away the layers of the exquisite corpse down to its bones and attempts to draw from them a new architectural language.” On the upper floor, the three bedrooms face south for optimal daylighting.

The project’s most memorable feature is the mono-strung staircase inspired by Jean Prouvé’s lacquered steel and oak ladder stair for Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation in Marseille, notable for its rectangular handrail with rounded corners that evoke the wingtips of early airplanes. Nonument stretched the handrail frame and filled it in with expanded metal mesh in lieu of code-mandated balusters. Stair risers pinch inward toward their bottoms, giving each step a chunky sculptural machined quality evoking an escalator. DL

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RESIDENTIAL

Leslieville Renovation, Toronto Asquith Architecture Inc., Toronto

CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2023

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Nanne Springer

Imagine a ceramic sculptor who loved the earthy red tones of vintage Toronto brick so much she “unrenovated” her house to expose its Flemish-bonded masonry. At the overhaul of a rowhouse in Toronto’s Leslieville district, existing drywall and plasterboard surfaces and underlying studs were peeled away to expose the original variegated brick perimeter, where irregular patches of ochre and burnt umber play off against the predominantly honey-toned mashup of headers and stretchers. The raw brick makes a harmonious backdrop for displaying the client’s clay art. The brick was restored to its previous, though not necessarily pristine, state. Large areas remain where the bricks were whitewashed or plastered over with texture added by the random scratchy lines incised by the trowel of the plasterer who never suspected that his handiwork would ever see the light of the inhabitants’ day. Upon these surfaces, Asquith artfully superimposed new electrical conduit, mechanical ductwork, copper plumbing pipes and white-oak millwork and flooring, all without adding a feeling of clutter. DL

2023-11-08 3:09 PM

RESIDENTIAL

Historians’ Library, Cambridge, Ontario Dowling Architects, Paris, Ontario

Henry Dowling (bottom) and Paul Dowling (top)

For a historian couple, Dowling Architects created a new library behind their existing house. A cedar walkway nudges past a boardformed concrete garden wall, descending a few steps at each change in direction. Concrete steps, porch and walls embedded into the hillside provide the library’s base from which white-oak open-joint siding rises to meet the downturned U of the projecting corrugated-metal roof.

Inside, operable windows offer cross-ventilation while high fixed glazing gives long views out. A closet, washroom and low niches for a sofa and the long desk stretch along the north wall. Douglas fir for the doors, windows, ceiling, bookshelves and interior walls, and black walnut for the desk and library-shelf ladder, add a feeling of warmth.

Overhead and sliding interior shutters of lightweight fir plywood cover lower-level windows for privacy. Passive House features include air tightness and minimal thermal bridging. Insulated polished-concrete slabs provide a thermal mass that balances diurnal swings. DL

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RESIDENTIAL

Residence Y, Lac Écho, Québec STGM Design, Montréal

CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2023

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Félix Michaud

The pivotal element at the heart of the house, named for the tripartite volumetric segmentation of its floorplan, is the double-height window framing a view of the Laurentian Highlands. Living areas extend toward the lake, their pervasive use of wood lending a warm ambiance.

In addition to the wall cladding, wood is used for the exposed beams of the walkway and the staircase steps. These elements stand out with a slightly different hue from the pine paneling and harmonize with the white-oak cabinetry. Kitchen cabinets, integrated into the dark volume of the service block, are made of white oak lacquered with black paint.

The island countertop’s stained white oak echoes the oak-plank flooring on the upper level and the white-oak bathroom vanities. Yes, the familiar comment about expansive window walls bringing the indoors out certainly applies, as does a more subtle device: Corridors lined with board-and-batten siding, associated with rustic outdoor cladding, face the windows. The interior’s nearly monochrome palette makes nature’s colour splashes outside even more eye-catching. DL

2023-11-08 3:10 PM

R E TA I L

FH Farmhouse, Toronto Denizens of Design, Toronto

Scott Norsworthy

Confounding stereotypes of the fast-casual salad restaurant — acidgreen accent walls, clinical white counters and loud graphics — Denizens of Design delivered a new, different and fitting concept for their client. The as-found space was a wedding chapel inside a heritage property; now it’s a farm-to-communal-harvest-table eatery evoking rural life. Filled with greenery, the oak-sheathed space has a neutral palette that focuses attention on the merchandise. The soothing and comforting motif of the arch recurs, found in the low curving bulkhead delineating the entry zone, the fluted pilasters framed the passage to the back-of-house area and in the red-oak ceiling in the dining area that curves down to meet the service bar. Retail display millwork features curved oak veneer headers paired with rough-sawn reclaimed oak posts, playing off traditional and modern woodworking techniques. The custom wood door to the washrooms, evoking a submarine hatch, and the communal harvest table with curved legs, flanked by backless round stools, further riff on the curve theme. DL

