Canadian Interiors May June 2012

May/June 2012

T.O. trio

Rifle range to youth centre New offices of IDC/ARIDO Easy on the eye surgery Plus: reports from Paris & Cologne

Including IDC’s Dimensions

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technology springs f rom the h uman im ag inati on a nd id eals . the way we work now-or tom orrow and the day af ter-m ay be sha ped by tech nology, but is driven by our hum anit y. at tekni on , w e beli eve that the best technology is sim ply the h ardware of h uman i n tel li gen ce that allows us to conceive of and desig n tools , s ys tems and spaces that help us to connect and create. | tekni on W W W . T E K N I O N . C O M

May/June 2012

Official publication of the Interior Designers of Canada

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37

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COVER — 25 Toronto’s Don Montgomery Community Centre, designed by ATA Architects Inc. Photo by Paul Orenstein

CONTENTS

21 …AS USUAL, THE UNUSUAL — 41 IMM Cologne 2012 seemed governed by a simple philosophy: throw everything against the wall and see what sticks.

By Peter Sobchak

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

T.O. Trio

INSIDE — 10 WHAT’S UP — 15

A BANG-UP JOB — 25 ATA Architects Inc. turns a derelict indoor rifle range into a dynamic youth centre.

By Leslie C. Smith LETTER PERFECT — 31 Modo’s design for the offices of IDC/ARIDO deserves as A+.

By David Lasker

SHOW BIZ — 21 A maison’s raison d’être For four intense days in January, the Maison & Objet show was a unique observatory of all things creative for the home.

By Peter Sobchak WHO’S WHO — 47

EASY ON THE EYES — 37 Neophyte designer Stacey Cohen’s vision for the Toronto Retina Institute is calm, cool and uncomplicated.

By Leslie C. Smith

LAST WORD — 50 Sitting pretty Omer Arbel’s latest light sensation.

By Michael Totzke

Following page 50

MAY/JUNE 2012 CANADIAN INTERIORS 7

May/June 2012 VOL.49 NO.3

Publisher

Martin Spreer Editor

Michael Totzke Deputy Editor

Peter Sobchak Associate Editors

Janet Collins, David Lasker, Rhys Phillips, Leslie C. Smith Art Director

Lisa Zambri Advertising Sales

416-510-6766 Circulation Manager

Beata Olechnowicz 416-442-5600, ext. 3543 Reader Services

Liz Callaghan Production

Jessica Jubb 416-510-5194 Create Versatility with QuARTz

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Canadian Interiors magazine is published by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. Tel: 416-442-5600, Fax: 416-510-6875 e-mail: info@canadianinteriors.com website: www.canadianinteriors.com Canadian Interiors publishes seven issues, plus a source guide, per year.

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No contributing writers were harmed during the making of this magazine. In fact, no contributing writers were used during the making of this magazine. Three of my ever-dependable CI “regulars” – deputy editor Peter Sobchak, along with associate editors David Lasker and Leslie C. Smith – stepped up to the plate and took on two assignments each for this issue. I thank them for their enthusiasm and industriousness.

Smith brought her eye and expertise to two-thirds of our “Toronto trio”: the Don Montgomery Community Centre (“A bang-up job,” page 25) and the Toronto Retina Institute (“Easy on the eyes,” page 37). “The Toronto Retina Institute is all about a quiet, calming, well-ordered patient experience,” says Smith. “The Don Montgomery Community Centre, on the other hand, is so crazily energetic that even I, a confirmed lazy person, felt like joining one of their dance classes.”

Lasker, who produces Who’s Who (page 47) – far and away our most popular department – brought his eye and expertise to the final third of our T.O. trio: the au courant offices of IDC/ARIDO (“Letter perfect,” page 31). One of the country’s most distinguished design writers and editors (among other things, he was once the editor of this magazine), Lasker has little time for reporting these day, heading up his own successful PR and communications firm. Persuading him to take on this assignment was for me a personal coup.

Sobchak produced two show reports: Paris’s Maison & Objet (“A maison’s raison d’être,” page 21) and IMM Cologne (“...as usual, the unusual,” page 41). Both shows were held in January, as was Frankfurt’s Domotex, which he reported on in the March/April issue.

Says Sobchak of his winter show marathon: “Near the end, my trip began to take on a quasi-Arthurian feel, as my searching pushed me down every aisle; it was only because of the energy and dazzling style of Western Europe design that I was able to sustain the pace necessary to plow through three trade shows in three cities in 10 days. Don’t get me wrong: I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

I myself took on two assignments for this issue: What’s Up (page 15), which I regularly compile and write, and Last Word (“Sitting pretty,” page 50), the subject Vancouver-based Omer Arbel’s latest light sensation. Not as impressive a feat as Smith’s, Lasker’s and Sobchak’s, true – but I do what I can. c I CanIntJune2012_Canadian Interiors SPARK 4/25/12 11:08 AM Page 1 Michael Totzke mtotzke@canadianinteriors.com

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What’s Up

May/June The new at NeoCon Here it comes again, as regular and as welcome as June weather: NeoCon, the National Exposition of Contract Furnishings, now in its 44th year.

Mid-June, more than 40,000 architecture and design professionals will gather at Chicago’s venerable Merchandise Mart on the bank of the Chicago River. For these professionals ­­– including staff of Canadian Interiors ­– this is the year’s can’t-miss event.

North America’s largest design exposition and conference for commercial interiors, NeoCon offers 120 CEU-accredited seminars and association forums, along with top-notch keynote speakers. (This year’s speakers include Richard M. Daley, former mayor of the city of Chicago; Primo Orpilla, principal of Studio O+A; Gary Lee, prinicpal of Gary Lee Partners; and Ian Schrager of Ian Schrager Company.)

But the main attraction is the awesome array of products and resources (for corporate, hospitality, healthcare, retail, government, institutional and residential interiors) from more than 700 showrooms and exhibitors – spread out over one million square feet of space on 10 floors of the Mart.

Following are five remarkable products making their debut at this year’s NeoCon.

HON and Teknion are introducing systems geared to today’s “collaborative office.”

HON’s Motivate is a collection of tables, chairs and presentation tools – mobile and adaptable – designed for higher-education classrooms, café and meeting rooms in offices and facilities, and other common spaces. Its development is the result of HON’s association with product designer Wolfgang Deisig of Berlin-based Deisig Design.

Teknion’s Sidewise – designed by Christopher Wright of Toronto’s figure3 – is a compact casegoods workstation/hub ideal for smaller, less formal workspaces in openplan environments; a vertical storage component structurally supports the workstation and minimizes the footprint. ­ Three of our favorite companies – Keilhauer, Nienkämper and Allsteel – are introducing singular items.

Keilhauer’s Talk, a dramatic new seating system of benches with backs, chairs and tables – designed by EOOS – optimiz-

Clockwise from top left Highback chair from Keilhauer’s Talk seating system; Teknion’s Sidewise, a compact casegoods workstation/ hub; Allsteel’s Take-5 Stool, the latest addition to its Gather collection; Metronome Flip Top Tables from Nienkämper, shown folded and unfolded; HON’s Motivate, a collection of chairs, tables and presentation tools.

es face-to-face meetings; single- and two-seat benches feature backrests that are high enough to double as privacy screens and sound barriers.

Nienkämper’s Metronome Flip Flop Tables fold and unfold quickly to change the dynamics of the workspace and adapt to varying needs; carefully tailored legs impart a modern aesthetic.

Allsteel’s Take-5 Stool is the latest addition to the Gather collection; with its bent plywood seat (cushioned and contouring naturally to the human form) atop a leggy sled base, the stool distills seating to the barest essentials.

NeoCon 2012 runs at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart from June 11 to 13. We hope to see you there.

MaY/June 2012 CANADIAN INTERIORS 15

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Good wood, part 1 The engineered flooring of Terra Legno (which translates as “Earth Wood”) is created by combining separate layers of hardwood ­– from responsibly managed forests of fast-growing plantation trees ­– guaranteeing stability and lasting quality. The company recently added a European-inspired mix of oil-finished, brushed, smoked wood products to its FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) lineup. These include Antique Copper and Antique Bronze, with walnut tones; Arctic White, with cool, crisp white tones; Stone Grey, with an oil matte finish; and Aztec Silver, a dark fumed oak with exaggerated deep brushing highlighted by a silvery white grain (featured on the cover of CI’s January/February 2012 issue). Rounding out the new introductions are Antique Gray, Charcoal Walnut, Sketched Oak and Hearthstone.

For more information, visit terralegno.com.

From top Aztec Silver, Arctic White, Antique Copper and Stone Gray – four European-inspired additions to the extensive Terra Legno lineup.

“Art’s Place” Food Services Outlet

Good wood, part 2 Recently in Vancouver, more than 350 distinguished design and building professionals – including architects, engineers, project teams, industry sponsors and guests – gathered to honour the winners of the 2012 Wood WORKS! BC Wood Design awards. Wood WORKS! is a national industry-led initiative of the Canadian Wood Council; Wood WORKS! BC, with its awards, recognizes and encourages continued excellence in the building and design community.

The 8th annual edition of the Wood Design awards included the category Interior Beauty Design, and the winner of this award is an unexpected treat: “art’s Place” Food Services Outlet, Fine arts Building, university of Victoria, by antonio James of Victoria-based Warner James architects. Designed as a freestanding sculptural object in the lobby of the Fine arts Building, the coffee outlet had to float in in the space without touching walls or windows.

Within the elegant two-storey

space, James chose to use wood slats for warmth, colour and texture; Western birch, birch plywood and custom millwork are the predominant wood features. During the day, the slats allow for transparency, the daylight flowing into the lobby. at night, “art’s Place” glows like a lantern, from below and within.

Our mistakes In our March/april 2012 issue, we gave some incorrect information. In the profile of Inger Bartlett and her firm, Bartlett & associates (“Strong suit” ), it’s stated that Bartlett worked, after graduation, at the Bank of Montreal. That should be the Royal Bank.

In the first part of our fast-food trilogy (“Good to go”), concerning The urban eatery at the Toronto eaton Centre, it’s stated that communal spaces were in the hands of principal architect Giannone Petricone. While Giannone Petricone was one of the five firms involved with creating designs for vendors, the communal spaces were designed by GH+a, with lighting design by Gabriel Mackinnon. We regret the errors.

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Bow wow There’s a new dog – a Kooldog – in town. Founded by Torontobased industrial designer Ki Park, Kooldog is “a designer and manufacturer inspired by simple forms and materials.

Our goal is to produce quality products from our homeland instead of manufacturing them overseas. We believe that we can shape our world little by little with one beautiful product at a time.”

The company’s first product – which really is a beaut – is the Kooldog House, created for the small- or medium-sized canine that appreciates the minimalist aesthetic. Its main body is made of durable powdercoated metal; the bedding consists of a polyurethane foam cushion, polyester inner slipcover and polyester

microfiber suede outer slipcover. The dog’s “best friend” can choose among three wood finishes for the face cover and three colours of cushion.

“Kooldog is a start-up company with lots of creative ideas for years to come,” says Park. “We’re not just a petproduct company, which means we’re not limited by a specific industry. We aim to provide unique creations for people who love designer products.” For more information, visit kooldog.ca.

Toronto-based Kooldog’s very first product is the Kooldog House, created for the small- or medium-sized canine that appreciates a minimalist aesthetic.

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A maison’s raison d’être For four intense and imaginative days in January, Maison & Objet was a unique observatory of all things creative for the home. To borrow a euphemism from the satellite event Paris Des Chefs, M&O is like a pinch of extraordinary in the crudités of contemporary lifestyles.

—By Peter Sobchak

Grow op For its 2012 spring-summer collection, Serax maison d’être called upon ceramic artists Paul Odekerken and Laurent Trébout to experiment with playful shapes and colours through new firing methods in order to create these fanciful flower pots – part of the company’s vast Lifestyle line. serax.com

MaY/June 2012 CANADIAN INTERIORS 21

1—Gadget accommodation The Swedish trio Claesson Koivisto Rune has noticed how people’s postures change when incorporating mobile devices into their reading habits: we now lounge or sprawl in a more relaxed fashion. In response to this, CKR created the Isola chair, manufactured by Italian maker Tacchini, a fascinating design that is enveloping without being a bulky, room-dominating mass. and the side table is certainly laptop- or iProduct-friendly. ckr.se

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1 2—Join the club This rigorous, monolithic armchair with its masculine lines and Cubism–meets– Mad Men sensibility forcibly grabbed your attention from the typically delicate offerings clogging the aisles at M&O. Characterized by soft stitched leather and walnut plating over a beech structure, Club is part of the debut line by a new actor on the contemporary furniture scene, Le Porheil Paris.