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R E TA I L

Glaze, Toronto Kilogram Studio, Toronto

CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2023

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Scott Norsworthy

In this adaptive reuse project, a century-old car garage was transformed into a doughnut shop where the oozing mortar in the joints of the concrete-block service counter looks good enough to eat. The gelatinous mortar evokes the cream-filling inside the sweet leavened fried-dough treats in the brightly coloured packages marching along the counter surface. These little bags stand out as the only bold hues in the otherwise monochromatic though highly textured space, apart from the Day-Glo red Order and Pick-up lettering on the rippledglass screens that direct customers to the service counter. (Note to the Color Marketing Group: Toronto, always a stronghold of white, taupe and bone, has gone on a desaturation bender.) White LED circles in the glass screens reflect off the stainless-steel countertops, shelves, frames and mirror at the entryway. The exposed pebbly aggregate of the polished-concrete floor, in turn, is the metaphorical glace fruit in a mille-feuille dessert. DL

2023-11-08 3:10 PM

R E TA I L

Luxe Artisan Chocolates, Regina Janks Design Group Inc., Vancouver

Adam Reiland Photography

A compact retail space in Saskatchewan’s capital was transformed into a glamorous and elegant setting of, well, chocolate-brown walls and ceiling embellished with gold linear figures. At the front, matching gold-lined arches zoomed for scale serve respectively as the store entrance and ice cream service counter. At the rear, an oversize “Luxe” wordmark logo in stylized Art Deco font perches above the centre of the display wall. The wall and the service counters, finished in brushed gold, cast a warm, inviting glow. The prevailing restricted palette emphasizes the bright colour pops of the bonbons showcased in the wide point-of-sale display, where they’re illuminated to gleam like gems in a jewelry store. DL

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11/12 2023 CANADIAN INTERIORS

2023-11-08 3:10 PM

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S I N G L E D E TA I L

Centennial College A Building, Toronto DIALOG, Toronto | Smoke Architecture Inc., Hamilton, Ontario

James Brittain

In 2020, Centennial College broke ground on its 133,000-sq.-ft., $112-million expansion of the A Building wing of the school’s Progress Campus. Ontario’s first LEED Gold, net-zero carbon, WELL-certified, mass timber, higher-education facility accommodates 20 new classrooms, eight labs and extra offices. At the expansion’s heart is the round room, a gathering and ceremonial space with a dome-like ceiling modelled after traditional Anishinaabe roundhouses. Light bathes the space from a clerestory above. A basket-weave of Douglas-fir ribbons clads the walls and ceiling. From the central ceiling oculus radiate 13 mass-timber ribs made of Québec SPF (spruce, pine and fir) lumber.

They represent the moon cycles of the Indigenous 13-month calendar wherein each month has 28 days and there’s ne’er a leap year. The room features a wood-burning fireplace and button-assisted smudging: Pressing one of several centrally located green buttons activates the building’s ventilation system and exhausts any smoke. DL

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S I N G L E D E TA I L

The Royal Hotel, Picton, Ontario Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. Architects, Toronto

CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2023

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Graydon Herriott

Giannone Petricone’s renovation and adaptive reuse of a dilapidated Victorian railway hotel built in 1881 boosts Prince Edward County’s reputation as a foodie destination. In the fine-dining room, the firm wittily reinterpreted the traditional ornate plaster Victorian ceiling rosette as the underside of a mushroom 22 feet in diameter. From the colossal gills, translucent ceramic pendant lights descend like dew drops. The treatment not only celebrates the agricultural spirit of the area but also addresses the challenge of giving the historic structure’s limited ceiling height a loftier feel. With a mere 12-inch depth to work with, the sculptural feature interrupts the ceiling plane to enhance the sense of height and space. Additionally, the grand mushroom acts as a palate cleanser, distancing the restaurant from the building’s historic British roots and connecting the indoor space to the terraces and gardens in the landscape. DL

2023-11-08 3:10 PM

PRODUCT

Marie Collection Baril, Montréal

Baril

This new collection is a collaboration with luxury fashion house Maison Marie Saint Pierre in celebration of the 35th anniversary of two Québec-based companies led by a ‘Marie’: Marie-Eve Baril, who now heads the family high-end faucet company; and Marie Saint Pierre, a fashion designer with a slew of accolades including Knight of the National Order of Québec, Knight of the National Order of Canada and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Assembled in Canada and made from solid brass with a thicker-than-average wall and using high-end parts such as a German-made ceramic disk cartridges, the Marie Collection channels the organic allure of geodesic shapes found in nature, reimagining pure forms in various sizes and finishes. Its pure lines and soft-hued palette reduce visual clutter, and with matte/glossy variations, each piece can seamlessly grace a living space as a sculptural art object, paying homage to the elemental essence of water. PS

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PRODUCT

Swav EOOS for Keilhauer, Toronto

CANADIAN INTERIORS 11/12 2023

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Colormass / Christopher Barrett

Part of the EOOS-designed Tailored collection that launched at NeoCon 2023, the Swav low-back conference chair’s slender silhouette, delicately scaled with a thin side profile and clean lines, exudes an air of both luxury and modern simplicity. The classic loop armrests are reimagined with minimalist proportions, adding a touch of contemporary elegance. A refined grid-stitching detail adorns the backrest, creating a cohesive aesthetic that harmonizes with other pieces in the Tailored collection. Premium piping and sumptuous fabrics elevate this conference chair to the premier league, with sleek design elements sitting atop a five-star base with black casters for effortless mobility. The Swav chair offers both nylon and aluminum finishes with a knee-tilt mechanism centred around a single pivot point, ensures ergonomic comfort during long meetings. Combining tradition with modern sophistication, the Swav low-back conference chair is a natural choice for workplaces such as law firms, financial districts and other formal industries. PS

2023-11-08 3:10 PM

PRODUCT

Nieves Table Kirk Van Ludwig for Autonomous Furniture, Victoria, B.C.

Works Photography

Designer and founder, Kirk Van Ludwig, did what he does best: highlight nature’s finest materials by bringing them together in one piece.

Here, the circular economy enthusiast merges the beauty of solid wood with the strength of stone, in this case beginning with locally sourced wood to ensure minimal environmental impact and then topping it with Dekton ultra-compact stone by Cosentino, a carbonneutral material that defies stains and heat. The inviting oval shape encourages intimate gatherings around its stone-clad surface, while the beveled wood frame beckons tactile exploration with an angled wood grain that pays homage to a craftsmanship ethos that bends to nature, not the other way around. “A home is your sanctuary, a place of comfort and peace. I believe the things in your home should be meaningful and beautiful,” says Van Ludwig. “The Nieves table came to be with that in mind, the combination of two natural earthly elements evoke a sense of calmness and beauty.” PS

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11/12 2023 CANADIAN INTERIORS

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J U D G E S’ P I C K

Oort Collection Creators of Objects, Toronto

Some scientists believe that floating beyond the edge of our solar system is a spherical shell of icy planetesimals. Named after the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort who proposed its existence in 1950, the Oort Cloud is a place where objects the size of mountains smash into each other creating comet-like debris or get pulverized into dust. This cosmic bumper-car arena was a point of inspiration for the designers who, in their words, “imagined these colourful objects being gently eroded over eons, as they travel amongst the cloud.”

ances in the outcome give each piece an individual character, while the method of production is being expanded and applied to experiments in high end furniture design, such as larger vessels and lighting projects, making the tables merely the beginning of a design journey into uncharted space. PS “I love this captivating and novel collection from Oort, especially the oversized rounded corners that facilitate the sparse use of resin to create hardy hollow geometric forms. The form is complemented elegantly by the light-play achieved through translucency, colour and, most importantly, the random undulating internal surfaces of the cavity. They bring to mind a sand-polished glass fishing float washed ashore – a prized find.”

Using resin as the material, which has been the studio’s focus for several years, the team experimented with roto-casting to make hollow forms that were also structurally sound. The result is a form that has a measured and polished exterior with smooth and graceful arcs embedded within the interior, capturing in solid form the story of how resin cures within a centrifugal motion: what the designers euphemistically refer to as “a universe captured in resin.” Small vari-

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Creators of Objects

– Jimmy Rogers, principal, 39 Design + Engineering Inc. / president, Association of Chartered Industrial Designers of Ontario (ACIDO)

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