3—Ready when you are Suitable for interior and exterior environments, and especially useful for spaces where occupancies vary, the Klap by Vange – fabricated in bamboo – is characterized by its delicacy (20 mm in thickness) and its strength (it can support a load of 140 kg). Vange modified the 2012 version to include a flap in the backrest that better supports the user’s back. a container on castors can carry 20 chairs, making it ideal for tight spaces.

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22 CanaDIan INTERIORS MaY/June 2012

4—Slices of brilliance The Strates desk and shelving system by the Belgian outfit Objekten was one of biggest draws at the show for many reasons, not the least of due to its prominent placement in the international press check-in area. Designed by Mathieu Lehanneur, the desk exudes intuitive ergonomics, but is also designed to be easily and quickly assembled and disassembled. objekten.com

6—Who doesn’t love bunnies?

The designer duo IskosBerlin (aleksej Iskos and Boris Berlin) has created a voluminous, inviting and playful interpretation of the classic ear Chair that just wants to hug you. If it weren’t for the tightly bound strings wrapped around the soft, upholstered body, it seems almost as if the Bunny chair would explode out with a loving embrace.

Consider yourself warned.

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5—A bad-mood killer at first glance, Bounce looks like it could be part of a Cirque du Soleil stage performance – but in fact it’s a new idea in seating designed by Fenny Ganatra, a young industrial designer from Mumbai. Once you get over your initial trepidation, the effect is an uncanny feeling of levitation as you are both suspended and supported by elastic silicone strands. Made of polycarbonate and weighing approximately 9 kg, Bounce is being produced and marketed by Mumbai-based One Group. the-bounce.com

7—Soft whimsy The quilted lumps of Serpentine, designed by Éléonore nalet for Ligne Roset, are interwoven with a delicate metal structure to create a surprisingly comfortable armchair that is equally at home indoors and out. Its metal structure is protected by a double layer of polyester/epoxy lacquer, and the acrylic Tempête fabric is waterproof and anti-uV treated. ligne-roset.com

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8—East meets North The Okumi armchair’s influences are Scandinavian and Japanese: a pure wooden form is sheathed in a traditional Japanese fabric covering evocative of a kimono, as if one had been thrown carelessly over it (the name comes from a Japanese word for a piece of fabric worn in front of the kimono). a single piece of wool fabric, with inverted pleats available in monochromatic or bicolour, makes up the cover and backrest. Okumi was designed

by Studio Catoir for Ligne Roset. ligne-roset.com

MaY/June 2012 CanaDIan INTERIORS 23

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T.O. Trio

A bang-up job ATA Architects Inc. turns a derelict indoor rifle range into a dynamic youth centre.

—By Leslie C. Smith

Pow! Splashes of primary colours and extensive use of bamboo plywood lend vibrancy and warmth to the interior of Toronto’s Don Montgomery Youth Centre.

Photo by Paul Orenstein

MAY/JuNe 2012 CANADIAN INTERIORS 25

The City – you gotta love it. First the powers that be mandate the repurposing of “gun culture” spaces, such as the former indoor rifle range at Toronto’s Don Montgomery Community Centre. Then, just as the project gets underway, they slash the budget. “It’s always a challenge, working with a municipality,” Geri Tino says diplomatically, before adding that City of Toronto reps were “wonderful to work with.” An associate at Oakville’s ATA Architects Inc., Tino laboured with principal Alexander Temporale to turn the dark, dingy, wedge-shaped box of a

building into a shiny, new, multi-use area filled with energy and light.

Located in Scarborough, the Don Montgomery Youth Centre was not only designed with young people in mind, it was actually co-created by the neighbourhood Building It To Suit Youth, or BITSY, committee, over a period of nine four-hour sessions facilitated by Tino. Starting with the shell of the old structure, the design team riffed on its angularity: slashing similar wedge-like windows with oddly juxtaposed mullions through the solid brick, installing colourful zigzagging “fins”

that offer the suggestion of walls without any enclosure; taking ordinary mechanical ducts and twisting them into sculptural swoops and swirls that mimic the vitality of graffiti lettering.

They opened up the small east wing in more ways than one, adding glass-walled office spaces, a glass door for the new wheelchair-accessible entrance, and large interior glass windows that overlook the community centre’s lower corridor. These allow people to see and be seen, connecting them to the activity both inside and beyond, and giving the dynamics of the

This page A view of the youth centre from the vestibule, past the glassed-in offices, looking toward the multi-purpose room. Opposite The odd angle of the original building informed the angularity of the design, including the multi-purpose room’s offbeat windows and mirror frame.

26 CANADIAN INTERIORS MaY/June 2012

Photos by Paul Orenstein

space a greater synergistic flow. Even the long, multi-purpose room that lowers from two storeys to one and stretches to the back wall can be divided in half by unfolding a glazed partition Nano-wall, which too boasts its own glass doorway.

This room, featuring a sprung floor in natural maple and an angular-framed mirror at the far end, can accommodate a host of interests, from yoga classes to drum circles, as well as a variety of dance classes, including Glee-style dance and music mash-ups for special-needs kids. The rest of the woodwork – doors,

benches, extra-wide baseboards and window frames – is all solid bamboo plywood, save for the matching laminate added to two storage-room doors for durability’s sake. Atop that, though, sits a slab of real bamboo with a sharply angled side, a feature piece meant as nothing more than a neat complement to the space’s overall vibe.

Closer examination of wooden elements used throughout the multi-purpose room, vestibule and office area reveals an interesting kinetic detailing. Tino deliberately left the ends of each three- and

five-ply board exposed, so the edges present a striated cross-grain pattern that serves to ramp up the space’s rhythmical vigour.

Overhead, linear fluorescents, scattered at the same seemingly random angles as the window mullions like a giant game of pick-up sticks, get in on the action too.

And that angularity keeps repeating – from the long, slanted reveals carved directly into one patch of the multi-purpose room’s drywall down to the smallest of fittings, such as the acutely bent nickel-plated coat hooks and door handles in the office area. The idea of designer-

MaY/June 2012 CANADIAN INTERIORS 27

KNC Inte

cum-graffiti-artist can also be seen in the building’s circular ventilation grids, the grey-and-white scratchitti-like lines on the boardroom/lounge’s countertop, and the sudden shot of gold in a single cupboard door, juxtaposed against pewter-shaded millwork.

With all this vibrancy on display, it’s hard to believe that the space’s original directive was for “California cool,” all muted shades and laid-back attitude. Yet so claims Tino, who credits her BITSY advisors for the more youth-driven direction, one that also extends to the

building’s exterior. Here, the window slashes on the outer walls are punctuated above by large, cobalt-blue aluminum panels, each intercut with its own series of reveals that echo the mullions beneath.

The windows themselves are made from low e-solar glass, which offers a cool, tinted-car-window effect in the daytime.

“Instead of blank walls staring at the houses beyond, the windows open a visual dialogue with the neighbourhood,” she says, adding, “I’ve driven by at night, and it just glows.”

At the 2011 Design Exchange Awards,

ATA Architects received an Honourable Mention for the Don Montgomery Youth Centre. The reward for Tino, however, was in stepping up to the challenges presented by the City, the collaborative committee system, and the building itself. Ultimately, for her: “It was a fun, full project. Working with the people in the community – it’s beyond a job. It becomes a cause.” c I

Brilliant! Linear fluorescents, scattered at the same seemingly random angles as the window mullions, suggest a giant game of pick-up sticks.

28 CANADIAN INTERIORS MaY/June 2012

Photo by Melissa Rolston

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T.O. Trio

Letter perfect Modo’s design for the offices of IDC/aRIDO deserves an a+. —By David Lasker

Easy as A-B-C View past the reception desk and lounge to collaborative spaces beyond. The monochromatic palette of the new construction helps focus attention on the colours and textures of the existing brick, beam and floor elements, and on the donated furnishings. The existing columns were washed and the maple floors cleaned and sealed. Painting at centre by Cristina Tofan.

Photography by Richard Johnson

MaY/June 2012 CanaDIan INTERIORS 31

Leading by example, the offices for IDC (Interior Designers of Canada) and aRIDO (association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario) inspire as they boldly show the way. This laboratory of a workspace boasts au courant workplace planning and design strategies, showcases sustainable design, features the latest products from an array of manufacturers, and exemplifies how to eke out a rigorous budget with style and panache. Occupying 7,500 square feet in Toronto’s Toy Factory Lofts – located in the west end’s trendy

Liberty Village – the renovated, industrial building (c. 1910) boasts the kind of warm, vintage, brick-and-beam loft space that creative types love to work in.

Since opening its doors, the IDC/aRIDO headquarters has become a hub of activity, welcoming visitors daily and hosting regular open-house events and educational seminars. Indeed, the office is the living embodiment of the new, bigger, more-encompassing mandate of IDC to become a truly national rather than Toronto-centric organization, by offering a full

slate of professional-development seminars to its far-flung membership through the magic of video-conferencing.

Toronto-based Modo (formerly BHdesign) got the gig by winning a design competition open to all registered Ontario interior designers, sponsored by aRIDO, which owns the property. The project budget of $630,000 included consultant fees, construction costs, furniture, IT, aV and security.

Ironically, Modo promptly upended the program, with the blessings of its client.

Above Maharam’s Eames Small Dot fabric clads the Herman Miller benches outside the two boardrooms, which measure 20 x 29 feet and 20 x 13 feet, and can be combined into one generous room. Sleek panels frame boardroom doors. Drywalled, built-out bulkheads and soffits conceal lighting, air ducts and conduits. Centre Helter-skelter alphabet graphic on a sliding door spells out “servery,” located behind the door, with the boardroom beyond. Timeline graphics depicting ARIDO milestones, along with archival photos, will grow to commemorate future events. Opposite Modo photographed the building’s exterior, edited it in Photoshop and printed it to cover the entire barn door facing the boardroom, shown partially open to reveal the servery and, beyond it, one of the collaborative areas. Painting by Neil Young.

32 CanaDIan INTERIORS MaY/June 2012

“They set aside their own visions for the space and let us develop a design that we felt was appropriate for them,” explained Modo partner Chantal Frenette during a recent walk-through of the project. “By not following their scope of work, that probably won us the job. The program we were given was more heavily weighted to the workplace; we changed it to become more of an event space.”

Frenette’s key move was to locate the boardrooms and lounge/collaborative spaces so that they faced one another.

With the boardrooms’ generous doors open, the entire area serves as an event space, with the reception desk doubling as a bar. “The only way to maximize real estate is if you design spaces that are multifunctional,” added Frenette. as for the private and open office areas, “IDC and aRIDO recognized that there has been a big evolution in workplace design and they wanted to be in the vanguard.

There has been a shift from putting private offices on the perimeter walls to placing them on the interior so that

everyone has access to the windows, daylight and fresh air. It’s much more democratic. and it was a reaction to the fact that those private offices are empty a lot of the time. These people are more often than not out in meetings or off site.

This also reflects the shift from using real estate as a reward mechanism to really designing for a person’s function. Here, a person gets a door because they require acoustic privacy.”

Regarding the spartan aesthetic, “Our intent was to be minimalist. There was

MaY/June 2012 CanaDIan INTERIORS 33

already so much going on with the brick and the beams and the steel columns. We didn’t want to fight with that. especially during conferences and events, the people provide the colour and texture. So you don’t need to overdo the details.”

The neutral, white and grey palette of the newly constructed, drywall-sheathed interior volumes emphasizes that they stand apart from the existing shell. This helps focus attention on the donated furnishings, gathered from an array of suppliers. “We wanted to have representa-

tion from all the major manufacturers in the space; we didn’t want to go to a single source,” Frenette explained. “This made it challenging to co-ordinate their pieces.”

The nine-foot-high dropped ceiling conceals the messy mechanical – ducts and conduits – and a slot for track lighting. “We located it on the interior of the floor plan so we could maximize the ceiling heights on the perimeter. This gives the illusion of a larger space. The boardrooms would feel cavernous with 15-foot ceilings, and it wouldn’t help the acous-

Above In a democratic move, private offices – each measuring 10 by 12 feet – are sited away from the windows, giving views and fresh air to the bullpen. Partially glazed side walls transmit daylight to innermost offices. The offices showcase Knoll’s first Toronto installation of its Antenna system, whose retro-looking extension cabinets are the only wood component in the project. Centre Teknion District workstations (with leverage panels) and Inscape collaboration counters populate the open-office area.

Opposite A neutral-density, graduated filter dot pattern, transitioning on the DIRTT glass walls from opaque at the bottom to clear in the middle, gives the offices a modicum of privacy.

34 CanaDIan INTERIORS MaY/June 2012

tics during video-conferencing for live seminars when they use microphones.”

The project is slated to win LeeD for Commercial Interiors certification, pending review by the Canada Green Building Council. To that end, Modo maintained as much of the existing floor as possible instead of carpeting the entire office. as outlined above, everyone has access to daylight and views. every piece of furniture is GreenGuard certified and almost every item specified has recycled content. each private office has its own

lighting controls. Overheard fluorescents are efficient T5 luminaires; pot lights and task lights all utilize LEDs, which don’t produce energy-wasting heat and last practically forever.

If there is a characteristic Modo look, it would be the clever use of graphics. “We do a lot of graphics integration and branding in our interiors,” Frenette told me. “Most of our projects tend to be corporate-office clients who have a strong brand and look to us to incorporate that brand into the workplace, and graphics is

one way to do that. It’s an inexpensive way to bring life and energy into a project.

It’s a very flexible solution: when it’s tired, it can be pulled off the wall.”

On this project, the boardrooms, for example, are enlivened with a chronology of ARIDO milestones with dates in black superimposed on larger “shadow” grey numerals accompanied by archival photos.

A supersize, abstracted streetscape Toy Factory Lofts photomural transforms the sliding servery door into a piece of art.

“We can be trendy and expressive with

graphics like these,” Frenette added.

“However, our design philosophy is to make spaces with clean architectural lines that last and don’t look too trendy. This applies particularly to ARIDO and IDC, who will be here a very long time.” c I

MaY/June 2012 CANADIAN INTERIORS 35

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T.O. Trio

Easy on the eyes Neophyte designer Stacey Cohen’s vision for the Toronto Retina Institute is calm, cool and uncomplicated. —By Leslie C. Smith

An eye for an eye The clinic owes much of its sense of calm to its palette of earth tones and warm neutrals. Repetition of materials, such as walnut veneer and porcelain Calacatta marble, ties the space together. Intuitive navigation takes the place of signage: patients enter the opening to the right of the TRI logo to start their counter-clockwise rotation through the various diagnostic departments.

Photography by Reynolds Photography and Trevor Cohen

MaY/June 2012 CANADIAN INTERIORS 37

It was Stacey Cohen’s first-ever design for a medical clinic, and you could say that the operation was a complete success. In fact, Dr. Alan Berger, ophthalmologist-in-chief at St. Michael’s Hospital and co-partner at the Toronto Retina Institute, says the clinic, built from concrete shell out, ended up “surpassing our wildest dreams.”

Located in a mainly medical building in uptown Toronto’s trendy Shops at Don Mills plaza, the 5,000-square-foot treatment centre opened last August and has since seen a steady stream of patients.

“They get approximately 200 people coming through here each day,” Cohen says. “With such high traffic, you need efficiency and a good sense of flow. You also need durable, easy-to-clean surfaces.”

Given the number of patients who are visually impaired, not to mention anxious about their health prospects, simplified wayfinding and calm-filled surroundings were other vital requirements. To effectuate all of this, Cohen started off by sketching in a circular pathway that leads logically from the main reception and runs counter-clockwise through the assessment, diagnostic and examination room areas, then leads back out to reception. Doctors’ offices, a staff lounge/ conference room, a small kitchen and a three-piece bathroom are kept private in a separate side corridor with its own access points.

Lighting throughout the clinic consists of a mixture of natural light, fluorescents and LED pot lights, used both to aid in visual acuity and to soften any sense of medical sterility. Signage is restricted solely to the reception room’s TRI logo, which appears on a large glass panel attached to a feature wall of textured wood veneer broken into a brick pattern via quarter-inch stainless steel reveals.

Close to this sits the three-person reception desk, islanded in a greige polished limestone that stands out from the surrounding walls of cream porcelain Calacatta marble. The walnut-shaded wood veneer panels are repeated behind.

And, rather than a high ceiling of plain acoustical tiles as in the rest of the space, the desk boasts a pot light-punctuated dropped ceiling made from tufted leatherette upholstery fabric. The effect is upscale comfortable, and also tends to make any “reception” sign superfluous.

Like all other elements of the clinic’s finishes, furnishings and millwork, each detail was chosen, designed or custom38 CANADIAN INTERIORS MaY/June 2012

ordered by Cohen, who consciously sought out “classic, natural-looking materials and a dignified, neutral palette – to create a calm environment that feels fresh and clean.”

She also ensured ease of cleaning by “floating” units, such as the reception desk, clinicians’ desks and cabinets, above and over eight-inch-high baseboards coated in a brushed stainlesssteel veneer. Walls in the interior patient

waiting rooms are covered in a washable, as well as visually interesting, off-white basket-weave vinyl. Non-slip, vinyl “wood plank” flooring is used here too; back in the reception area, the floor of large, light-grey stone tiles also offers sturdy foot purchase, plus a naturally textured surface capable of hiding any high-traffic scarring. The same kind of intuitive navigational design represented by the reception desk carries through to

Opposite top Custom millwork maintains an air of quiet dignity, right down to the use of unobtrusive keyhole handles on cupboard doors. Opposite bottom The reception desk, with its singular border of greige polished limestone and overhead tufted upholstery panels, draws attention rather than demands it. This page Little difference can be detected between the small kitchen in the private staff area (above) and public examination rooms (one of which is shown at left). This deliberate “home styling” is intended to foster a more relaxed patient experience.

visitor seating. Quietly colour-coded chairs are grouped according to their individual area: taupe for the main reception, navy blue and charcoal for the interior waiting rooms.

Repetition of the overall palette and materials gives the whole space integrity, a consistency that extends straight through to the private staff area. Indeed, the kitchen and bathroom here appear remarkably similar to the examination

and diagnostic rooms on the other side of the dividing wall. Recessed-handle cupboards, glass-tile splash backs behind the sinks, Corian countertops – there’s a distinct, home-style atmosphere in the public areas that Cohen purposely strove to replicate. After all, why not make the patient experience as relaxing as possible?

“I wanted the place to have a modern, condo-like feel,” she says, “full of warmth and good energy.”

Cohen spent just two years working for a high-profile developer after graduation from Toronto’s International Academy of Design and Technology before launching Interiors by Stacey Cohen a year and a half ago. Relatively new to the business, she still has managed to pull off a project worthy of more seasoned colleagues.

Given this is her first time at bat designing a medical clinic, Cohen’s definitely a rookie worth keeping an eye on. c I MaY/June 2012 CANADIAN INTERIORS 39

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Keep it simple Christian Dorn is making a name for himself by not being complicated or exotic, but rather by applying an acute sense of simplicity to traditional seating furniture. At this year’s IMM, he debuted a straightforward interpretation of armchairs and two- and three-seater sofas – ­such as the Ova – in unpretentious material combinations of metal and wool, fabric and leather covers. Dorn says more upholstered furniture, lamps, tables and decorative accessories are to follow. stiltreu.de

IMM 2012 Cologne seemed governed by a simple philosophy: throw everything against the wall and see what sticks. Not deterred by this chaotic approach, this observer found a lot sticking to the proverbial walls of good design.

—By Peter Sobchak

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1-Full circle One day Schütz Flechtwelt got together with Fritsch-associés to rethink not just the design of rattan seating but its entire production process as well. The result is Spline, which unlike traditional rattan manufacturing is not bound with adhesives, but rather a system of clamps integrated into the stainlesssteel structure. This adhesive-free connection means if Spline is dissembled, the natural fibres are biodegradable and the metal can be recycled. The indoor version uses rattan and stainless steel, while the outdoor version is made from a recyclable, weather-resistant artificial fibre. schuetz-spline.com

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2-Desk on a diet Aptly named Flatmate is a dream come true for many ensconced in that shoebox-in-the-sky we call a condo. Designed by Michael Hilgers for Müller Möbelwerkstätten, its slim depth and sleek, unobtrusive exterior transform hallways into home offices. Behind the side flaps is space for two 8-cm wide standard-sized files, plus a 17-inch laptop including accessories and CDs. When closed, Flatmate has a floor area of just 0.09 square metres. muellermoebel.de

42 CANADIAN INTERIORS MaY/June 2012

3-Saddle up The latest scion in Jori’s everevolving leather chair collection is the Ascot. Designed by Jean-Pierre Audebert, this eye-catcher is built on a self-supporting structure of curved wood from which hangs a perforated back seat, all covered in saddle leather, and standing on a brushed stainless-steel foot that can rotate 360 degrees. jori.com

4-Come fly with me The service trolley has been a staple in planes all over the world for decades. But lately, Colognebased Bordbar has been transforming trolleys into clever, whimsical pieces of furniture with a surprisingly wide variety of uses – available in a multiplicity of patterns, colours and functions. At IMM, Bordbar announced a serendipitous new collaboration: its trolleys will be taken to new heights aboard Airberlin, Germany’s second-largest airline. Coming home, as it were.

5-Feel the light Oligo’s Trinity lamp series, available in both suspended and standard floor versions, got off to a great start in 2012 by receiving an Interior Innovation Award during IMM, as well as taking second place in the popular German audience award “Luminaire of the year.” The head consists of independently pivotable segments, and the direction of each segment can be step adjusted, allowing it to be transformed from an uplighter to a down lighter. oligo.de

bordbar.de

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6-Bust a move It may seem a bit like a gimmick, but there is also something refreshingly natural about putting socks on the legs of a table – at least Vitamin Design thinks so. Its new GO table lives up to its name, with four angularly offset legs ending in snug gaiters. This gag gives the table an archaic appearance and a surprisingly cheeky note. vitamin-design.de

7-Two become one At this year’s show, Conde House launched a new collection of wooden tables and chairs designed in collaboration with MalyHoffmannKahleyss. This new line fuses German craftsmanship with Japanese design culture, drawing heavily on notions of symmetry and solidity. The Hakama table, for example, finds a way to balance one solid piece of wood on four precipitously slender legs.

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condehouse.de

8-Opposites attract Dresden-based Paulsberg may have had a tiny booth with only two pieces of furniture on display, but its sense-defying combination of =material and expression made quite an impact. Inspired by the silhouette of a sprinter about to start a race, the Spurt lounge chair is made of one piece of carbon-textile reinforced concrete; similarly, the Fruits coffee table is one piece of smoothly curved carbon-concretecomposite complemented by a board of whitty pear, elegantly combining the different features of two contradictory materials. paulsberg.co

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MaY/June 2012 CANADIAN INTERIORS 43

1-A touch of Mondrian ANB Art and Design presented its new Unicatum shelving system at IMM, full of variable floor elements and side panels, coloured glass and LED lighting elements that can be mixed and matched in a few seconds without the need for tools. anb-art-design.com

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2-Scandinavian support The Norwegian firm Variér introduced Variér Active at the show, the newest addition to its range of work chairs. Designed by Olav Eldøy and Atle Tveit, the chair’s sculptural shape was inspired by the oak leaf; its saddle-shaped seat gives your legs space and freedom of movement. And of course everything is adjustable, including the seat, elbow and backrests. variérfurniture.com

3-With pleasure The organically shaped elementary form and sculptural softness of Avec Plaisir sofas and chairs, the latest designs by Kati Meyer-Brühl, caught the attention of not only IMM visitors but also the German Design Council, which bestowed it with an Interior Innovation Award earlier this year. The covers – available in cotton, supple stretch wool fabric or leather – come in an array of bright colours. bruehl.com 3

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44 CANADIAN INTERIORS MaY/June 2012

4-Fit for Steve Spectral showcased two new entertainment systems at IMM 2012 that almost define the word “unobtrusive.” The Scala (pictured) and Cocoon are both designed to conceal technical components such as unsightly cables, subwoofers and speakers, and come with universal Original Apple docking stations to support iPods, iPhones and iPads. spectral.eu

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Who’s Who

Spring flowers —Text and photos by David Lasker

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ALESSI PREVIEW

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Alessi previewed its spring/ summer 2012 collection at its store-within-a store at Bergo Designs in the Distillery District.

1—Stephanie Potter, sales associate, Bergo Designs; Taurel Lorenz, Distillery District ambassador; and Gillian Bones, Distillery District event rep and lounge singer.

2—Craig Sakula, general manager, and Lida Simonian, sales associate at Bergo Designs; Laura Bulley, Ontario sales agent for Alessi; and Josée Cauchon, Alessi sales, Canada.

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MIGRATING LANDSCAPES

ARIDO BOWLING BASH The ARIDO GTA Chapter held its first bowling tournament, Gutterball 2012, at the Ballroom in the Theatre District. Eighteen teams of eight players competed, including interior designers, manufacturers and dealers.

Even IDC fielded a team.

1—Strike or spare?

2—Tutu much: Tamar Krikorian, account manager, workplace resource, Herman Miller; Nicole Pimentel, account exec, Office Source; with Allseating’s Nikki Ptaszek, territory manager, and Sarah McGillivray, GTA sales rep.

3—Don we now our kitschy eyeglasses: SGH Design Partners designers Renee Adamkowski and Erica Merry flank Teknion A&D market manager Jessica Allen.

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Young Ontario architects and designers aspiring to represent Canada at the Venice Biennale in Architecture later this year first had to win the Ontario regional division.

Their models were on view at the Migrating Landscapes exhibit at Brookfield Place’s Allen Lambert Galleria, where a party was held to announce the winners.

1—Architect Simon Ko, partner, Kirkor Architects and Planners; with Architecture Canada-RAIC president David Craddock and executive director Jim McKee. 2—Christian Kellett, sales and marketing director at acoustical room-treatment maker Decoustics; Sheena Sharp, president, Ontario Association of Architects (OAA); architect Paul Dowsett, principal, sustainable.to Architecture + Building; and Kristi Doyle, executive director, OAA. 3—Les Klein, principal, Quadrangle Architects; Columbia-based architect Maria Ortega; Jason Van Eyk, executive director, Arts Smarts, which creates school-community partnerships in the arts; and Colin Ripley, director of Ryerson University’s Master of Architecture program.

4—Leona Savoie, VP, Hullmark Developments; and architect Cliff Korman, partner, Kirkor Architects and Planners.

5—Jury members Brigette Shim, principal at Shim Sutcliffe Architects, and Chris Pommer, partner, Plant Architect.

3 MaY/June 2012 CANADIAN INTERIORS 47

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TUSCH & TONON Tusch seating invited the A&D community to Bar Vespa to celebrate its newest Italian supplier, Tonon.

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1—Nino Hason, president, Tusch Seating International; Paul Epp, chair, industrial design, OCAD University; Les Garai, Tusch account manager; Andrea Bandera, Tonon area manager; and Richard Collier, head of custom manufacturer and restorer Collier Furniture.

2—Norr architectural designers Bill Cho, Roshanak Sheikh, Mike Deraaf, Sarhan Aburwier, Vivian Gabrail and Scott Norris.

3—Kelly McTernan Lavoie senior designer Cheryl MacKay, project manager Rick Lees and designer Brett Carson; with home-stager and designer Michele Dotey.

4—Modo interior design project designers Tara Fotheringham, Patrick Rechtorik and Angela Padden.

MARLIS SAUNDERS AT DX Stop, Drop, Repeat was the Design Exchange’s first major exhibition on pattern design and Canada’s first look at the work of Marlis Saunders, a Canadian Bauhaus pioneer.

1—Newly appointed DX president Shauna Levy; polyethylene engineering specialist Jock Saunders with his wife and guest of honor, Marlis; and Anne Marie Minardi, DX collections director.

2—Caitlyn Ryall, OCAD University textile student; Dilys Tong, co-founder of Sew Be It Studio, offering sewing workshops for teens and tweens; and portrait photographer Dean Macdonell.

3—Accessories and fashion designer Sabrina Dawn, financial analyst Vlad Skotar; Joyce Rashid, “Queen Mother” of design superstars Hani and Karim; and Ryerson design student Ivona Natonska.

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48 CANADIAN INTERIORS MaY/June 2012

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Terra Legno, literally meaning - ‘Earth Wood’ is a manufacture of design-inspired, FSC certified engineered wood flooring. The collection has an exciting European flair, reflecting the latest design trends including fumed & smoked, wide plank, wire brushed and matte finished flooring. It also, manufactures a collection of square edged herringbone. Terra Legno has a devoted following amongst the Architect and Design community and its products are typically specified for use in residential, hospitality and retail projects. Its custom wood flooring is distinctive and capable of producing an almost dizzying array of choices from reclaimed wood with circular wire brushing to custom colour, species with widths of up to 12.” All Terra Legno flooring is produced from saw cut veneers and 100% Baltic birch sub layers, this, to create a superior, long lasting board with maximum strength and dimensional stability.

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Last Word

Sitting pretty Omer Arbel’s latest light sensation.

—By Michael Totzke

-ofaB

Keep it simple. Not always the simplest thing to do, but Omer Arbel is a master of the minimal. The creative director of manufacturing and design company Bocci, as well as head of Omer Arbel Office, the Vancouver-based innovator is best-known for sculptural lighting fixtures – simple but by no means simplistic, the result of extensive experimentation – that have won numerous design awards. These include three series of pendants, whose numbers signify their position in Arbel’s ongoing list of design projects: 14 (an articulated, seamed, cast-glass sphere with a frosted, 50 CANADIAN INTERIORS MAY/JUNE 2012

cylindrical void that houses either a low-voltage xenon lamp or proprietary and replaceable LED – resembling a glowing far-away planet); 21 (a low-voltage xenon lamp wrapped in a frostedglass, inverted trumpet diffuser covered with raw porcelain – imagine a brown paper bag or crêpe Bretonne magically transformed); and 28 (a distorted spherical pendant with a composed collection of inner shapes, one of which is made of opaque milk glass housing a low-voltage xenon lamp – the result of a complex blowing technique). Handmade, imperfect

by nature, each pendant produced is unique. In clusters, they create an organic, one-of-a-kind chandelier.

Arbel’s latest fixture is an addition to his 28 series – in this case a desk lamp.

Designed to sit on a horizontal surface (a desk, table or shelf, or even the floor), 28d consists of a single illuminated 28 piece wired to a flexible grey crochet memory cable. It’s up to the user to coil the cable into a shapely pattern to provide a cushioned surface on which the glass rests.

Sophisticated. Sculptural. Simple. c I

Photo by Gwenael Lewis

dimensions V O L . 2 /2012

Designed to Suit/Le design s’adapte Translating a brand into a physical space Traduire une marque en une réalité physique

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contents/ sommaire

8

pg.

dimensions magazine VOL. 2 /2012

features/ dossiers

departments/ département

8. brand extension la marque, au superlatif Translating Corporate Philosophy into Physical Reality Traduire une philosophie d’entreprise en une réalité physique

4/5 on a professional note… sur une note professionnelle…

6/7 in conversation with… en conversation avec…

14/15 on your behalf… en votre nom…

16 industry members/ membres de l’industrie

11. mobility matters souveraine mobilité Getting the most out of mobile applications Profiter au maximum des serveurs mobiles

dimensions team l’équipe de dimensions Publisher/Éditrice : Susan Wiggins, Executive Director, IDC swiggins@idcanada.org Editor/Éditrice : Julia Salerno, Manager, Communications, IDC jsalerno@idcanada.org Editorial Advisory Board/ L’Équipe éditoriale : Donna Assaly (AB) Lise Boucher (MB) David Chu (SK) Ron Hughes (ON) Johane Lefrançois-Deignan (ON) Carolyn Maguire (NS) Susan Steeves (BC) canadian interiors team l’équipe de canadian interiors Publisher/Éditeur : Martin Spreer, mspreer@canadianinteriors.com Deputy Editor/Éditeur : Peter Sobchak, psobchak@canadianinteriors.com Art Director/Directeur artistique : Scott Christie christie-stewart.com French Translation/Traduction française : Pierre-Éric Villeneuve

Interior Designers Of Canada C536–43 Hanna Avenue Toronto ON M6K 1X1 t 416.649.4425 f 416.921.3660 tf 877.443.4425 dimensions@idcanada.org www.idcanada.org

Dimensions is the official magazine of IDC (Interior Designers of Canada) ©2010 Dimensions est le magazine officiel des dic (Designers d’interiéur du Canada) ©2010

idc board of management le conseil d’administration Donna Assaly, President (AB) David Gibbons, President-elect (ON) David Hanson, Past President (ON) Stephen Lamoureux, VP Finance (MB) Ada Bonini, Director/Secretary (BC) Adele Bonetti, Director (AB) Aandra Currie Shearer, Director (SK) Clinton Hummel, Director (ON) Monique Leger, Director (NB) Dede Hiscock, Director (NS) Denis Chouinard, Director (QC) Michelle Du, Director At Large (MB) Rachel Clarida, Director At Large (BC) Jessica Gozdzierski, Director, Intern/Provisional (ON) Ron Hughes, Director, Industry (ON) Dorothy Stern, Director, Education (ON) Trevor Kruse, IIDEX/NeoCon Canada Liaison (ON) Jenny Mueller-Garbutt, Chair, Board of Governors (BC)

idc staff l’équipe des dic Susan Wiggins Executive Director Irma Kemp Executive Assistant Sue Gravelle Director, Professional Development Victoria Fellowes Director, Business Development Debora Abreu Manager, Marketing Samantha Rajack Marketing Coordinator/ Coordonnatrice du marketing Julia Salerno Manager, Communications Rachael Factor Communications Coordinator Tony Sienes Manager, Accounting Claire Stewart Administrative Assistant

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on a professional note… sur une note professionnelle…

Welcome to the new look of dimensions! We have been working with Martin Spreer, Michael Totzke and Peter Sobchak at Canadian Interiors for nearly two years now and are extremely pleased with our unique partnership. At a recent review meeting, we discussed the potential for dimensions to be redesigned in a few areas, most notably, to find a way for the magazine to stand out more within Canadian Interiors. As a bilingual publication, we wanted to make sure that the layout was equally appealing to both our French and English readers and as a design magazine, we wanted to ensure it surpassed creative boundaries.

With these thoughts in mind, we turned to Scott Christie of Christie-Stewart Inc., to come up with a new design and layout for the magazine and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the results. Thank you Scott! Scott will design each issue of the magazine from here on in and we very much look forward to working with him.

Another change we made was to bring the writing of the magazine back in-house to our communications team. The past several issues have been managed by Penny Tomlin on a freelance basis. Beginning with this issue, Manager, Communications Julia Salerno will edit the magazine. She is eager to add dimensions to the roster of communications tools that she manages on behalf of the membership. We thank the IDC editorial committee (see the contents page for a list of committee members) for their input and guidance in determining story ideas for upcoming issues.

Another new communications tool recently launched is IDC News Clippings, a weekly e-blast of news articles relevant to our profession, our businesses and our communities. We hope you find this recap of the week’s news highlights a quick and informative scan of stories you may or may not have read.

Lastly, we held our spring Board meeting in Montréal at the end of April. For two days, your Board strategized, reviewed, discussed and debated numerous plans, programs and governance issues. The most rewarding part of the meeting was the report card exercise where we rated our 2011 progress against our strategic plan. We were all very pleased not only by what we have accomplished, but more importantly,

Donna Assaly, President/Président Susan Wiggins, Executive Director/Directrice générale

Bienvenue! Voici le nouveau visage de dimensions! Nous travaillons avec Martin Spreer, Michael Totzke et Peter Sobchak, du magazine Canadian Interiors, depuis maintenant deux ans. Nous sommes heureux de ce partenariat unique. Lors d’une récente réunion de bilan, nous avons discuté de la possibilité de changer quelques éléments du design de dimensions, de trouver une manière de rendre ses pages plus visibles à l’intérieur du magazine Canadian Interiors. Nous voulions être certains que cette publication bilingue soit invitante pour nos lecteurs francophones et anglophones et qu’elle dépasse certaines limites sur le plan de la création, puisqu’il s’agit d’un magazine consacré au design.

Avec ces idées en tête, nous avons demandé à Scott Christie, de la firme Christie Stewart Inc., de réfléchir à un design et à une nouvelle mise en page pour le magazine. Nous ne pourrions être plus satisfaits du résultat. Merci,Scott ! Scott sera responsable du design de chacun des numéros du magazine à venir et ce sera un plaisir de travailler avec lui.

Un autre changement important aura été de redonner la responsabilité de l’écriture du magazine à l’équipe des communications des DIC. Dans les derniers numéros, la pigiste Penny Tomlin en avait la responsabilité. Ce présent numéro a été pris en charge par Julia Salerno, la coordonnatrice des communications, qui est heureuse de compter le magazine dimensions parmi l’ensemble des véhicules de communications qu’elle gère pour les membres. Nous tenons à remercier le comité éditorial des DIC (voir à cet effet les pages de contenu pour connaître la liste des membres du comité) pour leurs commentaires et leurs directives dans la sélection d’idées pour les prochains numéros.

Un autre outil qui a récemment vu le jour est Les manchettes des DIC, lancé par notre équipe des communications. Ce publipostage hebdomadaire vous informera des plus récentes nouvelles concernant notre profession, nos entreprises et nos communautés.

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by how those accomplishments tie into the original plan we laid out as our framework for progress. We then reconfirmed our vision for 2012 and beyond, setting our sights slightly higher given what we have already accomplished.

Your Board is made up of dedicated members who are eager to see the Association grow and the profession become stronger. Their enthusiasm is inspiring beyond words and their continuous commitment is so very much appreciated. In the coming weeks, we will be issuing a call for nominations for vacant positions on the board. If it is your time to give back to the profession, we would love to have you on the team.

Enjoy the new dimensions and please, be sure to send us your feedback.

Follow IDC on twitter: @idcanadatweets

“ Your Board is made up of dedicated members who are eager to see the Association and profession grow stronger.”

Nous espérons que vous trouverez le sommaire des nouvelles de la semaine aussi stimulant qu’informatif, peu importe si vous étiez ou non au courant !

Finalement, nous avons tenu notre assemblée annuelle du printemps au mois d’avril, à Montréal.

Depuis plus de deux ans, votre conseil a revu, discuté, fait des plans stratégiques et débattu un grand nombre de projets, de programmes et de questions relatives à la direction. La dimension la plus grati-fiante a été la présentation d’un rapport sommaire, où nous avons pu mesurer et comparer notre progression en 2011 aux objectifs de notre plan stratégique. Nous sommes fiers non seulement de tout ce que nous avons accompli, mais aussi de voir comment ces réussites correspondent au plan original de notre progression. Nous avons alors reconduit notre vision pour 2012 et pour l’avenir, augmentant même nos ambitions et nos vues, considérant ce que nous avons déjà accompli.

Votre conseil est composé de membres dévoués qui souhaitent la croissance et le renforcement de l’association et de la profession. Leur enthousiasme et leurs idées sont inspirants et leur engagement

« Votre conseil est composé de membres dévoués qui souhaitent la croissance et le renforcement de l’association et de la profession. »

soutenu est sans cesse apprécié. Dans les semaines à venir, nous feront un appel de nominations pour combler les postes toujours vacants au conseil. Si le temps de redonner à la profession est enfin arrivé pour vous, nous serions heureux de vous compter parmi les membres de l’équipe.

Appréciez le nouveau dimensions et ne manquez pas de nous faire parvenir vos commentaires.

Suivez les DIC sur Twitter : @idcanadatweets

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in conversation with… en conversation avec…

How did you decide to pursue a career in interior design?

I’ve wanted to be an interior designer ever since I was a little girl. Growing up, I loved changing the furniture around in my room, watching design shows on TV and even drafting plans for my future dream home. To try my hand at the profession before jumping into post-secondary studies, I had planned to do a high school co-op program with an interior design firm, but wasn’t able to find a firm that would take on someone so young. So, I took a chance and enrolled in the interior design program at la Cité collégiale in Ottawa.

Dimensions speaks with IDC Intern member Nicole Cormier of Architecture 2000 Inc., in Moncton.

Le magazine dimensions échange avec la membre stagiaire Nicole Cormier, de la firme Architecture 2000 Inc., à Moncton.

Once enrolled at school, what surprised you most about interior design?

I was actually surprised to learn that it’s not only about colours and finishes. A big part of interior design is project management, on-site visits and coordinating with consultants. You have to know a lot about construction and project management.

By / Par Sarah Brown

Now that you’re working in the field, what has been one of your favourite projects thus far?

One project in particular really stands out in my mind. In fact, I just recently attended the grand opening. The Emergency Response Services and Town Hall facility in Sackville, New Brunswick, is the first project that I’ve worked on in every aspect, from start to finish. As a member of the team, my role in this project included: selection of colours, materials and finishes along with millwork detailing; colour board presentations and selecting furniture and interior signage. It was the whole package and I was so excited to put to use what I had learned in school.

What path have you followed to get to where you are today?

After graduation, I started my career in the industry working as an AutoCAD technician where I designed furniture layouts and floor plans. If I could give any advice to aspiring designers, it would be to embrace the smaller jobs because they can teach you a

Name: Nicole Cormier Design School: La Cité collégial in Ottawa Year of graduation: 2008 Favourite design tool: X-Acto knife Least favourite: Google SketchUp

Nom: Nicole Cormier École de design : La Cité collégiale, à Ottawa Année de graduation : 2008 L’outil de design de prédilection : le couteau X-Acto L’outil de design le moins apprécié : Google SketchUp

Comment vous êtes-vous décidée à poursuivre une carrière en design d’intérieur?

Quand j’étais petite, je voulais déjà être une designer d’intérieur. En grandissant, j’aimais changer les meubles de place dans ma chambre, écouter les émissions de design à la télévision et faire des croquis et des dessins de ma future maison. Pour m’essayer dans la profession avant de commencer mes études postsecondaires, j’avais planifié de faire un projet de coop au secondaire avec une firme de design. Hélas, je n’avais pu trouver une firme qui voulait prendre une personne aussi jeune. Cette expérience a motivé ma décision de m’inscrire au programme en design d’intérieur de la Cité collégiale, à Ottawa, et de tenter ma chance.

Une fois inscrite, quelle a été votre plus grande surprise concernant le design d’intérieur?

J’ai été très étonnée d’apprendre que le design d’intérieur n’est pas seulement une affaire de finitions et de couleurs. Une grosse partie du travail en design d’intérieur est consacrée à la gestion de projets, à des visites de sites et à la coordination avec des consultants. Vous devez avoir beaucoup de connaissances dans les domaines de la construction et de la gestion de projets.

Maintenant que vous travaillez dans le domaine, quel a été votre projet préféré jusqu’à aujourd’hui?

Un projet s’impose à mon esprit depuis que je travaille pour la firme Architecture 2000 Inc. à Moncton. En fait, je viens d’assister à la cérémonie d’ouverture du bâtiment de

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lot and give you that hands-on experience you really need. It was those first smaller jobs that helped me achieve the goals and dreams I had when I first started working. It’s always good to get out there and learn everything you can.

Attending school in Ottawa, I first joined ARIDO in 2005 and found it so helpful. I loved Student Saturdays ! Going to IIDE X in 20 0 6 was ver y memorable and allowed me to see the big picture, learn about new products and network with other designers. It was so exciting!

Today, I’m a member of ARIDNB. We’re a smaller group than ARIDO but we’re very close and are always helping one another. It’s a nice feeling to be part of such a close knit community.

Where do you hope to go from here?

I will be completing the necessary IDEP hours (Interior Design Experience Program) in the coming months so my next big project is to write the NCIDQ exam. For the time being, I love where I am and want to stay in New Brunswick, close to my family. I do love to travel so who knows what the future will bring. I’m taking it day by day.

Continue the conversation: @NGCormier

Nicole’s advice to other Intern/Provisional members:

Les conseils de Nicole aux membres stagiaires ou provisoires :

“ Embrace the smaller jobs. They can teach you a lot and give you hands-on experience.”

« Ne sous-estimez pas les emplois les plus modestes parce qu’ils peuvent vous enseigner plusieurs choses et vous donner l’expérience dont vous avez réellement besoin. »

l’Emergency Response Services et de la mairie de Sackville, au Nouveau-Brunswick. C’est d’ailleurs le premier projet de cette envergure sur lequel j’ai pu travailler du début à la fin. En tant que membre de l’équipe, mon rôle comprenait autant la sélection des couleurs, des matériaux et des finitions que le détail de menuiserie, la présentation de la palette de couleurs, la sélection des meubles et la signalisation intérieure.

J’ai participé au projet en entier et j’étais très heureuse de mettre enfin à l’épreuve les connaissances acquises durant ma formation.

Quel parcours avez-vous suivi pour en arriver où vous en êtes aujourd’hui?

Après avoir obtenu mon diplôme, j’ai débuté ma carrière dans l’industrie en travaillant comme technicienne AutoCAD chez Multi Concept Inc. et ensuite chez Grand & Toy, où je m’occupais de la planification des meubles et du plancher. Si je pouvais conseiller les designers en devenir, je leur dirais de ne pas sous-estimer les emplois les plus modestes, parce qu’ils peuvent vous enseigner plusieurs choses

et vous donner l’expérience dont vous avez réellement besoin. Ce sont ces petits emplois qui m’ont aidée à atteindre mes objectifs et à réaliser les rêves que j’avais lorsque j’ai commencé à travailler. C’est toujours profitable d’oser faire des choses et d’apprendre tout ce que vous pouvez.

En 2005, lorsque j’étais encore étudiante à Ottawa, je suis devenue membre d’ARIDO et cela m’a beaucoup aidée. J’adorais les journées étudiantes du samedi! En 2006, ma première visite à IIDEX a été aussi mémorable. Elle m’a permis de mieux saisir le portrait plus global, d’en apprendre plus au sujet des produits et de profiter des nouvelles rencontres avec d’autres designers. C’était stimulant!

Aujourd’hui, je suis membre de l’ARIDNB. Nous sommes un groupe plus restreint qu’ARIDO mais nous sommes très proches et nous nous entraidons beaucoup. C’est extraordinaire de faire partie d’une communauté aussi intime.

Quelles sont vos ambitions futures?

Je vais compléter les heures obligatoires de l’IDEP (Interior Design Experience Program) dans les mois prochains, car j’ai l’intention de passer les examens du NCIDQ cette année ou l’année prochaine. Pour le moment, j’aime l’endroit où je travaille et je veux demeurer proche de ma famille, au Nouveau-Brunswick. J’aime aussi beaucoup voyager, alors je ne sais pas ce que le futur m’apportera. Je prends les choses une journée à la fois.

Pour continuer la conversation : @NGCormier

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brand extension la marque, au superlatif

Translating Corporate Philosophy into Physical Reality.

Traduire une philosophie d’entreprise en une réalité physique.

By / Par Leslie C. Smith

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The job of an interior designer is about learning what matters to a client, deciphering their personality and aspirations and interpreting those factors through design.

Often times, corporate design requires an extra step: translating a client’s brand and corporate image into the physical reality of a space. Branding comprises more than just a well-executed logo. It’s more about the experience it brings to the end-user.

“Experiential branding essentially tells a corporate story,” says Alyssa Myshok, president of I D I B C and principal at Vancouver’s Bluefish Design Studio. “The narrative relies on understanding the company’s corporate culture—what lies beneath the logo—and extends well beyond mere imagery.”

“When you go into a space, it has to tell a broader story of the message behind it, the

Le travail d’un designer d’intérieur consiste à reconnaître ce qui importe pour un client, à comprendre sa personnalité et ses ambitions et à interpréter ces divers facteurs dans le design.

Le design d’entreprise nécessite souvent une étape supplémentaire : traduire au mieux la marque d’un client et l’image de l’entreprise dans une réalité physique, un espace. La marque de commerce signifie plus qu’un simple logo bien pensé; il s’agit de l’expérience vécue par les usagers.

L’une des présidentes de la firme Bluefish Design Studio de Vancouver, Alyssa Myshok, affirme que faire l’expérience d’une marque implique essentiellement raconter l’historique d’une entreprise. Ce récit dépend de la compréhension des secrets d’une marque et va beaucoup plus loin que son imagerie.

«L’espace dans lequel vous entrez doit révéler un récit plus vaste que le message sous-entendu : la connexion émotionnelle. Un bon exemple serait

emotional connection. A good example would be a lawyers’ office project we did. Normally, that conjures up pictures of wood panelling and marble, but this company worked within the heavy construction industry and wanted their brand to be one their clients could relate to. So we created a simple grey and white interior with hemlock doors, handmade metal work, and an industrial, unfinished feel to it that not only ‘talked’ the target market’s language but told them ‘We’re not your typical lawyers. We’re approachable. We’re like you.’ ” Kent Goodwin is an associate with Stantec’s Vancouver office and a specialist in airport concessions. Recently, he was charged with developing a brand experience at the San Francisco International Airport for a prototype barrestaurant run by the renown American chef Cat Cora.

“The cooking experience was a critical part of the dining experience and brand experience,” Goodwin says. “We wanted something very urban but not exclusive. So we made the signage

clean and universal—Just a text font. Her name was her brand. Our palette kept to those clean, sophisticated lines—dark wenge wood, glowing onyx for the oyster bar countertop and the storefront, back-painted glass in a yellow that mimicked the onyx, and the same colour used to frame the exhaust hoods.”

Pivotal to his branding plan was the central kitchen area that forms the hub around which the dining and lounge spaces radiate. This open kitchen concept means that food preparation, a crucial element of the brand, becomes the space’s literal focus. Patrons receive an inclusive, interactive show with every order.

But brand experience is not reserved solely for clientele. Attraction and retention of employees—as well as subtle, continual reinforcement of the brand engagement message—are, if anything, even more important design considerations. Sharon Martens, principal with MartensGroup Licensed Interior Design Studio in Calgary, says today’s sophisticated client requires an “attitude and atmosphere in the work

le projet de bureaux d’avocats que nous avons réalisé. Normalement, on pense au marbre et au contreplaqué, mais cette compagnie, qui oeuvre dans le secteur de l’industrie de la construction lourde, voulait que sa clientèle puisse facilement s’identifier à sa marque de commerce. Nous avons alors créé un intérieur gris et blanc des plus simples, avec des portes en pruche, du fer forgé et une finition industrielle brute qui non seulement reflétait le langage du marché ciblé mais savait retenir l’attention des clients : «Nous ne sommes pas des avocats typiques. Nous sommes faciles d’approche. Nous sommes comme vous.»

Kent Goodwin est un designer d’intérieur associé des bureaux de Vancouver de la firme Stantec spécialisé dans les restaurants d’aéroport. Il a dû développé récemment une expérience de marque innovatrice pour l’aéroport international de San Francisco, un prototype de restaurant-bar pour le célèbre chef américain Cat Cora.

Goodwin affirme que «l’expérience culinaire est une partie décisive du repas et est importante pour faire l’expérience de la marque. Nous voulions quelque chose de très urbain et de non exclusif. Nous avons donc valorisé des lignes universelles raffinées

pour la signalisation. Rien d’iconique, un simple caractère de traitement de texte : le nom était la marque de commerce. Notre palette a maintenu ces lignes raffinées et sophistiquées : du bois wengé foncé, de l’onyx phosphorescent pour le bar à huîtres, les comptoirs et le devant de la boutique; du verre peint en noir dans un segment jaune miroitant les textures de l’onyx et les mêmes couleurs utilisées pour l’encadrement des hottes à évacuation.»

L’aire de la cuisine, qui forme le centre autour duquel les espaces de la salle à manger et du salon gravitent, était le point névralgique de la marque de commerce. Le système ouvert de la cuisine indique que la préparation de la nourriture fait partie de la marque, devient le point de mire de l’espace. Les clients sont les témoins d’un spectacle interactif et inclusif, chaque fois qu’ils commandent un repas.

L’expérience de la marque n’est pas seulement réservée à la clientèle.

L’attrait et la rétention des employés — tout autant qu’un renforcement soutenu du message de la marque de commerce — sont des considérations de design non négligeables. La présidente de la firme MartensGroup Licensed Interior Design Studio de Calgary, Sharon Martens, insiste sur le fait que, de nos

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environment that illustrates their values and business style.”

She cites a recent project for ARC Resources, a local energy and petroleum company, which revolved around the need to draw in highly talented young professionals from around the world.

Since their work centres on the development of new technologies, state-of-the-art technology is incorporated throughout the office design, most notably in the impressive touch-screen wall that takes the place of a typical receptionist’s desk.

Every floor boasts its own café/living room area complete with fireplace, large-screen TV and Nintendo Wii games. Add in a complete gym facility, a contemporary art collection created by Alberta College of Art students, plus a daily complimentary continental breakfast, and you have a workplace that’s as welcoming as a well-run hotel yet as comfortable as a home. LEED-certified, the building reflects the company’s commitment to environmental concerns.

Johnson Chou, principal of Toronto’s Johnson Chou Inc., tells his client’s stories through a combination of ritual and metaphor. “The ritual is ever yday engagement with the space, looking at things you might take for granted—opening a door, crossing a floor—and elevating them above the commonplace. Metaphor involves

creating objects imbued with symbolic content.”

How, for instance, do you design a witty space? Chou faced that challenge when his firm was hired by the Toronto ad agency Grip Ltd., which is notorious for its humorous commercials. “They needed inspirational studio space, infused with their particular brand of wit.

We wanted to find iconic objects that would speak to them.”

Taking his cue from the company’s mantra that ‘the journey must be fun,’ Chou installed a functional firefighter’s pole and half-circle plastic slide in the office’s double-height atrium. He installed bleacher seating to accommodate company meetings as well as the occasional party and movie night. He encased the reception desk in a huge rubber tire that not only speaks to the firm’s automotive clients but serves a functional purpose as safety padding for the skateboard races that occasionally careen down the concrete hallway. “Those are the first things you see when you get off the elevator,” says Chou. “You immediately have an impression of what this office is all about.”

Several of Grip’s clients are in the beer industry, so holding small business meetings in an imitation hot tub, and larger ones in a stainless steel boardroom complete with fridge door and white Astroturf “frost” on the floor, possesses definite demographic appeal. Everything about the space comes across as very casual and democratic which, not coincidentally, is the exact brand message the company wants to project.

Interior design is the best way a business can articulate its corporate image— creating a total brand experience for a company. Messaging conveyed through physical space speaks volumes about what it means to work with the company, yet communicates with staff and clientele at a subliminal level.

jours, les clients sophistiqués exigent «une attitude et une atmosphère qui illustrent autant leurs valeurs que leur style d’affaires dans l’environnement de travail».

Elle mentionne un récent projet pour la compagnie d’énergie locale et de pétrole ARC Resources, qui avait besoin d’attirer l’attention de jeunes professionnels talentueux de partout à travers le monde. Puisque leur travail tourne autour des nouvelles technologies, les technologies de pointe ont été intégrées à l’ensemble du design, notamment dans l’usage d’un mur écran digital qui tient lieu de bureau de réceptionniste typique. Chacun des étages comprend son espace café et son salon complet avec un foyer, un grand téléviseur et des jeux Nintendo, sans oublier un centre de conditionnement physique, une collection d’objets d’art créée par les étudiants en arts de l’Alberta College.

Un déjeuné continental gratuit est aussi offert. Vous voilà alors dans un milieu de travail aussi accueillant qu’un hôtel et aussi confortable que la maison. Le bâtiment est également certifié LEED, ce qui reflète l’engagement de la compagnie envers les questions environnementales.

Nous laissons le dernier mot sur cette idée des récits d’une marque à Johnson Chou, président de la firme torontoise Johnson Chou Inc., qui précise que ces récits savent marier rituel et métaphore : «Le rituel, c’est un engagement au jour le jour avec l’espace, l’attention apportée aux choses faites sans réfléchir, comme ouvrir une porte ou circuler sur tout le plancher, et pour les élever audessus du sens commun. La métaphore implique

qu’on investit la création d’objets d’un contenu symbolique.»

Par exemple, comment créez-vous un espace humoristique? Chou a dû surmonter un tel défi lorsque sa compagnie a été engagée par l’agence torontoise de publicité Grip Ltd., réputée pour ses vidéos humoristiques. «Ils avaient besoin d’un espace de studio inspirant et investi de leur étiquette humoristique particulière. Nous voulions trouver des objets iconiques qui voulaient dire quelque chose pour eux.»

Chou a installé un pôle fonctionnel pour les pompiers et une glissade en demi-cercle en plastique dans l’atrium faisant deux fois la hauteur d’un bureau, profitant ainsi du credo de la compagnie qui affirme que «le voyage doit être amusant.» Dans le même espace, il a installé un bleacher seating pour accommoder les réunions de la compagnie, les fêtes et les soirées de film occasionnelles. Il a encastré le bureau de la réception dans un gros pneu en caoutchouc, évocateur non seulement pour les clients de l’industrie automobile de la firme mais aussi indiqué pour sa fonction utilitaire de sécurité lors des courses de planches à roulettes qui ont parfois lieu dans le couloir de béton. Chou dit que ces éléments de design «sont les premières

choses que vous voyez lorsque vous sortez de l’ascenseur. Vous avez une impression immédiate du genre de bureau où vous êtes.»

La firme Grip Ltd. a plusieurs clients dans l’industrie de la bière. Voilà pourquoi tenir les brèves réunions d’affaires dans une imitation de bain chaud et les longues réunions dans une salle en acier inoxydable avec une porte de frigidaire et un gazon artificiel AstroTurf blanc sur le plancher indiquant le mot «gel» ne peut que séduire et intriguer les visiteurs. L’espace entier apparaît décontracté et ouvert à tous. Et ce n’est pas une coïncidence si cela correspond exactement au message de marque que la compagnie souhaite transmettre.

Le design d’intérieur offre aux entreprises les meilleurs moyens pour présenter leur image, en créant une expérience de marque pour la compagnie. Le message transmis par l’environnement physique en dit long sur ce que ça veut dire de travailler avec la compagnie en plus de communiquer à un niveau subliminal avec les employés et la clientèle.

Continue the conversation: @BlueFish_Studio

Pour continuer la conversation : @BlueFish_Studio

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mobility matters souveraine mobilité

Getting the most out of mobile applications.

Profiter au maximum des serveurs mobiles.

By / Par Julia Salerno

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Mobile technology is transforming the way interior designers do business.

For some, a smart phone or tablet device serves as a mobile office by connecting working files, contacts and the office to wherever they happen to be setting up shop. For others however, navigating through today’s ever-expanding sea of mobile applications can be downright scary. Regardless of where you find yourself on this spectrum, we’ve identified some applications that can be useful to any interior designer’s business.

Professor Michael Zapp, Computer Sciences Instructor at the University of Manitoba says that mobile apps have become so popular that he estimates more and more client-based organizations will use them almost exclusively within the next five years. “We’ve built an instant-gratification culture that demands faster and better service when it comes to satisfying customers,” says Professor Zapp, who also heads his own mobile applications development company. “Apart from their practicality, apps and the devices they’re installed on come with psychological attachment. A laptop or

La technologie mobile transforme la manière dont les designers d’intérieur font des affaires.

Pour plusieurs, le téléphone intelligent ou la tablette électronique tiennent lieu de bureau mobile en leur donnant accès aux dossiers et aux documents du travail, au carnet d’adresses et au bureau, peu importe l’endroit où ils s’installent. Pour d’autres, se frayer un chemin à travers les applications de cellulaire qui envahissent nos réalités peut être franchement effrayant. Peu importe où vous vous situez dans cette aventure, nous avons identifié quelques applications qui peuvent être utiles pour les designers d’intérieur.

Michael Zapp, professeur d’informatique à l’Université du Manitoba, affirme que les serveurs mobiles sont devenus si populaires que de plus en plus d’organisations ayant une clientèle fidèle les utiliseront presque exclusivement dans les cinq prochaines années. Monsieur Zapp, qui dirige aussi sa propre compagnie de développement de serveurs mobiles, insiste : «Nous avons créé une culture de la satisfaction immédiate qui exige des services meilleurs et de plus en plus rapides lorsque vient le temps de satisfaire les clients.» Il ajoute : «En plus de leur aspect pratique, les serveurs mobiles et les dispositifs où ils sont installés impliquent un

desktop computer conjures feelings of responsibility, whereas mobile apps are designed to be user friendly and offer a more enjoyable reaction,” adds Zapp.

His favourite app is called Instapaper, which lets you save web pages and emails in a text-only format for reading offline later.

The ability to look to your device for better organizational skills, greater productivity and the chance to look more professional in front of a client (as you appear to be on the cuttingedge of technology) is just a quick download away. And to boot, several industry manufacturers and suppliers are hopping on the bandwagon by creating mobile apps to help designers show-and-tell products to client’s onthe-spot.

Stephen Lamoureux, managing partner at ADI group in Winnipeg and VP Finance on the IDC Board says there are several reasons why he uses his iPad for portfolio presentations and client meetings. “Not only is it an instantaneous slideshow of my past work, but I can show clients many more images

than I could ever hold with a traditional portfolio. And it’s much less obtrusive than a laptop or paper.” For presentations, the app version of Keynote allows you to display, create and edit, while presentation apps like Webex and GoToMeeting allow users to hold virtual meetings and share files on-screen by connecting their device to a projector.

Sketching and designing is how an interior designer spends most of their day and of course there are apps built for that, too. Caroline Robbie, principal at Quadrangle Architects says she uses drafting applications like SketchBook Pro and Penultimate to sketch over drawings and images and to take notes.

“It’s much more practical to make electronic mark-ups and present a visual concept to show my team or a client exactly what I’m envisioning,” says Robbie. AutoCAD WS, GraphPad and iDesign are also notable drafting and sketching apps for designers and architects. If it’s editing PDF files you’re after, iAnnotate and GoodReader let you add comments to documents and forward them to someone else who will get the edited version.

attachement psychologique. Un ordinateur portable ou de bureau évoque encore un sentiment de responsabilité, tandis que les serveurs mobiles sont plus faciles et agréables à utiliser.» Son serveur mobile préféré est Instapaper, qui vous permet de sauvegarder des pages de sites Internet et des courriels dans un format de traitement de texte que vous pourrez consulter plus tard sans vous connecter.

Le serveur mobile vous permettra d’obtenir de meilleures aptitudes organisationnelles et une productivité supérieure. Les occasions de paraître plus professionnel devant un client (puisque vous avez l’air d’être à l’affût de la plus récente technologie) ne sont pas à un téléchargement près. De surcroît, plusieurs fabricants et fournisseurs de l’industrie participent à cette aventure technologique. Certains on créé des serveurs mobiles conçus pour aider les designers à montrer aux clients leurs produits dès qu’ils sont prêts.

Le partenaire gestionnaire de la firme ADI group, à Winnipeg, et vice-président aux finances des DIC, Stephen Lamoureux, dit que plusieurs raisons le motivent à utiliser son iPad pour des présentations de portfolio et lors de réunions avec les clients. «Non seulement il y a un éventail de clichés disponibles immédiatement,

mais j’ai la chance de pouvoir montrer plus d’images que je pourrais le faire dans un portfolio. En plus, c’est moins envahissant qu’un portable ou des documents imprimés.» Pour les présentations, le serveur mobile Keynote vous permet de montrer, créer et éditer, tandis que les serveurs de présentation Webex et GoToMeeting permettent aux usagers d’organiser des rencontres virtuelles et de partager des dossiers sur un écran, en connectant leur outil informatique à un projecteur.

Le designer d’intérieur passe une grande partie de la journée à faire des dessins et à concevoir des projets de designs. Naturellement, il y a aussi des serveurs mobiles conçus pour ce genre de travail. La présidente de la firme Quadrangle Architects, Caroline Robbie, dit qu’elle utilise des serveurs d’esquisses et de dessins comme SketchBook Pro et Penultimate pour travailler sur des croquis et des images et prendre des notes. «C’est beaucoup plus pratique pour clairement montrer à mon équipe ou à un client comment je vois les choses lorsque je présente un concept visuel ou lorsqu’on fait des balisages électroniques.» AutoCAD WS, GraphPad et iDesign sont aussi des serveurs de dessins pour les designers et les architectes. Si vous voulez éditer

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Using apps can give small firm owners like Troy Dashney of Bold Design in Edmonton a general boost in productivity. “It’s like having an electronic executive assistant who allows me to provide as many answers that I can in the moment,” says Dashney, who relies on an app called Dropbox for sharing, syncing and backing up files. “Rather than investing in a large, costly server I use this tool to temporarily share files with collaborators and no matter where I am in the world, I have access to all of my documents.”

Apps that assist with measurements and calculations can also come in handy to the designer onthe-go. Saskatoon based interior designer David Chu of SEPW Architects uses apps like Photo Measure and MultiMeasure when he’s sourcing furniture or needs to reference the dimensions of a space he’s working on. “I can take a photo or choose an existing one and add measurements right to the image, eliminating the need for pen and paper,” says Chu. Another app Chu uses is Pitch Gauge, which helps you calculate roof pitches.

Mobile apps can also help interior designers with specifying product. Ames Tile & Stone Ltd., Benjamin Moore, Kohler Canada, Steelcase, and Teknion Furniture Systems are IDC Industry members who have joined the mobile app revolution.

Kohler Canada was the first company to set up a Canadian-specific application in the plumbing industry. “We realized there was a need to create a mobile app that would help Canadian interior designers be more effective in their time with clients,” says Donna Church, marketing and communications manager for Kohler Canada. “Our application eliminates the need for binders and catalogues and instead brings specification sheets, rough-in sheets and installation notes to a designer’s fingertips, for a quick and easy decision-making process.”

Product-specific applications use the speed of technology to display products in a real-time and in a ready-access way; an especially useful tool when dealing with clients who have a hard time visualizing a product in their space.

The Ames mobile app was also the first of its kind in the tile and stone industry. “We’re a progressive company that likes to use technology to better serve our clients,” says Priscilla Cheung, marketing project lead for Ames Tile & Stone Ltd. “Our clients can now check real-time inventory, product

specifications and installation photos and calculate the amount of material needed to complete a project.”

Mobile technology is here to stay, according to Melandro Quilatan, principal/partner at Tomas Pearce Interior Design Consulting. “[This] is not a passing fad, it’s a vital instrument and resource for today’s businesses, making the world’s offerings much more accessible.”

des dossiers PDF, iAnnotate et GoodReader vous permettent d’écrire des commentaires sur des documents. Vous pouvez ensuite les envoyer en version éditée.

L’usage des serveurs mobiles peut donner un élan de productivité aux propriétaires de firmes, comme Troy Dashney, de Bold Design, à Edmonton. Dasney affirme : «C’est comme avoir un assistant en électronique qui me permet de fournir autant de réponses qu’il m’est possible de le faire dans le moment présent». Dasney a recours à un serveur nommée Dropbox pour mieux partager et sauvegarder des documents. Il précise : «Au lieu d’investir dans un gros serveur coûteux, j’utilise cet outil temporairement pour partager mes documents avec des collaborateurs. Peu importe où je suis dans le monde, je peux accéder à tous mes dossiers.»

Les serveurs mobiles qui aident à prendre des mesures et des calculs sont aussi pratiques pour les designers sur le qui-vive. Le designer d’intérieur David Chu, de la firme SEPW Architects, basée à Saskatoon, utilise les serveurs Photo Measure et MultiMeasure lorsqu’il cherche des meubles ou qu’il a besoin de références pour mesurer les dimensions d’un espace. Chu précise : «Je peux prendre des photos ou choisir une photo existante et ajouter des mesures directement sur l’image, éliminant ainsi les besoins d’un crayon et du papier.»

Chu utilise aussi le serveur Pitch Gauge, qui aide à calculer la pente de la toiture.

Les serveurs mobiles peuvent aussi aider les designers d’intérieur dans leur spécification de produits. Les compagnies Ames Tile & Stone Ltd.,

Benjamin Moore, Kohler Canada, Steelcase et Teknion Furniture Systems sont des membres d’industrie des DIC qui se sont joints à la révolution des serveurs mobiles.

Kohler Canada a été la première compagnie à mettre sur pied un outil informatique spécifiquement canadien destiné à l’industrie de la plomberie.

Donna Chruch, directrice des communications et du marketing chez Kohler Canada, précise: «Nous avons réalisé qu’il y avait un besoin de créer un serveur mobile qui aiderait les designers d’intérieur canadiens à mieux gérer leur temps avec leurs clients. Notre serveur élimine le besoin de cartables et de catalogues. Il fournit plutôt aux designers, des feuilles de spécifications, de brouillon et des notes d’installation, ce qui facilite le processus décisionnel.»

Les serveurs axés sur la spécification de produits utilisent la rapidité et l’accès facile de la technologie pour montrer des produits d’une manière novatrice, dans un temps réel. Ils sont particulièrement utiles avec des clients qui ont de la difficulté à visualiser un produit dans leur espace.

Le serveur mobile Ames a aussi été le premier du genre dans l’industrie des carrelages. Priscilla Cheung, responsable des projets de marketing pour la firme Ames Tile & Stone Ltd, déclare :

«Nous sommes une compagnie d’avantgarde qui aime utiliser la technologie pour mieux servir ses clients. Nos clients peuvent consulter l’inventaire et la spécification des produits dans le moment présent, voir des photos d’installation et calculer la quantité de matériau nécessaire pour compléter un projet.»

Selon Melandro Quilatan, président et partenaire chez Tomas Pearce Interior Design Consulting : «La technologie Mobile est là pour rester. Ce n’est pas une phase; c’est un instrument vital et une ressource pour les entreprises d’aujourd’hui, qui rend plus accessible tout ce que le monde a à offrir.»

Continue the conversation: @IDCanadaTweets @quadrangleArch @bold_design_int @kohlercanada @TiffLoveTPIDC @Teknion @BenjaminMoore @Steelcase

Pour continuer la conversation : @IDCanadaTweets @quadrangleArch @bold_design_int @kohlercanada @TiffLoveTPIDC @Teknion @BenjaminMoore @Steelcase

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on your behalf… en votre nom…

Your Association’s primary mandate is to ensure the advancement of the interior design profession, on your behalf. IDC is therefore proud to be one of the core funding members of the newly staffed Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC)—together with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA)—as part of our ongoing effort to ensure quality, lifelong learning for our members.

Launched in 1983 as the Continuing Education Forum and renamed the Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC) in 1991 to better reflect its purpose and representation, the mandate of this historically volunteer-based organization has been to establish and maintain a standardized course review system and house a centralized registry for interior designers and CEU providers alike. In 2010, the three founding organizations came together to define a new vision, mission and values for IDCEC in response to an increase in continuing education activities and a new awareness of responsibilities in the profession. The result has been the incorporation, as of March, 2011, of IDCEC as an independent organization—with its own director and headquarters in Toronto, ON—and the development of a new online CEU registration and reporting system.

Creating a consistent continuing education policy and user-friendly CEU registry has been a big undertaking for IDCEC. IDC, ASID and IIDA together represent more than 35,000 interior design professionals across North America, with approximately 1,500 IDCEC-approved Continuing Education Units (CEUs) currently being delivered to their memberships. What has been involved in launching IDCEC as an independently functioning body?

“This first year of has been about centralizing operations and establishing industr y standards and best practices for professional development,” explains IDCEC’s executive director Brynell D’Mello. “With the help of new staff member Jeremy Roberts [IDCEC’s Continuing Education Coordinator], we’re now pushing forward with our mandate to streamline the submission and registration process,

Le premier mandat de votre association est d’assurer en votre nom l’avancement de la profession du design d’intérieur. Les DIC sont fiers de faire partie des membres fondateurs du nouveau Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC), conjointement avec l’American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) et l’International Interior Design Association (IIDA). Ce partenariat joue un rôle important dans nos efforts pour assurer un apprentissage de longue durée et de qualité à nos membres.

L’association a été lancée en 1983 sous l’enseigne Continuing Education Forum, pour être renommée Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC) en 1991, afin de mieux refléter sa mission et honorer sa représentation. Le mandat de cette organisation historiquement fondée sur le travail bénévole a été d’établir et de maintenir un système d’évaluation de cours, en plus de fournir un registre centralisé pour les designers d’intérieur et les fournisseurs d’unités de formation continue. En 2010, les trois organisations fondatrices se sont réunies pour définir la nouvelle vision, la mission et les valeurs de l’IDCEC, en réponse à l’augmentation des activités de formation continue et à cette nouvelle sensibilisation aux responsabilités de la profession. L’incorporation de l’IDCEC comme organisation indépendante a eu lieu en mars 2011. L’IDCEC a développé un nouveau système d’inscription et de gestion des unités de formation continue (UFC) en ligne. Sa direction et ses bureaux sont situés à Toronto.

La création d’une réglementation rigoureuse en matière de formation continue et l’instauration d’un registre d’UFC facile d’usage sont à la base d’un projet d’envergure pour l’IDCEC. Les DIC, l’ASID et l’IIDA représentent conjointement plus de 35 000 de-signers d’intérieur en Amérique du Nord, avec environ 1500 unités de formation continue (UFC) approuvées qui sont offertes à leur membre. On peut se demander quel rôle joue l’IDCEC comme entité indépendante autonome?

La directrice générale de l’IDCEC, Brynell d’Mello, souligne que «la première année d’opération a servi à centraliser les opérations et mettre sur pieds les normes de l’industrie et des meilleures pratiques pour le développement professionnel. Avec l’aide du coordonnateur de la formation continue de l’IDCEC nouvellement recruté, Jeremy Roberts, nous pouvons faire valoir notre mandat visant à simplifier les processus de soumission et d’inscription, en commençant par le lancement en deux phases d’un nouveau système en ligne.»

La première phase du Système en ligne de l’IDCEC, lancé en avril 2012, permet aux fournisseurs d’UFC de soumettre leurs documents de séminaires par

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beginning with the two-phase launch of this new online system.”

By maintaining consistency in policies, procedures, criteria and guidelines, IDCEC’s centralized approval process ensures learners get the highest quality of continuing education opportunities. Plus, interior design members of IDC, ASID or IIDA—who are required to fulfill continuing education requirements for membership—can use the IDCEC system free of charge to easily search all CEUs approved by IDCEC and register and report their CEUs in a centralized location to meet their mandatory continuing education requirements for the associations or State Boards they belong to.

“The system has a user friendly, self-serve interface, complete with a searchable calendar for all CEUs available throughout North America” says D’Mello, “For the first time ever, learners will have the ability to search a centralized database and find where CEUs are being offered as well as identify the level and type of course being provided.”

For providers, the first phase of the IDCEC Online System, launched in April 2012, allows CEU providers to submit their course material for approval electronically. “Providers were sending us hardcopy submission, which led to longer approval turnaround times [up to 10 weeks] and huge amounts of paper,” explains D’Mello. “Not only does the new

online system reduce approval turn-around time to just three-to-four weeks, I’m also proud to say that this new submission process is green and entirely paperless.”

CEU providers using this new system can schedule their approved CEUs anywhere in North America, report attendance and manage accounts quickly and easily through their secured access to IDCEC’s online system.

As of June, 2012, IDCEC will launch the second phase of its online system, which is set to give learners access to a centralized CEU registry where they will be able to fill out course reviews and obtain official transcripts for their CEU activity. D’Mello clarifies that “this will allow IDCEC to accurately validate attendance and leave a good audit trail.”

“Our mission today,” she adds, “is to train CEU providers and learners alike to use our online system as a valuable resource for searching available professional development opportunities and manage their record keeping associated with their learning.” For more information, be sure to read the IDCEC newsletter and IDConnections for continued updates on the launch.

voie électronique pour leur approbation. Brynell d’Mello insiste : «Les fournisseurs envoyaient des soumissions imprimées, ce qui prolongeait le temps alloué aux évaluations de dossiers (jusqu’à 10 semaines) et créait des sommes de papier inimaginables. Le nouveau système sur Internet réduit les délais d’approbation à trois ou quatre semaines.» De plus, ce nouveau processus, elle est fière de le dire, «est écologique et neutralise complètement l’usage du papier.»

Le processus d’approbation centralisée de l’IDCEC garantit que les individus en formation reçoivent des formations continues de qualité supérieure, en maintenant des lignes conductrices, des règlements et des critères rigoureux. De plus, les designers d’intérieur membres des DIC, de l’ASID et de l’IIDA qui doivent compléter les exigences minimales requises de formation continue pour l’admissibilité de l’adhésion peuvent utiliser gratuitement le système en ligne de l’IDCEC. Ils pourront ainsi chercher toutes les UFC approuvées par l’IDCEC, s’inscrire et rapporter leur UFC dans un lieu centralisé afin de remplir les conditions de formation continue requises et définies dans le cadre de leur association provinciale ou de leur conseil d’État.

D’Mello ajoute que «le système a une interface exhaustive facile d’usage, avec un calendrier complet des UFC disponibles en Amérique du Nord.

Pour la toute première fois, les individus qui suivent des formations auront la possibilité de rechercher une banque de données centralisée et de savoir où les UFC sont offertes, en plus de connaître le type et le niveau de la formation.»

Les fournisseurs d’UFC qui utilisent ce nouveau système peuvent inscrire à l’horaire leur formation approuvée partout en Amérique du Nord, fournir le bilan des présences et gérer les dossiers rapidement et facilement grâce à leur accès facile et sécuritaire au service sur Internet de l’IDCEC. L’IDCEC lancera la deuxième phase de son système en ligne en juin 2012. Cette phase donnera aux individus un accès direct au registre d’UFC centralisé, où ils pourront remplir des évaluations de cours et obtenir les relevés officiels de leurs activités d’UFC. D’Mello précise que «cela permettra à l’IDCEC de mieux valider les présences et de fournir des preuves dans le cas de vérification.»

Elle ajoute : «Aujourd’hui, notre mission est de former les fournisseurs d’UFC et les étudiants pour qu’ils puissent utiliser le système en ligne comme une ressource inestimable pour rechercher les occasions de développement professionnel disponibles et mieux gérer les relevés qui témoignent de leurs apprentissages.» Pour en savoir plus sur les lancements à venir, lisez le bulletin de l’IDCEC et le bulletin ID Connections des DIC.

Professional development is a mandator y requirement of membership in each provincial association. To help members reach this requirement, IDC currently delivers an average of 70 continuing education opportunities per year. These opportunities are directly related to interior design, are non-proprietary and support professional development for interior designers.

Need us to act on your behalf? Let us know. We’re here to help.

Le développement professionnel est une exigence requise pour l’adhésion à chacune des associations provinciales. Pour aider les membres à remplir ces normes obligatoires, les DIC offrent en moyenne 70 sessions de formation continue annuellement. Ces occasions d’apprentissage se rattachent au domaine du design d’intérieur. Elles sont non promotionnelles et favorisent le développement professionnel des designers d’intérieur.

Vous avez besoin de nous pour agir en votre nom? Faites-le-nous savoir. Nous sommes là pour vous aider.

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Interior Designers Of Canada C536–43 Hanna Avenue, Toronto ON M6K 1X1 t 416.649.4425 tf 877.443.4425 f 416.921.3660 dimensions@idcanada.org www.idcanada.org

Industry members *Membres de l’industrie With thanks to our industry members for their continued support of IDC. Avec nos remerciements aux membres de l’industrie pour leur soutien continu aux DIC. IDC/IIDEX Partner Partenaires des DIC/IIDEX Altro Cree Canada InterfaceFLOR Levey Wallcoverings Teknion IDC National Member Membres nationaux des DIC 3M Canada - Architectural Markets Caesarstone Canada Hunter Douglas-Div Window Fashions Knoll North America Corp.

Shaw Contract Group Steelcase Canada Ltd. StonCor Group Tandus Flooring Williams-Sonoma Inc. Designer Marketplace IDC Regional Member Membres régionaux des DIC Ames Tile & Stone Ltd. Cambria Natural Quartz Surfaces GLOBAL GROUP Haworth Ltd. INSCAPE Kravet Canada Lutron Electronics Canada Inc. Milliken & Company IDC Provincial Member Membres provinciaux des DIC Allseating Allsteel American Standard Brands Arborite, division de/of ITW Canada Beaulieu Commercial Benjamin Moore & Co. Ltd. Contrast Lighting M.L. Inc Crown Wallpaper & Fabrics Dauphin North America Delta Sierra Construction & Millwork Ltd. Groupe Carreaux Céragrès Hettich Canada L.P. Joel Berman Glass Studios Julian Ceramic Tile Inc. Kohler Canada Co. Mabe Canada (GE Monogram) MARANT Construction Ltd. Metropolitan Hardwood Floors Inc. Odyssey Wallcoverings Paloform Inc. Partition Components Inc. Three H. Furniture Systems TORLYS Smart Floors IDC Media Partner Partenaires des médias des DIC Canadian Interiors HOMES Publishing Group

IDC Local Member Membres locaux des DIC 2KGrafx 3form Abet Corp.

Aeon Stone & Tile Inc. AGA Marvel Alendel Fabrics Limited AMTICO International Inc. Appliance Love Applied Electronics Ltd. Arconas AriaArt Art Works Gallery Astro Design Centre Atlas Carpet Mills Inc. AYA Kitchens and Baths Ltd Banner Carpets Ltd. Beckwith Galleries Bermax Furniture and Design bf workplace BL Innovative Lighting Blackburn Young Office Solutions Blum Canada Ltd. BoConcept Bradford Decorative Hardware Inc. Bradlee Distributors Inc. Brunswick Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Buckwold Western Business Interiors by Staples California Closets Canlyte Inc. Cantu Bathrooms & Hardware Ltd. Carpenters Union, Local 27 CAS Interiors Inc Cascadia Design Products cd/m2 LIGHTWORKS corp.

Ceratec Inc. CGC Inc. Chase Office Interiors Inc. Cherrywood Studio Chestnut Grove Cabinetry & Millwork Ciot Click Lighting and Home Coast Wholesale Appliances Cocoon Furnishings Colin Campbell & Sons Ltd. Colonial Countertops Ltd. Command Performance Exclusive Electronic Solutions Commercial Electronics Ltd. Connect Resource Managers & Planners Inc. Convenience Group Inc. Cooper Bros. International Coopertech Signs and Graphics Creative Matters Inc CTI Working Environments Cubo Design Inc. Custom Closet Organizers/Shelving Outlet Custom Range Hoods Inc. Daltile Canada Decor-Rest Furniture Ltd. Dell Smart Home Solutions Denison Gallery Design Exchange Design Living Centre Divine Hardwood Flooring Ltd. Dominion Rug Sales Ltd. D’or Art Consultants DPI Construction Management Drechsel Business Interiors E. Roko Distributors Ltd. / Formica Emily Quinn Emma Dane Design + Build Ensuite, The

Entertaining Interiors Environmental Acoustics Envirotech Office Systems Inc. Erv Parent Group Erv Parent Group Ethan Allan Fendi Casa, Canada Fleurco Products FloForm Countertops Floor Coverings International Floor Studio Inc., The Flux Lighting Inc. Fontile Kitchen and Bath Forbo Linoleum Inc. Geovin Furniture Inc. Grand & Toy GRANGE Furniture Inc. Greenferd Construction Inc. Grohe Canada Inc. Hardwoods Specialty Products Heritage Office Furnishings Ltd. Heritage Office Furnishings Victoria Ltd. Herman Miller Canada Inc. High Point Market Authority Holmes & Brakel Humanscale IDEE17 Impact Office Furnishings Limited Info-Link Interior Surfaces Inc. Interna Furniture Design Ltd. Island Window Coverings Ltd. Isted Technical Sales J+J Invision JCO & Associates Johnsonite Jones Goodridge Kinetic Design Products Ltd. Kitchen & Bath Classics (Wolseley) Kobe Interior Products Inc. Kobe Interior Products Inc. Korson Furniture Imports Ltd. Kraus/Floors with More Krug La Scala Home Cinema + Integrated Media LAVA Canada Leber Rubes Inc. Leonardi Construction Ltd. Liesch Office Interiors Light Resource LightForm M.R. Evans Trading Co. Ltd. Maharam Mapei Inc. Marble Trend Ltd. Marco Products (W Group) Marilyn Harding Art Martin Knowles Photo/Media Mercury Wood Products Metro Wallcoverings Inc. Miller Thomson LLP Millson Technologies Inc MOEN INC. Momentum Group Monk Office Interiors M-Tec. Inc. My Greener House Novanni Stainless Inc. Octopus Products Ltd. Office Shop, The Office Source Inc. OLON Industries Olympia Tile International Inc. Orion Hardware Corporation Pacific Stone Tile Ltd

Pentco Industries Inc. PI Fine Art/ Posters International POI Business Interiors Powell & Bonnell Home Inc. Prima Lighting Prolific Marketing Inc. Rae Brothers Ltd. Ram Mechanical Marketing - Manitoba Reeves Group Agents Ltd., The Robert Allen Fabrics Canada Rodgers Wall Materials Inc. Roman Bath Centre Salari Fine Carpet Collections Schoolhouse Products Inc. Sherwin Williams Silk and Style By Dann Imports - 707585 Ontario Limited Silverwood Flooring SMARTWaste Canada Smitten Creative Boutique SOFA, Source of Furniture and Accessories Solutions Workplace Furnishings Sound Advice Sound Solutions 1997 Inc. Spacesaver Corp.

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. Stonequest Inc. Streamline Sales & Marketing Inc Stylish Fireplaces by Huntington Lodge Sullivan Source Inc., The Surface Products Inc. SwitzerCultCreative Symmetry Lighting Tasco Distributors The Brick Commercial Design Centre Midnorthern Appliances The Sliding Door Company Tierra Sol Ceramic Tile TOR The Office Resource Tri-Can Contract Inc. Tripped On Light design inc.

Tritex Fabrics Ltd. Turco-Persian Rug Co. Ltd. Turnkey Lifestyle Technologies Tusch Seating Inc. Valley Countertops Industries Ltd. Vandyk Commercial Co. Ltd. Verona Floors Inc. Verona Floors Inc. Vifloor Canada Ltd. W Studio Decorative Carpets Waterflo Kitchen & Bath Gallery Weavers Rug Gallery Westport Mfg. Co. Ltd. White-Wood Distributors Ltd. Wilsonart Canada Window Works Ltd. Your Home Custom A/V Systems *As of March 22, 2012 *À partir du 22 mars 2012

Design: Urszula Tokarska / Stephen R. Pile Architect Photography: Joy Von Tiedemann

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